iPhone 11 Pro Warning: iPhone Upgrade Program 11 Pro's ARE NOT FACTORY UNLOCKED!!! THEY ARE LYING!!!

[wib]

I was fraudulently induced to make a $1500 purchase based upon a blatantly false statement made by Apple, the company that I bought the device from. It's as simple as that.

I am exchanging the phone, when I have time to make a 120 mile voyage to the nearest Apple store to deal with it, and when they actually have a replacement in stock. Apple support was of no help in terms of reserving one. They couldn’t even make it so that my girlfriend could exchange the phone herself, I have to physically be there to do it. So maybe that will be next week, maybe next month. These phones are in demand right now, and I have things to do in life other than compensate for Apple’s lies. My girlfriend does not have a usable phone for whatever that period of time winds up being, but Apple sure as sh*t has my money already.

The point of this thread was to warn people that they are lying about the phone being unlocked.

I'm surprised that you paid the whole 1,500 upfront and were still given the locked version. I thought the people who actually paid in full for their phones, rather than financed them by paying in instalments over 2 years through the IUP, had complete ownership over their phones. When I bought my SIM Free phones I've always had to get them direct from Apple as the carriers here will lock them.[/QUOTE]

I'm also surprised that you have to be there to do the exchange when you've already paid in full, as Apple has your money.

I have to say that if I had paid 1,500 of my hard earned money upfront (in cash?) to get the newest phone as an incredibly generous present for my girlfriend, I would be up in arms too. However, knowing that I could simply take it back to the shop to exchange for a new one would reassure me and I would do so. If I loved my girlfriend enough to spend 1,500 on her, I probably would love her enough to make a 120 mile voyage to sort things out, even possibly making a romantic day out of it by going together...

 

[gadgetfreaky]

Apple explicitly says IUP phones are unlocked. My, and others report IUP phones are unlocked. Clearly the issue is that you two are doing something wrong. And the obvious factor is that the OP is playing games with carrier selection.

I know Apple gets paid by the carriers (just like independent retail stores) that's why IUP is not available SIM-free.

When I was in store and tried to do 1up with a Sprint phone using my Tmus account the Apple store guy told me they were locked to sprint. I said - hey that's not true 1up phones are always unlocked.

Perhaps something changed in the program. All I know is whatever measely fee apple gets for activating sure is not worth all the logistics and customer pain.

 

[Squeak825]

Ok... so, OP wanted to order the phone for the girlfriend through the Upgrade Program, but they don't sell the 5th option of Unlocked SIM Free through the Upgrade Program, so OP ordered a VZ for the GF, failed to fully understand the terms and conditions associated with VZ's Upgrade Program, and his plan crumbled.

Do I have that right?

No...OP could have bought it as a SIM free, but bought a Verizon one because he thought he was going to get a different version/configuration of the phone that might be helpful down the road if they ever needed to fall back to CDMA in areas where there was no LTE.

 

[pogiboi]

Somebody else replied to a different post this morning saying his Verizon IUP phone was locked as well.

that was me. att phone procured from Apple.com and iup.

my situation has changed a bit. I was able to get my phone unlocked by restoring iOS from iTunes. The phone did indeed come locked. My issue now is my esim still shows locked in Verizon’s system so they can’t give me a qr to activate it via esim. Verizon Sim works fine now but esim won’t work.

I am also someone that has iPhones since the original 2G. Been in these forums for quite some time. I can confirm that Apple is sending at least a few att phones locked.

my wife’s phone arrives Monday (Houston storm delayed her shipment), will test hers and report back.

 

[thefish2019]

Ok... so, OP wanted to order the phone for the girlfriend through the Upgrade Program, but they don't sell the 5th option of Unlocked SIM Free through the Upgrade Program, so OP ordered a VZ for the GF, failed to fully understand the terms and conditions associated with VZ's Upgrade Program, and his plan crumbled.

Do I have that right?

