Lovely. I submitted my request on April 10 and today was told it was denied because the IMEI in the case filed was MISSING TWO DIGITS. Of course, I was not notified about this.
I can't see any reason this process should even involve humans at all. Why can't I just log into the AT&T web site and click "request unlock" or something? AT&T certainly has the IMEIs of devices I've used on record and can compute from my contract date whether I'm eligible for the unlock. And there's certainly no way Apple is handling these requests manually; there's surely some systematic mechanism that AT&T uses to request that a given IMEI be unlocked.
I'm sympathetic to the individual agents who say the demand is overwhelming but not to AT&T in general who should have realized it would be -- and more to the point, it's really their fault for letting the demand build up through their absurd past policy.
Please wait for a chat representative to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Regina Elliott'
Regina Elliott: Thank you, Mr Martin, for completing the pre chat survey. *I understand you are looking to have your iphone unlocked. *I will be happy to assist you in reaching resolution. *I will also address any other questions you may have and review your account to ensure you are getting the best value for your money. *Please allow me a moment or two to bring up your account information.
Bret Martin: Thanks.
Bret Martin: The IMEI of the iPhone 4 I'm interested in unlocking is XX XXXXXX XXXXXX X.
Regina Elliott: I see that you have been with AT&T since XXXX, on this account. *Thank you for your loyalty. *Can you please provide me the IMEI and your email address, and I will research to see if you qualify to have your iphone unlocked.
Bret Martin: e-mail address is
XXX@XXXXXXX.XXX
Regina Elliott: Thank you.
Regina Elliott: Did you attempt to have this device unlocked befor?
Bret Martin: I chatted on April 10 and was told I'd get e-mail instructions within 5 to 7 days, but I haven't received anything.
Regina Elliott: Okay, the case was denied because the IMEI in the case didn't have enough numbers.
Bret Martin: Interesting. The one I provided you above is the same one I provided then -- I copied it from the chat transcript and checked it against my phone.
Bret Martin: I didn't receive anything telling me the unlock was denied.
Regina Elliott: yes in the case the last 2 numbers are missing. the Agent must have missed that.
Bret Martin: OK.
Bret Martin: If you are able to provide feedback about your support processes, it would seem logical to notify your customer if a request is denied like mine was in this case. I would have been happy to provide the correct IMEI, of course.
Regina Elliott: You should have received email. that may have been entered incorrectly too. I will double check.
Bret Martin: I'm also curious if you know why some people are provided unlocks nearly immediately and some require waiting several days.
Bret Martin: Thanks for your help.
Regina Elliott: The unlock codes are coming from Apple, not in order of the case filed.
Regina Elliott: Thank you for your patience, I have filed the case, the expected resolution date is Evening (EST) of April 30, 2012. Your case ID # is CM20120421_XXXXXXXX. You will receive an email with instructions to back-up and restore the iPhone to complete the unlocking process.
Bret Martin: If I'm not mistaken, there is no unlock code for iPhones. Apple lists unlocked IMEIs in their activation servers.
Bret Martin: (Unlike other GSM phones where there is an actual code you enter into the phone.)
Regina Elliott: email sees to be correct on previous case. not sure why you where not notified.
Regina Elliott: That is my understanding as well. but it has to register with apple in their systems.
Bret Martin: I'm curious, can you tell me the date of the denial on the previous case, so I can check for when I should have supposedly gotten the e-mail?
Regina Elliott: Looks like April 18th
Bret Martin: Thanks.
Regina Elliott: Mr Martin, I'm sorry for this frustration, where there any other questions I can assist with today?
Bret Martin: No, and thank you for your help. I'm sure you must be getting a lot of these requests.
Regina Elliott: Over whelming amount.
Regina Elliott: First day we where 700 in queue.
Regina Elliott: We value you as a customer with AT&T and we appreciate your business. *Thank you for visiting AT&T Live Support Chat. It has been my pleasure to assist you today, please click the close button to end your session. A customer satisfaction survey will automatically appear and we appreciate your feedback.
Bret Martin: Thanks.
Chat session has been terminated by the chat representative.
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How are people getting unlocked in nearly-real-time? Is it just the luck of the draw whether you get an agent who has the knowledge/ability/access to do so?
