In recent months a number of clients have expressed concern about unsolicited text messages they have received from personal injury claims management firms offering to deal with their accident claim.
The fact that people with ongoing personal injury claims have received messages seems to have been more luck then judgment as the texts appear to have been part of a mass marketing campaign and have been received by many people who have never even suffered an accident. Understandable concerns arise about private details being sold on to these companies. As a result the Ministry of Justice is to set up a dedicated working group with the UK’s major mobile phone operators as well as Ofcom, the Telephone Preference Service and the Direct Marketing Association to deal with it.
Their aim is to combat the issue by pooling resources, sharing intelligence and data on unsolicited SMS marketing, automated telephone ‘robo-calls’, and call centre marketing with all information passed to the MoJ.
It is estimated that millions of messages have been sent out. Insurers such as Royal Bank of Scotland Insurance have highlighted the problem, complaining that 11% of consumers it investigated have been contacted by SMS marketers.
The issue highlights the ongoing problems that reputable accident claim solicitors face as a result of the actions of unscrupulous claims management companies. We don’t want to be tarred with the same brush as these unqualified cowboys. The way solicitors are regulated and the duty we have not just to our clients but also potential clients is very different. For this reason we would always encourage those with a legal query (whether its to do with personal injury compensation, professional negligence or something else) to consult a proper firm of solicitors direct, rather then taking the risk of dealing with a dubious claims management company, where the person advising you is likely to have no legal qualifications to his name.
You can speak to James about your injury claim by calling him on 0808 155 6389.
