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If I buy a NEW phone on ebay (example HTC Touch Pro or Blackberry Storm), and it is defective, could I go to a Verizon store and return or exchange it without a receipt (assuming I still have the box).
Does anyone know if this is possible?
Hi. Keep in mind I'm sure they track serial #'s / ESN's & such so even if they are nice enough to exchange it (which I've never had the gonads to try) you run the risk that the phone was reported stolen, is under contact on someone else's account or who knows what, you're standing there with your pants down. Then again I suppose they wouldn't let you activate the phone on your account if those were true.. (Sorry I've been in the GSM world too long where you move your SIM as needed.) Anyway I'd say you're taking some big chances there since they surely link phones with accounts or service it was purchased with. I'd love to hear of anyone who has succeeded in this.. It's not like you're buying a toaster & returning it to Kmart for a merchandise credit or something. lol
Bill
by the phone being on someone else's account, does that mean for example they bought the phone at the 2yr contract price only to turn it around and sell it on ebay for profit?
The ebay buyer did nothing wrong in that case, the ESN was clean and ebay purchased cells are easily activated.
thanks for responding.
Yeah that's what I meant but you are assuming best case scenario.. As I said who knows, the phones could have been stolen from a reseller or dealer (I do computer support for a sprint/nextel dealer & they've had many stolen even by employees who turn around & sell them on ebay. The store definitely figures it out eventually & they get reported as stolen & flagged. Maybe within days or weeks or months.) or who knows. That is one of biggest risks of buying off ebay. You may not know the history. Not trying to scare you just saying remember you'll be the one in the store holding stolen merchandise. Again, you risk the same trying to add the phone to your account so I guess they'll track you down either way. lol
As far as your original question, I wish I could say I knew but I don't. I assume there is virtually 0 chance of a return with refund and only a slight chance of an exchange assuming the phone is not flagged & you have a good story. Maybe someone else could chime in who has tried it. Again we are talking expensive phones normally bought with a contact linked to an account so easily traceable so don't be surprised if they scan it in & call you by the name of the guy who sold it to you. lol
Bill
It's just amazing that Verizon makes it so hard to upgrade your phone before your contract is up (even if you're willing to pay full price!!). The only way you can really do it is by buying a phone off of ebay and activating it yourself.
Yeah I'd imagine. That is one nice thing about GSM: Just move your SIM, assuming the phone isn't locked to another carrier which is usually pretty easy to get unlocked. I have bought about 50 phones off ebay (That would have been like 2 had I needed to call AT&T every time I wanted to switch! lol) & for the most part I've had pretty good luck with some duds. (Incompatible model missing 850 band, broken or more worn than expected) If you are in a pinch you might not have much choice but just make sure you buy from someone with high & good feedback & you should be OK. Better yet make sure they have a good return policy or even their own warranty. Not sure if the trick will work for you but I've bought 'Pay as you go' phones & put my SIM in when I needed a phone quickly. Maybe verizon has such a thing too but the prepaid phones are usually pretty awful. Of course there is a chance they'd refuse to add it to your account too. Buy yeah I wouldn't chance buying something on ebay hoping you can return to the local store if needed. I'd say buy new & hopefully sealed, not used (especially for expensive phones unless you want to risk it. Of course you can always try selling back on ebay if needed) from a good seller like I mentioned above & you should be fine. Btw the other thing to consider is go to an authorized Verizon dealer (vs a real Verizon store). You might find them much more likely to work with you on selling you a phone without a contact. I know they make big bucks signing up people but if you're willing to pay retail for a phone I'd imagine they won't turn you away especially if you suggest you'll be back when renewal time comes.
Bill
Ok, so believe it or not, I called Verizon and the rep told me that even if you don't have the original receipt, the verizon store uses the proof of purchase barcode to tell when the item was purchased. If your item is defective you can exchange it, and she even said in some cases they'll even let you put the money towards a new phone, although they prefer to have a receipt.
I'm shocked as I thought they would have a very strict return policy.
Also, any cell purchased in the last month is returnable until Jan 15, which means blackberry storms and htc touch pros and omnias bought on ebay can simply be returned to a verizon store if they are defective!
Wow! Did you get that in writing? lol Guess they have a very lenient return policy. Sounds like they do track them big time but instead of holding it against you they actually HELP you with the info. Geesh, if that really works I'd say they have some killer customer support policies! Makes me want to break a phone to try it & see. Then again I'm on ATT & they'd prolly laugh as they escorted me out the store. :|
Good luck with that, I'd love to hear follow up if you end up needing to try it but then again I'm sure you'd rather NOT have to try. Anyone else ever actually do this with any carrier?
Hi guys, believe me I looked around the forum before setting out to ask, but it could take years to read all the threads and posts.
A few months back I bought my son a Galaxy S 3 for Verizon through Amazon wireless.
