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Phone is being held hostage by T-Mobile

  • 11 November 2023
  • 10 replies
  • 451 views

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My phone, purchased from T-Mobile and paid in full is still LOCKED. It has been 11 days, and it will be two weeks after I have to wait another 3 days to pass. The phone is my property and T-Mobile will not unlock it. I have several tickets submitted including a Complaint that stated that my phone was to be unlocked within 24 hours. This has passed and the phone is still locked. I have talked to 7 people who have all told me different things. I factory reset the phone, following their instructions, and the phone is still LOCKED. I am submitting a complaint to the FCC, my state representatives, and the Better Business Bureau. I asked that T-Mobile reimburse me for my time I have spent to date trying to get the phone unlocked. I need this phone because I use it for work being registered with my employer. If I get a new phone registered, I will not be able to work for 5 days while the phone is activated with my job.

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Best answer by Angry At T-M 12 November 2023, 16:54

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Userlevel 7
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The account needs to be in good standing and there's other conditions like how many unlock codes that can be requested in a certain period of time.

https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/consumer-info/policies/sim-unlock-policy

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Thanks for the reply. I was told just before I left this post just that, that the TM customer service didn’t understand why the phone is still locked because our account showed we were in EXCELLENT standing and have a zero balance with no money owed. Our account is closed. I have never asked for any temporary unlock codes. We have left the service and have another provider. The phone belongs to me and they are holding it hostage as I cannot use it with my new SIM card. As I stated earlier, I need the phone for my job. What they are doing is wrong! 

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By the way, I have met all of the eligibility requirements and this was confirmed by T-Mobile.

Userlevel 7
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Did you actually buy the phone from Tmobile or a place like Walmart?  If so the inei# might not be in Tmobile’s system as a phone they sold.

Userlevel 7
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Also did you ever had a warranty exchange on the phone? That may cause the imei# not being in the system.

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No to both questions. I purchased it directly in-store at a local T-Mobile near my home. I gave on multiple occasions the IEM number to the T-Mobile staff and to the manufacturer and had them read the number back to ensure there were no typos. The manufacturer told me that it is up to T-Mobile to provide a Subsidy Unlock Code. The first time I told T-Mobile this was right after my call with the manufacturer. The TM customer service rep said they do not do that. Today, the T-Mobile person I talked to understood what I was talking about and said YES they do understand what the manufacturer was saying and this is a routine process to unlocking phones. This again is another example of the incompetence of the TM staff that indicates poor training. I appreciate your questions but I can tell you that I have had to solve problems like this for my employers’ problems. So, I am versed in this kind of work. This is totally unfair and unlawful to me, the consumer. I found that T-M has a bad rep with the FCC. You can research these examples. Take care. Happy Thanksgiving!

Userlevel 7
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What is the make and model of the phone in question?

Userlevel 7
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iPhone’s require Tmobile to submit the unlock request to Apple and they iniate the unlock.

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My phone is an Android. It was finally unlocked TODAY, 12 days after the first tech I talked to tried to unlock it when I informed them we were leaving. Thanks to you all for your questions. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

I have 3 devices that I paid off. I spent over $3000 and I paid all my bills on time. My fiancé went to pay the phones off so we could go to prepaid. Cause my bill kept climbing and climbing,good customer that always paid 10 days early. They decided 2 hold the bill for 3 weeks and then say that I didn't pay my final bill when I was already started with prepaid. And they had me at $80 plus $50 plus $30 for all phones to be transferred over. So they got me for more money on top now they're pulling this that I owe our $198. They locked all my phones and one device doesn't even have service. It was a free phone that they gave me and in the end they charged me a $100 because I decided to cancel their service, which their service was ridiculous. They lied they gave me 55 plus and I wasn't 55. I'm 48 years old. They knew this and they took the deal back and my bill kept climbing and climbing and climbing. This company is a hostage company and they should be closed. Shame on you for acting out and trying to control someone's phone when they own it outright. And we're good customers all the way through the bill period And I'm on prepaid and I can't even get my phone's unlocked if I wanna go somewhere else because they don't wanna lose me as a carrier customer because they know that I pay on time very unhappy with T-Mobile. I'm really wanting to sue them and complain.

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