iPhone 4s on eMobile: a present from a friend but is it doomed to eMob for eternity?

csi vegas

I received a present of a brand new iPhone 4s (a relatives unwanted upgrade) back in January. This relative is a bill-pay customer with Meteor.

Initially I went and signed up with eMobile, pre-pay, assuming I could later have the phone unlocked so that I could return to my usual network, using the new iPhone.
Correct me if I am wrong but eMobile and Meteor are part of the same group, both 085 and are located on the same premises in some of their stores.

eMobile sales staff informed me that they would be unable to unlock the phone because the 'contract' which my relative holds would have to be up first.
He does not want to 'end' his contract with Meteor and in January when he tried to have this upgrade phone unlocked for me he was told his contract had just renewed (automatically, as it does) and that he would be bound to it for the following two years (?)

What I don't understand is this: the phone itself is not being used by him, it is now mine.
He does not intend to leave Meteor and wants to continue with their service.

I can understand why they (Meteor) might think he might 'abandon' their service and use his upgraded phone on another network, but it now being October (nine months after he got the upgraded phone) and he is clearly not using it and still paying his bills, why can eMobile not unlock the new upgrade as a gratuity toward their customer for his relative (me)?

I went to four phone unlocking shops today (as I did back in January) and they all said the same thing - "with eMobile/Meteor, the iPhone 4s can NOT be unlocked. It can be done with every other network".

I have read and saved just about every article online about this unlocking fiasco with eMob and Meteor.
I'm aware that's it's next to impossible to have done, bar the end of a contract.

I'd like to know:

1) Has anybody actually succeeded in having their iPhone unlocked by eMobile/Meteor INSIDE of a contract which wasn't theirs (as in my case - spare/upgrade phone given to them by a friend)

and

2) a question for eMobile:

From your database records you would be able to see (possibly - (MODS please repost this thread to Meteor if relevent)) that my relation has been a long-term customer and since receiving his upgrade nine months ago has continued to pay his bills to Meteor, therefore has no intention of leaving.

What is the 'procedure' for 'ending' his contract, so that he can have the upgraded phone (which has been in my possession, registered with eMobile and used on/off for the past nine months by me) unlocked?
Can he do this instantly and then immediately resume?
Does he actually HAVE TO end/break his contract for my phone to be unlocked? After all, he has never used it and never will.

An eMobile salesperson told me today that I maybe, could be put on to my relations contract and maybe, could request that way to have MY phone unlocked. True?

Thanks in advance to all (or any!) contributors

WestWicklow1

You might be interested in this thread.....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056765076

csi vegas

WestWicklow1 wrote: »

You might be interested in this thread.....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056765076

Thanks! And sorry for your troubles!

I'd actually read all your eMobile posts earlier and saved them in my (now great big) folder entitled "Phone Unlocking Fury" as a point of reference

quad_red

I think they're probably two distinct but connected issues.

ie.

1) Will Emobile be WILLING to unlock the device?

then followed by

2) Will Emobile be ABLE to unlock the device?

eMobile: Tony

csi vegas wrote: »

I received a present of a brand new iPhone 4s (a relatives unwanted upgrade) back in January. This relative is a bill-pay customer with Meteor.

Initially I went and signed up with eMobile, pre-pay, assuming I could later have the phone unlocked so that I could return to my usual network, using the new iPhone.
Correct me if I am wrong but eMobile and Meteor are part of the same group, both 085 and are located on the same premises in some of their stores.

eMobile sales staff informed me that they would be unable to unlock the phone because the 'contract' which my relative holds would have to be up first.
He does not want to 'end' his contract with Meteor and in January when he tried to have this upgrade phone unlocked for me he was told his contract had just renewed (automatically, as it does) and that he would be bound to it for the following two years (?)

What I don't understand is this: the phone itself is not being used by him, it is now mine.
He does not intend to leave Meteor and wants to continue with their service.

I can understand why they (Meteor) might think he might 'abandon' their service and use his upgraded phone on another network, but it now being October (nine months after he got the upgraded phone) and he is clearly not using it and still paying his bills, why can eMobile not unlock the new upgrade as a gratuity toward their customer for his relative (me)?

