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Teacher

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2 Messages

Friday, June 3rd, 2016 5:47 PM

Refusing to unlock a device

I've tried 5 times to cancel services with At&t. I've been a loyal customer for 9yrs and 6months but recently moved overseas, and hence have decided to switch carriers. My account and devices are paid in full. Yesterday, after attempting to cancel for the forth time, my account was moved to a pre-paid service that I specifically stated I did not want. Now, At&t is refusing to unlock my iPhone because the prepaid account, that I was enrolled in against my consent, has not been active for 60 days.

Now the customer service representative is stating that it can only be unlocked "online." Now the representative is informing me that I must wait another 3-5 days for the phone to be unlocked. This is after I was told yesterday that the phone would be unlocked in 24hrs.

The AT&T terms and conditions contract states that "AT&T will provide the Unlock Code to upon request..." I meet the criteria to unlock the phone and was not provided a code to unlock the phone upon request.

If anyone would like to hear the last 8 minutes of my phone conversation with the representative, where the representative refused to send anything in writing that my device would be unlocked, please let me know. I'm also awaiting a phone call from the representative's supervisor "James Adin."

After nearly 10 years of loyalty, this is the customer service one can expect? Congratulations AT&T, you've lost my business forever. Hopefully this post serves a warning to others thinking of using your services.

Contributor

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2 Messages

7 years ago

The same thing is happening to me. I've been on the phone daily with AT&T over the last week trying to get them to unlock my phones, And I'm getting the run around. I've talked to 9 different people, in hopes of getting my numbers unlocked and all they can do is give me their 48 hour response. and now I have to request again after they decided not to unlock it??? I wont ever be back with this company.

Contributor

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1 Message

7 years ago

Yes we're in the exact same position was with AT&T 14 years we paid off everything I paid $900 for early cancellation fee just so I never have to talk to AT&T again the rest of my life and they will not unlock our phone

Tutor

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6 Messages

7 years ago

Maybe we need to set up a site about ATT AND INVITE EVERYONE TO TRASH THEM FOR ATT's horrible business practice I wish one of their rival networks would get wind of former customers like us and do some ad's using real people like us it would maybe wake them up nothing like a baseball bat ad campaign against Goliath I would do it free just to vent.

Contributor

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3 Messages

7 years ago

I'm so frustrated with AT&T. I was lied to off the jump and don't know what to do. I was told I was going to get back $650 for each phone transferred from Verizon to AT&T and that never happened. They were supposed to pay off my remaining bill with Verizon and I'm stuck now with a $1500 bill owed to Verizon, bcuz of the lies from AT&T and they claim its not their fault, it has to do with Young America who handles their promotions. No one ever said anything about unlocking my phone. The phones I transfered from AT&T have awful service. Just putting in a new Sim card didn't do Sh@t. I don't know what to do. Switching to AT&T was supposed to save me over $150 a month, but has cost me so far over $3000, between having to upgrade to new phones bcuz the phones we had were not connecting to AT&T services. I've spent 76hrs on the phone with AT&T since October 2016 and I'm so fed up. Please can someone help with suggestions? Not only did it take 6 months to get all phones transferred, but as far as Verizon is concerned we still have an account with them and owe the $1500 and I don't know about u guys, but I live pay check to paycheck. This is a nightmare. HELP 😔 😔

Teacher

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18 Messages

7 years ago

We have had THE WORST experience with AT&T. We requested to have my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge unlocked, (which is eligible according to the AT&T website) following the exact directions on the AT&T page, filling out the unlock request online. We received an email from AT&T, confirmed our request, then was sent an email approving our request with an unlock code. When we tried the code, it said it was invalid.

We have called AT&T 5 times and escalated our calls to management requesting a new unlock code because the one we were sent was not valid.

We have been dealing with this issue for 4 days and AT&T keeps pushing us to Samsung (who told us this is an AT&T issue), or the last rep we talked too told us that the phone may be PERMANENTLY locked to the AT&T network because too many attempts were made to unlock the device. They filed a claim with another department, but said it will take up to 72 hours to process.

The AT&T rep also told us we could try and sell our phone to a person who uses their network to try and get a little bit of our money back.

According to the FCC, on February 11, 2015, all carriers HAVE to provide unlocking codes and instructions to customers who request this information. We have gone into an AT&T store and were told it wasn't their problem. We have spent over 10 hours researching this and contacting AT&T and going to their stores following every instruction.

