Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 3Gs - Italy and Belgium - unlocked?

Also regarding repairs

In the EU directive 1999/44/EC, under Article 3 it states:

"Any repair or replacement shall be completed within a reason-
able time and without any significant inconvenience to the
consumer, taking account of the nature of the goods and the
purpose for which the consumer required the goods."

I would assume that means, if you buy an iPhone in Italy from Apple, there is a legitimate expectation that APple in the UK will carry out a repair, after all, if you buy an ipod or a mac from Apple in Italy, it will be repaired in the UK, precedence, precedence...

I am glad I looked this up again.

T.
 
thayes said:
In the EU directive 1999/44/EC, under Article 3 it states:

"Any repair or replacement shall be completed within a reason-
able time and without any significant inconvenience to the
consumer, taking account of the nature of the goods and the
purpose for which the consumer required the goods."

I would assume that means, if you buy an iPhone in Italy from Apple, there is a legitimate expectation that APple in the UK will carry out a repair, after all, if you buy an ipod or a mac from Apple in Italy, it will be repaired in the UK, precedence, precedence...

I am glad I looked this up again.

T.
Click to expand...

Yes that's what the consumer laws say. But what i have heard, you have to fight with Apple for this pretty much.

But of course...law should be the law for every firm...
 
thayes said:
In the EU directive 1999/44/EC, under Article 3 it states:

"Any repair or replacement shall be completed within a reason-
able time and without any significant inconvenience to the
consumer, taking account of the nature of the goods and the
purpose for which the consumer required the goods."

I would assume that means, if you buy an iPhone in Italy from Apple, there is a legitimate expectation that APple in the UK will carry out a repair, after all, if you buy an ipod or a mac from Apple in Italy, it will be repaired in the UK, precedence, precedence...

I am glad I looked this up again.

T.
Click to expand...

"Reasonable time" doesn't mean locally. Maybe Apple UK will claim they are a different store than Apple Italy so they won't help you. Or maybe they'll just ship your phone to Italy.

My iPod repairs in the past were managed here, but they sent me a shipping box to Breda in the Netherlands everytime.
 
iAppTime said:
I live in Belgium and as far as I know, the iPhone here isn't unlocked. You still need to buy a contract with Mobistar I think. Or am I wrong?
Click to expand...

Yes, you are wrong ;) I bought mine at an Apple premium reseller and put my Proximus sim card in it ;)
 
thayes said:
In the EU directive 1999/44/EC, under Article 3 it states:

"Any repair or replacement shall be completed within a reason-
able time and without any significant inconvenience to the
consumer, taking account of the nature of the goods and the
purpose for which the consumer required the goods."

I would assume that means, if you buy an iPhone in Italy from Apple, there is a legitimate expectation that APple in the UK will carry out a repair, after all, if you buy an ipod or a mac from Apple in Italy, it will be repaired in the UK, precedence, precedence...

I am glad I looked this up again.

T.
Click to expand...

That obligation is placed upon the seller, not the producer. Article 1 paragraph 2 sections (c) and (d) clearly define the difference between the seller and the producer.

If you bought the iPhone from TIM in Italy, then it would be TIM, not Apple, that would be obliged to provide repair or replacement under that EU statute.

However, if you bought the iPhone directly from Apple in Italy, then indeed there may be a case to be made that Apple in the UK might have to provide repair or replacement. Even in that case, though, there is some confusion... Is each Apple retail store a separately incorporated entity with a franchise agreement with Apple Inc, or is it wholly owned by Apple Inc? Does Apple undertake its business in Italy and the UK as a single legal entity, or does it conduct its business in those two countries as two distinct incorporated businesses? All of those questions will come into play in order to arrive at an idea of the scope of the "seller" as defined in the statute.
 
MMS settinhgs for t-mobile UK

olisones said:
Last year I brought my iPhone 3G from TIM in Italy. It's unlocked so I could put my Orange UK SIM in (and my ATT when I go to the US). I will probably do the same again with the 3GS, as I get a great deal from Orange and travel a lot with work.

The only issue is the premium price - I think I paid £400 for the phone (but I brought 12 others and put them on eBay to pay for it!!)
Click to expand...

Hi,

Bought the iphone 3gs via ebay in Italy and have got the internet working without problems but can't seem to get mms to work. i've done a few searches but to no avail. Would you mind sharing what settings have worked for you??

A screen shot of working settings would be great...for example not sure whether the MMSC should be preceded by http:// or not??
 
iphone 3GS from Italy

Hi,

how much did it cost, 16 or 32GB? and it is sim free out of the box?

Thanks,
T
 
Soulful said:
Hi,

Bought the iphone 3gs via ebay in Italy and have got the internet working without problems but can't seem to get mms to work. i've done a few searches but to no avail. Would you mind sharing what settings have worked for you??

