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ive come here because this is the most knowledgable place about android phones and need some advice from the experts
i recently broke my atrix and could not afford a new phone from at&t. i knew it wasnt a good idea but bought a galaxy s2 off craigslist for 200$. tested it with my sim card and all worked so i paid the guy. next day no data working, called at&t and gave them the imei # and they registered it and all was good for about two days. then went to make a call after 2 days of use and get a recording the device is blocked by at&t. call them and they tell me the phone was reported lost or stolen. after explaining all of this to them they gave me contact email for the owner to return it to him and a discount on a new phone. this was over a week ago and the person has not responded. is this phone garbage at this point? what can i do with this phone? i have done some unlocking, rooting and custom roms with my atrix and evo and i would like to know my options to get the phone usable .....
Won't work until you contact owner
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
Illnevertell said:
Won't work until you contact owner
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so basically i can save it for spare parts if this guy never contacts me, excluding the mainboard...
resetting the imei to a generic wont help either?
Did you try telling at&t you can't contact the owner? Or maybe tell them you contacted him and he told you that there must have been a mistake and it wasn't stolen just sold.
Im missing something? Why would at&t ask for/why give them the imei number? Unlike cdma, imei is not used by gsm in authentication/connection to network. But since youve given it to them i can only assume they checked it, found it dtolen and blocked it.
Im assuming as soon as u put the sim in another phone it works?
I know the imei is held within the efs, and that it can be changed on the original galaxy s2, u may want to look into that
kishke said:
Did you try telling at&t you can't contact the owner? Or maybe tell them you contacted him and he told you that there must have been a mistake and it wasn't stolen just sold.
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Click to collapse
i did, in my initial conversation with a supervisor explain that i had bought this skyrocket legitimately (or what i thought was a legitimate buy) and being that i was willing to return the phone i still feel possesion was 9/10ths of the law. she explained to me that these devices are shut down via imei# via fcc database and only the owner could in fact, turn the device back on. good side to this is they actually are sending me the exact phone brand new. also what i found odd was that his contact email is a hotmail, i would have expected a gmail account. im taking a guess that maybe he was in on this 200$ scam and him and the guy i bought it from split the money. i called the seller back and he asked me "which phone was this", telling me hes sold more then one phone. at&t is making me whole at the end of the day but the skyrocket i got in this scam is brand new and would hate to just throw it out
icenight89 said:
Im missing something? Why would at&t ask for/why give them the imei number? Unlike cdma, imei is not used by gsm in authentication/connection to network. But since youve given it to them i can only assume they checked it, found it dtolen and blocked it.
Im assuming as soon as u put the sim in another phone it works?
I know the imei is held within the efs, and that it can be changed on the original galaxy s2, u may want to look into that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea i was reading this efs folder holds that. is there a procedure that you know of for this specific phone in a post you can point me to? thanks..
You could just put it on Craigslist and sell it again.. pass along the good karma.
aycockonxion said:
You could just put it on Craigslist and sell it again.. pass along the good karma.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no i wont do that. stuff like this at the wrong time could end badly for the seller and i wouldnt want to outright rob anyone
icenight89 said:
Im missing something? Why would at&t ask for/why give them the imei number? Unlike cdma, imei is not used by gsm in authentication/connection to network. But since youve given it to them i can only assume they checked it, found it dtolen and blocked it.
Im assuming as soon as u put the sim in another phone it works?
I know the imei is held within the efs, and that it can be changed on the original galaxy s2, u may want to look into that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be wrong, but wasn't legislation passed that forces them to do this now?
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
00mred00 said:
I could be wrong, but wasn't legislation passed that forces them to do this now?
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i read that sometime earlier this year or ending 2011 they are required by law to do this now. which if i had known i would have never took a 200$ chance. im still left with a 200$ paperweight. ill take all suggestions at this point and thanks for all the responses...
You could sell it to someone looking to go to straight talk, different sim so it should work.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Its a long shot but try flashing my efs fix, it may change ur imei:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1611796
I should also note that its been found several times that people have accidentally wiped there imei's with the skyrocket, so i know that it can be done.
Have hope, ur phone is NOT yet reclused to a paperweight
Like someone said before the block should be only on at&t, you could probably sell it to someone who uses another carrier and clarify that in will probably won't work for at&t.
kishke said:
Like someone said before the block should be only on at&t, you could probably sell it to someone who uses another carrier and clarify that in will probably won't work for at&t.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just go to a mobile store and ask them to force another IMEI number
ok thanks everyone, i will look into which option i decide to go with and post here my results...thank you all for the great input:cyclops:
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
MasterGGM said:
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would get the ESN and call to see if they would activate it. That's what we used to do when I sold cell phone years ago.
