A woman was left speechless after her husband bought a new dashcam from a chain store. She opened the box and discovered that it had been exchanged for a worthless bag of sugar.
Susan Newton, 50, from Prudhoe, Northumberland, was looking forward to receiving a Nextbase Ultra HD Dash Cam with built-in Amazon Alexa, priced at £269, from Currys.
Her husband, Kevin, 43, bought it for his wife as a gesture to replace the broken dashcam she previously had in her car.
But instead of receiving the gadget he ordered, the couple were surprised to discover that the dashcam had been exchanged for a 500g bag of Tate & Lyle demerara sugar, which retails for around £1.50.
Mysteriously, Ms Newton said the tamper sticker was still on the box when she made the shocking discovery last July.
After immediately contacting Currys, an investigation was launched, but Ms Newton said she was left feeling 'upset and victimized' when their claim was rejected weeks later.
To make matters worse, Mr Newton, a part-time warehouse cleaner, signed a 36-month financing plan through Currys to pay for his wife's gift.
Now, six months after they first made the purchase, he is still having to pay £13 a month for the device they never received – a situation Ms Newton says is 'believable'.
Susan Newton, 50, from Prudhoe, Northumberland, was looking forward to receiving a Nextbase Ultra HD Dash Cam with built-in Amazon Alexa, priced at £269, from Currys – but received a bag of sugar instead
The couple were stunned to discover the dashcam had been exchanged for a 500g bag of Tate & Lyle demerara sugar, which retails for around £1.50.
A photo was provided by DPD as proof that the dashcam had been delivered
The couple have been told they can appeal the retailer's decision through consumer arbitration, although the process could take months.
Mrs Newton, who works as a senior team leader at a care home, told MailOnline of her experiences: 'The dashcam I had in the car was broken, just like my husband I'm going to surprise myself with a new one.
“He bought it on July 5, 2024 and paid for express delivery to have it arrive two days later.
'DPD then delivered it to Currys and my husband went to open it.
'I was standing outside smoking a cigarette at the time. Seconds later I heard all these curse words. I went back inside and there was Kevin with just this sugar – literally a bag of brown sugar.
“The package didn't look like it had been tampered with; there was even a seal on the box.
'There were no instructions inside, no connecting cables. There was literally a Styrofoam wrapper and a bag of sugar in it.”
Ms Newton said she followed up with Currys customer service through 'several' calls and emails until she was finally told in September that the retailer had rejected her claim.
Six months after they first made the purchase, Mr Newton still has to pay £13 a month for the dashcam he never received. Pictured: A device similar to the ordered device
Kevin Newton bought the gadget for his wife as a gesture to replace the broken dashcam she previously had in her car. Pictured: a Nextbase dashcam similar to the ordered camera
In an email seen by MailOnline, Currys said that following an internal investigation it was “satisfied that this parcel was sent and delivered without any evidence of tampering” and that it could not assist the couple any further.
The email explained: 'The completed refusal of delivery form indicated that the package was delivered in a fully sealed gray plastic package, with no signs of tampering.
'During the picking phase, the product was weighed and in this case no deviations were found.
'We have obtained CCTV footage of the package being processed through our warehouse and the findings indicate that the package was packed without any problems.
'We contacted DPD, who provided us with photos showing the parcel showing no signs of damage.'
Ms Newton said she was stunned by the decision and felt Currys had accused them of being the fraudsters.
'I was really annoyed because we always went to Currys. We have bought so many things from Currys and never had a single problem. I feel angry and victimized. Why would we want to pinch a dashcam? It's unbelievable.'
After Currys informed the couple that they had closed their claim, Mr Newton bought his wife another dashcam from another retailer, also under a financing plan.
Currys closed the couple's claim, saying it was 'pleased that this parcel was sent and delivered without any evidence of tampering'
The part-time worker must now pay for the amount he has received – as well as the amount he has not received – as he cannot stop his monthly payments with Currys' flexible credit option through Creation Finance.
Mrs Newton added: 'There are some very dishonest people who are just getting away with it. “I think justice needs to be done and Currys needs to be held accountable.”
MailOnline has contacted Currys for comment.
The circumstances suggest that Ms. Newton could have fallen victim to a scam known as refund or returns fraud.
In these situations, the fraudster will purchase an item (or intercept a purchased item), unbox it, and then replace it with lower value items of similar weight.
They will then attempt to return the item and claim a refund.
A situation may then arise where the package is mistakenly shipped to a real customer with the lower value items still inside.
Earlier this week, MailOnline spoke to Jo Davis, from North Derbyshire, who was stunned to discover that her iPhone 16 Pro in black from John Lewis, worth £1,000, had been exchanged for a black bottle of men's aftershave with a retail value of about £2.
Jo Davis, from North Derbyshire, bought an iPhone 16 Pro from John Lewis, priced at £1,000, but was stunned to find a black bottle of men's aftershave
Anya Carroll, 31, from Bradley Stoke, Bristol, was left stunned after ordering a brand new mobile phone from Sky but instead received a parcel containing a large piece of clay
Gemma Worley, 39, from Cornwall, thought she was receiving a new Lenovo Yoga laptop but discovered her parcel contained three moldy cakes
A trio of baked treats from Yorkshire Handmade Pies were crammed into the space where her new computer should have been
Nearly three months later, Mrs Davis was left feeling 'frustrated' and still £1,000 out of pocket.
But after MailOnline contacted John Lewis, the department store agreed to a refund and presented her with a gift voucher.
Last week, MailOnline brought the plight of Anya Carroll, who ordered a brand new Apple iPhone 16 from Sky, but received a package containing a large lump of clay.
After a brief investigation, she was told there was 'insufficient evidence' that her package had been tampered with before delivery and that Sky could do nothing further.
To add to her distress, Miss Carroll was advised to continue paying for the phone she never received – because she would be the one in breach of the contract if the money stopped.
After being contacted by MailOnline, Sky has agreed to cancel her contract and refund the money she has paid so far.
MailOnline also spoke to Gemma Worley, 39, from Cornwall, who bought a £700 Lenovo Yoga laptop from Currys and received three moldy cakes instead.
The trio of Yorkshire Handmade Pies had crammed into the space in the box where her new computer should have been.
Currys has since apologized and offered Ms Worley a refund or a replacement laptop.
