OfficialiPhoneUnlock is a UK company claiming they can unlock carrier-locked iPhones.

This company is fraudulent. And now that my dispute is finalized in my favor with the credit card company I am going to report them to whatever government agency in the UK is responsible for online fraud. Nobody should have to go through what I went through with them.

To make a long story short, at the beginning of last September they guaranteed me an unlock of my KDDI AU (Japan) iPhone. I believed them and paid more than $180.

During the month I waited for this, they even promised me that it would be complete “within 5 days.” When this didn’t happen after a month, and I already arrived in the U.S. for my trip, they got abusive in their emails to me. One manager offered me a refund by email and I said I would take it, but then I never heard from them again.

I then contacted my credit card company and entered a dispute. Just before their response deadline, OfficialiPhoneUnlock sent the credit card company a email alleging that my iPhone was blocked because it was reported lost or stolen. Until just that moment I had considered the possibility that OfficialiPhoneUnlock were legitimate but just incompetent. But when I saw that utterly fraudulent claim I realized it was simpler than that. They were just dishonest.

Of course I was able to show the credit card company that my iPhone was not blocked, that in correspondence with me OfficeiPhoneUnlock never claimed it was, and that my iPhone was in fact showing up as “clean” and in contract with KDDI AU via many IMEI check sites. In other words, OfficialIPhoneUnlock was just out-and-out lying to avoid paying a refund.

OfficialPhoneUnlock had until 7 February to counter-respond. They did not and my card company has now confirmed with me that my refund is finalized.

Now that this is over, I want to warn everybody about this company. They are not honest. That’s the bottom line.

Oh, and by the way, it turns out that since last summer all KDDI AU iPhones don’t even need to be unlocked to use on the U.S. AT&T network (and some other networks in Europe). It’s compatible while locked. You can just walk into an AT&T store and get a free SIM while you are there and either get a GoPhone no contract monthly account or a regular post-pay account. That is what I ended up doing during my trip, and I am still using my iPhone – both in the U.S. and Japan, without the need for unlocking.

After what this company put me through, and to help warn others, I intend to report them for fraud to the UK authorities.