Can I un-blacklist my phone?

AcerBenAcerBen Posts: 21,273
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I had my Orange contract Nokia 6230 phone stolen a year ago - the police recovered it almost immediately but had to keep it as evidence in the court case. I've only just got it back. I did have my contract frozen but for some reason I couldn't "defrost" it because they suspended the contract altogether. I was quite pleased.

But having successfully unlocked the phone, it won't accept a SIM card so I guess it has been blacklisted. But it's my property. So can I get it unblacklisted?

BTW if unlocking mobile phones is easy and legal, what is the point of networks locking them in the first place?
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Comments

  • Mr CableMr Cable Posts: 2,935
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    UnLOCKING is mobile phone is easy enough if you're willing to spend a bit of time on it.

    UnBLOCKING a barred handset is highly illegal and gets you some guaranteed jail time.
  • AcerBenAcerBen Posts: 21,273
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    So it isn't possible to unblock it even if I were able to prove it is my property? That doesn't seem very fair, and I've waited a year for it to be returned for nothing. I'd have been better off had the police never found it. And of course I got no money at all from the insurance.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,888
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    Mr Cable wrote: »
    UnBLOCKING a barred handset is highly illegal and gets you some guaranteed jail time.
    Changing the IMEI does not carry a mandatory jail sentence.

    http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/20020031.htm

    However, I don't think that's what the OP wanted to do.
  • AcerBenAcerBen Posts: 21,273
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    I wanted to know if there was a legitimate way of having it done. So there isn't anything I can do? I am not legally allowed to use my own phone?
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    What did Orange say when you contacted them about having it restored to normal function?
  • AcerBenAcerBen Posts: 21,273
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    I asked for them to unfreeze the contract but they just said it had been terminated. I didn't actually want to continue with the contract but I believed I had 4 months left on it which I would have to pay for eventually.

    But is the phone legally my property? Obviously I never paid any money for the actual phone, but it doesn't belong to Orange does it?
  • sean2003sean2003 Posts: 2,674
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    Yes, the phone is yours.

    Call Orange and ask them to unblock it?

    I guess if you report it lost, they block it, if you can provide correct security answers and you've got it back surely they should just unblock it for you...
  • AcerBenAcerBen Posts: 21,273
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    Can someone please confirm that it is possible? I can't be arsed to go through a hundred options to talk to some fkwit in a call centre and have to explain the situation if it isn't.
  • TalizmanTalizman Posts: 2,899
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    You can request the phone to be unblocked if it was tmobile, I don't see why Orange shouldn't be bale to do it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 577
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    orange are the only ones that can legally lift the bar on the phone,
    call cust services to see if they will, but as you didnt finish the contract they may not do it
  • ih8mondaysih8mondays Posts: 1,140
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    sean2003 wrote: »
    Yes, the phone is yours.

    Call Orange and ask them to unblock it?

    I guess if you report it lost, they block it, if you can provide correct security answers and you've got it back surely they should just unblock it for you...

    Isn't the phone only yours when you've completed the 12/18 month contract?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,237
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    Yes, Orange can do this.
  • sean2003sean2003 Posts: 2,674
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    ih8mondays wrote: »
    Isn't the phone only yours when you've completed the 12/18 month contract?

    That's a good question - i'm not actually 100% sure. Was just guessing before!

    I recently got a nice handset on contract........ Never really read T & C's in much detail!
  • AcerBenAcerBen Posts: 21,273
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    After a bit of faffing around, they managed to unblock it. Hooray!
  • TalizmanTalizman Posts: 2,899
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    The phone is yours as soon as you recieve it. Remember the network just provides you with a line - the handset is just a gesture of goodwill which you sometimes have to pay towards. But it's still yours to do with as you wish.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,589
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    contact your n etwork operator, as long as you now have the handset you can get the imei bar removed FOC
  • Adam DAdam D Posts: 5,124
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    BoBaDoB wrote: »
    contact your n etwork operator, as long as you now have the handset you can get the imei bar removed FOC
    .....
    AcerBen wrote: »
    After a bit of faffing around, they managed to unblock it. Hooray!
  • mikey86ukmikey86uk Posts: 5,657
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    ih8mondays wrote: »
    Isn't the phone only yours when you've completed the 12/18 month contract?

    yup

    The phone belongs to Orange till you have served your contract length
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 12
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    the phone is your property and you’re entitled to have it unblacklisted. This is definitely possible to do. the only reason for blacklisting the phone is to prevent other people from using it (ie if it was stolen, the thief wouldn’t be able to put another sim in the phone and use it). As the phone is now back in your possession, your SP need to reverse the black list. You’ll need to give them your imei number (under the battery) in order for them to do it for you.+
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 508
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    Interesting . . . just did a search for unblocking a blacklisted phone and this came up.

