Apple

[unhappypuppy]

I phoned Vodafone a month before my contract was due to end to ask about porting and unlocking my phone. I was wrongly told 2 days to unlock. May I suggest your telephone staff should have advised me to request the NUC no. immediately as you full well should have known it can take 2 weeks or more.  I am furious.  I have tried numerous times to call vodafone to find out what is happening about unlocking my phone and the phone is always too busy. Vodafone needs to rethink about the no. of staff answering the helpline. the one time I did get through the very rude and unhelpful woman said she couldnt find my details as the phone number I had, had been ported over and so I no longer had an account so couldnt find out about my NUC no. She said I should go to apple and pay £20.  I was absolutely livered. Unless Vodafone do something to make up for the 18 days without my iphone i.e no phone, satnav or email for 18 days I will never return to vodafone. I paid £40 a month for 2 years plus 2 sure signal boxes and an intial payout of over £200. I am highly displeased with Vodafones service.

[kids]

There is no unlocking code for the iPhone. Any number that you receive from Vodafone is the reference number of your request.

Vodafone ask Apple to unlock the phone, Apple then change the phone’s details on their database to show it is unlocked. Once Apple have processed the unlock request the next time you connect the phone to iTunes you will get a message in iTunes that the phone is now unlocked. The message will also ask you to insert a sim from a different network to the one the phone was locked to which will complete the unlocking. Once this is done the phone will remain unlocked. Basically using a non-VF sim forces the phone to go to iTunes to look for new carrier updates and it then finds if the phone has been unlocked.

Have you tries connecting the phone to iTunbes to see if it is now unlocked?

[unhappypuppy]

Yes I have connected the phone to itunes and it says the sim is not accepted

Why is it that in the same conversation with that same woman at vodafone, she said I would be sent an email from V saying it was unlocked rather than having to switch sim card from my old phone to my iphone and plug into my computer on itunes everyday to check if it is unlocked and then back again when I find it is still not done.  Seems your staff need more training. She should be taken off the phones and retrained or at least reprimanded.

[kids]

Was the phone supplied to you by Vodafone or did you buy it privately or from a reseller?

Try plugging the phone into iTunes firstly with your Vodafone sim in it and see if you get the unlocked message, if so then switch sims. If not you will need a MOD to take a look and see if the unlock request was submitted to Apple.

[daviasht]

It takes between 2-3 weeks for apple to put your device in the unlocked database.

When you receive the email telling you your device has been unlocked you need to insert a different networks sim card it and then connect it to iTunes. A message will be displayed saying your device is now unlocked.

Hope this helps.

[unhappypuppy]

I bought it from Vodafone. Tried what you suggested. No good. I am fed up and have wasted so much time on this. Very unhappy and cross with Vodafone

[unhappypuppy]

How could Vodafone advisors be so bad as to not advise me when I rang 4 weeks prior to my contract finishing. I only left V because the signal was rubbish where I live in the countryside but I will likely be moving again and would have gone back to V if it wasnt for this big mess up

[unhappypuppy]

How about Vodafone pay for my phone to be unlocked by another company!

[unhappypuppy]

I will write to Watchdog. It is now 21 days since I advised Vodafone of my change to Orange and to unlock my phone. I use my phone for satnav to drive for my job. I need my phone for work. It has caused me undue stress and hours spent waiting on the phone trying to talk to someone only to be not helped. This forum hasnt been much help. I want an apology from Vodafone and someone to contact me for the inconvenience they have caused me.

[Trev · Accepted solution]

Hi unhappypuppy.

I will need to look at the specific details of this request to see what's happened here.

We do not unlock the iPhones ourselves, but just forward the details to Apple to do this for us.

If you can reply back to my email, I will look into this matter for you.

Trev

[unhappypuppy]

Cheers. I'd really appreciate it

[Ide]

I'm still waiting for a reply too, I have bought my iPhone in the Netherlands and found out it is locked. I have send multiple mails to the customer service but don't get any reply.

