If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault and you are thinking about making a claim for compensation, getting the right advice and support is incredibly important. You need to know how strong your claim is before you make any decision and you need to know what factors may affect your case going forward.
The best place to get this advice is at an accident claims helpline. Such helplines are operated by law firms and they provide an invaluable claims advisory service. You can get answers to all your claims-related questions and at the end of your call, you will have a very good understanding of what your options are. There is no obligation to make a claim over the phone and you will be free to go elsewhere or not make a claim at all.
The cost of calling a helpline
How much will contacting such a helpline cost you? Most of these helplines operate using 0800 telephone numbers. 0800 phone numbers are free to call from landlines and from 1 June 2015 they have been free to call from mobile phones too. If a claim line uses an 0843 or a 0844 number, then calls will cost 7p per minute plus an access charge. We recommend you only use Freephone accident claim helplines so the cost of your call is nil. Some accident claims helplines also operate a text service. Text messages are charged at your standard network rate – to find out your standard rate, contact your mobile network provider.
The cost of no win, no fee
If you do decide to proceed with a claim, you will not have to pay anything upfront to get the claims process started. Personal injury claims are processed on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis and these agreements stipulate you have nothing to pay and your solicitor’s fees will either be recovered from the other side or taken from your compensation. Your solicitor is only legally allowed to take up to 25%, so you will keep at least 75% of your compensation.
The only way that making a claim could cost you money, is if your claim loses. Under a no win, no fee agreement (also called a conditional fee agreement), the other side can bill you for their costs if your claim is unsuccessful. However, ‘After the Event’ insurance is available and sometimes compulsory to make a claim and this eradicates the financial risk of losing a claim. To find out more about this, contact a claims advisor. They will be able to advise you on the best ways to reduce risk and help you ascertain your eligibility to make a claim.
