Unlocking an Orange phone - anti competitive

batchworth993

I have an iphone 4 that is currently locked to Orange - I want to take advantage of an offer from Giffgaff (that Orange are unable to match). I am reluctantly willing to pay their £20.42 to unlock the phone but they are saying it will take 6 weeks to implement!

This is clearly anti-competitive from Orange who are trying to make things as difficult as possible.

Any ideas???

DUTR

Well, thinking about it, you had the handset subsidised and on credit from Orange, so they are in their rights to lock it.

storybrooke

My sister is trying to switch back to 02 after finding Orange too expensive and was told the same as you. The time it takes is ridiculous!

Buzby

It used to take 2 weeks - I understand the department that arranges unlocking has only 2 staff members. It is taking progressively longer, but anti-competitive? Just carp customer service - nothing more.

If you don't want a phone locked, don't purchase a subsidised handset. I now buy mine at the full price, and never have a problem.

19lottie82

It takes UP to 6 weeks, from my personal experience (last month) and other I have spoken to, 10-14 days is more realistic.

westy22

19lottie82 wrote: »

It takes UP to 6 weeks, from my personal experience (last month) and other I have spoken to, 10-14 days is more realistic.

Well, that was not my experience - I found that it actually took 8 weeks for my 3GS to be unlocked by Apple. Orange blamed Apple for the long delay and Apple blamed Orange for giving them wrong information!

Cycrow

all apple phones have to be unlocked by apple, the network simply passes the details onto them to do it.
so you are at the mercy of apple doing it, which in general will take about 2 weeks, but can often take longer.

this will take even longer if the network is slow at sending the request.

for really long times, then both apple and the network will be to blame

nickcc

Tesco told me 3 weeks to unlock a two year old Samsung, email came through next day with the unlock code and instructions.

Buzby

My Orange unlock was 7 weeks, Vodafone 2 days both for iPhones. Orange explained the delay was due to backlogs on their systems.....

FloFlo

I've been waiting since March, good luck.

FloFlo

I have now contacted watchdog, if enough do perhaps they will feature it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74