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Yeah but all the stores i went to had a "no commitment" option... So i decided to check that out and they actually told me reasoning... "because you're buying it outright, there is no commitment to any network and therefore any sim will work in it"...

The "no commitment" part here simply means that you are not bound by a two-year contract with AT&T, not that the iPhone is unlocked.

It seems somewhat strange to me that you are reluctant to contact Apple USA and see if you can ship it to them for a refund.
Your being upset is understandable, but the disaster you're crying about is of your own making. At this point you have options to get your money back if you stop placing blame and do what people here tell you.
 
Can't you just jailbreak it and then unlock it so you can use it on any gsm network?

You can, depending on baseband versions and such, but if you are going to pay full price for a phone, I would much rather have it be factory unlocked. That way you will always be able to use it, even if you accidentally upgrade it.
 
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Again, i didn't buy it from an apple store, and i'm a very busy person an i'm not visiting very big towns in Russia and if you forgot, Russia's a big place!

I did research it, but couldn't find anything from people who had bought the phone outright so i THOUGHT in that situation there could be an exception so i phoned the apple line... Logical thing to do! I even asked him to confirm about the differences in frequencies used for data and he said it's fine.

I didn't do it in the store there and then because i didn't have a micro sim and that can only be provided by O2 in the UK!

Can you please stop trying to attack me and practically calling me stupid and offer some help... The apple email i received said there are unofficial ways of getting it unlocked...2
Will the data work? And will i have to call AT&T to get it activated beforehand?

I didn't want to re sell, just wanting the phone that i worked hard to pay for to work.

I'm actually glad you people think that this was stupid because i know nothing about Apple and its representatives got this simple thing wrong...proving how inadequate the staff i dealt with was!
 
Here we go with another OP trying to draw attention, sensationalize if you will, his thread by using all caps to spell a word. Look at me! Look at me!

Like the TMZ of MRF
 
You can, depending on baseband versions and such, but if you are going to pay full price for a phone, I would much rather have it be factory unlocked. That way you will always be able to use it, even if you accidentally upgrade it.

Yea I would also but that's the price he has to pay for all the misinformation. If he can return it..then great. If not..buckle down and go around it by jailbreaking and unlocking it..at least he'll be able to use it then
 
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Again, i didn't buy it from an apple store, and i'm a very busy person an i'm not visiting very big towns in Russia and if you forgot, Russia's a big place!

I did research it, but couldn't find anything from people who had bought the phone outright so i THOUGHT in that situation there could be an exception so i phoned the apple line... Logical thing to do! I even asked him to confirm about the differences in frequencies used for data and he said it's fine.

I didn't do it in the store there and then because i didn't have a micro sim and that can only be provided by O2 in the UK!

Can you please stop trying to attack me and practically calling me stupid and offer some help... The apple email i received said there are unofficial ways of getting it unlocked...2
Will the data work? And will i have to call AT&T to get it activated beforehand?

I didn't want to re sell, just wanting the phone that i worked hard to pay for to work.

I'm actually glad you people think that this was stupid because i know nothing about Apple and its representatives got this simple thing wrong...proving how inadequate the staff i dealt with was!

Why don't you just return it while you can and buy an official unlocked one from Apple UK?


I don't think anyone has said this yet, but in the US, all iPhones are locked to AT&T and are not officially unlockable.

Post #2. :)
 
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Again, i didn't buy it from an apple store, and i'm a very busy person an i'm not visiting very big towns in Russia and if you forgot, Russia's a big place!

If you're too busy to correct a near $800 mistake then obviously a few hours of you time are worth more to you than that... So just spend a few minutes and sell it online and take it as a loss that you obviously can afford.

Why should anyone here try to help you, do you think our time is not as valuable as yours? I have seen SEVERAL people giving advice, its all advice you don't want to hear.

