Regarding Contract "Phones"

[Bodge!]

My mate has offered me a N97 unlocked to all networks apparently......
he has offered to sell it to me, but i want to know the following:

He's cancelled the contract: I have no idea how long he was into it. It could be a month, or 12 (He's getting back to me about it)

Who's property is the phone? i.e if i buy it, do Orange have the power to lock the phone completley rendering it as much use as a foam brick?

IF they do lock it, is there anywhere i can get it unlocked ?

I've tried to ring Orange but they've closed for the day.

As he's cancelled it, does he have to send it back to them?

Any help appreciated

 

[Initiale]

My mate has offered me a N97 unlocked to all networks apparently......
he has offered to sell it to me, but i want to know the following:

He's cancelled the contract: I have no idea how long he was into it. It could be a month, or 12 (He's getting back to me about it)

Who's property is the phone? i.e if i buy it, do Orange have the power to lock the phone completley rendering it as much use as a foam brick?

They don't have the right to, but they could if they wanted to.

IF they do lock it, is there anywhere i can get it unlocked ?

No.

I've tried to ring Orange but they've closed for the day.

As he's cancelled it, does he have to send it back to them?

Not unless that's the agreement that he has with them. If he cancelled under the recent price-hikes thing, then you shouldn't have a problem. If he paid off the rest of his contract to get out of it then you shouldn't have a problem.

If he's claimed to have lost the phone and claimed on insurance or any other kind of scam, then it will most likely get blocked.

 

[JD]

If the phone has been unlocked and you are using it with your own sim card, they can't lock it again. He would just have to pay for a tariff that he uses his simcard for. No phone, no way of going over it, but a bloody waste of X£ per month!

 

[colossuss]

If the phone has been unlocked and you are using it with your own sim card, they can't lock it again. He would just have to pay for a tariff that he uses his simcard for. No phone, no way of going over it, but a bloody waste of X£ per month!

However they could block the IMEI. Meaning you wouldnt be able to use it to call or text with any network (Though you could still browse the web, for some reason). Though I doubt that would happen at all. Best bet would be to call Orange though. Depending on how he finished the contract will probably depend who has rights over the phone (So if he paid it off, he owns it. If he found something in the T&C's that he claimed with to close the account, then they own it)

 

[Initiale]

However they could block the IMEI. Meaning you wouldnt be able to use it to call or text with any network (Though you could still browse the web, for some reason). Though I doubt that would happen at all. Best bet would be to call Orange though. Depending on how he finished the contract will probably depend who has rights over the phone (So if he paid it off, he owns it. If he found something in the T&C's that he claimed with to close the account, then they own it)

Not true, if Orange breached contract and he ended it and they agreed to settle, then he does own the phone.

The only case where the phone could be blacklisted would be insurance fraud or if he defaulted on the contract.