I purchased a cell phone from Sky however wasn’t ready for what arrived within the submit – I used to be left paying £25-a-month on a three-year contract for nothing

A woman was left dumbfounded after she ordered a brand new mobile phone from a high street retailer – only to receive a package containing a large lump of clay instead.

Anya Carroll, 31, from Bradley Stoke, Bristol, took advantage of Black Friday deals in November to upgrade her phone to an iPhone 16 – worth around £800 – by signing up to a 36-month contract with Sky Mobile.

But she said she ‘received the shock of my life’ when opening the courier-delivered package and discovering the crafting item in place of her eagerly awaited phone.

The bewildered project manager said she immediately informed Sky, but claims customer services were unhelpful and did not return her calls.

After a brief investigation, she was told there was ‘insufficient evidence’ her package had been tampered with before delivery and there was nothing further Sky could do.

To compound her distress, Miss Carroll was advised to keep making payments for the phone she never received – because she would be the one in breach of contract if the money stopped.

She claimed that Sky ‘washed its hands of her’ after reaching a ‘deadlock’ on her case, leaving her just with a lump of white clay to show for her £25 monthly payments.

After being contacted by MailOnline, Sky has agreed to cancel her contract and refund the money she had paid to date.

Miss Carroll said: ‘I needed a new phone and so I went along to the Sky store in Cribbs Causeway and ordered what I thought was a great deal on a monthly contract. 

‘As I was a first-time customer, they even enticed me into getting broadband with them as well.’

Excited by her new purchase, Miss Carroll asked for the pink version of her iPhone, but it was not in stock at the store. 

She was told by staff at the store that one could be delivered to her home for the next day – but it failed to turn up. 

‘I thought that was a bit strange, as l had received a text message from Sky saying I would receive it. 

‘When I contacted Sky, they reassured me that it sometimes comes from different warehouses so it could be delayed.

‘Then I looked at the DPD tracker and I could see it had been held at the depot, but it didn’t give any reason why.’

The package was finally delivered the next day and Miss Carroll recalls it feeling ‘quite weighty’ when it was handed over to her. 

She then opened the package and said she could not believe her eyes. 

‘I was so shocked,’ she recalled. ‘I had been excited to get this phone for absolutely ages. It had taken me a while to even commit to getting this phone and then when I opened it, I was like what the hell is this?

‘I’ve just never been more shocked. I sent pictures to my family and everyone was like, “What is this? Where’s the phone’?” 

‘I told them I had received just clay. It was like the biggest shock.’

Miss Carroll said she reached out to Sky and gave all her details over, but claims no one came back to her and she was left having to chase every few days for an update. 

‘I thought it would be pretty urgent, the fact that I’ve just not received this brand new  phone, but I didn’t get anything back from them. They even gave me the wrong email address to correspond with at one point.

‘Every time I called they told me to wait 72 hours and then I would wait and call again and told the same. It was a constant battle of me having to phone them constantly.

‘Eventually I was told they were investigating, but after three weeks they just sent me a deadlock letter saying they could not locate the phone in the warehouse and had a photograph from the courier showing the package handed over to me. 

‘As far as they were concerned, I had received the device.

‘When I called again I was told they could not discuss this any further because they had handed me a deadlock letter – even though I never received the actual goods.’

The letter, which has been seen by MailOnline, stated Sky had conducted a ‘thorough’ investigation.

It said: ‘Upon review of the complaint, we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support the claim that the iPhone 16 was not included in the package. 

‘At the time of delivery, DPD provided a clear and compliant image of your package. 

‘This image indicates that prior to the package being received by yourself, the box was fully intact with no visible signs of damage or tampering that would suggest the contents of the delivery were missing.

‘After the concern was brought to our attention, Sky conducted a thorough inquiry into the delivery process in collaboration with our fulfilment partners, UTL and DPD. 

‘Regrettably, despite these efforts we were unable to locate the device in our warehouses. 

‘As such, we must infer delivery was completed successfully. Due to the reasons above, your complaint has been rejected.’

Miss Carroll said the experience left her feeling she was taking the blame for a fraud she had not committed. 

‘Sky made me feel like I was the fraudster here and it became my word against their word. I was literally being blamed for something I haven’t done.

‘But I know I’m not the only person this has happened to. When I went back into the Sky store, they told me there’s been quite a few instances that have happened with  phones being swapped out for other items. 

‘One person received a pack of baby wipes. It seems to be a common thing happening.’

Miss Carroll confirmed she had contacted Avon and Somerset Police, but her case could not be progressed.

In a statement, a police spokesperson said: ‘It is unknown when and where this happened and therefore the crime has been filed at this time, pending any further information being received that leads to any potential lines of enquiry.’

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

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

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

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

Last week, MailOnline highlighted the plight of Gemma Worley, 39, from Cornwall, who purchased a £700 Lenovo Yoga laptop from Currys only to receive three mouldy pies instead.

The trio of Yorkshire Handmade Pies had crammed into the space in the box where her new computer should have been.

Mrs Worley is still awaiting to hear whether she will receive a refund or replacement laptop. 

In a statement to MailOnline, Sky Mobile apologised to Miss Carroll and said they would offer her a full refund of payments and cancel her contract.

A spokesperson said: ‘We’re sorry for any distress caused to Miss Carroll by this delivery issue. 

‘According to both our own investigation and DPD’s, the package arrived on time unopened and undamaged. 

‘However, as a gesture of goodwill we have offered to send a replacement iPhone to Miss Carroll. 

‘Miss Carroll declined this offer – the contract has now been cancelled and we have provided a full refund on the contract to this date.’