Since I haven't added anything to "help you" here is what I can do for you.... I'll put the refund price in escrow for you, you ship me the phone next-day express with Best Buy Receipt and I will take 20 min out of my lunch and return it at best buy. Then we can release whatever the amount is minus the restocking fee... I'd be willing to do this to help you out... You won't get the full price back, but you'd be better off than you are now.
 
Another case of where someone doesn't do enough research before buying a product. To echo what a previous commenter said, US iPhones are always locked to AT&T.

I'm not saying it's your fault entirely since you were blatantly told that the phone would work w/ any gsm sim card, but this doesn't constitute calling your situation a "scandal". People aren't necessarily rude to you; they are just feel this thread is dumb? Haha

Unlock your iPhone and your troubles will be over.
 
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I was home for one day between usa and russia... That's when i had my genius appoi tment. Re read what i said. I have no time to return it because every single day i'm up at 4am, travelling until about 5pm to the next town, performing a show at 7pm til 9pm with soundcheck before that and afterwords waiting for the crew to take apart the stage and head back to the hotel to start it all again! I practically lie on a moving bus... I don't have the time!

I'm also PHONELESS so i can't phone them. The internet in all the hotels i've been at is woeful anx when i try to skype the apple care line i can't get reception! I've emailed them though and explained everything and they said i need to get a refund from best buy and there are a few in England. I'm in Russia with the phone, the packaging is in ireland where i'm from and to be honest i really don't feel like all this should be my reaponsibility! I thought the apple store in belfast would just exchange it :( but no!
 
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I was home for one day between usa and russia... That's when i had my genius appoi tment. Re read what i said. I have no time to return it because every single day i'm up at 4am, travelling until about 5pm to the next town, performing a show at 7pm til 9pm with soundcheck before that and afterwords waiting for the crew to take apart the stage and head back to the hotel to start it all again! I practically lie on a moving bus... I don't have the time!

I'm also PHONELESS so i can't phone them. The internet in all the hotels i've been at is woeful anx when i try to skype the apple care line i can't get reception! I've emailed them though and explained everything and they said i need to get a refund from best buy and there are a few in England. I'm in Russia with the phone, the packaging is in ireland where i'm from and to be honest i really don't feel like all this should be my reaponsibility! I thought the apple store in belfast would just exchange it :( but no!

Ok.

What are you trying to achieve by posting here?

People are offering suggestions to try and help fix your predicament but you just keep saying you can't do anything. You may have been given bad advice or might not fully understood what you were told but that's done now.

Sorry but it's up to you to sort it out now.
 
Why did you buy it in the USA? Besides not knowing that it would work 100% in the UK, the charging plug is very different, what advantage would there be?

Sorry mate, no scandal, a bit of stupidity maybe, and not by Apple.
 
Hey OP, why would the Apple Store in Ireland exchange one of their phones for a US version iPhone? You trying to exchange different versions of the iPhone 4. Of course they wouldn't do that. Besides, a US iPhone model doesn't exist in Apple Ireland's directory.

Do us all a favor and google next time.
 
to be honest i really don't feel like all this should be my reaponsibility! I thought the apple store in belfast would just exchange it :( but no!

And there's your problem. It is your responsibility. Stop the feelings of entitlement and for someone else to clean up your "mess"

The only disaster here is your unwillingness to own up to your own mistakes. And honestly - you obviously can't think in a logical fashion. Given your crazy schedule I would have done the following

Not taken the phone with me (since it didn't work on the network) and then just phones/emailed home for someone to send it back to best buy OR

Sometime (and hey - I know PLENTY about touring and the entertainment industry) during your tour you have had time to send your phone back at least to home where someone could have done the rest of the transaction for you.

But you would rather spend that same time posting on here about how you were wronged.
 
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I thought the apple store in belfast would just exchange it :( but no!

You are not getting it... The phone that you bought is locked to ATT here in the USA so there is no way that Apple or O2 in the UK are going to exchange it. It is as useless to them as it is to you.

