10/04: Issues with iPhones and Vodafone
So I want to buy an iPhone - I've umm-ed and ahh-ed about it for long enough and I really want one now :)
I'm with Vodafone, I have been for years, and they've been pretty damn good for the time I've been with them. So after checking that they still were doing the iPhone thing online I went off to the store and enquired. This is where the first problem came up. Seems that the only plans available for the iPhones are over 24 months.
Now, normally 24 months wouldn't be an issue - but I want to (yeah yeah, one day) go over to Europe for a while, so I don't want to be locked into any long contracts if I can avoid it. I asked about paying the difference of purchasing outright etc, but the answer was a resounding noooooo :( I even went to another Vodafone store to confirm - same answer.
They did suggest that I could just pay out the extra 12 months of the contract and terminate early - but to me that seems like a copout and a waste of money :( Why would I throw away $1200 and a year of network access? Fools.
So now I have two options, considering I don't want to goto another network:
1. Purchase an iPhone from eBay, adjust my plan with Vodafone to suit and hope it works.
2. Go with the 24 month contract, same price, bonus phone but possibility of the account not being used for up to 12 months.
The iPhone is available on eBay for about $1000, the 16GB one that is, and there's no guarantee on it either (the warranty could be sketchy too). Considering I'm paying the Vodafone account at the moment anyways I feel that I might as well just go with the 24 months. I guess if I do get overseas I could always ah... lend the account to someone to use (and maybe pay part of for the opportunity) while I'm away... or maybe not, we'll see.
Stupid Vodafone :P
