Pepperells Ltd

We did wills and power of attorney with Lucy. It was quite a long drawn out process and expensive but she was very helpful and it is finally sorted.

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Lucy Drinkall

Lucy provided excellent service for mine and my husband’s wills. She took time to understand our wishes and then to explain the legalities. I would definitely recommend her.

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Lucy Drinkall

Pepperell’s Solicitors Review. Pepperell’s were appointed as joint executors of my aunt’s will, and my involvement with them ran from April 2025 to June 2026. The experience caused me considerable worry and stress. In summary, my review concerns poor communication with me as a joint executor, delays in responding to emails and returning calls, excessive costs supported by inadequate invoice information, and unsatisfactory complaint handling. Failure to Keep Me Informed • When Pepperell’s received the bank funds on 23 November 2025, following the grant of probate, they confirmed receipt but did not tell me the amount received. Despite repeated requests, I did not receive this information until the interim estate account was sent to me on 4 March 2026. • When I asked about interest on the funds they held, I was not told the interest rate or the process applied. I still do not have clarity on this point. Invoice Information and Charges • Following the grant of probate, an invoice for £2,834.40 was paid, with disbursements charged separately. The invoice was not itemised and referred only to “professional fees”. • After the house was sold in March 2026, and the conveyancing fees had been paid separately, I expected a prompt final account and settlement. By that stage, after nearly a year, I believed all relevant enquiries should have been completed. • The case was then reassigned to a trainee solicitor, and I continued to request the final account and distribution of the funds. • I did not expect significant further charges, as I was told the remaining work appeared to involve only checking income tax and interest earned. • Despite this, I received four further invoices for £1,012.80, £1,344.00, £573.60 and £40.00, totalling £2,970.40. This exceeded the amount previously charged for the main probate work. In my view, these fees were excessive for the limited work carried out, and only the final invoice was itemised. • As a joint executor, I found it unacceptable that these sums could be deducted without an itemised invoices or my approval. It appeared to me that Pepperell’s were just charging up to the proposed £5,000 fee quoted in the client care letter, which they then exceeded. • I found the delay in producing the final account and distributing the estate funds stressful and unacceptable, particularly given the length of time that had already passed. Complaint Handling • I submitted a complaint to Pepperell’s. After many attempts to obtain a reply, I was telephoned in May 2026 and told they had not received my emails. After I provided details, they found the emails in a spam folder, where they had apparently been filtered by the company’s email system. • An investigation was carried out and then the case closed without further discussion! I considered the response inadequate because they addressed only selected points, answered the issues they chose to answer, and in my view ignored the overall substance of my complaint. I found this treatment upsetting and distressing. I concluded that further discussion with Pepperell’s would be disregarded and would not help to finalise the estate. • Because I did not believe I had been treated fairly in my complaint with Pepperell's, I have submitted all my information to the Legal Ombudsman. I would like to add that the conveyancing department were totally different and a efficient professional service was delivered by them.

Teigan was very helpful and made a different job very easy

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Teigan Smith

Natalia was very professional, friendly, her expert advice made the experience of writing the will very easy.

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Natalia Mihajlovic

Very good appointment explained everything to me. Satisfied with the details.

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Lucy Drinkall

Lucy was very efficient and easy to talk to. She handled our wills for us

Lucy was very efficient, professional and took the time to address and explain anything we were unsure of. Highly recommend.

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Lucy Drinkall

They dealt with my Mum's probate. The day after she died, i phoned them to let them know, and was told they'd send an email immediately with instructions to proceed. They didn't, so I called again a few hours later and again was promised said email. A couple of hours later they phoned, asking to speak to my Mum. We paid for the full probate service upfront, several times during the process they sent invoices, for random amounts, with no explanation. Each time I had to call, for them to explain that the invoices were randomly by their system, and I should just ignore them. When the work was complete, I received an email saying they had some money left for us in credit - could I send a photo of my bank card before they made payment - even though they already have my bank details and sending a photo would leave me susceptible to fraud if their email was ever hacked. If I ever need a solicitor again, it will not be Pepperells.

Efficient and friendly service

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Lucy Drinkall