I've been using the O2 stock checker for the iPhone 4S more-or-less since the phone launched and the nearest stock to me (in London) is always places like Carmarthen or Northern Ireland. I can understand the small local high street O2 shops only receiving a small allocation but why are places like Carmarthen getting stock when there's none in London?

We tried to order about 10 original iPhone 4 handsets via our Corporate account and o2 cannot fulfull the order...and instead had us change the order for the iPhone 4s....

....which they also now cannot fulfill, so they ain't going to their corporate account customers at the expense of regular joe accounts.

So, we are on backorder....

I've noticed that some stores (e.g. Southall) seem to have stock when huge shopping centre branches like Westfield don't. I wonder whether there is a business reason for this, for example the stock is only going to branches which tend to sell higher priced tariffs? Or is it just luck that some branches are getting stock?

The stock checker locally has claimed they have no stock since the day they went on sale in the O2 store, but I walked into the local store on the second day and they had stock, even though the net said they didn't. Try wandering into some local stores and see what they have. Another friend also upgraded her O2 phone at Carphone Warehouse, who had stock.