Consumers 'still plagued by nuisance calls from claims firms'
People are still being "plagued" by nuisance texts and calls from claims management companies despite efforts to clamp down on their activities, according to +the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Nearly half (49%) of people surveyed towards the end of August said they had been contacted by a claims management company within the last week to encourage them to make claims for mis-sold PPI or personal injury.
But more than nine in 10 (92%) said the contact had no relevance to any product they had held or any event that had happened to them.
More than four in five (83%) of those questioned felt it was unacceptable to be contacted by claims management companies without their consent.
James Dalton, the ABI's director of general insurance policy, said the behaviour of some firms encourages fraudulent and frivolous claims - which in turn pushes up insurance costs for honest consumers.
He said: "These shocking findings show that, despite recent reforms, the UK's compensation culture is alive and well and continues to thrive.
"For too long, too many people have been plagued by these nuisance calls and action is needed to clamp down on them."
Recent action to tackle claims management firms has included a £220,000 fine for the Hearing Clinic after it repeatedly cold-called people encouraging them to claim against their employer for noise-induced hearing loss.
It was the first to be fined under new laws to reduce nuisance calls after the Government introduced stronger powers to clamp down on firms last December.
More than 2,100 people took part in the survey between August 28 and 31.
The ABI said consumers can take the following action to reduce the likelihood of getting unwanted texts or calls:
- Register with the Telephone Preference Service to opt out of getting unsolicited marketing or sales calls.
- Keep off sales lists and opt out of direct marketing.
- If you get an unwanted call, ask the person to delete your details from their records.
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