agershun

Q: I bought iPhone 6s without the contract. When I tried to activate it, I cannot, because "The SIM is not supported...". Apple support denies to help me even to say what company locked my new legally purchsed iPhone. What to do? I

I bought the new iPhone 6s at Target Store without the contract. When I put my SIM card, iPhone infomed me that it can no be activated,

The phone is new, legal, covered by Apple's warranty accroding it's database.

 

I called to Apple support two times, they said that it was locked by someone, but even can not say the name of the company, who locked it and why.

 

So, Apple support just reccomended me nothing. NOTHING! They even did not provide me the name of the manager who can help me in such situation.

 

I called to T-Mobile, thay said that they didnot lock this device.

ATT even did not answer on all my requests.

 

Now I got dead  gold iBrick. What to do?

 

PS. I am totally disappointed with Apple policies and it's support. It is terrible that the company with such brilliant products has such terrible attention to it's legal customers.

iPhone 6s

Posted on Jan 22, 2016 3:01 AM

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Q: I bought iPhone 6s without the contract. When I tried to activate it, I cannot, because "The SIM is not supported...". Apple suppo ... more

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  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jan 23, 2016 8:34 AM in response to agershun
    Level 9 (59,044 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 23, 2016 8:34 AM in response to agershun

    agershun wrote:

     

    The phone was purchased at full cost ($799), so it was not subsidized. And it was sold by official dealer and purchased by me as "no contract" phone especially to prevent this locking situation.

     

    Unfortunately, there is no information about the such important difference between Apple Stores and their (even major) dealers.

     

    BTW "iPhone warranty is not international" - I am not sure, but I will check,,, At least for this phone the technical support is international (according Apples databases).

     

    Anyway, thank you again for advices. I will continue to fight

    That is fine that you purchased it at full cost, however as I stated earlier, full cost does not guarantee unlocked phone. And, Target does not sell unlocked phones. No contract means just that, no contract, it does not mean unlocked. I'm thinking that your receipt from Target will show a carrier, but I cannot be sure of that, since I haven't purchased a phone from Target. Big box electronic stores are not considered a major Apple dealer, at least not in the sense I believe you are referring to. They are an authorized reseller, but that is all.

     

    You can check all you want, the iPhone warranty is not international. You will not be able to receive warranty service on that device anywhere except in the US. Technical phone support is not warranty. You can receive phone support, but not warranty support for mail-in or walk-in service at an Apple store.

     

    Fight as you wish, but the fact is, the device is locked, and the only way to get it unlocked is to find out who it is locked to and contact them about unlocking. Only the carrier the device is locked to can authorize the unlock. I'm a little confused by the statement you made where you said that Apple could not tell you who the device was locked to. It has always been the case where people can contact Apple Support and they will be able to advise them what carrier a device is locked to. I would contact Apple again to discover who the carrier is and that is where you need to focus this "fight".

  • by agershun,

    agershun agershun Jan 23, 2016 12:30 PM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 23, 2016 12:30 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

    Thank you for the detailed explanations.

     

    1 .Below is the quote from apple.com: How to unlock your iPhone for use with another carrier - Apple Support See the first paragraph of this page.

     

    "An unlocked phone is sometimes called a SIM-Free or contract-free phone."

     

    I purchased "contract-free" phone (= "unlocked phone") at official Apple partner. What did I do wrong?

     

    2. Apple's support operator told me twice that they do not provide information what company locked the phone. Nor provide the name of the manager who can solve my problem (probably, they suppose I have to call directly to Tim Cook to solve the problem).

     

    3. I read carefully all 2px font words in phone papers, and did not find anything about this situation.

     

    Now, of course, I will try to return the phone to the store on the other side of the planet, Unfortunately, I lost two weeks to try to solve this question with this "regretful" company support.

  • by Philly_Phan,

    Philly_Phan Philly_Phan Jan 23, 2016 12:42 PM in response to agershun
    Level 6 (13,576 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 23, 2016 12:42 PM in response to agershun

    The following is a C&P from the link that YOU provided.  That's exactly what you have been told repeatedly on this forum.

     

    First, your carrier will need to process your unlock request. Then you'll back up, erase, and restore your iPhone to unlock it.

    Start the process:

    1. See if your carrier offers unlocking. Only your carrier can unlock your iPhone.
    2. Contact your carrier and request an unlock. You might need to meet requirements to qualify for unlocking. After you submit the request to your carrier, it might take a few days to complete. Contact your carrier for the status of your unlock request.
    3. After your carrier confirms that your iPhone unlock has been processed, go to the next section.
  • by agershun,

    agershun agershun Jan 23, 2016 1:11 PM in response to Philly_Phan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 23, 2016 1:11 PM in response to Philly_Phan

    Unfortunately, I still do not have answer on the simple question "WHO IS MY CARRIER?" I know the company who sold it. I know T-Mobile (I used their prepaid plan for a week, but they ыфшв that the did not lock this phone). And Apple do not want to provide me this information.

