iPhone 12 Pro Max BRAND NEW LOCKED PHONE DEBACLE!

[Abacab]

WARNING! Long Read and RANT!?

I was one of the first to Pre-Order the I-Phone 12 pro Max through T-Mobile. My 6s was on life support and I was excited beyond believe when I received the notice it had been shipped. The address it went to a business Mailbox in a UPS store that I have had OVER 10 YEARS and NEVER had an issue with lost or damaged packages. The text came it was received at 4:00 PM and I would make it before they closed at 7:00 P.M.. I get there and the clerk says "Nothing Came" . I showed the UPS delivery confirmation along with a "name" of who it was left with (Owner of the store) and they checked again and came up with nothing. Of course this had to be shipped during the Holiday rush and my luck it was not the usual UPS Driver that left the packages, but what really got my blood boiling was THERE WAS NO SIGNATURE REQUIRED!
How does T-mobile or ANY store dealing with high end electronics not require signature required?
I checked the next day and went to the surrounding stores to see if it was left by accident. NOTHING!
Discussed and in desperate need of a phone I was able to find ONE LEFT at an Apple Store in Cambridge Mass. and I got myself a long needed Christmas gift. T-Mobile cancelled the order and of course refunded my 400.00 after researching the claim.
Fast forward ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF LATER: I get call from the Manager of the Walgreens next door AND THEY FOUND THE PHONE!!

This is a BRAND-NEW SEALED I-PHONE 12 PRO MAX. I need an extra line and call T-Mobile to tell them It was found.
Of course it was put on the "Locked" list, but they told me IT CANNOT BE ACTIVATED!? I called Apple - they said it was up to the carrier.
I was even willing to come to some compromise as the ownership is a bit in limbo, I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS NO WAY THIS CAN BE UNLOCKED AND ACTIVATED!??

I'm sure I am not the only one this has happened to. ANY ADVISE OTHER THAN A PAPER WEIGHT?

 

[Deifie]

Well, as you received a refund the phone now belongs to T-Mobile again...

 

[Andeddu]

The phone technically isn’t yours as you’ve been refunded the cost of purchase. I don’t believe there is any way to unlock it as the carrier was responsible for locking the phone in the first instance.

There are ways and means, obviously, but you’d have to use specific software to pull it off and have expertise. And it’s unlikely to be legal.

 

[Mark Stone]

WARNING! Long Read and RANT!?

I was one of the first to Pre-Order the I-Phone 12 pro Max through T-Mobile. My 6s was on life support and I was excited beyond believe when I received the notice it had been shipped. The address it went to a business Mailbox in a UPS store that I have had OVER 10 YEARS and NEVER had an issue with lost or damaged packages. The text came it was received at 4:00 PM and I would make it before they closed at 7:00 P.M.. I get there and the clerk says "Nothing Came" . I showed the UPS delivery confirmation along with a "name" of who it was left with (Owner of the store) and they checked again and came up with nothing. Of course this had to be shipped during the Holiday rush and my luck it was not the usual UPS Driver that left the packages, but what really got my blood boiling was THERE WAS NO SIGNATURE REQUIRED!
How does T-mobile or ANY store dealing with high end electronics not require signature required?
I checked the next day and went to the surrounding stores to see if it was left by accident. NOTHING!
Discussed and in desperate need of a phone I was able to find ONE LEFT at an Apple Store in Cambridge Mass. and I got myself a long needed Christmas gift. T-Mobile cancelled the order and of course refunded my 400.00 after researching the claim.
Fast forward ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF LATER: I get call from the Manager of the Walgreens next door AND THEY FOUND THE PHONE!!

This is a BRAND-NEW SEALED I-PHONE 12 PRO MAX. I need an extra line and call T-Mobile to tell them It was found.
Of course it was put on the "Locked" list, but they told me IT CANNOT BE ACTIVATED!? I called Apple - they said it was up to the carrier.
I was even willing to come to some compromise as the ownership is a bit in limbo, I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS NO WAY THIS CAN BE UNLOCKED AND ACTIVATED!??

I'm sure I am not the only one this has happened to. ANY ADVISE OTHER THAN A PAPER WEIGHT?

I agree with @Deifie -- The phone belongs to Big Pink (TMO). I would simply return it to a local TMO storefront and go on with life. ?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Warning: Short read and RANT

You got a refund. Get on with your life.

 

[eyoungren]

As said, by several already, T-Mob owns the phone. T-Mobile made you whole when they paid you back.

T-Mob put the phone on the lost/stolen blacklist. Only they can take it off. Since they didn't get the phone back, why would they take it off the blacklist?

You're trying to turn this in to a free phone and are pissed they won't activate a phone that isn't yours.

PS., let's define 'long read and rant'. That was barely two paragraphs. I've seen considerably longer and much more ranty.

