Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband and I have "dumb" phones and wanted to make one line a smartphone. Through a chat conversation with Verizon CS, I was informed that it is against the law to sell an unlocked phone. After some research, I found that this is not the case. It is illegal to unlock a subsidized phone without the carriers permission. So, I called Verizon to see if there was a work-around. Usually, if they think you are going to cancel your service, they will pull a rabbit out of their hats.
I told the CS rep what I wanted and she advised me that I could take the phone to a third party and have it unlocked, but that Verizon does not unlock phones. I told her that without permission, it was illegal and would prefer to lawfully acquire an unlocked through Verizon. She again said that Verizon would not sell an unlocked phone nor give written permission to unlock, but I could take it elsewhere to get it unlocked when the term was up.
Is this a "don't ask, don't tell" situation? Is this what everyone is doing these days? I don't anticipate leaving Verizon after the end of the two-year agreement, but I would want the option to leave and take my phone if they **** me off. I know there will be newer models that I may prefer, but, honestly, I hang on to my phones longer than the average person.
That is absolute garbage. It is not now, nor has it ever been illegal to unlock a phone. Domestically, a Verizon phone cannot be used on another carrier in the US. Some advanced smart phones do use a SIM card that can be used to travel internationally. Either the CS rep misunderstood you or is sadly misinformed.
What were your intentions when you inquired about unlocking the phone ? Just curious. I assure you that there is nothing wrong for asking.
It is not illegal, despite that article. People unlock their phones on a daily basis and I have never heard of a single person being prosecuted/sued by a carrier for unlocking their phone. At&t and T-mobile (GSM carriers) offer free unlocking to eligible customers currently.
The only major carrier that uses the same cellular technology is Sprint and they will not activate a Verizon phone on their network. You will not be able to use a Verizon phone on either At&t or T-mobile due to incompatible netwrks.
It is not illegal to unlock a phone. There are two common networks in the U.S. GSM and CDMA. GSM is at&t and t-mobile for example. Verizon is CDMA and I believe so is sprint. Honestly, its kind of pointless to get an unlocked phone for CDMA. Most people want unlocked phones that work on GSM so they can switch carriers or take the phone overseas.
ETA: Opps...didnt see Dontaskwhy comments above. ...anyway...yep what he/she said too.
Everdeen, are you saying you want to convert one of your dumb phones to a smartphone? I somehow don't think there is such a thing as converting a dumb phone into a smartphone. Or you have two smartphones on Verizon and you want to unlock one of them to make it smarter? Or, something else?
If you have a Verizon smartphone and want to do the smart thing by breaking loose from the monthly charges, then take a look at Page Plus Cellular. PPC is a Verizon reseller. I have a fairly smartphone I used on Verizon until contract end, then took the phone to PPC. I now have 250min/250msg/10meg data for $12 monthly, billed to CCard. So the service is just continuous.
The reason this is a good deal for me is that I rarely use the phone (any phone). I use msg'ing far more than minutes and no data. If I do need data, I use the WiFi capability of the smartphone. Even at the grocery or at Home Depot. And I do have the 'Watch Dog' app to monitor the network data.
Everdeen, are you saying you want to convert one of your dumb phones to a smartphone? I somehow don't think there is such a thing as converting a dumb phone into a smartphone. Or you have two smartphones on Verizon and you want to unlock one of them to make it smarter? Or, something else?
If you have a Verizon smartphone and want to do the smart thing by breaking loose from the monthly charges, then take a look at Page Plus Cellular. PPC is a Verizon reseller. I have a fairly smartphone I used on Verizon until contract end, then took the phone to PPC. I now have 250min/250msg/10meg data for $12 monthly, billed to CCard. So the service is just continuous.
The reason this is a good deal for me is that I rarely use the phone (any phone). I use msg'ing far more than minutes and no data. If I do need data, I use the WiFi capability of the smartphone. Even at the grocery or at Home Depot. And I do have the 'Watch Dog' app to monitor the network data.
No. I want to upgrade my phone to a Samsung Note 2
I am going to re-up for another 24 months and get the phone for $199. At the end of the contract, I want the option of taking the phone to another carrier when the contract is up, if I should so desire.
My husband and I share 700 anytime minutes and 250 texts, which is perfect for us. From time to time we need WiFi elsewhere other than our home and we also want to see if having a smartphone will benefit us in other ways. If not, then we will go back to dumb phones at the end of the two years. Personally, I like the apps available. Does the grocery, Home Depot, and other places have accessible WiFi?
Everything I have read has indicated that subsidized phones have been illegal to unlock since January of this year. I am not saying that you guys are not right, just that this has been what I have read.
Quote:
you should know that starting today it is illegal to unlock a subsidized phone or tablet that's bought through a U.S. carrier.
It is also possible to unlock the phone you already have, just by downloading and running software from the Internet. Not hard to do – but it might get you hauled up before a federal district judge.
As of today, it is illegal to unlock your new smartphone.
[LEFT]
[/LEFT]
Quote:
Furthermore, new court decisions have changed the interpretation of the law. In 2010, the Ninth Circuit court decided in Vernor v. Autodesk, Inc that we cell phone owners do not actually “own” the software running our phones. Instead, we are only “licensing” this software – a key difference – which means that we don’t have a right to alter that software.
I'm sure I am not understanding something. I am not as tech savvy as the rest of you. If you could explain to me in terms that I would understand, I'd appreciate it.
Did you also post the same question in the Cnet forums ??
I don't care what those articles say, unlocking occurs thousands of times (if not more) on a daily basis in the US. Nobody has actually reported an incident when someone was sued or arrested for doing so. Even if it is "illegal" I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. In theory it might be illegal, but enforcement would be almost impossible.
Did you also post the same question in the Cnet forums ??
I don't care what those articles say, unlocking occurs thousands of times (if not more) on a daily basis in the US. Nobody has actually reported an incident when someone was sued or arrested for doing so. Even if it is "illegal" I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. In theory it might be illegal, but enforcement would be almost impossible.
I sort of figured that was the case, but I don't know. And like I said, the CS person told me to go have it unlocked by a 3rd party, but would not give me written permission.
I don't know what the Cnet forums are.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
