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iPhone 3Gs - Italy and Belgium - unlocked?

if your planning on buying an iphone 3gs in belgium, forget it!
went to all stores in antwerp and around and they all said anything from 2-8(!!!) weeks delivery time plus a 150€ cash advance to be on the list...
 
The Problem with Handtec (and any other pre-order iPhone provider)

Apple don't let suppliers know when or how much stock they will receive. They only provide (extremely) loose estimates.

Companies like Hantec, which take pre-orders, have no idea when, or how many handsets they will receive. Depending when the proverbial you ordered, you could be three or more deliveries down the list, and the date of those deliveries is anyones guess.

You will get your phones, Hantec have been around for long enough. But they are GREEDY. They have obviously taken on far too many orders than they can process in anything resembling a timely fashion and p**sed off a lot of customers in the process.
 
*sigh* just got a call from my carrier. They start selling the 3GS on 31st but I'm not going to get my phone from the first patch...well i just have to wait and live with the nokia-hell for the time being :D
 
Yuppie

Finally received 2 days ago my 16gb 3gs bought from the italian online apple store. The box was in perfect condition, no scratches, no rattling, so far everything works fine.

ok, maybe the battery life could have been better, but still I am still happy with what I've paid for
 
Hello all,

I'm a new new member to macrumors, although I've been following this thread from the beginning. Thanks to everybody for the info posted here...it was never my intention to purchase an iphone until I started reading this thread but the lure of a factory unlocked iphone was too great :)

Anyway, I took the plunge on Friday afternoon and ordered one online from handtec..32gb white....and I've just got notification for delivery tomorrow...happy days :D
 
blooper said:
if your planning on buying an iphone 3gs in belgium, forget it!
went to all stores in antwerp and around and they all said anything from 2-8(!!!) weeks delivery time plus a 150€ cash advance to be on the list...
Click to expand...

i have alos been ringing around .. the mobistar outlets i have found one that is maybe getting a delivery tomorrow

also no waiting list first come first served

however will not get too excited till i actually get one in my hand

also if you ring around chareloi you will find some .. i found to black 16gb last week however i want the 32 gb ..

if you are willing to go to travel you may get one sooner :)
 
Diamante said:
Hello all,

I'm a new new member to macrumors, although I've been following this thread from the beginning. Thanks to everybody for the info posted here...it was never my intention to purchase an iphone until I started reading this thread but the lure of a factory unlocked iphone was too great :)

Anyway, I took the plunge on Friday afternoon and ordered one online from handtec..32gb white....and I've just got notification for delivery tomorrow...happy days :D
Click to expand...

The fact that most people haven't got theirs yet, makes this post look even more fake ;P
 
Well, I had high hopes that by the time we'd been on vacation and come back to Belgium that the situation would have improved. However, it seems that I'm having that deja-vu sensation again as everywhere in the area continues to have no stock and not a Scooby Doo when anything is going to arrive.

Just purely as a matter of interest, for those who bough a 3G iPhone in Belgium last year, was the stock situation as bad as it is this year with the 3GS?
 
I'm trying to buy a few iphones 3gs(for me and some friends). I've been to Bologna(Italy) for holiday for a few days and walked in some Vodafone and TIM stores. Results: Vodafone One store 1: out of stock, prices 619e for 16gb, 719e for 32gb. Vodafone One store at Airport would only sell with contract. TIM stores also only would sell with a contract.

Can anyone tell me what Provides do sell iPones 3gs without contract in Italy? Do apple stores do? Do they normally have iphones in stock?

Anyone having luck in Belgium? Are there any Providers that sell them without contract?
 
MrZoidberg said:
Anyone having luck in Belgium? Are there any Providers that sell them without contract?
Click to expand...

No luck yet in Belgium - stock seems to dribble in and disappear almost instantly so you probably either need to be very lucky or be on a waiting list with a respectable company that honours such lists. Mobistar is the official carrier in Belgium but you do not need to take a contract with them in order to buy an iPhone. That said, given the huge difference between the supply and demand for the 3GS in Belgium it sounds like some stores are being selective when it comes to selling 3GSs, i.e. they prefer to sell to someone who is currently on another network and who will sign a contract with Mobistar. The independent Apple Resellers also are selling the 3GS (no mucking about with contracts) but they get their stock from Mobistar rather than Apple so you can appreciate how little stock they are seeing. At this time I honestly have no idea how long it will be before I will see my iPhone but some people have been mentioning between 2-8 weeks. The situation, frankly, is shambolic.
 
