Vulnerable Customer Policy
Two things are both true at once, and we hold them together deliberately.
We do not believe that reaching a certain age makes someone vulnerable or incapable of making their own informed decisions. Most of the people who choose to use Silverwings Benefits are perfectly capable of weighing up a paid, no-win-no-fee service against applying for free themselves — and they choose us deliberately, in the same way people choose a solicitor or an accountant for other important things in life. You can read our founder’s full position on this on our Press page.
At the same time, we recognise that some of our customers — of any age — may, at a given moment, be more vulnerable than others: because of a health condition, a cognitive impairment, a recent bereavement, financial hardship, or simply because they’re dealing with several difficult things at once. This policy explains what we do about that.
How We Identify Possible Vulnerability
- All of our staff are DBS-checked. We handle sensitive health and financial information, and we take that responsibility seriously.
- Our staff receive training to recognise signs that a customer may need extra time, extra support, or a different approach — this is not based on age alone.
- Every advice call is recorded with consent, which lets us and, if needed, an independent reviewer check how a conversation was actually conducted.
- We actively ask whether a family member, friend, or Power of Attorney should be involved, and we welcome that involvement rather than treating it as a barrier.
How We Make Contact
We never cold-call. We advertise across a variety of media, and we only ever call someone who has actively requested a callback and given consent for us to contact them. If you haven’t asked us to call you, we won’t.
What We Do When We Identify It
- We slow down. We never rush a decision, and we’re always willing to pause a conversation and continue another day.
- We encourage a family member or representative to be present or to review the paperwork before anything is signed.
- We remind customers, clearly, of the 14-day cooling-off period during which any agreement can be cancelled at no cost.
- Where appropriate, we’ll suggest a customer speak to Citizens Advice, Age UK, or a family member first, and we’re comfortable if that means they decide not to use us.
- Every application is quality-checked before submission, and the customer is always given a copy to review and can request changes.
Our Safeguarding Policy
Alongside this policy, we maintain a dedicated Safeguarding Policy covering how we identify, escalate and respond to safeguarding concerns for any customer. We’re in the process of publishing the full document on this page — check back shortly, or contact us below and we’ll send you a copy directly.
If You’re Concerned About a Customer or Family Member
If you believe someone we’ve worked with, or a family member of theirs, needed more support than they received, please tell us. Contact complaints@silverwingsbenefits.com or call 0808 531 0298. We take this seriously, and full details of our complaints process — including our move towards an independent ADR scheme — are on our Complaints page.