iPhone 5 unlock services?

Arthur Hucksake

Arthur Hucksake

Arthur Hucksake

Soldato
Joined
14 Dec 2010
Posts
3,030
Location
Nottingham
Hi folks,

Can anyone recommend an iPhone 5 unlock service?

I'm currently locked to T-Mobile with a so called "sim free" handset from Carphone Warehouse.

T-Mobile\EE, Apple and CPW have all refused to help and I need to use a different sim for work. I can't get a signal while there on EE.

Doing a Google search you get all sorts come up but i'm looking for one that is trustworthy.
 
T-Mobile are refusing to unlock the handset because they didn't provide it. They say because the IMEI is not registered to them, regardless of my argument that it must be if I am using it on their network plus I even gave them the damn IMEI number. Even going through the long winded complaints procedure got me nowhere. Ridiculous I will have to go through legal proceedings to get anywhere with this.

Apple themselves even told me to try and obtain a third party unlock. :-(

Feel absolutely mugged, paid full price for the handset.

I won't be going anywhere near T-Mobile, Everything Everywhere with a barge pole after this one and transfering the Mrs away from them soon as possible too.
 
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I've used these in the past to unlock an Orange iPhone 4 when the carrier wouldn't do it, and had no problem at all from them. It was over the odds at around £50, but there was no other option.

http://www.officialiphoneunlock.co.uk/

Currently the T-Mobile iP5 unlock is unavailable (the £19.99 price is just a place holder, expect to pay closer to £100!).

I'd only do it this way as an absolute last resort because of the price, but if you MUST get your phone unlocked by a 3rd party then they seem reliable.

Personally if you can put up with it, I'd carry on with your existing operator unless long term this would save you money.
 
Arthur Hucksake said:
T-Mobile are refusing to unlock the handset because they didn't provide it. They say because the IMEI is not registered to them, regardless of my argument that it must be if I am using it on their network plus I even gave them the damn IMEI number. Even going through the long winded complaints procedure got me nowhere. Ridiculous I will have to go through legal proceedings to get anywhere with this.

Apple themselves even told me to try and obtain a third party unlock. :-(

Feel absolutely mugged, paid full price for the handset.

I won't be going anywhere near T-Mobile, Everything Everywhere with a barge pole after this one and transfering the Mrs away from them soon as possible too.
Click to expand...

For the record this isn't TM or Oranges issue, CPW sell these handsets that lock immediately to the first sim that goes in so if you put a foreign sim in it would lock to that too.

The problem is they do a terrible job of advertising that and if they didn't tell you then that is possibly a way out by shouting at their customer services etc.

EE ought to have some way of unlocking it, I know when I had the same thing with Vodafone (although at least I knew it was going to be an issue) they had to add the handset IMEI to their database to allow me to unlock it through their portal, I'd expect it to be similar to that, the problem you'll have is that as they didn't supply the handset they won't see it as being locked to them.

But anyway, this is squarely carphones problem not the networks, I doubt they ever asked carphone to lock handsets.

Is there no orange coverage either? I find it difficult to imagine there's no Orange or Tmobile and you can share networks pretty easily.

To be honest if you sell it on ebay and buy from Apple you're unlikely to lose much or just get work to buy you another phone (probably not IP5 I get that) and carry on fighting with TM and Carphone.
 
matt100 said:
For the record this isn't TM or Oranges issue, CPW sell these handsets that lock immediately to the first sim that goes in so if you put a foreign sim in it would lock to that too.

The problem is they do a terrible job of advertising that and if they didn't tell you then that is possibly a way out by shouting at their customer services etc.

EE ought to have some way of unlocking it, I know when I had the same thing with Vodafone (although at least I knew it was going to be an issue) they had to add the handset IMEI to their database to allow me to unlock it through their portal, I'd expect it to be similar to that, the problem you'll have is that as they didn't supply the handset they won't see it as being locked to them.

