Hooray for Lloyds’ PPI u-turn
Today’s news that Lloyds won’t be selling payment protection insurance (PPI) anymore is a huge step forward in our campaign, but why ditch it now? Which? and PPI go back a long way. We first raised...
View ArticleTime to force firms to review old PPI complaints
Good news if you’ve had problems with your Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) – there are new measures to help protect you. Shame it doesn’t help people whose complaints were wrongly dismissed. The...
View ArticleHow credit card companies make sneaky profits
Credit card fees and charges are like a waterbed – press down in one area and they pop up somewhere else. Make sure you know the sneaky tricks credit card companies use to make profit from their...
View ArticleBanks – stop wriggling out of the rules
The latest in the battle against PPI mis-selling sees banks trying to wriggle out of properly compensating consumers. Surely it’s time for them to take responsibility and sort out the mess they’ve...
View ArticleID theft insurance is pointless so stop the hard sell
We’ve heard from lots of you who’ve been given the hard sell when it comes to ID theft insurance – a product that we think is ultimately a waste of money. Isn’t it time insurance companies stopped the...
View ArticleRaise your glass – to consumer victories
We often have a good moan, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t happy when things go our way. From the PPI Judicial Review to more notice on energy price hikes, here’s our round-up of things to celebrate....
View ArticleClaims Management Companies are taking the PPI
Claims Management Companies will be delighted by today’s news that banks won’t be appealing the PPI ruling. But since you could easily claim the money back yourself, is it worth using them at all? A...
View ArticleClaims management companies come with two big catches…
Picture the scene; you get a call, telling you that you may be entitled to a refund for a product you know nothing about and didn’t even know you had – Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). So what’s the...
View ArticleDo you use the ‘dirty’ word complain?
You hear the stat 9,000 per day and what do you think? Number of children skipping school, number of people offered jobs or even the number of Which? Convo comments. Sadly, the answer is bank...
View ArticleThis bank bonus culture has to end
Despite paying billions in compensation for mis-selling, the banks’ bonus culture shows no signs of abating. Does there need to be a major change in how banks do business? When Which? invited Martin...
View ArticleIs ‘summit’ good about to happen with PPI reclaims?
Which? and MoneySavingExpert.com hosted a summit yesterday to kick-off our joint initiative to put consumer interest at the heart of PPI compensation. There’s work to be done but we’ve made good...
View ArticleLetter to the justice secretary – clean up claims companies
We’ve written to justice secretary Kenneth Clarke. We’re challenging the government to tackle the claims handling industry – the companies who act on your behalf to manage claims such as PPI...
View ArticleRoll up, roll up, which Bill would you take to parliament?
The Private Members’ Bill ballot opens today. It’s this process that prompted the ban on under-18s using sunbeds and allowed marriages to take place in registered locations. What will be pulled out...
View ArticleCan you trust claims handlers to get back your care costs?
We’ve all seen the ads offering to help you if you’ve had an accident or taken out payment protection insurance. There’s a new tactic on the horizon and it involves claiming back on care fees… Local...
View ArticleComplain for change: the pot of PPI money is running out
Over the years millions of people have claimed back mis-sold PPI. Our new research suggests the money banks have allocated for compensation is set to run out. We need banks to confirm more’s on the...
View ArticleScandal alert: is identity theft insurance the new PPI?
Believe it or not, yet another mis-selling scandal is engulfing financial services. This time it’s card and identity theft insurance, and banks should not be let off the hook. Have you ever bought card...
View ArticleWe’re calling time on nuisance calls and texts
‘I hate it and feel powerless.’ Which? Conversation commenter Matt Petre summed up many of your feelings on nuisance calls. We’re calling on regulators to work together to police and punish those...
View ArticleWe need tougher rules to crack down on claims handlers
The stories we hear from consumers about rogue claims management companies never cease to shock me. And although the Ministry of Justice is tightening up the rules, the changes made are not bold...
View ArticleCaught out: Lloyds found mis-handling PPI complaints
By now, you’ve probably heard all about PPI. It has the dubious honour of being the biggest financial mis-selling scandal of all time. And now, an investigation has found more problems with the...
