iphone 3GS in SPAIN with MOVISTAR: NO STOCK ANYWHERE!

Same problem here in Barcelona. I asked some shops and they either don't know when they'll receive stock of iPhone 3GS or they tell me I have to wait until september. What's funny is we can see TV ads of the iPhone 3GS and Movistar every day!

It seems to me as if Movistar is blocking the iPhone's distribution in Spain, and that definitely hurts Apple's sales and Apple's reputation in Spain. I wonder how many customers decided to buy a model from the competition in order not to wait for the iPhone.

Hola everyone,

i find myself in the same situation.
I've been searching an Iphone 3GS in Barcelona for a month,
I have asked all the movistar shops on my way.
Each time they don't know, they say maybe in september. Some shops take your phone numbers and promise to call back when they get it. I even went in several stores in Madrid. (Gran via and others) Same thing.

I also have ordered an Iphone 3gs online on moviestar.es one month ago. I have an order number and a phone numer to call to track my order. I ve called several times, and they could not find my order !
This forum thread (in spanish) is full of people with the same "ghost order" problem : http://www.macuarium.com/foro/index.php?showtopic=297298

What is weird is that whereas it's totally unfindable, the iphone 3gs is being advertised everyday on spanish tv AND in the movistar stores, both inside and sometimes with a sticker outside.

I can understand the buzz generating wait being part of the Apple marketing, but here i think we have crossed a line where it is starting to give people a feeling they are not respected, creating too much frustration.

Now don't really know if there are such 3GS distribution problems and unavailability in France, in the UK,in the US or other countries where it's sold. Is that the same thing in other countries, (i suppose not) ?


I'd be glad to participate if there is a way to directly ask Apple some explanation. Please let me know.

Hello from Finland.

No iPhone 3G S models here either. To my knowledge the whole country only received a very limited supply on the release date and not even those who had pre-ordered the phone months ago got their unit. I live in a mid-sized city and the local provider only got 2 machines! When acquiring info about the next shipment the estimate was by the end of the month, which means 4 weeks of waiting! Best thing is that if you signed a contract via online store the operator starts to bill your for the machine even before you hold it in your hands.

I have complained several times....but they tell you story that it is up to the stores to order their stock blah blah...other words they are not interested.

Incredible - they do not want new business ie this was for an xtra phone not a replacement

Well not entirely true....Apple control who they contract with in each country to sell their phones.

They can also - demand that certain customer service standards are offered as to protect their brand.

Apple - should in my view offer iphones in Spain to both Movistar and another carrier ie Vodafone.

Maybe this would help push Movistar to running their business a little smarter....as their current business methods are dumb.

Same here in Finland. i got mine last friday because i reserved it 3 weeks ahead. call Movistar and ask if you can reserve one

Well... It seems I'm one of the few lucky ones to have a new Iphone 3GS 32GB in Spain. 🙂

I totally agree with this thread. The iPhone distribution in Spain is a big shame.

I only had mine cos I have a good friend at a big Movistar store. I waited for a couple of weeks till TWO iPhones 3GS arrived and my friend keep one for me.

Talking to her she explained that they only had 3 iPhones 3GS at the launch day and after 2 weeks arrived 2 more (one it's mine).

I'm talking of the main Movistar shop at a province of Spain with more than a million people living there. Only 5 iPhones available and sold after a month of the launch date!!! No other phones arrived on the smaller Movistar shops.

Also she said they can't order iPhones or any other phone models to Movistar. They just get a courier every day with random phones and you have to be lucky to received what you need for your clients. His words were that "it was like opening a Christmas present".

I can't believe this is done in this stupid way!

Hmm? Perhaps I was then lucky as well, as what I did was I walked to the big Telefonica shop in Gran Via (Madrid) next to the Gran Via Metro, endured 40min waiting in the queue to have chat with the shop agents, and 30-40min to get all the contract things sorted out. This was 16.7.

Ok, they didn't have the 3GS 32GB / Black version, so I took the white instead, which I now like quite a lot.

What ***** is the shop only has 7 days guarantee for the phones. After that all the repairs etc has to be dealed with Apple directly. I know this as my phone battery died now after 2,5 weeks of use. And I'm currently waiting for UPS to pick to phone for repairs. Greatness.

You're also lucky to have an iPhone 3GS, but to get one at the Gran Via shop in Madrid is not as difficult.

As far as I know this shop was build specially for the iPhone 3G launch last summer and it's the only shop in Spain where is't possible to find some.

But it's a shame that you can only find them in a few shops in a contry with 47M people living there!

The warranty and support, as you say, is also poor. There's not even an official Apple store. If you have some hardware issue you have to call Apple and wait for UPS. Then pray not to receive a refurbished iPhone.

I've read lots of post in this forum from users that have some problem, walk into an Apple store, talk to a genius and in a few minutes comes out with a brand new iPhone 3GS. That's good support! Sadly we don't have this here.

I got mine at the Gran Via store in Madrid too. It was three days after launch.
They only had the 16GB, but it was OK, as this is the model I was after.

The whole operation took less than 20 minutes.

It´s impossible to find one in Andaloussia. I´ve tried in Cordoba, Sevilla, Cadiz... and no one even has ever heard about that gadget. I´ve tried to get my 3gs-32gb calling Movistar, but they say they haven´t got the phones. How long may we wait? ´til september? october? any help?

Message was edited by: alonmaiden

I'm swiching four enterprise lines from Vodafone to Movistar ( two of them with iPhone 3GS), and i'm still waiting from the begining of july.....

Good work Steve! You have chosed the right partner in Spain.

Since Movistar appear not to want to sell the iPhone they should be struck off the list of suppliers until they actually carry a stock of them it seems totally incorrect for apple es to link Movistar to the buy an iPhone 3GS site if they are not selling any nor will they in the immediate future . It is like going into a something like MacDonalds and them telling you to come back in October it would make the world press - what a ridiculous situation !!!

I have been waiting for a month now and all they say is said that by sept they would be getting new stocks. I have one reserve for this week to switch from Orange to Movistar and I definitely would get one but i reserve for two, one for me and my wife and they only got one for me at the moment which is ridiculous, my wife wants one also and she is switching from Orange to movistar just like me.