Seems like there's a misunderstanding here equating purchasing something from a place Walmart, which is an actual retailer, and purchasing something from Swappa, or anything similar, which is essentially a service that facilitates private (generally used) re-sales.Dont even bother, he doesn't make any sense.
He will not admit he's wrong
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Need some advice at&t won't unlock my phone
- Thread starter amyangel
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Swappa does not sell phones. Swappa is simply a marketplace, not a seller. What you meant if you were trying to analogize is that Walmart is not a swappa seller. Thanks for pointing out the obvious.
Walmart is selling used phones just like swappa sellers are. Walmart however is lying and calling them refurbs when they aren't.
Walmart could pay to have the phones properly refurbished but instead, they clearly mark them as locked to AT&T:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/iPhone-6-16GB-Refurbished-AT-T-Locked/42104299
Just like a swappa seller would.
Walmart also sells unlocked used phones:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Refurbished-Apple-iPhone-6-64GB-GSM-Smartphone-Unlocked/49230864
OP bought a locked used phone from Walmart, no different from buying from swappa except that swappa sellers don't lie and call their used phones refurbs when they aren't. OP could have bought an unlocked one, but chose not to.
I have already posted those links before. You need to read the thread before you jump into the conversation so that people don't have to repeat themselves.
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You are the one who is wrong. You've got your panties all in a wad over this. OP either bought an unlocked phone and then should take her complaint up with Walmart or bought one clearly labeled as locked and has to wait for the phone to be eligible for unlocking.Dont even bother, he doesn't make any sense.
He will not admit he's wrong
Walmart sells both locked and unlocked used phones. If you want one that is unlocked, don't buy the ones that are clearly labeled as locked.
Walmart isn't selling used phones just like Swappa sellers are. As you yourself pointed out, Swappa is just a service that provides a marketplace and not a seller. Walmart is an actual retailer. They don't sell the same kinds of things under the same terms. A refurbished device sold at a retailer is not the same as a used device sold from a private seller to another private seller through some marketplace. It's a fairly straightforward and important difference.
OP bought a refurbished device from Walmart, a device that was not purchased under contract or on a device payment plan, a device that has no contract or anything else associated with it. The fact that it appears to have it means that it wasn't in appropriate state to be sold as a refurbished device by a retailer--someone somewhere (be it Walmart, AT&T, Apple, or some other entity that is contracted to deal with refurbished devices) made a mistake or an omission.
A retailer selling used phones labeled as locked to AT&T. If you don't understand that, click on the links. Or don't, remain ignorant, no skin off of my back.
You are the one who thinks you buy phones from swappa. I have clearly indicated swappa sellers and swappa are not the same thing.
You need to read up on what swappa is. I think they did start recently selling phones but I have never looked into that much and that CERTAINLY wasn't what I was talking about which is clear from what I wrote.
Um, duh, that is what I have been saying. Go back and read and this time, open your eyes when you read.
Actually though, I think swappa did just recently start selling phones themselves, that is new though.
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Yes they are and that is what is causing the problem here. They are calling them refurbs and they are not.
Of course this whole argument hinges on whether or not the OP bought the locked version of the phone.
When the OP sees how blown up this thread has gotten they're going to shart themselves.
When the OP sees how blown up this thread has gotten they're going to shart themselves.
My argument CLEARLY stated that there were 2 possibilities and if OP bought the unlocked version, her beef is with Walmart for false advertising. But if she bought the locked version, she has to wait for the device to become eligible for unlock.
Always buy the GSX report when you buy a used phone.
Yes, according to him swappa, eBay, Craigslist is the same as Walmart.
Walmart is in the used items reselling business now
The new owner has to abide by the original returned item owners contract that was voided as soon as he returned the device
[doublepost=1490052240][/doublepost]
Lol
Wow, yes keep going
Yes, according to him swappa, eBay, Craigslist is the same as Walmart.
Walmart is in the used items reselling business now
The new owner has to abide by the original returned item owners contract that was voided as soon as he returned the device
[doublepost=1490052240][/doublepost]
Lol
Wow, yes keep going
I though you and @C DM were tag-teaming this?
I though you and @C DM were tag-teaming this?
Nope, I'm leaving it alone.
He clearly wins the internet with those posts
lolLOL!!!!! Dude you have given out so much misinformation, lol!!!Wow, yes keep going
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No, I said swappa sellers are selling used devices just like Walmart. i am sorry you are having trouble with English as a second language, I am a native speaker so it is hard for me to empathize with those of you who aren't.
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Lucky for me, I don't need help winning arguments. Sad that some of you do, and even with help, you still lose, lol!!!!I though you and @C DM were tag-teaming this?
Again, pretty sure Walmart isn't just selling a used device from some other user basically as it is with all the potential related contract terms from that previous user. That isn't what a retailer sold refurbished device is. If Walmart is selling something like that then somewhere either they or someone else involved in the process related to refurbished devices didn't do something right or omitted something.
Did you not even read OP's post? That's EXACTLY what happened to OP. The device she bought is not eligible for unlocking until June 2017 when the original owner's contract is up. That's what happens when Walmart sells open box returns.
