Ken Nickerson

Question 1

How can we help with your claim?

Answer

We are no ordinary claims management company.

We have named individuals each working tirelessly on behalf of our customers – people like you – many of whom have lost life-changing amounts of money, due to negligent advice. Wholly independent, with a long-standing reputation as a market leader, we pride ourselves on high levels of bespoke, personal service.

We believe our wealth of experience in handling complex financial mis-selling claims is unparalleled. This is backed by our proven track record of success in recovering large sums of money for our customers. Our knowledge and understanding of precisely what the Financial Services Compensation Scheme will look for, enables us to offer you the best possible support and advice, whilst removing all the stress from your claim.

Our Mission:
To work endlessly to recover money for people who have suffered because they were given poor or negligent financial advice.

Our Core Values:
• Honesty
• Expertise
• Dedication
• Service

Question 2

What is a Claims Management Company?

Answer

A Claims Management Company is a regulated business that offers advice or services to members of the public in respect of claims for compensation or any other form of recompense for loss or damage. At the Claims Bureau, we specialise in regulatory financial misselling claims and are particularly renowned for Investment Claims and Pension Claims (SIPPs and Pension Liberation)

Question 3

Who regulates you?

Answer

We are Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, for details about our regulation head to: www.fca.org.uk/register/ and search using our authorisation number: 830392.

Question 4

How much do you charge?

Answer

No fee will be charged if your claim is unsuccessful. However, on rare occasion, a fee may be payable subject to work already undertaken, in the event that you – the client – cancel the agreement after an initial 14 day cooling off period. Such fee will be charged at £25.00 per hour worked, with a maximum charge of £250.00. This charge will be subject to VAT.

A fee of 25% of the compensation awarded (plus VAT) is payable to The Claims Bureau or the appointed Solicitor, only if the claim is successful. This means, for example, if we succeed in obtaining £100,000 in compensation, the fee would be £25,000 plus VAT. So you would receive £70,000.

Question 5

Will I have to pay anything upfront or if my claim is not successful?

Answer

Absolutely not. We operate on a strict no win no fee basis.

Question 6

Have you had any success?

Answer

Absolutely! We are proud to say that of the total figure paid out by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) for Home Finance Intermediation Claims in 2015/16, the Claims Bureau accounted for a little over 60 per cent. That means more than 1 in every 2 of all positive decisions reached by the FSCS were to the benefit of Claims Bureau customers.

We continue to lead the way in recovering money for investors in such schemes as Instant Access Properties/Fuel Investments, Harlequin, Ocean View Properties and many more, including Spanish Bank Guarantee claims.

Question 7

How much could I win?

Answer

An award of compensation is based on an assessment of all the money you have lost plus any costs, legal fees, accrued interest, and less any money you may have already got back. This is all subject to the ceiling limits on how much the relevant body pays out. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is limited to one claim per financial adviser and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) one claim, per complainant, per financial adviser. So, a couple (as two people) may be entitled to the maximum FSCS pay-out of £85,000 per complainant, per financial adviser, which is a total of £170,000.

For the FOS, the maximum is £150,000 per financial adviser, regardless of how many people are part of your claim. So a couple could still receive the full £150,000 but not each. The FOS does have discretion to request a business pays more than £150,000 if they feel that such a sum would more accurately reflect the losses incurred, however they can only tell a business to pay up to £150,000. Please note that the figures quoted are current ceiling limits and are subject to change by the relevant bodies. They are by no means intended as a guarantee of any payout you may receive.

The Pensions Ombudsman does not have a limit when awarding compensation for financial loss. By way of example:

10 years ago you re-mortgaged your home to pay a £50,000 deposit on an overseas off-plan property that was never built.

Over the course of the 10 years, you have paid an additional £24,999 in interest only mortgage payments on your home.

Therefore your possible compensation entitlement could be £74,999 (£50,000 + £24,999) subject to the above-mentioned limits, our fees and your tax obligations.

Question 8

How long will it take to get my money?

Answer

On average you will need to allow between 9 and 12 months after our receipt of a correctly completed claim pack. This timeframe is largely dependent on two factors:

1) The time taken for you to gather all the relevant information;
2) The time taken by the brokers, lenders and regulatory bodies to respond to us and provide all the documents we need.

However, if you are facing genuine and immediate financial hardship please let us know at the first opportunity as there are processes in place with the relevant financial bodies to prioritise such claims.

Question 9

Will I have to fill in a lot of complicated forms?

Answer

As experts in our field, we know the right questions to ask and precisely how much detail is required in order to achieve a successful claim. This level of knowledge and experience allows us to hone our claims forms and make them as simple and streamlined as possible.

