Database Info

Exchange with t-mobile

I brought this mytouch off Craigslist by trading with my G2. The phone is starting some problems as with not turning the screen on when after a phone call and I got the bad screen on it.
Now I don't know if this phone is stolen or not or the person got it from the insurance by claiming Its lost.
Now do you think T-Mobile will exchnage it? I can't deal with the screen not turning on anymore so yeah.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

I am sure this is the reason the owner sold it in first place, I bet the person gave you lame story about how he changed carrier or got it as gift or some BS and he already has something lol so he didn't need it.
This is why I warn folks about buying jack from eBay or Craigslist when first batch came out month ago that means alot of inferior device that shouldn't have passed QC got though. Your best bet is going via HTC device warranty as TMo itself will not honor yours as they have no proof of this device was valid transaction linked to your account. Also the remorse period is only though TMo not by 3rd party individuals.

Thanks for the reply Mr.HKM, He told me he had 2 of these and he wanted to get rid of it so I'm guessing he used the insurance company to get another by saying it was lost.
Is it worth a shot with T-Mobile? or Should I call up HTC tomrrow and see what they can do? The thing is, I don't want to be left phoneless though, that's the only thing that's going to be bad for me.
Would my best bet be selling it back on Craigslist and getting another one?

I bought my HD2 off craigslist and transfered my insurance to it by calling tmo and asking them if I could. It was originally the insurance I had on my touch pro 2. My nexus one was insured by that other company.
I never had to use it on the hd2 so I don't know how that would work. After I bought the MT4G I had the guy at the store transfer my insurance to it.
Its worth a shot calling tmo. From my experience they are wing willing to work with you.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Maybe prick got it buy one get one free though adding family members with contract. Best place to buy it now is though TMo as like you I also considered buying it via CL/eBay but after I saw the rate of bad display, ffc, creaky buttons I decide it to just shall out the full $450 and get it without contract. Didn't want the hassle as I lost my HD2 and was left with dumbphone lol trust me its no fun.
Well this is what you can do just skip it all as TMo will not help you so just contact HTC rep and request RMA for it. While you are sending it go to local TMo store and get "loner" phone while its taken care of. You can contact the seller but I am sure the prick will ignore you as kid will be like its your problem now.
Update: Do as MvP77 said then first with TMo it won't hurt long as you get it taken care of if not then you become the prick and get it of your hand ASAP by selling it to someone else lol

Ugh I looked at T-Mobile website about device warranty under T-Mobile and it looks like you cannot transfer warranties from another customer. Pretty much bumed out at this point.
Should I post of on Craigslist asap and get rid of it and buy another one and risk getting a **** screen and or just keep this?
I flashed iced galicer on it and the screen comes on after a call so I'm just worried about the screen for now.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

I have known and helped people who bought through ebay or craigslist get a replacement through T-Mo. It's not a fool proof way but it has worked for some.
First thing is hopefully you are a T-Mo customer? Then don't use the online chat, call them on the phone. Just ask for Tech support. Here is what you are trying to accomplish, you need to get your IMEI # in their system to have a chance. So since this device came out with a OTA (Over the Air update) the same day it launched it is a plus for you. If your IMEI # is not in the system you will never get the update. So when you call and get to the rep just explain to him you are having some problems with very poor battery life and your video chat is not working properly, poor signal etc. Tell him you knew there was a OTA update but you have never received it, and you want to see if this will fix your problems first before deciding on a warranty replacement. If they ask you where you got it tell them you got it from a T-Mobile Store and you bought it full price. Whatever you do don't tell them craigslist. Stay firm on you buying it in a store no matter how many times they ask. Now the above might not even come up but be prepared in case. Noe tell the tech support rep could he please make sure that your IMEI number is correct in their system as you have never received the update. Your number might be in there and it might not. Likely it is not. I had one that was wrong for a whole month from when I changed from my G2. They will ask you for your number and give it to them. If they don't find it they will try to put it in. If the IMEI number is not in their database they will tell you also and ask where you bought it. Stick to the plan. Tell them you don't know why it's not in their system all you did is buy it in their store it should be in the system and you paid full price for it it better be in the system. now I have actually had this happen on one of my early replacements. And I really did get it from a store. They finally said they could manually enter it and override the system. Now if you get this done your almost there. Tell them thank you and you will be waiting for the update and hopefully it fixes the issues if not you will call back. Wait a day or two. The call back and when you here the automated attendant say cancel. This gets you to a higher level rep. Tell the about the problems and you are disappoint that you paid full price and now you have all these problems and the OTA update did not correct them. You are loosing data connection and they stay off for long periods of time. Tell them you have already been to a store and they changed your SIM card and that you have already talked to tech support and factory master reset with them twice and they said it is defective. You said you would give it another chance but it did not get any better. Now hopefully they will process you a exchange and send it to you and then you send yours back..
I hope this help and you get a good one. If all else fails go through HTC.

