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I spoke with an AT&T rep today about getting my unlock code since I'll be in korea, but according to them, they cannot unlock my phone since AT&T has an exclusivity contract on my phone until December. I thought I read somewhere that if you ask nicely they will unlock it for you?
Keep calling and keep pestering them. If you get no joy from the rep, get their supervisor/manager on the phone. Eventually you should get someone who will give you the unlock code. It is sometimes a pain getting the code from them, but they should give it to you. Tell them you weren't told anything about exclusivity when you bought the phone, and that you specifically asked about it being unlocked, and was told customer support would do it for you.
If all else fail, try cellunlocker.net
That's how I got mine unlocked.
There is a three day turnaround wait for the code, but if there's no option, what should you do?
- Sent from my ATRIX 4G using XDA app -
Yeah you have to keep calling them and bother them to give you the unlock code... I had a Rep tell me there are no unlock codes but I imagine she didn't know what she was doing so I talked to someone higher up and bam got it...
Sent from my Motorola Olympus running gingerblur 3.5 on 1.8.3 using XDA App
You can keep calling, but they simply don't give us the unlock codes until December. The codes come from Moto, and AT&T locks them down till exclusivity ends.
link12245 said:
You can keep calling, but they simply don't give us the unlock codes until December. The codes come from Moto, and AT&T locks them down till exclusivity ends.
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So then the people reporting that they have gotten it are merely trolling me? or is this a new policy?
willy101 said:
So then the people reporting that they have gotten it are merely trolling me? or is this a new policy?
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I don't see anyone in this particular thread trolling you, and only one person stated they got the code. We are only giving our opinions to try and help you get it. I myself have not asked for the unlock code for the Atrix, but my response was from previous experience, both of myself and people I know with other phones. If there is in fact a contractual reason why they will not give you the code, that's the first time I have heard of it, but that doesn't mean it's not true.
If you need it unlocked badly and are getting no joy from AT&T, I suggest going the cellunlocker.net route as was previously mentioned by Rayan.
AT&T gave me the same bull****, but said that they'll be able to give the code in August. I told them to screw off, got my code from cellunlocker.net for $20, and am a happy customer of T-Mobile. Sadly this was in March, before the AT&T merger.
samarth1 said:
Sadly this was in March, before the AT&T merger.
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They haven't merged yet, and it will be over a year for all the legalities to work themselves out. There are many areas where this could fall through.
My company went through a buyout last year, and it took 1-1/2 years for all the attorneys to balance everything according to all the laws, and satisfy the different governing bodies.
Also, there are all the benefits systems, etc. to bring into line, which takes a huge effort outside of the general legal battles.
I doubt you will see the merger finalized for at least a year, and even then it won't be a done deal until the shareholders all agree on a date when T-Mobile USA will actually become AT&T.
This was on television the other night, and I also found it online just now:
It seems that if the deal does not get FCC approval, then AT&T will pay T-Mobile a $3 billion "breakup fee," give them some AWS spectrum it does not need, and give T-Mob a roaming agreement "at an agreeable price."
With that kind of payout if it doesn't happen, AT&T is going to make sure they take their time, cross all their t's, and dot all their i's so it goes through OK and they don't end up with half a network.
In a nutshell, you don't have to worry until you are another 2 phone generations away! LOL
Okay, thanks for all the information. I'm going to try talking to them in store since I'll be there to replace my phone anyway. Thanks all.
If you were to use HTCs method to unlock your bootloader, they now have your serial number or other unique identifier for your phone. If you are paying for insurance, Sprint does the warranty work for free, like if the screen suddenly stopped working due to some other reason than mishandling. So, whether you can or can't lock your bootloader back down, HTC has your serial number as one that has been unlocked.
The question is, are they sharing it with Sprint, and will Sprint then not fix your phone like they would have had you not unlocked it at all?
Makes me so thankful I don't have to rely on HTC for unlocking!
hankbear said:
If you were to use HTCs method to unlock your bootloader, they now have your serial number or other unique identifier for your phone. If you are paying for insurance, Sprint does the warranty work for free, like if the screen suddenly stopped working due to some other reason than mishandling. So, whether you can or can't lock your bootloader back down, HTC has your serial number as one that has been unlocked.
The question is, are they sharing it with Sprint, and will Sprint then not fix your phone like they would have had you not unlocked it at all?
Makes me so thankful I don't have to rely on HTC for unlocking!