View ArticlePPI scandal costs twice as much as the Olympics
This time last year we were all on a high thanks to the Olympics. They were an expensive affair but enjoyed by many. PPI, on the other hand, has benefited very few – unless of course you’re a banker....
View ArticleA ‘super ombudsman’ to deal with all complaints?
Yesterday I was in Edinburgh discussing Scottish consumer protection with finance secretary John Swinney. One proposal was to create a single ‘super ombudsman’ to handle all complaints and disputes…...
View ArticleWhat’s the next financial scandal? Let’s stop it in its tracks
Some things come in threes: buses, bad luck, BeeGees. Others come round in a steady stream: sushi, airport luggage, financial scandals. So what’s next? Another financial mis-selling scandal hit the...
View ArticleCracking down on rogue claims handlers and shoddy service
Have you ever followed up one of those calls or texts from a firm saying they can help you with your claim for PPI compensation or an accident you may have had? Quite a few people have done this and...
View ArticleScam watch: PPI refund scam
A cold-calling scam that involves you buying Ukash vouchers is catching people unawares. Here’s how one Which? member was unfortunately caught out. Caller to the Which? Money Helpline: I was called by...
View ArticleFCA, there must not be a time limit on PPI complaints
The Financial Conduct Authority will soon publish a report into the payment protection insurance mis-selling scandal. However, we fear that a cut-off date for complaints is being considered. A ‘time...
View ArticleCan you identify with these annoyances?
Do relentless nuisance calls, litter louts or being kept on hold get you seeing red? All of these feature in a list of the top irritations of modern life. Can you identify with any of them? A poll,...
View ArticleICO: what we’re doing about nuisance PPI calls
Have you been nuisance called by claims management companies trying to get you to reclaim PPI? Here’s Steve Eckersley on what the ICO is doing to crack down on them. Nuisance calls annoy most people,...
View ArticleWhy not make banks foot the bill for claims firms’ fees?
Proposals to cap claims management companies’ fees are on their way, but is the Government missing a trick here? Why not make the banks pay for the cost of claiming? CMCs are the ones that contact you...
View ArticleWho is benefiting from the deadline on PPI claims?
The Financial Conduct Authority has proposed a deadline of June 2019 for people to claim for mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance. Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) was designed to be a safety net to...
View ArticleQueen’s Speech 2017: did it deliver for you?
After a tumultuous few weeks in British politics, the Government tried to introduce some certainty in today’s Queen’s Speech by setting out a big agenda of new legislation it wants to pass in the next...
View ArticleAre you certain you aren’t still owed money for mis-sold PPI?
Both Barclays and Lloyds have announced that they’ve set aside a further £700m for paying out for mis-sold PPI claims. So are you sure you aren’t still owed money for mis-sold PPI? By now you’re...
View ArticleBaroness Ros Altmann: ‘Can more be done to stamp out cold calls by CMCs?’
The government is looking to change the way Claims Management Companies are regulated, but will the proposed rules go far enough to protect us? Our guest, Baroness Altmann, thinks more can be done. The...
View ArticleUpdate: isn’t it time Scotland starts regulating claims companies?
Unlike in England and Wales, claims management companies aren’t regulated in Scotland. So isn’t it time that this regulation gap is sorted out? Claims Management Companies (CMCs) have gained themselves...
View ArticleThe overpriced financial products you can live without
The financial services sector ploughs millions of pounds into advertising every year. But the products don’t always live up to their slick ad campaigns and eye-catching marketing claims. Have you ever...
View ArticleHave you claimed PPI on a deceased relative’s behalf?
With one year to go until the deadline for making a PPI claim, did you know that claims are also open to relatives of the deceased? £31.9 billion may have already been paid out in PPI compensation, but...
View ArticleWhat is the 'Consumer Refund Service'?
When a member received a letter from the ‘Consumer Refund Service’ they got in touch with us to make sure it was legitimate. Here’s what we told them. The letter the member received wasn’t directly...
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