Spam calls and texts to reach “epidemic proportions” following low value PI claim reforms

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has predicted that spam calls and texts about personal injury claims will reach epidemic proportions under Government plans to reform whiplash and other low value personal injury claims.

APIL’s President, Neil Sugarman, said that there would be an explosion of spam calls and texts from claims management companies encouraging people to make personal injury claims, even if they haven’t been injured, should the reforms go through.

“The Government’s plan is to force vast numbers of injured people through the small claims court, which is designed for people to represent themselves,” he said.

“This is a business opportunity for claims management companies, which make the cold calls and texts, who will tout for claims just as they do for people who were mis-sold payment protection insurance. The fact is the Government should put its energy into banning spam calls and texts altogether. They are intrusive, tasteless and generate a damaging perception that personal injury claims are ‘easy money’.”

Sugarman said that the reforms were completely unnecessary and unfair to vulnerable injured people who, without qualified legal help, would be very much on the back foot, trying to fight their claims against the people who had injured them.

“They will have no idea of how much they need to claim for, let alone what medical evidence to gather.

“The small claims court is where you would go if you have a dispute with your landlord over a cleaning bill, or been sold a faulty dishwasher. It is an entirely inappropriate route for people who have been injured by someone else’s negligence.

“The Government is pointing its guns at the wrong people instead of putting an end to the real mischief – the scourge of calls and text messages. The Government has no problem with banning calls and texts about pension investments, so it could and should do the same for personal injury.”

Mark Dugdale