I did not buy under VZ's Upgrade program, nor did I agree to any terms of any Verizon programs. I bought under Apple's IUP. Verizon did not finance the phone and has literally nothing to do with it, other than the fact that they happened to throw a Verizon SIM in the package with the phone.

 

[triptolemus]

No...OP could have bought it as a SIM free, but bought a Verizon one because he thought he was going to get a different version/configuration of the phone that might be helpful down the road if they ever needed to fall back to CDMA in areas where there was no LTE.

Thank you.

 

[hbenitez09]

We ordered new AT&T phones through the upgrade program. The phone we picked up at the store was unlocked. The phone shipped to us was locked. Went to the store to exchange the locked phone and was able to get a replacement, also under IUP. The in store replacement was unlocked.

How does the exchange work with the iPhone upgrade program? I’m considering changing color but seems complicated with the installment loan

 

[Squeak825]

I did not buy under VZ's Upgrade program, nor did I agree to any terms of any Verizon programs. I bought under Apple's IUP. Verizon did not finance the phone and has literally nothing to do with it, other than the fact that they happened to throw a Verizon SIM in the package with the phone.

What phone number did you tell Apple you were going to use that was on Verizon when you selected that carrier?

 

[triptolemus]

I did not buy under VZ's Upgrade program, nor did I agree to any terms of any Verizon programs. I bought under Apple's IUP. Verizon did not finance the phone and has literally nothing to do with it, other than the fact that they happened to throw a Verizon SIM in the package with the phone.

I'm finding it hard to disagree with you bud. I'm not a phone nerd really, but you shouldn't have to do a friggin' investigation to purchase a phone. That page on Apple's site says it all. I don't know if it amounts to fraud and lying, but it is on Apple to present accurate information. How the hell are you supposed to know about VZ's policies if you're purchasing through Apple?

 

[macfacts]

It is crazy how much loyalty apple gets.try to warn people and they will throw you under the bus.

 

[konqerror]

I did not buy under VZ's Upgrade program, nor did I agree to any terms of any Verizon programs. I bought under Apple's IUP. Verizon did not finance the phone and has literally nothing to do with it, other than the fact that they happened to throw a Verizon SIM in the package with the phone.

No, you bought the phone under IUP. As part of IUP, you have to activate the phone under a supported carrier. As I said, this is how Apple pays for IUP.

You promised Apple you would, by giving them a Verizon phone number and account pin.

You did not activate the phone as promised. Apple did not get paid their comission. Apple therefore is not unlocking the phone until you activate it under Verizon and they get paid.

This does not occur if you:

• Activate the phone under Verizon as promised
• Select the correct carrier and activate it there
• Buy a Verizon phone outright
• Buy the sim-free model (for which IUP is not available)

 

[techiegirl]

What phone number did you tell Apple you were going to use that was on Verizon when you selected that carrier?

I went to the store and exchanged phones. The Apple sales people warned that I might incur another hard pull, but I did not.

 

[iGeneo]

Here's how I solved the problem... I bought a "Unlocked and SIM free" phone outright. I can choose any carrier I want.

 

[Squeak825]

Here's how I solved the problem... I bought a "Unlocked and SIM free" phone outright. I can choose any carrier I want.

Congrats! Thanks for letting us know!
[automerge]1569118944[/automerge]

I went to the store and exchanged phones. The Apple sales people warned that I might incur another hard pull, but I did not.

Huh? I was asking the OP

 

[thefish2019]

No, you bought the phone under IUP. As part of IUP, you have to activate the phone under a supported carrier. As I said, this is how Apple pays for IUP.

You promised Apple you would, by giving them a Verizon phone number and account pin.

You did not activate the phone as promised. Apple did not get paid their comission. Apple therefore is not unlocking the phone until you activate it under Verizon and they get paid.

