Help Telus (canada) provided unlock code not working?

[galathon]

I've got a Canadian S3 (SGH-i747M) that's on the latest OTA update from my provider (Telus Canada) and I requested, obtained (and paid 35$ for!) FROM TELUS my unlock code so I could use the phone with a US SIM card in the United States instead of getting gouged in the eyes and kicked in the balls by the outrageous rates/bundles from Telus.

Problem is, the code they gave me doesn't look like it works. Here's what I did:

-Obtain code from Telus and order roammobile SIM card on the same day
-About a week later, receive my roammobile SIM card
-Turn off S3
-Remove battery
-Remove Telus SIM card
-Insert roammobile SIM card
-Start up S3
-Get my screen lock prompt (the one I use to lock the phone, it's a four digit PIN)
-Enter correct unlock PIN to gain access to phone
-Get the "illegal SIM card detected, please enter unlock code" prompt
-Enter correct unlock code obtained by my cell company
-Get the "unlock procedure unsuccesful" error
-Call Telus back to double-check the code they gave me and the technician I got over the phone ran my IMEI again, still gets the same code so according to TELUS the code is correct
-Do a factory reset on my phone by shutting off phone and restarting while holding the power/home/volup buttons and running the factory reset option
-Try the SIM again, same result, unlock procedure unsuccesful...

Telus have now opened a ticket with Samsung but I don't think it'll be resolved before thursday, I'm going to the US next week-end...

Anyone have any other ideas? I've not rooted this phone and always kept it on stock Android versions as downloaded OTA from Telus.

Could the roammobile SIM card be defective somehow?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rukbat]

It could be. Borrow a non-Telus card from someone else and see if it unlocks. If not, I'd call billing and ask whether the refund will be on this month's bill or on the next one. And since they've now used up 2 (or more?) of your allowable tries, I'd tell them I want he master unlock code or another, unlocked, S3 - by next weekend.

Selling you something that can't be used for the purpose which it was sold - whether they were aware that would happen or not - is actionable. Especially if it costs you (like to rent an unlocked (read: very expensive) phone while you're in the US).

Their actions may also make your contract voidable (in case you want out without charge).

 

[galathon]

Well, technically I have two more S3s on the same billing account, my wife's and my daughter's but I wanted to unlock mine since that's the one I'd be taking with me.

Also I've tried more than 3 times, more like 7-8 by now but I don't get the hard locked prompt (with the padlock icon.)

Thanks for the information, I'll call them Monday morning because this needs to be settled rather quickly, I don't want to be forced to pay the Telus Canada, US traveler's package, it's a joke:

65$ gets you 300 minutes and 300Mb data + unlimited SMS but it's the 300Mb data that concerns me. I don't expect to be on the phone TALKING a lot, but data is important for Google Maps, hotel reservations, Youtube, Netflix, etc and frankly I'll go through 300Mbs in like 48hrs.

Add on data is 15$ for 15Mb ! YIKES!

 

[galathon]

Tested the code with another SIM card (Bell) and it didn't work. I'm currently negociating with Telus to see what can be done. Hopefully they'll just swap out my phone for an unlocked one.

I need this done before I leave, now in less than 48h... :-(

 

[galathon]

It could be. Borrow a non-Telus card from someone else and see if it unlocks. If not, I'd call billing and ask whether the refund will be on this month's bill or on the next one. And since they've now used up 2 (or more?) of your allowable tries, I'd tell them I want he master unlock code or another, unlocked, S3 - by next weekend.

Selling you something that can't be used for the purpose which it was sold - whether they were aware that would happen or not - is actionable. Especially if it costs you (like to rent an unlocked (read: very expensive) phone while you're in the US).

Their actions may also make your contract voidable (in case you want out without charge).

I settled late last night (23h...) with Telus after 7 phone calls over almost a week.

They offered 100$ credit so I could go to US and buy a phone from Wal-Mart.

I counter-offered to switch carriers.

Then we settled on them giving me the unlock code for my wife's S3 (which worked right off the bat) for free along with free caller ID for the remainder of my contract (17 months)

Everyone's happy. My phone is still locked though, it's not master locked, it's just normal locked. Not sure why.

I never rooted it. They even checked at the Telus store.