If it is true that my $800 device is permanently locked to AT&T, then NEVER BUY A PHONE WITH AT&T! This is illegal and we will be filing a complaint with the FCC and BBB and posting our experience on multiple sites to warn other customers that they can lock your phone and refuse to unlock it.

Our family has been using AT&T for over 20 years and our entire family will be cancelling our service with AT&T ($300 per month) because of the run-around and disrepect we have received.

All we want is a new unlock code that will actually work, but apparently AT&T keeps sending us the same code 4 times. This has been ridiculous! We are SO disappointed with AT&T after being such loyal customers.

We request a response from AT&T to this question ASAP, as we have researched online and found many people are having this same issue with no resolution.

Contributor

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2 Messages

7 years ago

I've been an AT&T customer for over 20 years but when I got married we put my number under a joint account with my wife. Now that we have separated I've started using AT&T prepaid. Two weeks ago I tried to unlock my phone and received a notice saying I had to wait 60 days. After 60 days passed I received a message saying I need to wait 6 months. What kind of misinformation factory is AT&T? How can it be that a 20+ year customer has to wait any time at all to unlock their phone which was purchased with a post-paid plan but was paid off in full before starting the prepaid plan? Now AT&T is agreeing to unlock my phone but its going to take 4-5 days while I leave for Spain tomorrow. Thanks AT&T for totally screwing me! When I return from my trip I'm finding a new provider who treats their customers fairly. I don't even care if I have to pay more because this is ridiculous!

 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

7 years ago


@OrbitalD wrote:

I've been an AT&T customer for over 20 years but when I got married we put my number under a joint account with my wife. Now that we have separated I've started using AT&T prepaid. Two weeks ago I tried to unlock my phone and received a notice saying I had to wait 60 days. After 60 days passed I received a message saying I need to wait 6 months. What kind of misinformation factory is AT&T? How can it be that a 20+ year customer has to wait any time at all to unlock their phone which was purchased with a post-paid plan but was paid off in full before starting the prepaid plan? Now AT&T is agreeing to unlock my phone but its going to take 4-5 days while I leave for Spain tomorrow. Thanks AT&T for totally screwing me! When I return from my trip I'm finding a new provider who treats their customers fairly. I don't even care if I have to pay more because this is ridiculous!

 


prepaid is prepaid...  You have to unlock the phone before going to prepaid or you have to jump thru some hoops...  Its all automated which is where the problem comes in.  Just remember most other prepaid carriers make you wait 12 months.

Contributor

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2 Messages

7 years ago

Actually Version does not lock their phones, prepaid or otherwise.

Mentor

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32 Messages

6 years ago

Y'all keep saying that the ATT Gophones are subsidized and require 6 months to pay for the real cost of the phone. That is not true. The GoPhone that I have is the same price at one of the ATT stores near me as the Walmart across the street, though it is twice that at another ATT store near me. Neither store sells them for the same price... Now, I have an unlock code...direct from ATT that I was issued yesterday morning. I am an ATT customer and have been paying for a family plan for over 10 years. I bought a GoPhone. I have a brand new ATT nano-Sim. What I cannot do is activate that SIM at ALL. I have spent 6 hours so far in the ATT store and none of them have any idea what the problem is. They said they have never seen this problem before. And no. It is not a problem with my SIM card reader.

Any solutions someone knows of? 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

6 years ago


@DPenhead wrote:

Y'all keep saying that the ATT Gophones are subsidized and require 6 months to pay for the real cost of the phone. That is not true. The GoPhone that I have is the same price at one of the ATT stores near me as the Walmart across the street, though it is twice that at another ATT store near me. Neither store sells them for the same price... Now, I have an unlock code...direct from ATT that I was issued yesterday morning. I am an ATT customer and have been paying for a family plan for over 10 years. I bought a GoPhone. I have a brand new ATT nano-Sim. What I cannot do is activate that SIM at ALL. I have spent 6 hours so far in the ATT store and none of them have any idea what the problem is. They said they have never seen this problem before. And no. It is not a problem with my SIM card reader.

Any solutions someone knows of? 


a photo says it all...  Read the 2nd line of the back of the box from the maven 3 posted below.

 

Capture.PNGIMG_0319.JPG

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