Verizon retroactively changed its unlock policy, so one user successfully sues the carrier

For years now, Verizon has had the burden of being the only carrier that is required to unlock all fully paid-off devices within 60 days of purchase as a result of an earlier agreement with the FCC. While Verizon has since appealed to the FCC to remove this limitation, it is still obligated to follow it until the measure is ruled on. Of course, that doesn’t mean it always plays by the rules without a little pushing. As first reported by Ars Technica, that’s exactly the situation in which Kansas resident Patrick Roach found himself in earlier this year.

In February of 2025, the person in question purchased an iPhone 16e from the Verizon-owned Straight Talk brand. This isn’t an uncommon practice, as I’ve actually done this to buy my son’s phone at a discount as well. At the time, the user in question’s intention was to pay for the phone and a month’s service to activate the device. After that, he planned to shelve it and then switch it to US Mobile after the 60-day unlocking period hit.

Soon after the 60-day period, it was discovered that Verizon had changed its unlocking policy back in April so that you must have continuous service during the 60-day period to qualify. Even though the phone was purchased before this, Verizon said his phone fell under the new policy retroactively.

This is completely in contrast to the FCC’s current rules, which state Verizon phones should unlock automatically 60-days after activation, with no conditions that service must be kept for the full period. Despite complaining to the FCC, nothing happened, and so the user escalated the matter by taking Verizon to court.

While it initially attempted to settle out of court, the user wanted to ensure that this matter was public and that he didn’t have to sign an NDA, and so he opted to go to court. The judge ruled in favor of the user, agreeing Verizon had violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act by changing material terms after the sale. Verizon was ordered to refund both the phone and the cost of services.

Overall, this is a great story because it’s nice to see everyday customers come out on top every once in and while. Of course, it also has some pretty real implications. For one, it seems Verizon already is acting like it won its appeal over its 60-day lock agreement, or at the very least is doing everything it can to bend the rules and hope it doesn’t get caught.

It also makes it clear that while Verizon might technically have rules it’s obligated to follow, it will often choose to ignore them as it’s more profitable to bend the rules and pay a small fee here and there when you’re caught, like in this case. That said, Verizon isn’t the only carrier guilty of rule-bending like this. For example, T-Mobile was previously sued for deceiving customers back in 2024, and AT&T has had similar incidents in the past as well. Remember to always double-check what you’re promised, and if something is off? It doesn’t hurt to speak up.

In the end, the customer here probably spent almost as much fighting Verizon as he actually got from the court order, but it still feels like a victory for consumers who’ve been bullied by the big postpaid carriers long enough.