How can I unlock my iPhone? Could someone from Vodafone help me? I have the new phone for over a month now and can't use it :-(

[kids]

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Ide wrote:
I'm still waiting for a reply too, I have bought my iPhone in the Netherlands and found out it is locked. I have send multiple mails to the customer service but don't get any reply.

How can I unlock my iPhone? Could someone from Vodafone help me? I have the new phone for over a month now and can't use it :-(

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Only the network that sold the phone can request the unlocking as the IMIE number needs to be on the networks database. Do you know which network the phone is locked to? If so contacting them may enable you to request that they ask for the unlock from Apple.

Otherwise your only option would be to have it unofficially unlocked in one of the many High Street shops, but when you try to update the software it will relock itself.

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[Ide]

It's locked by Vodafone UK, so is there any possibility I can unlock it?

[unhappypuppy]

I have contacted the Watchdog television programme. I have proof of when I requested the PUC no. and iphone unlock request. I was sent today an email from Vodafone saying:

Dear Customer,
Your account has been cancelled so in that case we are unable to process the unlocking request for your handset. If you wish to unlock the handset, you would be charged £ 19.99 per unlocking request.
For any further info, Please contact the Helpline by calling 191 from your mobile phone or 08700 700191 (Vodafone contract) or 08700 776655 (Vodafone Pay as you Talk) from a landline.
Kind regards, (removed for security),  NUC Resolutions

This is unacceptable and this email is written proof that Vodafone needs to look into its customer care and unlocking procedure. It they now cant request the unlock without a Vodafone account, then give me a sim card with minutes on it and I will change back from orange with another PAC code from them and then it can be done. I point blank refuse to pay £19.99 and will be in touch with the complaints authority as well as Watchdog
 

[kids]

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Ide wrote:
It's locked by Vodafone UK, so is there any possibility I can unlock it?

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It seems strange that you bought your phone in the Netherlands but is is locked to Vodafone UK. Was the phone purchased used from a Vodafone UK customer as the phones IMIE number is required to show on Vodafone's network to process the unlock.?

If so then:

Firstly you need to complete the unlock request form http://campaigns.vodafone.co.uk/UnlockCodeRequestForm/

There is no unlocking code for the iPhone. The number that you receive from Vodafone is the reference number of your request.

Vodafone (VF) ask Apple to unlock the phone, Apple then change the phone’s details on their database to show it is unlocked. Once Apple have processed the unlock request the next time you connect the phone to iTunes you will get a message in iTunes that the phone is now unlocked. The message will also ask you to insert a sim from a different network to the one the phone was locked to which will complete the unlocking. Once this is done the phone will remain unlocked. Basically using a non-VF sim forces the phone to go to iTunes to look for new carrier updates and it then finds if the phone has been unlocked.

If the phone is PAYG there is a charge of £19.99 otherwise it is FOC

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[Martin]

Hi unhappypuppy

I have picked up your email and have replied back to it as I am sure that we will sort this out for you.

If you can reply back to that email we will get it sorted for you.

Thanks

Martin

[unhappypuppy]

yeyyyy. I have my iphone unlocked. Horah. Thank you for the customer care helpers on this eforum for helping me. I have been very lost without my iphone. Though my good old Sony Ericsson helped me through the worst, my iphone is so useful and I will not get lost driving and I can use handsfree again easily.

Thank you. I wish I had asked for help in this eforum sooner. My faith in the internet has gone up a level.

[unhappypuppy]

Anyone wanting to get their iphone unlocked make sure you request Vodafone do it well before you change user!

Dont listen to customer service staff who say:

1. they cant find your details and

2. you will have to pay £20.

Thats not right, if you requested an unlock before you changed user. I was with Vodafone for 2 years pay monthly so knew they should unlock it for free. Its a load of rubbish they dont have your details, however it will be under your account number or name and address so dont let them fob you off and ask to speak to a manager.

I let them know on this eforum the details of my situation and they had it unlocked within 48 hours