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In October, I signed a new Tesco Mobile contract that came with an iPhone 14 in black.
The phone was scheduled to be delivered by DPD, but on the scheduled day he tried to deliver it and said no one was home. This was not the case. I live on a farm and six people, including me, were working there that day.
The next day, a DPD driver arrived and delivered the package, but when I opened it, it was an iPhone 15 in green.
I called Tesco Mobile and they said I could keep the newer phone if I was happy with it.
But when I took it out of the box I realized that it was not a real phone, but a model with a screen. All ports are molded and there is no charger or SIM card slot.
I contacted Tesco Mobile customer service but they insist the correct phone was delivered. Now he has sent me a deadlock letter.
I am locked into a two year contract for the fake phone which costs £24.74 per month for the phone and £18.50 per month for the airtime. PW, North Yorkshire
A hoax was delivered: PW ordered an iPhone, but received a fake one in the mail
Helen Crane, This is Money’s consumer advocate, responds: What a strange experience. You were expecting a new iPhone 14, worth £599, but instead received a useless block of plastic.
With a sticker instead of a screen and no working parts inside, it takes the “dumb phone” concept to the next level.
Baffled, you even took it to your local Tesco and the assistant told you that this was the type of phone they had been sent to display in the store.
I found these fake iPhones for sale online, for around £10. They are advertised as children’s toys, photography props or for “pranks”, but in my opinion they are obviously a gift for scammers.
Neither Tesco nor DPD could tell me how this fake phone arrived in your parcel.
Tesco could have packaged it by mistake, but they could also have changed it during the delivery process.
Unfortunately, it is increasingly common to hear about delivery drivers or warehouse workers stealing the contents of packages.
Then they shove any old items weighing about the same in there, convincing the unsuspecting recipient to accept it at the door.
When you order something from an online retailer and it doesn’t arrive or is damaged (or, in your case, completely replaced), then it’s the store’s responsibility to fix it, not the package delivery company.
Contacted Tesco Mobile but they insisted the actual phone was packed and delivered on the first scheduled day.
But if that were the case, why would DPD make another delivery there the next day, when they delivered the fake device?
DPD tracking records show a missed delivery on the first day and a successful delivery the next day.
If you refused to pay the monthly bill, Tesco said you would be in breach of contract, so you felt obligated to keep paying for the useless brick.
After a couple of months of not being able to convince Tesco, you contacted me.
Within two days of speaking to Tesco Mobile, you received another phone shipment, this time a real one.
He was also refunded the two months’ airtime and device payments he had made, totaling £86.48, and given a £50 goodwill gesture.
A Tesco Mobile spokesperson said: “We are very sorry this has happened and we have spoken to (the customer) directly to resolve their issue.”
“We are also completing an internal investigation to ensure this does not happen again.”
DPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Royal Mail left a gadget under a van and it was stolen
In August I bought a Nintendo Switch games console on Ebay for £65.
It was delivered to my house by Royal Mail. As I was away, the driver left it under a van (not mine) outside my house. Then the package was stolen.
The Ebay seller does not want to refund me. He says he sent the item as agreed and it wasn’t his fault it was stolen.

Mail failure: Royal Mail left SK console under a van, where it was stolen
I tried to get my money back from Ebay under their money back guarantee, but they say that since the tracking information showed the package was delivered, they are not responsible.
Royal Mail says it cannot consider the claim unless it has a receipt for the delivery, which I don’t have because I am the recipient, not the sender. I asked the Ebay seller but he no longer responds to my messages.
I’m at a dead end. What do I have to do? SK
Helen Crane responds: I’m sorry to hear that your Switch was stolen.
Resale sites like Ebay, Vinted and Depop are great for grabbing bargains and reducing waste. But if you buy something from an individual rather than a company and something goes wrong, it can be much harder to get your money back.
On the one hand, I understand the Ebay seller’s lack of action, since none of this was his fault, but responding to him about proof of shipping would be the decent thing to do.
I contacted Ebay and Royal Mail to see if there was any way to claim a refund for the console.
An Ebay spokesperson said: ‘We understand (the customer’s) frustration, however incidents where items are stolen after delivery are not covered by our UK policy. We recommend buyers contact the delivery company to resolve these issues.
Ebay also said its money-back guarantee offers protection to buyers for 30 days from the estimated delivery date. You made your claim outside of that time, so it would not be accepted.
I then contacted Royal Mail. They confirmed that I would need a certificate of posting (in this case the sender’s receipt) to consider a claim.
‘Usually the process involves the customer sending a claim to the sender, who will then send it to us. However, we will deal with the recipient if they can provide us with what we need,” a spokesperson said.
“Alternatively, if the customer can provide us with something from the seller that says they are not willing to make a claim to us, then we can investigate it.”
In cases where packages are not stolen or lost, but damaged, recipients can use the postmarked package, according to Citizens Advice.
Royal Mail added that there are limits to compensation depending on the level of service used. In your case, the package was sent via standard first class post, so the maximum is £20, much less than the £65 cost of the console.
Unfortunately it seems your only option is to keep badgering the Ebay seller to give you proof of postage or a note saying you won’t make a claim, for Royal Mail to consider.
Those buying and selling online may also wish to note that using Royal Mail’s Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service, although more expensive, offers compensation of up to £150 if the item is lost.
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