Christmas iPhone 17 order replaced by sweet surprise
A mother from Sutton Coldfield experienced a festive shock when the brand new iPhone 17 she ordered for her daughter turned out to be two flapjacks. Serena Whitehead had purchased the expensive Christmas gift from the phone network Three for her 14-year-old child.
When the parcel, delivered by DPD, arrived at her home, she opened it expecting to find Apple's latest smartphone. Instead, two white chocolate and sultana surprise flapjacks fell out of the box. Serena told BirminghamLive her unnamed daughter was "gutted" by the discovery.
Investigation and a race against time for Christmas
Serena immediately contacted Three, who initially informed her it would take seven days to investigate the bizarre incident. With Christmas Day fast approaching, the mum feared a replacement device might not arrive in time, joking that she "couldn't tell my daughter that Santa was late".
Following intervention from BirminghamLive, the network swiftly changed its approach. In an email seen by the publication, Three confirmed the original phone had been blacklisted and that a new device was being dispatched to the family's address.
The network stated: "Three want to ensure you have this phone in time for Christmas. As our internal investigation will take longer, we don't want you to suffer due to that." They added that their fraud team would be liaising with DPD regarding the matter.
Resolution and official statements
Serena expressed her delight at the speedy resolution, ensuring her daughter would have her main present on December 25th. A spokesperson for Three confirmed the action, saying: "We can confirm we’ve sent out a replacement iPhone to arrive before Christmas, while we continue our internal investigation."
The spokesperson also confirmed that the company had contacted DPD for comment on how the baked goods came to replace the high-value handset. The incident highlights potential issues within the logistics chain, even for premium items.
