Arc Legal Group - www.arclegal.co.uk

Arc Legal Group - www.arclegal.co.uk
★☆☆☆☆
1.1
3.0% of users recommend this
  • Customer service

  • Value For Money

Summary

Note from Review Centre - Arc Legal Group was previously known as Arc Legal Assistance. 
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“HOME PROTECT CAN DO BETTER THAN OFFER ARC LEGAL ASSISTANCE”

★☆☆☆☆

written by richardolneylewis on 29/09/2017

Seeking legal support under my Home Protect Policy, I was directed to their legal support team, Arc. Arc asked me to complete a claim/information document and stated they would respond within 5 days. 5 days is actually 5 working days and having had no response after 7 working days I was forced to call Arc several times only to be told the representative dealing with my claim was at lunch, and then she was not in at the moment but would call me back on her return, which she did not; to finally be told she was away. Ultimately, someone speed read my claim whilst I was on the phone and informed me they could not assist. Very poor customer service from an appointed organization that is meant to provide customer support and advice. Clearly no one had fully read my claim for support. Not a Company I could deal with again. And certainly not recommend.

Arclegalassistance's Response to richardolneylewis's Review

Written on: 02/10/2017

We are disappointed to hear about your dissatisfaction. We deal with over 20,000 claims each year and have a complaints ratio of less than 1%. We are confident that the vast majority of customers have a positive experience of our service.

However, we welcome the opportunity to address any concerns that customers have about our service.

If you would like to discuss the matter, please contact us directly. Alternatively, you are able to refer a complaint via the Financial Ombudsman Service. Details on how to do this are available online.

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“not fit for purpose”

★☆☆☆☆

written by osHall414 on 19/06/2017

Arc legal are a company which in my opinion hide behind what we in the public regard as reputable company names eg SAGA, ESURE but they themselves are anything but reputable. I personally purchased travel insurance with Saga, only to find that arc legal run their claims service. They seem to use a system of procedures during the claim process that can actively prevent customers from getting the necessary relevant advice. I personally wouldn't touch this company with a barge pole, and shall read all small print on future insurance purchases to make sure they aren't lurking in the background. There appear to be a number of processes used by these types of claims handlers designed purely to prevent claims. In my opinion, insurance is of little use when companies like this are involved. We might as well throw our hard earned cash out of the window.

Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 04/07/2017

We are sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome the opportunity to address any concerns that customers have about our service. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a response when these concerns are made anonymously.

If you would like to discuss the matter, please contact us directly. Alternatively, you are able to refer a complaint via the Financial Ombudsman Service. Details on how to do this are available online.

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“Disgraceful and not fit for purpose”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 21/04/2017

Having had first hand experience at how this company operates I wholeheartedly endorse previous reviews. The way claims are handled is sloppy at best and not in the best interests of those seeking help. Given that a legal service is supposed to be provided one would expect a certain degree of integrity by Arc Legal. Based on our experience this company not only operates inefficiently and with a complete lack of transparency, but they appear to tolerate extremely questionable and potentially fraudulent behaviour. Unfortunately no action has been taken when serious concerns have been raised. Arc Legal do not shy away from distorting the facts and failing to address concerns in an attempt to avoid accountability. This lack of integrity and accountability is disgraceful and it makes Arc Legal complicit in some very questionable behaviour. Based on our experience this attitude goes right to director's level, if recent correspondence is to be believed. We are currently considering our options and our advice to others would be to never take out insurance with Aviva as Aviva provide legal assistance via Arc Legal. Even the directors of Arc Legal must realise that they have a responsibility towards those seeking legal assistance. They need to make sure that the business is run above board. Attempting to cover things up never works long term. Each and every one of them who have failed to act should hang their head in shame and that is putting it mildly.

Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 25/04/2017

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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Fru17's Comment

Written on: 26/04/2017

Arc Legal could come up with something more imaginative and original than their standard response to reviews on this site. They claim to investigate, but do no such thing. I speak from experience and my time has already been wasted enough. Anyone seeking legal cover should take their business to a more reputable company.

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Implacable's Comment

Written on: 19/05/2017

I bought home insurance via a well-known and highly regarded retailer that promised outstanding customer service. When I encountered a legal issue, my claim was directed to Arc who in turn passed it to their panel solicitors, Irwin Mitchell. Everything you have written about your experience happened to me. I complained to all the parties involved and none would respond to the points at issue, claiming they had acted properly and that my case had insufficient merit.

If you go to the FOS on this basis, your complaint is not likely to be upheld because they will not obtain and review all the background documents. The FOS will instead consider that Arc has received advice from a suitably qualified professional and that they are entitled to consider the claim based on that advice.

In reality, Arc and IM operate in partnership which opens all sorts of questions about conflicts of interest.

I smelt a rat the day I received the letter rejecting my claim, so I persisted with my complaints, refusing to accept no for an answer at every turn. Eventually, after much resistance, I dragged all the documents from their clutches including the Solicitor’s client files. [Issue Subject Access Requests, quote the Solicitors Code of Conduct and resist any denials of your rights]. Oh, what any eye-opener that was…

Confronted with the evidence which entirely contradicts the stories they spun to me, what next? Silence!