     

    I can only guess, that it could be ATT or Varizon (the major US carrier). Unfortunately, their support did not provide this information by phone They sent me to the www form for unlocking service, and I filled this page two weeks ago without any answer from them).

     

    Everything is simple:

    1. If I am near the store, I just would return the phone - but this is impossible right now for geographical reasons

    2. If I know carrier - I would contact carrier - Unfortunately, Apple hides this information from me

    3. If potential carrier answer on my request (like T-Mobile did) - I would simply unlock the phone or test who is this :locking guy: - but they do not answer

     

    Here are the reasons of my deadlock situation. I would like to contact the carrier if they pick up the phone, but they don'r.

  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jan 23, 2016 1:14 PM in response to agershun
    Level 9 (59,044 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 23, 2016 1:14 PM in response to agershun

    The key word in what you posted is "sometimes". Again, how things are phrased in different locations makes a difference. The fact is I know that Apple would provide the carrier information. I've seen it done. It was a bad idea, as indicated earlier, to purchase a phone in a country where you were not going to use the device. While you did use it for a short period of time in the US, it wasn't going to help where you were going. Since you were using service with T-Mobile, by your original post, it sounds like it is locked to then, whether they say they locked it or not. The do not do anything when you put in a SIM to lock the device. It would be locked to them before you even activated it. Have you tried to restore the device to factory? If the device is unlocked, then when you restore it to factory in iTunes, you would get a message on the screen stating that your device is unlocked. If you do not get that message, then your device is still locked.

     

    You will know next time if you want an unlocked phone, you must purchase it at the Apple Store. If you purchase an iPhone in the US, the warranty is only valid in the US.

  • by LACAllen,

    LACAllen LACAllen Jan 23, 2016 2:28 PM in response to agershun
    Level 5 (5,224 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 23, 2016 2:28 PM in response to agershun

    If I can offer an observation... If you called me at Apple with the aggressive "you're screwing me over" attitude you showed in your first few posts... I wouldn't share any information with you either. You have pegged Apple as the enemy, when they clearly are not. You believed they have some master database with every phone's carrier information stored in it, and wouldn't give you information.

     

    If even a bit of this mindset came across when you spoke to them, you got what you deserve.

     

    If you call Apple, and calmly, without assigning blame, described the situation you are in, you likely would get their cooperation.

     

    Asking who the IMEI you are providing is locked to, is a much easier task than demanding a manager's name or demanding they unlock the phone for you.

     

    You reap what you sow.

  • by salavatkh,

    salavatkh salavatkh Jan 24, 2016 12:42 AM in response to LACAllen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2016 12:42 AM in response to LACAllen

    Hello,

     

    I read the discussion. Disclaimer - I am long time friend of the topic starter.

     

    It looks like he is alone here and probably another point of view is needed.

     

    I have experience with iPhones (as well as TS) from the very first one, where we had to unlock them in order to use in Russia, where they were not sold till iPhone 3g (or was it 3?) as I remember. In another words - we have some experience using locked and unlocked iPhones.

     

    Warranty is country specific - that is fine,since iPhone is working. The problem that TS is trying to elevate is that Apple has full control of the iPhones, particularly carrier/country restrictions, LTE capability. If you do a recover procedure, you can see iTunes contacting that central database.

     

    When it comes to this purchase - I think it is chain of questions, where topic starter is trying get through:

    1) this is unlocked iPhone. Price supports that statement, Apple probably (or must?) confirm that. It could be that locked iPhone was bought.

    2) iPhone model (e.g. unlocked) could have been misplaced - they sold locked iPhone instead of unlocked. Target (the seller) should clarify that, but at the end - Apple should clarify that purchased iPhone was sim free.

    3) UNLOCKED meaning. In the rest of the world (outside of US) this means only that you could use iPhone with any operator in the world. In US this could easily mean that you still could use with ANY operator, but ONLY IN US. That how marketing in US could be working, presuming US customers does not need anything, since they have everything in US. Apple could/must clarify that.

    5) Now T mobile sim was used on the phone. Can sim lock iPhone? Yes it can, if manufacturer provided that functionality. Probably only Apple can clarify, T Mobile can also clarify. T mobile said they do not do that, prepaid cards probably should not lock the phones, because of the nature of prepaid cards use.

     

    Apple has full control of iPhone and its functionality as I see.

     

    I think in real life you never have to structure a problem into detailed puzzles with right questions and appropriate angles if there is a customer service, which solves all this for you, provided you are a legitimate customer (by using this I mean you paid the full price through legitimate trade channel). Apple probably can solve the mess of the different issues, which I described the above,  piling up the chain. But Apple does not. That is the only question - why?

  • by imobl,

    imobl imobl Jan 24, 2016 6:15 AM in response to agershun
    Level 5 (7,038 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 24, 2016 6:15 AM in response to agershun

    What does it say when you look at Settings>General>About>Carrier?

