I'm sorry to start a new thread: this was posted literally in the last few days and search as I might, I can't find the reference.
Someone mentioned that while it's against Bell's policies generally, one can write a letter to their head office and possibly garner a $75 unlock for their iPhone 4S. If you are that person or know anything about it, can you post your experiences and details? For example, has someone actually done this?
I'm vehemently opposed to phone locking, and I'll unlock my phone however it is humanely possible. Thanks for any info!
Answer
Bell will not unlock any iPhones purchased from Bell, or any other carrier. If you purchased your iPhone from another carrier, we recommend that you contact your current provider or another retailer to complete the process.
Someone mentioned that while it's against Bell's policies generally,
I was responding to something I saw on HoFo recently suggesting that a letter to head office might do the trick. I did a search but couldn't find the appropriate reference. I wanted to see whether that person was speaking from personal experience or whether they were just speculating.
Number swaps are explicitly against Rogers policy, but that doesn't mean the first rep you speak to absolutely won't do it for you.
Bell does not have the infrastructure (API access to Apple) to provide iPhone users with an unlock.
Perhaps an extreme escalation could be made which requires Bell to contact Apple, but this is not something that someone in your current contract situation would likely be able to take advantage of, assuming such escalation procedure exists.
Bell does not unlock iPhones, not do their internal systems allow it.
If you actually read the users post, it states that a letter "might" help...but no where did anyone state they have been able to, nor have there been any reports of one being able to. It is not done. Even www.apple.ca says that only Rogers / Fido unlock, not Bell.
*sigh* - yet another reason (and more proof) to steer clear of Apple's "you will do what we tell you, and you'll deal with it" proprietary hardware. So many people jump all over (and pay dearly) for an iPhone, and then get pi**y with people when they don't get the answers they want (or feel they deserve).
*sigh* - yet another reason (and more proof) to steer clear of Apple's "you will do what we tell you, and you'll deal with it" proprietary hardware. So many people jump all over (and pay dearly) for an iPhone, and then get pi**y with people when they don't get the answers they want (or feel they deserve).
I don't know why people blame Apple for this. It's carriers who prop up ridiculous policies and systems to make sure their customers don't leave. Sure, Apple happens to have the *most secure* method of unlocking, but why on Earth does that mean it's Apple who's refusing to unlock your phone? It's the carriers, my friend!
Bell does not have the infrastructure (API access to Apple) to provide iPhone users with an unlock.
Perhaps an extreme escalation could be made which requires Bell to contact Apple, but this is not something that someone in your current contract situation would likely be able to take advantage of, assuming such escalation procedure exists.
Bell does not unlock iPhones, not do their internal systems allow it.
If you actually read the users post, it states that a letter "might" help...but no where did anyone state they have been able to, nor have there been any reports of one being able to. It is not done. Even www.apple.ca says that only Rogers / Fido unlock, not Bell.
I don't know what more convincing you need....
I don't need any convincing, nor did I read too much into the original post I was referencing. I merely wanted to hear about that person's experience, or whether he was just speculating. It is as simple as that. I never assumed that the person had a fool-proof unlocking solution to offer.
I don't need any convincing, nor did I read too much into the original post I was referencing. I merely wanted to hear about that person's experience, or whether he was just speculating. It is as simple as that. I never assumed that the person had a fool-proof unlocking solution to offer.
There was no method ever posted. The poster simply said "you can try sending a letter"....there was no promise of any result or any tried and true method. There are quite a few other threads discussing this as well (the fact that Bell doesn't unlock iPhones)
Rogers is the only carrier who was willing to spend the money implementing the unlock. You are correct, that it is indeed up to the carrier to unlock the phone; however, perhaps Apple's demands were too great that Bell has simply chosen not to for simplicity sakes. However, the same holds true for ATT in the USA, so let's not simply blame Bell here...I'd be more inclined to blame Apple as there is only 1 North American carrier willing to unlock iPhones.
Agreed, I'm not just blaming Bell; most N.A. carriers are to blame. I'm afraid I don't have much sympathy to carriers when they have to spend some money to implement good infrastructure and policies, since, erm, they have a lot of capital to throw around. Apple may have the most secure and onerous locking mechanism, but you can bet it's the carriers who prop up this system and profit the most from it.
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Originally Posted by can3gxw
*sigh* - yet another reason (and more proof) to steer clear of Apple's "you will do what we tell you, and you'll deal with it" proprietary hardware. So many people jump all over (and pay dearly) for an iPhone, and then get pi**y with people when they don't get the answers they want (or feel they deserve).
can3gxw,
Draconian... yes but at least, people can purchase a FACTORY UNLOCKED iPhone 4S from Apple directly in Canada and some other countries where there are regulations prohibiting SIM-lock implementation. Like DataDude, I blame the "system" in North America more.
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Solution as such requires the "emulation hardware" to stay inside the handset, which is not the same as the IMEI registered in the Apple's white list as unlocked.
It was my post that you are referring to, I believe.
I wrote a letter to Bell and spoke to someone there, and was told that Bell is exploring the possibility of making unlock available to customers. Didn't push too hard after that because I was told that the terms would be similar to Rogers/Fido, and I still have over a year left on my contract, so to discharge my contract and pay for the unlock would be almost $400... not worth it for the experience of using my i4 on tmobile for the few days a year that I am i the US...Don't have any contact info, but I think that I wrote to one of the VPs listed on bell's corporate contact page, someone customer related...
Even though the answers were not quite what I had hoped, the people that I spoke with were helpful, polite, and respectful throughout, and definitely knew their stuff. I was very impressed given some of the terrible stories that are often related on this and other forums.
Solution as such requires the "emulation hardware" to stay inside the handset, which is not the same as the IMEI registered in the Apple's white list as unlocked.
I agree, it is a hack and not a permanent solution.
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Originally Posted by DataDude
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