Information Centre

Claims services are usually run by teams of claims specialists — teams of qualified claims experts, often supported by legal teams. They know their way around the UK’s financial system inside out and have helped countless ordinary people to reclaim money for a range of cases. Many claims services offer more than just one expert area, so they might also offer their services in helping you to reclaim unfair credit card charges.

Before you sign up with a claims service, make sure you check their credentials — do they have a good track record? Where are they registered?

This depends largely on the service that you use. Some claims services operate under a strict ‘no win, no fee’ policy. This means that if your case does not win (i.e. it is unsuccessful), you will not pay a penny for their service. However, if you do win then they may take a cut out of your compensation as a fee for their service.

Make sure you find out the fee structure before you sign up — in some cases, the cut that a claims service takes on a successful case is quite steep. However, you can always find better and more reasonable offers, so compare and shop around!

Thanks to the internet, there is no need to even leave your home in order to sign up with a claims service. Most of them operate the main part of their business online, so they have the latest application processes. In most cases, you will simply need to fill out a basic enquiry form — to get the basic facts from you. This might include questions about your claim — what happened? If it was an accident/injury, when did it take place? Do you have evidence to back the claim? They will also require your contact information.

Once your form has been completed and sent off, they will be able to make an initial evaluation of your case. This is great because it means you waste less time — they may come back to you and say that your case simply won’t work if, for instance, your injury took place before a certain date.

Once you have their evaluation, they will take you through their process. If you have questions, make sure to ask them along the way!

Many financial services in the UK have to be authorised / regulated / registered with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However, claims services do not always have to be regulated — some are regulated with the Ministry of Justice, some are regulated by the FSA but others are not.

If you are unsure, check a company’s website to see if they are fully regulated. Alternatively you can ask the FSA directly. Generally, it is best to use regulated companies as it means that they are adhering to the FSA’s strict guidelines and rules over the financial services sector. Put simply, it gives you added protection in case something goes wrong.

Countless consumers have taken action against banks in recent times; after years of penalties for matters like an unforeseen bounced cheque or straying into an unauthorised overdraft, many people had had enough.

Claiming the fees were unfair towards customers and unjust, soon legal experts and money websites were releasing template letters which consumers could use to claim back up to thousands of pounds of fees back.

Template letters did the trick to begin with, as banks were forced to return unfair fees to their customers. Yet as the matter became even bigger news, the question of ‘fairness’ became so big that the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) were forced to step in….

Individual cases and complaints were put on hold up and down the country, ordered by courts and the FOS. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) also agreed that the matter should be put on hold. Meanwhile the Supreme Court carried out a test case on the matter.

Then, on 25th November 2009 the Supreme Court issued its decision; in a unanimous ruling the court decided that unauthorised overdraft charges could not be seen as ‘unfair’ and that their fairness could therefore not be challenged. Soon after, the OFT announced that it would not take the matter further.

The Supreme Court’s decision came as a shock to many, yet the FOS has said that this means that they cannot help with matters regarding ‘template’ or ‘standard’ letters to reclaim charges.

Each case is still reviewed individually and in many cases consumers are winning their cases.

You could still take the matter into your own hands but by using a specialist claims service, you may stand a better chance of reclaiming money. This is because they are very practised with this type of claim and know where there may be loopholes in your case which could see you winning your money back.

Remember — there is no guarantee of winning your case, and no qualified legal service would ever guarantee a win.

Credit card fees can be a real drag, especially when you feel that you are being penalized for no good reason. Once card fees start to pile up, the situation can get out of control. You can become one of thousands of UK consumers who reclaimed up to six years worth of credit card fees!

In 2006, the OFT ruled that fees for late payments or for going beyond your card limit were unfair. Since then the number of people taking their complaint all the way to compensation has grown.

The case of bank charges, ruled on by the Supreme Court in 2009, does not affect credit card charges. Therefore you can continue with your case — despite some courts confusing the two, so make sure you stick to your case!

This depends largely on your individual case. A good claims service will do everything they can to ensure your case wins, but remember that this is never guaranteed. Some people go on to win thousands of pounds, others win a few hundred.

Many people that want to reclaim credit card fees are worried that it might affect their credit rating. However, making a claim won’t affect your rating. However, the fact that you are being fined for late payments or going over your credit limit will have had its effect on your credit file.

Making a claim won’t make you especially popular with the card company — meaning that they might make a note about you being a ‘difficult’ customer. This should only affect future applications with them — not with other card companies.

It happens all too often: a poorly signposted wet floor or badly stored ladder — and an accident happens. If an accident like this occurs in a public place, such as your workplace, then you could be eligible for compensation.

Other accidents take place on a daily basis too:

• Car accidents
• Broken pavements
• Unsecured building sites
• Faulty kid’s toys

If your accident or injury took place at home, then unfortunately there is no-one else to blame. But if someone — or something — else was to blame, you can make your claim and win compensation.

