According to information from Vertu Vietnam, the distributor recently received a support request from a customer whose Meta Vertu 2 phone, worth approximately 140 million VND, became SIM-locked, network-locked, and unusable after a short period of use.

Vertu

Metavertu 2 phone models range in price from 135 million VND to over 1 billion VND. (Photo: LN)

Specifically, this customer stated that the Vertu phone they were using was a gift and they had only been using it for about a month. While using it normally, the phone suddenly became SIM-locked and signal-locked, and could not be restored. Because it was a gift, the customer was hesitant to contact the giver to inquire about the cause of the problem.

However, Vertu Vietnam stated that they could not provide support in this case because the phone was a domestic product from another country that was brought into Vietnam via unofficial channels. The company refused to provide warranty service or unlock the phone for the customer to use again.

Representatives of the high-end phone brand in the domestic market stated that this is just one of many cases where customers come to the store seeking assistance after their phones are locked. The majority of customers who buy phones through third parties or through unofficial channels end up purchasing phones from other countries. Most of these phones are not international versions and are only temporarily unlocked by the seller at the time of sale.

After a short period of use, the phone will be locked and disabled immediately upon updating to the latest version from the manufacturer, or it will be reverted to its factory default state, resulting in many important features being restricted. The phone may even become unusable ("bricked") as it will no longer work with Vietnamese SIM cards or networks, and will lose all settings, software, data, and even the Vietnamese language.

In this case, some customers contacted the seller but received no support or only a temporary solution, after which the SIM card and signal were locked again.

For customers who receive the device as a gift, the problem is even more complicated as they are unsure of its origin but are hesitant to ask the giver because it could affect the relationship or the reputation of the business partner.

In the Vietnamese market, Vertu is exclusively distributed through Vertu Vietnam, so customers should avoid buying Vertu phones advertised at unusually inflated prices to prevent potential losses later on.