A screen shot of working settings would be great...for example not sure whether the MMSC should be preceded by http:// or not??
Click to expand...

Hi mate, first of all, sorry I cant help, dont own a iPhone myself.
But I want to ask you a few questions if you dont mind, cuz I am planning to buy the unlocked iPhone from eBay myself.

1. Where are you from?
2. How much did you pay?
3. How long did it take to deliver?
4. What operator do you use?
5. Do you have any kind of warranty, or some to repair it without having to send it back to italy?

Thanks alot for any anwsers and goodluck with your mms probs
 
I presume that no one has seen projected prices for the 3GS in Belgium yet? It seems odd that we are only just over a day away from release and yet the only details provided on the Mobistar web site is the release date.
 
SiLHUZz said:
Hi mate, first of all, sorry I cant help, dont own a iPhone myself.
But I want to ask you a few questions if you dont mind, cuz I am planning to buy the unlocked iPhone from eBay myself.

1. Where are you from?
2. How much did you pay?
3. How long did it take to deliver?
4. What operator do you use?
5. Do you have any kind of warranty, or some to repair it without having to send it back to italy?

Thanks alot for any anwsers and goodluck with your mms probs
Click to expand...

Ok....answering your questions in order...

I'm from emgland based in the West Midlands
I paid...take a deep breath.........£800!!! Daft but I really wanted it....off ebay....
Ebay guy was very good...paid for pre-ordered phone on thursday and was given dhl tracking number on friday and phone had arrived in the country on saturday...got hold of it on monday as there was no delivery over weekend...

I'm with T-mobile and have been for 12yrs and have massive loyalty discount hence why on doing the sums made sense to get phone (as expensive as it is) and then use my contract with T-mobile

Warranty is Apple 1 yr but you may have to send back to Italy if needs repair although I've heard of some companies who can repair in this country....may void warranty though...

You can also get officially unlocked phone from Australia but thats even further away if something goes wrong..got a quote from someone for £720 for 32GB version..doesn't include shipping...

Couple of points...if you want to buy from ebay make sure person has perfect feedback..its a big financial investment don't take chances...some people were cheaper but I went with a trusted person. Personal view this but I didn't trust the ones from Hong Kong which are also officially apple unlocked.

Hope that all helps....
 
thayes said:
Hi,

how much did it cost, 16 or 32GB? and it is sim free out of the box?

Thanks,
T
Click to expand...

Was £800!!! and was sim free out of the box...

Very easy to activate via itunes 8.2....phone works fine with internet a dream!! I think well worth it after having downloaded some apps like lastfm and can get internet radio endlessly...!! Only issue is MMS messaging for which I'm still hoping for help....?? Anyone??
 
Veldek said:
You ordered from the Italian Apple store and it got delivered to Germany? Anything special you had to do?
Click to expand...

An italian friend of mine bought it for me and shipped it via TNT. He got it from MediaMarket (some electronics shop) because it was sold out everywhere else. He then connected it to itunes and unlocked it.

20015443e16a0d4d970436fc38b23b7a.png
 
Hey, I'm relatively new to the whole concept of factory unlocked iPhones, so I have a few questions.


I'm currently on the T-Mobile Network, and I'm looking to get the new iPhone 3G-S. I live the USA, and from what I've heard so far, my best bet is to buy or get someone to buy me an iPhone 3GS from either Italy or maybe Taiwan (Taiwan because I have some distant family there).

My questions are as follows:

1. If I purchase or have someone purchase an iPhone 3GS from Italy, will it work in the USA or have any problems with location issues?

2. By purchasing a unlocked iPhone 3GS, how does it affect the warranty? Is it still a one year warranty, or does it become void?

3. Since it would be purchased overseas, would I have to ship the iPhone 3GS back to its original location in order to utilize the warranty?

4. Since I am using T-Mobile, I currently have the web2go feature, which allows me to go on EDGE on my current unlocked iPhone 2G. Would it work on the factory unlocked iPhone 3GS, or would I have to get another data plan?

and finally

5. Is there anyone that can pick one up for me in Italy or somewhere?


Thanks for all your help guys!
 
pelicanflip said:
Hey, I'm relatively new to the whole concept of factory unlocked iPhones, so I have a few questions.


I'm currently on the T-Mobile Network, and I'm looking to get the new iPhone 3G-S. I live the USA, and from what I've heard so far, my best bet is to buy or get someone to buy me an iPhone 3GS from either Italy or maybe Taiwan (Taiwan because I have some distant family there).

My questions are as follows:

1. If I purchase or have someone purchase an iPhone 3GS from Italy, will it work in the USA or have any problems with location issues?

2. By purchasing a unlocked iPhone 3GS, how does it affect the warranty? Is it still a one year warranty, or does it become void?