If you have any difficulties completing our forms, or should you have any questions at all, we are always happy to go that extra mile to help you out. Email us at info@theclaimsbureau.co.uk or call us on +44 (0)1903 868251.

Question 10

Shouldn’t I have made my claim within a certain timeframe?

Answer

If we are submitting your claim to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) – this is for claims against businesses who are still trading or who have not yet been declared in default* by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) – you have: Six months from the business sending you a final response (which has to mention the six-month time limit) and six years from the event you are complaining about (or – if beyond that period, and if applicable – three years from when you knew, or could reasonably have known, you had cause to complain).

If we are submitting your claim to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) – for those businesses declared to be in default* – you have: Three years from when you knew, or could reasonably have known, you had cause to complain.

If we are submitting your claim to the Pensions Ombudsman (PO) – this is for claims against businesses who are still trading or who have not yet been declared in default* by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) – you have three years from the date of the act which is the cause for complaint. However, this time limit may be extended at the Ombudsman’s discretion if you were not aware of the cause for complaint at the time it occurred. In such an instance you will have three years from when you knew, or could reasonably have known, you had cause to complain.

*The FSCS may declare a business in default if it concludes that there are not sufficient funds within the organisation to meet the total of the claims against it.

Question 11

What if I can’t find a lot or any of my paperwork?

Answer

Please don’t worry. In order to make a claim, two pieces of evidence are required:

1) Your recollection. Our claims form is specially tailored to guide you through this process as easily as possible.
2) Documentary support. We can submit Subject Access Requests on your behalf to the relevant organisations, allowing us to obtain the necessary documentation to support your claim. These are made at no extra cost to you but please be aware that your claim may be slowed down by the time taken for brokers, lenders and regulatory bodies to respond to us and provide all the documents we need.

Question 12

I don't see the scheme I invested in mentioned on your site, can I still claim?

Answer

Yes, you can.

We cannot mention all the schemes of which we have knowledge, and we are aware there are many we haven’t yet come across. The bottom line is that if you received advice from a person or persons regulated and authorised to conduct financial business in the UK, or if such persons had knowledge of your intentions to invest in an off-plan property scheme which has subsequently lost you money, you could have grounds to claim.

To get in touch with us to find out if we can help you email us at info@theclaimsbureau.co.uk or call us on +44 (0)1903 868251.

Question 13

Can’t I just make the claim myself?

Answer

You are perfectly entitled to submit a claim yourself, seek independent legal advice or shop around claims management companies.

However, we would like to point out that although other claims management companies and many individuals may have had success with PPI and other claim types, it doesn’t follow that they will have had the same with an investment or pension claims, which are extremely complex and most certainly not a simple tick-box exercise. We have an experienced team dedicated to structuring your claim who has already won a high number of cases. We understand precisely what the Financial Services Compensation Scheme will look for, which means that we can help minimise delays and give you the best possible support and advice, taking the stress out of your claim.

Question 14

I fully understood that I was dependent on the success of my investment property – can I still claim?

Answer

If you were, at the time, an experienced high-risk investor or a person proven to be of sufficient financial knowledge of whom it could be reasonably assumed was aware of and comfortable with all the possible consequences, and your financial adviser was fair, clear and not misleading in explaining and assessing your attitude to all the risks involved, then you are unlikely to have grounds to claim.

If, on the other hand, you were none of the above and your financial adviser did not adequately assess your attitude to risk and did not explain everything in a fair and clear manner, then, regardless of what you may have understood at the time, you could have grounds for a claim.

Question 15

I raised the money myself and didn’t go through a broker or financial adviser, can I still claim?

Answer

If you re-mortgaged your home there will be evidence of a suitability letter/lending profile in the paperwork from your lender – if we can prove it was known what the money was to be used for, you have grounds for a claim.

Alternatively, if it can be proven that you received advice to invest from a person or persons authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) but you subsequently chose to raise the funds required by yourself or through a non-regulated method (such as savings) you may still have grounds for a claim.

Question 16

What if my claim has already been rejected?

Answer

If you have previously submitted a claim that has been rejected by the relevant body, you may still be able to re-submit through us. Mortgage, investment or pension claims are extremely complex and many people get them wrong. We have a vast amount of knowledge and experience and as such can judge whether a decision reached on your claim was sound or whether a possible incorrect decision may have been made.

Question 17

How do I begin to make a claim with you?

Answer

Simple! You can visit our contact page.
Or you can call us on 01903 868251.
Or email us at info@theclaimsbureau.co.uk
Our team of experts are waiting to help

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