Today, I learned that you can unlock an old phone and use it with a different carrier. The techie part of it is easy, but getting to that point is not.
Case in point - I have a co-worker who needs a new phone. I have an old phone but from a different carrier. Her provider (AT&T) uses the same sim card as my old provider (T-Mobile).
A sim card is a small memory device that stores your information (phone settings, personal info, phone book, etc.) and makes swapping phones fairly easy - as long as you swap with a phone from the same provider. If you try to add an AT&T sim card to a phone purchased from T-Mobile, you get a message asking for an unlock code. The full term for this is the "subsidy unlock code" for the record.
In my quest to not only find a use for the phone (instead of recycling it - it was expensive!), I tried to find the subsidy unlock code for this particular model online. That's not how it works. Each phone has an IMEI code (like a VIN number on a car) that is unique to the phone. The service provider (T-Mobile in this case) sets this code, so you have to go to them for the subsidy unlock code.
I used the T-Mobile customer service chat function on the web site. I find this to be more efficient than a phone call most times, because I can work while I wait for help. Also, I have no trouble understanding typed words, but I digress. Turns out that T-Mobile cannot give me the subsidy unlock code even though I have the IMEI code for the phone because I don't have the proof of purchase from eight years ago when I bought it nor do I have a current T-Mobile account.
To save you some time if you end up in the same situation, they cannot escalate the issue to a manager, and they cannot find your old account information if you've been gone for a while. What you need to do is find anyone with a current T-Mobile account and lie. The customer service person I chatted with was courteous and professional, but this entire snafu reminds me of why I switched away from T-Mobile in the first place.
There's another way to get the codes, but it requires me to send the IMEI code to a shady web site along with $25. No thanks.
So, the lessons for day two: Sim cards are handy, but keep all of your receipts for everything. Also, T-Mobile can kiss my ass.
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