Orange Locked iPad 2?

[spinstorm]

So I wondered into phones 4 u and bought a black 64GB iPad...

It won't accept any SIM card - they all say invalid.

As far as I am aware iPad 2 is unlocked on all networks...?

The reason I think it may be locked to Orange is the Orange SIM pack on the back for contract but I paid outright for it!

I suppose I have to go into Apple tomorrow and ask them to swap it out for one that works but it shouldn't not be working...

Any one have any experiences of this?

UPDATE: DEFINATELY LOCKED!

Put a Orange SIM in and it worked...

 

[shandyman]

weird, original iPads weren't locked....

 

[spinstorm]

I guess it makes sense if the iPad is on a contract but I paid the full
£659 and I was chuffed as I didn't wait in a queue and it was 6pm and the queue was long outside apple and they were out of all 3Gs.

I'm crossing my fingers that Apple can help
And just swap it for an unlocked version as I paid
Full price as I am not sure phones4u would give
Me a refund and I can't see much of a market for
A locked iPad!

It also has seriously bad light bleed but I could live with
That for a few weeks but not with it being
Locked. I hope the genius doesn't even know about
Locked iPads and sorts it for me.

I will find out later. I'm actually nervous as this
Could be a problem if I can't get an exchange and they
Won't refund me.

 

[Brookzy]

So I wondered into phones 4 u and bought a black 64GB iPad...

It won't accept any SIM card - they all say invalid.

As far as I am aware iPad 2 is unlocked on all networks...?

The reason I think it may be locked to Orange is the Orange SIM pack on the back for contract but I paid outright for it!

I suppose I have to go into Apple tomorrow and ask them to swap it out for one that works but it shouldn't not be working...

Any one have any experiences of this?

UPDATE: DEFINATELY LOCKED!

Put a Orange SIM in and it worked...

I got my iPad 2 from Orange yesterday. They never told me it was locked!

Just making sure now with an O2 microsim.

Edit: Same here, Orange iPad locked, O2 sim won't work.

That's crap.

 

[limesmoothie]

I got my iPad 2 from Orange yesterday. They never told me it was locked!

Just making sure now with an O2 microsim.

Edit: Same here, Orange iPad locked, O2 sim won't work.

That's crap.

damn, I've got one coming from an Orange shop. Will have to get it unlocked. Very shady, especially as paid full retail for it.

 

[spinstorm]

If you bought it on contract then that is fine but they should tell you...

But for it to just be locked when we have paid the FULL UNLOCKED price is outrageous.

I am sure orange will refund you if you wanted to return it but as a rule I stay away from phones4u as they are shady but I thought what could possibly be wrong with it? after all it was an unlocked full price ipad 3G.

To be fair it is not their fault. I doubt they even know it was locked.

Let's hope Apple have some sympathy for me and give me one that isn't messed up with a bad screen and not accepting other sims.

 

[curly001]

Hey, just to let you know when I got mine from apple yesterday they asked me what sim and I said O2, she then said "ok locked to O2"
I asked her what she meant by locked as my 1st gen was able to take any sim and she called someone else over and they said she could Mark it as unlocked if that's what I wanted.
But if I hadn't picked up on what she said I'd take a guess it would be locked to O2 now?

 

[sahajesh]

Wow, locked iPad 2s is not good - even AT&T don't do this and they usually take every opportunity to screw the customer.

 

[spinstorm]

Great outcome in the end!

I must have waited 20 minutes past my appointment time as they were busy then one of the geniuses came over and he told me (after a good 30 minutes of research and trying stuff out) what had happened.

He told me that clearly the staff at phones4u had accidentally locked it to orange at point of sale without realising that would happen and that was normal if you bought it on contract subsidised. However because I paid full price (and he checked my receipt to be sure) they shouldn't have done that.

But he said there was nothing he could do for me as they don't have any spare iPads to fix problems and he couldn't give me a new one as I didn't buy it from that Apple store. When you consider phones4u wouldn't refund me that made me really feel pissed off... Not at him as he had been really helpful but just at the situation I was in. He even told me they were sold out of iPads anyway.

He also said even if they did swap it over for a replacement that the lock would transfer to the replacement iPad so that wasn't a solution.

He them told me that if he was in my situation he would be fuming! (or words to that effect). I asked if I could speak to the manager because I hoped maybe he could pull a rabbit out of the bag...

Well the manager came over and Told me that he and the genius had put there heads together and were going to try "something out"...

At this point I had no idea what he meant but I had an idea of what they could be up to...

I thought if they recorded the iPad as swapped with one of the instore iPads with an orange sim then my iPad would become unlocked and the display unit would be locked to orange. I thought that was the only possible idea.

Would it have worked? No idea.

The manager came back and gave me a brand new in the box iPad to replace the unit I had. Awesome! I guess they must have had some emergency iPads in the back.

Looking at the receipt it seems he charged a gift card with the value of an iPad and purchased it for me using the gift card. I have no idea what he used to top up the gift card however as clearly Apple don't buy iPads at new retail price from anyone!

But I am immensely chuffed and very happy and I offered him as many drinks as he could ever Want if I ran into him out one night!