Why do mobiles get blocked?

cgk1

nbc wrote: »

It is the IMEI code that the networks use to block phones regardless of what sim is in there.

Right.. but if it is not reported as stolen, what is the legal basis to do so? Nothing in current contracts seems to allow it.

blondmark

So for anyone who's interested, here is how the story ended.

All the mobile providers joined ranks maintaining a vow of silence about which provider blacklisted my handset or why, which left me with a £400 brick and no one to turn to. It seems to me that a system that allows this to happen is fundamentally flawed.

Eventually I found the website of The Telecommunications United Kingdom Fraud Forum at https://www.tuff.co.uk and explained to their Chairman what had happened. Unlike all the mobile providers he was very helpful and told me that O2 blacklisted my handset, despite neither me nor my seller being with O2.

I put this to O2 in writing demanding an explanation, and someone called back with a very unusual story about my handset being used to order O2 PAYG minutes and then charging them back without paying.

Having considered whether this could be possible, I decided they must have made this up, having blacklisted my handset in error, and had invented this ridiculous story to cover themselves. I wrote again putting this to them and requesting proof of what they said, and asking why only the SIM hadn't been blocked. Surprisingly they did a U-turn, admitting that they had indeed blacklisted my handset in error, and apologised.

I wrote again setting out a schedule of loss amounting to £390.00 and gave them 14 days to settle before I sue. They immediately wrote back HERE agreeing to settle the £390.00.

Although that finally worked out for me, I would imagine most other victims of mobile providers' mistakes are just hit with the loss of their handset, the same wall of silence I got, no apology and no compensation.

Jon_01

blondmark wrote: »

So for anyone who's interested, here is how the story ended.


I put this to O2 in writing demanding an explanation, and someone called back with a very unusual story about my handset being used to order O2 PAYG minutes and then charging them back without paying.

Having considered whether this could be possible, I decided they must have made this up, having blacklisted my handset in error, and had invented this ridiculous story to cover themselves.

Not made up, this happens (I used to work for the fraud dept of one of the other networks).
If a handset is logged doing this on multiple payg acc's it will be blacklisted.
The payg acc is credited with £X's from CC and then a day or so later the CC owner calls their bank and reverses the charge. And then they just repeat until they're acc's are closed...

grumbler

Shows how stupid and lazy these fraud departments are. Instead of challenging chargeback and getting the money back by providing proofs to the bank they just resort to pure revenge by blocking the handset and gaining nothing as a result of doing this.

blondmark

Jon_01 wrote: »

Not made up, this happens (I used to work for the fraud dept of one of the other networks).
If a handset is logged doing this on multiple payg acc's it will be blacklisted.
The payg acc is credited with £X's from CC and then a day or so later the CC owner calls their bank and reverses the charge. And then they just repeat until they're acc's are closed...

The reason this instance was made up is because this handset has been in my possession for the past year and it is protected with a PIN. There is no way anyone could have taken it from me without me noticing two months ago, got through the PIN, put in an O2 SIM, put credit on it, made loads of calls, and then charged back the purchase.

This is a fairy story to get O2 off the hook, which they admitted when I demanded that they provide documentary proof this ever happened.

fishforsale

Seems gumtree is more safer them ebay,

Ironic eh, a service that is meant to protect customers actually hinders them(ebay)

While gumtree with no protection is actually the best protection(ie getting the seller to call up his network and state that he is selling the phone )

There needs to be some precedent set by a case...

Jon_01

blondmark wrote: »

The reason this instance was made up is because this handset has been in my possession for the past year and it is protected with a PIN. There is no way anyone could have taken it from me without me noticing two months ago, got through the PIN, put in an O2 SIM, put credit on it, made loads of calls, and then charged back the purchase.

This is a fairy story to get O2 off the hook, which they admitted when I demanded that they provide documentary proof this ever happened.

In that case, it was pure BS on their part...