My husband took out Currys Anything Happens policy when he bought his TV in 2011 and has been paying £5.99 a month ever since. When we moved house in October he asked me to help carry the TV downstairs. I managed to drop my end so that it tumbled downstairs. We took it to Currys and claimed under the policy but were told the damage was “inconsistent” with the event. CT-W, Stowmarket, Suffolk
Anything Happens, now known as Care Plan, purports to repair or replace any item worth over £150 if it’s damaged by anything from a “minor hiccup to a major hiccup”. It looks and acts like an insurance policy, but isn’t. It’s a service plan backed by a trust fund, not an insurance provider and, as such, is not regulated by the Financial Services Authority or protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Ombudsman.
If you want to take your complaint further your options are very limited. And complaints on the internet are legion from customers who, like you, are told the damage is “inconsistent”.
The same day I contact Currys press office, you are told that your appeal has been rejected as there is “no reason to overturn the decision”. Yet, miraculously, that same week, a spokesman tells me it will pay for a replacement.
You have essentially paid more than £200 to cover a £500 TV and you might, in future, instead want to add accidental damage to your household insurance to cover such mishaps.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
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