Ingram Toft

Davidc4

Not sure if this is the correct place to put this really.

I used Ingram Toft to put a claim against Sunny. They were successful and I received an email in late August to say they had made an offer and would I like to accept. I responded to say I was away currently and would look at it properly when I was back home. Ingram Toft replied to say that they had to respond by the 4th September.

I responded and accepted the offer on the 4th September and received a payment on the 13th from Sunny followed by an invoice for the fee from Ingram Toft.

Initially I was confused by the amount due compared to the amount received as the original emails had made it sound like more. It took three responses for them to put it in plain English that Sunny had cancelled off anything that I still owed them (paying via Stepchange) and had refunded the remainder in cash.

I was happy with this, thanked them for clearing up the confusion and informed them I would be making payment in the coming days.

Less than three working days from payment from Sunny I received another email from Ingram Toft informing me that they were starting legal proceedings against me for non payment (this was paid the same day).

Is this normal practice? When I looked at their invoice and then a reminder email it stated that it was due on the 22nd August. I didn't even accept the offer until the 4th September. Would they have actually been able to take me to court after three working days from receipt of payment? Especially since I was querying the amount and I kept them informed of when I would be able to pay.

[Deleted User]

Claims companies only do two things. Buy stamps and collect payments.

Just get their bill paid as soon as you can.

SonOf

Is this normal practice?

It is pretty much the norm that claims companies are vigorous at getting their money from you.

However, the good news is that CMCS are now regulated by the FCA (as of April this year). That means you can complain about CMCs in much the same way you complain about financial companies.

So, as you are unhappy about their actions and them taking legal action against you before you have even had the complaint resolved, you should put in a formal complaint to the CMC.

If the CMC reject the complaint, you will have access to the FOS. And currently, the FOS are upholding nearly half of all complaints made to them about CMCs.

If what you describe here is correct, then you have a strong case of a breach of FCA guidelines.

Davidc4

It has been paid in full before I even posted yesterday. I just wanted to double check that they were being a bit OTT with the legal action after just three working days. The dates and information in various emails are all a bit conflicting. Saying that the money has been owed since 22/08/19 but no offer actually being accepted until 04/09/19. I might just put a complaint in with the FCA. Thanks.

[Deleted User]

Davidc4 wrote: »

I might just put a complaint in with the FCA.

The FCA do not entertain customer complaints.
If you are going to complain you must follow the regulated complaints process.

First you must complain to the Claims Company directly and they will have eight weeks in which to consider your complaint. If the response you receive from the CMC is not to your satisfaction you can then refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

I'm not sure what you stand to gain from such a complaint other than the possibility of a goodwill gesture from the Claims Company...

Davidc4

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

I'm not sure what you stand to gain from such a complaint other than the possibility of a goodwill gesture from the Claims Company...

I don't want to gain anything from them. I just want to ensure they are following correct and legal practice. Threatening court action against me after three working days seems heavy. That on top of the dates that the offer was made, accepted and paid and the date the invoice was due do not add up. Offer made on 20th August, offer accepted on 4th September, payment made around ten days later. Invoice due to CMC on 22nd August. Before an offer was even accepted. Makes no sense at all.