So will o2 unlock under ANY circumstances?

From my experience O2 are a company who does not care about customers and believes that all iPhones in the UK belong to them (even though we actually paid for them) and expect us spend hundreds of pounds a week using roaming through their network even if you have to move to another country.

If people don't like the system, no one is holding a gun to their heads to get an iPhone through O2. use a different carrier and get a different phone. When you agree to a contract with O2, you know the rules.

Like you, I signed a contract with O2. We all knew the iPhone (like other phones) come carrier-locked. Okay, when you leave the country, you want it unlocked and I sympathise with that... But whatever network you transfer to, in most countries, they'll require you to sign an iPhone contract which will probably require you to buy an iPhone locked to their network. Of course, the iPhone will be heavily subsidised with the costs recharged to you with an extortionate tariff. But your O2 iPhone will become redundant anyway so your best option is to put in on ebay.

For those wanting to leg it to Orange or Vodafone here in the UK, what makes you think their service is going to be better/cheaper than O2? I've been with both networks and believe me, O2 are a godsend compared to both.

When you agree to a contract with O2, you know the rules.

Yes, that's true within the contract, but what about when the contract is over, the phone is fully paid for, and you and o2 have no legal obligations to each other whatsoever?

Why should O2 be able to restrict your free use of your own, fully paid-for property?

Every other phone I've owned on contract has been unlocked for free, or a small fee, *once the contract is over*. Why should the iPhone be any different?

Because there is no law in the UK that requires O2 or any other carrier in the UK to unlock a phone sold as carrier locked. Just because this has been done by the carrier with every other carrier locked phone you've owned does not mean O2 must do the same, or every other carrier in the UK must do the same with every other phone sold as carrier locked.

If you buy a pay as you go iPhone from Apple they don't ask you to sign a contract or as you put it "agree to a contract" so may people are totally unaware of "the rules"!!!

I know about the law and I didn't say they "must do the same". Clearly the lack of a law doesn't stop O2 from unlocking other phones from their network after the contract is up.

I asked why is the iPhone treated differently to every other phone sold by O2.

Because O2 has chosen to treat the iPhone differently.

How do you expect anyone here - fellow users only to answer why.

You need to ask O2 why.

How do you expect anyone here - fellow users only to answer why.

I don't expect anything. Is it not within the realms of possibility that a "fellow user" here has already asked O2 that question and can post the answer they got?

Or perhaps an O2 employee that posts on these forums (there are some), can give a little insight?

I'm not asking for people who don't know the answer to give meaningless replies, especially those who have no direct experience of O2. However, being a "fellow user" doesn't immediately exclude people from knowing the answer.

With Pay as you go, you DO agree to terms that are listed on the carrier's site.

You made an assumption that the phone is unlocked because Italy sells unlocked phones. The reason the pay as you go phone was so cheap in the UK is because it is locked.

Why are you replying to what you consider a meaningless reply? What a shrewd one you are.

Just because you don't like or agree with the answer doesn't make the answer meaningless, but a typical reply by your sort.

Good luck getting the answer to why.

More to the point - why are you replying to a question when you don't know the answer? Equally shrewd (but maybe typical of "your sort" - whatever you meant by that)

It's not about not liking or agreeing with your answer - it's the fact that you didn't actually answer the question asked. Just saying "Because O2 has chosen to" doesn't give any meaningful information.

Firstly the phone costs the same in the apple shop in london as it does here, so there was no "so cheap" as you put it. Secondly I asked twice in the Apple shop if the phone was locked, once in August and again whilst purchasing and was told it was NOT! My exact words to the young lady were "is the phone locked in any way, can I change the SIM card" she replied NO and even kindly showed me how to change the sim!

As for agreeing to terms, does this mean before you make any sort of purchase, washing machine, tv, car etc etc you go to the company web site to read the terms and conditions? and even if I had done so their terms and conditions says:

"13.3 Within the United Kingdom, the Equipment may be restricted to use on the O2 Network. If you attempt to unlock the Equipment in a manner which is not specifically authorised by us, the Equipment may become permanently unusable (fully or in part)."

So what part of these Terms say the phone is locked throughout the world??

You need to give it up. You bought a phone from a country that only sells locked iPhones and it was up to you to do your homework first.

The title of the post is clear. I have no idea why the contract particulars are being repeated over and over. If somebody can answer this, lets have it answered. If not let's leave it alone.