monkey0804
Registered User
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There are many companies who offer 'unlocking' services for phones, but I'd assume the legality of these services is fairly questionable at best....
I'm not suggesting that 'unlocking' itself is in any way illegal, more so that a very large number of the companies (my opinion, I've no figures to back that up) offering it do so in a questionable manner.I don't think so. Why would be it illegal to unlock your own phone? You own it, you don't rent it. Most providers will do it for you for free once your out of contract.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lockWhile the act of "box breaking" may be legal, most "box breaking" businesses are doing illegal things like (1) importing/exporting box-broken phones to other countries (to sell as grey market goods) without paying import duties, (2) defrauding various tax authorities on VAT frauds and (3) substituting counterfeit batteries or chargers. [1] [2] [3] [4] Recently network operators have been insisting that new customers purchase substantial amounts of airtime at the same time as they buy a new handset[citation needed], in order that the total price they pay comes close to the true value of the handset.
A quick google seems to suggest that CPW don't lock their phones. That's an interesting one, but makes sense for CPW given that they gain nothing from a phone being locked to a specific network. Thanks for the headsup.Maybe he knows which ones aren't locked or maybe carphonewarehouse (I think) doesn't lock them.
I'm not suggesting that 'unlocking' itself is in any way illegal, more so that a very large number of the companies (my opinion, I've no figures to back that up) offering it do so in a questionable manner...
No, but VAT fraud, non declaration of income, non payment of duties, replacement with counterfeit goods, etc. (as mentioned in the Wiki citation) is.Bad service isn't illegal.
No, but VAT fraud, non declaration of income, non payment of duties, replacement with counterfeit goods, etc. (as mentioned in the Wiki citation) is.
It just means that if the OP chooses to go down this route, they should try and insure it's with a reputable supplier of the service in case they have issues down the line (I know at least one colleague who had a phone 'bricked' during unlocking, with no compensation from the offending party and nothing more than a 'what did you expect' from the authorities).
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