Cancelled flight? Faulty appliance? Dodgy insurance small print? For most of us, the thought of having to make a compensation claim against a company for substandard products or services can be daunting at best.
So imagine if there was a company whose sole purpose was to coordinate group claims, where hundreds, thousands or even millions of people take on big companies, headed up by experts with decades of experience championing consumer rights. And at no point is there a charge.
Step forward Nikki Stopford and Alex Neill.
Both regular presenters on the BBC’s Rip Off Britain, they have formidable career credentials to leave even those companies with the deepest pockets and most ruthless legal teams sitting up to take note.
In early 2023, the pair launched their pioneering start-up Consumer Voice. The first company of its kind in the UK, it operates as an online community connecting individuals to the relevant law firms acting on behalf of a group claim.
‘We talked to countless law firms about group claims and the general consensus was that there was a need for them to engage with consumers in a different way. Historically, when consumers engage with legal teams on a case-by-case basis, it’s horribly expensive. Which is where Alex and I come in,’ says Nikki.
‘Too many consumers experience problems every day when dealing with businesses in the UK and all too often don’t get back the money they’re owed,’ explains Alex, who was previously CEO of a consumer dispute resolution platform and a managing director at consumer champion Which?
‘This means rule-breaking businesses owe an eye-watering amount of money – thought to be in the region of £54billion – for everything from delayed flights to faulty products. However, most people aren’t aware of the claims process and we want to make access to justice easy for consumers.’
In early 2023, Alex Neill (left) and Nikki Stopford (right) launched Consumer Voice, an online community connecting individuals to the law firms acting on behalf of a group claim
Nikki was previously group director of research and publishing at Which?, and is the current chairman of the British Standards Institute Consumer Forum, bringing together consumer advocacy organisations, government departments, regulators and enforcement agencies to strengthen the UK consumer voice in standards.
Take them on at your peril.
There are currently 56 group claims against big consumer brands that have been filed with the specialist competition court in London which, in theory, could equate to every adult in the UK being owed money as a result of being eligible for compensation.
These cases have been filed on behalf of UK consumers by campaigners – including Alex and Nikki – accusing big brands like Amazon, Apple, BT, Facebook, Google, Mastercard and Sony PlayStation of breaching competition law and ripping off customers.
If won, these claims could lead to billions being owed in compensation. Of the 12 claims that are currently going to trial, consumers are owed £22billion alone.
Still, the likelihood is that this is news to most people.
‘Our extensive research found that on average 74 per cent of UK consumers have never heard of most of these big claims and 25 per cent have no idea what a group claim is,’ Nikki explains. ‘Only a quarter of the population said they were very familiar with collective legal actions in the UK.
‘We also know from our survey that 50 per cent of people spend money with six or more of the 30 top brands across key consumer sectors. This means that as more lawsuits are filed, the payout for individual consumers is likely to grow.
Alex says businesses owe an eye-watering amount of money – thought to be in the region of £54billion – for everything from delayed flights to faulty products
‘We want to ensure people who’ve been ripped off are ready to step forward when these group cases are won. Consumer Voice is independent, unbiased and will tell people when the companies they buy from have broken the law, helping you to work out whether you’re entitled to compensation and how to claim. The ultimate aim is to help consumers get money they’re owed.’
If you’re rightly wondering, what’s the catch? There isn’t one.
Nikki and Alex make an income from consultancy work and by providing consumer-friendly communications and engagement services to law firms.
‘We’ll make it easy for you to get back what you’re owed and hold companies to account when they do things wrong,’ Nikki continues.
Alex attests: ‘I was first involved in this area with my own claim against Sony PlayStation which goes to trial in March 2026 on behalf of 8.9million customers. They could be owed a share of up to £5billion (around £560 each) for being charged too much for digital games or in-app purchases.
‘It became increasingly obvious that there wasn’t a single strong place where consumers’ interests were being represented and that people weren’t pursuing claims as they were convinced it would be too time consuming and expensive.’
Already commonplace and hugely successful in the US, group claims allow vast swathes of people to be compensated in one go.
For example, more than 17million people claimed compensation from a £725million pot following a Facebook settlement over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This was when, from 2010 onwards, personal data was collected by the British consultancy firm to be used in the US for political advertising.
More than 17million people claimed compensation from a £725million pot following a Facebook settlement over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Pictured, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg
While regulators like the Competition and Markets Authority can hold firms to account and put documentation in place to prevent further law breaking, they don’t have the power to mandate compensation claims.
The first group claim to go to trial in the UK is a £1.3billion compensation claim against BT, taking the company to task over offering cheap broadband bundles to attract new customers, but keeping prices high for existing customers until Ofcom, the communications watchdog, ordered them to stop.
If successful, three million customers could receive on average of £400 in compensation. The trial ended in March and the hotly anticipated court judgment is due any day.
‘It’s very much a test case in the UK. It’s based on those existing customers – many of whom were elderly, vulnerable and not in a position to shop around – who lost out financially without being paid compensation,’ Alex explains. ‘At its crux is the legal exposure of a company that abused its huge market share by charging too much.’
Similar cases have also been raised in the UK, including a £1.5billion claim against Apple’s App Store for overcharging and a similar £920million claim against Google Play Store.
Both go to trial next year.
‘While it’s not against the law for big tech brands to monopolise markets, they need to do so in a fair way and not be allowed to charge what they want, which is why competition laws are in place to prevent this from happening,’ Alex adds.
‘Many people who join the Consumer Voice community via the website have beef with digital tech companies who’ve dominated and haven’t had to be competitive, leaving people feeling powerless.
‘Nikki and I are on a mission to show consumers that there is a way to bring these big companies to heel because most don’t tend to know claims cases are even going on.
‘During the lifespan of a case – which can take years – we want consumers to know that we’ll keep them updated on progress so that they don’t have to think about it.
‘For group action to be successful, consumers need to step forward and lay claim to the compensation on offer. Low take-up rates of people getting on board with a claim will prompt the big companies to brush them off on the basis that ”it’s just a few people and most aren’t getting compensation”.’
Nikki and Alex have launched an eligibility checker on their website specifically for the BT case so that the average person can log on, enter a few straightforward details and learn within a few minutes whether they were affected by it and if they’re eligible to join the group claim for compensation.
‘Firstly, go to our website and join the 20,000 people who’ve already signed up to our newsletter, the tool we use to guide people to specific claims and make them aware of new ones coming up,’ says Alex, re-emphasising that there’s zero cost for consumers engaging with them. More than 100,000 people have visited their website in the last two months.
‘You don’t have to join a claim, you might just want to use one of our template letters about the likes of flight delays and car finance to make your own complaint direct to a company, for example. I’ve just used it myself to write to a car finance company.
‘There’s low trust of claims management firms and even law firms, which is why we’ve built the Consumer Voice platform to build trust and help people in their day-to-day consumer rights challenges. We’ll never send out spam emails and our focus is on consumer power, engagement, why a claim exists and how to get back what you’re owed. Who wouldn’t want that?’
Nikki adds: ‘We’re not a claims management company, so people know we’re approachable. Our stance is very much these are your rights and if you’re not getting the standards you are entitled to by law, then this is how we can help you.’
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