EE customer sent drill bits instead of new iPhone

EE has apologised to a customer who received a set of drill bits in the mail instead of the iPhone she ordered.

Megan Penny, from Launceston, Cornwall, ordered the device in Novemberand a parcel was delivered by DPD but she said the label was peeled back and the bag melted - inside were drill bits.

Tony Deeley, from Looe, said he also ordered a new iPhone and a parcel was delivered by DPD in December but he instead received a phone he claimed was not genuine.

EE said it investigated both cases and agreed to send Penny a replacement phone but could not uphold Deeley's complaint based on the evidence. DPD said in both cases the parcels did not appear to have been tampered with.

Penny said she received a picture of a road she did not recognise when DPD first tried to deliver the parcel.

"The next day it was delivered but when I opened it, it turned out to be a packet of drill bits and no phone," she said.

"When I looked closer at the bag, you could see that the label had been carefully peeled back, the bag had been melted, phone replaced [and] then melted back together."

DPD said the package in the delivery photo, which Penny said was "blurred", did not look tampered with.

EE said: "We're sorry to hear of Megan's delivery complaint, we've thoroughly investigated Megan's case, and we will be sending a replacement device as well as adding a credit to her account to acknowledge her experience".

Detailing his case, Deeley said when his wife opened the box on Christmas the phone was the wrong colour and model, the screen was "bubbled", there was no charger and the device would not switch on.

EE said it had "thoroughly reviewed Mr Deeley's case and based on the evidence presented we can see no indication of an EE process error in the delivery of Mr Deeley's handset".

Deeley said the firm had all the "evidence they need" but it had not asked for photos of the phone or packaging.

"They are completely ignoring customer rights and getting away with it," he said.

"Not once have they asked to see the evidence I have got. I cannot believe how they are acting."

EE said the "device was delivered securely and that the packaging was not damaged".

"Based on the evidence available we have been unable to uphold Mr Deeley's complaint," it said, adding it had provided him with information on how to take his complaint further.

DPD said there was "no damage scans in the network and no obvious damage to the packaging in the proof of delivery photograph".

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