Claim compensation for injury or financial loss
How to claim compensation yourself or if using a claims management company, check they're authorised, your rights and their obligations.
Overview
If you바카라 사이트™re making a claim for compensation, you have 2 options:
- make the claim yourself
- make the claim through a commercial business like a solicitor or a claims management company (CMC)
Claim compensation yourself
It바카라 사이트™s free to claim compensation from financial companies if you have lost money from a mis-sold financial product eg payment protection insurance (PPI).
You can make a claim like this directly without using a CMC. If you aren바카라 사이트™t sure how to make the claim, you can get free, impartial advice from consumer organisations.
Deadline for PPI complaints
The have set a deadline of 29 August 2019 to complain about the sale of PPI. Find out more about the .
Free, impartial advice
Many organisations offer impartial advice with no fee or obligation. If you make a successful claim without using a CMC, you바카라 사이트™ll keep all the compensation yourself.
Help with financial claims
: help with mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), endowment mortgages and investments
: help with most types of financial complaints, including guidance on how to complain yourself
: help with compensation for certain claims where a financial firm has gone bust
: mis-sold PPI, mortgages, card protection policies, packaged bank accounts
Help with claims for injuries, employment or housing issues
The offers help and guidance if you바카라 사이트™re considering making a claim for:
If you decide to take legal action to claim compensation for a personal injury, you바카라 사이트™ll need legal advice from a solicitor whether you go direct or use a CMC.
In most cases, you can바카라 사이트™t get financial help (legal aid) and you바카라 사이트™ll often be offered a 바카라 사이트˜no win, no fee바카라 사이트™ arrangement. If you agree to this and you win your claim, you may still have something to pay.
.
Using a CMC: your rights as a consumer
Claims management companies (CMCs) are commercial businesses. For a fee, they will handle claims for compensation around:
- mis-sold financial products - eg payment protection insurance (PPI)
- employment matters
- personal injury
- criminal injury
- industrial injury
- housing disrepair - eg neglected, poor quality housing
Authorisation for CMCs
Any business in England and Wales that manages claims must be authorised by the Ministry of Justice바카라 사이트™s Claims Management Regulator. There are exceptions for some organisations - eg solicitors, charities and advice agencies.
Being authorised doesn바카라 사이트™t mean the Ministry of Justice endorses or recommends the company.
To see if a company is authorised,
Fees and CMCs
CMCs charge a fee for their services. Authorised CMCs must give you written information with details of the service they바카라 사이트™re offering, their charges and when you바카라 사이트™ll be expected to pay them.
You will have to sign a contract with the CMC (if you haven바카라 사이트™t signed then you haven바카라 사이트™t made a contract). You have 14 days from signing your contract to cancel it without being charged.
If you hand over any money up front, you can ask for it back within the 14 days. If you cancel after the cooling off period, you will have to pay a fee. This should be reasonable and reflect the work carried out on your claim.
Companies often work on a 바카라 사이트˜no win, no fee바카라 사이트™ deal. In PPI claims, they typically charge about 25% of the value of the claim plus VAT.
If you don바카라 사이트™t win, you may still have to pay expenses or other costs to the CMC.
What to expect from a CMC
To be authorised, CMCs must stick to strict rules when dealing with consumers.
They must not:
- send you emails or texts (unless you바카라 사이트™ve agreed to receive them)
- make marketing calls if you have told them that you don바카라 사이트™t want to receive them or if you바카라 사이트™ve registered your number with the
- approach you in person
- use any form of high-pressure selling such as asking for on-the-spot decisions
They must:
- give you clear written information about their service (including fees and costs) before you agree a contract
- get your signature before taking any money or starting a claim
- tell you clearly about ombudsman schemes or any other official ways you can claim
- offer a 14-day cooling off period when you can cancel your contract without being charged
- clearly explain how to complain if you바카라 사이트™re unhappy with the service they provide
Make a complaint
If you바카라 사이트™re not happy with the service you receive, find out how to complain about a claims management company.
If your CMC is no longer authorised
If a CMC바카라 사이트™s authorisation is suspended, cancelled or surrendered, it must stop offering services to new and existing clients.
If your claim has gone to the Financial Ombudsman Service, they will contact you in due course.
If your claim has gone to a solicitor, bank or other financial services provider, get in touch and ask them to deal directly with you in future. Then inform the CMC in writing of what you are doing.
Refund options
If you can바카라 사이트™t get a refund from the CMC itself, you have a number of options depending on how you바카라 사이트™ve paid any fees.
| Paid by | Refund option | Advice from Which? |
|---|---|---|
| credit card | contact your credit card provider for advice | |
| debit card | contact your debit card provider for advice about 바카라 사이트˜charge back바카라 사이트™ scheme | |
| cash, cheque or banker바카라 사이트™s draft | contact the CMC direct |