Correct, and that is the whole problems. Walmart is not selling refurbs, they are selling open box returns but calling them refurbs when they should be calling them what they are - open box returns.
They aren't refurbs, that is the problem. They are simply used devices.
And that is the problem as has been pointed out throughout the thread basically. It's not what is expected or should be happening with what Walmart sells. There isn't some sort of equivalency with Swappa or anything like that as that is not how it works or supposed to work. Something incorrect happened here, which isn't the OP's fault, but is something that is on Walmart and/or whatever entity Walmart deals with when it comes to refurbishing iPhones. Thus the device should be eligible to be unlocked (and quite likely should have already been unlocked when it was sold given that it was sold as a full price device). It's something that Walmart and/or someone they work with when it comes to refurbished iPhones should be taking on to resolve and not something that OP should basically just live with or have to find ways to deal with on his/her own.
Except for the devices that Walmart labels as AT&T locked. If you buy one of those, you shouldn't be complaining that the device is locked to AT&T.
Why do you keep saying swappa? Swappa sellers dude.
I provided the links twice now. Walmart clearly sells used devices that are locked to AT&T. Go back and actually click on the links I provided.
If OP bought one that was labeled as locked to AT&T, well now she knows what a bad choice that was.
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There's no need to talk about it when someone can just read your posts and get exposed to all of the insanity that they want.
Even if they sell locked devices, you are saying they are selling them based on contract terms from some other user--as in the device would be available to be unlocked when some other customer's contract term ends? Again, that's not how the sale of refurbished devices by authorized retailers work.
(As far as Swappa goes, as I recall you brought it up as some sort of a comparison to Walmart at some point earlier in this thread, which is why it gets referenced at times.)
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It's kind of interesting the weird spiral rabbit hole this has been going down when even you yourself seem to have said the same things that I and various others pretty much have been saying:
Basically that's really all there's to it. Either they are doing it incorrectly on purpose or they are generally not doing it but there are some sort of mixups here and there for whatever reason. In either scenario it's basically on Walmart to make it right and not something the OP should have to put up with or figure out how to make right on his/her own.
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They need to get rid of this whole locking phones thing. If someone takes off with a unpaid/subsidiary phone then it becomes a civil matter like everything else bought on time.
I agree.
You reneged on your contract then that's why there's etf penalties.
And if you don't pay that fee or your cellphone bill then you ruin your credit and they can get a court judgement against you and that is a lot worst than not unlocking a cellphone.
If you get a tv on a store credit card from Best Buy for example and stop making the payments they don't lock your tv
They go after you for the debt.
Agreed. Carriers need to vet their postpaid subscribers better if it is such an issue and they also can still blacklist the device if you won't pay so it is not like they can't do anything to the device.
Thanks everyone! I actually got to another level of irritation when my request through mobility was denied again via email. I called today and moved to another level of support i guess, however; they couldn't figure out either and although the rep tried to help he ultimately advised a supervisor named Leslie would call me, obviously they didn't call me back today and I had called at 10am PST.
I will attempt another call tomorrow
[doublepost=1490077013][/doublepost]I'll chime in the info as far as I know, AT&T reps have mentioned regardless of where I bought it, they took the phone at the corporate store back in June of 2015 and got a new sim card and registered the imei to my account on a non contract plan as we were coming from an iphone 4 at the time. The reps I talked to say it really doesn't matter as they see the imei registered to me in their system, however; why it says on contract when it clearly isn't is what no one on the regular customer service or mobility level can figure out.
I have also simultaneously reached out to Walmart and opened a ticket with them asking for additional supporting documentation like a letter just in case. I didn't need to unlock it before because I wasn't traveling as I am now.
I also had an iphone 6 plus that I purchased under contract which actually was unlocked before my contract ended when I requested it through their site last year before I sold it and bought the iphone 7 plus.
I do know that there are premium unlocking services out there, however; I wanted to exhaust my legal options before resorting to third party.
All likelyhood is I will probably just end up buying an unlocked phone and canceling my services with them and moving to another wireless company if no resolution can be reached as I just also filed a formal complaint with the BBB and FCC both.
Thanks everyone for chiming in, all the feedback has been very informative
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Because Walmart sold you an open box return and the contract status in the AT&T database is that of the original owner of the phone (who returned it to Walmart). Walmart simply resold it without refurbishing it.
I know what you are saying, but I am basing official statements from their reps who said with these situations the system is black and white. Since I am registered and they did take this phone back in 2015 and help me set it up, if they submitted the request to unlock into Apple's database it should take it and release it. It's probably more like they won't do it for me. We'll see what happens. Thanks for your feedback.
Who is "they"? Walmart can't unlock it at this point, only AT&T can. Apple can too, but they aren't going to get involved in this, it is between you, Walmart and AT&T.
Was this phone advertised as an unlocked refurbished phone?
Or was it advertised as a refurbished phone that was locked to AT&T?
I meant AT&T, and yea I know they are the only ones who can unlock it aside from premium 3rd party services.