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Carphonewarehouse UK - import ?

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  • 26-06-2017 2:50pm
    #1
    beer enigma
    Registered Users Posts: 6,166 ✭✭✭


    Hey just wondering if I can buy a phone on the UK carphonewarehouse site & get it delivered by parcel motel ?

    There's no import restriction or duty is there ?


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    #2
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 39,443 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    beer enigma wrote: »
    Hey just wondering if I can buy a phone on the UK carphonewarehouse site & get it delivered by parcel motel ?

    There's no import restriction or duty is there ?

    Should be fine. Just make sure 2 things

    1. You buy the sim free version
    2. You up the PM cover as the standard is only €100. Only costs a couple of euro to up the cover to 1k for a delivery I believe.


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    #3
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,457 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    There's no VAT or duty issues buying a mobile from the UK, might be worth checking Amazon UK as well.


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    #4
    Fuzzy Logic
    Registered Users Posts: 892 ✭✭✭Fuzzy Logic


    kceire wrote: »
    1. You buy the sim free version

    Make sure it's unlocked. Sim free will lock to the first sim put into the phone.


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    #5
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,457 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Fuzzy Logic wrote: »
    Make sure it's unlocked. Sim free will lock to the first sim put into the phone.

    That's nonsense.

    'SIM free' means it was never locked in the first place so you can put any SIM into it because it's 100% your property - you have paid full price for it. It does not 'adopt' the first SIM you put into it and lock itself to that network. With a SIM free phone you can switch networks when the fancy takes you and as often as you like.

    I have never had a network locked phone cause I regard them as a rip-off. My current and previous (SIM free, bought from Amazon UK) phones are still operational and although I used an O2 (later 3) SIM in them originally, they both now work with a Vodafone SIM since I switched network last year.


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    #6
    Sad Professor
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,678 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor


    In the past, CPW-sold "SIM-free" iPhones locked to the network of the first SIM inserted. It's still on their website. Whether they still do this I don't know.


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    #7
    Sad Professor
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,678 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor


    From the UK CPW website:
    The iPhone will lock itself to the network of the first SIM card that is used in the phone. Subsequently attempting to use it on any other network, for example by replacing the SIM card, may mean it becomes permanently unusable. SIM free iPhones can only be used with a UK-network SIM card, and will not accept foreign SIM cards.

    https://www.carphonewarehouse.com/apple/iphone-7.html#!colour=black&capacity=32GB&dealType=pm

    Whether it really does lock to the network of the first SIM and refuses foreign SIMs anymore, I don't know. I've heard of even supposedly locked phones being unlocked. Either way I wouldn't risk it.


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    #8
    Fuzzy Logic
    Registered Users Posts: 892 ✭✭✭Fuzzy Logic


    coylemj wrote: »
    That's nonsense.

    'SIM free' means it was never locked in the first place so you can put any SIM into it because it's 100% your property - you have paid full price for it. It does not 'adopt' the first SIM you put into it and lock itself to that network. With a SIM free phone you can switch networks when the fancy takes you and as often as you like.

    I have never had a network locked phone cause I regard them as a rip-off. My current and previous (SIM free, bought from Amazon UK) phones are still operational and although I used an O2 (later 3) SIM in them originally, they both now work with a Vodafone SIM since I switched network last year.

    I'm right as per what Sad Professor posted. I get numerous enquiries about people who bought the phones sim free from CarPhoneWarehouse believing they were unlocked when in fact they were locked to the first sim they put into the phones.


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    #9
    bahdah
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭bahdah


    Hi,

    I'm hoping to buy an iPhone from CarphoneWarehouse when I'm in London this weekend. I just got a reply from them saying they cannot guarantee their handsets will work outside of the UK.
    Has anyone experienced them not working? Or are they covering themselves?

    Or would I be better off paying £20 more and getting it from the Apple Store while I'm there?


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    #10
    Sad Professor
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,678 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor


    bahdah wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm hoping to buy an iPhone from CarphoneWarehouse when I'm in London this weekend. I just got a reply from them saying they cannot guarantee their handsets will work outside of the UK.
    Has anyone experienced them not working? Or are they covering themselves?

    Or would I be better off paying £20 more and getting it from the Apple Store while I'm there?

    Don't risk it. Get it from Apple.


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    #11
    bahdah
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭bahdah


    Yeah, I was thinking that alright!

    It'll work grand from them? Tried to get onto Support this morning, but it's like Fort Knox


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    #12
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 39,443 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    bahdah wrote: »
    Yeah, I was thinking that alright!

    It'll work grand from them? Tried to get onto Support this morning, but it's like Fort Knox

    It will work perfect.
    Just buy the factory unlocked version. I have iPhones from the UK and the USA here and all working perfect.


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    #13
    bahdah
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭bahdah


    Brilliant!

    Thanks so much dudes/dudettes :D


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    #14
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,457 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Fuzzy Logic wrote: »
    I'm right as per what Sad Professor posted. I get numerous enquiries about people who bought the phones sim free from CarPhoneWarehouse believing they were unlocked when in fact they were locked to the first sim they put into the phones.

    If your comment applies to Carphone Warehouse then I accept what you say but CPW was completely incidental to the OP's query which related to tax and duty only. His query could have been about any UK vendor.

    Poster kceire said to make sure it was SIM Free, I told the OP to check Amazon. Nobody mentioned that CPW was different to any other UK vendor, then you lobbed in this ....
    Make sure it's unlocked. Sim free will lock to the first sim put into the phone.

    I'm mystified as to how you expected everyone to interpret that as applying to CPW only.


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