There were several reasons, but I was recently reminded about one when looking around for an extra GSM phone to take with me abroad. A bunch of old phones just lay gathering dust, in a drawer. All of them still locked ("SIM Subsidy Lock" - by the operator to make the phone unusable with another operator's SIM card).
You would think - "You were a customer for more than 2-3 years - you've long since paid for any "subsidy". Just call them and ask them to unlock it. What's the big deal?" It might have actually worked, if they could establish I had previously had an account.
To my astonishment, there is no way to do this - even only five short years since I have switched away! After hours of chatting with T-Mobile's tech support (still very kind people, actually!) I hit rock bottom:
...
"iliyan: So, basically you are telling me that even though I have my [phone, account#, and] proof of purchase, there is no way T-Mobile can identify me as a customer?"
"julie: That is correct. You can try calling in and provide your full ssn, however there is no guarantees they will find your account [either]."
...
Does it look like an example of how a company's short-sighted policies can keep driving away potential customers? Even long after they have already left ...
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