Locked to Virgin EE by carphone warehouse

d123

mickeyb44 wrote: »

3: Virgin are nothing to do with this, I tried them and they said its 100% down to EE and EE only.

As someone who has actually worked for the network, if you placed a Virgin sim into the iPhone first it is locked to Virgin not EE and EE will not be able to process the unlock.

If you placed a Virgin sim into the phone, it is everything to do with Virgin, and only they can request the unlock. You are aware that EE (the network, not the company) don't even sell 3G phones and never have?

The 2 old brands of EE (the company) can't even arrange to unlock each other's phones. T-Mobile can only arrange T-Mobile unlocks and Orange can only arrange Orange unlocks.

6: I had a threeway conversation with a senior tech at apple and CW, the apple guy really tried hard for me but in the end realised that if CW wanted to actually help they still could not because its locked to EE and now out of their control.

you are fixated on "locked to EE", this isn't correct, it might be locked to a subset of EE, that doesn't mean it's locked to EE, it's locked to Virgin if your OP is correct.

d123

biggysnax wrote: »

Used to work for CPW, they don't deserve the bad rep that many people give them. CPW are not the only retailer to do this, Vodafone, O2, EE, 3, they all do it! I am guessing it is a pre-requisite of Apple that if you a mobile retailer selling the phone, it must be locked.

In this instance, it was stupid of the sales consultant to sell it as "unlocked", I would go to the manager of the store, he does have the discretion to do something about it whether it is in the form of a credit note for CPW or a cheque sent to your house to cover the cost of an unlock. If you don't get any further, complain straight to the top.

It's totally different for a network to sell locked phones and be upfront about it. It's quite another thing for a dishonest company to sell "sim free phones" that then lock to the first UK sim inserted, even though the customer paid full sim free price for the phone.

Only way to describe them is shysters.

grumbler

mickeyb44 wrote: »

...
4: I have tried 2 unlock shops and they both tried and said sorry, they didn't charge me....

You tried very odd shops. All professional unlockers know that there is no anything to 'try' because the only correct way of unlocking is to make changes in Apple's database, that only networks have access to. Some of the people working for networks have friends selling this service on ebay. That's why all ebay sellers specialise on iphones locked to some particular network.

mickeyb44

For the record, once again, I have had several calls and emails with virgin and they keep stating its out of their control and only EE can do anything.


Several calls and emails with apple and they keep stating its out of their control and only EE can do anything.


Several calls, emails and a return visit to CPW and they keep stating its out of their control and only EE can do anything.


The fact is this,


1: I was mis-sold a product by cpw
2: EE must be breaking some sort of rules by insisting on an insurers letter to unlock a phone.


Those are the facts, i am not an idiot and I exhausted every avenue before coming here.

grumbler

In fact there are no any 'rules'.
Where do EE say about the insurance? AFAIK they unlock only after the phone was used 6 months on their network and regardless of any insurance: http://ee.co.uk/help/getting-started/joining-ee/unlocking-your-phone

And it's very easy to check whether the phone is locked to EE or not. Just order a free PAYG sim. If it doesn't work, then EE really have nothing to do with this and Virgin are giving you runaround.
It's obvious that Apple can do this too, but can't care less and don't want to. From the very start this crazy idea of self-locking was a great Apple's failure

Anoneemoose

THIS IS CATEGORICALLY NOT ANYTHING TO DO WITH EE. (Apologies for shouting). So please stop barking up the wrong tree with that.

If you have been using a Virgin SIM, it will be locked to Virgin and only they can access your account and phone information. I can guarantee this. I used to work for Orange and still have friends who work for EE now....Virgin 'piggy back' EE's network but for accounts (including device) and billing purposes, EE have (and are not allowed to) nothing to do with Virgin customers.

If Virgin have locked it, it needs to be them who request to unlock it. Go back to them and escalate it until they sort it.

BobQ

Have you tried

http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iphone/how-unlock-your-iphone-3501427/

balletshoes

OP what are you actually telling Virgin when you call them to get your phone unlocked?

I would have thought a simple - "I bought the iphone in (whatever month and year you bought it), I've been using a virgin sim with it since I bought it, and I'd like the phone unlocked", would suffice?

I don't see any need to even mention carphone warehouse here, its a virgin sim, therefore its a virgin unlock which is needed.

mickeyb44

I cannot post links so having to do this:


https : // explore dot ee dot co dot uk / unlock


balletshoes, the phone is locked to ee, only ee can unlock it. that's what virgin, apple and cpw are all saying.

balletshoes

mickeyb44 wrote: »

I cannot post links so having to do this:


https : // explore dot ee dot co dot uk / unlock


balletshoes, the phone is locked to ee, only ee can unlock it. that's what virgin, apple and cpw are all saying.

how can it possibly be locked to EE if its got a Virgin sim in it, and has had a Virgin sim in it since you bought it?