Fighting for your money

My daughter ordered an iPhone from O2 worth £1,000 but received a £2 chocolate bar instead

QOn Jan 7 my daughter ordered a new iPhone 13 direct from O2. Unfortunately, no one was in when the package was delivered a few days later. Our neighbour handed it to me on my return a couple of hours later. My daughter came home from work late that evening and opened the outer package, which was still sealed, only to find that the box inside had been opened and the phone had been replaced with a chocolate bar.

We reported the matter to O2 and the police, obtaining a crime reference number. After many calls and online chats over the following week, O2 finally agreed to instigate an inquiry with the delivery company DPD. O2 then contacted my daughter, who is now in a state of high anxiety. It said the dispute is between us and our neighbour – and nothing to do with O2.

My daughter has Asperger’s syndrome and is suffering with PTSD after serving in the military for seven years. I am shocked that O2 could dismiss a veteran who is suffering so badly. It has twice put the phone down on me even though I was polite and calm. Not only has she lost out on the phone, but O2 is saying that my daughter has to pay the full three-year contract costing about £45 a month – a total of £1,620. If she cancels her direct debit her credit rating will plummet.

She needs the phone for her work but cannot afford to get another one. We just don’t know where to go from here.

– Anon

A You sent me a photo of the offending confectionery – a rather mangled- looking Reese’s chocolate bar which probably cost no more than £2. The fraudster who took your phone must have chosen it for its similar weight to your daughter’s iPhone, a device that would have set her back around £1,000 if she’d bought it outright. A poor exchange, that’s for sure.

I got in touch with O2 to see if it could shed any more light on what had happened to the phone. The company told me it carried out extensive research and said the sealed iPhone package was passed from O2 to the courier, as expected, and that it subsequently passed despatch checks.

The firm said its records showed that its weight was correct when it left the depot, and it also reviewed CCTV. The firm found the box was not opened and that it was packed directly into DPD packaging and then passed on to the courier. A picture was taken by the delivery driver showing the sealed parcel delivered to a neighbour. But since the device was not inside when your daughter opened the package, it agreed she had been a victim of fraud.

An O2 spokesman said: “All proper procedures were followed and our records show we passed the customer’s iPhone to the courier as expected. However, we accept this did not reach the customer and that she has been a victim of fraud, so as a gesture of goodwill we have sent a replacement phone.”

What exactly happened to your daughter’s phone remains a mystery and I imagine you feel uncomfortable about the fact your neighbour has ended up under the spotlight. I know I personally depend on friendly neighbours to receive parcels when I am out, dozens of times every year.

In future it might be better for your daughter to buy such valua

The conman chose a bar of a similar weight to the iPhone that your daughter ordered

ble items in person from a shop or, if possible, to request they are delivered to and accepted by only her, or a family member. This does not mean a fraud will never happen in the future but it should make the trail easier to follow.

O2 did not know about your daughter’s PTSD and Asperger’s when this incident occurred but now that it does, it has suggested she update her preferences on its “access for you” services. The company says this helps customers obtain the necessary support, whether related to a disability or personal situation, when they need to communicate with the company about their mobile phone accounts.

Why did storage firm discard our property?

Q In March 2019, my wife booked a space with Access Self Storage near Tower Bridge in London prior to us moving house. In April, two weeks after our move, my wife died unexpectedly in the street. Shortly after the funeral, I visited Access, having received a letter stating that our monthly rent payment had not been taken. I explained that my wife had died and her bank account was frozen. I offered my own bank details. These were declined because it was she who had signed the agreement.

After learning that the person who rented the space had died, the firm refused access. Three locks were placed on it and we were told that no money would be accepted until probate was granted. Due to problems preparing the probate application and the lockdown in March 2020, everything was processed slowly. As soon as I was free from the restraints, including caring duties for my 105-year- old isolating mother, I returned to the site. To my amazement I was told our space was now filled by someone else and staff had no record of our storage agreement.

I rang the company many times during 2021, always to be told that only the manager could deal with my issue. He was never available and excuses became implausible. Eventually, at the end of November, a staff member told me our items had been disposed of. Since then I have twice emailed the head office, with no response. The items included valuable dining chairs, an antique high chair and wooden painted cot along with my son’s childhood toys. – LH, London A What a horrible situation you found yourself in. Losing your wife in such shocking circumstances must have been hard to deal with. The last thing you needed was the storage company turning you away when you came to collect your family’s belongings.

While a firm must make checks after a customer has passed away, there are surely more pragmatic ways of dealing with the bereaved. Yours is not the first case I’ve come across where someone has had their belongings removed without warning from a storage service and then lost forever. I find it worrying that property can be discarded, seemingly without a second thought, by companies we rely on to keep it safe. Those childhood toys may not have been worth a great deal but are irreplaceable because of the memories they hold.

I asked Access Storage what it was planning to do about compensating you. After a few days investigating it confirmed your items were jettisoned because it had not received requested documents from you within its set deadline of 12 months.

A spokesman said: “Customers are at the forefront of our brand and we are committed to providing the best customer service. This includes ensuring that we act responsibly in situations of a sensitive nature. On this occasion we advised on the legal documentation required from a beneficiary to release storage items. In this case, they remained in storage for up to 12 months as a hold period, while we waited for the documentation to be submitted. Paperwork was not submitted within the timeframe.”

I understand there must be rules but these were unusual times due to Covid and you had suffered a bereavement. Plus, you had tried numerous times to speak to the company. In any case, I felt your belongings should not have been disposed of permanently. So much for putting customers first. After my intervention, and some discussion between the company and you, Access agreed to pay £1,500 in compensation, which you accepted. The spokesman said: “We recognise that this is an exceptional case, and we are working to improve our communications if a similar incident occurs in the future.”