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[JamesV6CDX]

3 months ago I took out a contract with THREE and had an inclusive iPhone 5 which I got on really well with - first phone I've truly really liked!

Earlier this month I was on a night out in Spain, and foolishly went to a cash machine (a short walk from my friends bar where he works) on my own, and was robbed by a group of eastern european males who wanted everything I was carrying and were prepared to take it by force.

I decided losing my phone and a few quid (thankfully my debit card was lose in my pocket!) was better than getting stabbed, so they made their escape with my phone.

Got crime report from spanish plod, no problem with that - but the problem is - that my travel insurance doesn't cover mobile phones, and my mobile phone insurance (via the bank) is only valid in UK, I didn't take out the "extra" to be covered abroad. Entirely my own fault for not checking, but bottom line is I'm not insured, I've checked and argued, extensively.

So - I've got to take a hit in the pocket for a new phone. I had the 5- but do the 4 / 4S / 3GS really do that much less?

All I want it for is a phone, email/internet, text, online banking app, music. Though - I do like all the cloud stuff and would like that too.

I don't want to endure the well known auction site for a phone purchase, too many chancers and scammers - what are my options? High ST store such as CEX for a used (and probably abused?) one? Anyone know of any good refurbishers who sell them off?

Any advice or pointers welcome

[chrisgixer]

Barcelona per chance?

Got a 4 here, but it's no 5.

[Mr.OmegaMan]

Barcelona per chance?

Got a 4 here, but it's no 5.

Poor signal with the 4 i found, The 4S upwards are good 

[Taxi_Driver]

I recently got a 4 8Gb version, i put the latest OS on it and its fine for me....i wouldnt go for a 3 tho....their a bit long in tooth now imo. I originally wanted to use it as a wifi access point, as BT have yet to fix my phoneline, however i found out that apple only let certain mobile providers access to this feature, giffgaff is not one of them
The only thing that im not too happy with, is that i have gmail installed on it, on my blackberry, gmail used to pole my mailbox every hour, this doesnt happen on the iphone, it only poles it when i have the gmail app open......tho if i looked at cloud email instead this might work better.

[plym ian]

I'd say the high st your best bet, as online you don't know what your getting.

Swmbo got a brand new iphone 4s from cash converters not even taken out the box

Saying that asda were selling Samsung s3 unlocked for £319 last week if you want something diffrent.

[sdwall]

Hiya James! I use a 4s and am absolutely happy with everything it does for me, and can honestly say I haven't felt the need to upgrade to iPhone5. I had an S3 but prefer my 4s. Choice is yours really but my choice would be 4s

[TheBoy]

I get my iPhones directly from crApple. Can't deal with the shite network locked ones, life's too short.

After an iPhone5, an original 4 or older will see unusably slow. 3GS can't do 900Mhz 3G (not that 3 have anything that useful).

[AndyRoid]

Does it have to be an iPhone?

A secondhand Galaxy S2 in good condition can be had for £100 or so these days, and if you want to spend a little more then you can easily get an S3 (which trounces the iPhone 5 for performance IMHO) for £200 or so.
If you want brand new, ASDA are selling the S3 (SIM free) for £319.

[omegod]

Same it couldn't have been lost when you got back to the uk  guess you weren't aware of the insurance situation. Can you not do anything with having paid via debit/credit card or maybe claim on your contents insurance?

[maracus]

After having an iPhone 5, I'd say go for a 4s, same software available for it as the 5 anyway, its smaller, and the battery life on the 5 is only acceptable if you buy an in car charger.. It doesn't last a day of high usage. Also the plugs different on the 5. Also, I've heard that the motherboard is built into the back of the screen so screen replacement in the event of damage is out of the question. Really wish I'd have gone for a 4s.

[zirk]

I would second a Galaxy SII as a cheap replacement, IMHO better and more down to earth than the S3 and S4.

[JamesV6CDX]

Many thanks to all for the replies and tips

I had a look on eBay and found someone very local selling an unused iPhone 5 in black, which was brand new (only opened to have a play with and never taken out of the house) and was basically an unwanted upgrade because he preferred Android.

Anyway, I sent an email saying I could be over there in an hour with £250 notes. Taking the piss and expecting him to tell me to do one. Instead, he said make it £280 and it's a deal. I did tell him he'd get a lot more on eBay if he let the auction run, but he said that, like me, he has no time for eBay, and someone coming round to cross his palm with silver and shake hands on a deal wins - no post office, risk of damage in transit, no paypal, ebay listing or final value fees...

Don't think I have gone far wrong. He was good to his word, it's literally unused, and still has 6 months crApple warranty...

Good deal? Just off to the shop to get it set up

[tunnie]

Careful it's not nicked

Maybe why he wants a fast sale before its blocked

[Mr.OmegaMan]

Careful it's not nicked

Maybe why he wants a fast sale before its blocked

Aye always check the IMEI number with apple/police before purchasing a secondhand iPhone for peace of mind

[AndyRoid]

Careful it's not nicked

Maybe why he wants a fast sale before its blocked

A very common trick is to report the phone missing a month or so after it's been sold to get a replacement on insurance.