Take the case off. If the phone works when you do that, then the case is the cause of it, and you need to find a better case. Phones aren't required to work with cases, so going back to the store and saying "my phone doesn't work with this case" will not convince your phone company to replace your phone.
As far as transferring photos, it depends on the phone company and what kind of phone you have and will get. You should back up your pics to your computer anyway (and then to some online service like Flickr or Picasa or Facebook or Myspace) since you could always lose your phone or your computer.
As far as transferring photos, it depends on the phone company and what kind of phone you have and will get. You should back up your pics to your computer anyway (and then to some online service like Flickr or Picasa or Facebook or Myspace) since you could always lose your phone or your computer.