MrZoidberg said:
I'm trying to buy a few iphones 3gs(for me and some friends). I've been to Bologna(Italy) for holiday for a few days and walked in some Vodafone and TIM stores. Results: Vodafone One store 1: out of stock, prices 619e for 16gb, 719e for 32gb. Vodafone One store at Airport would only sell with contract. TIM stores also only would sell with a contract.

Can anyone tell me what Provides do sell iPones 3gs without contract in Italy? Do apple stores do? Do they normally have iphones in stock?

Anyone having luck in Belgium? Are there any Providers that sell them without contract?
Click to expand...

Hi, just to correct you on this. I bought a black Iphone 32 gb from Tim in Italy a few days ago in a small shopping centre in Le Marche on the Adriatic Coast for 719 Euros - with no contract.

It was the last one, and actually on display, but given that no one else had it in stock (I tried four other places) I decided to go for it. I'm on 3 mobile, and it acitivated via Itunes with no problem, whilst over there.

I just got back a few hours ago via Rome, where out of interest I tried the Tim shop at the airport, asking about availability on the 32gb model. The guy just laughed at me and said he had no idea when he'd have them back in stock.

Bottom line. For the time being forget about the big cities in Italy, unless you are very, very, very lucky. Also, think about heading more to the central or south if you really can't wait.

With 3 Italia now also selling the phone at 699 Euros we should start to see availability trickle back into Italy, however, even the 3 shop I went into had a long waiting list.

I'm off to Turin in about 10 days, so will let you know what the situation is like then and there.
 
For those of you didn't read the whole thread, a friend of mine in italy bought me a 32 Gs black from MediaMarkt. It is a large electronics store and you don't need to sign a contract or whatever. I also ordered later 2 16GB (for my brother and his friend) from the italian apple store and they took 12 days to be delivered (from the day of ordering). I had them to delivered to a friend of mine who was there on vacation.

So your best bet is to order online and have them delivered there somewhere. Or check mediamarkt.
 
I think my only option is to fly to Rome's Apple Store. I'm aware of this site, but can someone give me an indication about what quantities we are talking about? <5, <20, <50 or <100 a day?

I don't want to sleep in front of the apple store to get some iphones ;)

edit: I tried to phone the Apple Store but I get a computer menu and my english is zero. So no luck. Does anyone have the direct number to the store or know what numbers I have to type in the automated menu to speak to an apple store employee?
 
How many

This thread has gone quiet lately.

So ... How many of us are still looking to get an unlocked iphone 3gs?

I've been kept busy and had no opportunity to do anything about getting one, and I have noticed that the Pound to Euro exchange rate has not gone in our favour, and that stock in Italy still seems very low.

So did all the Handtec ppl get theirs or does the saga continue?

:confused:
 
Handtech told me that they are receiving stock today. However, I didn't receive any shipment notification, so it's very likely nothing happened... Anybody else?
 
Ended up buying a PAYG 32Gb from Carphone Warehouse - would have preferred factory unlocked but the wait times are getting silly and prices from Handtec and co are not worth the extra.

Sahajesh
 
iPhones from Italy in August

Hello everyone, I'm new :)

This is such a gripping thread - I had to register and contribute! Ahhh... Inf, you have kept me glued to these boards! Order from Italy, will the 00000 postcode work?! :confused: The tracking of the parcel... which then got lost in your office mail trolley... nailbiting! :D

Anyway, I live in the UK and am about to go to Italy for 3 weeks :cool: where I'm planning to get my 3GS 16GB from the Apple Italian online store. Just a word of advice, if I may. I'm Italian and I know how things work in Italy in August: that is IT SHUTS DOWN for pretty much the whole of August (if you're lucky, just the first 3 weeks)
I've called Vodafone, 3 and Tim and they ALL have no stock at the moment, and because of the above shut down, they won't be getting any until September. Furthermore, many Italians go to the stores every day and "pre-book" their 3GS. This will result in longer waiting time for you folks if you order online or over the phone. :(

Only my 2 cents, guys - don't expect anything to move speedily in August from Italy. I'd say the Apple Online store is your best bet.

On a different note, does anyone know how 3 supports the 3GS in the UK? I'm planning on using it on my 3 SIM card when I return, and have no idea what to expect. Will I have to change the settings? I'm in the dark here, please help :)
 
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