About 10% of complaints to the insurance ombudsman concern extended warranties on appliances.

At first sight this may seem surprising, but these are insurance policies.

Many warranties have quite limited cover, and the terms should be explained when the warranties are sold.

Some also offer cashback, a refund of the premium at the end of the period ocvered if no claim has been made. The timescales for claiming these refunds are often so strict that they may be unfair, and therefore unenforceable - especially where little or no effort has been made to draw the customer's attention to them.

• In one case the policyholder had to register the warranty within 21 days of buying it, in order to claim the cashback. She waited over a year before registering. The ombudsman required the company to accept her registration, and pay her £25 to compensate her for her costs in pursuing her complaint.