[Closed] Unlocking my phone from O2 - A Journey

Probably would be done by now if you’d answered their text and given them your IMEI.

Did one recently with an iPhone locked to o2, pretty sure it took less than an hour.

Hi @phil5556 please can I have your full name, address, phone number and any other details you are willing to give me?

I'm with @nickc here. We need to protect our data and these companies need to be responsible and obtain it in a safer stronger way. There needs to be an industry accepted standard to do things like this so sloppy practices aren't introduced which then let's peoples guards down and they accidentally give fraudsters details

damascus

Member

Hi @phil5556 please can I have your full name, address, phone number and any other details you are willing to give me?

Or, a quick google shows the number is legit, OP sends details, and gets his phone unlocked

Probably would be done by now if you’d answered their text and given them your IMEI.

I agree with Phil.

full name, address, phone number and any other details you are willing to give me?

I mean, you asked them to unlock the phone. I don't think that asking for the phone number and IMEI of the phone is particularly unreasonable.

I don't think its unreasonable either, which is why I gave them all that info online Sunday evening through their own website

o2 never used to lock their contract phones but didnt advertise the fact

Phone Tuesday night, to chase email, “Oh we can’t progress your request you haven’t answered our text that we sent, can you do that now?…”No”, I say, “you already have that info” Right…can you give me the IMEI number? “No” I say, “you have that already from Sunday, can you just get it sorted please.

This is where you lost me.

You called them, who were you protecting your data from at this point?

Fair enough, don’t answer the text as it “could be” dodgy. But when you called them and still refused to give details to get the job done. Well that’s just daft (if you actually want it unlocking)

Or, a quick google shows the number is legit

Weirdly, every text that O2 has ever sent me before comes headlined as O2, this is the first and only text I've ever received from them thats  been sent to me as unlabeled. It's obviously a gateway text designed to make you delete it to slow one down or put barriers in the way of unlocking a phone

Either that or I'm paranoid (evens)

and still refused to give details to get the job done.

When I suggested to the call handler that they have all the info already as I'd given it to them over the last 48 hrs, she immediately agreed that she had all the info that they needed to unlock the phone.

I understand there are hoops to jump through, I was just surprised by O2 actively trying to put barriers up to delay or frustrate the process, I thought that sort of wild west behaviour had long gone

The only barrier here is your paranoia. Everyone else manages to do this in an hour or so (often quicker).

I did 3 phones with o2 last year and the only thing I remember about it was it seemed to go fairly smoothly. Can’t remember tbh if I was asked separately for data...but either way it was fairly quick and efficient.

I presume them asking for the data separately is a proxy form of 2fa ie to stop some random from nicking and unlocking your phone?

When I suggested to the call handler that they have all the info already as I’d given it to them over the last 48 hrs, she immediately agreed that she had all the info that they needed to unlock the phone.

The subtext to that reply nick is "yes we have all the info, you're right, someone gave it to us on Sunday but I don't have any proof that was you. If you don't have the info you're probably trying to unlock someone else's phone."

a quick google shows the number is legit,

a quick google shows the number is very easily forged.

o2 never used to lock their contract phones but didnt advertise the fact

I've been with O2 since 1999. They used to lock their phones in the early days but haven't done so in years now aside from iPhones. IME, anyway.

Turns out that's the case (the phone is already unlocked) it perhaps would've saved me and the call handlers some time and effort if  that info had been readily available

Dangerbrain, yes hadn't thought of that, you're right. However the online form I filled in on  all thSunday hade info and I had to fill in 2 characters from my password to get passed the security...which makes them more paranoid than me!

Turns out that’s the case (the phone is already unlocked) it perhaps would’ve saved me and the call handlers some time and effort if that info had been readily available

Or, a quick google shows the number is legit,

Legit numbers can be spoofed. Please don't rely on this as verification of the authenticity of unexpected calls / texts.

which makes them more paranoid than me

Nah, they're just watching you and knew all the extra security would make you more comfortable.

(the phone is already unlocked) it perhaps would’ve saved me and the call handlers some time and effort if that info had been readily available

As zilog said.... 😂

[url] https://www.o2.co.uk/help/phones-sims-and-devices/unlocking-an-o2-mobile-to-use-on-a-different-network [/url]

I’ve been with O2 since 1999. They used to lock their phones in the early days but haven’t done so in years now aside from iPhones. IME, anyway.

I’ve been with O2 for roughly the same time, and I’ve known for all that time that O2 only lock iPhones, all others come unlocked. I’ve had unlocked an out of contract iphone with no drama as well.

When I had an O2 phone through carphone warehouse you could unlock it through the app without even speaking to anyone. Mi current iPhone came unlocked - I know this because I asked when got it as I swap to foreign SIM cards a lot.