Unlock codes, I'm really cross!!!

[Jux]

Virgin mobile, sim only contract. Bought phone outright from Phones for you, about 6 years ago and got sim on the same day from Virgin.

Virgin coverage is shit where we live. I can't get a signal at work at all, and it can be quite tricky at home sometimes. I want to switch and have a Tesco sim monthly contract which started yesterday, as they seem to have best coverage hereabouts. Tesco sim won't work in my phone. Virgin don't have an unlock code as I didn't get the phone from them; they say I have to contact HTC and they will give me a code for free but it will take 30 days, or I can go to a shop who will unlock it but charge me.

This is my bloody phone! I bought it outright, it belongs to me. I paid htc for it in good faith,nhow bloody dare they put a lock on it!!! I should be able to switch sims willy nilly as many times as I like and using as many different networks as I like. I am sooooooooo cross!

[Jux]

By the way, anyone able to help me? We don't have a phone shop close by, so I'll have to get a train to our nearest city, and I'm disabled and don't move about too well, so that's a big big deal, which I would quite like to avoid.

[Jux]

Hi TPL! Thanks for offering.

It's a Desire, one of the early ones, but I can't remember exactly which model.

[Jux]

That's really helpful, thanks so much.

It does look pretty straightforward. I've been doing things in rl this evening so I will try it in the morning. Someone has just told me that there is a new phone shop in a side road off our high street, so if this doesn't work, I can go there in a pinch on my scooter.

These companies are so unscrupulous [anger]. I'm not really cross any more, I just think it wouldn't really be acceptable in another context.

and

[Jux]

I remember those days well!

It turned into a horribly busy day, and I didn't have time to do it this morning. While we out at the shops we passed the new phone shop so I thought I'd give it a go, and they unlocked the phone for me very quickly and for only 10 quid.

The guy agreed with me, that locking phones is a disgrace, and then told me that Apple will charge nearly 100 quid to unlock one of theirs, that any company will tell you 30 days and it will take more like 60, and that Tesco phones can't be unlocked at all for love nor money.

It's outrageous! grrrrrrr

[tribpot]

It is ridiculous, isn't it? Like car manufacturers locking you in to petrol from Esso.

I've always bought unlocked phones ever since having to pay a tenner to unlock a phone bought (outright) from Orange a few years ago.

Tesco Mobile certainly say their handsets can be unlocked, btw. I don't know if it's true. I have been with Tesco for years but again always with a device I have bought myself.

[Jux]

I thought mine was unlocked when I bought it. Where do you get unlocked phones from?

Yes, that petrol scenario is exactly it. Really, these days it shouldn't be happening.

[tribpot]

I buy my phones from Amazon or the Google store (phone before last was a Nexus 5, so I bought directly from Google). I wouldn't assume any phone bought with a contract was unlocked, but it sounds like you bought the phone and the SIM separately, albeit on the same day? Was it definitely locked, did you try putting in a different SIM?

[RoosterCogburn]

Tesco unlocked mine. I think I had to give them a months notice. Same with EE.

To be fair Vodafone unlocked mine at once upon request although closing the account successfully was another matter

[Jux]

Yep, Trib, I bought the phone from Phones for you and then wandered into the Virgin shop next door and set up the contract for the sim (or maybe the other way around? Can't remember). It was definitely locked as I put the new Tesco sim in and it just said 'no sim', same when I put dh's Vodaphone sim. Now it's fine.

Rooster, I am struggling with closing my Virgin sim account! It's almost as if they like me my money I'm actually a bit annoyed with Virgin too, as they sold me as a bb customer to TalkTalk. We've been with Virgin for something like 15 years, and have been cast aside like First Wives!

[fastingmum123]

I was annoyed at ee I wanted to unlock my old phone so dd could use it with her sim rang ee who said fine but it's £8 I paid and then they announced I had to wait 3weeks for the bloody code.

[Jux]

I think it should be made much clearer when you buy them that they are locked (or not) and what that means, and how much difficulty you will have getting them unlocked. It's not honest, the way it works atm.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

A bit late now but I had an HTC Desire phone off a contact so it was locked to the network. When the contract finished I paid £1.50 on ebay for an unlock code by email which worked fine.

I replaced that phone with a Motorola G dual sim phone off Amazon which was sim free and unlocked and that's accepted any sim card I put in it. I think that cost about £140.

[Jux]

Hi Enrique! It never occurred to me to look for phones on Amazon before reading this thread. Did you know you could hire goats from there too?

I looked, because I wanted one to eat my garden so we could start again properly, but, , you have to hire a herd. And be in another country.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

Darn, some you win and some you lose out on then Jux.

My post auto corrected and I didn't notice, it was a code off ebay and not off a contact

[Jux]

[MaryWill74]

You can usually find a lot of places and websites offering to help you unlock your phone, aside from the carriers themselves. I can’t speak for all of them but unlockyoursim.com worked pretty well for me and it helped a lot!