The imei is the gsm equivalent of esn. Anyway, call them before you buy, and simple mobile is a T-Mobile subsidiary so if it's blacklisted on tmo it won't work on simple because the towers refuse to work with you. I say just call tmo and they might help you, but don't tell them you want to use it on simple because they might not.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2
No, it won't work on Simple Mobile, because Simple Mobile runs on T-Mobile. You're not allowed to discuss buying phones not owned by the seller. You don't own the phone if you pay the $200 to buy it and then stop paying the bills.
I have purchased CDMA phones on Craigslist for years now. I bought one phone with a bad ESN and learned the most important lesson with regards to buying a cell phone second hand...activate the phone before handing over any cash. If that means taking it to one of these places or meeting the seller at a place that unlocks phones (unless you have a laptop and the means to unlock it yourself prior to purchasing). Also even with the phone not activate it should still call customer service. Verify that the IMEI is good. If a seller acts shady when you tell them you are going to do this...save your gas.
how??
MasterGGM said:
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can it be blocked when its a gsm? if its stolen you jus pop your sim in it and thats it it still works.
blocked imei i never heard of. can someone please clarify?
intrygue83 said:
How can it be blocked when its a gsm? if its stolen you jus pop your sim in it and thats it it still works.
blocked imei i never heard of. can someone please clarify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can block an IMEI like you can block an ESN now if the phone is lost, stolen, or has an unpaid balance.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Product F(RED) said:
You can block an IMEI like you can block an ESN now if the phone is lost, stolen, or has an unpaid balance.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Galaxy S 3 stolen yesterday. There is no way for me to get it back, I can get over that. What I can't get over is someone having my 3 month old phone and being able to use it with no problems.
I contacted T Mobile on 3 separate occasions to see if they could block the IMEI number because I have the original packaging. I was told from 3 different account specialists that T Mobile CANNOT block the IMEI. Whoever stole my phone just has to pop in a new sim card and the stolen phone will work just fine, and there is nothing I can do about it.
If anyone knows how I can get my stolen phone blocked, I'd love to hear how.
Adam
boda05 said:
I had a Galaxy S 3 stolen yesterday. There is no way for me to get it back, I can get over that. What I can't get over is someone having my 3 month old phone and being able to use it with no problems.
I contacted T Mobile on 3 separate occasions to see if they could block the IMEI number because I have the original packaging. I was told from 3 different account specialists that T Mobile CANNOT block the IMEI. Whoever stole my phone just has to pop in a new sim card and the stolen phone will work just fine, and there is nothing I can do about it.
If anyone knows how I can get my stolen phone blocked, I'd love to hear how.
Adam
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Escalate it and tell them you need that phone marked lost or stolen. They do it for non-payment, they can do it for lost or stolen phones.
Product F(RED) said:
Escalate it and tell them you need that phone marked lost or stolen. They do it for non-payment, they can do it for lost or stolen phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
boda05 said:
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on Straight Talk AT&T. I've never had experience doing that, but I know it's possible because people have been scammed and end up with lost/stolen/non-payment T-Mobile phones that won't register onto the network.
well..
boda05 said:
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry your phone was stolen but doing that is not going to stop anything. If it was password protected then they won't has access to it.
until they bring it to someone like myself who can wipe it and reuse it. Its a GSM so all i have to do is wipe it n pop a new sim in it and wola.
That's just how it is
intrygue83 said:
Sorry your phone was stolen but doing that is not going to stop anything. If it was password protected then they won't has access to it.
until they bring it to someone like myself who can wipe it and reuse it. Its a GSM so all i have to do is wipe it n pop a new sim in it and wola.
That's just how it is
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Product F(RED) said:
I'm on Straight Talk AT&T. I've never had experience doing that, but I know it's possible because people have been scammed and end up with lost/stolen/non-payment T-Mobile phones that won't register onto the network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I've read many stories about people buying a used phone from a person and the imei being blocked. I am just confirming/questioning that this isn't possible (whether it's a recent thing or ever) with T Mobile.
