Is there anyway of unblocking a mobile which has been blocked by the network? i bought a second hand samsung galaxy s2 which was on orange i was told that if i got it unlocked then it would work as im on o2, i tried doing this and was told its been barred by the network provider.

If you're saying it has been reported lost/stolen and the IMEI has been barred, then there is, but it's illegal, most places won't do it, because they risk a fine at best, if caught.

The reason I suspect this, is the use of the term barred.

A google may help you.

Was it bought on eBay using PayPal at all? Or from CEX or a phone shop? If so, you may have grounds for obtaining your money back.

No harm in selling it, that is completely legal (unless it's stolen goods of course), but you will only get spares/repairs value (though the screen etc will be worth something on an SII). Alternatively, sell it to someone in Morocco, though they will probably want your bank details to send you the money lol.

Thanks for the advise, i bought it off ebay cheap but i paid cash for it so im not orotected unfortunitly, I've found out mazuma mobile buy them non working so atleast i'll get some money back that way so its not a total loss luckily.As far as I know its not stolen its boxed and the imei numbers match so im thinking its ex contract maybe?

It if's barred, DON'T send it to Mazuma - they will sieze it on behalf of CheckMEND, and unless you can prove to CheckMEND it belongs to you, they are not legally allowed to return the phone to you, and will not pay you a penny.

phones blocked in the UK will still work fine in other countries that support the same type of sim protocols, these are mostly european countries so you could quite happily sell it to someone say for example in france or somewhere on ebay, but you will have to make sure that you explain that the phone is blocked in the UK

You can check if it's on CheckMEND here - http://www.checkmend.com/uk/

Not quite correct, but almost.

Envirophone and the like seize the phones, Mazuma checks the IMEI BEFORE you send it (not once they have it), so when you enter all the details the very last thing they do is to check the number, if it goes through, you get paid, and if Mazuma pings it back as clear you've also made "reasonable" effort to ensure the legitimacy of the goods.

If they tell you not to send it, DON'T.

Checkmend works well, takes a few minutes and a one-off check costs you less than £2, then if it IS barred you'll also know if it's because a network has blocked it (unpaid contract) or if it has been reported stolen.

Cheers for clearing that up Doc.

No worries

Would they essentially be doing the same check as the CheckMEND service? Ie. if they tell you not to send it, then you at least know it's probably barred? Or do they check other databases/things from the IMEI?

From past experience they use a service similar to CheckMend, but I'm not entirely convinced that that is who they use, or if they do their criteria is not the same as other companies.

When a phone is reported stolen it is classed as stolen property under the theft act and cannot be passed on (unless the owner cannot be traced and it has been given to you as unclaimed property from police disposal or returned property), either way every company rejects these.

I've bought in phones which have been barred due to a network block (but according to CheckMend not stolen), therefore legal to buy, for parts. The PHONE belongs to whoever took out the contract or the person it was sold to, the IMEI belongs to the contract provider (or so they keep claiming, it's never really been tested properly), which is how you can have a phone that is legally yours, but totally useless as the IMEI is barred.

I've found that Mazuma check IMEI's and I've known for a few that were network blocked to go through and be accepted, NEVER if it was on the stolen list.

Just be aware that when police check IMEI numbers they can see who has also checked it (Mazuma etc), and they will tell the police who asked them to (you'd already have provided your details by the checking stage), so they WILL contact you to explain. As I said before, the check Mazuma makes does cover you for "reasonable" steps, if you want to be certain then CheckMend it and keep a copy of the report.

Note that if you use one of he HPI companies to check out a car and later it turns out to stolen/write off/on finance they reimburse you your loss, if you run a CheckMend and even though it's clear at the time if the phone is later blocked all they will do is refund you the cost of their report (under £2).

Thanks for all the advice i have sold the phone on ebay stating that its not working so I've got some money back atleast. I reset the phone back to factory settings and the signal came back up and worked for about 10 minutes then wrnt back to saying emergency calls only so Im not sure whats up with it.