Anyone have opinions on SMS Legal

daztan

Hi

Has anyone received any payment from SMS legal?

Thanks

adjgold

I have recently had a call from SMS Legal, and decided to see what they are offering.
1. They are very good sales people who are very cleaver at overcoming any objections as they have heard them all before.
2. What concerned me was that they wanted my credit card info, including the 3 digit code in order for them to carryout their initial checks. What is even more concerning is that they wanted to know my balance and Credit limit. After thought got the better of me and I had the visa card cancelled as with the info they had, they could have cleared out my remaining balance.
3. When they called back, I had investigated further and challenged them on the basis of other comments made on this forum...they didn't like them.
4. Stated that everything was free when challenged, , but as the call progressed and I was passed to a 'senior' adviser, out popped the charges...£499 up front, and then later, 25% of any PPI claimed.
5. They insist that they are linked to the 'Finance Ministry' and are regulated by the FCA. However, after checking on the FCA website, they are in fact NOT regulated by the Financial Services Authority and are basically a marketing company.

Unfortunately, these companies are very good at talking you around and overcoming any objections you may have, and it is often difficult to check out what they are saying, and before you know it, they have your money.

This company is clearly not covered by the FCA and therefore stay well clear, and any PPI marketing company that asks for your bank info, financial information, and/or request up front payment of any kind, simply hang up the phone.

magpiecottage

SMS Legal is a trading style of Scarlet Marketing Services Limited.

It is authorised by the Claims Management Regulator (aka the Ministry of Justice) which as details of this here.

Note that it says, "Scarlet Marketing Services Ltd is being investigated by the Claims Management Regulator under Regulation 35 of the Compensation (Claims Management Services) Regulations 2006."

So if they call, it might be worth asking them what that is about.

Regulation 35 says:

"(1) If a person complains to the Regulator about the professional conduct of an authorised
person, the Regulator may investigate the complaint.
(2) The Regulator may also investigate the professional conduct of an authorised person if the
Regulator is satisfied, otherwise than as a result of a complaint, that—
(a) there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the authorised person has failed to comply
with a condition of authorisation; and
(b) the alleged or suspected breach is serious enough to justify investigation.
(3) In making the decision whether or not to investigate, the Regulator must take into account—
(a) the source of any allegation made against the authorised person, and whether the
allegation is credible;
(b) if the grounds for the suspicion are not an allegation or allegations against the person,
what those grounds are and the credibility of their source;
(c) whether the person also engages in another business activity and, if so, what that activity
is and its relationship to the business of the provision of claims management services;
(d) whether there have been other credible allegations against, or suspicions about, the person
of failure to comply with a condition of authorisation;
(e) anything in the Regulator’s records about the person that is relevant to the person’s
conduct as an authorised person, including, in particular—
(i) the person’s application to become an authorised person;
(ii) any statements by the person under regulation 12(5)(f) to the effect that he has
complied with conditions of the authorisation;
(iii) any audit and inspection reports held by the Regulator; and
(iv) any previous allegations against, or suspicions about, the person that the Regulator
reasonably considers to have been well founded, even if no action was taken against
the person;
(f) any report in the media;
(g) any advertising by the person;
(h) any other publicly available information about the person; and
(i) any information or documents provided by the person in answer to a requirement under
regulation 36."

Note that the business itself is an "authorised person" even though it is a limited company.

If you have been conned out of money by it, complain now and copy in consumer@claimsregulation.gov.uk.

If you have not got your money back in 8 weeks, go to the Legal Ombudsman.

[Deleted User]

adjgold wrote: »

This company is clearly not covered by the FCA and therefore stay well clear,

Your advice is well intentioned, but while this company is not covered by the FCA , the Ministry Of Justice will take very seriously any complaints about them.

adjgold wrote: »

any PPI marketing company that asks for your bank info, financial information, and/or request up front payment of any kind, simply hang up the phone.

I agree with this latter part of your comment above completely.

In your individual case, I wouldn't listen to any marketing calls and I'd never ever give out personal financial details over the 'phone. If you are made interested by ANY salesman's spiel you should ask them to send you all the details by post for you to read and digest.

Remember, act in haste repent at leisure

Shifta16

Thanks to advice on this thread, I managed to extricate myself after being duped back in early January by an outfit connected to this lot (SMS Legal) - who call themselves Mis-sold Products Ltd., but use SMS Legal's online PDF-signature setup to get you to sign an agreement with SMS - as well as your card details, of course, "for a 1p 'card check'".

Dumb of me, I now know. (They took £399 from my account - "a discount" since I had mentioned, during the hour-plus phone marathon with the guy, that I could bring him other PPI customers).

