re: How hard is it to get a Verizon phone unlocked?

No it's not. I returned a phone to Best Buy under protection plan. Idiots kept sending me a Verizon version of my phone. So I finally booted it up, stuck in the SIM, said AT&T on the screen and yet when I go to call someone, it sends me to a Verizon customer service rep. Dead serious. Would not call on AT&T network even though it had the SIM and everything. It's a Verizon GSM phone, not a CDMA one.