Imei blacklisted brand new phone

[Pitja1979]

Hi everyone, I am very frustrated as I upgraded my iphone 11 to a new version Iphone 16 promax from o2 and was unable to connect to the network for the last few days. Eventually after speaking to a member of staff at O2 we found out that imei is blacklisted. They said they will unblock within 24 hrs. After 20 mins it started working but then when I turned phone off and put back on there problem reoccurred. How is that possible that a brand new phone bought from O2 is blacklisted. I am going on holiday soon and really need my phone to be working. Any help/ advise? 

[Bambino]

@Pitja1979 Whatever is happening with the phone you received cannot be right. If it's a brand new phone, speak to O2 again and demand they send you a new, unopened phone with the seal still intact on the box. Do not accept any other suggestion or alternative from them.

How to find help & contact O2: A Guide - O2 Community

[Enlli]

Interesting. Not the first time this has happened.

[pgn]

@Pitja1979 Was the phone blocked from first use, or did it initially work and then get blocked a few days or weeks later?

Did you collect your new phone in person from an O2 shop or was it shipped to you by courier? Do you still have all the paperwork for your purchase, if from an O2 shop? An interesting predicament, but follow the advice from @Bambino above closely is my advice, @Pitja1979 - most unnerving. Good luck!

[MI5]

@Pitja1979 

It’s not uncommon for o2 to send phones with a shipping bar on them. 
The social media teams should be able to resolve this quickly.