IMEI blacklisting problem

[mattyabs]

I have an iphone 7 plus, previously used by a Vodafone customer who lost their sim card.

Vodafone kindly replaced the sim card for their customer, now the handset itself is showing no service on any network, which from experience means it is blocked.

I appreciate the phone could have developed an issue in the time between taking her sim card out and putting another in the handset but given that it's not the first time Vodafone have blocked phones just for sim swaps i need to find a way to verify if this is indeed the case?

How do I verify that the IMEI not blocked by Vodafone? It seems a bit unfair to the consumer that networks are able to completely block a handset, not tell you and not give you any real method to query it.

Can anyone advise?

[AnnS]

Hi @mattyabs 

When a SIM card is lost or stolen, as well as barring the SIM to prevent fraudulent use, the phone used at the time is also IMEI blocked.  The other scenario is when the phone has been reported as lost or stolen and an insurance claim made, the phone would then be the property of the insurance company, a common scam in the second hand mobile phone market, the seller sells a working phone and then makes an insurance claim.

You need to take this up with the person who sold or used the phone on Vodafone and reported the SIM as lost, if it is a mistake the seller will need to raise this with Vodafone and get the block removed.  Unfortunately, due to all the GDPR data protection reasons this won't be something Vodafone will be in a position to discuss direct with you, it has to come from the original owner of the phone who made the request.

[mattyabs]

Thank you very much for the reply,

Though this will always present a problem in that Vodafone automatically feel they have right to just block IMEI numbers, the handset in question was never known to Vodafone. It was an unlocked handset that they felt the right to blacklist just because their previous user lost their sim card.

One doesn't lead to another.

The phone is my property, was lent to a Vodafone user and now made worthless because of this.

I am not sure what GDPR has to do with the status of an IMEI number. It reveals no personal information, which is what relates to GDPR. Since the phone actually belongs to me it is a further confusion.

I will of course take your advice to ask the previous user of the phone to contact Vodafone. Though i am wondering how this would have left me had I not known the previous user or was not able to contact them.

[AnnS]

Hi @mattyabs 

Speak to Vodafone by following this link:  Contact the Social Team 

If the phone is your property and the person you let borrow the phone reported the SIM as lost, that would mean the SIM would not have been in the phone at the time of loss and Vodafone would have been unable to block the phone.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @mattyabs 

You can check the status of the iPhone via checkmend.