Good luck with pursuing your complaint and it is high time that antics such as those described here received the public exposure they deserve. I am currently doing my best to make that happen.

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S_938's Comment

Written on: 29/04/2017

Arc run the legal protection for AVIVA, yet you cannot find out who at AVIVA is over ARC, so you can complain to them.

What is not clear to the public, is these problems & restrictions with ARC, so much so, I class it as miss selling legal protection policy. One side of ARC will inform you they use a group panel of many solicitor company's ( HA ). Yet the bottom line, its near always Irwin Mitchell, Further what is not made clear is when it goes to Irwin Mitchell, it may be anything but a solicitor, ARC state they can use a para legal at I/M, a person who is NOT A QUALIFIED solicitor.

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Fru17's Comment

Written on: 03/05/2017

Thank you for your comment. According to information on the internet AVIVA have contracted Arc Legal to provide legal protection. I tried to raise problems we have had with AVIVA but they appear to see themselves as a separate entity and told me to sort matters out with Arc Legal.This has not been helpful. AVIVA should be interested in how Arc Legal operate. Their link with Arc Legal has put us off AVIVA. Thankfully as a consumer you have a choice and take your business elsewhere.

I have been informed that anybody having problems with their legal protection provider can seek recourse from the Financial Ombudsman. The Financial Ombudsman can also help when issues arise in connection with legal protection providers insisting on the services of their own panel solicitors. In some circumstances you can insist on using a solicitor of your choice. The website of the Financial Ombudsman is very informative and helpful. Their advice line is excellent and they are now looking into things on our behalf. I would urge anybody having problems with Arc Legal to get advice from them. Arc Legal may be able to ignore their customers, but they can't do that with the Ombudsman.

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Was this review helpful? 6 1

“DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME”

★☆☆☆☆

written by MakenaCantuItalian108 on 30/01/2017

This company is a total waste of time. We wanted to claim for material installed but not functioning whilst still under manufacturers guarantee. Despite having a bill stating "supply and install"and bank proof of payment by cheque to installer, this company have decided we have not enough proof of having had the job done, and paid for it. Either they are unable to read or we are. Find someone else.

Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 31/01/2017

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 31/01/2017

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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“Arrogant, unhelpful and not Transparent ”

★☆☆☆☆

written by OliverFlanagan171 on 25/01/2017

Like many others took a legal cover expenses on my home insurance and had to deal with Arc legal. I found them most arrogant,intimidating and not trustworthy. They use a process to decide whether to cover your claims and as you are at the mercy of their own panel solicitors then the whole thing is a cover up between Arc and their solicitor who is supposed to present your best interest. Their solicitors see Arc legal as their client bringing business to them, so actually these solicitors cannot have your best interest at heart and are conflicted. There is lack of transparency and you are not privy to what happens between Arc legal and their solicitor. They have their own agenda and their solicitor looking for any opportunity to down grade the claims so Arc removes the cover. It is a nightmare dealing with this company and its panel solicitors. They also do not let you see note of communications between them and their solicitors which makes one wonder what they hide.

Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 31/01/2017

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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Madayen20's Comment

Written on: 15/02/2017

You are absolutely spot on, this has been exact experience I had had, they are most intimidating, and secretive. They appoint the solicitor and not allow you to know what communications they have with the solicitor. The solicitor sees Arc as their client and you are supposed to be also their clients !!!! Conflict of Interest ? oh yes but law society and solicitor regulatory body do not seem to do anything to stop this. I heard that once the legal expenses gets close to £20K Arc monitoring the situation closely and looking to find a way to remove the cover even though we are supposed to have £100K cover in the policy. It is a disgrace and should not go one but Arc is powerful and the insurers like them as they send customers away on legitimate claims saving millions for them

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“Don't waste your money”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Castlecroft on 12/06/2016

We made a claim through our home insurance on advice from the solicitor we had spoken to. Our claim (in our eyes and most people who live by us and a surveyor) is solid. Arc legal not interested, the paralegal at Irwin Mitchell Sheffield branch, in our eyes didn't know what he was talking about. Just kept saying it was disproportionate to the value. He didn't tell us anything that we didn't find out ourselves from the internet, if anything we had to tell him things. Then he just didn't answer those questions at all. What's the point in having legal cover if they are not interested in helping when it's needed. Wasn't even going to take out the cover was talked into it by TESCO.... TESCO not worth contacting as just passed us back to Arc Legal who surprisingly said contact Irwin Mitchell. Talk about Merry go round.

Arclegalassistance's Response to Castlecroft's Review

Written on: 31/01/2017

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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“Really helpful - surprised by other reviews”

★★★★★

written by 483Robb on 21/03/2016

I made a claim on my home insurance last year and the legal policy was with this company arc. They were good, and easy to get hold of and paid the whole thing. It's a bit of a process whenever with lawyers but at least we got the result. I was surprised by all the other reviews here but I guess some aren't so good.

