I bought a fridge freezer from Currys in Guildford in December 2007 for £599 and at the same time took out a warranty with the retailer that, among other things, promised to fix or replace a covered item at no cost.
Earlier this year, I reported a fault to Currys and, after inspection of the appliance by one of its engineers, was told that the spare parts were probably not available because of its age.
Having researched a replacement unit of an equivalent specification, I found it would cost in the region of £1,500. But Currys sent me an eVoucher for just £599.
I’ve rejected this offer and complained to the company several times by phone and by email and sent letters, including to its chief executive, but to no avail. Please help.
D. R., Woking, Surrey.
Frozen out: Currys is refusing to replace a customers broken fridge freezer despite the fact they have been paying to have it insured
Sally Hamilton replies: Higher shipping costs and the ongoing worldwide shortage of materials means the price of all kinds of household appliances has rocketed over the past couple of years.
So it’s no wonder you struggled to find a fridge freezer to replace your broken one for the same price you paid back in 2007. And that doesn’t take into account the impact of inflation on prices generally.
I thought you had been fobbed off by Currys — and I didn’t like the way you had been frozen out when you tried to get your complaint heard right at the very top.
You had paid for a protection policy year in and year out so you would get a repair or a replacement for free if something went wrong with your appliance.
Your trusty fridge freezer did well to give you 16 years of service so I feel it didn’t owe you anything.
However, Currys had accepted your annual premiums over almost 16 years in return for promising to cover any eventuality, no matter how aged the unit.
You told me the premium for the Currys warranty — a type of insurance policy — started at £39 a year and by the time you made your claim in September 2023, it had risen to £72.
Your guesstimate is that you’d paid about £800 in premiums over 16 years — more than you’d paid for the original fridge.
I contacted Currys and requested it re-examine your claim. Since it had ignored your pleas to date, I was expecting a frosty response.
But I am pleased to report that within a day, Currys held up its hands and said a mistake had been made from its end and that you had a case.
It turns out the type of cover you purchased with your fridge was a ‘legacy’ policy, a spokesman told me. This means it is not available to new customers, which had caused some confusion when you claimed.
It was withdrawn after a re-branding of the retailer in 2021.
The old style cover you had purchased was a ‘whatever happens’ guarantee, protecting customers’ products against faults as well as accidental damage.
This meant they would be offered a new ‘like for like’ replacement when an appliance could not be repaired.
On investigation, Currys says the team handling your complaint mistakenly processed your claim as a reimbursement of the original price paid, rather than the cost of purchasing a like-for-like replacement
After my intervention, Currys finally corrected its mistake and arranged to send you a payment of £1,399 — the cost of the new fridge freezer you have bought to replace the defunct one.
It is a conundrum for anyone buying a new appliance about whether or not to pay for an extended warranty. It is important to remember they are not compulsory, though retailers sell them because they are a great revenue generator.
Buying an extended warranty like yours isn’t always worth the expense, however, especially for lower-priced items.
I tend to steer clear of them and prefer to ‘self-insure’ — that is, take the financial hit myself by dipping into savings if something goes wrong.
I will sign up to free guarantees, though, which are offered by many retailers and manufacturers. To qualify, customers need to complete paperwork and send it back to the manufacturer or retailer.
Three won’t terminate wife’s contract after she developed dementia
I have a mobile phone contract with Three due to end in November 2024. It was taken out for my wife, but she has developed dementia and no longer uses or understands a phone.
I rang and asked to terminate the contract, citing extenuating circumstances. I was told I had to continue to pay £22.87 a month till the contract expired or pay £276 now to end the contract.
The reason given is that the phone is in my name. Please can you help.
L. W., North Lincolnshire.
Sally Hamilton replies: I’m sorry that you and your wife are facing the daunting challenge of dementia. You could do without the extra struggle of dealing with indifferent treatment by a mobile company.
The early termination of phone contracts is a thorny topic for anyone but when a dementia diagnosis is involved it can throw up extra difficulties.
If the phone is held in the sufferer’s name it is tricky enough, as they often do not have the capacity to cancel themselves.
A family member may need to jump through hoops to prove to a provider that they have Power of Attorney over their financial affairs to deal with the cancellation on their behalf. Regulator Ofcom expects companies to show empathy and flexibility in such situations and ensure staff are trained to deal with vulnerable customers and their families.
Your predicament was slightly different as the contract for your wife’s phone is in your name. This is not an unusual arrangement for many couples.
When you explained the situation to Three, its automatic response was to say it would apply the charges as if it was any early termination of any old contract.
Like many mobile providers, Three promises to offer support for the vulnerable. It says it understands that ‘everyone’s situation is unique — one size doesn’t fit all’. I felt the call handler had not lived up to this promise or shown the flexibility and understanding that Ofcom’s guidelines recommend.
I contacted Three to see what had gone wrong. I am pleased to say that in response, Three contacted you immediately, cancelled the contract, cleared the final balance and wiped the £276 cancellation fee.
- Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email [email protected] — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.
