I am a website designer and optimizer with many years' experience. In 2010 I was told by the Ministry of Justice that I was, in fact, a claims management company (which I am not) and that I was not allowed to trade without a licence. I provided ample proof that I had no claims management experience or knowledge, and that my claims management websites were used for data collection purposes for my clients only (who were themselves licenced claims management companies).
So I applied for a licence and paid £400. Needless to say, I had great difficulty in filling in the application form as I know nothing about claims management (I have a recording of the conversation I had with an officer who was trying to help me fill out the form - he ended up saying things like "Well, just put a cross through it, then" and "Why are you applying for a licence if that isn't what you do?": the recording would be pure Monty Python if it wasn't so pathetic).
After a very long wait the licence was disallowed on the grounds that I did not have sufficient claims management knowledge (which I had been telling them all along!) and so they did not give me the licence - yet they kept my £400.
I was told by the MOJ officer that if I did not comply then I could be fined or sent to prison. He demanded to know who all my clients were (even my non-claims management clients). When I mentioned a client he hadn't heard of before he demanded to know why I hadn't informed him of this client. He phoned up at least two of my clients, who subsequently contacted me about it; one of them was clearly distressed at this treatment.
I had no idea that MOJ officers were allowed to behave like nazis, but this one clearly relished his role.
He told me to take down my claims management websites and this has cost me over £200,000 in lost income over the years. He complained about the 'branding' of my websites although it was clear that he did not know what he was talking about. When I complained afterwards, raised questions and made comparative statements about what they had done this officer suddenly went quiet and insisted I contact another department instead. It was as if he had suddenly realised what he had done.
Thousands of other people do the same as I do and yet they have never experienced this kind of treatment by the MOJ. In supplying data as an affiliate I was reassured time and time again that all I need to do was to state the licence details of my client (the claims management company) on my website and I would be covered by their own licence. This is what the law in my industry states and this is what I and many others like me have abided by for years. Many thousands of people do this. None of the affiliate managers I have spoken to had ever heard of this nonsense happening to anyone else.
I seek redress and realistic financial compensation, but how do I go about redressing this injustice?
Thanks,
Gordo
So I applied for a licence and paid £400. Needless to say, I had great difficulty in filling in the application form as I know nothing about claims management (I have a recording of the conversation I had with an officer who was trying to help me fill out the form - he ended up saying things like "Well, just put a cross through it, then" and "Why are you applying for a licence if that isn't what you do?": the recording would be pure Monty Python if it wasn't so pathetic).
After a very long wait the licence was disallowed on the grounds that I did not have sufficient claims management knowledge (which I had been telling them all along!) and so they did not give me the licence - yet they kept my £400.
I was told by the MOJ officer that if I did not comply then I could be fined or sent to prison. He demanded to know who all my clients were (even my non-claims management clients). When I mentioned a client he hadn't heard of before he demanded to know why I hadn't informed him of this client. He phoned up at least two of my clients, who subsequently contacted me about it; one of them was clearly distressed at this treatment.
I had no idea that MOJ officers were allowed to behave like nazis, but this one clearly relished his role.
He told me to take down my claims management websites and this has cost me over £200,000 in lost income over the years. He complained about the 'branding' of my websites although it was clear that he did not know what he was talking about. When I complained afterwards, raised questions and made comparative statements about what they had done this officer suddenly went quiet and insisted I contact another department instead. It was as if he had suddenly realised what he had done.
Thousands of other people do the same as I do and yet they have never experienced this kind of treatment by the MOJ. In supplying data as an affiliate I was reassured time and time again that all I need to do was to state the licence details of my client (the claims management company) on my website and I would be covered by their own licence. This is what the law in my industry states and this is what I and many others like me have abided by for years. Many thousands of people do this. None of the affiliate managers I have spoken to had ever heard of this nonsense happening to anyone else.
I seek redress and realistic financial compensation, but how do I go about redressing this injustice?
Thanks,
Gordo
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