Activation unlock request denied

AntonioLeche wrote:

I purchased 2 iPhones (iPhone 12 pro and 12 pro max) from a Verizon store in a mall in 2021. They were both used by my daughters. We are now estranged and do not speak. Both of them now have new phones and I submitted an Activation unlock request for each phone with the receipt of purchased and they were both denied, "We are unable to process your request at this time.".

I need to trade these phones in for a discount. I paid over $2000 for these phones and I can get back $1850 in trade credit.

What are my options?

It sounds like the phones in question are registered to your daughters' Apple IDs.

Option 1 - Give the phones back to your daughters, no strings attached. You won't have the phones, but since your daughters presumably know their own Apple ID passwords, they may be able to use the phones.

Option 2 – Get on speaking terms with your daughters, enough so that you can ask them to prepare the phones for transfer to you. (What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support)

Option 3 – Use the phones as paperweights. If the phones are Activation Locked, and neither the people to whom they are locked (your daughters) nor Apple are willing to remove the locks, you won't be able to use the phones to get trade-in credits.

aac5010 wrote:

I just had this same thing happen to me. The email I received ONLY said that Apple is "unable to process your request at this time." No reason provided.

I submitted a PDF receipt, downloaded from the Best Buy website, of my Apple Watch Series 6 purchase when it first came out in 2020. I also submitted the serial #. It's not on my iCloud.

How do you challenge the unlock refusal?

+ How does you challenge the unlock refusal when Apple support cannot be bothered to even articulate a simple reason why the request was refused?!

There seems to have been three messages that have been reported after submitting the unlock request. The one you have saying it is "unable to process your request at this time" can be resubmitted and is not a denial. The other states that the request has been denied and to submit more documents proving proof of purchase. And the last one I have seen users report is that the request has been denied and they are unable to accept any more requests to unlock the device.

Since you are seeing the least troublesome response, I would resubmit and hopefully you will get a different outcome or at least a better explanation. It does not appear they have denied your request, just unable to process at this time (whatever that means).

Did the Best Buy receipt that you submitted have the serial number on it?

Review this Apple site to see if the store you purchased from is an Authorized Apple Reseller.

Find Locations

If the location is on there and the receipt that you provided showed your name and serial number of the devices, then try contacting by phone using this link to find the number in your area.

Contact - Official Apple Support

Apparently Apple only accepts Activation unlock requests for devices purchased from Apple itself or an Apple authorized reseller - all other requests (i.e. for purchases from 3rd parties) are routinely denied.

If Verizon is an authorized reseller you should challenge the unlock refusal via Apple support.

[Edited by Moderator]

Only Apple can unlock the phones. Sorry, nothing more that you can do unless you have additional materials to send to Apple in another request.

Apple is very hard to please as far as unlock requests are concerned.

AND

“… Proof of ownership must include the product serial number, IMEI or MEID …”

Ref:

https://al-support.apple.com/#/additional-support

I just had this same thing happen to me. The email I received ONLY said that Apple is "unable to process your request at this time." No reason provided.

I submitted a PDF receipt, downloaded from the Best Buy website, of my Apple Watch Series 6 purchase when it first came out in 2020. I also submitted the serial #. It's not on my iCloud.

How do you challenge the unlock refusal?

+ How does you challenge the unlock refusal when Apple support cannot be bothered to even articulate a simple reason why the request was refused?!

Piggiesshadow wrote:

Same thing here have been trying over and over for a watch with all proof I have owned 4 years!! Have you had any luck?

You can "own" a device for 4 years, but the only thing that matters is if the proof you provided was the original purchase receipt from Apple or Authorized Apple seller.

None of us here can tell you how to challenge Apple’s decision.

Same thing here have been trying over and over for a watch with all proof I have owned 4 years!! Have you had any luck?