Stop nuisance personal injury calls and texts!
Almost everyone has received cold calls and spam texts offering help to obtain compensation for a personal injury. These nuisance calls and messages can often come at an inconvenient time and even when an injury hasn’t been suffered or an accident hasn’t taken place.
The number of complaints received by the Information Commissioner’s Office about these calls and texts rose by almost a half between 2014 and 2015.
Not only are these calls and texts tasteless and intrusive, they also create an inaccurate perception of the personal injury claims process and add weight to the so called “compensation culture”.
These marketing methods imply that the claims process is quick and straightforward. This can occasionally be the case. However, there will often be complex legal issues to overcome in order to establish fault and calculate the appropriate level of compensation.
The Personal Injury department at Bolt Burdon Kemp, which is made up of fully qualified solicitors, represents individuals who have suffered catastrophic, life changing injuries. Considerable time, effort and expertise are required in order to bring these claims to fruition. The vast majority of our clients come to us through personal recommendations because of our experience and high quality reputation. At no point do we ever engage in cold calling.
All solicitors are in fact banned from making nuisance calls and texts. Unfortunately, however, claims management companies (‘CMCs’) are not prohibited from drumming up business in this manner.
CMCs work in different ways, but generally they will act as a middle man between you and your solicitor. Their members of staff will often not be legally qualified and will most likely have had very little training. Therefore, the advice that they give you could be wrong or misleading. They could also be based anywhere in the country and so may pass your claim to a non-local solicitor, who you may never meet in person.
Whether the aggressive and bothersome marketing tactics are being made by CMCs or other companies, and whether they are being made to vulnerable injured people or to unsuspecting individuals who haven’t had accidents, these need to stop.
APIL’s ‘Can the Spam’ campaign
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (‘APIL’) has launched a social media ‘Can the Spam’ campaign with the aim to help put an end to these nuisance calls and texts. APIL want the government to put a complete ban on this practice.
Here is APIL’s promotional video:
“As far as personal injury cold calling and spam texting is concerned, it has to stop”
– Neil Sugarman, APIL President.
Until the government ban all cold calls and spam texts, APIL are encouraging members of the public to provide them with details of the companies that they have been contacted by.
APIL will keep a record of the details passed to them so that the worst offenders can be named and shamed. APIL are particularly interested in knowing the following information:
- The name of the company
- Whether you received a call or a text
- Whether it was an automated message or whether you were connected by a person
- The phone number or whether it was withheld
- When you received the call
So, the next time you are hounded by unwanted calls or texts promising you compensation for an injury, obtain as much information as you can, send those details to APIL and help ‘Can the Spam’.
Details can be reported to APIL via:
Email: canthespam@apil.org.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/CanThe Spam
Twitter: @APILCanTheSpam
Telephone: 0115 958 0585