    I'm in sort of the same situation.

    I lost my phone last week, so lodged it as lost/stolen with Vodafone and then their insurance company sent out a new phone to me . . . although they said that they couldn't send out the same model as it was discontinued, so I had to settle for a crappier inferior model phone, which I wasn't happy about!

    Then, low and behold, someone the found my lost phone and handed it back to me, which I was over the moon about it as it meant that I had all my numbers back . . . so I put the new SIM in my old phone and put the new phone in a drawer, ready to forget about it . . . until yesterday, when my mobile just suddenly stopped working! Couldn't phone nor text from it although had full reception and was connected to 3G network!

    Anyway . . . turns out that when I was sent my replacement, a device bar was put on the old phone which blacklisted it . . . which I obviously want raised now, but Vodafone won't do it. I've said that I will give back my new handset as I don't want it and I want my old phone back, but they just won't seem to do anything about it . . . even though I have been with them for about 12 years now. They said that it's to do with the insurance company and that once it's blacklisted, there's nothing they can do about it . . . but this was obviously not the case above, as reading through it, it seems that the OP managed to get Orange to lift theirs.

    Am so angry!!!!!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,932
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    thats because your insurance paid out for it (in the original post insurance was not mentioned). in the eyes of the law the phone actually belongs to the insurance company now.
  • AppleseedAppleseed Posts: 3,827
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    BT@home wrote: »
    thats because your insurance paid out for it (in the original post insurance was not mentioned). in the eyes of the law the phone actually belongs to the insurance company now.

    Correct! The insurance company have probably asked for the phone to be blacklisted.
    It would work abroad though, but I didn't say that. What I actually meant to say was that you should send it to the insurer because it's their handset.
  • ashjfashjf Posts: 1,091
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    AcerBen wrote: »
    Can someone please confirm that it is possible? I can't be arsed to go through a hundred options to talk to some fkwit in a call centre and have to explain the situation if it isn't.

    I worked in the phone business for 7 years, I can confirm that the network can unblock the handset for you, security questions and handset IMEI number will be asked for.
    It is OK for a network to unblock it but they will hesitate as they would rather you purchase a new handset.
    If you attempt to unblock it yourself, then thats a different story, the police take it very serious now and will fine you and/or apply to the courts for a prison sentence.
  • ashjfashjf Posts: 1,091
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    mikey86uk wrote: »
    yup

    The phone belongs to Orange till you have served your contract length

    The handset cost is paid for during months 1 - 6, this is why they dont let you downgrade your tariff until after the 6th month. (more expensive phones are usually 8months).

    The reason 18, 24 and 36 month contracts where introduced was because the networks were getting fed up with "paying" for the handsets for you, most other countries dont offer "free" phones unless on a high end tariff for a longer contract than 12 months, The UK networks cottoned on to this. (I only know this as I read it it Fone [trade mag] when I worked in the trade).
  • AppleseedAppleseed Posts: 3,827
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    ashjf wrote: »
    I worked in the phone business for 7 years, I can confirm that the network can unblock the handset for you, security questions and handset IMEI number will be asked for.
    It is OK for a network to unblock it but they will hesitate as they would rather you purchase a new handset.
    If you attempt to unblock it yourself, then thats a different story, the police take it very serious now and will fine you and/or apply to the courts for a prison sentence.

    The Police don't fine you or apply to the courts for a prison sentence. The Police simply gather evidence for use by the CPS

    They charge you with an offence and you go to court, where the CPS will offer the evidence of your henious crime.

    The court will then decide your fate. Ten years hard labour I reckon (or a holiday in Spain if you're a juvenile)
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