S_938's Comment

Written on: 30/04/2017

In my case, we demanded answers from I/M, who refused to explain or check on anything we asked, "basic & common sense stuff", & they gave excuse upon excuse to refuse the case, A year after, it took a big complaint. to get I/M to send 1 letter, the one & only letter to the offender. the offender agreed he owned nothing, & claimed nothing, & was sorry. I/M jumped on this & jumped out of cover.
The offender then had a change of mind, & is now suing for everything.

One solicitor, Two Barristers, & even the original seller, all state I/M got it totally wrong.

I am not employed or related to Arc, my case is stated,
please state yours to see how ARC did such a good job for you..

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“OFFERING LEGAL COVER WITH TESCO INSURANCE”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Russell134 on 13/03/2016

When paying for legal cover with Tesco Insurance, this is the company WHO WILL NOT HONOUR YOUR COVER NO MATTER HOW STRONG YOUR INSURED CASE IS. Tesco also no use at all - AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I WOULDN'T GIVE ANY STARS AT ALL THEY ARE BEYOND TERRIBLE

Castlecroft's Comment

Written on: 12/06/2016

Hi there. Just thought you'd like to know your not alone.... We also made a claim through our home insurance on advice from the solicitor we had spoken to. Our claim (in our eyes and most people who live by us and a surveyor) is solid. Arc legal not interested, the paralegal at Irwin Mitchell Sheffield branch, in our eyes didn't know what he was talking about as we had more information than him off the internet. TESCO not worth contacting as just passed back to Arc Legal.....

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“LegalExpensesSHAM”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Visataero on 08/10/2014

I Contacted Liverpool Victoria Insurance that I had my Legal Expenses through, they gave me the telephone number of Lyons Davidson Solicitors in Edinburgh, I contacted them and gave them my details, they said they would call me back that day, they never did, two days later I phoned again, they stated I would get a call back by 5 pm, never got a call back, finally got a call 5 days later, they advised me I had a valid claim against a garage that had damaged my car, they then said they would send out a claim form and call me in a week, got no claim form and no call in a weeks time, left another message for them, 17 days later I phoned  Liverpool Victoria and made a complaint, I then got a phone call from Lyons Davidson in Edinburgh 17 days later, I told them I did not want to use them as I had seen on the Internet that they were the Solicitors FROM HELL, and I had just seen how incompetent and stupid they were. I told them to get my Insurance Company to get me another company of Solicitors. I was then told by Liverpool Victoria to contact ARC Legal Assistance, this was the Insurance provider that used Lyons Davidson Solicitors to do the Legal Work. I contacted ARC Legal Assistance, got a form and filled it up, sent it back to them, then I got Emails from Arc, who kept telling me that she was UNSURE AND UNCLEAR about my claim, it was extremely simple, had everything detailed in terms that a 5 year old child could understand, they never phoned me to confirm anything, they have an 0844 number so I refused to call this number as it costs you a fortune to speak to a someone that does not understand anything, they had all the documents sent to them by Liverpool Victoria and by myself, and they kept saying they did not have all the documents, this went on for over 8 weeks, I then made a complaint, this all took from the middle of January to May, they failed to deal with my complaint within their time scale. I was then told I did not have a 51% chance of success in my claim. They did not tell me which Solicitor they used, and did not give me a copy of the Solicitors Opinion, they refused to send me a copy, I then made a Subject Access Request, and again they did not give me the Solicitor's Opinion on my case. I then went to the Financial Ombudsman Services with my complaint, well they lost my complaint form, had to do another one, they said that they could not investigate ARC but would investigate Liverpool Victoria the provider of my Legal Expenses Insurance, I then contacted the Financial Conduct Authority about this and they advised me that the FOS was the one that could investigate ARC and they gave me the Reference number that I should use to give to the FOS, remember these operate to defeat your claim, I have now gone back to the FOS with this information, and they are still refusing to investigate ARC, this is now 9 months after I made a Legal Expenses Claim, and it has not proceeded one bit, I have received from the FOS a copy of the Legal Opinion that ARC Legal Expenses got in my case, it was from a Solicitor in England called Stones, I am in Scotland and a Legal Opinion from an English Solicitor is irrelevant as we have a different Legal System in Scotland. I contacted Stones Solicitors in Exeter, I asked them if they had a Scottish Solicitor in their Practice, did they have anyone with a Scottish Practicing Certificate, were they a member of the Scottish Law Society of Scotland. I got a letter back from a[name removed] at Stones Solicitors in Devon which stated. Insofar as the issue of whether or not this Firm is competent to advise on a matter subject to the Scottish Legal System, IT IS CLEARLY NOT. So why did their company do so, he also advised me that he had written to ARC and advised them to get an opinion in my case from a Scottish Solicitor, the FOS has also told ARC to get a Legal Opinion in my case from a Scottish Solicitor, I can only believe that Stones Solicitors were working with ARC and Liverpool Victoria Insurance to defeat my claim for legal expenses to sue a garage that caused damage to my car.   I also contacted the CEO of Liverpool Victoria about this, he emailed me stating not to contact him again, I also found on the Internet that one of Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Directors had written a report that he WAS IMPRESSED BY ARC Legal Services that they provided, I Emailed him my experience with ARC, and asked him if he was impressed, he has refused to reply to me. I made a complaint about Stones Solicitors to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, but as we know regulators are in place to help  Organisations they are supposed to regulate. Arc Legal Services has a £760 million operation, operating Legal Expenses for Insurance Companies, they are not regulated and any body will ever be held to account for anything. People that are taking out Legal Expenses cover need to be aware, these are here to defeat you not help you.