This seems like a good way for stolen phones to be blocked, but what about customers that report their phones stolen to t-mobile and then sell it on craigslist (I know a few people that do this)..the poor sucker that bought the phone will have it activated and by the time T-mobile blacklists the number they are left with a worthless phone.
euklid said:
This seems like a good way for stolen phones to be blocked, but what about customers that report their phones stolen to t-mobile and then sell it on craigslist (I know a few people that do this)..the poor sucker that bought the phone will have it activated and by the time T-mobile blacklists the number they are left with a worthless phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People just neeed to do their research and take precautions. If you don't put in the extra time to figure out how to buy a used phone safely, you're going to be taking a chance - and you get what you get.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-develope rs app
Blacklisted
I work for a cell phone buy-back firm. Every since November of last year we have been running into blacklisted imeis. We've got phones coming back because the person who sold us the phone quit paying on a subsidized phone. Considering our agents call people all over the country attempting to buy their used or inactive phones, most people see us as way out. This hasn't been an issue with cdma phones because we can check esn. Two days ago checkesnfree.com added imei blacklisted. But what I don't understand is our audit department can put a live sim card in a blacklisted phone and make a successful test call. But when a customer tries to put it on an account, it can't be done. Can someone explain to me why this is. I understand the calls and text are using a different section of the tower than the data network uses. But any more than that I'm at a loss. Thanks
IMEI blocking is only inner company at the moment. If att black lists an imei it will not work on any carrier that piggy backs att towers. Soon it will become cross company and global.
Wayne Tech S-III
zelendel said:
IMEI blocking is only inner company at the moment. If att black lists an imei it will not work on any carrier that piggy backs att towers. Soon it will become cross company and global.
Wayne Tech S-III
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok every one i have you this solved !!!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE BAD ESN/IMEI ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE i have gotten 2 Samsung Galaxy S III and a s4 off ebay with "BAD ESN/IMEI" unlocked them and working fine on simple mobile !!
juggalo818 said:
ok every one i have you this solved !!!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE BAD ESN/IMEI ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE i have gotten 2 Samsung Galaxy S III and a s4 off ebay with "BAD ESN/IMEI" unlocked them and working fine on simple mobile !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would I unlock it, please share, I have a galaxy s3
Put in a sim from another provider and then search for an unlock code and your done its about $15-$20 normally
Sent from my SGH-T679 using xda app-developers app
If anyone has a good relationship with anyone in management at at&t ... warranty dept ideally..... can you please pm me .... i need help.....
long story but in a nut shell i had a warranty claim involving charging port on my phone and it got misdelivered by post office .... second phone came and i was late returning it because it was lost in the return envelope somewhere... well they charged my account for $2000 dollars!!!
A representative of the warranty dept took over the case and we were doing great.... i assured her the phone had been recovered and was in
the mail. She took the situation by the horns and went to management and smoothed everything out.... until yesterday that is.... first- she told me to do nothing i.e. pay anything on my bill, until she got back in touch with me .... she cautioned this could take several weeks but that the charges applied to my account were serious and needed to be resolved before anything else transpires on the account... well yesterday tried to log onto
my at&t and check status and was still locked out so I placed a call to inquire..... get this .... its weird ... and i see why they would feel this way....
but while i'm on the phone i get a call from a young kid with latino or spanish accent indicating that he was terribly sorry but about two months ago
he received a package for me in the mail and it was a phone.... I was like theres the missing phone right.... well i told him i was on the way and
about ninety miles later and couple hours of trying to decipher his location I found him and recovered the device.... refurbished white one xl with 1.85 1.09 hboot... so i called back to try and locate my lady helping me and got customer service so i told them what had just transpired and i needed to be transferred to that dept... well she would only say that i needed to return the phone to closest location immediately...so i hung up...
got distracted as usual trying to run two businesses and buy another.... just four kids four dogs and a cat on a rainy day and it didnt happen...but i felt i needed to communicate with warranty dept... so anyway i woke up yesterday and my phone is cut off ....now this is not good for me trying to deal with banks for funding on a new business venture and kids and all. So infuriated i proceed to the local store with there phone and after a two hour ordeal with local manager and his support system we come up with i need to return the phone and sometime on or around the 1-17-13 everything will clear out and i can restore my service... well i blew up and told them to just close my accounts.. that was not acceptable...
Anyway the deal is although there way too expensive (my bill is never less than $250 , there still in my experience hands down the best...at least in this area.... and until now every issue i have they more than handle the situation... But i dont appreciate being treated like a criminal stealing a phone when i got up and went out of my way to recover there device. I had no responsibility to this device and had been cleared a month ago by the warranty dept who had confirmed by tracing the device that i never received it..... I also really dont appreciate my phone being turned off on a moments notice when i have done nothing but what i was instructed to do by there management.....
so im at a huge loss today on what to do ....
