What if we pay off our phone and our carrier refuses to unlock it?

M

margolise

New Member
Jurisdiction
New Jersey
A few weeks ago we bought a Samsung Galaxy S8+ on a financing plan through Sprint. We puchased the phone at a Target store, which conducted an instant credit check. Our credit is in the toilet, but to our surprise they told us we were approved with a down payment if about $600 (including a trade-in of our old phone). Well, to our shock, yesterday we received a letter saying our "application" was denied based on our credit. We were already told when we made the purchase that it was a done deal, and we had no inkling there was still a pending application. Is this even legal? So now we want to pay off the remainder of our phone and return to our old carrier, but Sprint is saying we'll have to wait up to 72 hours to have the phone unlocked. We don't trust them after what they already pulled. If they take our money then refuse to give us the unlock code, will we have any recourse?
 
margolise said:
If they take our money then refuse to give us the unlock code, will we have any recourse?
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Yes, you can sue Sprint in a small claims court.

Note, I said you can sue Sprint in small claims court.

That doesn't mean you will prevail, but you do have the availability of a legal remedy.
 
Somewhere in the details of your contract was likely a little tid bit that addresses your situation. You should review it carefully.

If you end up with a product that you can't use and you aren't able to resolve it in your own you can try small claims court. Again, review your contract because there may be other things you should try first.

If you want them to cooperate and provide an unlock code you will be wise to keep things civil and be patient.
 
mightymoose said:
Also... It seems waiting 72 hours to see what happens is going to be your simplest approach.
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Yes sir, because a small claims case takes 72 hours (or more) to get your victim served.

Then you wait four to eight weeks before a hearing is held.

Add to that the fact that filing fees and court costs can exceed $200 in some states, a 72 hour waiting time is nothing.
 
mightymoose said:
Somewhere in the details of your contract was likely a little tid bit that addresses your situation. You should review it carefully.

If you end up with a product that you can't use and you aren't able to resolve it in your own you can try small claims court. Again, review your contract because there may be other things you should try first.

If you want them to cooperate and provide an unlock code you will be wise to keep things civil and be patient.
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Forgot to mention there's no contract, only paperwork from Target. I'm hoping Sprint will honor the verbal agreement, but am naturally leery after they already lied to us once.
 
Did you sign any documents when you bought the phone? Did you get copies of those? They wouldn't have run a credit check if you didn't sign something. Maybe you left some important documents behind. You should always get copies.
 
mightymoose said:
Did you sign any documents when you bought the phone? Did you get copies of those? They wouldn't have run a credit check if you didn't sign something. Maybe you left some important documents behind. You should always get something.
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It was my husband . He said he may have signed something at Target but doesn't have it, as we're out of state. He was specifically told there was no contract with Sprint.
 
margolise said:
It was my husband . He said he may have signed something at Target but doesn't have it, as we're out of state. He was specifically told there was no contract with Sprint.
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Even if Sprint won't play nice and share the info with you, you can search the 'net and find people nearby who can do it for you for a small fee.

If you're clever and handy, you can search how to do it yourself, lots of YouTube videos and sites with word instructions.
 

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