Phone bought new on eBay is malfunctioning

[whataboutbob]

I bought an iPhone 5 on eBay, it was billed as new. It soon started malfunctioning. For example it only takes photos in selfie mode, not camera mode. I can’t attach pics to WhatsApp’s. It has no security, you can open it by pressing the on button (tbh I don’t know if that is a feature of an iPhone 5).
I want a refund. I bought it on September 7th this year.
I have contacted the seller today but I see from a post on this board that I should have just gone straight to eBay. Can anyone advice the best way forward now?

@MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig are we definitely talking about the same phone? If it was discontinued in 2013 how are you half way through the contract?

I'm sure you're ok on the 7. I know loads of people using that.

You tell the teenager, will you? You make it sound so routine.

Well it is routine.
The updates will simply no longer update. She won’t even know.

Are you sure it's not a fake? There are lots around and they have some of the problems you are experiencing?

I think fake is likely.
It simply cannot be a new phone given that it has not been made for 6 years. Fake is more likely.
It’ll have a serial number on the back. You can check with that.

Put the serial number in here to see if it is genuine. checkcoverage.apple.com/

And in answer to your original question if it is fake then contact eBay.

Namechangeforthiscancershit yep, iPhone 5, taken out on a two year contract from September last year when she started at high school. I’m sure she’ll notice when half her apps don’t work properly anymore. Mind you apple are known for this shit. Those overpriced new phones won’t shift themselves.

You can’t expect Apple to keep on supporting a phone that was discontinued 6 years ago.
As said above that is a lot longer than Android support their old phones for.