Unlocking

offitmassive

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Just wondered why we have to pay (network depending ) on having a mobile phone unlocked . Surely if you receive a mobile phone on a contract - you may a higher monthly fee than a sim only plan . Thus meaning you're paying for the phone through the 12/18/24 month term . And whether it's fulfilled till the end or stopped early - you're contractually obliged to pay the remaining months . So if then the contract (inc phone ) is paid - why are we forced to dig further into our pockets to get them unlocked when they're then fully paid for ??
 
Because OFCOM allowed them to charge an admin fee (and didn't stipulate what the fee should be).
 
I find it hard to accept that they can charge us when we've already paid ! Think il Google a cheaper way
 
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Having said that though - I've just remembered last December I went to an Apple Store with a Genius Bar appt who confirmed the phone was faulty - and they swapped it there and then .... I reckon my phone is already unlocked as came from Apple Store direct ?
 
Having said that though - I've just remembered last December I went to an Apple Store with a Genius Bar appt who confirmed the phone was faulty - and they swapped it there and then .... I reckon my phone is already unlocked as came from Apple Store direct ?

No, Apple would have applied the same lock status to your replacement as what your old phone had.
 
Isn't there only EE left that charge for this process? O2 don't on pay monthly contracts, 3 don't even lock phones any more.
 
I think Vodafone do too . It's so wrong - it's our phone . At the end of the contract it's fully paid for . Yet they seem to wanna charge for unlocking what's rightfully ours . My contract with EE ends in Feb so will have to pay to unlock it to use a 3 sum only plan.
 
Yet they seem to wanna charge for unlocking what's rightfully ours .

Not defending them, but, if you're on a contact with a subsidised phone, you're effectively on a HP agreement for the purchase of the handset, are you not? So it would be down to the company to interpret at what point the phone actually becomes yours.

I agree that it should be unlocked (maybe automatically) at the end of your contract, though.

Abuse can't be that much of a problem if Three iPhones are unlocked from day one.
 
Not defending them, but, if you're on a contact with a subsidised phone, you're effectively on a HP agreement for the purchase of the handset, are you not? So it would be down to the company to interpret at what point the phone actually becomes yours.

I agree that it should be unlocked (maybe automatically) at the end of your contract, though.

Abuse can't be that much of a problem if Three iPhones are unlocked from day one.
How is it subsidised when the cost of the phone is effectively spead out ? Id guess at the 5s was worth £400 new ??? Spread over 24 months is less than £17 a month and that works out around the extra cost over the same mins/texts/ data on sim only .

As three seem to be the cheapest/more for the money for deals so I don't understand how EE can charge for this admin fee when they're charging more for less !! Think three are doing it correctly as it won't matter to them even if this "subsidised " phone is used on another network - a contract is a contract , the owner has to pay the phone out anyway over 12/18/24 months
 

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