Payment Protection Insurance FAQs

Below you will find the answers to the most frequently asked payment protection insurance claims questions. To find out more just click the heading.

If you have ever taken a bank loan, credit card, mortgage or any other type of credit or finance then you may have also been sold Payment Protection Insurance to cover the repayments in the event of situations such as unemployment, illness, disability, accident or death. If you have been mis-sold your policy you may be eligible for compensation even if the loan or PPI policy has finished, been repaid or cancelled.

Grounds for complaint can vary enormously from case to case, but commonly customers find that policies were unsuitable for their needs and did not actually provide any cover at all because they were ineligible from the outset. In many cases, customers were not even aware that PPI had been included because they had not requested it and the cost had been automatically incorporated into the loan quotation. Some were even misled into believing that they could not obtain the loan unless they agreed to the PPI as well.

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The circumstances of each case is different so the amount of loss can vary and therefore so does the method of compensation. In most cases however, we would endeavour to obtain a full or partial refund of premiums (as appropriate) plus interest. In more complicated cases there may be other factors which influence how the compensation is calculated.

You can be assured that EMCAS will be acting in your best interests at all times and will always endeavour to maximise the value of the award being made. As we receive a proportion of the award value on a "No Win No Fee" basis we will have naturally checked all calculations. EMCAS regularly dispute partial offers made by the companies liable and as a result often have the offers increased.

If your complaint is successful, you will receive a full refund of all of the premiums which have been paid into your PPI policy throughout the term and your policy will be cancelled. You will no longer have to maintain premium payments and your cover will cease with immediate effect. You must be aware that you will not benefit from the cover that the policy provides and it may be appropriate for you to seek alternative cover. If you are unsure you should seek advice in this regard.

The basis of the fee charged is that EMCAS will only be entitled to be paid if EMCAS win the claim and you receive compensation. If the claim is carried to its conclusion and is lost, you will not be charged for work carried out on your behalf. The only occasion other than the above when a fee is payable is if during the course of your claim you decide to cancel our contract. A fee will then be payable to reflect the work carried out on your behalf and any expenses paid by EMCAS up to the point of cancellation.

If your PPI premium was added to your loan and your complaint is successful any redress may be paid to your loan reducing your loan balance. Depending on how far through the loan you are and the value of the award it may be that your loan is repaid in full and you receive an additional cash benefit or it may be that your loan term is reduced.

Please be aware that if your loan is reduced and you do not receive a cash benefit, our fee will still be due. In these circumstances you will need to make arrangements to pay our fee from other sources.

Before EMCAS start your claim we will provide you with written correspondence detailing our service and our Terms of Engagement. After returning the required documentation you will then have 14 day 'cooling off' period. Once this 'cooling off' period has expired EMCAS will;

• Compose an initial letter to your Bank, Credit Card or Loan Company stating your reasons for complaint and requesting a copy of your file and any other documentation relevant to your case. This letter will instruct them to direct all correspondence and any questions or matters relating to the claim to your claims manager at the EMCAS claims office. Included will be an authority for EMCAS to deal with your complaint.
• Provide copies of any correspondence for your own records.
• Act as an intermediary between you and your Bank, Credit Card or Loan Company including replying to and managing all correspondence relating to your complaint.
• Ensure that once a decision is reached and your claim is successful that any compensation offered has been correctly calculated and includes all aspects of the complaint.
• Consider any rejection of your complaint alongside the evidence provided by the company to determine whether their rejection is justified. If in the opinion of EMCAS there is insufficient evidence to reject the claim, EMCAS will in the first instance appeal against the decision directly to the firm stating our reasons for doing so.
• Take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if necessary. There is no extra charge for doing so. If EMCAS believe the rejection is justified then we will inform you of the outcome promptly. If you are unhappy with our decision then you have the option of taking the claim to the Financial Ombudsman Service independently.

Our agreement would come to an end and you will not owe us a penny.

This depends on the company that sold you the policy. It can take anything from a few weeks to several months.

No. Taking back what is your money anyway will not affect your credit rating.

Should you choose to instruct EMCAS to act on your behalf we will at all times endeavour to:

• Act fairly and reasonably in all dealings with you.
• Ensure that any service offered is one that meets your needs.
• Ensure that all information given to you is clear, transparent, fair and not misleading.
• Advise you to only pursue a claim if it is in your best interest to do so.

If you are not completely happy with our service, EMCAS would like to hear about it - that way, we can do something to put it right. At EMCAS we do everything we can to make sure our customers get the best possible service. However, sometimes, we don't get things right first time. When that happens, we always encourage you to tell us about your complaint, so that we can correct the matter. Please contact the Customer Services Manager on 01803 697 541 or Email Us.

Yes you can. As with anything in life you may elect to "do it yourself" in the same way that you can prepare and file your own tax return without the use of an accountant, or buy and sell your own property without the use of a solicitor. Most choose to employ the services of someone who is an expert in their field.

EMCAS is a professional, regulated complaint handling company. We are one of the longest established companies operating exclusively within the financial sector. We aim to take away the hassle of making a complaint and undertake to manage all aspects of your claim from start to completion, making the whole process as painless as possible for you.

Our track record speaks for itself. To date we have successfully won over 78,000 claims against financial institutions providing more than £150 million in compensation payments for our clients.

EMCAS has a comprehensive knowledge of Financial Services products and the regulations that should have been adhered to when selling them as well as the complaints and administrative procedures required to make a successful claim.