I went to four phone unlocking shops today (as I did back in January) and they all said the same thing - "with eMobile/Meteor, the iPhone 4s can NOT be unlocked. It can be done with every other network".

I have read and saved just about every article online about this unlocking fiasco with eMob and Meteor.
I'm aware that's it's next to impossible to have done, bar the end of a contract.

I'd like to know:

1) Has anybody actually succeeded in having their iPhone unlocked by eMobile/Meteor INSIDE of a contract which wasn't theirs (as in my case - spare/upgrade phone given to them by a friend)

and

2) a question for eMobile:

From your database records you would be able to see (possibly - (MODS please repost this thread to Meteor if relevent)) that my relation has been a long-term customer and since receiving his upgrade nine months ago has continued to pay his bills to Meteor, therefore has no intention of leaving.

What is the 'procedure' for 'ending' his contract, so that he can have the upgraded phone (which has been in my possession, registered with eMobile and used on/off for the past nine months by me) unlocked?
Can he do this instantly and then immediately resume?
Does he actually HAVE TO end/break his contract for my phone to be unlocked? After all, he has never used it and never will.

An eMobile salesperson told me today that I maybe, could be put on to my relations contract and maybe, could request that way to have MY phone unlocked. True?

Thanks in advance to all (or any!) contributors

Hi csi vegas,

Firstly I appreciate the time that it took to type your above post. As you have advised the phone was bought by your uncle on his Meteor account the only person that can request the unlocking code would be your uncle. This is for data protection reasons.

eMobile and Meteor are two seperate companies and eMobile would be unable to get the unlocking code for a Meteor pone and vice versa.

Tony

csi vegas

eMobile: Tony wrote: »

Hi csi vegas,

Firstly I appreciate the time that it took to type your above post. As you have advised the phone was bought by your uncle on his Meteor account the only person that can request the unlocking code would be your uncle. This is for data protection reasons.

eMobile and Meteor are two seperate companies and eMobile would be unable to get the unlocking code for a Meteor pone and vice versa.

Tony

Thanks for responding to me Tony.

I understand that it has to be my relation who must request it to be unlocked but what would be the situation regarding him actually getting it unlocked - (thanks also for letting me know eMobile and Meteor are separate)
- my relation is with Meteor bill-pay - but if he were bill-pay with eMobile, would he be granted an unlock on the upgraded phone he has been given (and does not owe for), the phone he does not have nor use himself, without having to break or wait until contract end?

I'm curious because if it transpires that the easiest thing I (might) have to do is sign-up myself for eMobile bill-pay, to have the phone unlocked eventually by them - would this be possible? (as a gratuity to me at the end of this hypothetical contract)
Or would it still be up to Meteor to unlock it (as they provided it to him originally)?

I hope you can understand my questions because technically (or not!) eMobile and Meteor are both 085 and you don't need a phone unlocked to switch between them.

Thanks again!

eMobile: Tony

csi vegas wrote: »

Thanks for responding to me Tony.

I understand that it has to be my relation who must request it to be unlocked but what would be the situation regarding him actually getting it unlocked - (thanks also for letting me know eMobile and Meteor are separate)
- my relation is with Meteor bill-pay - but if he were bill-pay with eMobile, would he be granted an unlock on the upgraded phone he has been given (and does not owe for), the phone he does not have nor use himself, without having to break or wait until contract end?

I'm curious because if it transpires that the easiest thing I (might) have to do is sign-up myself for eMobile bill-pay, to have the phone unlocked eventually by them - would this be possible? (as a gratuity to me at the end of this hypothetical contract)
Or would it still be up to Meteor to unlock it (as they provided it to him originally)?

I hope you can understand my questions because technically (or not!) eMobile and Meteor are both 085 and you don't need a phone unlocked to switch between them.

Thanks again!

Hi csi vegas,

As the phone was originally bought on the Meteor network the unlocking code will have to be requested through Meteor.

If the iPhone was bought on the eMobile network you would have to wait until the contract has ended before we could provide the unlocking code for the phone.

Tony