Complaints

This profile includes complaints for The Unlocking Company's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  The Unlocking Company

  Zephyr Cove, NV 89448

• 

  The Unlocking Company

  PO Box 805 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448-0805

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/05/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They are a complete scam! In business for 12-14yrs? Can you get that even right Ive paid for an unlock code then was required to provide further info about my device which is not stated on website, but they said it was (company policy), obviously I did not receive what I paid for and now still have an LOCKED phone I couldve spent this money with another company who actually can unlock it that Ive used before, only chose them because I thought a cheaper price was good turns out I was wrong and then if you do this or disput with your bank for the charge they threaten you or to blacklist your device which is ILLEGAL, only phone original carrier can Blacklist the phone I want my money back or use your Guaranteed Unlock Method without asking me for more money!

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2025

  Good morning ***** I am sorry you had a bad experience with us. Let me clear a few things up to help you better understand our process. The reason we ask for additional information, security patch and build number, is to provide alternate options to unlock your device which could include a windows computer method. We also confirm the prompt you receive when you enter a sim card that is not from Straight Talk to ensure the code method would be successful which we do by asking this question:
  
  When you power on the phone with a NON ACCEPTED sim card, what message appears when you get to the home screen?? (Pictures Work Too)
  
  If you are not getting a prompt, On your phone, dial #TFUNLOCK# (#********#) to access the TFUNLOCK Menu please let us know the message you receive

  Some ******* Galaxy A15 devices from Straight Talk may not prompt for an unlock, which would require unlock based on security patch and build number, if compatible. In your case based on the security patch and build number the device currently is not available for unlock through the other method. We unfortunately can not unlock the device within the 1-72 hour services we have available (nor can any other company) and as per our email we can continue to work on unlocking the device. If you would not like us to continue with unlocking the device we would be happy to refund 100% of the purchase and you can continue to use Straight Talk until you have fulfilled your requirement with them. 

  We only blacklist devices for Fraud by purchasing with a stolen credit card  - as per our terms and conditions. We blacklist devices under these reason codes: No Cardholder Authorization, Fraud: Card Present Environment, Fraud: EMV Liability Shift Counterfeit.  

  I hope the information has been helpful in understanding the emails sent, the process we provide as well as the refund policy we follow. Please let us know if you would like us to continue working on unlocking your device or if a refund would be better suited to your needs. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/06/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Just like hundreds of other people reviewing TUC on Reddit and other sites, we paid them to unlock a phone and were almost immediately told that they cannot unlock it and will not be offering any refunds. They claim to have a 97% success rate yet every single other customer I've contacted that has dealt with them has had the exact same experience; not one person has a real genuine success story working with these people. The Unlocking Company is blatantly scamming just about everyone and then they threaten to blacklist your phone using your imei if you request a refund (which is very much fraud and illegal, no matter what they put in their terms and conditions). Asking for a refund and/or telling them you're going to write a truthful review does not give them the right to assume the phone was lost or stolen (the only thing that legally allows for blacklisting of a phone). I am waiting to see if they will actually try and blacklist my phone or not because if/when they do I will be immediately filing a court case against them.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/21/2024

