In October, I signed up to a new Tesco Mobile contract which came with an iPhone 14 in black. 

The phone was set to be delivered by DPD, but on the scheduled day it attempted delivery and said no one was home. This wasn’t the case. I live on a farm and six people including myself were working there that day.

The next day, a DPD driver arrived and delivered the parcel – but when I opened it, it was an iPhone 15 in green.

I called Tesco Mobile and it said I could keep the newer phone if I was happy with it. 

But when I removed it from the box I realised it was not a real phone, but a display model. All of the ports are moulded shut and it has no slot for a charger or sim card. 

I contacted Tesco Mobile customer service, but it insists the correct phone was delivered. It has now issued me with a deadlock letter.

I’m tied into a two-year contract for the fake phone which costs £24.74 per month for the handset and £18.50 per month for the airtime. P.W, North Yorkshire

Helen Crane, This is Money’s consumer champion replies: What a bizarre experience. You were expecting a brand-new iPhone 14 – worth £599 – but received a useless plastic brick. 

With a sticker for a screen and no working parts inside, it takes the concept of a ‘dumb phone’ to the next level.  

Bemused, you even took it into your local Tesco, and the assistant said that was the type of phone they were sent to put on display in store. 

I found these pretend iPhones for sale online, for about £10. They’re advertised as being a childrens’ toy, photography prop or for ‘pranks’ – but in my mind are obviously a gift to scammers. 

Neither Tesco nor DPD was able to tell me how this fake phone got into your package.

It could have been mistakenly packed by Tesco, but equally it could have been swapped during the delivery process. 

It’s sadly becoming more common to hear of delivery drivers or warehouse workers nicking the contents of parcels. 

They then stick any old item in there that weighs about the same, in order to convince the unsuspecting recipient to accept it on the doorstep. 

When you order something from a retailer online and it doesn’t arrive or is damaged (or in your case replaced altogether) then it is the shop’s responsibility to sort it out, not the parcel delivery company. 

You contacted Tesco Mobile, but it insisted the real handset was packed and delivered on the first scheduled day. 

But if that was the case, why would DPD make another delivery there on the next day, when you were handed the dummy device? 

The DPD tracking records show a missed delivery on the first day, and then a successful one the day after. 

If you refused to pay the monthly bill, Tesco said you would be in breach of contract, so you felt forced to keep stumping up for the useless brick. 

After a couple of months with no luck persuading Tesco, you contacted me.  

Within two days of me speaking to Tesco Mobile and, you had received another phone delivery – a real one this time. 

You were also refunded for the two months of airtime and device payments you had made, totalling £86.48, and given a £50 gesture of goodwill. 

A Tesco Mobile spokesman said: ‘We’re really sorry this has happened, and we’ve spoken with [the customer] directly to resolve his issue. 

‘We’re also completing an internal investigation to make sure this doesn’t happen again.’

DPD did not respond to a request for comment. 

Royal Mail left 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. Because I was out, the driver left it underneath a van (not mine) outside my house. The parcel was then stolen.

The Ebay seller doesn’t want to refund me. He says he sent the item as agreed and it wasn’t his fault it was stolen. 

I tried to get my money back from Ebay itself under its money back guarantee, but it says that, as the tracking information showed the package was delivered, it is not liable.

Royal Mail says it can’t consider the claim unless I have a receipt for the postage – which I don’t as I was the recipient, not the sender. I asked the Ebay seller but he isn’t replying to my messages any more. 

I’m at an impasse. What should I do? S.K

Helen Crane replies: I’m sorry to hear your Switch was swiped. 

Reselling sites like Ebay, Vinted and Depop are great for getting bargains and reducing waste. But if you buy something from an individual and not a company and something goes awry, it can be much harder to get your cash back.

On the one hand, I understand the Ebay seller’s lack of action, as none of this was his fault – but getting back to you about the proof of postage would be the decent thing to do. 

I contacted Ebay and Royal Mail to see if there was any way you could claim your cash back for the console.  

An Ebay spokesman said: ‘We understand [the customer’s] frustration, however incidents where items are stolen after delivery are not covered under our UK policy. We recommend buyers contact the delivery company to resolve such 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 that time, so it would not be accepted. 

I then contacted Royal Mail. It confirmed that it would need a certificate of posting (in this case, the sender’s receipt) to consider a claim. 

‘Usually, the process is the customer will submit a claim to the sender, who will then submit a claim 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 which says they’re unwilling to put in a claim to us then we can look into that.’

In cases where parcels are not stolen or lost but are damaged, recipients can use the packaging with the postmark on, according to Citizens Advice. 

Royal Mail added that there are limits on compensation depending on the level of service used. In your case the parcel was sent with a standard first class post, so the maximum is £20 -far less than the £65 cost of the console. 

Sadly, it seems your only option is to continue badgering that Ebay seller to either give you proof of postage, or a note saying he won’t make a claim, so that Royal Mail will consider it. 

Those who buy and sell online may also wish to note that using Royal Mail’s Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service – although more expensive – offers compensation up to £150 if the item is lost.  

CRANE ON THE CASE