Claims firms fan surge in bogus illness claims
Claims management companies are fuelling “an explosion” in gastric illness (GI) claims by UK holidaymakers in what a leading industry lawyer calls “a money‑making process”.
Maria Pittordis, head of marine trade and energy and partner at City law firm Hill Dickinson, said: “There has to be some forceful claims handling.”
She told a Hill Dickinson travel law seminar: “There has been an explosion in GI claims. We’re seeing not just multi-party actions from people who have been on the same cruise or stayed in the same hotel, but from people who have been on different cruises, sometimes even different hotels in different resorts. It’s a money-making process for lawyers.
“The illness is hardly ever specified. They say it’s [an] infective bacterial or viral [agent].”
She added: “We’ve seen a lot of reports of fraudulent claims. They’re always mixed with ‘quality’ complaints, most of which wouldn’t get costs if brought on their own, but mixed with GI claims in a multi-party action they’re going to recover costs as well.”