Fortunately my card provider cancelled the payment; the six weeks for the transaction to be queried is almost up and Mis-sold haven't challenged it. This means that my cancellation letter to the company (as advised by people on this thread) was in fact read by these cowboys in Ammanford (Wales), even if my signed-for letter to them (cancelling within the 14 days grace period) was reported by the Royal Mail online tracking as not having been collected.
(Both outfits also make it all but impossible for you to reach them by phone to cancel).

I have put in a complaint with MoJ's Claims Management Services Regulation, and like to believe it's been part of why SMS - as well as Mis-sold Products Ltd., I hope - are being investigated now. CMSR were very good, called me to check, reassure, etc.

I have also written directly to one Robert Evans, Director of Mis-sold Products Ltd., with a Formal Complaint of Fraud (as advised here).

Last year one of these companies was fined £570k (see MoJ site), which is worth mentioning to them if you have a similar experience with one such (there must be many around), and need to write them cancelling any agreement that you, like me, may foolishly have signed online & in-call (you should also send them a fraud complaint letter, as well as alert the MoJ's CMSR).

magpiecottage

Shifta16 wrote: »

who call themselves Mis-sold Products Ltd

Oh the irony.

Shifta16 wrote: »

I have also written directly to one Robert Evans, Director of Mis-sold Products Ltd., with a Formal Complaint of Fraud (as advised here).

Do please let the MOJ have this AND report Evans to ActionFraud.

Gareth_Valentine

I called this company in July and still await success. Being addressed as 'darling' on the phone by one of the advisors does not inspire confidence (especially as I just discovered a 23 minute call cost £7.49!)
I asked why the process was so dilatory and was told because the banks were dragging their heels. If the claim is unsuccessful, I get reimbursed the £499 they took by stealth I the first place.

magpiecottage

Gareth_Valentine wrote: »

I called this company in July and still await success. Being addressed as 'darling' on the phone by one of the advisors does not inspire confidence (especially as I just discovered a 23 minute call cost £7.49!)
I asked why the process was so dilatory and was told because the banks were dragging their heels. If the claim is unsuccessful, I get reimbursed the £499 they took by stealth I the first place.

I recommend you bang in a complaint - they are being investigated by the regulator. This is quite common when a CMC takes money up front and does nothing.

The next thing is that they go down the pan - taking your money with them.

fermi

Shifta16 wrote: »

Thanks to advice on this thread, I managed to extricate myself after being duped back in early January by an outfit connected to this lot (SMS Legal) - who call themselves Mis-sold Products Ltd., but use SMS Legal's online PDF-signature setup to get you to sign an agreement with SMS - as well as your card details, of course, "for a 1p 'card check'".

Dumb of me, I now know. (They took £399 from my account - "a discount" since I had mentioned, during the hour-plus phone marathon with the guy, that I could bring him other PPI customers).

Fortunately my card provider cancelled the payment; the six weeks for the transaction to be queried is almost up and Mis-sold haven't challenged it. This means that my cancellation letter to the company (as advised by people on this thread) was in fact read by these cowboys in Ammanford (Wales), even if my signed-for letter to them (cancelling within the 14 days grace period) was reported by the Royal Mail online tracking as not having been collected.
(Both outfits also make it all but impossible for you to reach them by phone to cancel).

I have put in a complaint with MoJ's Claims Management Services Regulation, and like to believe it's been part of why SMS - as well as Mis-sold Products Ltd., I hope - are being investigated now. CMSR were very good, called me to check, reassure, etc.

I have also written directly to one Robert Evans, Director of Mis-sold Products Ltd., with a Formal Complaint of Fraud (as advised here).

Last year one of these companies was fined £570k (see MoJ site), which is worth mentioning to them if you have a similar experience with one such (there must be many around), and need to write them cancelling any agreement that you, like me, may foolishly have signed online & in-call (you should also send them a fraud complaint letter, as well as alert the MoJ's CMSR).

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=70325668&postcount=98

Legal_Ombudsman wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]We have been dealing with a number of complaints regarding Mis-sold Products Limited. If you have a complaint against Mis-sold Products Limited, we can now accept these and you do not need to contact Mis-sold Products Limited first.

You can find a complaint form available on our website http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/cmc/#download-form or you can contact us on 0300 555 0333 or email us on [EMAIL="cmc@legalombudsman.org.uk"]cmc@legalombudsman.org.uk[/EMAIL].[/FONT]

Eversorich

Hello all,

Thank you all so much for belong me dodge this (I feel stupid for getting this far!).

My situation is this; I gave them my financial past but only the customer service number from the back of my credit card — no numbers, only expiry date. I also didn't respond to the email agreement and deleted it.

I assume they cannot take money from a credit card without the actual card number and signature number? I'm nervous about the request for only the credit card company telephone number and them somehow being able to Bill me!

Advice would be much appreciated! And oh boy was I so easily (nearly) conned by a very courteous agent!