Vodafone blacklisted my IMEI... but I'm an o2 customer

[Anonymous]

To cut a long story short... Vodafone have blacklisted my IMEI, even though I am not a customer of theirs. I have been with o2 since 2002 and have never had anything to do with Vodafone.

My phone is a Galaxy S5 which I have since December 2014 when I took the current contract out through Carphone Warehouse.

Both o2 and Samsung have confirmed that Vodafone blocked the IMEI, and Samsung showed me confirmation on their system. Vodafone say they couldn't have blocked my phone as I don't have an account with them. o2 say they can't unlock it as it wasn't them that blacklisted it. Vodafone say they can't unlock it as I don't have an account with them. I am stuck in the middle and neither company will help me.

I still have 6 months left on my contract and am trapped paying for a phone I can't use. It appears to me that Vodafone have tried to block one of their customer's phones which was stolen, however they have got the IMEI wrong and blocked mine instead.

Does anyone have any ideas? Both companies are supposed to be looking into, but neither seem very confident of resolving the matter, since apparently this happens incredibly rarely.

[MI5]

I'd start here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
But clearly Voda have to fix it for you - it matters not if you have an account with them - if they can block it, they can unblock it.
I would also raise an official complaint with Voda and write to their CEO.
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/complaints/

[Bambino]

As Samsung can see it on their system as blocked, and know it's Vodafone's fault, don't Samsung have the ability to unblock the phone for you?

[MI5]

Legally no.
If that was the case, anyone could take a barred phone to the manufacturer to unbar it - defeats the whole point.

[Bambino]

This is an extraordinary circumstance though, wouldn't you say @MI5? It seems as if the OP has documented proof. They're not just walking in and asking for the phone to be unblocked.

[MI5]

It's still illegal for anyone other than the company (network or insurance) who blocked it to unbar a handset.
Yes, this is a unique situation but no way Samsung will unbar it I'm afraid.

[Bambino]

@Anonymous You have our sympathies. Hope you're able to get this resolved as soon as possible. Please come back and update us if there's any progress. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your replies.

Interesting that I posted the same question on Vodafone forum, and the reply I got there is that o2 need to sort it out! Is there any reason they can't speak to each other and agree something between them? The attitude of o2 so far has basically been 'not our problem'. Am I right to be expecting some support from them in sorting this out?

[MI5]

It really isn't o2's problem - as I said above.

They could help by trying to talk to Voda on your behalf but the can't unbar it for you - it's not physically possible.

[Cleoriff]

I have read this thread with great interest and a lot of confusion. Can't work out why Vodafone would blacklist a phone which wasn't with their network. Anyway... if and when @Anonymous gets it sorted... I hope they come back to let us know who took responsibility for it in the end