Advice needed re Sim Free......Please?

makinprogress

I apologise at the outset if this is a ridiculous question, but, I have been looking to buy a new Handset (as I am PAYG) to transfer my existing Vodafone Sim to. I have looked at the Nokia 6500 Classic Bronze. The price at Carphone Warehouse is £199 for the Handset Only, or £139 on Orange PAYG.
The Assistant in Carphone Warehouse told me last week that they only sell
'unlocked' phones now.
If I bought the Orange PAYG, would it be open to use my Vodafone Sim, or would it need to be unlocked?
It seems too simple to be true, so it probably is! Just the comment by the Assistant that has confused me!
Thanks in Advance.
(also looking at the New Nokia 6600 Slide...any opinions or preference for either one...?)

eljmayes

makinprogress wrote: »

I apologise at the outset if this is a ridiculous question, but, I have been looking to buy a new Handset (as I am PAYG) to transfer my existing Vodafone Sim to. I have looked at the Nokia 6500 Classic Bronze. The price at Carphone Warehouse is £199 for the Handset Only, or £139 on Orange PAYG.
The Assistant in Carphone Warehouse told me last week that they only sell
'unlocked' phones now.
If I bought the Orange PAYG, would it be open to use my Vodafone Sim, or would it need to be unlocked?
It seems too simple to be true, so it probably is! Just the comment by the Assistant that has confused me!
Thanks in Advance.
(also looking at the New Nokia 6600 Slide...any opinions or preference for either one...?)

I would think that the phone would be locked to Orange for the lower price so you would have to get it unlocked. The only network that didn't usually lock the phones was O2, although I suspect that the majority of their phones are locked now because of the increase in SIM only contracts. The 6500 is about 170 quid SIM only online, so I'd see if The Carphone Warephone could match that somehow.

ultrak3wl

I spent quite a bit of time figuring this out last year. I had a Vodafone contract SIM from my company but didn't like the company-supplied phone handset. I went to Carphone Warehouse to buy the cheapest 6300 PAYG - my plan was to throw away the PAYG SIM and use the 6300 with the Vodafone contract.

CW told me all their phones were unlocked. They had same 6300 PAYG on all networks but the most expensive was 20 quid more than cheapest. I asked them if it were some kind of trick - if phones were unlocked why would anyone not just buy the cheapest? Bloke admitted logic was sound so I did buy cheapest and that was it. Was forced to buy 10 credit for PAYG SIM however so gave it to kids rather than chuck straight in bin.

I took my Vodafone SIM into the shop with me because I didn't believe them when they said phones were unlocked. Tried it on spot however and sure enough it worked.

rash.m2k

CPW handsets are all unlocked. But best to go into the store and try your simcard in it.

better safe than sorry.

FixaPhone

I have posted this before but for some reason it was deleted,

If a handset comes direct from the network it will almost definitely be locked.

If the handset comes from anywhere else i.e. independent or multi store chain then the following applies;

T-Mobile, Orange & 3- always locked, supplier has to use PNC stock

Vodafone & O2 – can be either, independents have a choice, the can either use network stock or SIM free stock which ever is cheapest/convenient (in most cases SIM free as they can stock 1 phone and sell on either network)

Now the exception. Carphonewarehouse, they have used their buying power and market standing to basically bully the networks into letting them source their stock from wherever they want, and because they buy direct from the manufactures and not networks the phone are unlocked as manufactures do not lock phones.

One warning; it is not guaranteed that the CPW phone will be unlocked occasionally the networks will sell stock with a heavy subsidy and cheaper that the manufacturer and CPW are not stupid so will buy the cheaper (locked) stock.

Jon_01

If its got network branding on the handset (ie the Orange square printed on it somewhere) the odds are its going to locked, if not, the odds are its unlocked...

owls4eva_2

So does this mean that if you buy an unlocked handset from CPW that has come direct from the manufacturer you are less likely to suffer from the software bugs that seem to be happening when the networks add their own stuff?

Jon_01

owls4eva wrote: »

So does this mean that if you buy an unlocked handset from CPW that has come direct from the manufacturer you are less likely to suffer from the software bugs that seem to be happening when the networks add their own stuff?

Most defiantly, the network branding can be a nightmare. A guy from Nokia I was talking to a while ago told me, "We spend something like 5 man years developing the firmware and then the networks come along and take three weeks bolting on their branding and when the phone doesn't work it's our fault !!!" He wasn't happy...:mad:

shane272

Locked to orange here is the imei number
35980919992354
Please if you can help me with the unlocking code i would be greatful