Arclegalassistance's Response to Visataero's Review

Written on: 14/10/2014

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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Visataero's reply to Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 14/10/2014

You know who I am, the information above identifies me on your files, you threw out my claim for Legal Expenses and threw out my Complaint against your company, this is another SHAM BY ARC, they are trying to make people think they are interested in complaints against them.

Your Company Reference is ARC/026/008127/HAS. Now review it and come up with the same decision.

Also another case I had with ARC Legal Assistance was, they said I had a claim with another company, and that I had to pay the costs of lodging a small claims action against that company, I refused to pay the costs of lodging a complaint as they would not tell me the name of the Solicitor or Legal Representative that was going to act for me, and if the case was defended was I going to have to travel to the Court myself to appear, as I was hundreds of miles away from the Court.

The FOS advised ARC to get a Scottish Solicitor to give me a Legal Opinion in my case, Arc wrote to me advising me to get a Solicitor to do a Legal Opinion in my case, I was asked to tell the Solicitor to contact ARC to get authorisation to do the opinion and for payment arrangements to be made. I contacted Harper MacLeod Solicitors in Glasgow, I explained my case I asked them if this is the type of case they would do, and if they had any conflict of interest in this matter, I was advised that they had no conflict of interest, as I do not want to waste my time with bad SOLICITORS, I recorded all my conversations with the Solicitor at Harper MacLeod, I gave them the name of the person at ARC to contact, a week later I had not heard from the Solicitor, so I phoned him again, he advised me that he had not heard from ARC, and that he would contact them again, a further week later I again had not heard from him, so I contacted him again, he advised me he had sent ARC the companies terms and conditions, to ARC, then a week later I got a call from him stating that they would not be taking my case, I asked him why he had wasted my time, he refused to answer. I then lodged a complaint against this SOLICITOR. I then got a response from a Professor. He advised me the following. I have discussed the the matter with my Partner, who was the Partner in charge of that particular part of the department, we do not actually have a file for you in relation to this matter, we did not take you on as a client, I was advised by the Solicitor that I would be the companies client even with ARC paying for the opinion. The Professor then goes on to say that. the Solicitor talked to ARC, and that you had disagreed with an opinion offered by your previous Solicitor, you can see why he is a Professor. I had not got an opinion from a previous Solicitor, the opinion on my case was the opinion ARC got from an English Solicitor in my case, the opinion ARC refused to give me a copy of. I only managed to get it from the FOS, and that it was an opinion from an English Solicitor. As detailed in my previous comment, but here it is again.

It was from a Solicitor in England called Stones, I am in Scotland and a Legal Opinion from an English Solicitor is irrelevant as we have a different Legal System in Scotland. I contacted Stones Solicitors in Exeter, I asked them if they had a Scottish Solicitor in their Practice, did they have anyone with a Scottish Practicing Certificate, were they a member of the Scottish Law Society of Scotland. I got a letter back from Stones Solicitors in Devon which stated.
Insofar as the issue of whether or not this Firm is competent to advise on a matter subject to the Scottish Legal System, IT IS CLEARLY NOT. So why did their company do so, he also advised me that he had written to ARC and advised them to get an opinion in my case from a Scottish Solicitor, the FOS has also told ARC to get a Legal Opinion in my case from a Scottish Solicitor. But the Professor of SEWAGE states it was from my previous Solicitor, again you see why the Professor is a Professor of rubbish.

The Professor then goes on to say, that I was also in dispute with those Solicitors and indeed with the Legal Expenses Insurers. That is correct, as they got an opinion from an English Solicitor with no Scottish Legal System Experience, and that ARC had tried to hide this legal opinion from me. The Solicitor then spoke to the Solicitor in charge of the department who advised that he should not take on the case. this was almost a month after I contacted him and detailed everything to him. I was the whistleblower in this matter, how they had attempted to defeat the ends of justice in my case, pervert the course of justice in my case, by using a Solicitor in England with no Scottish Legal Experience to give an opinion in my case, and then hide that opinion from me. So ARC is stopping me getting a Legal Opinion like the FOS advised them to do, and the Solicitor in England advised them to get a Scottish Solicitor to do that opinion in my case. So ARC are still involved in my case, and you would not expect the solicitor and the Professor to take on someones case when they had exposed a bad Solicitor, and a bad Legal Expenses company, involved in defeating the ends of justice, and perverting the ends of justice, as the only difference between Solicitors and Criminals is, that criminals do not have a registered office and their name over the door, they are not that stupid.

