It’s a Siemens A55 NOT an Apple

[JohnHarvey]

Martin, I also have a Siemens A55 which was on EE and I have much the same experience as yourself.  Over several days I made contact with EE and they were evasive and unhelpful - even on their chat line.  The result was that when I asked to change to ASDA they gave me the code to keep my number and I am now using the number on ASDA albeit on another phone.

I still have a very strong issue with my locked Siemens phone.  Whatever nonsense EE come up with the fact is that they are in the phone business and we are familiar with neither the technology nor the business takeovers concerned.  It would appear to me that EE have made no effort to follow the trail back to the original manufacture and sale.  They told me that the phone could not be unlocked.  How do they know this if they have made no effort find whoever locked it in the first place?

[Chris_B]

@JohnHarvey  The A55 was never on EE as that device came out 2003 and was discounted before EE was even a network (2012) EE never sold a 2G only device they’ve all been 4G since EE launched.  

Your device was on Orange or T-Mobile as it was the merger of these networks that formed EE.    

 Your also asking to unlock a device that’s almost 20 years old and EE have to request the unlock code from Siemens  and they might not even have that still.   

[JohnHarvey]

I did not say that the phone was bought from EE - if you read my post in full that would have been apparent to you.  When a company buys another company or is in a merger it does not simply buy the name.  There is the technical side to be considered.  If EE knew that these phones had been locked by Siemens or anyone else they bought the lock and they  knew that the phone could not be used by anyone other than themselves.  When I told them that I wished to change to ASDA Mobile if they were honest they would have told me that the ASDA sim could not be used.  It is not right for you, EE or anyone else to assume that the key has been lost and certainly not right for you to say that a perfectly useable phone (loved by many people) should go into landfill.  My complaint about EE is that they have the means of going back to Siemens and asking direct questions about the phone locking and they have not done so.  May I remind you that Ofcom outlawed phone locking in the interest of competition.  This is a clear example of EE acting to their own commercial interest and being churlish in the face of the Ofcom decision.

[Chris_B]

@JohnHarvey  The Ofcom ruling now is phones being sold it was sold 20 years ago so that ruling has no bearing on your phone.  

if EE cannot get the unlock code from the manufacturer because of manufacturer no longer has it that is not EE fault that it down to the manufacturer. 

have you tried looking online for a third-party solution ?  have you tried looking on eBay to see if anyone will offer an unlock service for this device ?