1- flash both devices to Straight Talk...?
2- send device back? and wait a week to be exhonerated of these charges and restored?
3- call attorney general and file complaint? hire lawyer with money i dont have?
4- do i have rights ? no rights?
I'm really getting sick of big corporations just steam rolling over the little guy.....ive already had a debacle earlier this year with sprint/google nexus that has all but put me out of business... and mother google is becoming the worst ally of a small biz owner ive ever seen ....between adwords and adsense....and there phone i'm in tight spot.....
any help or advice would be greatly appreciated........
Joe Adams
well first off team one X is a GSM device therefore it cannot be flashed however you can obtain an unlock code so you can use a straight talk sim card. Or you could even buy an AT&T compatible SIM from straight talk which does not require an unlock code. Secondly I would talk to supervisor or a store Manager and see if they can help you and your situation.
But whatever you choose best of luck to you on a second note if you get a straight talk sim you know you may get the error mm 6 device not authorized in which case means AT&T has your device on the lost or stolen blacklist
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
thanks
yea well im sending back one of the devices.... so hopefully they wont do that to the other one... im unlocked and rooted on one and about to unlock and root the other one and going to nearest straight talk... i cant go without a phone .... F atat
FragmentedLogik said:
well first off team one X is a GSM device therefore it cannot be flashed however you can obtain an unlock code so you can use a straight talk sim card. Or you could even buy an AT&T compatible SIM from straight talk which does not require an unlock code. Secondly I would talk to supervisor or a store Manager and see if they can help you and your situation.
But whatever you choose best of luck to you on a second note if you get a straight talk sim you know you may get the error mm 6 device not authorized in which case means AT&T has your device on the lost or stolen blacklist
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T are a bunch of thieves. Can't wait to leave myself! You might want to speak with your attorney.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
1homeboi said:
yea well im sending back one of the devices.... so hopefully they wont do that to the other one... im unlocked and rooted on one and about to unlock and root the other one and going to nearest straight talk... i cant go without a phone .... F atat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you want to go to straight talk check out their website for GSM BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) @ straighttalksim.com and make sure you choose the AT&T Compatible SIM, You get the same coverage because it uses att towers, for a fraction of the price, however i dont know if they offer LTE yet or not so you may want to do some research on different APN Configurations and what not.
A Word about Unlocked just remember that the bootloader unlock and a Network Unlock are 2 different things, where you need the bootloader unlock to be able to use custom roms, firmware, and radios. You will need a network unlock to be able to use the device on another network that does not operate on att towers, some examples are T-Mobile, SIMple Mobile, Vodaphone, etc, etc
Hello everybody. Please forgive me for showing my ignorance. I'm very new to Android phones so please bear with me.
I recently purchased a OnePlus One from a friend of mine. I've been using the phone for a week on T-Mobile's network without a hitch. It doesn't work so well in my basement apartment but I still love the phone. Anyway, I went to make a call yesterday (10/11) and "Mobile Network Not Available." I called T-Mobile. I was told that the mfr put a block on the IMEI as the phone had been reported lost or stolen. I can assure you, the person I purchased it from did no such thing nor, obviously, did I. Does anyone have an explanation as what might have happened?
Trying to get OnePlus Customer Service to contact me is like trying to swim through cement, so I'm turning to the pro's here I've read great things about this forum and I'm sure someone here can help me.
I will try anything at this point. If someone could email me, I'd be very grateful. Thanks for any guidance you can offer!
Fred
That's interesting. T-mobile should not have the power to block the imei since it's an international phone. Att doesn't even have the imei in their systems. You haven't attempted to root your phone correct?
Sent from my OnePlusOne
Check that you got a valid IMEI at all
Send from OnePlus One using Tapatalk
Are you in the UK? Did your friend get the phone new from 1+?
Maybe someone got hold of the imei number and then claimed on their insurance by saying it was lost or stolen. In the UK it doesn't matter if it is a carrier phone or sim free, if it is reported on the lost/stolen register it will be blocked and can't be unblocked. It will still work outside of the UK
osmosizzz said:
That's interesting. T-mobile should not have the power to block the imei since it's an international phone. Att doesn't even have the imei in their systems. You haven't attempted to root your phone correct?
