Google is shipping carrier-locked Pixel 4 units to customers that bought the unlocked version

Google's Pixel 4 has stumbled into yet another PR issue. As per a report from 9to5Google, the company has somehow sent out a batch of carrier-locked devices to some Google Store buyers. As these devices were sold with the understanding of being unlocked units, customers were understandably irate at being locked to Xfinity Mobile. Making matters worse, when Google Support sent out new devices to replace the flawed ones, some of those were carrier-locked to Xfinity as well. Whoopsie.

It's not entirely clear how this happened, with the most likely explanation being a mix-up somewhere on the supply chain. With that being said, it has to be frustrating for consumers, especially during the holiday season. For affected buyers, the most immediate solution seems to be to request returns until they get an unlocked one barring a remote fix from Google, but this route is unlikely to be satisfactory past the second or third return for especially unlucky buyers.

The Pixel 4 is a pretty good, albeit flawed device. At the bare minimum, accepting that Google can't fix the specs post-release, one would expect the firm would work hard to solidify the intangibles of the Pixel experience like post-purchase support, reliable replacements, updates, and all that. Stories like this don't inspire faith, especially with the Pixel 4a coming down the pipeline.

In the meantime, let's hope Google figures out the root cause of this issue before more customers fall victim.

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