The boss of a collapsed claims management firm based in Swansea has been disqualified by the government for 10 years for misleading customers and breaching industry regulations.
Dean Anthony Spencer, the director of Claim & Gain Limited, is now prohibited from taking part in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership. He is also not allowed to act as a company director or become a receiver of a firm’s property.
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy received an undertaking from Spencer on March 14. His disqualification took effect on April 04.
Claim & Gain was incorporated in October 2011 but went into liquidation in March 2015. It traded in claims management, cold calling consumers and offering services including mis-sold payment protection insurance, mortgages and packaged bank accounts.
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The Insolvency Service said that as a company director, Spencer misled the public in sales calls regarding claims services offered, fees charged, outsourcing to third parties and cancellations. Services paid for by customers were not provided and fees were deducted from customers without their authorisation.
Following an investigation and warnings from the Ministry of Justice, Spencer failed to rectify the breaches and continued to mislead customers by taking “upfront” fees from a further 149 customers, according to the Insolvency Service.
Claim & Gain’s unfair trading practices violated the Compensation (Claims Management Services) Regulations 2006, the Insolvency Service said.
“When company directors do not comply with legislation that is designed to protect customers and avoidable losses result, The Insolvency Service will seek lengthy periods of disqualification,” said Robert Clarke, investigations group leader at the Insolvency Service.
“This should serve as a warning to other directors who may feel tempted to breach customer protection legislation,” he added. “The Insolvency Service will rigorously pursue directors who deliberately mislead and breach the trust of customers.”
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