In addition to this, PPI can also be staggeringly expensive. Banks have made huge profits out of PPI. They have been known to use high pressure and non-compliant selling techniques to get consumers to sign up for it with them, often using the fact that people desperately wanted to borrow money (so an unequal bargaining position existed) to enable them to sell it.

Industry malpractice in this area has been confirmed by the financial services regulator the FSA who, thankfully, has now banned selling of single premium PPI and fined some of the worst offenders. Indeed, the PPI issue was also the subject of a widespread investigation by the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in 2005. Shockingly, the Citizens Advice Bureau reported that PPI premiums could unbeknown to them add between 13% and 56% to the price of a person's loan.

Even more shockingly, lenders often added this insurance to the cost of the loan as a lump sum at the outset meaning that unsuspecting consumers were not only being missold something that they didn't want or was unsuitable for them but, additionally, they were paying high interest charges for the privilege.

How much will I get back?

This depends upon the cost of the plan, the length of time you have held the plan and the level of interest you were paying.

How long will the claim take?

This depends on the particular case. We aim to win our cases within 3 to 6 months although we can sometimes win small claims in just a few weeks and complaints against some firms take longer than others.

What do I need to get started?

All you need to do is to fill in the forms stored on the next page of this website called 'Start your Claim'. Just print them, sign them and send them off to us with the details of your account numbers. It won't take you more than a few minutes.

What if I don't know all the details?

Just send us the information you know and we should be able to get the information we need directly from the loan or credit card provider. We do all the work for you and answer any questions the bank may ask.

What will you do for me?

Once we have received your completed forms we will make a complaint directly to the firm and ask them for information on the policy. If necessary we will also arrange for the complaint to go to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) depending on the details of your case.

What does your service cost?

We charge no upfront fees and nothing at all unless we are successful, provided you leave the case in our hands throughout. Once we have won you your money and you've banked it we will send you our bill. For loans that are still running we charge exactly 25% of the compensation we win for you plus VAT, for more details on our charges please read the client agreement which is included in the forms on the "Start your Claim" page.

How long have you been in business?

We have been in business since 1989, CLAIMS was the first business set up in the UK to help people who had lost money from bad financial advice. Since then we have helped thousands of people in a wide range of claims against Banks, Building Societies and Insurance Providers.

Can I complain without professional help from a firm like LoanProtectionClaims.com?

Yes. Of course you can. It is important that you are aware of this so that you know all of your options at this stage. If you want to have a go then do so and please use the information on this website and others to help you. If you are the sort of person who, for example, does their own tax returns without the need to pay an accountant, having a direct fight with your bank over their charges will probably be your preferred route. Remember though, that the banks will not give in easily.

If you take your case to FOS there is no referral fee but it will be up to you to make your case. FOS does not represent consumers or think of ways to legitimately increase the value of your claim as we do. FOS is a mediation service which takes a midway stance between the complainant and the firm.

Winning our clients the maximum amount of money is our specialty and people come to us because they don't want to do all the work of fighting a big bank on their own. Banks and credit card firms have highly experienced complaint-handling staff backed by bevies of lawyers. They know how to drag out a complaint and make it time-consuming. Many people don't have the energy to pursue it through to the bitter end. If you ask us to represent you we will deal with the whole complaint on your behalf from start to finish taking the burden from your shoulders. The choice is yours.

If I instruct you to act for me can I cancel my agreement?

Of course you can. At any time. The Ministry of Justice stipulates a 14 day cooling-off period and there will be no charge whatsoever if you change your mind in the first 14 days after asking us to help provided you have not received compensation during this time. If you want to read our contractual agreement with clients press the "Start your claim" button read the forms which include our client agreement which sets out our terms of business. This explains that there will be a charge after the cooling-off period for canceling the agreement as we cannot afford to work for people, making phonecalls, writing letters, sending faxes and emails, carrying out complex calculations of loss etc. and then be told by clients "you're fired" - sometimes just before our clients know they are going to receive compensation.