Before I start this long screed, let me first apologise to any upstanding OTFers who are honest diligent and selfless members of the "No Win, No Fee" solicitors' sector - I am just referring to the bastards and a particular lot of bastards. Secondly, let me just say that this really is all my fault - for being a shit driver and for not trusting my instincts as far as "no win, no fee" solicitors are concerned.
It started in January 2016 when I was on my way to work and negotiating the junction onto the M4. There are two lanes, the most left one a dedicated left turn only and the other going either left or straight on*. I was in the left/straight-on lane, indicated left to go onto the motorway and was hit on my left hand side by a car going straight on. I was furiously sure that he had come across my lane into me, we swapped details and I drove onto work. I filled in the insurance form explaining the incident as I have just done also that I had hit my head in the course of the accident but there was no long-term injury.
In April, I was contacted unsolicited by some "No Win, No Fee" solicitors giving it the "We understand you have been in an accident that wasn't your fault". Now, against my better judgement, I listened to them and signed up. They took the details which were pretty much as I said upthread. They sent the documentation to sign which I duly did - probably with the merest of perusal - and waited for their next communication.
*Later that year, I got communication from my insurance company that the other driver had had a camera on my dash and I had gone across their lane. "No, I didn't", I said, "They were in a dedicated left turn lane and i was turning left onto the motorway as well." "No", came back the reply, "They were in a straight on/turn left lane", and, apparently, I was in a straight on only lane. I then drove up to the junction and, although badly signed (it is only on the road), this was true. The other driver, of course, were perfectly within their rights to go straight on and I shouldn't have have been turning left. I admitted responsibility and there goes my no claims bonus I realised.
That was it until July last year - over two years later - when I received a letter from the solicitors saying that my Conditional Fee Agreement was cancelled - because I had "deliberately misled" them - and that they were claiming £2190 (with 25% off if I paid in 14 days, of course) in expenses, costs, disbursements etc. In the accompanying paperwork was my signature on their agreement and a detailed bill oddly saying that I was the passenger and saying that I attended a medical examination (which I have to say I can't remember attending but it was over two years before - or maybe the bang on my head affected me more than I thought). It also said that I "was updated as to the appropriate hourly rate and VAT rate as the matter progressed" which, considering this was the first communication I had received from them in over two years, was a bit rich. I emailed them straight back and asked them for evidence that I had deliberately misled them. As far as I was concerned, I had made an honest mistake in misreading the lanes. Stupid yes but, at no point, did I deliberately mislead them. I also queried the contention that they had updated me as the matter progressed. I didn't hear from them again and forgot about until....
This Saturday, fully 15 months later, I got a letter from a legal recovery debt collection company saying that they were acting for the original solicitors (in administration) which had almost exactly the same wording as the previous letter (including the same offer of 25% off for payment for 14 days). I sent an email referring to the previous email I had sent to the solicitors saying that I was still waiting for any evidence. I got an email the next day saying that there was CCTV footage showing clearly that I was responsible for the accident and that I had informed them that I said the other party was responsible. I answered this saying that I accepted responsibility once I realise the mistake I had made when the insurance company told me but that this was well after the solicitors had approached me.
They also said that, as I had been the driver, they didn't believe that I had had an injury and that I had a credibility issue. They also said - and this is what infuriated me so I shall quote it fully - "please note that embellishing or exaggerating a claim such as above could have amounted to a finding of fundamental dishonesty if the case had proceeded to court" (their underlining and dishonesty) and "Honesty is always the best policy and exaggerating injuries does not mean more compensation". In a great bit of Sopranos sound-a-like, they said they "are reasonable and willing to work with you to reach an amicable financial settlement to the outstanding bill." I challenged again any idea that I had been kept up to date of any proceedings. Also, that, regardless of who was to fault, I did hit my head in the accident and asked for details of how this contradicted my account to them and how appalled I was that they were basically calling me a liar.
Mrs B, being Mrs B, did some Googling into the company (after going mental at me) and found out that, before going into administration, the solicitors had asked loads of people for costs for 'wasted time and breach of contract' with the debt collectors, in a similar manner to how they wrote to me, accusing people of ‘fraudulent lies’. Of course, loads of people have paid the money to this company and some said that they are shit scared and one saying that they were suicidal. One poor sod went to court to have their, I assume, non-'fraudulent' case to be heard, the solicitor didn't turn up as he was ill and then they charged for costs as they said the case didn't have enough evidence to go to court. Also, the debt collectors and the solicitors are both in Southport, the former being formed in July 2016 (a couple of months after I had signed with the solictors) and the solicitors were placed into administration in December last year. Nothing concrete there but it still stinks a bit to me (and very much to Mrs B).
Of course, everyone is going to say that it is my fault - I crashed into the other bloke, I took the "No Win, No Fee" king's shilling, a firm of solicitors did some expensive work on my behalf and I should just pay up. To an extent, I agree and said to Mrs B that I expect we are going to have to pay up as solicitors are bound to have everything sewn up. However, as time has gone on and I have found out more about the original solicitors (and, more pertinently, Mrs B has said that there is no fucking way that they are getting any fucking money), I am starting to think that there is a fair bit fishy about it all.
I haven't mentioned the name of the solicitors or the debt collection company as I am not sure on the legalities of such things. Having said that, there is an article in the legal press and mentions in legal review websites that I can link to if it isn't going to get us sued and, more to the point after this long rant, if anyone is at all interested.
