Good to know: You do not need to use a claims management company to make your complaint to your pension provider or intermediary. If your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Pension Ombudsman yourself for free if the firm is still trading. For eligible failed firms, you can refer a claim to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for free.

0345 544 1563

Dominio Los Pandos was a vineyard located in Spain which was registered in the UK. Los Pandos was promoted heavily by financial advisors and investment firms, promising hefty returns. However, many investors mis-sold SIPP products to their clients without informing them of the risks. As a result, when the winery failed, many people lost significant money from their pensions. Did this happen to you?

What happened with Los Pandos?

Martin & Clews’ Los Pandos vineyard project was advertised as “an ambitious 10-12 year project and a blueprint for sustainable, responsible development in the future.” This excited many investors, making them proud and excited to own a piece of this exciting project.

Los Pandos was located on 80 hectares of land in Almansa, between Alicante and Valencia. The vineyard, home to 180,000 vines, was situated on an 830-hectare estate, which was earmarked for further development. Some of the ideas floated included a technology park, cultural hub, sporting facilities, and ecovillages. Clients were assured that Eduardo Martin and Mike Clews were very experienced and that they were ‘guaranteed’ 12.5% returns.

The more clients invested in this mis-sold Sipp, the more they were promised they would gain over three years. A minimum of €5,000 would return 30%, and an investment of €100,000 would return 39% returns over three years. The entire project seemed like the perfect addition to any pension portfolio and was aggressively sold as such.

However, unscrupulous advisors often neglected to tell their clients that Los Pandos was a high-risk overseas Unregulated Collective Investment Scheme (UCIS) outside of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) jurisdiction.

Are you entitled to mis-sold Sipp compensation from Los Pandos?

If your financial advisor suggested that you invest in this bogus fund, you might be entitled to mis-sold SIPP compensation.

Our claims experts are on hand to look over your investment history. They can help determine if you were mis-sold SIPP pension products. Apply online today for an information pack to learn more.

Obtaining compensation from Los Pandos

If a financial advisor advised you to invest in an unregulated investment such as Los Pandos, it is still possible to claim compensation. Where the advisor is still operating, a claim can be pursued against the financial advisor via the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

If an advisor is no longer operating, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) pays compensation for valid mis-selling claims against any financial advisor who has been declared in default by them.

If your pension included investment in Los Pandos, you could be entitled to compensation.

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Andy Ramsay

Pensions & Investments Claim Manager

Andy understands financial services regulations and the technical arguments required to make a successful claim.

In his career he has successfully dealt with an array of claims such as pension transfers and switches, SIPP and endowment claims.

Andy was part of the “Pension Review” and Customer Liaison Departments for Royal Sun Alliance. Unhappy with how consumers were being treated, he realigned himself and has been representing consumers since 2004, ensuring fair and equitable treatment for consumers.

Pension Query? Contact Andy

Insights from Our Pensions Team

Expert Insight: The Importance of Choosing the Right Pathway for Your Claim: CMCs and Law Firms Compared.

In this article, Allegiant’s Pensions & Investments Manager, Andy Ramsay, explores the fundamental differences between the Court and Ombudsman routes for resolving pension & investment claims. The article highlights key differences in:-

  • costs consequences and funding arrangements
  •  the differing basis of an assessment that a Court will deploy when compared to an Ombudsman
  •  the potential need for claimants to attend a hearing in Court

Andy further explores outdated preconceptions about Claims Management Companies. This short summary is essential reading for anyone planning on making a pension or investment claim with the assistance of a CMC or law firm.

Click to Read

Learn With Allegiant: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) In A Nutshell

You may have heard of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), but do you fully understand its vital role within the UK’s financial services sector? In this short piece, we look at:-

  • The type of claims FSCS covers (and those it doesn’t).
  • How and when it can help
  • The FSCS claims process

This article will be of particular interest to anyone with a potential compensation claim against a financial service provider that has collapsed.

Click to Read

Learn With Allegiant: What is a SIPP?

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has identified ‘serious and ongoing failings’ by both Individual Financial Advisers (IFAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pension Providers. Typically, mis-selling is related to the “wrong” type of investor being given poor or misleading advice as to what investments were relatively safe and right for them. In this summary, we look at What a SIPP is, and how they have been mis-sold, together with the FCA’s review into sector malpractice.