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I don't believe anybody has the answer to this question. We have to wait and see.
hankbear said:
If you were to use HTCs method to unlock your bootloader, they now have your serial number or other unique identifier for your phone. If you are paying for insurance, Sprint does the warranty work for free, like if the screen suddenly stopped working due to some other reason than mishandling. So, whether you can or can't lock your bootloader back down, HTC has your serial number as one that has been unlocked.
The question is, are they sharing it with Sprint, and will Sprint then not fix your phone like they would have had you not unlocked it at all?
Makes me so thankful I don't have to rely on HTC for unlocking!
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What I don't understand is why would any of us care??? Since we have our own method of getting S-OFF, why would we even consider doing what HTC wants. There is nothing, NOTHING, that HTC will offer with their bootloader unlocking that is positive to the modidng community.
At this point, I wouldn't worry about it since the tool isn't out yet, and we have a way of reverting back to S-ON and RUU'ing to a stock phone.
Some brave soul will take the bait later down the road and will be a guinea pig for us to see what will happen once they surrender their info to HTC.
I don't plan to use their F-OFF tool unless my phone magically takes an OTA or I get a replacement and cant F it OFF myself.
Why would it matter for insurance. Insurance is insurance not warranty service. I can take my phone and throw it on the ground as hard as I can and call Assurion and they will replace it whether its rooted or not. I'll have to pay the $100 deductible but it won't matter if I'm rooted or not.
Now if your going to make a warranty claim and HTC has your SN and has marked it in the system as not being authorized for warranty work then yes your screwed.
I used revolutionary S-off and then flashed the Eng hboot. I won't be using htc's OTA.
cruise350 said:
Why would it matter for insurance. Insurance is insurance not warranty service. I can take my phone and throw it on the ground as hard as I can and call Assurion and they will replace it whether its rooted or not. I'll have to pay the $100 deductible but it won't matter if I'm rooted or not.
Now if your going to make a warranty claim and HTC has your SN and has marked it in the system as not being authorized for warranty work then yes your screwed.
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Because Sprint Total Equipment Protection(TEP) insurance is comprised of the Equipment Service & Repair Program(ESRP) and the Equipment Replacement Program(ERP). ESRP covers warranty issues during and after the manufacturers warranty and ERP covers accidental damage(water, theft, and total destruction). I wouldn't want to be paying $8 per month and find out that the ESRP portion is worthless.
Hmm anyone worried we had to give our serial number in order to use the Revolutionary tool, kind of like what HTC wants us to do, hmmm (being paranoid).......
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
I have a crazy idea here. Why not call Sprint and ask? Just say "Hey, I'm thinking of unlocking my bootloader which will void my HTC warranty and I am wondering if I am still covered under your insurance?"
I mean...its just a thought... But it might be better to take the advice of random strangers who may or may not know the real answer.
ExploreMN said:
I have a crazy idea here. Why not call Sprint and ask? Just say "Hey, I'm thinking of unlocking my bootloader which will void my HTC warranty and I am wondering if I am still covered under your insurance?"
I mean...its just a thought... But it might be better to take the advice of random strangers who may or may not know the real answer.
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In theory you are right. But in practice you will get a different answer from every rep you speak with.
firemedic1343 said:
In theory you are right. But in practice you will get a different answer from every rep you speak with.
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Document document document...write down the time, date, rep name, etc. Or if they say no it is not covered, have them tell you where it states that in the agreement so you can read it yourself.
ExploreMN said:
Document document document...write down the time, date, rep name, etc. Or if they say no it is not covered, have them tell you where it states that in the agreement so you can read it yourself.
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That and a nickel will get you...well, a nickel. Sprint reps give different answers on existing policy, much less one that probably doesn't exist yet. Someone might have better luck emailing every Sprint Exec they can find, including Dan himself, to get a semi-straight answer. At this point their answer will probably go something like, "We are working on this policy and details will be forthcoming". I was just throwing a scenario out there on one possible way Sprint could screw us over. It's speculative, I know, but entirely possible with Sprint. I don't plan to register with HTC/Sprint, so it was more of a warning to others.
GooseEye said:
That and a nickel will get you...well, a nickel. Sprint reps give different answers on existing policy, much less one that probably doesn't exist yet. Someone might have better luck emailing every Sprint Exec they can find, including Dan himself, to get a semi-straight answer. At this point their answer will probably go something like, "We are working on this policy and details will be forthcoming". I was just throwing a scenario out there on one possible way Sprint could screw us over. It's speculative, I know, but entirely possible with Sprint. I don't plan to register with HTC/Sprint, so it was more of a warning to others.
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Well, if that is the view, then even getting an "experienced" response on here would be just as worthless. I think you would do much better to document your call, question and response as I suggest rather than waiting until after the fact and saying "But GooseEye on the XDA forums said that HIS phone was covered after unlocking the bootloader." I'm pretty sure that little piece of information would make the Sprint rep laugh before saying no.
