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PENSION CLAIM FAQS

If you’re reading this, then you’re probably in a slightly unpleasant situation – either starting to become suspicious that you may have been mis-sold your pension, or in the definite knowledge that something has gone wrong…

It’s not a great place to be, and something that our team deal with daily with our clients.

For that reason, we’ve put together a handy list of answers to common questions you may want to know about pension claims and Spencer Churchill Claims Advice before you reach out and get the ball moving.

FAQs about Spencer Churchill Claims Advice

How does Spencer Churchill Claims Advice work?

Spencer Churchill Claims Advice’s processes are based around our clients, and our no upfront costs customer journey usually looks a little like this:

  • Take a Free Initial Assessment on the phone so our specialists can identify if it looks like you were mis-sold and can take the claim forward.
  • Decide whether you want to take things further: If we think you’ve been mis-sold, we can take you assessment further with a specialist case handler (again, on the phone).
  • Should it be a case we can work with, we will then offer to fight your claim on your behalf, with no upfront costs. We’ll send our fact-find, our terms of business and some LOAs to your address for you to sign if you want to go ahead.
  • Leave it with us: We’ll then get busy gathering the information, supporting documents and building your case, before taking it to the relevant party to make sure it gets the attention it deserves.
  • Results: We’ll chase down your results. In the event that we don’t win your case, then there’s no charge.

Please note: No Win – No Fee*: Successful claims made through Spencer Churchill Claims Advice are subject to the Success Fee, charged as per your terms of business and engagement letter of any monies awarded to the claim. Clients have a 14 day “Cooling-Off” period during which time they may cancel at any time without charge. After this time, cancellation will result in the application of the Cancellation Fee.

*Figures calculated before deduction of Success Fee and taxes

What's your track record for winning claims?

We’re pleased to say we have experience in mis-sold pension claims, and recovered money on behalf of our clients.

How long does a mis-sold pension claim take?

The answer to this question all depends on how complex the case is, and who is involved.

If the negligent adviser/provider is still trading, you can imagine they may fight that claim to the death, and may make appeals even after an initial defeat, which can sometimes add months, if not years to a mis-sold pension claim.

We can give you an average time: between 16 and 24 weeks, however this can be quicker or much slowly depending on who we have to take the claim to.

Hands up – we won’t be able to give you an exact time-frame for your claim. What we can do is promise that we’ll chase it through to completion with urgency.

How much do you charge for a claim?

We only ever work on a no upfront fee basis

You can read more about how the success fee works in our Terms Of Business.

Please note: No Win – No Fee*: Successful claims made through Spencer Churchill Claims Advice are subject to the Success Fee, charged as per your terms of business and engagement letter of any monies awarded to the claim. Clients have a 14 day “Cooling-Off” period during which time they may cancel at any time without charge. After this time, cancellation will result in the application of the Cancellation Fee.

*Figures calculated before deduction of Success Fee and taxes

Do you have a cooling-off period?

Of course!

When we send your paperwork out, you can take all the time you want to decide if you want to go ahead on a no upfront costs basis.

Even after you sign-up, you still have 14 days cooling off period, where cancellation of our services is free of charge, for any reason.

Please note: No Win – No Fee*: Successful claims made through Spencer Churchill Claims Advice are subject to the Success Fee, charged as per your terms of business and engagement letter of any monies awarded to the claim. Clients have a 14 day “Cooling-Off” period during which time they may cancel at any time without charge. After this time, cancellation will result in the application of the Cancellation Fee. 

*Figures calculated before deduction of Success Fee and taxes 

Is Spencer Churchill Claims Advice regulated?

Registered Offices: Spencer Churchill Claims Advice, Peter House, Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5AN Company Registration: 09051424.
Spencer Churchill Claims Advice is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Reg No. 831103. You can check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA’s website http://fca,org.uk/register or by contacting the FCA on 0800 111 6768

Spencer Churchill Claims Advice is registered with the Information Commissioner (ICO) Registration Number ZA187898.

How much compensation will I get?

We’d love to give you an accurate idea of how much compensation your case is likely to win, but the truth is that it all depends on how much money you have lost, and who gave you the negligent advice where applicable.

We will however, always be looking to win you the maximum amount we can to help you recover any losses.