    You may have to scroll to see the entry for Carrier.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jan 24, 2016 6:18 AM in response to agershun
    Level 9 (50,871 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 24, 2016 6:18 AM in response to agershun

    agershun wrote:

     

    Unfortunately, I am now in the opposite side of the Earth now, and I realized that this is a problem only here (I successfully used T-Mobile prepaid while I was in US). Anyway, Of course, I will try to send the phone back and ask friends to solve this problem, but this is a big HEADACHE boucht for big money,

     

    Thank you!

     

    PS. I think this is sole Apple company responsibility to solve this questions, because they have database of all devices and contracts, and the telephone covered with warranty.

    You have been sold a locked phone by Target, complain to them, they took your money after all.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jan 24, 2016 6:21 AM in response to agershun
    Level 9 (50,871 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 24, 2016 6:21 AM in response to agershun

    No one but you is responsible for your current predicament, having purchased a dubious phone from a dubious source it is now yours. If you won't return it what do you expect to happen?

  • by roaminggnome,

    roaminggnome roaminggnome Jan 24, 2016 6:31 AM in response to salavatkh
    Level 10 (97,225 points)
    Jan 24, 2016 6:31 AM in response to salavatkh

    I think everyone understands and is at least a little sympathetic.  The issue is where the OP points the blame.  Locking/unlocking is not an Apple decision.  It is 100% the decision of the carrier.  Whether the OP purchased a locked or unlocked iPhone is on the Store from which he purchased, not the manufacturer.

     

    1,2 &3)  If he bought it at Target, then it is not unlocked, as they do not sell unlocked iPhones, as far as I know.  Paying full price is certainly not mean that it is unlocked.  Many pay full price for a locked iPhone, it is simply not bound to a contract or the buyer is not eligible for a subsidy from the carrier.

     

    4) In the U.S, an unlocked iPhone is unlocked. It does not become locked to a carrier once it is unlocked.

     

    Apple does NOT  make the decision on locking and unlocking.  The carrier make this decision.  The issue is not with the phone or the manufacturer, it is with Target and/or the carrier.

  • by salavatkh,

    salavatkh salavatkh Jan 24, 2016 6:47 AM in response to Csound1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2016 6:47 AM in response to Csound1

    "No one but you is responsible for your current predicament, having purchased a dubious phone from a dubious source it is now yours."

     

    I think OP said he has bought iPhone from Target. If that is a dubious source, then only Apple Store is a legitimate one. Apple should stop selling from dubious source to maintain quality of customer service.

     

    "Locking/unlocking is not an Apple decision. "

     

    I cannot agree with this statement. It is Apple who enables or disables locking of the phone through centralized database (like stolen ones cannot be activated at all). Carrier only decides whether to sell locked or unlocked phones and orders appropriate ones from Apple.

     

    I think you brought important point though in your post - "Many pay full price for a locked iPhone, it is simply not bound to a contract or the buyer is not eligible for a subsidy from the carrier." - it appears that iPhone is CONTRACT FREE, but not SIM FREE, which means it is still LOCKED to a first used carrier.

     

    Well again - this conclusion is not valid either - how to predict which carrier customer is going to use then?  Logically, it sounds like it is contract free, but lockable iPhone, locking to the first carrier. But again - why so much mess with different locking options while selling iPhone at full price (I mean full - you can buy truly unlocked iPhone for very much the same amount around the globe)?

     

    I think it is a mess. And probably Apple who should clean it a bit for the sake of customer satisfaction, as it always thought to serve.

  • by roaminggnome,

    roaminggnome roaminggnome Jan 24, 2016 6:49 AM in response to salavatkh
    Level 10 (97,225 points)
    Jan 24, 2016 6:49 AM in response to salavatkh

    Apple does NOT decide to lock or unlock.  This is 100% the decision of the carrier.


    Apple will not lock or unlock an iPhone, unless the carrier directs them to do so.

     

    Not sure why you do not believe this.  It is simply the way it works.

     

    Just because Apple flips the switch, does not meant hat they make that decision.  They simply carry out the wishes of the carrier.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jan 24, 2016 6:54 AM in response to salavatkh
    Level 9 (50,871 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 24, 2016 6:54 AM in response to salavatkh

    Just because you don't like it does not mean it is bad, it is the single most effective theft deterrent there is. Try telling the people who recovered their iPhones that that they should not have access to it.

     

    It seems as though you want everyone else to suffer because you failed to check whether the phone was locked, and that is NOT going to happen.

  • by TJBUSMC1973,

    TJBUSMC1973 TJBUSMC1973 Jan 24, 2016 7:14 AM in response to salavatkh
    Level 5 (7,636 points)
    Jan 24, 2016 7:14 AM in response to salavatkh

    salavatkh wrote:

     

    Hello,

     

    I read the discussion. Disclaimer - I am long time friend of the topic starter.

     

    It looks like he is alone here and probably another point of view is needed.

     

     

     

    There is no other point of view needed.  Apple does not, and has never, unlocked iPhones from one carrier to another. 

     

    OP hasn't even stated that they've TRIED to contact Target.  Also, they're on the other side of the planet now.  Why wold you purchase an iPhone in a country where you did not intend to use it?  Why would you think that there's a 'world-wide warranty' or 'world-wide usage' when no one from Apple ever said this was true?

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