This actually happened last Saturday, so it's technically not a TIFU but it's still recent enough to be called that I think 
I was looking for a cheap second phone with stock android for some work related tasks. So, after some research, I settled for the Motorola E13 which seemed good enough for my use case, so I ordered it from Amazon.
When I booted up the phone, everything looked fine, except that it had some bloat apps like Jio, which was a red flag but I thought it didn't really mean anything, so I continued setting it up.
However, when I pulled down the notification drawer, I noticed a message on the bottom saying "SecureLock is enabled". I wasn't sure what SecureLock is, so I tapped it to check it out. This is what came up:
Tapping on "View policies" brings this up:
Nowhere does it say on the box or on the Amazon product page that the phone was actually a part of some subsidy program (JioExclusive). Looking up the scheme, I came across this policy page: *www.jio.com/en-in/jioexlusive-motorola-terms-conditions-e13 (archive dot org link in case this link rots: *web.archive.org/web/20240113165358/*www.jio.com/en-in/jioexlusive-motorola-terms-conditions-e13).
As part of this scheme, you cannot the SIM of any other carrier other than Jio for 30 days after purchasing the device. So the phone is practically useless if you want to use any other SIM. If you want to prematurely unlock the device to use with any other carrier, you have to pay them a fee:
What in the actual **** is this? First they bait customers and then lock them out of their own phones without even informing beforehand. This should not be legal.
Plus the terms and conditions have some more red flags:
I spoke with Amazon customer care and even they were puzzled as to what the issue is. I asked them to either give me a model that is completely carrier unlocked or refund me completely. They redirected me to multiple teams until one technical team member said that replacement might not help here and finally agreed to take back the phone and refund me.
This is completely unacceptable, they must be upfront about things like this on the product page. I saw in the comment section of the phone that one guy asked to replace the phone and the replacement phone was also locked like this. I could not even uninstall the Jio app, it could only be disabled.
Be warned people and check out for such practices for any phone model you are looking to buy.
I was looking for a cheap second phone with stock android for some work related tasks. So, after some research, I settled for the Motorola E13 which seemed good enough for my use case, so I ordered it from Amazon.
When I booted up the phone, everything looked fine, except that it had some bloat apps like Jio, which was a red flag but I thought it didn't really mean anything, so I continued setting it up.
However, when I pulled down the notification drawer, I noticed a message on the bottom saying "SecureLock is enabled". I wasn't sure what SecureLock is, so I tapped it to check it out. This is what came up:
Tapping on "View policies" brings this up:
Nowhere does it say on the box or on the Amazon product page that the phone was actually a part of some subsidy program (JioExclusive). Looking up the scheme, I came across this policy page: *www.jio.com/en-in/jioexlusive-motorola-terms-conditions-e13 (archive dot org link in case this link rots: *web.archive.org/web/20240113165358/*www.jio.com/en-in/jioexlusive-motorola-terms-conditions-e13).
As part of this scheme, you cannot the SIM of any other carrier other than Jio for 30 days after purchasing the device. So the phone is practically useless if you want to use any other SIM. If you want to prematurely unlock the device to use with any other carrier, you have to pay them a fee:
What in the actual **** is this? First they bait customers and then lock them out of their own phones without even informing beforehand. This should not be legal.
Plus the terms and conditions have some more red flags:
Code:
- You shall not tamper with or in any manner misuse the Eligible Device, including but not limited to rooting attempts, reverse engineering, unlocking or jail-breaking of the Eligible Device or original firmware(s) or software(s) of the Eligible Device.
- You allow and shall continue to allow all the applications of the Company and its affiliates, to access your Eligible Device’s mobile data including but not limited to its contacts, gallery, camera, location.I spoke with Amazon customer care and even they were puzzled as to what the issue is. I asked them to either give me a model that is completely carrier unlocked or refund me completely. They redirected me to multiple teams until one technical team member said that replacement might not help here and finally agreed to take back the phone and refund me.
This is completely unacceptable, they must be upfront about things like this on the product page. I saw in the comment section of the phone that one guy asked to replace the phone and the replacement phone was also locked like this. I could not even uninstall the Jio app, it could only be disabled.
Be warned people and check out for such practices for any phone model you are looking to buy.
