Quick Question Regarding Purchase of the iPhone (UK)

[Possédé]

Hello all,

I would just like to apologise in advance if this has already been covered, I've done a quick search and cannot find what I'm looking for.

Well, I'm ready to purchase the iPhone. I am already on o2, and wish to 'upgrade' from the N95, which I got last February. The increase in monthly texts/minutes is a nice plus, and I've got some Christmas money that has not been spent, so it looks like I'll just go for the 16GB model. I'm not bothered that a new one is bound to be released sometime in 2008, as I will be able to sell the 'old' iPhone to fund the newer version.

I would just like to ask, as I am upgrading, will it matter if I purchase the iPhone from a Apple retail shop or an o2 shop? If I purchase from an Apple shop, will I have access to better technical support, and better support regarding the repair of an iPhone (if it were to develop a fault) over purchasing from o2? If the chance that the iPhone I purchase has a fault, such as the negative black screen issue [https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/358122/]... will the o2 store provide the same exchange system that the Apple Store seems to employ (white boxes), or will I need to go to the Apple Shop for any problems that may arise?

Hope I have made myself clear enough.
Thank you for your responses.

 

[Eraserhead]

I don't think it'll make much of a difference where you buy it.

 

[spinstorm]

I guarantee your phone will have the negative black problem as Apple say that phones with that problem are fine!

You have 14 days to return it to O2 - I think 30 days if its faulty and they will give you a new phone.

As far as Apple goes - even if you buy an iPhone from O2 and have a problem with it I would take it to Apple (after the 14/30 days - you may want to doublecheck that!) as O2 will not swap it after that time is up and would send it to Apple.

Considering you could just make a genius appointment and go get a new iPhone from an Apple store directly rather than waiting weeks for O2 to get it sorted I would do that...

 

[Possédé]

Thank you for the replies. It looks like I'll just purchase it from the Apple Store, for the convenience. If anyone wants to input anything else it will be very welcomed.

Thanks.