Email to Tim Cook protesting about Softbank

[aussieinjapan]

Just sent this email to Tim Cook.

Dear Sir,

I have the deepest respect for Apple and of course Softbank who bought the iphone to Japan.

I have been an Apple customer since the early 90's and I hope that Apple continues to make the best products.

I do have one problem with I hope that you as the boss of Apple can help with.

To put it simply and not waste your time, Softbank does not unlock iphones. I understand that they won't do it if you are paying off the phone while on contact which is over 2 years here. Im doing that now with my 5s.

I do have an issue with them not unlocking my iphone 3G and 4. I have fully paid them off and wish to use them when I travel overseas to my home Australia. I asked Softbank to unlock them and they sent me to Apple. I called Apple Japan and they sent me back to Softbank.

I have read reports of customers going to the Apple stores here especially in Shibuya and after speaking with a genius, they get their phones unlocked.

All I want is to use my iphone 4 which I have fully paid for and now is not being used to be unlocked so I can use it overseas when I travel.

Can you help ?

Yours Sincerely

What do you think ? I guess Im wasting my time but....

 

[eyoungren]

Well, Softbank bought Sprint. Sounds like the two share the same unlock policy, except Sprint is a bit more liberal and will unlock for international use.

Hmm…Sprint and Softbank more alike than I thought.

 

[aussieinjapan]

Well, Softbank bought Sprint. Sounds like the two share the same unlock policy, except Sprint is a bit more liberal and will unlock for international use.

Hmm…Sprint and Softbank more alike than I thought.

I did not know that (Im an Aussie so I dont know much about Sprint).

It makes me mad that I have paid for my phone but cant use it

 

[eyoungren]

I can see that. Being that you live in Oz the rules are very different there than here in the States I imagine.

The American government has said that it's legal for the carriers to lock their phones to their network. Even if you've paid for the phone and the contract is over. Most of the carriers unlock as a courtesy to the customer and so it's become expected.

But if all of the carriers decided tomorrow that there would never ever be another unlock ever again for any phone there would be nothing legal that anyone could do about it.

I happen to agree with you. It's your phone, you paid it off, you should be able to take it to another network if you wish. Unfortunately, the carriers hold all the cards in this and there really isn't much you can do.

Tim Cook went to bat for an AT&T customer once back when AT&T was not unlocking phones. Maybe he can do this for you. I hope he reads it and helps you out.

 

[faiz23]

Just pay for the unlock on ebay and live your life

 

[scaredpoet]

Just pay for the unlock on ebay and live your life

$150 to $188 on eBay. And people are griping that grey market unlocks for AT&T jumped to $30-$40.

 

[faiz23]

$150 to $188 on eBay. And people are griping that grey market unlocks for AT&T jumped to $30-$40.

CDMA unlocks are pricey but if you are having to unlock CDMA. You might as well just buy the iphone 5 from straight talk which is refurbished and verizon model for $400 - 25% cashback making it $300 for a Verizon unlocked GSM iphone 5. You need to use iphone 4 on softbank and keep an iphone 5 for traveling overseas. Check out slickdeals where tons of folks got an iphone 5 Verizon version for $300-$325.

 

[Indecisi0n]

Wasting your time.

 

[aussieinjapan]

I can see that. Being that you live in Oz the rules are very different there than here in the States I imagine.

The American government has said that it's legal for the carriers to lock their phones to their network. Even if you've paid for the phone and the contract is over. Most of the carriers unlock as a courtesy to the customer and so it's become expected.

But if all of the carriers decided tomorrow that there would never ever be another unlock ever again for any phone there would be nothing legal that anyone could do about it.

I happen to agree with you. It's your phone, you paid it off, you should be able to take it to another network if you wish. Unfortunately, the carriers hold all the cards in this and there really isn't much you can do.

Tim Cook went to bat for an AT&T customer once back when AT&T was not unlocking phones. Maybe he can do this for you. I hope he reads it and helps you out.

Thanks for the great post !! I tweeted Mr Son (softbanks founder and CEO) so lets see if he reads it.

 

[springsup]

This is the right way to go. If Apple are truly the ones who can unlock your phone, Apple's Executive Relations will sort it out.

Don't lose hope - I recently got a reply to an email I sent Tim months ago (about a specific, high profile failure in Maps that I'd been reporting for 2 years).