ARC Legal Expenses are still defeating the ends of justice in my case, a ruling in the High Court of Justices on Legal Expenses states that the client can use their own nominated Solicitor, but ARC used its own Solicitor.

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Visataero's reply to Visataero's Comment

Written on: 15/10/2014

Another Legal Expenses company in ACROMAS, they have their registered office in Gibraltar, so I presume they do not pay any tax in the UK, probably no VAT either. They are the SAGA Legal Expenses SHAM. I contacted ACROMAS about a breach of contract case, they like all other Legal Expenses Companies keep telling they do not have that letter in their file, they have no record of that letter,. even with them all being sent by Email, and by Recorded Delivery Post, and the enclosures witnessed by an Independent person, and posted also witnessed by an independent person. ACROMAS stated that I did not have a 51% chance of success in my case, I asked them if the person that made this decision was a SOLICITOR OR A PARALEGAL, they advised me that nobody with qualifications in Law that had reviewed my case, I also asked if the person had experience in Scottish Law, again the answer was nobody had Scottish Legal Expertise, they then said they would send this to a Scottish Solicitor, a week later I got their reply, that the Scottish Solicitor had agreed with their opinion, and that I did not have a 51% chance of success, I asked the name of this Solicitor, and guess who it was, HARPER MACLEOD, as in the comments above, I asked for a copy of that opinion, they said they did not have one, it was all done by phone, I then asked for the name of the Solicitor that agreed with their decision, and they said they could not give me that information about him or her, but I already know the Solicitors name, he is the one that turns all claims from anyone that is making a claim under their Legal Expenses Policy with ACROMAS, Remember Harper MacLeod works for many large Insurance Companies and Legal Expenses companies. I have been pursuing this breach of contract myself, and I have been in negotiations myself with the company that breached its contract with me, and today I RECEIVED A CHEQUE FROM THEM. for their breach of contract with me, and what do you think this Company ACROMAS said, that they had given me that payment as a WAIT FOR IT, A GOOD WILL PAYMENT. RUBBISH, when a Legal Expenses company or its Solicitor gets a settlement or wins your case for you, They will class it as their Legal Expertise, but when a client wins his case himself when they stated it did not have a 51% success rate, they class this as a GOODWILL PAYMENT, I would put it the other way round.
It would be interesting to see if anyone ever got a Legal Expenses company and its SOLICITORS to ever take on a case, let alone win it. I am sure ARC and ACROMAS will get some TROLLS to praise their operation they are involved in with Solicitors.
I and others I know will not be renewing our Insurance with SAGA again, as they are using a Legal Expenses Company to do their Legal Expenses Claims, Legal Expenses payments as part of any Insurance Policy is just a big SHAM.
If anyone takes out Legal Expenses Cover, check if it is with ARC or ACROMAS, then it is just a waste of money, I it is not these companies, check with them which Solicitors these Legal Expenses Insurers use, if it is Harper Macleod of Lyons Davidson in Scotland run a mile from it, Lyons Davidson is on the Internet as the Solicitors FROM HELL, that is an understatement, using these Solicitors is like ARMAGEDDON. Do not waste you money.
Remember loosing letters, not having them on file, being unsure and unclear is the tricks they play on you to try and defeat you, make you give up your case, or you abandon it through sheer frustration, this is the game they play with Policyholders.

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Arclegalassistance's reply to Visataero's Comment

Written on: 11/05/2015

We are sorry to hear that you are still not happy with the service that you have received from us.

Please contact us so that we can discuss your case with you in full.

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Visataero's reply to Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 11/05/2015

