All carriers (prepaid and postpaid) have policies on when phones can be unlocked by them and this is disclosed in the terms and conditions of service. Just because you didn't read the information ahead of time won't make any difference. This is nothing new and has been way for many years.
If you bought the phone for only $200, the cost was subsidized by the carrier and they have the expectation that service will continue long enough to recoup the subsidized cost.
In January, my iPhone 6 (2+ years old) went sideways, not able to find cell towers. With no US Cellular service centers in Arizona, I figured I'd get a 'temporary' service during my 3 months of winter getaway, so...I proceeded to WalMart to find a cheap temporary phone. Well, they had the iPhone 6 on sale for $200, so I made the purchase along with 3 months of service from StraightTalk. After coming back home to Iowa, I went back to my US Cellular service center and asked that they switch my service over to the newer iPhone 6 that I had purchased. They put one of their simcards into the phone and could not make it work because the phone was locked by the 'other provider'. They related that I needed to call them to get the phone unlocked so that they could get it back onto US Cellular service. I did that but, after talking to a rep, I was transferred to a recorded message that stated that they did not have to release the phone for a full year!!...WHAT,...I bought 90 days of service yet they have this phone locked and tied up for a year??!!....even though I'm not paying for StraightTalk service anymore,...yet they have the rights to keep the phone locked till next January?? Has that been okayed by the FCC?? If so,...does anyone know what else I can do?....US Cellular wants $360-$450 to get another phone....am I stuck with this?
Thanks for the input,
Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic