I purchased a Fairphone 4 second hand, as I am trying to unlock the bootloader I get the error message after entering the phones IEM and serial numbers “Unlocking the bootloader is not available for this device please contact our customer support team” this one was new and never been used.
I have followed up with the support team and very quickly hit a dead end with the message below “We will not be able to process any of your issues under warranty. Please contact the point of sale to try to resolve the issue with them directly. We advise you to ask to return the device for a complete refund.”
This is incredibly frustrating and disappointing, the company’s stance on supporting second-hand phones is utterly ridiculous, a company promoting sustainability and ethical practices would overlook the significant impact of extending the lifespan of devices with even the most basic level of support. I find this pretty astounding.
Frustrations aside, can any one here assist with this, or give reccomendations how I can unlock the bootloader another way?
Did you check whether the IMEI was reported as stolen?
I have no experience with all those online IMEI checkers, but the unlocking message and the support reply sound a bit ominous to me … like, how do I say the phone seems stolen without accusing anybody of anything.
Accuse away, I have checked on 3 different websites that say the IMEI is clean. If support know otherwise I wish they would say, it will help me a get a full refund.
Unfortuantly I didnt get through to support, I was stuck at the first hirdle, the support agent said they needed to positively identify my device before I could proceed with any assistance. “If you purchased your product second-hand, I need a copy of the original invoice” which the seller is unable to provide as he says it was gifted to him as a Christmas Present.
I fully understand not offering me a warrenty with the phone, which I am fine about as due to the nature of the phone I can replace parts as and when I need, but to refuse even this basic request especially when its entirely their system flagging the error is very frustrating.
Yes thats frustrating, and still the officially documented policy.
When you dont have any invoice to proof ownership they will not help you to unlock the bootloader as this gives you access to a potentially stolen phone.
When it was a christmas gift, could the seller not ask for it? What would they have done in case of a warrenty case? Everyone knows the price so there should be no reason to hide it from the gift.
@anna_jopp … Requiring a proof of purchase/ownership to offer service is fine, but this "Unlocking the bootloader is not available for this device please contact our customer support team” message on the phone seems unusual, even more so if the phone really was still sealed. Support should at least be able to explain clearly what the situation is with this phone (Reported as stolen in a database, which one? Marked as a device to be serviced by Palcom in Taiwan? Anything else?), so @cs_234 would be in a position to do something about it with the seller.
I have purchased second hand andriod phones forever now and installed Linageos/Cyangen mod (now linage os) and have never had an issue unlocking a bootloader, its usally just an automated services on a website.
im stuck, and have no idea how to proceed please fairphone give me some more information so I can go back and request a refund with it.
I don’t have the money for a new phone so thought I could buy second hand. my Pocof1 phone is so broken now the screen frequently doesnt work its bascially un-useable.
Hi @cs_234, my colleagues from customer support should have been in contact with you by now, please let me know in case you did not receive their message.
As a reminder for everyone reading along: Buying second hand devices, while of course applaudable from a re-use / device longevity perspective, always carries the risk of potentially buying a stolen device. So, even when purchasing from official marketplace websites, please always ask for the original invoice, also in order to be able to exercise your warranty rights in the future.
Thanks so much, they have confirmed the phone is marked as stolen and given me options on how to proceed. I will try and refund the phone. Thanks everyone for the help and comments!
please fairphone give me some more information so I can go back and request a refund with it.