  This person didn't even reach out to us before opening up a complaint. We tried to reach out, and no response. We have already refunded the order as they will see. Yes, we do have a 97% success rate, and if we don't, we continue to try and get the unlock putting in both the funds and the man power to make sure it's done. If they would of emailed us first, we would of been glad to refund. Which was done. Lastly, neither can we or do we blacklist a real customers phone. We simply put that in a few disclaimers just like every other unlocking company does, in order to steer off scammers who have stolen phones or even worse, stolen cards and continue over and over to use them with poor companies like us as we pay 45$ chargeback fees. We have never blacklisted a phone as we wouldn't do that, and is only illegal if we follow through. Which again, would never do to an innocent person. We could of skipped all this but some customers prefer to go and smear companies names first and ask questions later which is sad. Again, i'm sorry for the inconvenience and i'm sure you're a great customer who just took the disclaimer wrong. Our apologies. You have been refunded, if it hasn't showed up yet, it will any day now as banks take a few days to do the paperwork and it to show back up in your account. Take care. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/19/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company is a fraud. It's been a week since I paid to unlock my Samsung phone and this company said it would take 1 - 72 hours for me to hear from them. 72 hours has turned into 288 hours and the emails I have sent to their support/sales team have not been replied to. They claim on their receipt that they do not refund and they threaten their customers that they would even blacklist the phones of those who speak out. What arrant nonsense??? This company lacks decorum and their customer service is trash. I've never seen a company that brazenly takes a customer's money and still threatens to blacklist their phone. This company does not need to operate in the public space because it is totally all about ripping people off.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  I apologize for the bad experience you had, we would never ever blacklist a customers phone, we simply add a reminder to fraudulent orders and or scammers that steal credits and phones in order to steer them into not ordering from us again, as we sadly deal with so much of that in our industry! As far as the no reply, we had to shut down our website for 7 weeks due to some personal health issues with both myself and my partner, and a few orders fell through the cracks. But I want you to know we take full responsibility and if you could please respond with your order number or email us and we'll take care of this for you immediately! Thank you and I hope you had a fantastic day!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/31/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Transaction details
  November 10, 2023
  $27.99
  Paid to get my iPhone 13 Pro unlocked in 3 days and never did
  I request a full refund as my phone was never unlocked and still is not unlocked

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  I am sorry for the late response. If this hasn't been taken care of already, please respond or email us and we will take care of the unlock as well as the refund. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/31/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I switched mobile carriers and my carrier kept my phone locked, even though my bill was paid in full. I found this website through a You Tube video. You provide the IMEI and they unlock your phone with 72 hours. I placed my order and was charged a fee of $27.99. I have not from them since I placed my order. I have reached out three times. They do threaten you in email form once you place your order with the below:
  
  We submitted your order to our supplier the INSTANT that you ordered, and unfortunately in this industry we don't have access to the unlock directly on us. How it works is - we send the phones information (Your IMEI, etc.) to our supplier, the manufacturer source, and we have to go off of ESTIMATED/AVERAGE delivery times. And then as soon as it's DONE, they will email us back notifying us that your unlock is done, and within SECONDS we will email you the unlock and easy unlocking instructions!!! That simple!
  Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that take companies like us for granted. We run into a lot of individuals that threaten or blackmail us with bad reviews or chargebacks in order to get their way, and we just don't feel that's right. Because of those lousy circumstances, we do have to remind our customers that if that happens, we consider that FRAUD, and have it in our full rights (which agreed to in terms and conditions) to BLACKLIST the phone via the IMEI which was given during the order, rendering the phone useless. NOW, let me be very upfront about this: this is only for people trying to work the system, threaten negative reviews or chargebacks, when it's not warranted or to simply bully us into doing what they want. Unfortunately, there's lots of fraud in this industry. But to EVERYONE else - you can see by our 14 years of experience, 99.9% customer satisfaction, BBB account, Reseller-Ratings reviews, over 100+ tech channels we partner with - our reputation speaks for itself.
  
  I would like a refund in full and this company penalized.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  If you could give us your order number, I will personally look into this and make sure your order is taken care of. I apologize and thank you for your patience, we had to shut down the website for 7 weeks due to personal health issues. I look forward to your response and making this right for you. Thank you! 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/10/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because it hasn't been resolved. My order number is Order #*******. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ********* *********

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2024

  Hey *********! I'm sorry we didn't get back to you right away. Both my business partner and I both had emergency medical issues and had to close down the website for 7 weeks. I have FULLY refunded you just now, and if you need any unlocks in the future i'd be more than happy to do them ON US! I apologize for the stress, inconvenience, or anything else I caused you. The email that we send on rare notices, is to just keep scammers from purchasing again (stolen cards, stolen phones), it sadly is just a huge part of our industry, and we have to be forward about it. But that in no way should of dragged you into, I am embarrassed and so sorry. Again you've been refunded, and I hope you have a great start to your weekend! Take care and God bless.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/15/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I haven't seen the credit post to my account yet. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ********* *********

