Consumer Rights This Week: Motor Finance Redress Faces Tribunal Challenge, Sapia £19.6m WealthTek Payout, and a Children's Toy Asbestos Recall
27th April 2026 | Industry Watch
This week's headline: the FCA's £9.1bn motor finance redress scheme is heading to the Upper Tribunal, but you should still complain now. Plus a £19.6m client-money settlement, the FCA's first crypto enforcement, and an asbestos recall affecting a popular children's craft kit sold by John Lewis, Hobbycraft and Toy Master.
Motor Finance Redress: Tribunal Challenge Filed, but Don't Wait to Complain
Consumer Voice (represented by claims law firm Courmacs Legal) has applied to the Upper Tribunal to review the FCA's motor finance redress scheme (PS26/3). Their argument: the FCA's calculation methodology, which estimates an average £830 per unfair agreement, around two-thirds of commission paid, significantly underestimates the true harm caused by the scandal.
The crucial point Martin Lewis is hammering home: the challenge does not seek to delay the scheme. Consumer Voice's own position is that the scheme should proceed while the Tribunal examines whether the redress rules need adjusting.
In other words: complain now. If the methodology is later improved by the Tribunal, your existing complaint is still valid. If you wait, you may miss deadlines or face evidence-gathering challenges.
If you had a PCP, HP or conditional sale agreement between 2007 and 2024 and weren't clearly told about commission arrangements between your lender and dealer, you may be owed compensation. EvenStance helps you build the complaint yourself for the cost of a single subscription, no percentage of your payout, ever.
Sapia Pays £19.6m After WealthTek Client-Money Failure
The FCA censured Sapia Partners on 23rd April after the firm admitted that it failed to properly separate key client-money roles, the same people who could move money out of WealthTek client accounts were also doing the FCA-required checks of those accounts.
Sapia is paying £19,637,950 in voluntary redress, parent-company funded. £19.1m goes to the WealthTek administrators (so it can flow back to clients with shortfalls), and £500,000 to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Were it not for the voluntary payment and full cooperation, the FCA would have imposed a £7.412m fine.
Behind it all is John Dance, WealthTek's former principal partner, who faces criminal trial at Southwark Crown Court in September 2027 for fraud and money laundering, including alleged transfers of $80m of client funds to fund a lavish lifestyle, horseracing interests and nightclubs.
If you were a WealthTek client: you don't need a CMC for this. Your route is via the administrators, FSCS where applicable, and EvenStance can help you track the claim, communications and deadlines.
FCA Statement to CMCs: "Consider Your Clients' Interests"
On the same day the Sapia / WealthTek news landed, the FCA also published a pointed statement reminding Claims Management Companies and law firms of their obligations to act in their clients' best interests, particularly around the motor finance redress scheme.
This is the regulator's clearest signal yet that it is watching the CMC ecosystem closely. EvenStance is not a CMC. We don't take a percentage of your redress. We charge a flat subscription, and your compensation is yours to keep.
FCA's First Crypto Crackdown, and a Global Action on Finfluencers
Two firsts from the FCA this week:
- First UK crackdown on illegal crypto trading operations (22nd April), the FCA's first regulatory action targeting unauthorised crypto trading firms.
- Global action against illegal finfluencers (24th April), an FCA-led international Week of Action against unauthorised social-media financial promotions.
If you've been mis-sold a crypto investment, lost money to a "finfluencer" promotion, or paid for a service that was never authorised, these enforcement actions strengthen your position. You can lodge a complaint, and EvenStance now has the tooling to help.
Product Recall: Galt Nature Craft Kit (Asbestos)
A serious recall: the Galt Nature Craft Kit (barcode 5011979623997, item number 1005476) sold by John Lewis, Hobbycraft, Toy Master and garden centres between 2024 and April 2026 contains 25g of yellow sand, and that sand has been found to be contaminated with asbestos.
Asbestos is a banned substance because it poses a health risk at any level of exposure.
What to do:
- Stop using the kit immediately.
- If the sand is still in its packaging, place the kit in a heavy-duty plastic bag, double-tape it securely, label it clearly and store out of the reach of children pending disposal advice.
- If the sand has been used, clean any affected surfaces with wet cloths to avoid generating dust.
- Contact the retailer for a refund under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (your right is against the retailer, not the manufacturer).
CMA Direct Enforcement Hits One-Year Anniversary
It's been a year since the Competition and Markets Authority gained direct consumer enforcement powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Year-one totals:
- £4.7m in fines imposed
- £760,000 refunded to consumers
- Three priority areas: drip pricing, fake reviews, and online choice architecture
The biggest single hit so far: AA fined £4.2m for misleading pricing, the first formal infringement decision under the new regime. Adobe is also under investigation over allegedly unfair early-cancellation fees.
The new subscription contract regime is due to come into force in Spring 2026, a major win for consumers tired of dark-pattern subscription traps. EvenStance's subscription audit feature already helps you spot these.
Quick Hits
- Child Trust Fund scam: fake letters claiming £2,200 of "missing" CTF savings are circulating. Verify any letter via MyLostAccount.org.uk or HMRC's CTF tracing service before responding.
- Council Tax debt collection: Martin Lewis reports progress on harsher debt-collection practices and improved access to discounts (single person, severe mental impairment).
- FCA warning: new unauthorised-firm warning issued against StakeTradeWay.
What to do this week
- Got a car finance agreement from 2007–2024? Check it. Complain now. Don't pay a CMC.
- Got a Galt Nature Craft Kit? Stop using it, bag it, return it.
- Got a subscription you can't escape? The new Spring 2026 regime is coming, and EvenStance's subscription audit can already build your cancellation case.
EvenStance helps you stand stronger without giving away a percentage of what you win. Start your case →
Sources: FCA, MoneySavingExpert, Which?, Law Gazette, MLex, CMA blog, OPSS. Full intelligence digest entries are tracked in our internal admin database.