The phone came, I activated it and it worked fine until the idiot put it in his pocket, went out, got drunk, and came home with some barely visible cracks in the screen which now will not light up.
He went to the Verizon store, but without their insurance, they refused to deal with it. Instead, he ported an upgrade from another one of my 5 lines and buys another phone for $250-.
Now I have the 3 month "old" S 3 with a cracked screen that won't light up, and no SIM card.
What am I supposed to do now with this paper weight??
I was hoping to never have to deal with Verizon again, but now I'm locked in for another two years on two of my five lines and I have this very useless but valuable phone.
Suppose I take it upon myself to repair the screen, is there anyway to use this phone on a different network? or at least with a different carrier?
Perhaps a carrier that isn't looking to skin me alive for whatever I can bare? I know this device works with SIM cards, and I've heard folks claiming that it can be used on GSM networks, so what prevents me from using this phone on a GSM network with another carrier??
Can someone explain in layman's terms what this post will do for me??
Or is there some other direction I need to take??
Thank you!
From Amazon Wireless:
AmazonWireless Terms and Conditions
Instant Discount Policy
When you purchase your device with service from AmazonWireless.com, we automatically pass along an instant discount based on a commission paid to AmazonWireless by your wireless service carrier. The commission depends upon your continued service, and if you do not maintain your service for 181 days from the service activation date, AmazonWireless must return the commission to the carrier. Thus, this discount has been provided to you in good faith based on your agreement to (a) activate a new or extend an existing line of service for the device(s) with the carrier for two years, (b) maintain this line of service in good standing, and (c) not alter the line of service type other than adding an additional line of service to an individual account for at least 181 consecutive days.
The following are some scenarios where we may determine that you have not maintained your service and have not met the requirements listed above:
If your device with the carrier is not activated per Amazon's activation instructions within 14 days
If your service is canceled/disconnected before 181 days and you do not return the device(s) to Amazon
If a new individual or new family account is merged with or replaces a pre-existing account
If you transfer this equipment to another carrier's service or to another line in your family account and deactivate the line that Amazon established for your device
By accepting this Instant Discount Policy, you agree to repay $400 per smart phone or tablet and $200 per other device if you do not maintain your carrier service for 181 consecutive days from the service activation date. You also authorize us to collect that amount using any credit card we have on record for you. Amazon can periodically check your account status with the carrier to confirm your line of service is active and in good standing and thereby confirm you are in compliance with this policy.
The Instant Discount Policy will not be applied if you cancel your order and return the device(s) within our 30-day return period. You must return your device(s) to Amazon within the carrier's 14-day return period in order to avoid the carrier's Early Termination Fees (ETF). If your purchase was an upgrade, your upgrade eligibility will not be reset unless you return your device to Amazon within the carrier's 14-day return period.
Additional Terms
Amazon reserves the right to decide who is eligible to purchase a device from us (e.g., an individual may be deemed ineligible based on identify verification checks) and can limit purchase quantities or refuse to sell to an individual who has been approved by a carrier.
Devices with service purchased from Amazon are for individual use only, and Amazon reserves the right to reject orders from resellers or distributors.
These AmazonWireless Terms and Conditions are in addition to the AmazonWireless site Conditions of Use.
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Let us know if you get hit with a $400 bill from Amazon
The first thing you need to do is, change your Verizon password, so your dumb-ass, irresponsible son, can't stick you with anymore bills.
Let us know if you get hit with a $400 bill from Amazon
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I would think that since they removed the SIM card from the broken phone and placed it into the new phone, and since he purchased the new phone with an upgrade from a different line, but retained service on the same line, that perhaps VZW is copacetic with that. Service is retained on the original line.
But something needs to happen with this broken phone that I have.
and, you didn't answer any of my questions.
What needs to take place? ...and in what order?
Let me take a stab at this...
Fixing the LCD is probably the first thing that has to happen.
I assume the phone, being a PDA will boot without the SIM card. Yes?
So if it's bootable, and you can see what you're doing, then I guess it's rootable. Yes?
And if it's rooted, then you can unlock it? Yes?
And once its rooted and unlocked, then what?
With which carrier can this phone be used? Rooted and unlocked, why would it even matter?
Thank you, and please.
merciless_alien said:
Hi guys, believe me I looked around the forum before setting out to ask, but it could take years to read all the threads and posts.
A few months back I bought my son a Galaxy S 3 for Verizon through Amazon wireless.
The phone came, I activated it and it worked fine until the idiot put it in his pocket, went out, got drunk, and came home with some barely visible cracks in the screen which now will not light up.
He went to the Verizon store, but without their insurance, they refused to deal with it. Instead, he ported an upgrade from another one of my 5 lines and buys another phone for $250-.
Now I have the 3 month "old" S 3 with a cracked screen that won't light up, and no SIM card.
What am I supposed to do now with this paper weight??
