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Cold Calling by Compensation Claims Companies Could Be in Violation of the Law

By Calvin Azuri
TMCnet Contributor

Personal injury solicitors at JMW in Manchester have said that Compensation Claims Companies, which make unsolicited calls to both private residence numbers and to mobile numbers inquiring and urging recipients to file for accident compensation claims might well be in violation of laws which govern the claims industry. The solicitors have urged recipients to report all such calls to the Ministry of Justice.

Richard Powell, who heads the Personal Injury Department at Manchester Solicitors JMW, took to blogging to explain how during his stay in holiday accommodation he was at the receiving end of these unsolicited calls. 

In a release, Richard Powell said that "The apartment is not used as a private dwelling at any time of year, it is solely for holiday lets, so this landline number would not be on record as 'belonging' to any individual person. On answering the call, there was an automated message referring to a recent accident and saying that an adviser was on hand to talk to me and secure several thousands of pounds in compensation for me."

Powell explained in his blogs that the responsibility of regulating these claims companies to ensure that they do not indulge in unsolicited contact with a recipient lies with the Ministry of Justice.

Powell while advising recipients at the receiving end of such calls said that "do your best to get the name of the company or a contact number so you can file a complaint with the Claims Regulation Unit at the Ministry of Justice as soon as possible. This type of marketing is against the law for a reason - it is intrusive to members of the public and it encourages scurrilous types of claims that have given accident compensation claims solicitors an undeservedly bad reputation. This type of aggressive marketing just belittles those people who have suffered a genuine injury and harms their ability to get their claims heard by the courts quickly. It is aggressive and unwelcome marketing, and presents the wrong image of the legal profession."

Powell also pointed out that any text carrying similar messages is again a violation of the law and needs to be bought to the notice of the ministry.  

He said that "If you have had an accident, do not use one of these impersonal services as they will not review your case to find you the most qualified solicitor. Look for a genuine law firm that specializes in accident compensation cases similar to yours."

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