Unlocked iphone 4 from Belgium--screen not responding

Question

I bought an Iphone 4 from Belgium (unlocked by law) last week. I tried to synch with Itunes without a SIM card (no micro SIM cards in Turkey yet). I disconnected phone from PC upon a message saying "no SIM, disconnect". Then I noticed that the screen (slider) is not responding at all. The Apple Center checked the phone and said the screen and digitizer could be defective. My question: Did I miss something? Could it be that w/o a valid SIM at the activation locked the screen? How can I check that I had purchased a defective phone or not?

Answer 1

I have found a valid SIM card, tried with it. It did not change anything. Then I flied to Brussels to the store I bought IP4. I explained to the Customer Service what I had experienced. They checked the device, confirmed that it seemed to be defective and it had to be sent to Apple Netherlands for repair, and I had to give them a Brussels address and waith for the result for 4-5 weeks. I objected to this situation. IP4 came defective out of the box and I was unable to do any operation on it except connecting it to Itunes and activating. I requested a replacement. Their response was "Since the phone is activated, we can not replace it as a rule". I insisted and spent almost an hour discussing with the store manager. I told them that I was misguided from the User Guide, messages on the IP4 screen and suggestions in this forum. (Sorry Wjosten, you were trying to help with good intentions...). Anyhow, at the end they replaced it.
My suggestions (from this story):
1. The User Guide and messages on the screen should be revised. Instead of "... insert a valid SIM card to activate the phone..", this should be used: "... in order to activate the phone FUNCTION, you should .....". In other words, I have learned that, even before activation, the slider on the bottom of the screen which says "slide to unlock" should be operational.
2. For people, planning to buy IP or any Apple product from another country, think twice and be careful and consider the risks. Mine was an unlucky case, but it costed me a lot. Also, at the end, my perception of the quality of Apple products are ruined. Apple is known to produce high-tech, high end and expensive devices. It is difficult to understand why Apple does not provide international warranty and why it exhibits very different customer services (In USA, it seems, it is very easy to replace a defective phone). I paid a significant amount (639 Euro) from a reputable store, and ended up with an unacceptable procedure (4-5 weeks wait time for repair) for an out-of-box defective phone..