Look at ARC again, They are refusing to deal with me, they advised me by Email weeks ago that they were dealing with the Financial Ombudsman about my case, and they are refusing to respond to them, now they are trying to make readers of these comments think they are interested in helping me, I have got a legal Opinion from a Scottish Solicitor that says I have over a 70% success rate in my case, I have sent this to the ARC LEGAL along with the expert Engineers Opinion highlights the incompetence and failure by the Citroen Dealer to diagnose the problems with my car, they charged me for a computer report on the problem with my car, they never gave me a copy of the Computer Print Out I paid for, on the bottom of my invoice it stated this was a visual report and they diagnoses they gave me for my car was wrong, all set out in the Engineer's Report, this caused me a lot of money to fix the problems Citroen said was the problem with my car, when these alleged problem parts were replaced the original problem still existed, and Citroen UK were not interested in a Citroen Dealer giving false and inaccurate computer diagnoses to a Citroen Owner, be very careful if you are using Fleming's Citroen in Dundee Scotland.
I told ARC, that the Solicitor has given me a figure for raising a Court Action Against Flemings Citroen in Dundee, I gave this figure to ARC Legal, they want to instruct the Solicitor to do the Case on my behalf, I refuse to give them the name of the Solicitor because the last Solicitor I used in Glasgow, when they contacted ARC for the confirmation that they would pay for the case, ARC Legal stated that I was in dispute with them, which I was, but that had nothing to do with my case, they also told them that I was in dispute with my previous Solicitor, I did not have a previous Solicitor, the Solicitor that I was in dispute with was the Exeter Solicitor in Devon, Stones, that gave an opinion in my case to ARC, they stated I did not have a 51% success rate in my case, this was the opinion given to ARC Legal about my case, they were not my Solicitor. ARC LEGAL refused to give me a copy of that opinion, In light of the story AEC LEGAL gave them about me, they then refused to act for me, I then Complained to the Senior Partner at Harper MacLeod.I eventually got a copy from the Opinion the Solicitor in Devon, Stones gave to ARC LEGAL from the Financial Ombudsman Service, and you will see above what that Solicitor stated when I contacted them. I have told ARC Legal to send me the money for raising my case, and I will pass it on the Solicitor, because if I give ARC my Solicitors name I think they will give them incorrect information about me and my case, like they did to my last Solicitor, who withdrew from helping me because of the story ARC LEGAL gave them about me. and they will be like the other Solicitors and withdraw from helping me, and they are all involved in defeating the ends of justice in my case. And look at the story ARC LEGAL HAS NOW EMBARKED ON. And you cannot get the proper details of my case posted here either facts and evidence ARC LEGAL ARE INVOLVED in, in my case. This has cost me over £2000.00 in costs so far, and they are has been trying to defeat my case for 16 months now. I will have to go back to the Financial Ombudsman Service again to day with a copy of these new lies and attempts by ARC LEGAL to stall and defeat my case, they have my email and phone numbers, I refuse to contact them b y phone as they have a 044 number that costs al lot of money to contact, and they keep you hanging on for a long time before they answer your call, and they continually refuse to call you back if you leave a message. ARC LEGAL are the CREAM OF LEGAL EXPENSES IN THE UK, KEEP WELL CLEAR OF THEM, Most likely this truth and evidence will be removed from my comment.

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Visataero's Response to Visataero's Review

Written on: 21/04/2015

FURTHER UPDATE TO MY COMPLAINT AGAINST ARC.

I have now got a Legal Opinion from a Scottish Solicitor, this opinion states that. "Mr ______ claim then has good prospects of success, I would certainly state these at over 51%, and possibly as high as 70%" I sent a complete copy of this to FOS, I also sent a copy to ARC, but a blanked out the Solicitors name, Company name, Phone Number etc, as ARC in September last told me to find a Solicitor to act for me, I was advised by ARC to get the Solicitor to contact them to arrange funding, when this Solicitor Contacted ARC, they advised them that I was in dispute with them that is ARC, and I had disagreed with an opinion offered by my previous Solicitors, This was not true, as I never had a previous Solicitor, the opinion I disagreed with was the opinion ARC got from an English Solicitor, which ARC refused to allow me to see, I eventually got a copy of this opinion from FOS. This showed that the Solicitors was in Exeter in Devon, I am in Scotland and Scottish Law is different from English Law. I then wrote to this Solicitor and asked them if they had Scottish Legal Expertise, a Scottish Practising Certificate, are members of the Scottish Law Society. They then replied that they had no Scottish Legal experience, no Scottish Practising Certificate and experience of Scottish Law. Now what a surprise this was, The English Law Society advised me that this opinion was Incompetent as the English Solicitor had no experience in Scottish Law, the Scottish Law Society also advised me that this opinion by an English Solicitors on a Scottish case where they had no Scottish Legal Expertise was also Incompetent. I record all my conversations with everyone, as I can prove everything. So ARC telling my Previous Solicitor that I was in dispute with my previous Solicitor's was not true and I was in dispute with ARC about this opinion, both of these matters were irrelevant to my claim against this garage, so ARC were again attempting to defeat the ends of justice in my case. This Solicitor then stated to me, that because I was in dispute with ARC and the story about my previous Solicitors I never had, they would not be taking on my case.
I got an Email from ARC which stated to me that I am unwilling to give the name of my New Solicitors that has advised me that I have an over 70% chance of winning my case, so that they can instruct them, If I give them the name of my new Solicitor they will attempt and may be able to force them to resign from my case like the last Solicitors, with the same story they told my previous Solicitors, which forced them to resign from my case, ARC has advised me to pay this Solicitors money to start the case, and send them a receipt, I have Legal Expenses cover, it does not say in that contract that I must pay for Legal Expenses Fees, and claim them back from ARC. This is them trying to get the name of my new Solicitors so that they can force them to withdraw from my case, and I have also a top Engineers report in my favour about the abortive repairs carried out on my car. I contacted ARC and asked them to send me the money to get my case into Court, ARC has managed to delay my case by almost 16 months because of their actions, reports by Solicitors on my case that had no Scottish Legal Expertise. ARC has failed to respond to me within its time scale that they advised me that I would receive a reply from them, which is 5 days, this is a common problem, and I have to go to FOS to force them to reply to my Emails. So FOS is now looking into my case again, ARC are going to delay paying me the money to start my case for years. ARC also told me that they had also got an opinion from a Scottish Solicitor that agreed with the English Solicitors Opinion that I did not have a 51% prospects of success in my claim, I have asked ARC for a copy of this opinion also, but they refuse to send me a copy or the name of the Company of Solicitors that gave this opinion. They send FOS all the papers in my case, but have withheld this alleged Scottish Solicitors alleged report, also name and address, I have now asked FOS to get a copy of this other alleged report. The FOS is now conducting a second investigation into my case, I have not received a copy of my first complaint lodged almost a year ago.