3. Since it would be purchased overseas, would I have to ship the iPhone 3GS back to its original location in order to utilize the warranty?

4. Since I am using T-Mobile, I currently have the web2go feature, which allows me to go on EDGE on my current unlocked iPhone 2G. Would it work on the factory unlocked iPhone 3GS, or would I have to get another data plan?

and finally

5. Is there anyone that can pick one up for me in Italy or somewhere?


Thanks for all your help guys!
Click to expand...

1) Yes it will work in US
2) It has the same one year warranty, but the warranty is not covered by Apple in US. U have to send the phone back to Italy, to the place where it was bought
3) Read number 2:)
 
Compile 'em all said:
An italian friend of mine bought it for me and shipped it via TNT. He got it from MediaMarket (some electronics shop) because it was sold out everywhere else. He then connected it to itunes and unlocked it.
Click to expand...

How much did he pay in MediaMarkt ? Did you get the VAT reimbursed? Can I contact him for stock info, etc (speaks english?) or I could have someone asking questions in italian ?

pelicanflip said:
1. If I purchase or have someone purchase an iPhone 3GS from Italy, will it work in the USA or have any problems with location issues?

2. By purchasing a unlocked iPhone 3GS, how does it affect the warranty? Is it still a one year warranty, or does it become void?

3. Since it would be purchased overseas, would I have to ship the iPhone 3GS back to its original location in order to utilize the warranty?

4. Since I am using T-Mobile, I currently have the web2go feature, which allows me to go on EDGE on my current unlocked iPhone 2G. Would it work on the factory unlocked iPhone 3GS, or would I have to get another data plan?

5. Is there anyone that can pick one up for me in Italy or somewhere?
Click to expand...

1. It will works in USA (phone calls, sms) ... but I'm not sure that 3G works because they use another standard. Wait that someone confirms.

2. There is a warranty... but only from where you bought it, meaning : the store where you bought it. I have always been careful so never had a problem.. but if one day i do, i will certainly not try to use the warranty... i'll find a local shop and pay.

3. Yes

4. It should work

5. I can... but it would be great if i would have some info from your friend.
 
inf said:
1) Yes it will work in US
2) It has the same one year warranty, but the warranty is not covered by Apple in US. U have to send the phone back to Italy, to the place where it was bought
3) Read number 2:)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick response, really appreciate it.

I'm still wondering about the EDGE function with T-Mobile though, especially since it's the iPhone 3GS.


Does anyone know if it would be possible for me to just order from the Italy Apple Store online? If so, would they be able to ship all the way to the USA, and would they apply USA sales tax? And any idea how I would pay in Euros, considering I'm from the USA and only have US dollars at the moment...
 
You can't :).

Apple store : credit card for the same country (but not always) but especially : delivery in the same country.
 
GogNav said:
You can't :).

Apple store : credit card for the same country (but not always) but especially : delivery in the same country.
Click to expand...

:( boooo.

You wrote that you might be able to pick up an iPhone 3GS for me? Any idea how much the 16 GB and 32 GB would be? I'm not entirely sure what the exchange rate is for euros to dollars.
 
pelicanflip said:
:( boooo.

You wrote that you might be able to pick up an iPhone 3GS for me? Any idea how much the 16 GB and 32 GB would be? I'm not entirely sure what the exchange rate is for euros to dollars.
Click to expand...

Yes, for now the only "official" prices are the ones from Apple's website : 599 euros & 699 euros. http://www.oanda.com for curreny exchange. I'm waiting to know the stocks in Milan and I would go next week.
 
GogNav said:
Yes, for now the only "official" prices are the ones from Apple's website : 599 euros & 699 euros. http://www.oanda.com for curreny exchange. I'm waiting to know the stocks in Milan and I would go next week.
Click to expand...

Ouchies. So it's $835.07 for the 16GB and $974.48 for the 32GB, respectively. Kind of a big difference from the 600 and 700 dollar prices here in the USA =/

How long will you be in Italy? I might need some time to come up with the extra cash.
 
Where can you find it sim-unlock for 600 dollars in the US ? :confused:

I'm anyway going to buy several iphones... and will return certainly a week or two after if everything goes well .
 
GogNav said:
Where can you find it sim-unlock for 600 dollars in the US ? :confused:

I'm anyway going to buy several iphones... and will return certainly a week or two after if everything goes well .
Click to expand...

no, i'm just saying that the rates for an iphone 3gs in the US are 599 and 699 with the plan. Even with the early cancellation fee, it's still cheaper, albeit locked to AT&T.

i'm still considering just buying a 3gs iphone here in the us and waiting for the dev team to actually unlock and jailbreak it, but who knows how long that will take.

when you get back from italy, definitely contact me. i'll most likely still be interested in the iphone 3gs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back