Aug/090
Making a claim quickly
If someone owes you money and you cannot settle things in any other way, you may decide to issue a claim through the county court. People also issue claims for other reasons, including:
- Bad workmanship
- Damage to their property
- Road traffic accidents
- Personal injury
- Goods not supplied
- Faulty goods
County courts deal with all these types of claim. You will sometimes hear people talk about the ’small claims court’. What they really mean is the special procedure for handling smaller claims in a county court.
Going to court should always be the last resort. There are now a number of other ways of sorting out complaints, disputes and legal problems without court action, including arbitration, mediation and ombudsmen schemes These are often called alternative dispute resolution (ADR) schemes.
Court rules require you to think about whether alternative dispute resolution is a better way to reach an agreement before going to court.
Some claims can be made online using the recommended Reclaim Now service by clicking here…
There are time restrictions for issuing claims. If you have delayed issuing proceedings for any reason, you may wish to seek legal advice before issuing your claim.
Jun/090
Ombudsman warns firms for turning away genuine mis-selling cases
On May 31st 2009, The Sunday Times reported that consumers are being denied compensation over mis-sold financial products because they are being fobbed off by high-street banks — and the City regulator is failing to help them, a damning report revealed last week.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) called for the law to be changed to allow lawsuits to help customers get redress, as its annual report revealed that nearly 60% of complaints were going in favour of consumers, compared with a normal level of 30% to 40%.
The consumer must complain to their bank before their case can be taken to the FOS, so the figures suggest firms are turning down genuine claims — and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is failing to act.
The House of Lords economic affairs committee will suggest that the FSA focuses “more directly” on consumers this week.
Jun/090
Home Insurance Premiums on the Increase
Home insurance companies intend to increase rates by up to 20% but there are ways and means over reducing your premium.
One consumer said his annual premium from the Halifax for building and contents cover would be increased by 18% from £467 - £553. Additionally, they said they would be introducing an excess of £250 for water-related claims.
After years of falling home insurance premiums, the industry is now forcing through big price hikes, fearful of the impact burglaries and the recession will have on claims. But there is no reason to accept an insurer taking it out on your wallet even before you have been burgled.
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