Has anyone joined a group legal claim and was it worth it

[sourdoghmommy]

Has anyone here ever joined a class action or group legal claim?
I seem to be seeing more of them advertised these days, and I'm curious whether people have actually had good experiences with them.
I've also heard people say they've received emails inviting them to join claims that looked a bit scammy or too good to be true, and there always seem to be stories about law firms making big promises in their marketing. It made me wonder how easy it is to tell the genuine opportunities from the ones that are just trying to sign people up.
If you've been involved in one, was it worth it? Did you actually end up getting a payout, or did it take years and come to nothing? Were the solicitors easy to deal with, or was it more hassle than it was worth?
I'm interested in hearing both positive and negative experiences. Not looking for legal advice or debating any particular case—just wondering what it's really like from people who've actually been through the process.
Would you join another one if the opportunity came up?

I’ve also wondered about this. The small print says you may be liable for some sort of legal fees though which has put me off in the past. Plus I have found the pushy calls a bit off putting too.

exactly. I actually thought that I just can join without any potential risk. Because that is what the ads sound like. But in one case the fine print said "may be liable for legal fees... etc" and then I did not join. But as said, the ads keep popping up so of course I am curious if this could be a nice way for some extra pounds 😝

I joined one for the claim against VW where they faked some emissions test results. It was with a large, well known law firm and I can't remember how I got on their list but it wasn't at all pushy and I don't remember anything about being liable for fees if they lost. I think it had already been proved that VW had faked and the claim I joined was just to get compensation so I don't think there was much danger of a loss. I eventually got a couple of thousand pounds out of it.

I would be very wary of joining something that was through an ad on social media. What kind of things do they say you can claim for?

I got a couple of thousand through the VW emissions claim too-but did do research before joining as to risks

I remember seeing the Volkswagen claims in the media, but I didn't participate because I don't drive a VW. Recently, a data breach ad popped up for me, and before that, a Meta class action. I didn't join either, but I still noticed them 😏. Just a couple of days ago, another ad popped up regarding the talc claim.To me, it sounds like: 'Just join and register, and we will get back to you to see if you qualify.' However, I did some research on Reddit, where you can literally find thousands of pictures aiming to prove that people are getting payouts on a weekly basis - sometimes £100, sometimes just £30. So tbh I am still thinking about it. But I am also very cautious 😆

FIL joined the recent car lease one. He got a couple of hundred pounds.

I just checked on status of a Nissan diesel emissions claim that I had considered joining and it looks like it has been rejected. Not sure what that means for those who have signed up eg if they will be liable for any fees as costs would not be covered by winning claim.

Same

Yes, DP got a couple of grand out of this one too.

I've seen some recent ones online asking people to be part of group claims against social media organisations. If they were a child or had a child that felt they were 'addicted'.

That's what I'd like to know too. These class actions are always sold as a great outcome for consumers, but when one gets rejected, who pays the legal costs? I doubt lawyers take on these cases without knowing how they'll be funded. Hopefully group members aren't liable, but it's a reminder to read the fine print rather than assume there's no downside.