Over the past few years, the number of people who have come forward to claim compensation has risen hugely.

As ordinary British consumers fight to regain control of their rights, unnecessary pain or loss can be compensated for. Money may not bring back your broken bone but it might go some way to replacing lost income, trauma or other costs involved in the healing process.

The success rate of many UK claims services is high — so you could have money back for your pains.

PPI claims are fast becoming one of the most popular of all the types of claims in the UK.

PPI stands for Payment Protection Insurance, and is a financial insurance product used to protect a borrower in case his or her loan repayments come in danger of being left unpaid.

For instance, the borrower could be involved in an accident and be unable to work as a result. The loss of income could then lead to them being unable to keep up with their loan or credit card payments. The insurance is then designed to step in to cover these payments.

...Sounds like a great type of insurance, in theory. However, shocking numbers of people in the UK have come forward over recent years to complain that their PPI policy was mis-sold to them.

When a person is mis-sold an item or product, it means that they are being sold something which they didn’t want, didn’t need or in some cases didn’t even know they are paying for it (it is a hidden extra).

Many people complained that they were sold a PPI policy by a sales representative who was poorly informed or inexperienced, overly aggressive or simply trying to make more money for their company. This left many borrowers or card users losing money for an insurance policy which wasn’t wanted or needed.

More shockingly, many PPI policies were later found to be effectively useless. This happened to many consumers who went to make a claim, then found that their policy couldn’t pay out as it didn’t actually cover them. For instance, a self-employed credit card user found that his or her policy didn’t cover self-employed people — the borrower was therefore paying for something which wasn’t even going to help him or her!

PPI claims have one of the highest success rates of the many claims types. This is because there isn’t much to argue against when it comes to a mis-sold PPI policy. Claiming compensation for mis-sold PPI has also been supported by the FSA and the FOS.

Many claimants have gone on to win around £2,000 (the size of the average PPI claim).

There is never a guarantee that your case will be successful but it given that most claims service provide a ‘no win, no fee’ service it might be worth looking into — you could get your compensation soon.

Yes, you might be able to get the debt written off. Ask your claims expert if they can assess what your chances are. There have been plenty of successful cases of people’s debt being written off, but it may not always be possible.

Fear not — you may still be able to reclaim for mis-sold PPI. Many cases can still go ahead even if the loan on which you had PPI has been paid off. The same goes if you have already tried to make a claim on your PPI — you may still be able to get compensation.

Accidents can happen anytime, day or night. Regardless of your job, accidents at work are commonplace in the UK. While employers have a duty to provide their employees with a safe working environment, they may be breaking the law if they are not.

If you have suffered an accident at work, you can file a claim — and could receive the financial compensation you deserve.

There are many types of work claims — from injuries resulting from slippery floors, or may include a vehicle if this is a part of your job. All employers must ensure that their employees are protected by adequate Health and Safety laws. If an accident takes place at work as a result of an employer who has not adhered to Health and Safety rules or other safety compliance, the employee can make a claim.

Making a claim is generally simple, and most claims services provide discreet online application forms — or a telephone number so you can speak to an adviser. Many work claims companies provide full legal advice, so you can be sure you are in good hands.

If you have suffered an injury that wasn’t your fault, you are entitled to your compensation claim.

Britain has its free National Health Service, providing ordinary people with access to free medical care — but regardless of what level of healthcare you receive, be it free or private, things can go wrong.

Whether your medical practitioner (GP, hospital doctor or nurse, surgeon, dentist) has been negligent or committed a breach of duty or care, you can make a claim for compensation.

If you, your partner or child have been injured or even died as a result of medical treatment, under the rules of the General Medical Council you are entitled to know what happened. If the injury (or death) occurred by a breach of duty or care, you could be eligible for financial compensation.

Most doctors are upstanding and hardworking individuals, highly skilled and trained in their profession. However, issues can and do occur regularly, including:

• Delayed treatment
• Careless procedures
• Errors in medication
• Failure to or inadequate warnings of risks
• Failure to get consent for a treatment
• Delayed referral
• Poorly performed cosmetic surgery

All types of medical practitioners can be at fault — doctors, nurses, surgeons, dentists, midwives, physiotherapists and even psychiatrists.

Injury claims services deal with injuries caused as a result of a road accident or other personal injury where it is simple to prove who was at fault. Medical claims are a little bit more complicated — officially known as clinical negligence claim, you must be able to prove that there is more probability than not, that

As medical claims are often much more complex than other types of claims, you may prefer to see your solicitor before deciding what to do next. Whichever claims service you do use, it is absolutely essential that you make sure your case is handled by a fully trained and experienced solicitor.

Have you booked or been or holiday that has gone wrong? Whether you suffered cancelled flights, a travel operator that went bust or been affected by chaos from a natural situation (like the big ash cloud of early 2010, which ground countless flights), you could be eligible for your money back.

Areas you could receive a travel claim for:

• Cancelled flights
• Lost luggage
• Legal expenses