Unlocking a Verizon phone. Is this BS?

Factual Questions
1

So, last week, in an attempt to save a ton 'o money on my cell phone bill, I ported my number from Verizon to PagePlus. I have a Blackberry 8830 World Edition, and once I got set up on PagePlus I realized that I cannot access the web or my email anymore.

I really really don’t want to buy another phone if I can avoid it, so I’ve been researching trying to get the phone I have unlocked first to see if that will solve my web/email problem.

Question: Should I even waste my time trying to get this phone unlocked? Will that accomplish what I think it will, or should I just suck it up and get another phone?

Question: I have the unlock codes for my phone, but the instructions I have say I have to first insert a SIM card. I don’t have a SIM card. (If one came with this phone, it’s looooong gone.) Do I have to buy a Verizon SIM card in order to unlock the phone, or will any SIM card do?

Question: (Prefaced with the fact that I now know I should’ve tried to get this phone unlocked before I canceled my Verizon service.) Verizon has claimed, in person and via their customer service line, that they don’t unlock phones (the phone tech said this) and they don’t have the software in the store to unlock a phone (sayeth the guy at the store this afternoon). Is that true?

Question: The guy at the Verizon store said he could sell me a SIM card, but it’d be useless unless I activate my service with them again. True?

Now, I’ll buy a new phone if I have to, I just don’t want to spend the money until I know for certain that I’m tilting at windmills trying to get this phone to work on PagePlus.

The contract for this phone was fufilled a long time ago, BTW.

Teach me, oh Dopers! I long to learn!! :smiley:

2

VZW does not unlock phones for domestic service on other carriers. A SIM unlock WILL unlock service for international GSM carriers. As I understand it, this is doubly compounded on a Blackberry because all data proxies to the device through RIM.

3

No major US carrier willingly unlocks phones.

When they say they do not have the software to unlock the phone, it depends on the phone. I don’t know about the Blackberry, but in the case of the iPhone, they’re lying by omission or redirection when they say they cannot do it because they lack the software or “the codes”. An iPhone is unlocked by the carrier putting in the request to Apple to have it unlocked. The carriers just refuse to do it except in extremely rare circumstances.

4

Rats.

OTH, in the long run I’m still going to end up saving a ton over Verizon, I just hate to have to buy a new phone! This is money I could be spending on shoes!!

5

Buy a phone off Craigslist. You can get good deals on there.

Just make sure the phone works BEFORE you hand over your money.

6

Why are you talking to Verizon about this? You’ve cancelled your service with them; why would they have any incentive to help you at all?

Talk to your new carrier about this.

7

This is not Verizion’s issue in any way, shape or form. Why you expect them to unlock the phone is puzzling.

PagePlus says this -

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The list of compatible vendors with Pageplus is pretty slim ( 4 out of 16) . A new phone might be your best bet.

8

This claims to be universal unlock for blackberry 8830 units. No idea as to accuracy of this claim.

9

Well, because I’ve been working off this website from PagePlus, which doesn’t mention Blackberrys at all. The only thing it does say is that some phones may not work on their network and they don’t support phones they don’t sell.

10

Also, I have unlock codes from crackberry.com. But the instructions they provide for my phone don’t work (there are more than one, the last one I tried said I had to insert a SIM card which I don’t have.)

11

Because I figured it was worth a shot. I’ve used them for over five years and they’ve earned a ton of revenue from me and it costs them nothing (and might even make them money if they sell me a SIM card). Never hurts to ask.

I did start with my new carrier, of course. Their solutions don’t solve my problem (all they can do is have me re-program my phone which I’ve already done), and I figured I’d explore all options (if there are any) before I spend money on another phone. I went to the Verizon store, also, because they were the closest thing to my work that I knew would have SIM cards.