I ordered a model new laptop computer from Currys…however when it arrived I used to be VERY shocked on the sudden merchandise contained in the field

A woman was left stunned after ordering a £700 laptop from a high street retailer only to discover she was the recipient of three mouldy pies instead. 

Gemma Worley, 39, from Cornwall, thought she had bagged a bargain after deciding to treat herself to a new Lenovo Yoga laptop purchased online from Currys over the weekend.

But her excitement soon waned after the sizeable package was delivered on Tuesday.

The charger cable, accessories, stylus and even instruction booklet were all there – but so were a trio of baked goodies from Yorkshire Handmade Pies crammed into the space where her new computer should have been.

Despite reporting the incident to customer services straight away, Mrs Worley said she has been left waiting to hear whether she will receive a refund or replacement laptop.

After MailOnline approached Currys, she was informed this process could take up to 14 days.

The circumstances suggest that Mrs Worley could have fallen victim to a scam known as refund or return fraud.

In these situations, the fraudster will purchase an item, remove it from the box and then replace it with items of a lesser value that have a similar weight.

Have you received an unexpected delivery? Email [email protected] 

Sur-pies! Gemma Worley, 39, from Cornwall, thought she was receiving a new Lenovo Yoga laptop – only to discover her parcel contained three mouldy pies instead 

A trio of baked goodies from Yorkshire Handmade Pies were crammed into the space where her new computer should have been

Despite reporting the incident to customer services straight away, Mrs Worley said she has been left waiting to hear whether she will receive a refund or replacement laptop

They will then attempt to return the item and claim a refund. 

A situation could then arise where the returned package is erroneously sent to a genuine customer with the lower value items still inside. 

Speaking to MailOnline, Mrs Worley described her shock at seeing the decomposing pies inside the box instead of the new laptop she had paid for.

‘When I opened it there was like a really weird sensation. I opened it and the charger cable was there and the accessories were there, including the stylus and the instructions. 

‘But in the space where the laptop should have been there was a box of pies. It was originally a selection box of six pies. They had taken out three and squished the box into the gap where the laptop was.’

Bewildered by the discovery, she said she contacted Currys customer services almost immediately after opening the box, but claims that she was not given a clear timeframe for how long it might take to resolve the situation.  

‘I’m not an unreasonable person. I know things like this happen, but they just seemed to fob me off. I was very surprised because I’ve used Currys a lot in my life buying various laptops and other electronic things and have never had a problem. 

‘They said they have referred it to a back office and that I’ll receive an email, but they didn’t say when. I’ve called them every working day since, just to get an update. 

The circumstances suggest that Mrs Worley could have fallen victim to a scam known as refund or return fraud

Mrs Worley said she has not yet disposed of the pies, which have begun to go mouldy

‘At the end of the day £700 is a lot of money just to hear them say, “we’ve launched an investigation. You’ll hear at some undefined point in the future”.’

Mrs Worley said she has also not been told whether or not she should dispose of the unwanted pies which are meant to be kept frozen.

She claims the pies are ‘beginning to smell’ as well as ‘sweat and weep’ as they slowly decompose in the box.

‘I’m £700 out of pocket, no laptop and no idea of the resolution,’ she said, adding that she felt ‘sick’ at the thought of having been impacted by scammers.

‘I’ve been looking up the slang definition of “pied” and I do feel abandoned. Like, I say, £700 is a lot of money just to say, “Oh, we’ll be in touch”.

‘I do feel aggrieved by being a victim of the scam in the first place and by the service they have provided.

‘I am a reasonable person, I just want my laptop or a refund – but I’d prefer to have a laptop. I spent a long time choosing the type of laptop, and I would just like that one.’

A Currys spokesperson said: ‘We are urgently investigating this case to get it resolved for the customer. 

Currys has assured the customer they are investigating the matter and hope to have it resolved ‘as quickly as possible’

‘We understand the customer’s frustration and apologise for the time its taken to reach a conclusion. 

‘Our teams have been in touch with the customer to provide the latest update. 

‘Rest assured, we hope to resolve the case as quickly as possible.’