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Visataero's Response to Visataero's Review

Written on: 08/04/2015

UPDATE ON MY COMPLAINT

They told me I did not have a 51% chance of winning my case, they also stated that the Documents were not clear and they could not read some of them, this meant that the ARC sent them poor copies, so if they were unable to read them, then how could they make a Legal Opinion without contacting me to clarify anything, Then these ARC stated that they got a second opinion from a Scottish Solicitor as I am in Scotland, and the English Solicitor had no experience of Scottish Law, as they detailed to me once I have found out who they were, through FOS, as the ARC refused to show me the Opinion, or tell me the name of the Solicitor in England. they have refuse to tell me or the FOS the name of this Solicitor that agreed with the English Solicitor, I will just have to wait for the FOS to try and get this other OPINION. I have now got a Legal Opinion from a Scottish Solicitor and it states I have an over 70% chance of winning my case, I have also got an Expert Engineers report in my case, and it is also in my favour. Remember these ARC will tell you after you have submitted your claim that the costs that they pay out in the costs of your claim should be proportionate to your claim, in other words if your claim is for £200.00 and they get a Legal Opinion from one of its SOLICITORS that stated you have not got a 51% chance of winning your case, which happens in most of clients claims, then if you get your own opinion that you have an over 51% chance of winning your case, then they will state that they have paid out £200.00 on using their own Solicitors report to defeat your claim, so they are not going to pay any more money in your claim. Remember, Legal Expenses is one of the most popular add on in Insurance Policies, Well if your Insurers ask you if you would like to take out a Legal Expenses add on, then ask them who their Legal Expenses Company your Policy will be with, and if it Is with ARC, then do not bother taking out a Legal Expenses Policy, as this is basically just like throwing your money down a Well, rather use the money for part of a nice meal in some nice Restaurant. Keep well away from them, I think the Government should do an Investigation into Legal Expenses Cover. Now I am sure the ARC are going to comment on my updated comment on my case that they are so sorry that that I have had difficulties with my Legal Expenses Cover, and asking me to contact them about the crime they have perpetrated on me, that they already know everything about it, Remember when you make a Claim with ARC, they will constantly tell you that THEY ARE UNSURE AND UNCLEAR ABOUT YOUR CLAIM, BUT WILL NOT CONTACT YOU BY PHONE TO CLARIFY ANYTHING, As they are just following a script

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“Legal cover by Arc assistance is of no value”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Erboaby2014 on 09/04/2014

Took out arc legal cover with my insurance with Aviva - when I needed legal cover, arc assistance were called upon - they took all the details then promptly told me to make a claim through the small claims court because it wasn't in their interest to pursue my case. I have now taken my insurance business elsewhere, because of arc and aviva not listening to their cusomers. I'm being generous leaving a 1 star review - if the option of minus 5 was available then it wouldnt have been a 1 star!!

Arclegalassistance's Response to Erboaby2014's Review

Written on: 14/10/2014

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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Erboaby2014's reply to Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 14/10/2014

I wasn't anonymous when your company took money from me for legal assistance and when I needed legal cover, gave me no legal cover at all.

My salary insurance legal cover has now moved over to your company - I am in the process of finding a better company , as your company let me down, so badly - I have notified my provider of the situation and they are considering if they should tighten up their control on your company or move to another provider.

A very poor service from arc and I would recommend anyone with arc to find a better company to deal with the legal side.

I lost money due to arc because I hadn't got a 10k plus claim - I was just told by arc to use the small claim court and otherwise it was tough luck!!

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Ouuuch's Response to Erboaby2014's Review

Written on: 20/04/2016

Unfortunately, this review is spot on. Does Arc Legal ever spend any money on legal costs? Somehow, I doubt it.

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“ARC THE LEGAL EXPENSES COMPANY FROM HELL”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Hansensg439 on 06/03/2014

ARC have been dealing with my Claim for Legal Expenses since 15th January 2014, they are a total Nightmare, my Insurance Company is LV, and they have been of no help to me. I sent all the details of my claim to LV, they sent it all on the ARC, then they Email me and say they are UNCLEAR AND UNSURE, every time you Email them you get an Email saying you will get a reply in 5 days, then they say you have not sent all the information, and they ask you for Information you have already sent them, I asked LV if they sent all the Information I sent to them to ARC, and they advised me that they had, so I sent it to them and LV sent it to them, but they are still asking for the information I and LV have twice sent them, I activate the LV complaints system and the Arc Complaints system but nothing happens, I have now contacted the FSO for help, they also use Lyons Davidson Solicitors that are on the Internet a the Solicitors from hell. they took 5 days to contact me, then stated they would contact me in 7 days for more details of my complaint, they never contacted me, complained to LV about them. ARC will not give me the Name of the Solicitor that will give a Legal Opinion on my case, seven weeks after my claim was lodged with them I have not got a reply or any information on what they are going to do about my claim, again LV and Arc have refused to reply to my complaint against them. Beware of any Insurance Policy that you take out when you request that you would like Legal Expenses on it, if it is ARC run a mile, they are the Legal Expenses from HELL Insurance Company. Remember they are always UNSURE AND UNCLEAR ABOUT ANYTHING, no matter how detailed you are with the information, and documentation you send them. If you have ARC as your Legal Expenses cover, you effectively have no cover, and all you are doing is wasting your money, and they are always UNSURE AND UNCLEAR, apparently they are all brain dead.

Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 14/10/2014

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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“ In my experience, the legal expenses insurance...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 20/08/2013

In my experience, the legal expenses insurance provided by Arc Legal Assistance is little more than a damp squib. It provided me with no benefit when I needed legal help and I would not consider paying for it again - not under any circumstances. Peace of mind? I don’t think so. I found dealing with Arc Legal and its panel solicitors, Irwin Mitchell, more stressful and frustrating than coping with the legal dispute with which I applied for assistance in the first place!  It would appear to me from my very negative experience that the ubiqitous reasonable prospects of success test is capable of being manipulated to the nth degree. In my case, I was told that the merits of my case could not be assessed unless I first spent hundreds, if not thousands, on experts’ reports which might, or might not, at some point in the distant future, be required to support the case. Funnily enough, numerous non-panel solicitors, on the other hand, did not require me to fund experts’ reports before assessing the merits of my claim. However, Arc would only provide cover for Irwin Mitchell. I wonder if Irwin Mitchell pay Arc a referral fee? I was told to write letters myself, to ask a surveyor for legal advice as to whether or not the Party Wall Act applied and eventually informed, after jumping through hoops for weeks on end, that I wouldn’t be covered unless I could demonstrate that my claim was worth more than 10K, ie, the present small claims limit.  In my opinion, if it is Arc Legal’s intention not to fund cases potentially worth less than £10,000, this should be spelt out in its policies in BIG RED letters. Had I gone ahead and paid for experts’ reports in order to have my case assessed, as initially suggested by Irwin Mitchell, this would have been a complete waste of money, given that they would then have proceeded to write to Arc stating that in their opinion my case was potentially a small claim and should not be funded because they wouldn’t get the costs back, even if successful. It is clear to me that, despite having the supposed benefit of legal expenses insurance, I was treated by Irwin Mitchell no differently to a no win/no fee approach. In other words, my case would not be taken on unless Irwin Mitchell was almost certain of winning.  In the end, I acted in person and won my case, no thanks to Arc and no thanks to Irwin Mitchell. Incidentally, I paid a non-panel lawyer privately to confirm my opinion that the Party Wall Act did not apply. Irwin Mitchell were unable to provide this confirmation, due, presumably, to lack of expertise. Unfortunately, the powers that be, such as the Justice Secretary and the Law Society, seem not to be remotely interested in protecting the consumer, although, to be fair, Longmore LJ has stated that ‘legal expenses insurers exhibit an insouciance to their obligations under the Directive and the Regulations which leaves one quite breathless..’Had it been possible to leave no stars, I would have done so, as I have received zilch in return for my premium.

Arclegalassistance's Comment

Written on: 14/10/2014

We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service that you have received from us.

We welcome customer feedback but unfortunately cannot provide a response when this is provided anonymously.

Please contact us so we can investigate what has happened and provide you with a full response.

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Alanvee's Comment

Written on: 07/02/2017

I agree everything that you have said. Had you got expert testimony, as I did, Arc would have opined that it is of no value. A complete waste of time and money and a most stressful experience. Insurance is supposed to be there so that you don't spend a fortune (over£4000) in my case to get back to where you started. In addition you have months of frustration and stress to add to your woes. Arc operates on the well known method of many loss adjusters - deny all claims on any excuse as most decent people give up at some point out of pure frustration.

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Ouuuch's Comment

Written on: 07/02/2017

Thanks for reinforcing my opinion, although I'm sorry to hear that this nonsense is still going on. Did you have the misfortune to be required to deal with him, too? Unfortunately, I found the financial ombudsman to be no help at all. It's a great pity that the powers that be seem to have no appetite to investigate this. Fair play to the Reviewcentre, though, as Arc Legal tried to get my review taken down. My first review was slightly stronger, although, in retrospect, I probably should have left it as it was. If you ever need someone to corroborate your experience, do let me know, as I'll be delighted to help.

Suffice it to say, I've never bought legal expenses insurance since.

And, Arc Legal, if you're reading this, given that you're in a win-win situation in selling these policies, the least you can do is to allow your former policyholders to have their say.

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Asked by Stech_std on 3rd March 2017 Report this content
Hi, Can someone please explain to me why Arc have 9 out of ten reviews criticising the company, their practises and total lack of customer liaison/relations. This is a serious question as I am having second thoughts about using them. Thanks Steve

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Answers (1)
Report this content Gd123 Written on: 03/03/2017
It's because they have a lot of gloss about what they cover but when you claim they use loopholes to get out of paying
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