| Many personal injury claims are made during stressful | | | | services without authorisation. |
| and often painful periods of a person's life. For this | | | | They are making unsolicited telephone calls to |
| reason, the claims management companies that | | | | consumers promoting personal injury accident claims. |
| facilitate access to justice for people who have been | | | | Cold calling such as this is now against the law to |
| injured through no fault of their own have a duty to | | | | protect the public from companies such as these. |
| make the process as stress-free as possible. | | | | Despite various enquiries the Ministry of Justice has |
| The claimant must know that they can trust the | | | | been unable to contact the businesses concerned and |
| people that they are dealing with - they should not | | | | has appealed for information to the public - as well as |
| feel harassed, bullied or unsure of what is happening. | | | | urging them to proceed with caution. |
| They should feel that they are in control, and under | | | | The businesses concerned are National Compensation |
| professional care from a fully qualified solicitor. | | | | Consumer Line, Compensation Consumer Survey Line |
| The area of personal injury compensation is rightly | | | | and Personal Injury Hotline. |
| subject to strict regulation. It is important that a | | | | It is important that the claims management industry |
| framework is developed in which a claimant can trust | | | | does not allow itself to be tarred by charlatans |
| that he or she is being given appropriate and honest | | | | hovering on the fringes of the market. People need |
| help and advice. National Accident Helpline will oppose | | | | to have access to justice. They should not feel in |
| regulation in which barriers are put up to someone | | | | any way stigmatised or unsure about their right to |
| receiving access to justice, but supports regulation | | | | make a claim. |
| that protects the man on the street. | | | | A compensation claim can help insure that fair and |
| Not all claims management companies feel the same | | | | appropriate compensation is received. It is important |
| way, however. There will always be people who | | | | that anyone making a claim for compensation after |
| attempt to flout the rules in order to make a quick | | | | an accident feels comfortable with the process - |
| win from injured and stressed people. | | | | they should make sure that they work with a |
| Recently the Ministry of Justice issued a warning to | | | | solicitor that understands what they are doing and |
| the public regarding three businesses acting as claims | | | | can help to keep the process stress free. Someone |
| management companies. The companies have been | | | | who has suffered an injury has enough on their plate! |
| accused of providing regulated claims management | | | | |