Reclaim CPP, flight delays, PPI, bank charges and more
Unknowingly taken out PPI? Wear a uniform to work? Been on a delayed flight? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you could be due your money back or compensation. Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis is here with his reclaiming special.
Full details of all the big reclaims and more info in Martin’s Reclaim £1,000s summary, including template letters and guides.
1. Mis-sold CPP card protection?
Up to seven million people were mis-sold credit card and identity theft cover from Card Protection Plan or banks selling CPP. In total, £1,300,000,000 has been put aside to pay them back. Now, anyone who was mis-sold to is able to claim after the High Court approved a redress deal last month.
Just makesure you return the claim form, which should be posted to you this month. CPP has already been in touch with affected CPP customers by post. But if you haven’t had a letter, you can contact the scheme team on 08000 83 43 93. I’ve already heard of big payback successes.
THE PROOF: Martin emailed me his story: "I received a cheque for £461 which included an amount for interest. Keep up the good work."
2. Racked up big fees for going beyond your overdraft?
Rumours of the death of bank charges reclaiming are greatly exaggerated (especially by the banks, funnily enough). The door's nowhere near as wide open as it used to be, but if the charges have put you in hardship, reclaiming is possible. First complain to your bank, and if that doesn’t work, take your complaint to the independent Financial Ombudsman Service .
THE PROOF: Carol emailed me to say: "Although I was a bit sceptical, I downloaded a template letter, customised it and sent it to my bank. It contacted me to say it would refund my charges + interest - over £2,000."
3. Been delayed on a flight since 2007?
For most flights to or from the EU, if you were delayed over three hours and it was the airline's fault, you're entitled to £200 - £500 per person. Make a complaint to the airline in the first instance, and if that doesn’t work, depending on the flight, you can take your complaint to the Civil Aviation Authority, the relevant aviation regulator, or the European Consumer Centre .
THE PROOF: Amanda, via email, says: "I used a template to complain to Thomas Cook about a delayed flight to Egypt in 2010. It's compensating us £1,040. It's made my day."
4. Check for hidden insurance added to loans, cards, mortgages and more
You've almost certainly heard of PPI reclaiming, but it's important to understand you may have it without knowing - even if you rejected it.
This insurance to cover debt repayments was systemically mis-sold by banks. Billions have been paid back already, and much more's still due. Make a claim to your lender if you think you’re affected, and if that doesn’t work, take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman.
THE PROOF: Here's Ingrid, via email: "I've received £35,000. It's been life-changing."
5. Are you in the wrong council tax band?
Up to 400,000 homes may be in the wrong council tax band because the original English and Scottish valuations were slapdash. If yours is too high, you can get it lowered and a backdated payout from when you moved in. The key is to first check if you’re in a higher band than neighbours in identical properties via the Valuation Office Agency in England and Wales, and the Scottish Assessors Authority in Scotland. Then, if that’s so, work out what your house price was in 1991 - when council tax bands were defined - as a belt and braces check.
Yet only ask for your house to be reassessed if you’re sure it should be in a lower band, as if you’ve got it wrong you may end up in a higher band.
THE PROOF: Kay, via email, told me she was in Band F, while others of a similar size were Band E. She says: "I phoned the Valuation Office on 4 October 2013. They said it would take 8 weeks to look into. On 6 December, I received a call to say my tax band had been reduced to a Band E. I was reimbursed £3,300."
No need to pay a claims management company
In every example of reclaiming I’ve outlined above, you can do this process yourself, for free. Try to avoid costly claims management firms, which will make the claim for you, but will often take around 25% of your win.