Re: 11 handsets - not one could I get working. Costs at repair shop
It's been a few years since I had to unlock a phone, but I bought an unlock code on eBay for I think around a fiver, and looking on eBay now, it looks like codes still cost around £2 - £10. For me, that makes it not worth the time trying to get the network to unlock a handset, you just know that's going to be a hassle. Assuming codes are available for the handset and network in question, of course, I don't know if it's as easy as buying a code in all cases.