Replying to Spotmatic meter help

I've looked all around online, and I was wondering if anyone could help me with this. I have a spotmatic sp1000, and I simply can't get the meter to work on it. I am trying to use an energizer 397 battery, and it stays stuck just above the middle, battery in or out, switch on or off. Even in test mode nothing happens. The guy I bought it from on ebay said it worked, and I emailed him, so he gave me a partial refund and I have tried using my iphone as a meter, but I would really like to get it working if this is possible. Any help would be appreciated