View Full Version : Unlocking a Virgin V3i
I'm thinking about getting one of these to replace my broken Orange K700i.
Am I going to easily be able to unlock it to use on EasyMobile?:confused:
tis certainly possible to unlock v3is....
a local small mobile store (or market) will probably do it for about a tenner, or you can get the networks to do it, but you may well get charged more.
Not sure if it applies to the v3 but when you unlock some phones it means you can't use MMS and GPRS on other networks...
That doesn't sound good. Trouble is when you go looking for info on unlocking and if there are any known issues, all you get are sites trying to flog you codes. :(
a local shop will know about any known issues, so worth just an enquiry there before you get it done :)
King Of Fools
13-04-2006, 22:17
Virgin will give you the unlock code if you have spent over £30 on airtime.
Well I get £25 free airtime with the phone so maybe it's worth spending another £5 to get the unlock code from them?
I was going to flog the airtime on EBay, hmmmm.........always something new to think about when I post here!
DocDutch
14-04-2006, 00:11
yeah but Shaun, it doesnt work that way with them unfortunatly, I've had virgin before and you had to have used the credits before and made at least another 10 quids top up, they dont calculate the dosh that you got with the phone as this is considered as a freebie
Well it should arrive tommorow so I'll have to nip it into town and get it unlocked.
One thing I forgot to ask, is there a program out there for unlocking v3is? I know there's one for nokias but...... would save me a trip into town.
Nope, not one for the V3i. Nor any other motorola to my knowledge.
How much did this phone cost you btw, thinking of buying one.
Yep, I never managed to find anything (software wise) for unlocking Motorolas. I ended up getting mine unlocked by the telco, who did it for free but as it was Orange France I ended up spending a fortune on call charges to call them from the UK to get the 'free' code :rolleyes:
Now, I get my phone and all my calls paid for by my company, which is nice, but means that they get to choose which model I use and who I'm with.
Nope, not one for the V3i. Nor any other motorola to my knowledge.
How much did this phone cost you btw, thinking of buying one.
Shame there's no software - will have to take it to the shop in town. :(
got it for £139.99 from CPW on their price promise. Their price is £189.99 but I found it on the LXdirect.com site for the lower price.
Didn't want to buy it from LX though as there was a 3 week wait. Only thing that bugs me is CPW matched the price but wouldn't match the £25 free airtime. :(
Still saved £50 though :D
King Of Fools
24-04-2006, 14:47
Are you sure it is locked? CPW sometimes sell unlocked phones on the Virgin tariff so it is probably worth checking first.
Shame there's no software - will have to take it to the shop in town. :( got it for £139.99 from CPW on their price promise. Their price is £189.99 but I found it on the LXdirect.com site for the lower price. Didn't want to buy it from LX though as there was a 3 week wait. Only thing that bugs me is CPW matched the price but wouldn't match the £25 free airtime. :( Still saved £50 though :D Laughs manically, thanks for the point in the right direction :)
If i manage to get my money sorted i will be replacing this unlocked 3220.
And yeah, Kig Of Fools is correct, they sometimes do sell unlocked phones just with a SIM, they did it to my friend Rob, sold it to him on Orange, and he replaced it with an EasyMobile sim no problems :)
jellybaby
24-04-2006, 18:26
http://www.motox.info/showthread.php?t=7905 ;)
Thansk for the help guys but as some of you guessed it was unlocked already. Talk about surprised. A V31 for 139.99 ready unlocked!!!! :shock:
Saved me a trip into town. :D
Thansk for the help guys but as some of you guessed it was unlocked already. Talk about surprised. A V31 for 139.99 ready unlocked!!!! :shock: Saved me a trip into town. :D Go to Tesco, £119, £10 to unlcok it (if it's not already done) and Voila ;)
Go to Tesco, £119, £10 to unlcok it (if it's not already done) and Voila ;)
Thats the V3, mines the V3i ;)
The clue was in the thread title! :p:
Lara Lover
27-04-2006, 18:57
What's CPW?
What's CPW?
Carphone Warehouse ;)
Hey to all,
I just received the V3i from LxDirect and yes, it is locked! called Virgin, need to indeed spend the £30 on credit and they will then send me a letter, up to 7 working days. Went down to a shop in town, they need to send my phone away, total cost £15, apparently guaranteed to work... some people offer to unlock the phone on ebay uk for less than that, what's ur expert advices on that?
such a pain those locked phone, any advice? Someone mentioned unlocking at Tesco for £10, was that for the v3 or v3i and only with phone bought at Tesco itself?
Thanks for your help!
---------- Post added at 11:15 ---------- Previous post was at 11:14 ----------
Sorry, forgot to add that as I went to ask at another shop (i think phones4u) the salesman mentioned that unlocking it not via the network (virgin) basically renders my manufacturer warranty void...