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2024

  It was refunded 5 days ago! It will show up any day now :)

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/17/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ********* *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/03/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed an order with the unlocking company on October 12th and was told my phone would be unlocked within 72 hours. I didn't hear 1 word from them for almost 2 weeks. They wouldn't return my emails or texts or even answer the phone to the number provided on their website. Then on October 19th they send me 5 different emails one saying we're still working on your order then one saying well give you a discount on your next order and the final one said were sorry we couldn't unlock your phone so we will be sending you a refund. I still have not received my refund from this company and they still will not answer any of my emails. I just want my money back.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

   I apologize for the late response; can we get your order number so we can look this up and make sure you are refunded and as well get you the unlock if you need it. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Made a purchase on 10/25/23 to unlock my phone from previous carrier. Site says it can take up to 72 hours. After waiting 72 hours I tried emailing the email address on the site and as of today 10/31/23 no response has been received. The site is completely down without warning or any notification. I'm looking for FULL refund. This site should be banned from doing business I feel scammed.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  Sorry for the wait, we had to deal with some personal health issues and ended up shutting down for 7 weeks, and some orders were caught in the mix. I take full responsibility, could we get your order number or if you like, email us and we'll make sure we take care of this immediately for you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  So, essentially, my issue is that this "company" takes people's money for a carrier unlock service. They then wait several days, proceed to tell you the service is uncompleteable, and then tells you they can only refund half your money.
  
  Additionally, their TOS is aggressively worded to essentially threaten you with a backlisted device if you do a chargeback for fraud, or post a negative review calling them out on their fraudulent behavior.
  
  Additionally, the TOS is incredibly difficult to find-- only available on the checkout page. There's a link to it at the bottom of their homepage, but it's a dead link-- it doesn't go anywhere, only a "page not found.". The download.htm file included is a copy I managed to save from the little tiny version of it in the checkout page. The same goes for the privacy policy, which I can't find anywhere on the website as I don't think it exists.
  
  Additionally, the segment of the TOS I included as a screenshot mentions a link to a refund policy on the home page--- there is no such link. There's mention of a 100% satisfaction guarantee, or 100% of your money back. I'd like to attempt to take this route, but I feel as if it will cause me to be strongarmed and harassed by the business and threatened with a bricked phone.
  
  I don't want to scream fraud, but the more I dig into this website (which I suppose I should have done before spending money, eh?) the more I see it. The threat of blacklisting seems to be a strongarming tactic threatened to thwart exposure to said fraud.
  
  Their vague and threatening TOS, along with their shady refund practices, are a problem and lack any transparency at all. It's like they try to hide the TOS on purpose, so they can use it as a weapon against you later.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  We're you able to get your whole refund? I am sorry for the late response and bad communication, my business partner and I were out of the office for health issues and it came on suddenly, had to shut down the website for 7 weeks. But I take full responsibility and will make sure we make this right for you. If you could respond to this or email us I will make sure you are fully refunded! Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid to get my device unlock code was told to wait 1 to 72 hours. I waited 72 hours and heard nothing. I attempted to contact them through all available methods that were on the website. The website said you can email *******************************, that was bounced back because that email doesn't exist. I attempted to send an email to *****************************, and it has been 3 days with no response. I attempted to use the number for whatsapp that is on the website, and again no response. I would like to get my device unlock code, but if I can't I would rather get my money back and I will let anyone know who tries to use this company to unlock your phone, it seems like a scam.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  Yes sorry about that, the first email is old and needs to be taken off. Have you received your refund. Sorry for the miscommunication. Please contact us and I will personally make sure you are refunded and this taken care of. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/27/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Will not return calls or emails an dont give the service you paid for

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  Hello, sorry about that. Were you responded to? Please email us or respond to here and i will make sure you are refunded and the unlock delivered if you still need it. Thank you!