I recently had a minor car accident – a delivery driver pulled out of a side road. My car was a bit of a mess, but I was unharmed. His insurer has accepted liability and the claim is proceeding fine. However, every day I receive calls at home from aggressive salespeople trying to persuade me to bring a personal injury claim. I have repeatedly said I wasn’t injured, but they don’t listen. Next day I get more calls. I am growing increasingly fed up about this – and wonder how they got my phone number? AB, Saffron Walden, Essex
Your experience is not uncommon and the mostly likely reason is that your insurance company has sold your contact details – in some cases for £500 or more – to a firm of ambulance-chasing solicitors.
Incredibly, despite constantly complaining to anyone who will listen that fraudulent whiplash claims are costing insurers ever-increasing sums, companies routinely do this, such is the madness of the UK insurance market. They all do it to each other, then wonder why claims are increasing. The best way to deal with these calls is to tell them, in no uncertain terms, you are not interested. Alternatively, see how long you can string them along before revealing you are deliberately wasting their time. They will soon give up if they realise there’s no money to be had from you.
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