xdviper said:
I brought this mytouch off Craigslist by trading with my G2. The phone is starting some problems as with not turning the screen on when after a phone call and I got the bad screen on it.
Now I don't know if this phone is stolen or not or the person got it from the insurance by claiming Its lost.
Now do you think T-Mobile will exchnage it? I can't deal with the screen not turning on anymore so yeah.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a software bug. Try a factory reset before you do anything.

xdviper said:
I brought this mytouch off Craigslist by trading with my G2. The phone is starting some problems as with not turning the screen on when after a phone call and I got the bad screen on it.
Now I don't know if this phone is stolen or not or the person got it from the insurance by claiming Its lost.
Now do you think T-Mobile will exchnage it? I can't deal with the screen not turning on anymore so yeah.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've bought a few different phones off Craigslist and got them all exchanged through warranty. As long as its still under the manufacturers warranty they should exchange it. All they did was look up the imei to verify its still under warranty. This is my experience with T-Mob, so I don't see why you shouldn't be able to exchange it. Now, if its a stolen or lost phone, they might not. Let us know how it goes for you. Hope you get a good one.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

This is the kind of thing of why i dont want to buy one off ebay or cl, i dont mind but i know it will be a phone i will have for a long time so id rather buy it brand new.

Trust ME
as long as you have insurance which is 5.99 a month for the php bundle then it will cover the phone...just call in do troubleshooting and hey will replace it as long as there not liquid damage or physical damage....u dont pay anything not even shipping and hanlding

Alright, I'm going to give it a shot today.
This took ne at a surprise, I went and logged on to my T-Mobile and it shows the white mytouch as my phone... so I'm guessing they already know I have a mytouch?
so alright thanks for the replies everyone. I'll call in this afternoon and see what the deal is. Thanks.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

rodriguez27 said:
this is the kind of thing of why i dont want to buy one off ebay or cl, i dont mind but i know it will be a phone i will have for a long time so id rather buy it brand new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree with you 100%

bobsbbq THANK you soo much for that detailed post and everyone else.
I called and told them about the screen not turning back after a phone call, and they went ahead and replaced it for me. I hope I get a good screen and one that turns on after a phone call. Thanks everyone

Told ya. Tmo customer service is excellent. I even got a watered damage G1 replaced.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

I can't express how.much I wanna say thank you. I just hope it comes before this 3 day weekend and with the Sony screen. Thanks guys.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

insurance is crazy 6 bucks a month thats 72 bucks a year on a phone you paid 100 bucks for

Lockeskidney said:
insurance is crazy 6 bucks a month thats 72 bucks a year on a phone you paid 100 bucks for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For someone like me that switches phones alot and usually pays full or close to full price the insurance its nice. It would suck if it was like sprints insurance where you gotta pay a deductible.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

I think T-Mobile does also make you pay a deductible also. Not sure, but I do change phones a lot and not sure if insurance would cover non T-Mobile phones like the iPhone.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Lockeskidney not everyone sells there soul by signing 2year contract and having to pay more than its actually worth. Now lets say this as I never considered insurance. I usually buy the device without contract at full price from valid vendor now if I lose it how much is the deductible? I am sure everyone ATM here some how doing insurance fraud false claiming it as lost.

Sold phone on ebay now bad esn???

Hey guys, I sold my friend's epic 4g (sprint) last week when he upgraded to the galaxy s II. I was with him when he upgraded and knew for a fact that the phone was fine (he bought it new).
I had someone ask me about the ESN when selling and had checked it using a free site, and it came up clean. Now the buyer has contacted me and said that he cant activate it, and checking that same site I used before it, it is now saying bad esn.
What could have happened??? Is there something that the buyer did wrong? I have never messed with CDMA phones before, so the ESN thing is kind of a mystery to me.
If i refund him and get the phone back, is there a way to get the bad esn reversed?

