PAYG Phones from Carphone Warehouse... help

Rebchappers

Hi all, after breaking my samsung U600last week, i am looking to buy a new PAYG mobile. I like the LG Cookie and it is currently under £50 at Carphone warehouse. However, i am currently on Tesco mobile and am so impressed with them, that i really want to stay on that network. From various threads on the internet it seems that Carphone warehouse phones come unlocked. I went into town today to pick one up and the young lad was ademant that NONE of their phones came unlocked. He said if it wanted it to open to all networks, i would have to buy the sim free 'handset only' option which was £130?

I was really disappointed as this is a great price, and i really like the phone. Has anyone purchased a PAYG LG cookie from CPW recently and can confirm if it is unlocked? Or any employee from CPW able to comment?

I would swap to another network if need be, but would prefer it if i could stay with Tesco as they are so cheap. I hate to say it, but the lad at CPW didnt really seem like he wanted our business, as soon as we said we werent interested in taking out a contract... any help would be much appreciated!

Rebecca

Timalay

He is right, but it's not the Carphone Warehouse that lock them, it's the network that do it.

RevTheory

I guess i can answer this.

all our (CPW) phones are unlocked, but if you openly state you have a sim card and plan to use that sim in the phone, officaly we cant sell it on payg, because of some stupid company policy, because the price is subsidized by CPW, we have to sell with a payg sim on the 5 main networks with credit, if you dont use the sim with give you, its costs CPW £25, the amount of sims not used when sold amounts to millions every years, so managers have been told to down this down, thats why.

virgo17

Timalay wrote: »

He is right, but it's not the Carphone Warehouse that lock them, it's the network that do it.

He *might* be right, but my experience of CPW has been that every handset I have bought from them (except from the very early Orange days) has been unlocked.

I would suggest that you try another branch or perhaps another sales assistant. At my local CPW the staff are quite open about their handsets being unlocked. In fact they even allowed me to try my Spanish SIM card in a PAYG handset I was buying some months ago.

Rebchappers

Rev, thank you very much for that. Do you mind me asking if you work for CPW?

Edinburghlass_2

Order online via Quidco for £5 cashback and they will deliver to local store or your home.

Sheepster

So just don't say you intend on putting a Tesco sim in it
In my experience too, all CPW phones have always been unlocked

anonymousie

Bought DD1 a phone from CPW yesterday (alcatel one touch mini) and the sales person told me outright that all of their P+G phones were unlocked. We were about to buy it on orange as this was cheapest, but would need a £10 top up, but asked about price on O2 as it wa sfor DD1 to use with her current SIM.

Upshot was - really helpful SA sold it to us without a SIM at all at the O2 price (orange £29.99 +£10 top up, O2 price £34.99 no top up) , did some computer stuff and said we'd get £3 creditied to the phone within the next 28 day as well!!

One very happy customer!!

I guess as they don't sell tesco mobile you're stuck buying the cookie on what ever deal is cheapest and putting your tesco SIM in.

Yeah- just don't say anything about the tesco SIM, just ask if it is unlocked, maybe because you might need to put another SIM in when you are travelling....

RevTheory

Rebchappers wrote: »

Rev, thank you very much for that. Do you mind me asking if you work for CPW?

indeed i do

Rebchappers

Wonderful! Thank you all so much for your replies.... that will teach me to be honest about my intentions!

redoscar

RevTheory wrote: »

indeed i do

hi revtheory

can you advise if the iphones you sell are also unlocked on pay as you go