Our iPhones never arrived - but John Lewis and ID Mobile are still charging for them! CRANE ON THE CASE

Our iPhones never arrived - but John Lewis and ID Mobile are still charging for them! CRANE ON THE CASE Have you had a problem with a company? [email protected].

uk By CRANE ON THE CASE Updated: 08:45, 17 April 2025 e-mail 1 View comments Would you order a mobile phone online? asks consumer champion Helen Crane. I don't think I would right now. In recent months, the most common problem readers have been writing to me about is phones they have ordered being 'lost' in transit.



And as the two cases that I investigated below highlight, this isn't just occurring with small, unknown online firms, this week's column features missing phones sold by John Lewis and Curry's-owned ID Mobile. The fact that phones - expensive pieces of kit, which are easy to sell on - are going missing on such a regular basis cannot be a coincidence. My theory, I'm sorry to say, is that many of these phones are being stolen in the warehouse or delivery process.

Sometimes, the the customer does receive a parcel, but the phone has been replaced by a random item of a similar weight - as in the first case below. The chances of that happening by accident are surely miniscule. Yet time and time again, retailers try to fob customers off and claim the parcel was delivered properly - casting suspicion upon them.

What's more, they often pass the buck to delivery firms - when it is their own responsibility to sort it out. This week, I helped two readers who had been struggling with this for months. Handed over: But while these customers received a parcel, it didn't contain the phone they paid for - leaving them trapped in contracts for a service they couldn't use RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Barclays won't pay £3,646 interest on my late.

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A from North London, writes : In October, I ordered an iPhone 16 Pro from John Lewis online. The cost was £999 and I took out a payment plan with its credit provider, Creation Finance. A parcel was delivered to my home a few days later, but instead of the phone it contained a face serum.

The box looked as if it had been tampered with. I sent photos to John Lewis, but shortly after it replied to say 'all distribution processes were followed correctly' and I wouldn't get a refund or replacement. It said I should take up the issue with Creation Finance instead, but after several months of back and forth it said it wasn't responsible, and directed me back to John Lewis.

I'm therefore still liable for the payment plan on the phone which I never received. It was a 24 month interest-free agreement with the first payment due six months after purchase. I'm therefore worried I will be chased for money after May.

Random item: K.A received a parcel from John Lewis - but instead of an iPhone, it contained a beauty product Helen Crane, This is Money's consumer champion replies: You hoped to open up a shiny new phone, but instead were left with a travel-sized face serum worth about £30. You say the packaging looked as if it had been torn open with a box cutter, which suggests foul play.

But regardless of any delivery failings, it is the retailer who is responsible for making things right - as your contract was with them. It is certainly not the responsibility of the third-party credit provider, so I find it baffling that you were told Creation Finance should sort it out. After I got in contact, John Lewis spoke to you and agreed to cancel the credit agreement.

You told me that, in your phone call, John Lewis admitted that it couldn't be 100 per cent sure the iPhone left the warehouse. It said it did not have any pictures of the phone inside the box. It also said that a 'mispick' may have occurred, as sometimes robots were used to pick the orders.

A John Lewis spokesperson said: 'We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service, and we’re so sorry that K.A didn’t receive this from us on this occasion. 'We’ve worked quickly to cancel the outstanding payment and have arranged a refund on the undelivered phone.

' CRANE ON THE CASE Our weekly column sees This is Money consumer expert Helen Crane tackle reader problems and shine the light on companies doing both good and bad. Want her to investigate a problem, or do you want to praise a firm for going that extra mile? Get in touch: helen.crane@thisismoney.

co.uk C.F, Fife, writes: Last November, I ordered an Apple iPhone 16 128GB in pink from the phone network ID Mobile.

I agreed to a 24-month contract at £37.99 per month, with a £29 upfront payment. When it arrived, all that was inside the plastic envelope was an empty box and the charging cable.

The parcel and box had been tampered with. ID has refused to refund me or cancel the contract. It said it contacted the courier, which confirmed the parcel had the phone inside when it left the warehouse and had not been re-labelled or re-packed.

This, ID claimed, proved that the missing phone was not ID's fault. It told me to complain to the courier, but they said it was ID's responsibility. I am now stuck paying £37.

99 every month for a phone I don't have. Helen Crane replies: ID, which is owned by Currys, says the parcel left the warehouse intact, which I don't doubt - but that ignores the fact it could easily have been stolen while out for delivery. While it might not be ID's fault that the phone was lost in transit, it is still their responsibility to ensure the customer gets the product they paid for.

You even took your complaint to the Communications Ombudsman. Read More Parcel delivery gone wrong? Here's how to claim compensation, by retired judge STEPHEN GOLD The ombudsman who handled your case said in their reply to you: 'I do not doubt your version of events' and 'I acknowledge the package received may not have contained the device'. However the claim was rejected on the grounds that the ombudsman '[Could not] determine that ID Mobile is responsible for the missing device.

' Since I contacted ID, it has sent you a replacement phone, and refunded the money you paid towards the bill each month. In an email to you, it said it thought its 'delivery measures in place were robust' but had sent you the new phone 'as an exception to its usual processes.' A spokesperson for ID Mobile said: 'In situations like these we are extremely thorough when it comes to reviewing all the evidence available to us, including, but not limited to, CCTV at the warehouse and our delivery partner’s photographic proof of delivery.

'We will continue to collaborate closely with our internal teams and delivery partners to ensure our processes remain robust. 'We always prioritise the customer in every decision, while fairly reviewing all available evidence.' CRANE ON THE CASE My jacket got lost: Has Evri charged me £53 for a call to sort it? My wife died - now Crowne Plaza is hotel is rowing back on refund My £88k Land Rover hasn't been fixed after 6 MONTHS Amazon cancelled my £379 gift card saying it was stolen Evri damaged my £540 Pokémon game - then said it was lost Calor delivered 400 litres of gas I didn't want and says I owe £437 Share or comment on this article: Our iPhones never arrived - but John Lewis and ID Mobile are still charging for them! CRANE ON THE CASE e-mail Add comment Some links in this article may be affiliate links.

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