There is less than one month to go until the Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) complaints deadline, 29 August 2019. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which regulates the financial services sector and protects UK consumers is urging people to cast their minds back to the 1990s and 2000s – when many of the estimated 64 million PPI policies were sold in the UK.
To help you make a decision about whether to make a complaint, PPI Deadline Campaign
www.theheadshotguy.co.uk
07768 401009
supporter Abdul Haseeb Basit Co-Founder & Principal at Elipses, an advisory and investment firm answers some important questions and explains the process of complaining.
Abdul said “Thanks to FCA the process of making a PPI complaint is simple and free. You can complain yourself by contacting the provider who sold you PPI. If you complain to them directly, you will avoid paying a claims management company.
“In a bid to further support consumers, the FCA has also extended its PPI helpline 0800 101 8800 opening hours from 5 August to 8pm on weeknights and 5pm on Saturdays. You can also choose to speak to an advisor in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi Punjabi or Urdu if you prefer but make sure you tell the advisor which language option you’d like.”
Frequently asked questions and answers:
What is PPI?
PPI was a policy sold with credit products such as loans, mortgages, credit cards, store cards and catalogue credit.
PPI was designed to cover repayments where you could not make them yourself. For example, if you were made redundant or could not work due to an accident, illness or disability.
If you took out a credit product during this period, you may have been sold PPI at the same time. It may have been mis-sold to you.
How can PPI be mis-sold?
Examples of mis-selling include:
- PPI being added to your loan or credit product without you knowing
- Being pressured to take out PPI or told you must have it
- Being advised to buy PPI when you were unemployed or had a pre-existing medical condition
- There may be other ways you have been mis-sold PPI.
You may also be able to complain if you think your bank or other provider earned a high level of commission from your PPI and did not tell you when you bought it.
Millions of complaints about PPI have now been made and over £34 billion has been claimed back.
How do I know if PPI is relevant to me?
Millions of PPI policies were sold in the UK, mostly between 1990 and 2010. If you took out a credit product during this period, you may have been sold PPI at the same time.
Search ‘FCA PPI’ or call 0800 101 8
How can I check if I’ve had PPI?
Checking if you had PPI is simple and free. Don’t worry about paperwork, you only need your date of birth and relevant previous addresses. Search FCA PPI or call 0800 101 8800 to find out how.
How do I complain about PPI?
There are a few ways you can contact your provider to make a complaint:
- Online – many providers have online complaints tools on their websites
- Telephone – be aware that phone lines will have limited hours of operation
- Post – allow enough time for the complaint to reach your provider before the 29th August deadline
- In branch – be aware of the opening and closing times of your local branch.
Your provider will look into your complaint (they may ask you for more information so make sure you give them your contact details).
Your provider must respond within eight weeks to tell you whether you have been successful and are owed some money, or to explain why they need more time to look into your complaint.
Providers are obliged to make complaining about PPI simple and will help you through the process.
Where can I find further information?
Visit the FCA website: www.fca.org.uk/ppi
Call the FCA helpline: 0800 101 8800 – Please ask if you need information in another language or format.
Final words of advice
Time is running out to claim back money for PPI. Simply put, if you haven’t complained to your provider by 29 August 2019, you won’t be able to claim money back for PPI – so you should make your decision as soon as possible.
PPI films:
https://www.fca.org.uk/ppi/ppi-explained
https://www.fca.org.uk/ppi/how-to-check
