bought iPad from CEX - advice needed

shaggy

I bought a 'new, Grade A' iPad Pro cellular version (i.e. which takes a SIM) off CEX around 6 months ago. Great condition. Worked just as expected. Lebara cheap deal sim card inserted - works great. 

I dont use the sim that often, but I changed sims a few weeks ago after cancelling the Lebara one. Get 'NO SIM' error. Tried other lebara, Lyca sims , same error. No signal. 

I'm unsure if now the iPad is 'sim blocked' or not, or if I'm doing something wrong. I will get this confirmed at the local Apple store tomorrow. 

Worst case scenario - Apple tell me that the iPad is now sim blocked. What are my rights if i need to go back to CEX? Can I request a cash refund? 

savergrant

As someone who doesn't really know about ipads I should think it is highly unlikely that either cex or the previous owner have done something to it to stop it working with your subsequent sims. What happened when you put your lebara sim in after purchase? I would guess that if a security feature has been activated it was done when you put the sim in. If someone fitted the sim for you there may be a case possibly. When you tried a second sim and it didn't work did you try reinserting your lebara sim to see if it still worked?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

Outside of 30 days the retailer can repair or replace first if they prefer to (generally speaking ideally they should if you insist) but the right to ask for a refund first only applies within 30 days.

The 6 month timeframe is fairly important, within the first 6 months it is taken the goods had a problem (which if it's sim locked and wasn't described as such is pretty straightforward in this instance) but most noticeably after 6 months a deduction for use is permitted from the refund.

You said around 6 months ago so if it is less than 6 months right now it would be best to try and have it sorted asap before that 6 months timeframe passes

Browntoa

Its not unknown for people to sell to cex and then report it stolen or lost to get the insurance money as well . 

I'm sure that cex have wording in their agreement when buying to make their seller responsible. 

Take it back now 

shaggy

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Hello OP

Outside of 30 days the retailer can repair or replace first if they prefer to (generally speaking ideally they should if you insist) but the right to ask for a refund first only applies within 30 days.

The 6 month timeframe is fairly important, within the first 6 months it is taken the goods had a problem (which if it's sim locked and wasn't described as such is pretty straightforward in this instance) but most noticeably after 6 months a deduction for use is permitted from the refund.

You said around 6 months ago so if it is less than 6 months right now it would be best to try and have it sorted asap before that 6 months timeframe passes

I bought it on 11th Jan so just outside 6 month window. 

Regarding the sims - I have tried my own phone Lebara sim which i know works, but doesnt in the ipad. As I said, I will get this checked by Apple tomorrow (have appt with them at local store) and see what they say. 

If I have to, I want to go to CEX armed with the information in case I need to claim for it. Lets hope its just me doing something wrong rather than the sim which is blocked. 

MikeJXE

Apple Store is your best first stop.

Was it sold to you as unlocked 

You could call Libera and ask them for the code to unlock it for you 

savergrant

Browntoa said:

Its not unknown for people to sell to cex and then report it stolen or lost to get the insurance money as well . 

I'm sure that cex have wording in their agreement when buying to make their seller responsible. 

Take it back now 

If someone steals an ipad and swaps the sim before it is reported as stolen, would they be able to use it for six months once it was reporter stolen? I would expect not.
Op only encountered a problem when changing sim after using their own sim for six months. Presumably that sim is no longer active as they have switched network. I can't understand how lebara could have locked the ipad either.

RefluentBeans

Hi OP - it was my understanding that iPads aren’t carrier locked, but may be wrong. 

You can check if the iPad is carrier locked by going to Settings -> General -> About and checking for a setting called Network Provider Lock. This should say ‘No SIM restrictions’ if the iPad is carrier unlocked. 

Additionally - you can check there if the SIM is being picked up by the device. It should say something about the sim if something is present and being detected. 

It may be that the SIM is locked - meaning that the SIM cannot be used before unlocking. I would’ve thought that the device wouldn’t need to unlock the SIM every time it’s booted; but if the device has been turned off for a while it may require unlocking again. You can check that from Apples support pages: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201529 

Below is based on my experiences with Apple, and I acknowledge may have some bias. Your experience may vary: 

Apple will obviously be able to diagnose any physical issues with it, but they may (will) charge for repairs in all likelihood. Additionally, if the issue is anything other than battery, port, or screen Apple tends to want to replace the whole motherboard rather than components of the board, which would be expensive. In all honesty, I’d go back to CEX and explain the issue. If Apple open up the device and the water indicator is set off (and it’s more than 6 months old) you’re in for an uphill battle to prove its not user error that the component has failed. 

It’s worth remembering that Apple is in a bit of a conflict of interest situation here - they are the manufacturer, but offer limited warranties (outside of AppleCare). They also retail their own products. Thus they are in the best place to know how to repair a product, but also be financially incentivised to want to sell another one. Thus Apple is not really known for their ‘gestures of good will’. 

savergrant

Not an apple user but I would have two questions;
What do you need to do if you want to use your ipad on another network?
And, allied to that, can you do something to stop your ipad being used with another sim if it is stolen?
The op's original sim worked fine for 6 months and the problems began when op tried to use another sim. Unless changing the sim has caused physical damage to the sim interface (unlikely?) I would expect replacing the sim without undoing the security has triggered a protocol.

Alderbank

I agree with @RefluentBeans above. Don't go to Apple, take it back to CEX.

Whether you bought on-line or in shop you can return it to any shop under their 24 month warranty for repair, replacement or refund. Up to 6 months they would have refunded  what you paid. Over 6 months they refund their current selling price which is probably not much different. 

They say their warranty does not apply if a repair has been attempted by anyone else, so if it had been opened by Apple you would have to rely on your consumer rights which are not quite so straightforward. For example you might need an independent report to show the issue is due to an inherent fault at the time you bought it.  

My experience with Apple is that they tell porkies such as 'If you had bought it from us we would have done this and that for you.'

RefluentBeans

savergrant said:

Not an apple user but I would have two questions;
What do you need to do if you want to use your ipad on another network?

You generally can use an iPad with a different network as they aren’t normally locked to a specific network. If they are, it’s normally because it’s a contract iPad and after the contract expires the device can be unlocked by the phone company. 

If the SIM card is locked (by the consumer normally) it requires a passcode to unlock and begin to use.

And, allied to that, can you do something to stop your ipad being used with another sim if it is stolen?

When resetting to factory settings (a device wipe) you are required to enter in AppleID username and password to ensure the deletion is actioned by the owner. If this doesn’t occur, then the device owner can put into lost mode and lock the iPad entirely up and prevent any access to it by the thief. It also tracks the iPads location and relays that back to the owner. 

Because of this requirement stores generally don’t accept devices that haven’t been factory reset/you can’t factory reset for whatever reason. Additionally I assume they would check the serial number attached to the device for reports of theft.