A320 Captain reported the assigned aircraft was not ready for service. The aircraft had just come from a heavy maintenance check and there were several items not acceptable for flight.

Narrative

The aircraft in question was ferried or repo'd from a heavy maintenance facility. Upon arrival at the aircraft it was quickly discovered that multiple discrepancies were present; both mechanical and in the cabin. In the cabin there was: 3 FA station emergency flashlights that were inoperable; an inoperable FA interphone/handset; life rafts that were installed backwards and upside down; aft galley POB's (Portable Oxygen Bottle) that were installed backwards; and wheelchair kits that were separated and stowed in incorrect areas throughout the cabin. Furthermore; and more importantly; there were the following mechanical discrepancies: ELT MEL required placard not installed; not reset to zero after landing; ISIS (Integrated Standby Instrument System) indicating approximately 5 degrees nose down attitude on ground (previous write up); and 'Service Check Required' write up in logbook while no such airworthiness release was signed off since. It should be noted that this aircraft had just returned from a heavy maintenance base/facility where it remained for over a month. It should also be noted that the aircraft sat on the ground in ZZZ; after its arrival; for over 3 hours before our arrival at the aircraft. The fact that our frontline employees were forced to discover this plethora of discrepancies is incredibly concerning; especially after the aircraft was fresh from a heavy maintenance facility and ferried back to ZZZ by management pilots. Not to mention the fact that there was literally no catering on the aircraft (considering the fact that it had spent over a month in heavy maintenance) and that when this was brought to the attention of local operations multiple times we were informed that because this flight was 'not on the schedule to be catered' that there was 'nothing they could do'. This entire situation was beyond shameful. A full flight was over 3 hours delayed because of this situation; which should have been entirely preventable. Thankfully we had a cabin crew assigned to this flight that was all-around beyond stellar and were able to keep our passengers calm and well-informed. We should be thankful for them. This entire situation was incredibly embarrassing; unnecessary; and shameful.