Some reference points you might find helpful:

  • We’re pleased to say we have experience in mis-sold pension claims, and recovered money on behalf of our clients.
  • The maximum amount the FSCS will award each claim is £50,000.

How does compensation get paid?

If you win compensation for your case, either from a Financial adviser, pension company, PI company, or through the FSCS or FOS, the monies will first be paid into our Laywer’s account, and then sent to you.

FAQs about pension mis-selling & claims

How can I tell if I have been mis-sold?

Pensions are notoriously one of the most complicated aspects of financial advice.

Many feel that it’s a jargon and rule-stuffed minefield, and because of this, many people like to speak to somebody who knows their stuff.

If you are worried that you may have been mis-sold, you can speak to an experienced case assessor on the phone, as part of our free initial assessment. 

It’s a chat with somebody who knows about pension mis-selling, who can guide you through to finding out if you may have a claim.

Don’t worry, even if you take our initial assessment there’s no obligation to make a claim with Spencer Churchill Claims Advice, although if we think you’ve got a claim, of course we’ll probably offer our claims services with no upfront costs – the choice is yours!

How does pension mis-selling happen?

The list of reasons is endless, but usually it comes down to one of two things:

  • Negligence
  • Greed

Negligent financial advice is where a regulated financial adviser gets it wrong, and suggests that you take an action over your pension that leaves your worse off.

This could be transferring a Final Salary pension when you would have been better off leaving it where it was, or transferring to a SIPP full of high-risk investments you weren’t suitable for.

Greed can be a factor too. Thousands of cold-calls have been made to people to earn commission for selling bad pension transfers, usually offering a free pension review.

Either way, our team of specialists are great at finding the cause of mis-sold pensions, and where possible, fighting for a claim to recover any losses you may have experienced as a result of bad financial advice.

Who pays compensation for mis-sold pensions?

It depends on who mis-sold your pension in the first place.

In most of the cases we deal with, it is a negligent financial adviser who is at fault.

They are (or should be) the first place we take a claim to, as if the claim is valid (and they agree to pay compensation), they will be the ones to pay the claim (or their PI insurer).

But as you can probably imagine, most of them don’t roll over and cough up compensation easily.

This means taking it to the Financial Ombudsman Service – an authority that can force advisers to pay compensation if they deem to them be at fault.

But…

Many financial advisers who mis-sold peoples’ pensions didn’t stick around long after being caught out, and may close up or go into liquidation, making them unable to pay any more claims.

That’s when the FSCS often steps in to pay compensation on behalf of the company, but only to a maximum of £50,000 per claim.

What is a SIPP?

A SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) is a type of pension scheme where the pension holder has greater choice over what investments they make with their pension.

Introduced in 1989, SIPPs can be used to invest in ordinary, low-risk investments, as well as high-risk and unregulated ones.

This is fine, providing the individual knows what they are doing, and can afford to take on such risk.

The problem begins when negligent or financial advisers or greedy salesmen persuade people to invest in high-risk investments for which they are not suitable for.

In some cases, people have lost hundreds-of-thousands from their retirement funds.

That’s where Spencer Churchill Claims Advice come in – fighting for compensation on behalf of our clients who have been mis-sold.

What is an IFA?

IFA stands for Independent Financial Adviser – a firm that should be qualified to give financial advice, and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to give that advice.

You can check if a company is regulated by the FCA by looking on the FCA register.

Always check that you are dealing with a regulated financial adviser before taking action over your pension – there are some sharks out there!

What is the difference between SERPSs and SIPPs

Easy and common mistake.

SERP: State Earnings-Related Pension – an old government-ran pension scheme that finished in 2002.

SIPP: Self Invested Personal Pension – a private pension that allows holders to take control over what they invest their pension in.

Spencer Churchill Claims Advice deals with Mis-Sold SIPP claims, but doesn’t handle SERPs.

What is a SIPP administrator / provider

SIPP Administrator / Provider is a company who “manages” your SIPP pension for you. They should keep you regularly informed of the value of your pension, and make you aware of any changes to it.

You will likely pay them a regular fee.

Is the compensation taxable?

Compensation awarded specifically for mis-sold pensions is not taxable, however you may wish to consider your other financial obligations and situation. Mis-sold Endowment compensation on the other hand may be taxable as it may be connected to your home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have a few questions?

If you can’t find the answers you need here, we can call you back