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 taken out a loan or credit card within the last 10 years the likelihood is that you were also sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). Even if the loan or the PPI policy has finished, been repaid or cancelled you may still be eligible for a refund of your insurance premiums.

If you answer yes to any of these reasons for complaint you too may be eligible for a refund:

• Were you taking out a loan for debt consolidation purposes?
• Do you feel that you were not given sufficient information about the policy?
• Were you led to believe you had to take out the PPI in order to get the loan?
• At the time of taking out the PPI were you:
  • Unemployed?
  • Self employed?
  • On a fixed term contract of employment?
  • Working under 16 hours?
  • Working outside the UK?
  • Planning to retire before the end of the loan term?

Get in touch so that we can establish whether or not you too may be eligible for a refund.

The circumstances of each case vary, therefore so does the amount of compensation. In most cases we would endeavour to obtain a full or partial refund of your PPI premiums (as appropriate) plus interest. In more complicated cases there are various other factors which could affect how your compensation is calculated.

You can be assured that we will be acting in your best interests at all times and we will always endeavour to maximise the amount we recover for you. Remember, we are no win, no fee* therefore it is in both our interests to push for the maximum amount applicable to your case.

We ensure that all calculations are thoroughly checked to ensure compliance with the Financial Services Authorities rules, we also regularly dispute offers made by companies when we feel that they are insufficient and as a result of our actions the offers have often been increased.

Here are a few examples of when EMCAS' dispute regarding an offer has resulted in more compensation being awarded to the client:

*Subject to a fee in the event of termination if requested by the client or caused by the inaction of the client – see Clauses 3 & 7 of our Terms of Engagement, which is provided in our initial information pack.

If your complaint is successful, you will receive a full refund of all the premiums which you have paid towards the PPI policy throughout the loan term and the policy will be cancelled. You will no longer have to make payments towards your Payment Protection Insurance and your cover will cease with immediate effect. You must be aware that if your complaint is successful 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 on this matter.

EMCAS work on a NoWin, No Fee* basis, so you will only be charged by EMCAS if your complaint is successful and you receive compensation as a result. 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.

*Subject to a fee in the event of termination if requested by the client or caused by the inaction of the client – see Clauses 3 & 7 of our Terms of Engagement, which is provided in our initial information pack.

EMCAS charge 25% + VAT (30% inc. VAT) of any refund gained on your behalf.

If your PPI premium was added to your loan and we win your complaint any award 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 lump sum, 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 would still be due. In this instance you would 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. Once you have signed and returned our documentation you will have a 14 day 'cooling off' period in which you can cancel the agreement, however we will start the ball rolling immediately by contacting your provider in order to avoid any time constraints being applied to your case. EMCAS will:

• Compose an initial letter to your PPI provider detailing your reasons for complaint and requesting a copy of any documentation that they have which may be relevant to your case. This letter will also instruct them that as we are dealing with your complaint any correspondence and any questions or matters relating to your claim should be directed to your claims manager at EMCAS.
• Provide you with copies of any correspondence so that you can retain them for your own records.
• Act as an intermediary between you and your PPI provider, including responding and managing all correspondence relating to your claim.
• Ensure that once a decision has been reached and your claim is successful that any compensation offered has been correctly calculated and incorporates all aspects of your complaint.
• Consider any rejection of your complaint alongside the evidence provided by your PPI provider to determine whether or not their rejection is justified. If we believe that the rejection is unjust we will appeal against their decision directly 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 we will inform you of the outcome promptly. If you are unhappy with the conclusion of your claim you then have the option of referring your 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 complexity of your case; it can take anything from a few weeks to several months. However long your claim takes we will keep you fully informed via telephone and post every step of the way.

No, you are claiming for a refund of money which is yours anyway so it 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 our 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 only to pursue a claim if it is in your best interest to do so.

At EMCAS we pride ourselves on making sure our customers receive the best possible service. If you are not completely satisfied with the service provided by EMCAS we would like to hear about it – that way we can do our best to put it right. If you have any complaints please contact our Customer Service Manager on 01803 697541 or by email at complaints@emcas.co.uk.

For full details of our complaints procedure please click here.

Yes you can. As with anything in life you can 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. However, most people choose to employ the services of someone who is an expert in their field.

EMCAS is a professional, regulated claims management company. We are one of the longest established companies and as such we are one of the industry leaders. The whole purpose of our claims procedure is to take the burden of making a complaint completely off your shoulders. We therefore undertake to manage all aspects of your claim from start to completion, making the whole process as hassle free for you as possible.

Our track record speaks for itself. To date we have successfully secured more than £250 million in compensation and refunds for our satisfied customers. Currently more than 7,000 new clients a month choose to use EMCAS' services.

Most importantly, we will ensure that any compensation you are offered is the maximum amount which is applicable to your case, if we receive an insufficient offer from a bank we will take the necessary steps to ensure you are fully compensated.

Here are some examples of where EMCAS’ expert knowledge has resulted in an increased offer of compensation from the banks: