Related
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.
Just bought a Samsung Infuse on Craigslist and everything appeared to work fine, but it gives the error "no sim card inserted". I have tried multiple sim cards, but the results are the same. I also tried a factory reset. I have attempted to have it replaced by att and they confirmed its still under warranty, but because my sim card has never registered in the phone they are giving me hassle over it.
Does anyone have any ideas on what I could do to fix this issue? The phone looks so new its hard to believe it has such a bad issue. The only similar story I could find was trouble with new sim cards.
Any help would be HIGHLY appreciated. Thanks.
socalledsin said:
Just bought a Samsung Infuse on Craigslist and everything appeared to work fine, but it gives the error "no sim card inserted". I have tried multiple sim cards, but the results are the same. I also tried a factory reset. I have attempted to have it replaced by att and they confirmed its still under warranty, but because my sim card has never registered in the phone they are giving me hassle over it.
Does anyone have any ideas on what I could do to fix this issue? The phone looks so new its hard to believe it has such a bad issue. The only similar story I could find was trouble with new sim cards.
Any help would be HIGHLY appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if this is helpful or not but that happened to me one time. I was in an area with no service at all. How is your typical signal?
I normally get a very strong 3g signal here, so I don't think thats it. Good idea tho
Eh it was worth a shot. Tell AT&T that you broke your SIM card during the insertion process?
Same thing happened to me. Got it off craigslist.
Brought it to AT&T warranty store and after jumping through millions of flaming hoops, the guy finally told me the phone's IMEI was "locked" to a certain number or plan or something for 6 months after the date of purchase; may 15th. He said the phone will on it's own be usable November 15th or 16th, ergo today or tomorrow; and if not to bring it in for a swap.
Good luck!
Oh man that sucks. Would totally make sense tho. Thanks for the info, I wonder if I could possibly unlock it or do anything to free it from that lock.
socalledsin said:
Oh man that sucks. Would totally make sense tho. Thanks for the info, I wonder if I could possibly unlock it or do anything to free it from that lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried unlocking with little success. My best guess for you is to contact AT&T service and ask when/where the phone was purchased, the guy was able to tell me it was from a best buy on may 15th with nothing but the IMEI number; that should give you an indication of when you could use yours. Of course there's also the chance there's just hardware damage, but the phone is under a 1 year warranty if it was new so you should be fine with that, continue to jump through ATT's hoops and you'll come out the other end some day
berryman13 said:
I tried unlocking with little success. My best guess for you is to contact AT&T service and ask when/where the phone was purchased, the guy was able to tell me it was from a best buy on may 15th with nothing but the IMEI number; that should give you an indication of when you could use yours. Of course there's also the chance there's just hardware damage, but the phone is under a 1 year warranty if it was new so you should be fine with that, continue to jump through ATT's hoops and you'll come out the other end some day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a better idea to use Samsung's warranty, because as long as it's under the one year warranty, Samsung will fix/replace it.
I checked it at the samsung website and confirmed its still under warranty. That will probably have to be the route i take. I am making a final attempt to get ATT to swap it tho cause they will send the replacement out rather than waiting for me to send this one in. Lets hope :/
Look for an AT&T warranty and repair center in your area, they can replace it in person on the spot.
I dont think i live near any unfortunately. I call att and the customer service reps really seem to understand the issue, but they have to transfer me to warranty to finish the process and everything goes to hell. They barely speak english and dont listen at all! So frustrating
If you do go to an ATT store and say hey, I want a new SIM card tthey will do it. I have had it done before. Just be nice, pick the guy that looks nerdy and doesn't like guidelines and shoot. I one had a guy who said that he would help me get unlimited data even a year and a half after they stopped it. They have good people there. Find them and ask them for a new one!
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA App
How can you use the warranty of you weren't the original buyer? I also bought mine off of craigslist but i thought you needed proof of payment to get any kind of warranty replacement...
Sent from my Samsung Infuse
I got to work and tried a 3 year old sim card since I saw a post that someones infuse only worked with old sims, but had no luck with that. I also went to ATT on lunch and they were pretty much useless. I made a final call to ATT warranty, and while he put me on hold for another 20 minutes, i took a hard look at my sim card holder and noticed the contacts looked a little odd.
I am assuming when the original owner yanked his out it pulled the contacts and mangled them a bit. I was able to bend them up with my fingernail and then jam my sim into the slot forcing the contacts back into place. Powered it on and it freaking worked! I'm thinking as long as i never remove my sim it should be fine. I'm sure its got a hell of a good connection on the sim now lol. Thanks for all the ideas and info guys. I gotta say the ATT warranty department is absolute garbage customer service too. Just wow.
slapshot30 said:
How can you use the warranty of you weren't the original buyer? I also bought mine off of craigslist but i thought you needed proof of payment to get any kind of warranty replacement...
Sent from my Samsung Infuse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far I have been able to swap out an Atrix, and a Captivate that were still under warranty. As long as you have used the phone with your sim card on that number they wont even question you. My trouble with the warranty this time was partly because I was never able to register on their network with my sim, and partly because as it turns out the phone isnt even 30 days since originally purchased, so every call ended with them telling me to return it to radio shack.
It was working when she got it. Suddenly on wednesday morning, it says "restricted access changed" and when she tries to select T-mobile as carrier it says not permitted on sim card. She went into tmobile and they checked the IMEI and it turns out the user reported it lost. She called the seller and he says he didn't do anything and is not answering calls now.
Is there anything she can do? Go to the police? wrong forum?
Guessing it could also have been a stolen phone that the guy sold off right away and the original owner just reported it.
Unless the owner that reported it stolen calls back to T-Mobile and says it wasn't stolen there is nothing you can do. I would stay away from the police since your friend has received stolen property. Unless they want to give it back to the owner.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
she got scammed, and has the phone number and craigslist listing, and the fact that the original owner already reported it stolen. Why stay away from cops?
Because receiving stolen property is a crime? Do what you want with the criminal aspect of it, but you won't be able to use that device until it comes off the lost/stolen list. Sorry.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Receiving stolen property knowingly is a crime. You basically got scammed so there's no issue in reporting it to the police. Chances are however, they will do nothing to help you. It will probably be more of a hassle for you, and you won't get your money back or the status of the phone changed, but, it may stop the person from doing it to someone else.
Sorry but I think your friend is out of luck.
Buying used phones is fine but I would limit it to either people I know or actual businesses not individuals. I bought mine on Ebay, but through a retailer that have sold thousands of phones with good seller feedback.
You can go straight to the cops, does she have a receipt or bill of sale at all? That's the biggest thing. If she does then she shouldn't be in trouble
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
faehsemc said:
You can go straight to the cops, does she have a receipt or bill of sale at all? That's the biggest thing. If she does then she shouldn't be in trouble
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true. If she has a confirmation or receipt for the sale, then she should be good. Ya, it could be a hassle, is it worth it? Is it worth stopping this a-hole from doing this to someone else?
This biggest thing is, was the phone stolen or lost from a different person other then the seller? I am sure t-mobile can trace the original owner through the imei number.
Sent from my PACmaned SCH-I535
I have bought several phones from individuals on craigslist; to avoid the situation you describe here you must do one simple thing. Before you by the phone pull the battery, call verizon customer service. Read the EIN number to them and they will tell you if the phone has been reported stolen. If the seller refuses to let you do this then you can assume the phone is stolen… don't walk… run away!
Verizon is happy to provide this information to you and you are assured that you are getting a clean phone.
Hope this helps in future purchases.
Rick
nvertigo said:
It was working when she got it. Suddenly on wednesday morning, it says "restricted access changed" and when she tries to select T-mobile as carrier it says not permitted on sim card. She went into tmobile and they checked the IMEI and it turns out the user reported it lost. She called the seller and he says he didn't do anything and is not answering calls now.
Is there anything she can do? Go to the police? wrong forum?
Guessing it could also have been a stolen phone that the guy sold off right away and the original owner just reported it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GTablet said:
I have bought several phones from individuals on craigslist; to avoid the situation you describe here you must do one simple thing. Before you by the phone pull the battery, call verizon customer service. Read the EIN number to them and they will tell you if the phone has been reported stolen. If the seller refuses to let you do this then you can assume the phone is stolen… don't walk… run away!
Verizon is happy to provide this information to you and you are assured that you are getting a clean phone.
Hope this helps in future purchases.
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue was with tmobile not Verizon.
The problem with that strategy is that the phone was not reported as stolen until after she already had purchased the phone. Most people do not report their phone stolen right away because they are hoping that they will still find it. In that time someone can sell the phone which still has a clean ESN. It wouldn't become bad until the original owner reported it which is probably what happened in her case. The phone had a clean ESN days after she purchased it.
It does bring up an interesting thought. At what point does the ESN transfer to the new account? It would have to at some point, otherwise someone who owned the phone 4 years ago could still report it stolen. And it could be not immediately otherwise there would be no point in being able to report it stolen because the person who stole it would have control over the ESN just be activating it.
I'll have to ask a friend who's a manager of Sprint store.
rtan73 said:
The problem with that strategy is that the phone was not reported as stolen until after she already had purchased the phone. Most people do not report their phone stolen right away because they are hoping that they will still find it. In that time someone can sell the phone which still has a clean ESN. It wouldn't become bad until the original owner reported it which is probably what happened in her case. The phone had a clean ESN days after she purchased it.