Any thoughts?
thanks again :dozey:
King Of Fools
02-05-2006, 11:22
I would recommend unlocking it the official way via Virgin - remember you can still use the £30 credit to make phone calls, etc. so in effect the unlocking is "free"!
Hey to all,
I just received the V3i from LxDirect
I was going to get it from them at £139.99 but couldn't relaly wait 3 weeks for delivery.
If I was you I'd wait for Virgin to send you the letter with the unlock code in, you got £25 free airtime with it so at least you've not needed to fork out too much to get the code from the right people. :)
Since i was hoping to resell or use the £20 voucher, i have decided to give a shot at a unlocking from ebay... just purchased it for £3, will let you know how it goes (if anyone interested) with the username of the seller if you need a similar service.
Hoping to do this tomorrow. System is supposed to be dowload a program, insert password, connect to computer with usb cable and follow instructions. Seller got v high ratings and is a mega super supra seller hehe.
:monkey:
Well my trusty V3i stopped working today. :( It's not done bad seeing as it spent 15 min at the bottom of the swimming pool on holiday and dried out.
The other half dropped it down stairs and it's never recovered.
I've looked and I can get a replacement from phone4u for £99.99
I'd like to upgrade it really if I can for the same money but I'm thinking I'll not get one with all the features it has for £99.99. Any recommendations guys?
Edit - the most important things for me are: mp3 player - large screen for reading the web - bluetooth :)
Edit #2 - the D600 (http://shop.carphonewarehouse.com/pay-as-you-go/samsung/d600/) looks good for £120 - any thoughts?
Sounds like something a K750i could replace to be honest :)
Sounds like something a K750i could replace to be honest :)
The last SE had (K700i) the jog button go funny (a common issue I believe) but Orange refused to fix it so I tend to steer clear of them now. Is the K750i any better?
The last SE had (K700i) the jog button go funny (a common issue I believe) but Orange refused to fix it so I tend to steer clear of them now. Is the K750i any better?
Jog button?
Everything still works fine with my K750i (It's about 6months old now, still young i know) it's had a lot of drops onto tiled floors etc and still keeps battling on :)
I'd recommend one :) As would a few other members here who have them.
The official CF phone: K750i? :p:
Jog button?
Joystick type thing
Joystick type thing
Mine held up just fine, as did the one on my friends K750i and another friends W800i (Same hardware).
Either way after spending so much time getting my money back (eventually from Capital One after sending them court papers) I'm not keen on the idea of another SE phone. Thanks for the recommendation though. :)
Anyone got any experience with the Samsung D600?
Sort of off topic but I have SE W810i and it is branded with vodafone. Is it legal to debrand the phone? Where can I get it debranded? Will vodafone or sony ericsson debrand it?
Sort of off topic but I have SE W810i and it is branded with vodafone. Is it legal to debrand the phone? Where can I get it debranded? Will vodafone or sony ericsson debrand it?
I'm not sure on legalities, but as many operators (such as Virgin) do this after you have spent a reasonable amount on credit then i'd assume they don't have any real problems with it.
Just take it down the local market and have a look around, i think they can be done.
Also, take notes on prices, to unlock my K750i the English guy who works in Frenchgate here in Doncaster quoted me £10 to unlock it, and £10 to upgrade it to the w800 firmware. Whereas the other gut in the shop (non-english) quoted me £30. Also look for some form of guarantee they accept all liability if they mess it up.
I'm not sure on legalities, but as many operators (such as Virgin) do this after you have spent a reasonable amount on credit then i'd assume they don't have any real problems with it.
Just take it down the local market and have a look around, i think they can be done.
Also, take notes on prices, to unlock my K750i the English guy who works in Frenchgate here in Doncaster quoted me £10 to unlock it, and £10 to upgrade it to the w800 firmware. Whereas the other gut in the shop (non-english) quoted me £30. Also look for some form of guarantee they accept all liability if they mess it up.
OK thanks for you help, my phone is already unlocked but I just don't like the vodafone branding everywhere. £10 sounds good, I will check around town when I get some time. Thanks again.
nimicitor
12-02-2007, 20:56
its perfectly legal to debrand phones.
im not sure that high street unlocking places do it though.
i can recommend here though:
http://www.fonefunshop.co.uk/Unlocking/debrand.htm
Most high street unlockers will do it as it's easy enough :) (Easy £10 for them...)
When i bought my first Virgin phone from The Carphone Warehouse, it was a trusty Nokia 3310. It was £49.99 on Virgin, he brought me the phone and a sim pack. I always try and buy a unlocked phone, but then Virgin give you the code after you spend 30 in them.
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