ExploreMN said:
Well, if that is the view, then even getting an "experienced" response on here would be just as worthless. I think you would do much better to document your call, question and response as I suggest rather than waiting until after the fact and saying "But GooseEye on the XDA forums said that HIS phone was covered after unlocking the bootloader." I'm pretty sure that little piece of information would make the Sprint rep laugh before saying no.
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I think you're applying my response too broadly.
In this specific situation with regard to warranty coverage through paid Sprint insurance, documenting a rep's response about whether warranty work will or won't be covered on a HTC unlocked bootloader phone, without existing policy in place, will mean nothing. A honest rep should say there's no policy in place yet to answer that question, in which case documentation is moot. A dishonest or misinformed rep could give you wrong info, and while documented by you, will really get you nowhere. Time will pass, account notes will expire, apologies will be issued, but the promise won't be honored. If you put up a good fight, they might end up honoring it, for that one time only.
On a broader scale, and with existing policy, it's always a good idea to document. I do it myself and it's paid off numerous times. But I've always used the "experienced" responses from this and other forums to know what the existing policy is, what to ask for, and whether the rep's response holds any weight or whether they're just blowing smoke. Not all reps interpret all policy correctly, store reps being notoriously bad, so it helps to know whether they're giving you empty promises.
I assume you're just hypothetically using my name in your insurance coverage example but I have to say that I never stated anywhere in my posts that Sprint insurance warranty coverage w/unlocked bootloader will in fact work a certain way. In fact, I was cautioning that there could be other, as yet unverified ramifications, other than the HTC warranty. A pessimistic view for sure, but one that doesn't tend to leave people with false hope.
Hi everyone,
I have my Atrix unlocked, rooted, etc etc.
I realize that my Motorola warranty was voided a long time ago, but I'm still paying $7 a month to Bell for their smartphone replacement plan.
http://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Promotions/SmartPhone_Care_warranty_plans
I'm so sick of paying so much for this garbage, but they've still got me scared I'll break my phone one day and not have an alternative without their stupid plan.
If something happens to my phone and they see the "Unlocked" on my boot screen or something like that , would they not honour their replacement plan?
Does anyone have any experience with Bell and this SPC plan?
jakis39 said:
Hi everyone,
I have my Atrix unlocked, rooted, etc etc.
I realize that my Motorola warranty was voided a long time ago, but I'm still paying $7 a month to Bell for their smartphone replacement plan.
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You haven't voided your Motorola warranty for sure by unlocking. When you unlocked it said "MAY" void your warranty.
As for your replacement plan, I haven't heard of anyone yet with any service provider being denied a replacement/warranty service because of an unlocked bootloader.
CaelanT said:
You haven't voided your Motorola warranty for sure by unlocking. When you unlocked it said "MAY" void your warranty.
As for your replacement plan, I haven't heard of anyone yet with any service provider being denied a replacement/warranty service because of an unlocked bootloader.
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Thanks for your quick reply. That's reassuring. But it means I still have reason to cough up $7/month ...
jakis39 said:
But it means I still have reason to cough up $7/month ...
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I feel your pain. I have 5 phones on my plan with AT&T, so I am paying a wee bit more! LOL
plan seems to work
My Atrix just started having the problem with the touch screen freaking out (Google it). Anyhow, I called and was offered a choice of 2 replacement phones:
Samsung Galaxy S2
HTC Raider LTE
They didn't ask for any information regarding the serviceability of my present phone. I was fine sticking with the Atrix but will enjoy a bit of an upgrade to the S2 especially since it should get ICS by June and the Atrix definitely will not be upgraded.
With the S2 HD launching in a week, I would sure like to get that one...not so much for the LTE but rather the increase in screen size and resolution.
I wonder if I can take the unused replacement S2 to a Bell store and switch for the S2 HD as they are looking to be at the same price point...
That's actually really awesome! It's a good thing I'm still paying for this stupid plan.
Maybe there's a way I can intentionally bust my Atrix. It would be sad to see it go (especially since I have 2 docks for it), but I just want a phone with functioning ICS...
kevyh said:
I wonder if I can take the unused replacement S2 to a Bell store and switch for the S2 HD as they are looking to be at the same price point...
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Most likely not. I just have a feeling.
you could always just take the sim out and call them and say you lost it...
I think the $7 plan covers loses for $50?
Wow... I never thought about that. The website says it does cover loss or theft (but for $150).
