Kudos to Vodafone for being kind enough not to gouge customers with charges for unlocking, and kudos, too, for prompt service: I filled in the NUC application form, was told it was being processed and then advised that Vodafone would have to contact the manufacturer and get back to me with the code -- which it did, all within 3 days.
Unfortunately though, things haven't gone smoothly since.
I'm a PAYG customer with a Nokia 6310i dating back more than 10 years (hence, presumably, the need to check the IMEI with the manufacturer.) The phone is in perfect working order, having been little used. Vodafone support's email to me said:
"Thanks for getting in touch about unlocking your phone so you can use it on a different network. Your code is 4235XXXXXXXXXXX (I've deleted the rest of the code for the purposes of this public email.)
Using your code
1. With the Vodafone SIM card inside the handset2.
No joy?
If your code does not work, please do not try the code over and over as you may lock it permanently, Instead go to (a link is given to Vodafone's support webpage.)"
No other advice was provided. That being the case, I input the code and, perhaps not surprisingly, the Nokia reported 'number not recognised'.
I found elsewhere on the 'Net -- before discovering this helpful user forum -- that you can't actually use the code in the way that the support email implied. Instead, it's necessary to invoke a password unlock procedure involving special characters and numbers, and without the Vodafone sim in the phone.
I followed that route -- without the simcard installed -- and meticulously entered the code and recommended password format. Result: CODE ERROR. I tried again, and as before, was ultra careful in keying in the data. The result was the same: CODE ERROR.
Finally, I re-inserted the Vodafone sim card, checked to see that the phone was working OK (it was) followed the recommended password / Vodafone NUC procedure, and this time, complied with the Support email stipulation that I do this with the Vodafone sim card installed.
Result: CODE ERROR.
I have followed the link provided in the Support email but all it seems to achieve is to request that I submit another application.
Two problems are evident here: (1) that repeated NUC attempts are said by Vodafone to be highly inadvisable and (2) repeated NUC applications are said by Vodafone to be limited to three only in a year. So if I keep on trying to unlock the phone and failing, or keep on submitting an NUC application and failing, then I'm going to get nowhere.
Help would be greatly appreciated: thanks. I'd thought this network unlocking would be quite straightforward, but seems not to be???
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