It does bring up an interesting thought. At what point does the ESN transfer to the new account? It would have to at some point, otherwise someone who owned the phone 4 years ago could still report it stolen. And it could be not immediately otherwise there would be no point in being able to report it stolen because the person who stole it would have control over the ESN just be activating it.
I'll have to ask a friend who's a manager of Sprint store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Verizon the esn always remains in the history of your account even if you clear it for sell and is used by another account.
I know they have a history of it, but at one point ownership had to be transferred like a car. Otherwise I could sell my phone to someone then report it stolen 2 years later which would make the phone obsolete without the actual owners permission or knowledge. Or, if the phone had several owners it can't be that all of the previous owners have the right to claim it as stolen indefinetly. There has to be a time limit to when a new account is linked to an ESN and the old account holder no longer can claim it as stolen. That would be the time frame that a person would have to sell a stolen phone.
rtan73 said:
I know they have a history of it, but at one point ownership had to be transferred like a car. Otherwise I could sell my phone to someone then report it stolen 2 years later which would make the phone obsolete without the actual owners permission or knowledge. Or, if the phone had several owners it can't be that all of the previous owners have the right to claim it as stolen indefinetly. There has to be a time limit to when a new account is linked to an ESN and the old account holder no longer can claim it as stolen. That would be the time frame that a person would have to sell a stolen phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as it's active on your account it's safe but if you take it off an active line it can still be activated or reported stolen from a previous owner. I had it happen to me before. The time gap was around 2 years or so.
It does not matter which company it was...they all will check the EIN before you buy the phone...
PaulG1488 said:
The issue was with tmobile not Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is always a good idea to get a bill off sale making sure you note the serial numbers, etc. Also have them fill out their information as it is on their drivers license or identification.
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.
So,
Just recently bought a sprint g955u off of Offer Up.
Being the uber noob I am, I was sold on the story of it being clean, recently paid off and clear for unlocking.
As you can guess, it was not.
Unpaid bills is what i was told.
After a few google searches of unlocking services, I've found that one may not always be able to unlock due to certain circumstances. Like unpaid bills.
So i have been very hesitant about using them.
As it turns out, the person I bought the phone from happens to be a member of this community. Which is why I am here. So the further I read the more I'm hoping I might actually be able to unlock this phone.
I managed to make it through Sampwnd's root with ease but have hit a roadblock when it comes to unlocking.
Id love to really dive into this phone and maybe actually learn a few things (and god willing maybe even be able to contribute one day!?) but I am just lost.
I'm sure there has to be a new wave/generation of lost noobs heading here, but it was one of your own that brought me here. So please, I ask, help me get my phone working!!
If you have written proof the person said it was paid off, tell them you want to return it and have your money back otherwise you will consider small claims court, otherwise at to them you expect to have it paid off. In the UK the person has the debt of the phone attached to them not the phone, if you sell off the phone they come after you for the money, if you refuse they do block the phone though.
@cabg.kepr,
Depending on how you paid for the device (i.e. credit card) you should be able to get a refund. I'm sorry to tell you that if you paid cash, you are SOL. There's no solution.
Ouch. Really??
No flashing special firmware or anything??
But yup, paid cash. Met outside of a Wal-Mart. He lied about being apart of some dev team yada-yada. Told me I would very easily be able to unlock. He even tried to assist but messages would be VERY delayed. And when asked a technical questions he wouldn't reply or would change the subject. Almost 100% sure he's using an app for a phone.
Well yesterday he just quit replying. Which is what brought me here.
Now I see he's offering a free service, on here, to assist people through Team viewer, with rooting and unlocking.
He had me convinced for 3 days (I now realize how stupid I was..) that he would do it. So three separate times he would access through team viewer for hours at a time. And the few times i popped in to watch (been fairly busy) he would be going through websites and settings. When I asked what was up, he would give some weird excuse (and again, I realize how dumb I was being).
He told me he was getting root and unlock ready, when really, he spent hours going through my network settings and what not. Very suspicious. Luckily I was smart enough to only let him on an empty, freshly installed win10. And disconnected all other devices from wifi.
A few times though he did tell me that he would access my drives later and that he could use my TV to access my network. A couple times said he was a hacker but white hat. Said he had friends that were black and could do anything they wanted. That, at least, I was smart enough to have a chuckle at. But really, this whole thing has just become so strange and uncomfortable. But now I'm just pissed.
So really, this might even deserve admin attention?? This guy could really be some trouble.
