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User profile for user: smoochy9
smoochy9 Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

Help! Can't activate my iphone 4

Hello, i live in Russia, and iPhone 4 here costs about 1100 dollars (sim free), so i had no other choice but to go to Apple Store in Paris (i just happened to have a vaccation there) and buy two iPhones 4 there - one for my friend, one - for my stepfather. I bought two SIM FREE iPhones 4 - 629 euros per each. Now that i came back to Moscow i found out that one of them is sim LOCK, because they so happened to make a mistake and sell me the wrong one for the same price of sim free. I can't activate one of them because it requires French sim card, so i called iPhone Support online service - but they couldn't really help me.
Please, anyone, help me or advice smth to do, because i'm 17 and neither me nor my stepdad is good at that kind of stuff!!
Is there ANY possibility that i could unlock this iPhone??
Can i buy the french sim card to activate the iPhone and then change back to a russian one??
And how can i contact the Apple Support via e-mail??
Thanks in advance, smoochy

iPhone 4, iOS 4

Posted on Jan 7, 2011 2:18 AM

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15 replies
User profile for user: wjosten
wjosten
User level: Level 10
95,321 points

Jan 7, 2011 2:22 AM in response to smoochy9

Call the Apple store where you purchased these phones. Explain the situation & they will most likely put you in contact with Apple support/customer relations which will fix the issue for you. If they determine your were mistakenly sold a locked phone, they can fix such by adding the phone's IMEI number to the appropriate data base. No one here can help you, so start by calling the store where you purchased these phones to get this fixed.
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User profile for user: iluvjensen1
iluvjensen1
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jan 7, 2011 11:00 AM in response to smoochy9

Sorry, I don't know about the SIM free and lock stuff, but my advice is to call the store where you bought it first. They should be able to at least tell what you need to do. Or you can call the 800 number listed at the bottom of this page and it should be Apple help/support. 1-800-MY-APPLE Have the iPhones handy or at least their serial and IMEI numbers available (can be found on back of box or in the settings - About feature on the phone if it is working.

Good luck
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User profile for user: 1music
1music
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jan 8, 2011 4:43 AM in response to smoochy9

My problem when activating my iPhone 3GS was somewhat similar. They gave me the wrong Sim card. However, I needed to actually visit the store, and get a new Sim card. Are there Apple store is in Russia? I had to go to an Apple store. You could, however, try e-mailing Apple support if the store in Parris does not help you.
http://www.apple.com/support/iPhone
is the support site which will give you contact options. There are also free ways to call toll-free numbers, the simplest being skype. You could also use sip providers.
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User profile for user: ecpcr1978
ecpcr1978
User level: Level 1
8 points

Jan 8, 2011 9:10 AM in response to wjosten

wjosten, do you think they can really help remotely? A friend has the exact same situation with an unlocked iphone 4 bought in Canada and he is now in another country. He called technical support and they were really not interested in helping. I think your solution is ideal, but I'm wandering why they tech support didn't want to help...

thanks
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User profile for user: wjosten
wjosten
User level: Level 10
95,321 points

Jan 8, 2011 1:01 PM in response to ecpcr1978

wjosten, do you think they can really help remotely?


Yes. There was a poster a few months back, Purchased a "unlocked" iphone directly from Apple online in France. Returned home only to find the phone was carrier locked. Called Apple support in France. Took a couple of calls, but eventually they added the phone to the official unlocked data base. Problem solved.
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User profile for user: wegras
wegras
User level: Level 6
15,305 points

Jan 9, 2011 10:02 AM in response to OlesyaK

Did you buy the iPhone4 sim free AND buy a UK carrier sim from the Apple store at the same time ??

or just the iPhone if so they have got it wrong and should update the IMEI
If you purchased a sim at the same time they may have miscoded the sale and locked it to a carrier
Still wrong but helps sort it out as you paid full retail price

Message was edited by: Peter Gillespie
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User profile for user: OlesyaK
OlesyaK
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jan 9, 2011 10:05 AM in response to wegras

I got two sim free iPhones without sim-cards as I intended to get micro-sims in Russia, so when I received the new sim-cards and started activation process, one of the iPhones activated all right, while the other appears to be sim-locked 😟 I contacted apple retail store in Manchester where I got the phones, they promised to come back to me with some information...
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User profile for user: wegras
wegras
User level: Level 6
15,305 points

Jan 9, 2011 10:15 AM in response to OlesyaK

In that case no excuse They have sold you 2x sim free iPhone4, charged you full retail price and then managed to code one as carrier locked .

This is an error on their part you need to insist they sort it which is within their capability since no carrier is involved

Message was edited by: Peter Gillespie
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User profile for user: kavrina
kavrina
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jan 14, 2011 2:28 AM in response to smoochy9

I have absolutely the same problem!
I bought 2 Iphones in Paris for the full price and one is activated and the other won't.
And i can not understant why it is impossible to get any help via e-mail.
Please, if you have solved the problem and havу some contacts please cantact me 661266 собака mail.ru напишите, пожалуйста ваши телефоны российский я бы хотел вам позвонить посоветоваться
The problem is also that we got the tax refund and they customs took from us the original receipt, the onluy hope that we paid with the credit card and have the transaction info in our bank cheques.
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User profile for user: kavrina
kavrina
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jan 14, 2011 4:37 AM in response to smoochy9

напишите, пожалуйста, удалось ли вам решить проблему? у меня даже не получается дозвониться до магазина ов франции, на общий телефон поддержки во франции тоже... звоню непосредственно в магазин прослушиваю информацию, нажимаю разные варианты меню либо слуша опять информацию, либо если выбираю техподдержку меня сбрасывает.. общий тел поддержки занят звоню с сотового говорят что телефон недоступен
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Help! Can't activate my iphone 4

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