More iphone unlocking problems

I'll keep this short. I was given an iphone 5 for my birthday from a friend who upgraded.

It is paid off, off contract, clear IMEI. I submitted 3 unlock requests to ATT and got 3 different emails of approval, with confirmation codes. Still, when I erase/restore the phone, or whatever, I get no "congratulations your phone is unlocked" screen on itunes. I am trying to use it with Tmobile, which I have had for five years. The T mobile store puts their SIM in it and it is rejected each time. This means that the phone is still locked to ATT.

They tell me to call Apple. Apple tells me it's still locked, and that they can do nothing to help me, and that they are very sorry and don't understand why ATT is behaving this way.

I call ATT again. I am very polite. AT&T person tells me 1) re-submit the request

and  2) I am not the original owner therefore I cannot request unlock (then why the approval emails? Why not deny me?).

I contacted the woman who gave me the phone. I hate to bother her, let alone ask her for part of her Soc Sec number so I can fill out another request form. She said she called ATT and they told her I had to get an account with them to use the iphone. (?!). Or, she said, if I don't want to do that, I should call this number (a customer service number) and they would unlock it for me. I recognize the number. I've called it many times. I called it again, and no, they can't/won't unlock it. They said 1) i've probably been doing the itunes restore in the wrong order, and 2) it's actually still on their 'locked' list. (so if I was doing it wrong it wouldn't matter anyway? I think?)

They say to re-submit the request, or better yet, have HER submit the request.

She may think 

this is a simple thing and that I am not mentally equipped to handle this simple task. I've backup/restored this twelve times,

and tried several different SIM cards. All rejected. Except for the ATT SIM. I last tried all of this stuff yesterday, after giving up for a week. I am in no hurry. If I knew that there was a wait time, I would gladly wait (not the 14-day upgrade period, that is long gone).

I am giving the phone back to her, because ATT has won. They do not want the phone to go to anyone else. 

Otherwise she would have been told by ATT when she asked....that she needs to go online and fill out a request. Instead, ATT told her that I needed to get an account! Or to give me the customer service number and they 

would help me through the unlock process. Well, we know how that turned out. They said it is still on the 

Locked list. Also they suggested I call Apple. I believe this is becoming a game among ATT

customer service reps..

I'm about to give the phone back because it is too stressful to have something nice sitting there

which you are told you cannot use. Why does ATT behave this way? WHy not reject my "unlock request" out-of-hand if I am not the original owner? It would have saved me a lot of time and 

$30 to an Apple technician, to tell me that it's still locked... yes, they charged me $30 to 

troubleshoot, when there was no trouble. Just a locked IMEI.

And why is 'non-ATT customer' even an option on the unlock-request form if it is not accepted?

I have shortened this story, and have left out a few long calls to ATT, Apple, and Tmobile, all who point to each other.

Does anyone have any hints about getting truthful information out of ATT customer service reps? I will bet money that the next one I call will tell me that I don't have to be the original owner to request an unlock. 

The phone meets all of the other required criteria.

thanks in advance.

steve

iphone5 doorstop

[Edited for privacy-please do not post personal or unique information such as but not limited to full names, employee ID numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, etc.]