@cabg.kepr
Let's clarify one point: Do you have phone service with your device? If not, have you checked the IMEI number (swappa.com, for example) to see if it's black listed?
@cam30era
I do not. The phone is a sprint and the sim was pulled out.
(My current provider is att)
Checked on swappa and it is not blacklisted, ready for activation, but has a finance issue.
Called sprint and they told me the account was negative and unpaid.
cabg.kepr said:
@cam30era
I do not. The phone is a sprint and the sim was pulled out.
(My current provider is att)
Checked on swappa and it is not blacklisted, ready for activation, but has a finance issue.
Called sprint and they told me the account was negative and unpaid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IF if hasn't been blacklisted, you should be able to activate it on your service provider. If you haven't tried yet, give it a try.
Just called att. They directed me to a website that told me my imei was unrecognized by them.
cabg.kepr said:
Just called att. They directed me to a website that told me my imei was unrecognized by them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not unusual for AT&T. It doesn't mean your device can't be activated. Try installing an AT&T SIM card from another device that is already activated on AT&T.
Tried that first thing and got "invalid sim".. it's art prepaid. Not sure if that matters?
cabg.kepr said:
Tried that first thing and got "invalid sim".. it's art prepaid. Not sure if that matters?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appears this S8+ is SIM (carrier) locked to Sprint. You won't be able to use it on any carrier until the previous owner pays off the outstanding balance.
FWIW: don't confuse SIM locked with bootloader locked. And SamPWMD root won't help you.
Have you tried to contact the seller about this?
Sent pm
cabg.kepr said:
Sent pm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not receive a PM.
Hey sorry for the delay. Was going to send a pm explaing without him seeing but won't need to now.
Basically I still have/had some very sporadic contact. i was worried of really digging in to him in fear that hed be deleting everything and id never hear from him again.
Still not sure what to do. Though it sounds like I have a nice little tablet for at home?? Still very much plan on working on this in hopes that there will be a boot loader root soon??(if I understood that correctly)
cabg.kepr said:
Hey sorry for the delay. Was going to send a pm explaing without him seeing but won't need to now.
Basically I still have/had some very sporadic contact. i was worried of really digging in to him in fear that hed be deleting everything and id never hear from him again.
Still not sure what to do. Though it sounds like I have a nice little tablet for at home?? Still very much plan on working on this in hopes that there will be a boot loader root soon??(if I understood that correctly)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you got fleeced mate, feel sorry for you not sure how claims courts work in America but I'd be going to one of those. Eventually, the phone sounds like it'll be blacklisted, which won't help your cause. I'd keep copies of every conversation you've had with him and screenshots or printouts if you do decide to take it to court.
I'm unsure of the situation but did you buy this phone from the person who hasn't paid it off or did he buy it from them then sell it to you? As for the TeamViewer situation, yeah that's dodgy you're right to be suspicious.
cabg.kepr said:
Hey sorry for the delay. Was going to send a pm explaing without him seeing but won't need to now.
Basically I still have/had some very sporadic contact. i was worried of really digging in to him in fear that hed be deleting everything and id never hear from him again.
Still not sure what to do. Though it sounds like I have a nice little tablet for at home?? Still very much plan on working on this in hopes that there will be a boot loader root soon??(if I understood that correctly)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO phone modification will help you. This device is DEAD unless he pays it off and gets a SIM unlock code for you. You basically have 3 choices:
1) Contact him and insist on a refund, or written evidence of device paid off.
or
2) Contact the police and file a fraud report
or
3) Accept you loss
Again, don't hope that bootloader unlock or root or any device modification will resolve this. It won't. This device is useless until it's paid for at Sprint, and they provide a SIM unlock code.
This is so funny. Always pay with card, even if it's local. Anyone can take a card payment, Paypal, Square, etc; That way you have protection from your credit card provider. This is why I always buy new, not secondhand, from a shady dealer in a dark alley, much less wally world. You got played so hard man. At those dev claims, shouldve asked proof and definitely verified if it was unlocked on the spot before handing cash over. Enjoy your new paperweight. I wanna feel bad for you, but it's kinda hard when you fell for the obvious lies.
Same thing happened to me and I bought unlock code $25.00 flash with US unlock firmware. I am using it on AT&T now. Hopefully buyer don't report stolen. Unpaid phone can still be using on other networks.
Hmm well thank you everyone. Kind of a bummer if thsts the case.
What about this though?? @randy_c it had a neg balance against it and everything??
randy_c said:
Same thing happened to me and I bought unlock code $25.00 flash with US unlock firmware. I am using it on AT&T now. Hopefully buyer don't report stolen. Unpaid phone can still be using on other networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not when it's SIM locked to Sprint.