Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Samsung phone locked after repair

Oct 4, 2018 8:23AM PDT

I sent my phone for repair and it has been locked back to one provider.
I spent at least 5 hours on a phone, calling from a different country to unlock my phone.
During these time I had to buy another device because I was unable to use my Samsung with another provider.

I am a loyal customer of Samsung and using their phones for more than 15 years, but the Customer Service in the US is absolutely nightmare and should be going through the proper training process.
Everything from the very beginning went wrong, my details were not taken correctly and a repaired phone has been sent to the wrong address. I never received any information from Samsung about problems with my postal address and only after I contacted them directly and talked to the couple of Samsung representatives, spending a lot of time on a phone, I was able to detect the problem and sort it.
Now I'm struggling with the locked device. I called my network provider, but this phone is shown as unlocked in their system and they can not help. I believe that Samsung representatives are absolutely useless, as they were washing my brain 5 times for about 1 hour each time and nothing changed.
Now I have no idea who to speak with to solve the problem.
I also would like to understand who will repay all my unreasonable expenses for phone calls and additional device I had to buy?

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Clarification Request
I can see how this can happen.
Oct 4, 2018 8:57AM PDT

There are models that are indeed carrier locked and it's not up to Samsung to unlock. That's between you and that carrier or however the model was unlocked the last time.

You left out the full model number in question so I can't check if that's the issue. It has been in the past and stories like yours happen next.

- Collapse -
Samsung phone locked after repair
Oct 4, 2018 9:09AM PDT

I have Samsung S8 edge, SM-G955UZSASPR.
As I mentioned, unfortunately, I have spoken to Sprint and in their system my phone shown as unlocked. They can not help me.
But it is Samsung who locked it during the repair.
It is so frustrating to have an amazing phone and be unable to use it.

Thank you for your help.

- Collapse -
Sadly one of those phones made for a carrier.
Oct 4, 2018 9:46AM PDT

So a samsung repair will put it back to factory conditions and the story so far is we are back to the carrier to unlock. The agreements between carrier and maker here may be such that Samsung can't unlock it.

If Sprint has it marked as unlocked that still means there's some procedure to re-unlock it. Which has us back to Sprint, not Samsung in the cases I've dealt with.

- Collapse -
PS. You are not alone in this one.
Oct 4, 2018 10:19AM PDT
- Collapse -
PS. In the future stick to factory unlocked phones.
Oct 4, 2018 10:28AM PDT
- Collapse -
Will try different options
Oct 5, 2018 4:20AM PDT

Thank you very much for your help.
I will try different options, as you recommended.
Best regards.

- Collapse -
Visit a local Sprint Outlet
Oct 5, 2018 1:38PM PDT

Since your Samsung phone is a Carrier Unlocked one, it is best to take it to the nearest Sprint outlet with the receipt of the repair work that was done on it to get the phone unlocked by them. They should unlock the phone for you. Your phone is noted as being, unlocked, in Sprint's system because the last time it was with them, it was unlocked. Samsung did not contact Sprint upon repairing your S8 Edge phone. As for repaying you for the phone you bought because of this issue, it is highly unlikely, Sprint or Samsung will repay you for any of those extra costs. Likely, it is not their liability.