Probably not. However, I am weary of this free-site you used to check the ESN? Basically you should never divulge the ESN to anyone even potential buyers. At least a couple years back, ESNs could be cloned to other handsets thus causing problems. I am not sure if thats still the case in today's world but for that reason I never give out the ESN (I call sprint directly to check for me if anything).
I am not saying that is what happened in your instance. But more of a warning for not divulging ESNs easily. You can however probably sell the phone as BAD ESN and someone willing to hack it to run on cricket, metroPCS, etc. can give it a go.
Sorry if that's not the news you wanted to hear but that's my take on it and maybe someone else has other information to help you out.

The site I used I had found in an article posted on ebay. It seems like a lesson learned on this one. I figured that I was pretty much screwed, but wanted to check into it more.
I assume the value is about half of what I sold it for with a bad esn now?

jay-red said:
The site I used I had found in an article posted on ebay. It seems like a lesson learned on this one. I figured that I was pretty much screwed, but wanted to check into it more.
I assume the value is about half of what I sold it for with a bad esn now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How Mich you sold it for?
from my shooter rocking myns ROM

sure
The phone is my favorite. Thank you!

He probably tried to wipe and/or clone the phone which went bad for him and now he's blagging you trying to be refunded.
Be cautious in these kind of situations.

yeah **** that guy you sold it to. he is sheisty.
by the way, why on earth wouldn't you just call sprint? it takes like two seconds to verify an ESN with them...

Ok, so I got an email from the buyer saying he called sprint again and seemed to get it working. The reason I didnt call sprint was that this happened at like 10 pm last night, and was looking for some quick advise. But all is well as he seems happy (judging by his replies he isnt the sharpest tool in the shed) Thanks for the replies guys.

Premium handset protection... Lost phone?

what does Tmobile do with the lost phone in question? do they disable it ? I'm wondering how they prevent people from selling their phones and getting a replacement under warranty for a profit..?

Not sure but they know. Put your sim in another phone, call them, they will be able to tell you exactly what phone you have.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

Let's say my friend, Swim, has a Tmobile phone that he has insured through their PHP plan. He knows that if it were stolen or he lost it, it would cost him $130 to replace. He also knows that he could easily get $250-350 if he decided to sell his phone. So he is thinking about selling his phone and then just telling Tmobile that he lost it, so that he not only gets a newish replacement phone (possibly even an upgrade), but also pockets over 120 bones. Question is, does Tmobile deactivate his first phone somehow, so that whoever bought his original phone is essentially screwed?

frescoraja said:
Let's say my friend, Swim, has a Tmobile phone that he has insured through their PHP plan. He knows that if it were stolen or he lost it, it would cost him $130 to replace. He also knows that he could easily get $250-350 if he decided to sell his phone. So he is thinking about selling his phone and then just telling Tmobile that he lost it, so that he not only gets a newish replacement phone (possibly even an upgrade), but also pockets over 120 bones. Question is, does Tmobile deactivate his first phone somehow, so that whoever bought his original phone is essentially screwed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope the person may not beable to use it!!!!it's a 50/50 chance long as the other person does not try n give Tmobile the imei # they should be gd
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

I have 2 things to say, and they're contradictory.
1. Official T-Mobile PHP Handset Protection FAQ (http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1722) : Says phone will be disabled. Specifically:
All lost or stolen devices will be blocked from access to the T-Mobile network. Devices claimed as lost and stolen will no longer function on the T-Mobile network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. I used to be a tier 2 T-Mobile PDA Tech Support rep. I never once had a customer's phone not work due to being stolen/blacklisted. Not once. It was not in any of our troubleshooting steps to check such a thing either. As far as I was aware, there was NO WAY to block a stolen phone on T-Mobile and that's what we told customers.
Things might have changed - it's been about 18 months since the location I worked at was completely laid off and shut down. A lot can happen in that time.
Now.... do you want to take the chance? Go for it. But don't say you weren't warned.

So, let me get this right. You are asking in a public forum about committing insurance fraud and the forum has recorded your IP address also. Insurance fraud is a felony in most States. Makes perfect sense to discuss it here. If anyone on the forums assists you in any way then you have both committed conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. Conspiracy in and of itself is a crime even if you never go ahead and commit the crime. Smart.

