Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I'm shitting myself, I've lost £400

268 replies

jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:23

So every 2y I get a new phone upgrade, except I have young kids so I CBA to have a snazzy phone so I usually sell the phone on eBay or FB marketplace and then have a little bit of treat money (usually goes on kids!)

Listed phone on eBay, iphone12. Sold it for £450. Bought postage from DPD (who might I add I have always seen as the safest most reputable courier, with tracking, delivery windows etc) for about £8. Dropped it off at DpD parcel shop which happened to be an Argos near me. It was really busy when I dropped it off and the girl taped the label to the top and put it in a pile. I got a tracking card receipt thingy.

Yesterday I got a notification that it had been delivered. It was meant to be next day but I dropped it off last Sunday so seems slow but ok - checked tracking and it had been left at Argos for 3 days before it was collected. I messaged my buyer on eBay to check all ok - he hadn't received it, although it is a business so says he will check tomorrow to see if it's been left. The business name is a man's name think EDWARD JONES and the tracking is saying signed for by Edward.

Anyway he messages me this morning to say nothing has been delivered. Then 10mins later I got another email from DPD to say my parcel has been delivered. I messaged the buyer again thinking maybe it just got held up. This time he has received a parcel - but inside is a Lego kit not an iPhone!

I haven't sold or posted any Lego kits. The parcel had my label and return address on it - he has shown me photographs.

So that means my iPhone is off out delivered to some person somewhere. I am devastated. Can anyone suggest anything I can do. I have asked DPD to look into it for me and they are calling me tomorrow morning.

OP posts:
Summerslam · 15/09/2022 20:26

Someone has stolen the phone and replaced it with Lego. An Argos employee perhaps?

Summerslam · 15/09/2022 20:27

Pressed post too soon. Is it worth asking Argos for CCTV? Maybe contact the police and report it as theft?

Original poster
jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:28

@Summerslam it's not the same box it's a big box and the Lego is second hand.

OP posts:
Hiphopopotamus · 15/09/2022 20:28

It could be that the buyer is lying…it’s quite a common scam, and it sounds suspicious that he has your parcel wrapping and address label.

Also - surely a phone upgrade means that you are paying for that device monthly for the next 2 years or so? And probably making a loss in the long run. You’d be better off not upgrading and putting the device money aside every month in savings for treats!

Skinnermarink · 15/09/2022 20:28

He’s scamming you.

Choconut · 15/09/2022 20:29

Yes I think more likely that someone in Argos has done a swap, I'd contact Argos and the police.

santorinii · 15/09/2022 20:29

How do you know he’s telling the truth?

ultimately, did you take insurance out when you sent the item?

AdInfinitum12 · 15/09/2022 20:30

Skinnermarink · 15/09/2022 20:28

He’s scamming you.

Yep

Original poster
jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:31

My first thought was that he was scamming me but he has lots of positive feedback on eBay and he has sent me photos of the delivered Lego and the label fixed onto the box it came in and the two lots of deliveries seems odd and suspicious.

OP posts:
girlfriend44 · 15/09/2022 20:31

Don't take his word for it.

Hugasauras · 15/09/2022 20:31

What's his feedback like on eBay? I'd be suspicious he was the one scamming, claiming he hasn't received the item so he can get his money back from you via ebay and then resell or keep the phone.

santorinii · 15/09/2022 20:31

Choconut · 15/09/2022 20:29

Yes I think more likely that someone in Argos has done a swap, I'd contact Argos and the police.

Why? Argos employees couldn’t care less about a second hand old phone. They literally have access to brand new ones if they were rogue

SpotlessMind88 · 15/09/2022 20:33

You should be covered by DPD for any loss. You Should be able to get compensation. When you filled out the courier form did it ask what the contents were and how much it was worth? They should have let you know how much compensation you were covered for or the option to take out extra insurance.

Original poster
jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:33

Right so the plot thickens. Searched on eBay for recently completed listings of the Lego kit in question and found one sold in the same village as me on Monday and was posted via DPD. Have messaged the seller. Could be a mix up with labels I think.

OP posts:
Original poster
jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:34

@SpotlessMind88 ok so I know this is silly but I don't think I took out the full insurance. I think it's only covered up to £100.

OP posts:
hobbledyhoy · 15/09/2022 20:35

Hmmm could be a genuine mix up but I'm not sure I would believe the buyer, sounds like a scam

heartbroken22 · 15/09/2022 20:35

I had this once and apparently the courier company mixed the parcels up because they reprinted the labels (label may have been damaged hence having to reprint).

heartbroken22 · 15/09/2022 20:36

So my buyer got a parcel the size of his palm when I sent a parcel that was the size of a mini suitcase...it was really weird..

Olsi109 · 15/09/2022 20:37

jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:31

My first thought was that he was scamming me but he has lots of positive feedback on eBay and he has sent me photos of the delivered Lego and the label fixed onto the box it came in and the two lots of deliveries seems odd and suspicious.

But you say you saw her stick the label on your parcel? Also, negative feedback cannot be left for a buyer if cases have been raised (comments can be made but it would still class as pos feedback on stats) - so these things may have happened, but cases have been risen and No feedback left etc

heartbroken22 · 15/09/2022 20:37

You could contact dpd and say that's not the parcel I sent?

amylou8 · 15/09/2022 20:37

There was a problem with InPost recently relabeling parcels incorrectly, but I've not heard of it happening with DPD. Is there a delivery photo with tracking on DPD? You say it was in a bigger box, so it should be obvious from that was delivered. Do you have the IMEI number for the phone, if so get it blocked.

WingBingo · 15/09/2022 20:40

jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:33

Right so the plot thickens. Searched on eBay for recently completed listings of the Lego kit in question and found one sold in the same village as me on Monday and was posted via DPD. Have messaged the seller. Could be a mix up with labels I think.

Interesting. It has to be that surely?

Original poster
jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:42

Yes I can get the phone blocked if I need to, but I am keeping that as a last resort at the moment. I was thinking I would mention that I would block it if necessary and see if it miraculously turns up.

With the label thing... When you drop parcels off at a DPD drop shop they give you a little card receipt and they stick an identical one to the parcel, then I believe the driver brings the labels and sticks them to the corresponding parcels.

OP posts:
Wibbly1008 · 15/09/2022 20:42

Contact eBay and they will look
into it. EBay have always been great with this kind of thing. You have done what was expected, posted the parcel and he has signed for it. It’s likely eBay will take the loss in
this dispute so don’t return his funds yet unless they say. I am more inclined to think he is a scammer - how on earth would Argos workers know what is in the box?!

Original poster
jazzyoldjim · 15/09/2022 20:43

@WingBingo I hope so... But will the Lego buyer be honest considering they have an iPhone for free and theyve only missed out on some shitty old Lego.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread