Buying iPhone Returns and Exchange Policies

The return policy for iPhones has improved since the release of the phone. If you’re not happy with your iPhone purchase, you can return the undamaged phone to an Apple Store or the Apple Online Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. You must return the phone in the original packaging, including all the accessories, manuals, and documentation, and you won’t be charged a restocking fee.

If your iPhone is returned to Apple within 30 days from the date of purchase (or shipment in the case of a purchase from the Apple Online Store), your wireless service is canceled automatically, and you are not charged an early termination fee (ETF). However, you will be charged for all usage fees; prorated access charges, taxes, and surcharges; and any other fees your carrier may charge.

If you purchased your iPhone at a cellular carrier store, things aren’t as rosy. A restocking fee will generally be applied to the return, unless you purchased it without service and the phone box was never opened.

In the United States, at the where AT&T is the only carrier available for iPhone owners at the, getting out of a standard two-year postpaid contract (meaning that you are billed at the end of each month of use) can be expensive. You can cancel the service within 30 days of activation without being charged for an ETF. After 30 days, the ETF is $325 minus $10 for each full month of your service commitment that you complete. For example, if you cancel your AT&T contract after 12 months, the ETF is $325 – (12 x $10) = $205. Canceling 23 months into a contract, you’d still be charged a $95 ETF. Once you’ve fulfilled the two-year agreement, your service switches to a month-to-month automatic renewal.

If you opt for a nonstandard, no-contract, month-by-month plan, you pay only for the months you use, and there are no early termination fees. Your credit card is charged in advance for each month of use, and you must contact AT&T before the monthly charge date when you want to cancel. Otherwise, you will have paid for an extra month of service that you will not use.

Source of Information : Taking Your iPhone 4 to the Max 

Buying iPhone Returns and Exchange Policies