[Q] Is there any such thing as a non-US Sidekick 4G?

I saw a listing on Ebay for Sidekick 4G t839. The seller had all of the same specs and everything listed as every other t839, but in his description text he claimed that they would not work in the US, but only international. Also mentioned you'd need to unlock and that they would not work on T-Mobile. Is there any such thing? IS there any reason to think I could not buy such a phone, unlock it, root it, flash it with a different ROM and run it on ATT like I have done with other T839 Sidekick 4Gs?

SgtMac02 said:
I saw a listing on Ebay for Sidekick 4G t839. The seller had all of the same specs and everything listed as every other t839, but in his description text he claimed that they would not work in the US, but only international. Also mentioned you'd need to unlock and that they would not work on T-Mobile. Is there any such thing? IS there any reason to think I could not buy such a phone, unlock it, root it, flash it with a different ROM and run it on ATT like I have done with other T839 Sidekick 4Gs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like it might be a bad ESN. Trust me there are a lot of reasons not to buy a phone with a bad ESN. In XDA terms, bad ESN = another way to say "Do not buy." A bad ESN simply means the phone is locked or for some other reason you CAN NOT get it activated. Ask the seller for the ESN number, call the carrier of the phone (Probably T-Mobile) and ask them if they can run a check on the esn of that phone, if the seller won't give you the esn, well thats just another way of saying "Do not buy." Don't make a bad decision, if it seems to good to be true. It is.

The auction in question was this one. It ends a little after noon EST today.

Yup, it's a stolen phone.

Tanks for the feedback. I opted out of the bidding on this one...I'll keep waiting to catch another outstanding deal like the one I found for the one I'm currently using. (Trying to find one for my wife now)

I seend the phone for about 250+ nothing higher than 300 its a rage though
Sent from my SGH-T839 using XDA App

I actually picked mine up in good condition off Craigslist for $70. I'm trying to find another deal for about $100 (now that I realize how much they're actually worth and what a good deal I got). I've seen quite a few that I could snag for near that, but my timing keeps missing out.

Do not buy used phones: you are powerless!

So I know this type of discussion isn't really related to developing but since this forum was basically THE Android forum for me, I would like to get the word out here. I don't want another victim like me to happen; I hope this will help any future phone buyers from falling into the trap I did. This is going to be a long story but I hope I can clear up all this confusion about used phones, so strap in!
I bought an iPhone 4S last year from a guy on Craigslist; he offered to meet at an AT&T store to verify the clean IMEI and this action alone made me go against my gut instincts, which were telling me this guy looked kind of sketch. He was a white male in his late thirties, pot belly and dressed really sloppily; also had a slight hunch. But you can't judge a book by it's cover right? His story was that this was his wife's iPhone and that he sold his own a few days ago because he wanted a Samsung Galaxy S3; the phone had one more year on-contract and came with the original box so I knew it wasn't stolen. I gave him my $400 after inspecting the phone and left. Fast-forward to this week...
The phone was given to my dad to use on AT&T a month ago; I used the phone on T-Mobile for almost a year and nothing unusual came up. Just two weeks ago, my dad started getting messages saying "This device has been blocked from network use. Please call your service provider..." Not making much of it or even feeling any panic because I was that naive, I thought to myself "no way the previous owner would call in a year later to blacklist his phone. Who would even do that?" I called AT&T and after an hour, the representative was getting annoyed and said "I'll open up a case; wait three days." Three days pass and I had no word from them; I called in again and after another hour l found out my case was closed and got transferred to the supervisor. To sum up what he said: the phone was fine on T-Mobile until it was registered in the AT&T system, the owner can block a phone years down the line because the "30 days since it's loss" translates to "30 days since it's last been used by ANYONE," and that even if I have proof I bought the phone, only the original owner can remove it from the blacklist. So wireless carrier's have this huge hole in their policy that creates victims for people who buy phones secondhand and they honestly don't give a crap because it earns them money. I asked "so there is NOTHING to protect people like me? You can't even tell the police who this guy is?" He brushed me off and told me to call the police and open up a case, even if the police do get involved though, he said their company will stay quiet.
So I ended the call, speechless and dumbfounded. Lost, confused, and frustrated, I went to the police station in my city, but it turns out I lived outside the city limits so I had to call a dispatcher in another county; after the short conversation, the dispatcher told me to wait for an officer to call. The straightforward police officer, being much more friendly and understanding than the people at AT&T told me "since the phone wasn't actually stolen, it's a civil issue; the only thing you can do is try to find this guy and take it to court. We don't get involved in these kinds of matter. I know it's tough to accept but the wireless companies just want profit and this policy that creates victims like you gets them what they want. This happens all the time and us police officers can't do anything about it. I'm sorry for your loss and I really wish I could help but this is the truth; you're left to your own devices now. Whenever you buy a phone secondhand YOU TAKE A HUGE RISK!" I'm hung-up the the phone in a better mood than I was because someone actually had sympathy for what had happened to me. Left here with just an e-mail address, I knew there was no hope of finding this guy; this person that was a criminal in a moral sense, and yet was not in a legal sense. What this guy did, the police officer said it's COMPLETELY LEGAL!
So the best I could do was go on Craigslist again and find someone who wanted a phone with a bad IMEI for parts or use overseas; I guess luck and karma were on my side and this guy quickly responded, wanting to buy the phone for $200. It turns out he worked for a company that fixes phones and ships them overseas to sell. I knew this guy, who was in his late twenties and rotund, was trained in buying phones; he brought a toothbrush, SIM card remover, and various other tools to inspect the device. I was uneasy during and after the deal; left scarred and paranoid from the previous Craigslist experience. To show how paranoid I was, I even went to a bank teller, asking him to check if the money he gave me was fake. After this ordeal, I realized that spending that extra $300 to buy a brand new phone is worth it; all this stress, mental exhaustion, and time is worth saving by putting down that extra money.
But the problem wasn't over; I bought a T-Mobile HTC One on Swappa for myself when I gave my iPhone 4S to my dad, although from a trusted seller, I knew I could not risk it anymore. Even though I know this guy's name, address, PayPal account, and had proof of purchase, I was still powerless; the wireless and insurance companies don't care about the facts. The merit of facts flies out the window and all they do is put their fingers in their ears and scream "OUR POLICY!" But I remembered during the escapade with the AT&T supervisor, he said I could have transferred the ownership of the phone. To get my facts straight, I went to T-Mobile with all the evidence I had saying I bought this phone from Swappa; I didn't bother with the bottom-feeders and went straight to the manager. Guess what he said? "We can't tap into the system and transfer ownership of a phone since it's tied to a contract. The best we can do it make a note on YOUR account that you bought this phone; this won't prevent it from being blacklisted but it will help if you decide to escalate the issue to Asurion (the insurance company)." Now I thought to myself, "would Asurion even give a damn?" The answer: NO; no they would not. They would most likely try to push the responsibility to someone else and dismiss this huge hole that creates helpless victims because their business runs on customers "losing" their phones or getting it "stolen," and then paying them to replace it.
After all this time wasted trying to get to the bottom of things, I'm left with the cold hard truth: you WILL get burned if you buy a used phone and there is NOTHING you can do about it! NOTHING! The best you can do is to take matters into your own hands and sue; the companies don't care and the police can't help! Save yourself from what has happened to me; just spend that extra $300 to buy a new phone. It's worth every penny for that extra security because this world is full of people who will take advantage of you! I can already feel my idealism fading...

yorkies88888 said:
I bought an iPhone 4S last year from a guy on Craigslist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry this happened, but you purchased the phone off of craiglist!! You should of known better a simple google search would of told you about the dangers.

That was a long read but well worth it sorry that happened to you man, But i think recommending people not buy a second hand phone is somewhat extreme not everyone is a crook and are out to get you.
Anyway glad you were able to recoup half of the money back.

I often meet with someone on the way to sell me a second-hand mobile phone, I did not bother these people.

I bought my HTC one s from a local pawn shop. It was a fido phone which I unlocked and use on Telus network. So basically as long as you buy a phone which was not on the carrier you are going to use it on, then you are completely safe right?
Could you not have still switched that iPhone back to T-Mobile?
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

350Rocket said:
I bought my HTC one s from a local pawn shop. It was a fido phone which I unlocked and use on Telus network. So basically as long as you buy a phone which was not on the carrier you are going to use it on, then you are completely safe right?
Could you not have still switched that iPhone back to T-Mobile?
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the problem is that carriers in the U.S. are starting to share the same blacklist; AT&T, T-Mobile, and the other smaller wireless companies under them share the same list. Once you get blacklisted on one carrier, you're blacklisted by most now.

