Went through a flight compensation company but...

gh05

Hi, I gave power of attorney for a company to send a letter asking for compensation to an airline who my flight was delayed with. Immediately (next day) i received an email from the airline stating asking for my bank details so that they could pay in the compensation. It seems that they won't deal directly with the company claiming on my behalf.

It brings me to wonder whether i have been stupid in going through this company. I realised that they take a bigger cut than i thought (didn't realise VAT was added on too) just for writing the letter. Having said that I went with a company because i thought i would have more clout than doing so myself.

I presume that i have an obligation to go through with/paying this company rather than simply giving the airline my bank details and accepting compensation? Not really sure how to proceed.

jpsartre

Stupid is a strong word but it certainly was premature if you had not even contacted the airline yourself first. You should contact the company you asked to handle your case and ask about the options. It may well be there are fees to pay if you settle directly with the airline.

comeandgo

Very few airlines put up a fight if you are due compensation and it's so easy to do it yourself. I would get the airline to pay you direct and then you can pay the other company when they shout.

DrA_Harrogate

Quite so but too late now. Claiming compensation can be a real grind and you have commissioned someone to do it for you. Lucky for them it seems quite easy on this occasion (but don't count your chickens etc...). You will end up in much the same state as if they had had a tussle. Go through their T&Cs with a toothcomb and work out how much you owe them.

JPears

comeandgo wrote: »

Very few airlines put up a fight if you are due compensation and it's so easy to do it yourself. I would get the airline to pay you direct and then you can pay the other company when they shout.

I think the majority on here would beg to differ.

gh05

jpsartre wrote: »

Stupid is a strong word but it certainly was premature if you had not even contacted the airline yourself first. You should contact the company you asked to handle your case and ask about the options. It may well be there are fees to pay if you settle directly with the airline.

I'd contacted the airline directly and they refused straight away (because they were lying and trying to claim the delay was down to bad weather when it hadn't been). I explained this to the legal company and when they wrote a letter the airline immediately got in contact with me asking for my bank details so I could pay me the compensation.

gh05

DrA_Harrogate wrote: »

Quite so but too late now. Claiming compensation can be a real grind and you have commissioned someone to do it for you. Lucky for them it seems quite easy on this occasion (but don't count your chickens etc...). You will end up in much the same state as if they had had a tussle. Go through their T&Cs with a toothcomb and work out how much you owe them.

" You will end up in much the same state as if they had had a tussle."

Not sure what is meant by this? Either way, I guess your point is that I have a contract with the legal company by this point so must pay them their cut for the letter they had written.

jpsartre

gh05 wrote: »

I'd contacted the airline directly and they refused straight away (because they were lying and trying to claim the delay was down to bad weather when it hadn't been). I explained this to the legal company and when they wrote a letter the airline immediately got in contact with me asking for my bank details so I could pay me the compensation.

If so, I don't know why you feel stupid using them. Sounds like they're the reason the airline agreed to pay compensation.

gh05

jpsartre wrote: »

If so, I don't know why you feel stupid using them. Sounds like they're the reason the airline agreed to pay compensation.

I guess because the letter was pretty generic/straightforward and because the cut that they will take is bigger than i realised. It also seems strange that the airline have ignored their request (to pay them) and will only deal with paying me directly.

legal_magpie

Not that I have much, if any, sympathy with Claims Companies, I don't see any merit in this complaint. They got a result for you so what does it matter if they got it quickly rather than taking 6 months and a long wrangle. They did the job they were asked to do and are entitled to their fee. If you receive payment direct from the airline,, you will need to pay the fee to the company out of your winnings or else they could sue you.

gh05

legal_magpie wrote: »

Not that I have much, if any, sympathy with Claims Companies, I don't see any merit in this complaint. They got a result for you so what does it matter if they got it quickly rather than taking 6 months and a long wrangle. They did the job they were asked to do and are entitled to their fee. If you receive payment direct from the airline,, you will need to pay the fee to the company out of your winnings or else they could sue you.

Makes sense.