This does not occur if you:

• Activate the phone under Verizon as promised
• Select the correct carrier and activate it there
• Buy a Verizon phone outright
• Buy the sim-free model (for which IUP is not available)

Once again, that would be fine if that is what the website stated. I would have rejected those terms, and would not have purchased the phone. However, the website said the opposite.

Further, this apparently only the case with Verizon and its new 60 day policy. There are no more unlocked Verizon iPhones. There are locked Verizon iPhones that Verizon might choose to unlock after 60 days. But Apple is selling them as unlocked. That is wrong.

 

[techiegirl]

How does the exchange work with the iPhone upgrade program? I’m considering changing color but seems complicated with the installment loan

I went to the store and exchanged phones. The Apple sales people warned that I might incur another hard pull, but I did not.
[automerge]1569119203[/automerge]

Huh? I was asking the OP

Sorry. Wrong quote.

 

[konqerror]

Further, this apparently only the case with Verizon and its new 60 day policy. There are no more unlocked Verizon iPhones. There are locked Verizon iPhones that Verizon might choose to unlock after 60 days. But Apple is selling them as unlocked. That is wrong.

No, this is a problem with the carrier game you played. Apple says the phone is unlocked, and nobody else is reporting any problems.

The issue is Apple did not get the money from Verizon to pay for your phone.

You're pretending Apple is completely wrong. That's not the issue. You're blaming Verizon. That's also not the issue.

The issue is the carrier game you played and how it specifically interacts with IUP.

Both Squeak825 and I have asked how you entered a valid Verizon number and account pin when purchasing the phone, and why you can't activate the phone on the account? Were you not authorized to actually use the account?

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

I got my girlfriend the Verizon version of the iPhone 11 Pro Max. I used the iPhone Upgrade Program directly through the Apple Store app. I'm with Verizon, she's with T-Mobile. I wanted to get the Verizon version in case she ever wanted to be able to switch. After clicking on "Will my iPhone be unlocked" and reading this incredibly clear, unambiguous statement, I ordered, thinking that Apple wouldn't lie to me in such a provably false way. I thought it would actually be the truth. However, sadly, they LIE right on the order page. Here's the statement:

View attachment 861859

The phone arrived yesterday. When my very excited girlfriend put her TMobile Sim Card in it, it wouldn't let her activate it. It said to contact Apple or Verizon. After a total of more than 3 hours on the phone today, Verizon says the phone is locked to them for 60 DAYS - even though the phone IS NOT FINANCED THROUGH VERIZON and the above statement is incredibly clear about the phone coming from the factory unlocked.

It's sad that Apple has chosen to lie to people like this, presumably to inflate sales to unsuspecting users that rely on their unambiguous statements like the one above. However, they have, and now the community needs to be warned. We now have a $1500 useless piece of garbage that we will have to drive a total of 120 miles to exchange...if we can even get one in stock.

DO NOT BELIEVE THE STATEMENT ABOVE. IT IS A WHOLESALE LIE. THESE PHONES ARE NOT UNLOCKED IN ANY WAY.

OP. This is an unfortunate situation. If you get the right Apple store employee they will pull an unlocked phone for you and then activate it on iUP. I did it today. I did get 2-3 employees that said they couldn’t do it. I got 1 employee that said they could and then finally a manager that got the ball rolling. Good luck.

 

[thefish2019]

No, this is a problem with the carrier game you played. Apple says the phone is unlocked, and nobody else is reporting any problems.

The issue is Apple did not get the money from Verizon to pay for your phone.

You're pretending Apple is completely wrong. That's not the issue. You're blaming Verizon. That's also not the issue.

The issue is the carrier game you played and how it specifically interacts with IUP.

Both Squeak825 and I have asked how you entered a valid Verizon number and account pin when purchasing the phone, and why you can't activate the phone on the account? Were you not authorized to actually use the account?

It's MY account, so I'm fairly certain that I'm authorized to use it. I was not required to enter a Verizon number when I ordered, as I selected that it would be setup as a new phone. However, they tried to tie it to MY number on the phone we actually received.