Thanks for the info.. glad you told.the story. I know this now heh.. sorry for what happened
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app

Thanks for the story.

I think it is pretty safe to buy second hand unlocked phone...
Sent via Tapatalk 2

yorkies88888 said:
Well the problem is that carriers in the U.S. are starting to share the same blacklist; AT&T, T-Mobile, and the other smaller wireless companies under them share the same list. Once you get blacklisted on one carrier, you're blacklisted by most now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This applies to me as well. Without getting into too much detail: Purchased a late model android phone from Craigslist, an unlocked AT&T branded device and I use T Mobile. Fast forward until 2 weeks ago the phone would no longer make calls and gave me a specific error code which I forget now. Turns out that code meant "stolen or lost device" and it would no longer work on any US cellular networks.
Someone who isn't me was unsuccessful in changing the number that shall remain nameless in order to get the phone working again.... that is all

yorkies88888 said:
Well the problem is that carriers in the U.S. are starting to share the same blacklist; AT&T, T-Mobile, and the other smaller wireless companies under them share the same list. Once you get blacklisted on one carrier, you're blacklisted by most now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now i am living in europe, so this doesnt really bother me, yet i am still curious: what if you buy a htc one (for example) that someone had with contract, and root it? Would it still be in a blacklist? And for the iphones: does a jailbreak do the trick to get the phone going again?
Also, sorry for your experiences :/
Greets Vauvenal7
Sent from my HTC MyTouch_4G_slide

Vauvenal7 said:
Now i am living in europe, so this doesnt really bother me, yet i am still curious: what if you buy a htc one (for example) that someone had with contract, and root it? Would it still be in a blacklist? And for the iphones: does a jailbreak do the trick to get the phone going again?
Also, sorry for your experiences :/
Greets Vauvenal7
Sent from my HTC MyTouch_4G_slide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Software modifications won't do anything as your IMEI has been blacklisted. The only way around that is a new motherboard.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

@ yorkie8888
*Interesting read, Sorry to hear what happened, everyone else, I'm from London UK and was wondering if anyone else had experienced anything similar to yorkie here in the UK?
Sent from my Revolutionary Htc One X

Anyone know if this affects Canada the same? For example using an unlocked fido/rogers phone on Telus. Do they share a blacklist too?
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

This I feel has to be said:
Your spent $400 on a USED iPhone?
Buying used phones entails some downsides, like not getting to claim warranty, and this blacklisting thing is really sad, but, meh, that's why we buy them cheap.
Also, I feel the lesson here is, take precautions when buying second-hand, for instance, leave the phone unused for 31+ days. Buy a bat and work out. Take incriminating photos of the seller, etc.
Anyway isn't it possible -although illegal, I know- to change your IMEI?
Seems to be "common" losing/changing it when flashing ROMs.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Thanks for the info
Sent from my HTC Explorer A310e using xda app-developers app

Thanks for sharing this info.

So what is the point of someone blacklisting a phone a year later? Do they get a insurance claim or something.
I have bought used sprint phones for years, but now that I am using a phone (tmobile) with a sim card/imei it seems that you are more likely to get screwed.
Does swappa and PayPal not protect against this issue? And if not what the hell is swappa charging the customer $10/transaction for?

I am almost positive I got this same error a couple of years ago on a phone purchased directly from AT&T. It was a bad SIM card. I wasn't able to make calls or anything. They replaced the SIM and it worked. So for those who buy a used phone and get that error, check your SIM card first.

I've been buying and selling used phones for the last 2 years and never had an issue. I've don't buy off craigslist though, I stick to swappa or ebay where you have some protection via paypal. Yes you always run the risk of someone reporting the device lost/stolen after the sale, but that's why you only buy from reputable/rated sellers and skip on anything that looks too good to be true.
I'm sorry to hear you got screwed on your iphone, but I wouldn't consider your experience the norm. As for the warranty/insurance issue on your other phone, that's just how it is, do your research. The warranty only applies to the original buyer of the device (when bought through an authorized retailer). Same with insurance, you can only add it in a certain time frame when you've bought the phone from an authorized retailer.
However, some carries do have an "open enrollment" where you can add insurance to your device regardless of when/where you bought it. Verizon actually has it going on right now through Dec 2.