Unlock phone request denied even though I paid for it!

Did you buy the phone from AT&T, or second hand?

Bought from AT&T. Well technically Walmart through Black Friday then put on the network there.  Paid one installment then paid it off. 

The "AT&T" store in Walmart is not owned or operated by AT&T. They only resell AT&T goods and services and are not staffed with AT&T employees. So yes, you bought it from an Authorized Retail Store but not actually AT&T. Unfortunately AT&T has very little control over how these independent outlet conduct their business.

Right but it still doesn’t explain why att will not unlock the phone. I’m an att customer who bought a phone at authorized dealer of theirs put it on att installment plan paid it off right away and simply want it unlocked. I did nothing wrong. It’s flagged as fraud in their system but I didn’t do anything to cause it so it’s an issue of theirs. It’s impossible to remove bc no one in att customer service can talk to them apparently. 

Never heard of that particular situation. You can probably get your phone unlocked by filing an FCC or BBB complaint to escalate to corporate.

As mentioned, your only recourse at this point in time is to file a BBB complaint. That will go to AT&T Corporate and someone from the Office of the President will contact you. They MIGHT be able to help. Authorized or not, the Walmart AT&T retail outlet is owned by someone other than AT&T. They just take the info and pass it on to AT&T. Could be as simple as a typo error on whatever was submitted to AT&T. As long as your phone meets ALL of the requirements for unlocking, and you've got all your paperwork in order the OoP may be able to straighten it out.

Hi cake698, we understand how important it is to unlock your AT&T device, we want to take a closer look at your device unlock request!

Thank you to our ACEs for their knowledgeable expertise. Let’s meet in a Direct Message to escalate your device unlock request. Please check your Direct Message Inbox (it’s the chat icon next to the bell icon in the upper right corner of the Forums) and reply back. 

In the meantime, please keep in mind that in order to unlock your device, 

• All the device's service commitments and installment plans must completed and all early termination fees are paid in full.
• The device should not be active on a different AT&T customer's account.   

For a device purchased on an AT&T installment or term agreement
The device purchased on an AT&T installment or term agreement is eligible for unlock when:

• Your device has had active service for at least 60 days.
• You pay off your installment plan.
  • If you pay it off on your monthly bill, submit your unlock request at the start of your next statement bill period.
  • If you pay it off early, submit your unlock request 48 hours after your payment.
• You complete your contract or term agreement.
• All other eligibility requirements are met: Get info about device unlock eligibility (KM1262649)

We look foward to working with you towards a resolution! Again, keep an eye out for our DM!

Rhoda, AT&T Community Specialist 

Update. Still no solution. Was promised that this would be solved and heard complete crickets. Why is it so hard to speak with anyone of any authority or someone who can actually help?!  Everytime I call I speak to a new rep and have to tell the whole story over again. I'm filing a complaint with the FCC so maybe that will get somewhere. At this point they can have the phone and can fairly compensate me for it. I've spent almost 5 hours maybe even more on the phone with them. Absolutely ridiculous!