When self-employed Bristol builder first contacted PPI claims specialists Brunel Franklin about what he suspected was mis-sold loan insurance, he never suspected his refunds could run to quite literally thousands of pounds – £9,400 in fact, and still counting!

Mr James Butler (53) has run his own local trading business for over 20 years and has taken several loans out over that period, all arranged with his local bank on the high street. The reason for the loans has ranged from help while tiding his business over, to things like a loan for new van back in 2003.

Mr Butler had always been aware that PPI had been added to his loans, but had initially not had a problem with this on two grounds. Firstly he believed PPI was always compulsory on larger loans and that refusing the PPI would jeopardise his chances of securing the loan in the first place. Secondly, being self-employed, Mr Butler believed the PPI offered him valuable protection should his business ever run into difficulties.

“I am essentially a small trader and while I do ok, business always has its ups and downs and I thought the PPI was protecting me should the worst happen, which is always how it was sold, “ explained Mr Butler. “So while I had heard of PPI mis-selling a lot, I never connected it with myself until a few years ago.”

It was back in early 2012 when Mr Butler was working on a new building project for a local client that he heard more in depth revelations about PPI – and about how it was unlikely self-employed people would ever be able to receive any money back in the event of needing to claim.

“To say I was amazed on hearing that PPI would not always cover self-employed people is an understatement,” added Mr Butler. “I had always seen it as a sort of financial safety net for me and my family and now it seemed the net may have gaping holes in it. I decided to do some investigating.”

Mr Butler’s enquiries led him first to his bank and it was only when unconvinced by their replies that he sought out Brunel Franklin for a second opinion. The PPI experts quickly assessed his paperwork and advised Mr Butler they would be happy to represent him and pursue his claims for refunds on all four of his historical loans. When notification of his initial refunds started to arrive, Mr Butler was in for a shock.

“I was overjoyed when Brunel Franklin informed me I would be receiving £1,500 in refunds,” explained Mr Butler. “I thought that would be the total, not just for one. Then when £3,000 arrived I was stunned. I couldn’t believe it; then when the £4,600 turned up I really was amazed. While I knew I had a good case, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I could be in line for just under £10,000. And when I think I nearly let it go, I am even more grateful to Brunel Franklin for all their help in persuading me it was worth pursuing.”

Brunel Franklin Managing Director Sally Bower said “Clients have many reasons for choosing Brunel Franklin to help them and people like Mr Butler find our services an easy way to secure the refunds they are entitled to without the inconvenience of having to go through the process themselves. Cases like Mr Butler’s are still commonplace. Being self-employed, he was not made aware that his policies may have been unsuitable in these circumstances, while a few of them also involved refinancing which made those unsuitable also. When you consider he was not made aware of single premium policies either, it becomes easier to appreciate why Mr Butler had a very strong case for a PPI refund.”

“Recommending Brunel Franklin is a no-brainer and I am very happy to do it,” added James. “I gave them the facts and paperwork on my loans and they did the rest. I get a lot of my new business from the recommendation of satisfied customers and as Brunel Franklin appear to be much the same; it gave me the confidence to put my trust and my claims in their hands. I have not had any cause to regret my decision – £9,000 says it’s the best move I have ever made.”

To find out if Brunel Franklin can help you get a refund against a mis-sold PPI policy, just log on to www.brunelfranklin.com

Alternatively, you can telephone 0800 051 5451 free of charge.

PPI (Payment Protection Insurance) claims specialists Brunel Franklin secured Miss Lucy Reed over £1,600 in refunds after a polite request to her credit card provider to refund the former student the PPI she had been paying them for the last several years.

Lucy was a student and only working part-time when she was advised to take out PPI on her credit card, but this ‘advice’ was misplaced in the sense that she should have been informed that her specific policy was probably unsuitable given her personal circumstances at the time.

Miss Reed had taken out her credit card with the same bank on the high street she holds her current account with. She signed the paperwork in the branch and understood the PPI to be both compulsory and desirable, given the fact she was just a student with a part time job at the time.

Having seen increasing numbers of reports outlining the PPI mis-selling scandal, Lucy became determined to check her own paperwork; ultimately making the conscious decision to take advantages of the services of Brunel Franklin rather than take on the bank on her own. Brunel Franklin swiftly assessed both her old credit card accounts and accepted she had good claims on both. One has already paid out and with one still awaiting a final decision, it’s looking like Lucy will be in the money in 2013.