Their Terms and Conditions document link leads to a 404 right now though, so I can't really triple-check...
So I want to take advantage of the HTC One $100 trade-up promotion which has a purchase deadline of 5/19. I ordered the unlocked version from Letstalk.com and they pushed it back until the end of May. I'm thinking of ordering it from T-Mobile's website instead. My question is in regards to the activation process.
My current AT&T's billing cycle ends on May 27th. Thus, I don't want to switch service until then, but I must meet the 5/19 HTC One Trade-up promotion deadline of 5/19. Can I go ahead and order from T-Mobile, get the device, and not activate it until 5/27? The number porting doesn't happen until I activate right? Or does it happen as soon as I checkout from the T-Mobile site?
You can skip the number porting when you order. I had to in order to get my phone to actually ship. When you activate, you'll get a temp number. Simply call t-mobile, say you want to port, give them the info for both accounts, and you'll be ported in the next 24 hours (aka when original carrier gives up the number).
Just did it today, extremely painless.
Russ36363 said:
You can skip the number porting when you order. I had to in order to get my phone to actually ship. When you activate, you'll get a temp number. Simply call t-mobile, say you want to port, give them the info for both accounts, and you'll be ported in the next 24 hours (aka when original carrier gives up the number).
Just did it today, extremely painless.
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Hm. Would service for TMobile start when I activate then? I don't want service to overlap. Would your method allow me to receive the phone, sit on it until the end of May, call in to activate, then port my #, then have my TMobile plan start at the end of May?
I don't know that, as I haven't gotten a bill so I've been unable to determine if it started when shipped or when activated.
Russ36363 said:
I don't know that, as I haven't gotten a bill so I've been unable to determine if it started when shipped or when activated.
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So I called T-Mobile and asked about activating once I received the equipment. They said they can do a delay activation so I can go ahead and place the order now for the HTC One. I did. They said I can call in at the end of the month to activate service and port my number! I should be getting the phone next week.
Now this brings up a new dilemma. My original intent was just to get the phone and go with T-Mobile's $30 prepaid plan. The T-Mobile stores either wouldn't sell me the phone straight up or are out of stock. What is stopping me from just getting the phone, never activating it with the $50 plan, and just activate it with the $30 plan instead?
By the way, I learned the entire remaining balance on the phone becomes due once you cancel service with them. I keep hearing people say you continue to pay the $20/month for the phone. Nope!
Ok, so I have been a Metro cistomer for over a year and while they are the cheapest here you surely get what you pay for. The support is aweful. Well twi weeks ago I cracked my screen and called their insurance and got a replacement. Welm yoday I call Metro and they refused to unlock it. i asked to soeak with manager after manager and eCh one told me they could not unlock it because it is a new phone and has to be on the network for 180 days i was like Boyght this phone over a year ago, this is a replace through insurance. How dies that reset my 180 days. I am so angry right now and Metro is no help How are they able yo keep me network restricted after being with them for that long. To use an insurance replacement to lock me in for another 189 days. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
VEC
Unlocking is a per device basis, it seems.
Every time you get a new device from them, that device has to be on their network for a specific amount of time before they allow you to take it over to a new carrier if you wanted to.
This insures that you have to use their service, and therefore pay them, for at least another 6 months. It prevents people from getting good phones for cheap or maybe free then jumping ship to a different carrier before they can at least recoup whatever they lost on the phone. Same way with contract carriers you can get phones at a major discount if you agree to be locked into a long term contract. (Eg. my first smartphone retailed for $600 back in 2011, but the family member that paid my bill at the time only spent $200 after rebate by agreeing to have my line on a 2 year contract)
By allowing a replacement phone to be unlocked right off bat that means someone considering switching carriers can intentionally break their device, get it replaced on insurance, then jump to a different carrier with a brand new device and leave the old carrier eating the cost of the replacement.
They are probably within their right to do so, as it probably is in the fine print of their Unlocking Policy, or written in hard to understand yet still valid legalese.
It's kind of sucky, but it's understandable why when so many people are looking for ways to get one over and exploit loopholes and stuff.
There is another N10 thread here where someone did this to have their phone unlocked BEFORE the 180 days........ file an FCC complaint online that they are being unfair with their unlock policy. In your case OP, it even makes more sense to do this. Once you file the complaint stating your problem, the FCC contacts Metro, and Metro contacts you. Then you tell them they are being unfair and you want that device unlocked. No guarantees but it is worth a try. Apparently FCC complaints are never ignored by carrier.
Device unlocking is based on IMEI.
If you got a new phone for any reason, it's a new IMEI which means a whole new deal.
Like poog said, take it to the fcc.