One of our favorite clients came to us asking for insight as a few of their e-commerce customers had called into Verizon and were told that the phones they bought could not be activated. Here’s why Verizon was WRONG.
There are two levels of checking an IMEI within Verizon.
Tool #1 pulls information that looks to see who the original intended carrier was and reports back on that. In Apple this is referred to as "Initial Activation Policy Details." If the result came back as "US Reseller Flex Policy" for example, then this level of a check gives it a "Red X." (Literally that's how they refer to it). If the result comes back with "US Verizon Locked Policy" or some version of "Unlocked" then it's a "Green Checkmark".
Tool #2 pushes the phones through a mock activation process. This has NOTHING to do with the "Initial Activation Policy" and instead checks the "Next Tether Policy Details" as one of the many items that can determine if a phone is able to be activated. This is the status of the phone as it is at that moment, not at the time it was manufactured. If it's "US Verizon Locked Policy" or other "Unlocked" results, then you are good to go. Otherwise, it receives another "Red X".
Apparently, our clients’ customers were speaking with Verizon reps that only checked the first tool. Had they checked the second – all would have been right as rain! 😊
Knowing this our client now ensures to tell each e-commerce customer to ask the Verizon representative to utilize the second tool for mock activation. This way they are SURE their phone is safe to purchase and activate.
I know what you are thinking…yes, we already provided data showing the devices were clear to be activated, but sometimes people want a second opinion and Verizon customer representatives can only go by what they see in their system.
As always, if you have any "odd" questions, please send them our way. We love digging into IMEI's and learning something new. (Especially when we have potential solutions to offer!) 😎
