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iPhone preorders for Three (UK)

W

willber

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 7, 2010
85
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Was wondering if anyone could tell me how preorders for the iPhone 4 worked last year on Three, so I can work out money etc in preparation for the iPhone 5.

Did you have to pay the full amount upfront, or a deposit? And were the preorders exclusive to existing Three customers?

Thanks!
 
If I recall correctly only Apple had pre-orders on their web site. I'm sure there was initially a shortage and most carriers weren't prepared to do pre-orders.
 
none of the networks did pre-order, it was queue on the day or order online that day only. vodafone had it at launch same as orange and o2. i think 3 didn't get it til a month later or so though.
 
3 did not have the iPhone 4 at launch infact I think they were the last UK provider to get the iPhone 4 on contract.

As for iPhone 5 pre orders, who knows. Until launch day nobody will.
 
willber said:
Was wondering if anyone could tell me how preorders for the iPhone 4 worked last year on Three, so I can work out money etc in preparation for the iPhone 5.

Did you have to pay the full amount upfront, or a deposit? And were the preorders exclusive to existing Three customers?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It was a disaster !!! I was told once I preordered I would be in their first batch of iPhone 4's to be dispatched. YES I was but what they failed to tell me was they weren't getting phones for launch day. I had to wait 4-5 weeks so I'll not be preordering with 3 again.
 
So the only guarantee of getting one is thru Apple website pre-order?

May just have to do that, I don't want to wait around for a month without it.
 
Diiiiips said:
So the only guarantee of getting one is thru Apple website pre-order?

May just have to do that, I don't want to wait around for a month without it.
Click to expand...

Yeah. That's what I'll be doing from now on. I was gonna cancel the preorder but I couldn't get one anywhere else by this stage so I just had to hold on :-( it was very annoying as pals in work got theirs on launch day and were showing them off and asking where's mine?
 
Diiiiips said:
So the only guarantee of getting one is thru Apple website pre-order?

May just have to do that, I don't want to wait around for a month without it.
Click to expand...

They are most likely going to be sim free and unlocked only. Therefore they will cost more. If you want to upgrade on an existing contract or get a new contract you will probably need to go through one of the networks. I bought mine from Apple online through a pre-order for £600 as I was already on a contract and wasn't due for an upgrade till this past summer.

I sold my unlocked 3GS for £350 to a work colleague so my final outlay wasn't that much. I'm hoping to do the same with the next iPhone. Buy it from Apple sim free and unlocked then sell my iPhone 4 to a private buyer hopefully for about £350-400.
 
Thanks for the responses everyone, hopefully Three will be getting it on launch day!
 
Mr.C said:
They are most likely going to be sim free and unlocked only. Therefore they will cost more. If you want to upgrade on an existing contract or get a new contract you will probably need to go through one of the networks. I bought mine from Apple online through a pre-order for £600 as I was already on a contract and wasn't due for an upgrade till this past summer.

I sold my unlocked 3GS for £350 to a work colleague so my final outlay wasn't that much. I'm hoping to do the same with the next iPhone. Buy it from Apple sim free and unlocked then sell my iPhone 4 to a private buyer hopefully for about £350-400.
Click to expand...

I really hope the iPhone is available unlocked when it launches, as I'm not upgrading my cell phone plan and plan on paying full price.
 
Do other networks tend to do preorders for upgrades or even new customers? If so I'd rather preorder like that than pay £600 to Apple but if not and there are likely to be shortages then I'll stick to Apple.
 
After getting screwed by preordering last year, only to receive the iPhone 4 and discover it couldn't make calls in places my previous 3GS did perfectly, I'm done.

Then to have the CEO speak in a flippant, condescending manor when he said "You're Holding It Wrong" was the final straw.

Going forward I'm taking a wait and see approach. So much for trusting Apple. That was a bad mistake.
 
Apple were te only ones that did pre-order for pay as you go phones.

All other networks/contracts were done on the day.

Pre-order-was for like a few hours on the day of pre-order which was 2 weeks before actual release.

London regents St store-majority people that got their on the day waited about 7hrs on the pre-order que.

Other apple stores a few hours.

If their is local stores like THREE/Carphone warehouse phones4u/O2/t mobile you may be seen much quicker.

We will know on the day when others post
 
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