But anyway, this is squarely carphones problem not the networks, I doubt they ever asked carphone to lock handsets.

Is there no orange coverage either? I find it difficult to imagine there's no Orange or Tmobile and you can share networks pretty easily.

To be honest if you sell it on ebay and buy from Apple you're unlikely to lose much or just get work to buy you another phone (probably not IP5 I get that) and carry on fighting with TM and Carphone.
Click to expand...

T-Mobile claim that they don't have the facility to add my IMEI, refuse to and will not budge. So it is their problem. They are just being useless and unhelpful. I actually resent them for how they have handled this. I am half tempted to stop the direct debit and let them take me to court.

Vodafone and O2 have both unlocked handsets under this very same circumstance recently.

I'm looking at my phone here at work, it's dropped to T-Mobile Orange and with 1 bar 2G that keeps dropping off. Person sat behind me has 2 bars 3G on Vodafone and someone else has 4 bars of edge on O2.

It is primarily Carphone's fault, even Apple seem to have no idea how these handsets sold by them behave this way. They are of the understanding them are simply contract handsets that haven't been handed to networks (who would then have no gripe unlocking them)

But all of this could be prevented if T-Mobile would be willing to help a long term customer, i've had two lines with them for the past five years and paid them hundreds.

Use to get good service from them, informed staff that were helpful. Now all I get is a script chimp in the Phillopenes stonewalling me at every step. Finally get "management" on the line and they are equally devoid of a clue.
 
grchmason said:
Your be better off selling the phone and then buying a unlocked one fella!

Will be the fastest and cheapest option
Click to expand...

Who's going to want a handset permanently locked to T-Mobile? Not many.

I will lose hundreds on it, not taking that hit. Just have to lump it and never go near T-Mobile again in my lifetime.
 
Do you have any documents that state you purchased an unlocked iPhone?

If so, it would be CW's problem to sort it out, you'd be to use SOGA as the product is not fit for the purpose you purchased.
 
shine said:
Do you have any documents that state you purchased an unlocked iPhone?

If so, it would be CW's problem to sort it out, you'd be to use SOGA as the product is not fit for the purpose you purchased.
Click to expand...

After I had bought it, CPW directed me to the small print on the site which does actually state it will lock to the first network sim inserted. I just never noticed it at the time.

Who knows if it was there when I ordered.
 
no they never state its unlocked, I bought a 4S like like last year and it was well covered in small print but the staff did a terrible job of not explaining it.

I still don't think its TMs fault, they may well not have the ability to help you.

Another cheeky option would be scour the web for a fault that you can't easily replicate and then take it to an apple store and tell them you bought it sim free, you may well get a swap to an unlocked handset.
 
O2 unlocked my iphone 4s recently free of charge, just needed to be 3 months into my contract.

I dont see why all other providers cant be like this :confused:
 
matt100 said:
no they never state its unlocked, I bought a 4S like like last year and it was well covered in small print but the staff did a terrible job of not explaining it.

I still don't think its TMs fault, they may well not have the ability to help you.

Another cheeky option would be scour the web for a fault that you can't easily replicate and then take it to an apple store and tell them you bought it sim free, you may well get a swap to an unlocked handset.
Click to expand...

I rang Apple and they said even if it were to be RMA'd I would get one that would lock in a similar fashion.
 
Is it insured ? Break it/loose it, get a replacement from CPW, and put an alternative sim/provider in the replacement.

Also your argument is always with the company that sells it to you..... I was recently looking and buying an iPhone.... Noticed CPW sold phones for the same price as Apple, but would lock on first sim... which I thought was a con. So I bought a network unlocked used 4S off ebay. (mint, boxed for 320)

There are plenty of locked phones for sale, they don't seem to sell for much less.

I'd buy from Apple, and dispose of this one the best way you can.

Oh, I've just left Orange/EE because the signal and service has gone down hill since the EE change over... Now on Vodafone.......
Work just dumped O2 for EE.... Oh dear ...:(
 
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