I'll never buy another locked phone

Daegerty

Today now I had the pleasure of getting a phone unlocked the 'official' way through the provider. A pure pain in the arse, I'm sure the script they hand to the operators is hand-crafted to make it as difficult as possible for someone to get the unlocking code for their phone

The culprit here is a Virgin Mobile (UK) and unlocked a LG KE970.

I remember getting the phone and they were all smiles and saying 'just top up by 30 pound and we'll give you the code'. These shysters will say anything just to get their commission up.

When I called up anyway it was a different story. They wanted 15 pound and preferably through a credit card, there was no convincing them at all about 'just top up by 30 pound'.

After putting some credit on the phone they'd do it alright but they'd have to speak to the account holder each time I called up despite me having all the details. You know just incase the account holder comes back to find their phone unlocked; they'd be awfully disappointed it is no longer loyal to the Virgin network. Really they are just hoping the account holder isn't around.

Then they tried to convince me the IMEI code I gave them was for a bloody Alcatel phone and made me call back again and gave them the same code and it suddenly worked for them.

All this to save a miserable 20 quid or so off the full price of the phone and it comes back to bite you each time you leave the country and cant use a local SIM, or a better deal comes out or you find something that suits you better.

I also really cant stand the idea that although the phone is technically able to access any GSM network it has been artificially crippled to be loyal to one network, and despite you owning the phone it tells you that it can't use another SIM because it wants to help out the network you bought it off.

Mobile phone companies: Fecking scum of the earth the whole lot of them

Sandwlch

Daegerty wrote: »

:mad: I'll never buy another locked phone

Dont then. They wont miss you. Network locking is a fair system that suits 99.9% of mobile phone users - who prefer subsidised locked phones to unlocked more expensive ones. Buying out of that deal in some form through accumulated credit or a fee is a fair cop. Sim free phones are for you.

Mimikyu

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Daegerty

Captain Morgan wrote: »

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Was that contract or prepaid? I don't see why they bother at all on contracts since you'll be paying them for 12 months anyway.

Before it used to be very easy to get the unlock code after you spent a certain amount of credit but in the past few years they are making life fierce difficult for people.

Sandwlch wrote: »

Dont then. They wont miss you. Network locking is a fair system that suits 99.9% of mobile phone users - who prefer subsidised locked phones to unlocked more expensive ones. Buying out of that deal in some form through accumulated credit or a fee is a fair cop. Sim free phones are for you.

A fair system if you don't mind?! you probably work in the industry then? Where do you come up with 99.9% anyway? if that was true there wouldn't be nearly as many unlocked phones around the place. I remember a poll in here quite a large chunk of the people had unlocked phones.

I don't mind the system where after having put on a certain amount of credit they give you the code but this nonsense with having to pay them just to unlock it takes the biscuit. but then you are still stuck with their terrible branded firmware.

rayh

Just as a matter of interest.
Who are the drivers behind this system, manufacuters, regulators, service providers or the customers?

Daegerty

rayh wrote: »

Just as a matter of interest.
Who are the drivers behind this system, manufacuters, regulators, service providers or the customers?

I think it was the GSMA that came up with that. The lads who came up with the GSM standard.

A lot of manufacturers and even mobile phone networks are members of the GSMA

Daniel S

Have you looked into unlocking it yourself?

alex73

I have unlocked all the subsided phones I have bought, Nokia is the easiest. Its not hard, you can google on the internet and find legal websites who offer unlock codes.

bd250110

The reason they lock handests is because they bank on customers making calls outside their contract, which would incur extra charges. Companies like Lyca mobile, etc cut down the costs for customers and divert revenue away from the networks.
Im sure if it were not for EU laws the majority of carriers would not unlock handsets at all.

If you are happy to deal with Carphone, handsets from them are often unlocked and unbranded, even when bought on contract.

JDxtra

rayh wrote: »

Just as a matter of interest.
Who are the drivers behind this system, manufacuters, regulators, service providers or the customers?

Customers are. Customers want cheap handsets, the networks have to subsidise them, to guarantee they get a return they have to lock them to their own network.

Mimikyu

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Ghost Train

Can be a pain in the ass when you need it unlocked but understandable that phones are locked when the network is subsidising the cost of the phone. For PAYG it should be easier than it is, but maybe tracking the phones use is more difficult when the user or sim my get switched etc