The punchline to this is that, after the accident, the car was written off but still legally drivable. However, six months later, I then accidentally drove into a lamppost knocking it down, closing a major street for two days and having to pay to replace the lamppost. A grand since you ask. I really am a shit driver but not a deliberately misleading one.
It started in January 2016 when I was on my way to work and negotiating the junction onto the M4. There are two lanes, the most left one a dedicated left turn only and the other going either left or straight on*. I was in the left/straight-on lane, indicated left to go onto the motorway and was hit on my left hand side by a car going straight on. I was furiously sure that he had come across my lane into me, we swapped details and I drove onto work. I filled in the insurance form explaining the incident as I have just done also that I had hit my head in the course of the accident but there was no long-term injury.
In April, I was contacted unsolicited by some "No Win, No Fee" solicitors giving it the "We understand you have been in an accident that wasn't your fault". Now, against my better judgement, I listened to them and signed up. They took the details which were pretty much as I said upthread. They sent the documentation to sign which I duly did - probably with the merest of perusal - and waited for their next communication.
*Later that year, I got communication from my insurance company that the other driver had had a camera on my dash and I had gone across their lane. "No, I didn't", I said, "They were in a dedicated left turn lane and i was turning left onto the motorway as well." "No", came back the reply, "They were in a straight on/turn left lane", and, apparently, I was in a straight on only lane. I then drove up to the junction and, although badly signed (it is only on the road), this was true. The other driver, of course, were perfectly within their rights to go straight on and I shouldn't have have been turning left. I admitted responsibility and there goes my no claims bonus I realised.
That was it until July last year - over two years later - when I received a letter from the solicitors saying that my Conditional Fee Agreement was cancelled - because I had "deliberately misled" them - and that they were claiming £2190 (with 25% off if I paid in 14 days, of course) in expenses, costs, disbursements etc. In the accompanying paperwork was my signature on their agreement and a detailed bill oddly saying that I was the passenger and saying that I attended a medical examination (which I have to say I can't remember attending but it was over two years before - or maybe the bang on my head affected me more than I thought). It also said that I "was updated as to the appropriate hourly rate and VAT rate as the matter progressed" which, considering this was the first communication I had received from them in over two years, was a bit rich. I emailed them straight back and asked them for evidence that I had deliberately misled them. As far as I was concerned, I had made an honest mistake in misreading the lanes. Stupid yes but, at no point, did I deliberately mislead them. I also queried the contention that they had updated me as the matter progressed. I didn't hear from them again and forgot about until....
This Saturday, fully 15 months later, I got a letter from a legal recovery debt collection company saying that they were acting for the original solicitors (in administration) which had almost exactly the same wording as the previous letter (including the same offer of 25% off for payment for 14 days). I sent an email referring to the previous email I had sent to the solicitors saying that I was still waiting for any evidence. I got an email the next day saying that there was CCTV footage showing clearly that I was responsible for the accident and that I had informed them that I said the other party was responsible. I answered this saying that I accepted responsibility once I realise the mistake I had made when the insurance company told me but that this was well after the solicitors had approached me.
They also said that, as I had been the driver, they didn't believe that I had had an injury and that I had a credibility issue. They also said - and this is what infuriated me so I shall quote it fully - "please note that embellishing or exaggerating a claim such as above could have amounted to a finding of fundamental dishonesty if the case had proceeded to court" (their underlining and dishonesty) and "Honesty is always the best policy and exaggerating injuries does not mean more compensation". In a great bit of Sopranos sound-a-like, they said they "are reasonable and willing to work with you to reach an amicable financial settlement to the outstanding bill." I challenged again any idea that I had been kept up to date of any proceedings. Also, that, regardless of who was to fault, I did hit my head in the accident and asked for details of how this contradicted my account to them and how appalled I was that they were basically calling me a liar.
Mrs B, being Mrs B, did some Googling into the company (after going mental at me) and found out that, before going into administration, the solicitors had asked loads of people for costs for 'wasted time and breach of contract' with the debt collectors, in a similar manner to how they wrote to me, accusing people of ‘fraudulent lies’. Of course, loads of people have paid the money to this company and some said that they are shit scared and one saying that they were suicidal. One poor sod went to court to have their, I assume, non-'fraudulent' case to be heard, the solicitor didn't turn up as he was ill and then they charged for costs as they said the case didn't have enough evidence to go to court. Also, the debt collectors and the solicitors are both in Southport, the former being formed in July 2016 (a couple of months after I had signed with the solictors) and the solicitors were placed into administration in December last year. Nothing concrete there but it still stinks a bit to me (and very much to Mrs B).
Of course, everyone is going to say that it is my fault - I crashed into the other bloke, I took the "No Win, No Fee" king's shilling, a firm of solicitors did some expensive work on my behalf and I should just pay up. To an extent, I agree and said to Mrs B that I expect we are going to have to pay up as solicitors are bound to have everything sewn up. However, as time has gone on and I have found out more about the original solicitors (and, more pertinently, Mrs B has said that there is no fucking way that they are getting any fucking money), I am starting to think that there is a fair bit fishy about it all.
I haven't mentioned the name of the solicitors or the debt collection company as I am not sure on the legalities of such things. Having said that, there is an article in the legal press and mentions in legal review websites that I can link to if it isn't going to get us sued and, more to the point after this long rant, if anyone is at all interested.
The punchline to this is that, after the accident, the car was written off but still legally drivable. However, six months later, I then accidentally drove into a lamppost knocking it down, closing a major street for two days and having to pay to replace the lamppost. A grand since you ask. I really am a shit driver but not a deliberately misleading one.
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