 

[ian87w]

WARNING! Long Read and RANT!?

I was one of the first to Pre-Order the I-Phone 12 pro Max through T-Mobile. My 6s was on life support and I was excited beyond believe when I received the notice it had been shipped. The address it went to a business Mailbox in a UPS store that I have had OVER 10 YEARS and NEVER had an issue with lost or damaged packages. The text came it was received at 4:00 PM and I would make it before they closed at 7:00 P.M.. I get there and the clerk says "Nothing Came" . I showed the UPS delivery confirmation along with a "name" of who it was left with (Owner of the store) and they checked again and came up with nothing. Of course this had to be shipped during the Holiday rush and my luck it was not the usual UPS Driver that left the packages, but what really got my blood boiling was THERE WAS NO SIGNATURE REQUIRED!
How does T-mobile or ANY store dealing with high end electronics not require signature required?
I checked the next day and went to the surrounding stores to see if it was left by accident. NOTHING!
Discussed and in desperate need of a phone I was able to find ONE LEFT at an Apple Store in Cambridge Mass. and I got myself a long needed Christmas gift. T-Mobile cancelled the order and of course refunded my 400.00 after researching the claim.
Fast forward ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF LATER: I get call from the Manager of the Walgreens next door AND THEY FOUND THE PHONE!!

This is a BRAND-NEW SEALED I-PHONE 12 PRO MAX. I need an extra line and call T-Mobile to tell them It was found.
Of course it was put on the "Locked" list, but they told me IT CANNOT BE ACTIVATED!? I called Apple - they said it was up to the carrier.
I was even willing to come to some compromise as the ownership is a bit in limbo, I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS NO WAY THIS CAN BE UNLOCKED AND ACTIVATED!??

I'm sure I am not the only one this has happened to. ANY ADVISE OTHER THAN A PAPER WEIGHT?

Return the phone to T-Mobile, and move on.
If you need an extra line, then obtain through normal channel.

 

[hovscorpion12]

You can still activate the Phone with a new number or a spare SIM. If you add a new line, T-Mobile will provide you with a new TN. They will then ship a SIM. place that SIM into the 12 Pro Max.

You can also bypass the activation by using Wi-fi. Then you have a new iPod Touch

 

[TiggrToo]

How does T-mobile or ANY store dealing with high end electronics not require signature required?

Since Covid many deliveries have foregone signatures.

My quarterly wine deliveries are meant to be signed for by an adult over 21. Not done that in about 2 years now.

I also didn't sign for either of our 2 separate iPhone deliveries from Apple.

 

[hovscorpion12]

For Apple, I only had to sign when selected open-box home delivery by "Apple's Uber"

 

[icanhazmac]

ANY ADVISE OTHER THAN A PAPER WEIGHT?

Here is some advice, just like the Walgreens store next door did, do the right thing and return the phone. You were compensated, you are not entitled to a free phone.

 

[Apple fan from Korea]

WARNING! Long Read and RANT!?

I was one of the first to Pre-Order the I-Phone 12 pro Max through T-Mobile. My 6s was on life support and I was excited beyond believe when I received the notice it had been shipped. The address it went to a business Mailbox in a UPS store that I have had OVER 10 YEARS and NEVER had an issue with lost or damaged packages. The text came it was received at 4:00 PM and I would make it before they closed at 7:00 P.M.. I get there and the clerk says "Nothing Came" . I showed the UPS delivery confirmation along with a "name" of who it was left with (Owner of the store) and they checked again and came up with nothing. Of course this had to be shipped during the Holiday rush and my luck it was not the usual UPS Driver that left the packages, but what really got my blood boiling was THERE WAS NO SIGNATURE REQUIRED!
How does T-mobile or ANY store dealing with high end electronics not require signature required?
I checked the next day and went to the surrounding stores to see if it was left by accident. NOTHING!
Discussed and in desperate need of a phone I was able to find ONE LEFT at an Apple Store in Cambridge Mass. and I got myself a long needed Christmas gift. T-Mobile cancelled the order and of course refunded my 400.00 after researching the claim.
Fast forward ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF LATER: I get call from the Manager of the Walgreens next door AND THEY FOUND THE PHONE!!

This is a BRAND-NEW SEALED I-PHONE 12 PRO MAX. I need an extra line and call T-Mobile to tell them It was found.
Of course it was put on the "Locked" list, but they told me IT CANNOT BE ACTIVATED!? I called Apple - they said it was up to the carrier.
I was even willing to come to some compromise as the ownership is a bit in limbo, I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS NO WAY THIS CAN BE UNLOCKED AND ACTIVATED!??

I'm sure I am not the only one this has happened to. ANY ADVISE OTHER THAN A PAPER WEIGHT?

Why do you need to activate it if it’s not even your’s?