It seems odd that O2 decided to stop taking online orders for the 3G iPhone. Potential customers are forced to keep checking back to see an updated list of which shops might have a few in stock - and even then we’re not told how many.

Why not take the order online and then notify the customer when they should expect to receive one, rather than the current awkward arrangement. What about the old-fashioned principle of first-come first-served, instead of hit-and-miss shopping. Here’s my money, send me one when you get to me. I don’t know of other e-commerce sites that remove the product when it goes out of stock - they’re usually all to willing to take the order on the basis of a vague 2-4 weeks delivery.

If we have to visit a shop to get one, then why not send a text message to alert us when they’re in stock?

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