Sally Bowyer, Managing Director of regulated financial claims specialists Brunel Franklin says that many people like Miss Reed were mis-sold policies unknowingly. “Many people finally realise they have PPI only when it is pointed out by a friend, colleague, financial adviser or hear about it through reports in the media as in the case of Miss Reed. The good news is that once you are aware you have been sold PPI, you may have grounds for a refund against a mis-sale, if you were unaware of the terms and conditions or the true cost, at the time of sale. There are many other circumstances that may constitute a mis-sale, which is why it is advisable to consult the experts.”

Brunel Franklin had the experience to realise that the PPI as sold to Miss Reed on her credit card appeared to breach several codes of practice, including FSA (Financial Services Authority) principles not to mention several other factors that culmatively gave Lucy a very strong case.

Sally added: “Everyone accepts that banks provide a valuable service and are entitled to make fair and reasonable charges for services. But people shouldn’t be sold PPI on loans, credit cards or mortgages without being furnished with the full facts. PPI mis-selling cases like this one serve as timely reminder of how careful we all need to be when taking out new loans and other credit card agreements.”

To find out if Brunel Franklin can help you get a refund against a mis-sold PPI policy, just log on to www.brunelfranklin.com

Alternatively, you can telephone 0800 051 5451 free of charge.

When one Gloucester greengrocer decided to take a leaf out of consumer champions Brunel Franklin’s book when looking for a PPI (Payment Protection Insurance) refund, she never expected to receive a refund of just under £900 in crisp new notes.

Brunel Franklin secured Mrs Kerry Crisp her refund from a very well known card provider on the high street and with another claim pending; Mrs Crisp’s claims could yet bear more fruit. Like millions of people before her, fifty-something Mrs Crisp had taken out a couple of credit card agreements in her lifetime (with different providers) and decided to approach Brunel Franklin for advice having become convinced that the PPI included on her cards had been mis-sold. Kerry came across Brunel Franklin while doing some online research into the subject of PPI, and a website enquiry led to Mrs Crisp sending the consumer champions’ details of her cases as 2012 came to a close.

“The PPI was always part of my card agreements from day one and the more news reports on the subject that came to light, the more certain I became that I was mis-sold,” explained Kerry. “I was looking into the history of it all online and came across Brunel Franklin. I dropped them an email enquiry and it all snowballed from there.”

Brunel Franklin looked at Mrs Crisp’s cases and agreed with her assessment. PPI is never compulsory and should not have been added automatically. Brunel Franklin could see that in both cases the sale of PPI had breached any number of codes of practice under the various governing bodies, including the GISC, FLA, FISA and the FSA and that correspondingly; Mrs Crisp had a very strong case.

While Kerry did not hold a substantial amount in savings at the time, she did enjoy a well-paid, secured job as a greengrocer for a well-established company of national repute, which meant she enjoyed excellent employee benefits as part and parcel of her job, further making the PPI policy as sold unnecessary and unsuitable for her personal circumstances.

Brunel Franklin launched both refund cases in late December 2012 and less than two months later, were able to inform Mrs Crisp that a cheque for just under £900 in refunds would be heading her way, with the likelihood being there would be more to follow from the pending claim.

“I am just overjoyed, absolutely delighted with the money” said a very happy Mrs Crisp. “I can’t thank Brunel Franklin enough. It’s more than I ever expected and if my other refund comes in I just don’t know what I’ll do – go on holiday, I suppose!”

“PPI per se is not a bad product and not everyone who contacts us has a case; however it is the responsibility of the vendor to make sure you are fully aware of your options and ensure the product is the best for your needs at the time of sale,” said Brunel Franklin Managing Director Sally Bowyer. “Mrs Crisp was correct in thinking that PPI is never compulsory, nor was the credit card acceptance conditional on her accepting the cover as sold by the bank. The PPI as sold was unsuitable for her needs at point of sale, and if like Mrs Crisp, the best product for your needs was not offered, or if you were unaware of the true cost, for example, you may have a genuine case for a mis-sale and grounds for a refund as a result.”

To find out if Brunel Franklin can help you get a refund against a mis-sold PPI policy, just log on to www.brunelfranklin.com

Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) has been mis-sold in a variety in ways and the tale of Sophie Williams and her road to a refund is no exception. Mrs Williams was sold PPI cover as part of a credit card repayment protection scheme that didn’t apply to her circumstances  However, Brunel Franklin were on hand to secure her the refund she deserved to the tune of £12,000 in a recent case for the PPI specialists.

When 48 year old Mrs Williams from Wolverhampton took out the credit card protection she was unaware of the fine print. She was sold credit card PPI under the illusion it was a compulsory part of her agreement. She still recalls being sold the cover face to face back in the 1990s.

