T-Mobile UK's official response to a SIM unlock request

[ffcphone]

For those of you interested, I enquired of T-Mobile UK how to remove the SIM lock on my N95. Here's their official response.

F


Thanks for your email, enquiring about unlocking your phone.

I understand how important it is for you to unlock your phone and I understand how concerned you must be about this.

To unlock your phone you'll need a subsidy PIN. This costs £15 (including VAT). All you need to do is let me know this is what you want and I will order one for you. It can take up to 28 working days to receive this.

It may be that not all of your phone's features will work on another network and you'll need to check that your phone is compatible with the network you're planning to use it on. Sometimes you'll also need a working SIM card to unlock it. There are a few things you'll need to do before we can give you your subsidy PIN.

As you're a pay monthly customer

• You'll need to have had your T-Mobile account for at least one month.
• You haven't asked more than three times for a subsidy PIN in the last 12 months.
• Any outstanding amounts on your account must be paid before you can receive your Subsidy PIN.
• The £15 charge for the PIN can be added to your monthly bill or paid via credit/debit card.
To get your subsidy PIN, please email me again with the following information:

• an alternative number we can contact you on
• the make and model of your phone
• your IMEI number - you'll find this on the back of your phone underneath the battery, or by pressing *#06# on your keypad (or on a Blackberry use the track wheel to scroll to Hide Call and press Return - then from the Options menu on the front screen choose Status Open and you'll see your IMEI)
• tell me how you'd like to pay the £15 charge.
For further assistance you can also contact our customer services team on 150 from your T-Mobile phone or 0845 412 5000 from a landline (which are also charged at local rates). They're everyday from 7am to 10pm.
Thanks again for taking time to email me and I'm sure you'll find this information useful.

If you've any further questions, please feel free to reply to this email and I'll be glad to help you.

Kind regards

Customer Services Email Team
T-Mobile

[wkc247]

thats good to know, wanted to do this until i claimed a new one thru insurance when old one broke. they sent me another tmobile branded one which was faulty, got sent an unbranded unlocked one now so i didnt need to get it unlocked no more

[ffcphone]

I never quite understand why networks charge for this or even sim lock handsets in the first place. It's not as if unlocking them cancels the contract. Perhaps if you're a PAYG user it might bring in a little extra revenue but as someone committed to 18 months on £35 per month minimum I find it a bit akin to "Treating Customers Unfairly" (the buzz phrase opposite in the financial services sector of the moment).

F

[hongkongphooey6]

Just got N95 8GB from 02 and is was unlocked right out of the box. Similar thing 18 months ago with Voda when got P990i. Seems only TMUK and Orange lock 'contract' accounts - or it could just be the early adopters that get the benefit of the early stock. I'm happy though

[randomfan]

Originally Posted by ffcphone

I never quite understand why networks charge for this or even sim lock handsets in the first place. It's not as if unlocking them cancels the contract. Perhaps if you're a PAYG user it might bring in a little extra revenue but as someone committed to 18 months on £35 per month minimum I find it a bit akin to "Treating Customers Unfairly" (the buzz phrase opposite in the financial services sector of the moment).

F

I suppose, if you stick another SIM card in there, they will only get £35 a month from you; whereas using the default SIM you are likely to spend more

[pa49]

One thing they forgot to mention is that 'not all N95s can be unlocked'!
That's the response I got after ordering the sub PIN, waiting longer than 28 days and they finding out it didn't work.
Got full refund + £20 for the trouble.

[ffcphone]

Originally Posted by randomfan

I suppose, if you stick another SIM card in there, they will only get £35 a month from you; whereas using the default SIM you are likely to spend more

A good point although not applicable in my case as I rarely go over the free allowance. But I guess call and text-happy younger kids will no doubt make them a bob or two.

F

[ffcphone]

Really? Some phones can be locked but not unlocked? I find that quite strange. Are you sure some incompetent idiot isn't giving you a load of old bull to mask their stupidity?

F

[pa49]

Originally Posted by ffcphone

Really? Some phones can be locked but not unlocked? I find that quite strange. Are you sure some incompetent idiot isn't giving you a load of old bull to mask their stupidity?

F

With T-mobile that's always a possibility. I just got tired of chasing them to do something!
With T-mobile it's a love-hate relationship and they know it and take advantage of it!

[ffcphone]

Originally Posted by pa49

With T-mobile that's always a possibility. I just got tired of chasing them to do something!
With T-mobile it's a love-hate relationship and they know it and take advantage of it!

Unfortunately, it will be forever thus when organisations employ poorly trained workers in their customer "service" areas. I'm struggling to provide any positive feedback from any company I have spoken to lately with 5+ employees. It's the way of the world.

F

[stuclark]

To comment on someone's post, Vodafone lock most of their phones, it's generally only when a phone is new on their network that it'll be unlocked. (they seem to rush the first shipments through unlocked on just about every handset, with subsequent ones being locked).

The reason networks lock phones is to keep you with them for the duration of the contract. This is because they want the revenue you'll generate to counter the cost of the phone they've probably given you for free.

[Unplugged]

Originally Posted by stuclark

The reason networks lock phones is to keep you with them for the duration of the contract. This is because they want the revenue you'll generate to counter the cost of the phone they've probably given you for free.

Ive never agreed with this tbh. There is now almost next to no subsidy on PAYG and with contarct thats what the minimum term is for. You have to stay with them for x months regardless of wether the handset is locked or not.

[kontraband]

Hmmm yeah, the 'contract' is there to keep you in the contract, not locking the handset?

If that were true at the end of the contract they would give you the unlock code... but they dont... you gotta call up, maybe get it by email, maybe wait a week...

I would view the locking as a much more of a cash cow.

[Unplugged]

It was the branding that did it originally. Orange and T-Bag always locked thier phones mostly because orange always oranged the phon ein some way different case / colour and tacky logos everywhere.

Vodafone and 02 never locked contact phones until they started "living" them up and branding them to buggery and disabling features.

Their excuse for this was "The phone is a vodafone handset and therefore has settings for our network which may be incompatable with other providers *couth* bs *couth*.

Its is a cash cow designed to rape £15-£20 out of you at the end of your contract because ofcom allow them to charge for this service and bundle it under the term "modest admin fee". They are only allowed to do this as the phone is subsidied but technically a phone isnt part of a contract its a sweetener they give you for free when you agree to give them £x for a certain period. The phone is legally your property from day one so I find it rearlly irritating when they decide what I can and cannot do with it. If I choose to place another providers card in it or use scype thats my business.