Urgent Request for Escalation Dept. Leadership

[Daria]

Hello Community!

I’ve been reading through the forum thread where @Willpoz, @Syaoran and @zulu53 went through a huge struggle just to get Telus to add a stolen phone’s IMEI to the blacklist. Now, I want to share the opposite experience.

First of all, I am not a Telus customer. I bought a brand-new iPhone 15 Pro Max in a sealed box, with an official Apple warranty, from a legitimate store. I didn’t finance it, I don’t have any outstanding payments, and I am the first and only owner of this device—or at least that’s what I thought until I contacted Apple.

When I reached out to Apple support, they confirmed my warranty, but the agent showed me that whenever they try to process any action on my phone—whether it’s a warranty claim, repair, or trade-in—they get a message stating that the device is listed as lost or stolen in a certain database. Basically, despite my valid warranty, Apple refuses to service the phone, citing this mysterious database.

I contacted the operator of this database, and they confirmed that my phone’s IMEI is indeed blacklisted—and that Telus was the one who added it. Since only the carrier that placed it there can remove it, I reached out to Telus for help.

After a long back-and-forth with the escalation department, the final response I got was that they refuse to remove the IMEI, stating that the decision is final and not open for discussion.

So now, thanks to Telus, I own a very expensive paperweight (a.k.a. iPhone 15 Pro Max) because my device cannot connect to any carrier’s network. Keep this in mind when dealing with Telus!

[Daria]

Now, a direct message to the Escalation Department leadership:

My Case ID: 22635228 – you can review the entire email thread with your agent.

I have proposed multiple solutions to resolve this issue, including my full cooperation in any investigation and my willingness to work with law enforcement if this phone was indeed stolen. If it was lost—well, congratulations, you’ve "found" it—so what’s the next step?

If this is about illegal phone trafficking, you now have an opportunity to track the supply chain and prevent further incidents. What shocks me the most is your complete lack of response to these logical suggestions.

Why does Telus blacklist IMEIs? Is it to prevent fraud, or just to screw people over for no reason?

I fully understand that mistakes happen—one wrong digit when entering an IMEI can blacklist the wrong phone. However, I have proof of purchase and a valid manufacturer’s warranty.

So I ask you—what proof do YOU have?

I demand an immediate resolution:

• If this was a mistake, remove my IMEI from the blacklist immediately.
• If you have proof that this phone was stolen, provide me with the police case number so I can follow up with law enforcement.
• If this is not resolved, I will be left with no choice but to file a formal complaint with CCTS, CRTC, or take legal action.

The ball is in your court. Fix this.

[jackrabbit000]

Have you tried to return or exchanged the phone at the store you bought it from?   They are the ones that sold you the black listed phone in the first place.  You said a legitimate store, talk to the manager.  The IMEI for the phone you bought should be on the receipt so there shouldn’t be a problem.  

[Syaoran]

That is really unfortunate to hear.  Have you tried contacting the retailer you purchased it from about replacing it with one not blacklisted?  I am a bit curious about the response you had from Telus, justifying their position.  It isn't impossible for an employee to make a mistake when entering a device IMEI to be blacklisted.  If it went missing from a shipment or a whole shipment.  That would be worth taking it to law enforcement for th to investigate further.  It might also be worth consulting a lawyer to see if a stern legal letter sent to Telus would.change their mind with the promise.of a civil lawsuit to follow if they don't. 

[Daria]

Thank you for taking the time to look into my issue and for being part of this discussion!

Right now, I really need as much public attention on this problem as possible because, in my opinion, that’s the only thing that might force Telus to actually address it instead of just trying to brush me off.

To even attempt resolving this through the store, I at least need to understand the reasons behind the blacklist and get official responses from:

• The IMEI database operator
• Telus
• And ideally, law enforcement (if this phone was truly reported as stolen or lost)

So far, I have none of that—no explanations, no clarity, nothing.

Apple’s response was clear:

• My device is technically fine
• It has a valid warranty
• It has a legal status
• And there are no issues on their end

They also pointed out that they can’t and probably shouldn’t be expected to react just because some third party created a database and someone else decided to add this IMEI to it—maybe even entire ranges of IMEIs—for unknown reasons.

It’s like if you and I created a project together and decided to label a certain product or service as "undesirable" and then started blocking its use. Would that suddenly give people the right to demand refunds? Would a store be forced to take back a product just because a third party doesn’t like it?

It’s a complex discussion, but at the end of the day, this problem was created by Telus, so it’s on them to fix it!

[Daria]

At this point, I haven’t wanted to publish the full email exchange or name the Telus representative involved, but I will share some key parts of their responses regarding the IMEI blacklist removal—basically, everything they have given me to "help" me understand the issue.

And then there’s this part, which honestly feels like a joke. After I told them that no carrier can provide me with a working phone number due to the IMEI block, and after they refused to remove it, they suddenly ask me for a number to call me back on!?

I mean, really? It’s obvious I don’t have a number because Telus blocked my phone!

Clearly, they didn’t ask for a phone number to actually help solve the issue—they just wanted to go through the motions, drag things out, and remind me once again that their decision is "final and non-negotiable."