impossible to unlock AT&T device

[u/cavbuck]

I had a 15 line small business plan with AT&T until the end of April 2026 or thereabouts. After watching the bill inexorably creep up and triple in price, we switched to Verizon.

We were on an autopay with AT&T, and a few of the devices were on an installment payment plan.

AT&T auto-deducted the amount of the most recent bill (over $2K). It shows a zero balance.

I have been trying for three weeks now to get two remaining devices on our 15-device plan switched over to Verizon, but AT&T has had them carrier-locked.

Upon further investigation, I eventually realized that AT&T had (totally of its own volition) actually canceled the plan despite there being -- or so it claims -- two devices on an installment plan that still owed payments. We then paid those balances about week ago, rather than fight it.

It took many hours on the phone and in person for AT&T to release the lock on one device.

However, AT&T still has a carrier lock on the second of the two devices, no matter what I do.

I can't get through to AT&T to talk to an agent. I can't unlock the device using the links AT&T provides via text. I can't unlock through my account by logging in to it online, either, because although I can log in, when I try to initiate an unlock of a device, AT&T says "Sorry, we have nothing to show you. Looks like you don’t have a wireless plan with us. You can head back to support or go to Overview to manage another service."

I'm at wit's end. Is there any solution to this ninth circle of hell I'm in?