Sent from my OnePlusOne
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to T-Mobile, they cannot block a non-T-Mobile phone, as you say. No, I haven't attempted to root the phone. I know what rooting is but I'm such a technological idiot I would never attempt it.
Hello,
I bought a T-Mobile Galaxy S7 on samsung.com and i haven't been able to SIM unlock it.
After many calls and chats, T-Mobile support told me this: "... because the device was purchased directly from the manufacturer our system doesn't recognize the device as being a T-Mobile device. Even though it is a T-Mobile model and has T-Mobile software, a T-Mobile device is considered to be one bought or sold by T-Mobile directly. We have a database of the IMEI's of the devices we carry and sell, and this lets us unlock eligible devices upon a customer's request."
Samsung support is useless.
I tried a 3rd party unlock service two weeks ago and I'm still waiting. They asked me to please be patient because the T-Mobile server has been down.
T-Mobile unlock app did more damage than good.
I'm also still trying to return the cellphone but Samsung hasn't sent any prepaid labels yet, I've called 3 times on 3 different weeks and they said they're about to send it. , that I should wait a couple of days.
So, in the mean time, is there any other option to unlock this thing? like a brute force unlock.
Thanks.
Let me know if you find an answer. I have an s6 edge that till date after it being active on T-Mobile for over 8 months (Samsung purchase phone - T-Mobile variant) the application from T-Mobile tells me the device is not eligible". Samsung care says they don't unlock that my carrier does lol
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Would it be possible to flash the MetroPCS ROM and use a SIM unlock service for MetroPCS? Or do the same with AT&T?
yeah everyone i have tried for unlocking says the service is down...more like the inside person they use is not available...have asked a couple of sites and ebay sellers...same thing...they must all use the same person or exploit.
I was getting the runaround from Samsung to goto T-Mobile and vice versa.. luckily the T-Mobile tech support was helpful and agreed to be on conference with Samsung support and it was a battle with Samsung to get some responsible answer as they kept saying that they don't unlock phones. Then when we escalated to the manager, she repeated the same but at the end created a case to service the phone. Once it reached Samsung, they just said updated software and are sending back on same day.. Not sure if it got fixed, will let you know as soon as I get it..
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
nktwister said:
I was getting the runaround from Samsung to goto T-Mobile and vice versa.. luckily the T-Mobile tech support was helpful and agreed to be on conference with Samsung support and it was a battle with Samsung to get some responsible answer as they kept saying that they don't unlock phones. Then when we escalated to the manager, she repeated the same but at the end created a case to service the phone. Once it reached Samsung, they just said updated software and are sending back on same day.. Not sure if it got fixed, will let you know as soon as I get it..
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt if updating software can actually sim unlock it. But who knows, perhaps Samsung has a magical software update. Let us know please. If it works we could dump the OS a d reflash other locked units with Odin maybe? Lol
jazzdglass said:
I doubt if updating software can actually sim unlock it. But who knows, perhaps Samsung has a magical software update. Let us know please. If it works we could dump the OS a d reflash other locked units with Odin maybe? Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was a bummer.. the stupid Samsung technical support just reflashed the same software and sent back the phone in a generic box (did not get original box back) .. the same problem still exists.. the device unlock app doesn't work and T-Mobile doesn't have the unlock code for this imei..
I got T-Mobile to fix mine.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Febby said:
I got T-Mobile to fix mine.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please elaborate on what you asked and what was done by T-Mobile? Did you buy your phone from Samsung.com?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
nktwister said:
Can you please elaborate on what you asked and what was done by T-Mobile? Did you buy your phone from Samsung.com?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you want to state to them is for them to request a ticket for your Imei to be white listed for the device unlock application. Let them know it is the T-Mobile variant of the phone bought directly from Samsung.com
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Febby said:
What you want to state to them is for them to request a ticket for your Imei to be white listed for the device unlock application. Let them know it is the T-Mobile variant of the phone bought directly from Samsung.com
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same and the T-Mobile rep said that it did not work and they are getting the same error that imei cannot be whitelisted for the mobile device unlock application.. they are clear that it was T-Mobile phone from Samsung.com.. were you on g930t rom? Did you buy yours from Samsung.com or from someone else?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
nktwister said:
I did the same and the T-Mobile rep said that it did not work and they are getting the same error that imei cannot be whitelisted for the mobile device unlock application.. they are clear that it was T-Mobile phone from Samsung.com.. were you on g930t rom? Did you buy yours from Samsung.com or from someone else?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was bought directly via samsung.com as a t-mobile variant with t-mobile firmware. That's odd unless if your model was modified at some point? Perhaps lazy t-mobile rep? What I was told is that after 5 days even if bought from Samsung as a t-mobile variant it will lock itself once a sim card is left in it
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Febby said:
It was bought directly via samsung.com as a t-mobile variant with t-mobile firmware. That's odd unless if your model was modified at some point? Perhaps lazy t-mobile rep? What I was told is that after 5 days even if bought from Samsung as a t-mobile variant it will lock itself once a sim card is left in it
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok, the rep has not given up and she is still trying everyday for a solution.. my model was never modified, everything stock and used on T-Mobile for 1.5 months.. I wonder how you can be eligible for unlock if you've not used tmo sim for more than 5 days.. Maybe your rep involved some engineer to add the imei through backdoor process? Did you email them proof of purchase?
