Free Mobile blocks without preventing rented and not returned phones [MàJ] |igeneration

Free Mobile offers a selection of rental smartphones on its store, devices that customers pay from € 12 per month for 24 months.At the end of the contract, these phones must be returned to the operator, this is the principle of rental, knowing that Free offers no purchase options.And for those who do not make the equipment, the general conditions of the service provide for financial penalties.Obviously, the operator also planned the possibility of blocking the smartphone.

Until then, Free Mobile had never used this possibility.But since the beginning of November, this is the case, and hundreds of unrestricted smartphones have been blocked by the operator.This is his right, except that this also concerns phones that had not been returned for several months, or even years.And the problem is that multiple users are blocked today, when they bought the used device.Some testimonies indicate that smartphones they have had for two years have been blocked overnight.

The situation is still quite confused, it seems that the blocking applied by Free Mobile should only concern its own network, but it would have been applied by mistake on all mobile networks in France.In addition, current customers have no short -term recourse if they use a smartphone stolen without their knowledge, they can file a complaint, but that will not raise the blockage.Testimonies evoke an upcoming resolution during the month, but in the meantime, there is nothing to do.

If you are affected by the problem, a Facebook group has been opened to collect testimonies and it approaches 300 members.File a complaint with the authorities can be used and you can also turn against the seller.Contact Free Mobile gives nothing after returns and there is, a priori, no good solution to date.

[MàJ 7/11/2018 1:58 pm]: two additional elements to note in the case.First, several people concerned bought an iPhone that they thought new to an operator.Free may have mistakenly blocked part of the aircraft, or it was a question of reconditioned as new, we don't know well.

Then, a reader who works in Apple Store tells us that the blocking intervened a week ago, on the night of Wednesday, October 31.He knows it, because the shops received hundreds of customers concerned Thursday morning.All had the same problems and Apple was able to quickly confirm that they had all been blocked by Free.

He also tells us that the blocking concerns all operators in France, and that once in place, it is no longer possible to remove it.This is hardly reassuring about the follow -up to this blockage ...

[MàJ 7/11/2018 4:03 pm]: The general conditions of the service do not provide for blocking of the smartphone rented in the event of non -restitution.The article has been updated accordingly.