Monday 4 January 2010 11.55am
There are an increasing number of clone phones around. Search the internet (especially Ebay) for a sim-free iPhone and you'll see that it is possible to get one for a suspiciously low £200.
These phones look the part but certainly dont function as you were expecting.
At least if you buy via Ebay and PayPal there is some protection. Similarly if you pay by credit card (or Visa debit) you may be able to make a claim via your card company as the goods were "not as described". See
http://www.which.co.uk/advice/your-rights-when-paying-by-credit-card/chargeback-on-credit-and-visa-debit-cards/index.jsp