“Like a lot of other people, I was not informed that PPI was optional as it was sold as a compulsory part of my card agreement,” explained Linda. “After realising I may have a case, I decided to consult claims specialist Brunel Franklin for further information.”

With no outstanding credit amount, and a good history of financial management Sophie did not meet the criteria of requiring PPI cover. She is employed full time in a receptionist role with entitlement to sick pay and had additional savings in other accounts that could have covered the cost of her repayments.

Sally Bower, Managing Director at Brunel Franklin noted, “Mrs Williams’ story is not uncommon as unnecessary PPI cover has been sold in numerous ways to customers it does not apply to. However, Brunel Franklin works to represent customers who have paid out for PPI insurance that had no relevance to them.”

Given the circumstances, Brunel Franklin decided Mrs Williams had a strong case and decided to pursue a claim to recover costs incurred by unnecessary PPI cover. They were able to win a lucrative credit card case to the value of £12,000.

“We are delighted to have helped Sophie Williams secure the refund she was entitled to,” added Sally. “Many individuals have taken out a variety of loans that wrongly contained PPI cover as a conditional part of the loan agreement. We encourage others to check if they may be entitled to a refund.”

Sophie wished to thank Brunel Franklin for winning her case so quickly: “After having unwittingly paid for cover I did not need, to receive this amount of money is fantastic,” exclaimed a very happy Sophie. “I will definitely be recommending their services [Brunel Franklin] to others who may be entitled to a refund. £12,000 says Brunel Franklin is my number one choice if you think you may have a claim!”

To find out if Brunel Franklin can help you get a refund against a mis-sold PPI policy, just log on to www.brunelfranklin.com

Alternatively, you can telephone 0800 051 5451 free of charge.

A self-employed hairdresser from Wolverhampton has a few bob more than she started the year with after consumer champions Brunel Franklin cut her a deal worth just under £5,000 with the bank who mis-sold her some controversial PPI (Payment Protection Insurance) back in 2007.

As a fortysomething self-starter, Miss Clarkson was just getting her own business off the ground in 2007 and taking out a larger; consolidation loan seemed the perfect way to speed up breaking away on her own.

“I had cut my teeth in the salons and I decided I could do better on my own rather than just renting a chair,” explained Nancy. “I took out a loan back in 2007 to get a better car and the equipment I needed to get started. The bank I have to say were really helpful and understanding it was all finalised over the phone and they gave me easy terms I could afford.”

Miss Clarkson borrowed £11,000 over seven years and with the loan not due to complete until next year; she was initially worried about bringing up the issue of PPI with the vendor. It was a discussion with a client that led her to do so, after the client recommended she seek advice from the experts at Brunel Franklin.

“The truth is that business has gone very well for me, the bank has been great and I really didn’t want to make waves and was unsure what to do,” explained Nancy. “Brunel Franklin was recommended to me and as work keeps me busy, I decided to put myself in their hands. I believed the PPI had been compulsory, but having seen a few TV adverts on the subject, I began to appreciate it wasn’t.”

Choosing Brunel Franklin meant Miss Clarkson could get the issue out of her hair and get on with her day job. While she was quite correct in believing that PPI is never compulsory, unbeknownst to Nancy, there was a far more compelling reason why the PPI element of her loan had been mis-sold in her case.

Because of her self-employed status, Nancy would never have been able to claim in the first place, making the policy as sold to her completely unsuitable for her needs and giving her uncontestably grounds for a full refund on the PPI. The bank agreed and just six weeks later, Nancy was appreciating the fringe benefits of being a Brunel Franklin client as a cheque for just under £5,000 landed on her doorstep.

“To a self-employed woman like me, £5,000 is a lot of money and I am glad I chose Brunel Franklin to help me claim it back,” added Nancy. “It has not affected my loan with the bank, but I am now in the nice position of being able to pay the settlement figure and clear the loan early, or invest further in the business. I can’t believe I was sold something I could never have used, but all’s well that ends well, as they say.”

“The self-employed are one group that should always check their loan agreements and paperwork most carefully,” explained Brunel Franklin Managing Director Sally Bowyer. “In many cases, the self-employed have found that the PPI as sold to them would not have covered their repayments in the event of them being unable to work, so if you think you are in the same boat as Miss Clarkson, it is well worth looking into.”

To find out if Brunel Franklin can help you get a refund against a mis-sold PPI policy, just log on to www.brunelfranklin.com

Alternatively, you can telephone 0800 051 5451 free of charge.