Click to Read

Our Mis-sold Pensions Claim Procedure

  • Step 1

    Pre complaint investigation and analysis. No paperwork? Don't Worry! We could still help.

  • Step 2

    Once we've assessed claim prospects, we make a pension complaint to the Ombudsman or FSCS, where appropriate

  • Step 3

    Pension complaint response received. We'll carefully analyse the response and advise you on how to proceed.

  • Step 4

    If appropriate resolution cannot be reached with a live firm, and we disagree with their stance, we will refer the claim to Ombudsman on your instruction.

Our Fees - What You Need To Know

Worked Fee Example

As of the 1st March 2022 we have implemented a new fee structure which we have explained below. If you signed your contract with us prior to the 1st March 2022, please refer to your signed claims pack for our previous fee terms.

Our fees are owed upon a successful claim and will depend on the Gross Compensation you receive. “Gross Compensation” means the amount awarded to you whether this is paid directly to you or paid into an investment or pension, and prior to any deduction of any income tax due to HMRC on your award. Please refer to the definition of “Gross Compensation” and Section 5 of our Terms of Engagement for further information including a table showing how our fees work in different scenarios.

If successful, your fee will be calculated based on which band your redress falls into and will be charged by whichever is the lowest of:

  1. the maximum percentage rate of charge for that band, or
  2. the maximum total charge for that band.

The below table outlines the redress bands, the maximum percentage rate of charge and the maximum total charge is for each band.

Band Redress % Charge (with VAT) Maximum charge (with VAT) (£) Maximum charge (without VAT) |(£)
1 1 – 1499 36% 504 420
2 1,500 – 9,999 33.6% 3000 2500
3 10,000 – 24,999 30% 6000 5000
4 25,000 – 49,999 24% 9000 7500
5 50,000+ 18% 12,000 10,000

Examples of how this would work in practice:

Band Lower example Higher example
1 You receive £100 in redress; our fee would be £36. You receive £1499 in redress; our fee would be £504.
2 You receive £1,600 in redress; our fee would be £537.60. You receive £9,999 in redress; our fee would be £3,000.
3 You receive £12,000 in redress; our fee would be £3,600. You receive £24,999 in redress; our fee would be £6,000.
4 You receive £30,350 in redress; our fee would be £7,284. You receive £49,999 in redress; our fee would be £9,000.
5 You receive £55,000 in redress; our fee would be £9,900. You receive £100,000 in redress; our fee would be £12,000.

Please note, the above fee examples are for illustration purposes only. They are not an estimate of the likely outcome or fee you will need to pay. Each claim depends on its own merits.

It is possible that our fee may become payable before you have access to your pension or investment which may result in you having to pay our fee from your own funds

Cancellation Rights (Pension Claims)

You can cancel for free at any time within 14-days without giving any reason and without incurring any liability. You can communicate your cancellation by telephone, post, email or online.

You can cancel this agreement at any time after the 14-day cancellation period. However, if a complaint submitted by us is successful, the Success Fee will apply in the usual way.

You can cancel by post: Allegiant Finance Services Limited, Freepost RTYU–XUTZ–YKJC, 400 Chadwick House, Warrington Road, Birchwood Park, Warrington, WA3 6AE; (b) by email: ; (c) by telephone: 0345 544 1563; or (d) online at https://allegiant.co.uk/compliance/cancellation.

Looking for Claim Representation? Why Allegiant is a Great Choice for Pension Claims Assistance

Human

Our small, dedicated pensions team provide a personal touch

Trustworthy

We’ll treat your claim as strictly confidential. Your personal information is safe with us.

Longstanding

We’ve serviced over 100,000 clients across all service lines since our inception in 2010.

No Paperwork? Don't Worry!

We could still help if you don’t have all your paperwork or details. Our team are experienced in helping locate paperwork where possible.

Technologically Driven

Our online application system and claim audit surveys enable us to offer an efficient and convenient claims journey.

Claiming for Free Yourself

Good to know: You do not need to use a claims management company to make your complaint to your pension provider or intermediary. If your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Pension Ombudsman yourself for free if the firm is still trading. For eligible failed firms, you can refer a claim to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for free.