nktwister said:
Oh ok, the rep has not given up and she is still trying everyday for a solution.. my model was never modified, everything stock and used on T-Mobile for 1.5 months.. I wonder how you can be eligible for unlock if you've not used tmo sim for more than 5 days.. Maybe your rep involved some engineer to add the imei through backdoor process? Did you email them proof of purchase?
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I've had T-Mobile service for around 2 years almost and I did use the T-Mobile s6 edge for almost 11 months.
I believe what the rep that helped me meant is that when you buy a T-Mobile variant phone from Samsung or any oem that you should run the Device unlock app asap otherwise once you leave a SIM card inserted for 5 days or more it will lock the device to that carrier that the sim belongs to.
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I can clarify a bit on this, as I went through the same thing. Tech support even 3 way called Samsung with me, and they were arguing for over an hour until we got fed up.
Basically, the IMEI needs to be added to the T-Mobile database, but because it was never sold by them it errors out. I just got off the phone with Tech Support and sadly, their notes don't go back far enough to tell me exact process, but I was told that the Business Support department was the one that actually solved the issue for me (along with contacting their Samsung Rep). Maybe that will help you guys out, at least as a starting point.
Edit: T-Mobile support just confirmed. Speak to Business Support, they can fix it.
Thanks for the replies.. I wasn't able to check last solution as my rep agreed to replace it with T-Mobile sold device.. so got an s7 edge which is cheaper now than s7
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entropism said:
I can clarify a bit on this, as I went through the same thing. Tech support even 3 way called Samsung with me, and they were arguing for over an hour until we got fed up.
Basically, the IMEI needs to be added to the T-Mobile database, but because it was never sold by them it errors out. I just got off the phone with Tech Support and sadly, their notes don't go back far enough to tell me exact process, but I was told that the Business Support department was the one that actually solved the issue for me (along with contacting their Samsung Rep). Maybe that will help you guys out, at least as a starting point.
Edit: T-Mobile support just confirmed. Speak to Business Support, they can fix it.
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Click to collapse
I registered in this forum just to say thanks to you. I wasted more than two weeks speaking to tech support. Their attitude was great but they did nothing effective. I read your post and spoke to business support, the unlock issue got resolved quickly over the weekend.
This really saves my ass because I am going overseas soon. T-mobile really need to have better communication between different departments.
A small update for anyone who ends up here via google:
T-Mobile is now aware of the issue, and if you contact them on Twitter (@tmobilehelp), their specialised customer service division, T-Force, can get you unlocked and out the door almost immediately. The process takes a few days, but they know the steps to take to get the ball rolling.
Wow, I can't believe it took 3 months to solve this.
I don't know how much time I lost calling T-Mobile and Samsung. BTW, Samsung support is the worst ever.
Since I heard the about the unlock problem, I started trying to return my phone in parallel while trying to unlock it. Samsung people didn't want to provide prepaid shipping labels, first I never got them after I was told to wait a couple of days. I called many times and got the same response. Then the 30 days passed and they started saying it was to late to return, that I had to pay restocking fee. It took me another month explaining it was their fault the 30 days passed and that I needed prepaid shipping label and a full refund. I received the shipping labels the 2nd week on May and returned the phone. I still haven't received my refund. I called today, and the representative told me the refund was posted just today, and told me to wait 3 to 5 business days.
I'm happy some of you were able to unlock it. I got tired of waiting and talking with the support guys. And I don't even have a T-Mobile line. That's why I wanted to unlock it in the first place.
The easiest way to unlock this is changing the IMEI number, i recently paid $80 to get it changed but it now shows up as unlocked & clean on the T-MOBILE network. Sorry i didn't read this post before maybe this information could have helped.