[durden666]

Hypothetically if I bought a phone in argos and replaced it with a cheaper version that looks the same when I return it.. The person at the till will probably not know the small details of what the more expensive phone looks like anyway. So I'd assume they would refund me then and there. However what happens then? Are there people in the warehouse afterwards that would report it and would I get away with it if I say it wasn't me?

This does not work.

From experience as of the past few months.

On what grounds was your SE declined?

It was not declined. I just made a dry run to learn how to reps deal with this situation. I simply purchased a circa £1000 iPhone in cash from Argos. Opened the packaging very carefully and inspected the phone. Repackaged the original real phone perfectly and a few hours later took it back to an alternate store for a refund. Got all my cash back no problems, but a manager was requested by the rep, they then both inspected the item very professionally. Very carefully opened the outer film packaging to check it was real and not a copy. Once they realized it was real i got my cash refund no problems.

I also had to provide a postcode and house number when they gave me my cash back.

The only thing i could not tell, was whether they attempted to power on the phone due to the angle they stood at. However I do not see why they would not try this. Therefore I have to undertake further research to understand the procedure that they would follow if the iPhone happened to be "out of battery".