I just had an interesting discussion with Verizon customer service.
I've been considering a move a to T-Mobile, but I wanted to take my Note 3 (that I purchased at full retail) with me if I left.
Well, I have been out of contract since November and when I requested my phone to be unlocked, I reminded the agent. He said he needed to put me on hold.
After a pause, the agent came back and said Verizon does not unlock devices. At this point I decided to quote the recent decision by the FCC.
Back in December (of 2013) the FCC Commissioner, Tom Wheeler, threatened he major wireless carriers with an FCC ruling requiring phones to be unlocked. To avoid a hard rule, Commissioner Wheeler got he major carriers (including Verizon) to agree to a voluntary policy.
The voluntary policy says that after a contract is completed, a customer can request their phone to be factory unlocked. Following the request, a carrier would comply within two days.
I am confused to how Verizon refused my request when they already agreed to do it.
Here is a link to the story: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/fcc-takes-whack-phone-unlocking-ban-now-its-congresss-turn
If you read the whole thing, verizon and others have a year to implement it. And there are still hoops to jump through and it may under certain circumstance be denied but verizon must tell you why in writing.
Additionally verizon uses CDMA technology so the phone will not work on T-Mobiles GSM network. Neither on AT&T which is GSM or on Sprint because they don't allow it on their different CDMA network.
Good Luck
Isn't the Note 3, as an LTE device, already unlocked out of the box?
Are we reading the same story?
Nowhere in the article does it state that the carriers have a year. In fact, if you follow the hyperlink to Commissioner Wheeler' letter to the CTIA, Mr. Wheeler States that he wants the policy in place during the Christmas 2013 season .
As far using my Note 3 elsewhere. I spoke to T-Mobile this evening and they said my Verizon phone would work if Verizon would unlock it from there network.
The phone is already unlocked... ANY LTE device that is a world phone is automatically unlocked.
I would not lie to you. See the first link where it mentions the year, and the hoop jumping and that the carriers can deny the unlocking.
Good Luck
It definitely concerns us that we could lose a valued customer michaeljtimko! Why would you want to use that awesome device on anything other than the best network? The community is correct. The device is already unlocked. Please keep in mind the conflicting network technologies however. The device may not likely be compatible with GSM networks.
JonathanK_VZW
VZW Support
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Because each phone carrier has software placed on the phone to prevent it from working on another network, before it is shipped from the manufacturer. This is an agreement with the carriers and while the law allows phones to be unlocked, the carrier is not required to do so. And why should they?
They have a captive audience.
We have the only option any consumer has - don't buy.
Or switch carriers. I just moved 4 lines to AT&T. Paid full retail for 3 phones, bought one from Amazon, new for AT&T.
Got a Note 3 for myself AND a Samsung tablet for $100. My old Verizon bill was close to $300 with 3 GB of data. My new bill with AT&T, just under $200 with 4 phones, one tablet and 10 GB of data.
Yes, I did have to buy new phones. But I made my point to Verizon. Your "deals" stink.
18 years with Verizon, and I'm gone.
I would leave because Verizon took away unlimited data.
I would leave because Verizon expects me to pay full Price for the phones I want to keep the unlimited I have.
I would leave because Verizon has over-extended the network in my area and I constantly drop down to a 3G signal. We need AWS rolled out in my area, but but try Verizon customer service does not know if or when that will happen.
Finally, I would leave because I Verizon refuses to let existing unlimited data plan holders participate in Verizon Edge. Something that other carriers don't seem to have a problem with.
T-Mobile customers have jump and unlimited data.
Existing ATT customers with grandfathered unlimited data can participate in next.
I would leave because Verizon treats it's oldest customers (unlimited data plans) as second class citizens.
lizdance40 wrote:
Because each phone carrier has software placed on the phone to prevent it from working on another network, before it is shipped from the manufacturer. This is an agreement with the carriers and while the law allows phones to be unlocked, the carrier is not required to do so. And why should they?
They have a captive audience.
We have the only option any consumer has - don't buy.
Or switch carriers. I just moved 4 lines to AT&T. Paid full retail for 3 phones, bought one from Amazon, new for AT&T.
Got a Note 3 for myself AND a Samsung tablet for $100. My old Verizon bill was close to $300 with 3 GB of data. My new bill with AT&T, just under $200 with 4 phones, one tablet and 10 GB of data.
Yes, I did have to buy new phones. But I made my point to Verizon. Your "deals" stink.
18 years with Verizon, and I'm gone.
(removed) The phones are already unlocked. It's not the software it's the hardware why they are not compatible. (removed)
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