Sponsored post: Is Britain Getting A Claims Culture?

As the number of claims against all manner of accidents and injustices rises each year, many people are beginning to ask, is Britain getting a claims culture? There are two camps of thought when it comes to this question as there is no doubt that the number of claims being made in the UK has most definitely increased over recent years. Claims against accidents and falls have increased dramatically and there is a growing niche of claims in other sectors such as PPI claims and against unfair bank charges.

These sorts of claims have been made much easier by the emergence of no win-no fee companies that offer to seek out compensation on your behalf. These companies take on the risk of seeking compensation and do not charge a penny if the compensation is won, thereby eliminating the risk on the part of the person seeking a claim. Many people argue that this has led to a “claims culture” of people claiming for compensation when usually they wouldn’t have bothered, where compensation is not really necessary, or where the claim is even completely fabricated. Where it may well be true that there are unscrupulous people who abuse the system, we cannot let that damage the freedom of others to make genuine claims.

The claims culture in the UK is more likely to have been driven by the simple reason that people who genuinely are in need and entitled to compensation now have the power to actually proceed with claims. Previously, people were left in a quandary or whether to seek a compensation claim which could seem daunting, confusing and of course could be a large financial risk. This put off many people from seeking what was rightfully theirs. The rise of the no win no fee style of companies has put the power back in the consumers hands and has given the individual the power to take on large companies, organisations and big insurers, in order to get what is rightfully theirs.

Nowadays, people can pursue a genuine claim without worrying that it may leave them in an even worse situation than when they started. This has two positive effects. Firstly, it means that those who are genuinely entitled to compensation, get the financial help that they deserve and are entitled to. Secondly, it makes large firms and organisations realise that people are no longer powerless to pursue compensation for accidents, falls and injustices, and this in turn makes companies more responsible, mindful of health and safety and prepared to make sure that everything they do is above board.

March 26, 2012 Posted in: Uncategorized No Comments