As for Apple here in the USA, they probably thought you were going to get an AT&T account and then use the phone in the UK. I have used my phone overseas when I was traveling and it works fine. What I think happened is that you weren't clear with your intentions and they simply gave you an answer to sell you a phone. This is no different than if you bought the phone in Germany and tried to take it to the UK, it would be locked to T-Mobile. Bottom line is that you will have to sell the phone for a loss on E-Bay and then buy one in your country.
 
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I was home for one day between usa and russia... That's when i had my genius appoi tment. Re read what i said. I have no time to return it because every single day i'm up at 4am, travelling until about 5pm to the next town, performing a show at 7pm til 9pm with soundcheck before that and afterwords waiting for the crew to take apart the stage and head back to the hotel to start it all again! I practically lie on a moving bus... I don't have the time!

I'm also PHONELESS so i can't phone them. The internet in all the hotels i've been at is woeful anx when i try to skype the apple care line i can't get reception! I've emailed them though and explained everything and they said i need to get a refund from best buy and there are a few in England. I'm in Russia with the phone, the packaging is in ireland where i'm from and to be honest i really don't feel like all this should be my reaponsibility! I thought the apple store in belfast would just exchange it :( but no!


Well if you are telling me that you confirmed this information with MANY other people and the internet, and they ALL told you that an iPhone purchased in the US would work anywhere, then I have to say....

1. You have either been a part of an elaborate prank, or
2. You are lying about something.

If you would've told me that you confirmed with ONE person and they told you it's unlocked, then I can see that one person being mistaken. But to say that every single person from Apple, AT&T and Best Buy lied to you is a bit unbelievable.



Just saying what's on my mind...
 
Why did you buy it in the USA? Besides not knowing that it would work 100% in the UK, the charging plug is very different, what advantage would there be?

Sorry mate, no scandal, a bit of stupidity maybe, and not by Apple.

Couldnt agree more. I don't get why someone from europe that could have easily bought an unlocked phone, come to the US and buy a locked phone and now is screwed.
 
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I was home for one day between usa and russia... That's when i had my genius appoi tment. Re read what i said. I have no time to return it because every single day i'm up at 4am, travelling until about 5pm to the next town, performing a show at 7pm til 9pm with soundcheck before that and afterwords waiting for the crew to take apart the stage and head back to the hotel to start it all again! I practically lie on a moving bus... I don't have the time!

I'm also PHONELESS so i can't phone them. The internet in all the hotels i've been at is woeful anx when i try to skype the apple care line i can't get reception! I've emailed them though and explained everything and they said i need to get a refund from best buy and there are a few in England. I'm in Russia with the phone, the packaging is in ireland where i'm from and to be honest i really don't feel like all this should be my reaponsibility! I thought the apple store in belfast would just exchange it :( but no!

Your screwed then. If you don't have the time to figure out a way to return it, you have an $800 dollar paper weight. There isn't going to be a magical fix for the issue. Either contact apple USA and try to get a refund, ebay it, or keep the thing. Those are your 3 basic options. Sucks that you don't like them, but that is where you are at right now
 
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Right i'll try and get a refund sortes with best buy in the UK! i just fear that i won't make the return so i'm wanting to hear some good news that even if i don't make it in time for their return policy it might still work! The reason why i bought it in the States is simply because it's cheaper!

It's not something i can afford to lose. I'm 19 and touring with a dance show, not a millionaire. As i say, i don't know how i'm gonna organise the refund with anyone coz skype is so slow! :( but thanks anways for all your help! Think i'm just confused as to what option to take!
 
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I calle it a scandal a in the thing tk get people to read it! And i will confirm that all 3 people that dealt with the matter thoight that it would work...fact!
 
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I calle it a scandal a in the thing tk get people to read it! And i will confirm that all 3 people that dealt with the matter thoight that it would work...fact!

As I said, it will work! If you have an ATT account in the USA and you take the phone over to the UK, it will work. What won't work is changing the carrier of the phone. I don't know of anyone in the USA that would tell you this would work. It is no secret that our phones are locked.
 
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