I don't want to activate it on my account now because it was always intended to be used with her line, and per Verizon as of today, it still wouldn't overcome the 60 day issue. I'm not going to pay to setup a new line, etc and still wait 60 days. I am also not going to set it up on my number, and have my girlfriend take over my number for 60 days.

Bottom line is this: Apple is selling "unlocked" Verizon phones that are actually locked. Once activated on Verizon, after 60 days, Verizon will unlock them. But what Apple is doing is fraud; whether it is through malice or ignorance doesn't really matter.

 

[konqerror]

I was not required to enter a Verizon number when I ordered, as I selected that it would be setup as a new phone.

That is impossible.

Apple does not open new accounts online. You can only open a new account in a store.

Even if you selected "new phone" you still have to associate the phone to an existing account.

You did not actually buy an IUP phone from Apple.

This is why you are confused.

 

[thefish2019]

That is impossible.

Apple does not open new accounts online. You can only open a new account in a store.

Even if you selected "new phone" you still have to associate the phone to an existing account.

You did not actually buy an IUP phone from Apple.

This is why you are confused.

Funny, they sent me a phone under the IUP, my credit was checked and approved, I have been charged by Citizen's One for my first payment, and I have an online account through Citizen's One where I manage my iPhone Upgrade Program account payments.

It sure seems to me like I'm in the IUP program from Apple.

 

[konqerror]

Funny, they sent me a phone under the IUP, my credit was checked and approved, I have been charged by Citizen's Bank for my first payment, and I have an online account through Citizen's Bank where I manage my iPhone Upgrade Program account payments.

It sure seems to me like I'm in the IUP program from Apple.

Then you are lying. Go try to buy an IUP phone without an existing Verizon account. Try it. You can't do it.

Your story is extremely inconsistent.

All you have to do is activate the phone on the account and it's unlocked. Then switch the account back. Yet you won't and make excuses.

People have done this. That's why they're asking you whether you put in the T-Mo SIM card first, and saying that's where you messed up. That's not exactly the problem, but it's close.

There's something you aren't telling us.

 

[thefish2019]

Then you are lying. Go try to buy an IUP phone without an existing Verizon account. Try it. You can't do it.

Your story is extremely inconsistent.

All you have to do is activate the phone on the account and it's unlocked. Then switch the account back. Yet you won't and make excuses.

People have done this. That's why they're asking you whether you put in the T-Mo SIM card first, and saying that's where you messed up. That's not exactly the problem, but it's close.

There's something you aren't telling us.

I have a Verizon account, as I have consistently said throughout this entire thread. WTF are you talking about?

Verizon WILL NOT UNLOCK THE PHONE FOR 60 DAYS, EVEN THOUGH APPLE SOLD IT AS AN UNLOCKED PHONE. I don't know how to make it any more clear.

 

[konqerror]

I have a Verizon account, as I have consistently said throughout this entire thread. WTF are you talking about?

I was not required to enter a Verizon number when I ordered, as I selected that it would be setup as a new phone.

Those two statements are completely inconsistent. The second quote above is demonstrably false.

Just activate the phone on the account, then switch it back to your existing phone. That would have solved the problem.

But you won't. So there's something you're not telling us.

You're playing multiple carrier games here and Apple is smarter than that. Plain and simple.

 

[thefish2019]

Then you had to give the Verizon account to buy the phone. You just said you didn't. You lied.

Just activate the phone on the account, then switch it back to your existing phone. That would have solved the problem.

But you won't. So there's something you're not telling us.

What on earth are you talking about? I just told you that I was advised by Verizon that even if I activated it on Verizon today, that the phone would be locked to Verizon for 60 days. You are just going off the rails here.

I did sign in under my Verizon account when ordering (it was 5AM, I think I did anyway). But I selected the option to set it up as a new phone, not on MY number.

None of your counterpoints change the fact that I was sold an "unlocked" phone that I am now told cannot be unlocked for 60 days.