A FURIOUS customer called cops on Carphone Warehouse claiming staff stole his Samsung Note 7 phone after it was recalled over fears it would catch fire.

Jon Parsons, 58, claims he took the handset to his local store on Saturday but a manager told him he had already signed for a new one and refused to hand it back.

1 Jon Parsons claims Carphone Warehouse staff 'stole' his Samsung Galaxy Note 7, stock image Credit: Getty Images

The dad-of-five says the shop manager then declined to let him use his phone to make a call or even download any of the numbers or photographs on it.

His wife was in a nearby Tesco and the pair marched back to the shop to try and resolve the dispute only to be threatened with "legal" action.

Jon said they were then thrown out of by a security guard and told that they were barred for life.

Carphone Warehouse has denied the allegations, saying it "strongly refutes claims staff were aggressive" or the "suggestion a theft had taken place".

But Mr Parsons says has been left outraged by the incident and claims not having a phone is causing severe stress because it's a vital link to his elderly parents.

He said: "I consider this to be a theft. If this was a person on the street who took my phone they would be arrested.

"I have no idea why Carphone Warehouse would do this to me and I am frankly appalled and disgusted by their actions."

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Jon bought his Samsung phone from the Carphone Warehouse branch at the Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke, Bristol in August.

He tried several times to get a replacement for the handset, but to no avail, after the model was recalled by manufacturers following reports of it catching fire.

Concerned about the safety of his mobile, Jon returned to the shop on Saturday to try again.

He said: "I explained to the assistant that I needed a replacement and he took it out the back.

"A few minutes later the manager came back and said that he had checked the serial number and that I had already received a replacement.

"I, of course, told him that wasn't true. He then said that I had signed for the phone and that he had CCTV of me collecting it.

"I was completely baffled at this point and told him that I had no idea what he was talking about - and asked him to show me the CCTV and the signature, which he refused to do.

"I was so shocked I just kept repeating that it was my phone and I needed it back.

"He actually got quite aggressive and confrontational and basically accused me of trying to defraud the shop."

He added: "My wife was incensed. We went back in to the shop to try and reason with them, but if anything they were worse.

"Rather than looking at ways to resolve the dispute positively, they chose to treat us like criminals and use legal threats.

"The manager shouted at my wife when she took a photo to gather evidence and said he would call the police, as it was a criminal offence to take a photo and he would have us arrested."

Mr Parsons has reported the incident as a theft to the police and is currently seeking legal advice about the matter.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said they had received a report of an incident and enquiries were ongoing.

A Carphone Warehouse spokesman said: "We strongly refute any claims made by Mr Parsons that our store staff were in any way aggressive and have asked the Bristol Post (who initially reported the story) to liaise with Willow Brook Centre to clarify the situation.

"We also refute the suggestion that any theft has taken place, as all Samsung Note 7 customers have been asked to return their devices to store as part of the safety recall, in order for them to discuss their options in relation to a new device.

"We have made many attempts to contact Mr Parsons to resolve any confusion."

The fault with the phones prompted Samsung's European president to apologise, saying that the company had "fallen short" on its promise to offer “best-in-class safety and quality”.

After the fire concern emerged, British Airways banned passengers from bringing the smartphones on its flights.

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