unlock--am i missing a step??

[Anonymous]

i have a payg number, and recently bought a secondhand smartphone and have moved to another network.

this week, i requested an unlock through the website. i was given a PUK and told that my unlock would arrive by email.    it arrived yesterday, and this morning i had time to follow the instructions:

"Your unlatching request has been completed. Unlatching instructions :
The code you require for IMEI 123etc  is as follows :
85etc, a 16 digit number. 
Unlatching a Sony Ericsson device :
Power on the device with a non O2 UK SIM card.
The device will show: SIM network unlock PIN.
Enter the unlock code NCK for the network lock and press Unlock.
The device will pop up a message : Network unlock successful."

***

so i put in the non-O2 card and power up.

i'm asked for "SIM network unlock PIN"

i enter the 16 digit number.

then things are different, because a SECOND window comes up, asking for a PUK.  i enter the 8 digit code i was given, and it seems too long?  like it should only be 6?

and it's unsuccessful.  i'm using the correct numbers.

phone was working fine with o2 card, i've checked the imei number--not on blocked lists, phone bought from a reputable secondhand chain that does checks on their phones,  the new sim is activated.

any ideas?  O2 support is offline now, not sure i'll have time while they're open tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

if it's hardlocked, then someone in customer service needs to grow a spine and say so.

found the SIM pin!  in a very logical place, but is now written down with all other phone codes etc.

[Anonymous]

ok... that did nothing.

back to waiting for O2.....

have 63 pence in credit...

😞

[MI5]

Type *#*#7378423#*#*
Select Service info
Select Sim Lock
What does yours say?

[Anonymous]

i'll look into that, thanks.  but on first glance, it does appear that i'll lose all data, including all phone numbers.  (will try saving them to sim... )

o2 now says it is absolutely not their problem at all, and i have to contact sony xperia.  who are not open until monday. 

i'm irked that it took 2 weeks for O2 to tell me that--because 2 weeks is the cooling off period for mobile contracts.  so, now i have a one year contract that i can't break, and hours of phone calls ahead of me to get the phone to be more than a mini computer.  had they told me right away, i could have tried to get it fixed with Sony and if that wasn't possible, cancel new contract and go crawling back to O2.

i think i will just go drown my sorrows in 'plants vs zombies.'

[MI5]

You won't loose any data by just entering the service menu as I've described above, and it isn't Sony's responsibility to unlock the phone, it is O2's.
However, if they have provided the correct code and it won't unlock you would then, be best advised, to seek help from Sony directly.

[Anonymous]

you're right, i won't loose anything.  i was looking the code up online, and most people are using it for hard resets, got confused.

Under "SIM Lock"  all the values are zero.

time to call Sony.  i hate calling places.

[MI5]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Under "SIM Lock"  all the values are zero.

---

Are there any "X" in the boxes to the left?

[Anonymous]

there were no x's.

i spoke to a sony CSR, and i would have had to send the phone off, pay 35 quid or more, and they would unlock it.  

cost to repair phone = £40~, cost to break one year contract  with BT= £41.25, so which was less hassle?

i called BT and they very kindly cancelled my contract, even though i was a few days outside the cooling off period.

very good customer service, i'm kind of sorry i can't stay with them!

i've had mobile data disabled since i got the phone, and haven't noticed a problem, so i'm just going to stay on a PAYG tariff and not bother with a contract.  there are so many WIFI hotspots, i don't see me using a lot of data.

[MI5]

No X's means the handset is unlocked (or should be) so it would appear that there is something wrong with it, unfortunately.