Hello LPG,

Here is a story that may interest you. 

On 13/11/14 I bought a mobile phone from the EE shop in Lewisham and it worked really well. I have limited hearing and found this phone to be perfect for my needs. However, one day in mid-April 2016 it stopped me from making or receiving calls, or doing anything else at all. I phoned EE and I spoke to a really helpful lady who advised me to take it back to the shop where I bought it. When I did they told me that the phone was broken beyond repair and reminded me that the warrantee had run out on the phone.

I subsequently visited the shop at least three times and was finally advised to get another phone, which I did, but I was still not happy with their explanation about why the phone I preferred did not work. I then took it to an independent phone repair shop and spent £10.00 to learn that they could not actually see where it was broken, but that they could not do anything with it. They could not even unlock it and I was told that it was blocked in some way.

After three more visits to the EE shop they told me that the phone had been blacklisted.  Still unsatisfied and with the help of a friend, I then phoned EE again and was told that I had a ‘sim only’ contract with EE and that I bought the phone independently.  I was again advised to go back to the EE shop where I purchased it.

I was persistent and finally found out that my phones IMEI number had been reported as that of a stolen phone. So there was never really anything wrong with it apart from the fact that it had been deliberately disabled because someone had reported it stolen.

The worst part of it was that the person who had reported it had misquoted the IMEI number.  Once this fact was established they unblocked it and it is now working perfectly again. 

So the moral of this story follows together with a little advice…

1….

There is a big difference between having a broken phone and a BLACKLISTED one.  No one actually took the time to explain that had been intentionally disabled to me.  

2…

The mistake was not mine but I ended up with a 2^nd phone which is of no real use to me.

And my advice…

If you are told that your phone has been BLACKLISTED and you know you did not steal it, persistence is the way forward.  Keep asking questions (and make sure that you are financially compensated)

PC,  Brockley.

For more information about IMEI numbers click here…   (►►►)