I was hoping to never have to deal with Verizon again, but now I'm locked in for another two years on two of my five lines and I have this very useless but valuable phone.
Suppose I take it upon myself to repair the screen, is there anyway to use this phone on a different network? or at least with a different carrier?
Perhaps a carrier that isn't looking to skin me alive for whatever I can bare? I know this device works with SIM cards, and I've heard folks claiming that it can be used on GSM networks, so what prevents me from using this phone on a GSM network with another carrier??
Can someone explain in layman's terms what this post will do for me??
Or is there some other direction I need to take??
Thank you!
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Click to collapse
The Rooting post will allow you to have more control over your device. You can give apps permission to do thing that android usually restricts them from doing. For example, you can give SetCPU permission to change the minimum and maximum speeds of your processor. You must also root to use the GSM network... Check out this guide: Click Here. I've never used my S3 on another carrier though, so I'm not exactly sure what to do
When is a phone not a phone? According to Three it is when you have a Note 10.1 that is too big to be a phone even if you can use it to make regular calls instead of carrying around three different devices.
Thanks Three for blocking my all you can eat data plan that was working brilliently until today and binding me to a two year contract, which I will break once I have thrown my toys out of the pram, cancelled the direct debit and reported you to Ofcom for misrepresentation.
Has anybody else had this trouble? I immediately activated a Giffgaff simcard, which seems to be working fine but I'm not sure how easy it is to terminate a Three contract given the shop assistant who sold me the sim only plan knew what device I was going to use it on without telling me it was breaking terms of service. I bought the Note over an Ipad because I liked the Spen and wanted to consolidate a phone and a tablet into one thing with reasonable battery life I could carry around all day.
Is it possible to spoof my device's identity on the network so it no longer appears to be a tablet or is my IMEI number unspoofable, unchangeable and irredemably linked to a non-phone phone
Be careful breaking a contract by cancelling the DD may well trash your credit rating .
catshanghai said:
... the shop assistant who sold me the sim only plan knew what device I was going to use it on without telling me it was breaking terms of service....
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It's obviously not your fault. Go back to the shop, confront the sales person, and ask him to provide a solution.
Hello,
I know it has been 4 months since you had this problem but I wish to know what the outcome was. I have just signed a 1 year contract on "The One Plan" with Three stating to the sales rep that I would be using it in a Note 8 and after 3 days, the internet has simply stopped working.
Thank you very much
tl;dr Phones sold by Gazelle can still be blacklisted.
I purchased two iphone 5's from Gazelle last December 2013, for a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law and one for my wife.
A few days ago, my mother-in-law contacted me to tell me the phone was no longer receiving service.
After trying everything I could find about fixing it, I finally contacted T-Mobile, and discovered that the phone's IMEI has just been blocked due to non-payment by the original owner(!)
Just to clarify, this phone has been in daily use since Xmas Day 2013 (~11 mos)!
The T-Mobile rep told me that the original owner had been making payments all this time, but recently closed their account, and were sent a final bill. The bill was 10 days past due and at that time T-Mobile automatically blacklists the IMEI.
I bought these phones specifically from gazelle and paid more for them as a result, as I believed they were essentially guaranteed against this sort of thing.
I even contacted them before my purchase asking them if their phones were checked:
"Thank you for your interest! We do test all items to confirm availability for activation by you upon receipt. Unless otherwise noted in the listing, this item has been tested and is clear."
It turns out, this doesn't mean the device will remain that way after you receive it. An important fact that they continue to omit in their eBay listings.
I contacted their support yesterday and was told that the unit is outside of their 30-day return window and they can not help me further.
As far as I'm concerned, they didn't actually sell me anything. They sold a device that still had a lien against it, and now that it is blacklisted, I basically paid $400+ to rent it for the past 11 months. Technically, this iPhone is still the property of T-Mobile...Gazelle basically sold me stolen merchandise.
I've since opened a complaint with the BBB and am hopeful they will come to a resolution on this issue.
Moral of the story is: Don't think that just because you're buying from a bigger operation, that your phone is free and clear and ownership has been legally transferred to YOU.
As a matter of fact, you can even read Swappa's TOS and you will find a very loose policy on blacklisted IMEI/ESN's. They basically say you're only recourse is PayPal's 45-day dispute window.
Buying from these sites is really not any different than craigslist or a random seller on eBay.
The only way to really guarantee your device is free and clear forever is to buy a new one.
Resolved!
Just to follow up, I received the exchange iPhone yesterday and my issue is now resolved to my relief and satisfaction.
I am happy to say that Gazelle came through and made things right for me in the end. They also told me they are working with carriers on new ways to determine if devices are still under contract and/or still financed, to avoid issues like mine down the road.
Be careful out there!
So I bought a S22 Ultra off Facebook marketplace for $900 I did an imei check with my carrier and confirmed it wasn't stolen or anything of that nature and we set it up on my account in store with the guy present and confirmed it worked. Fast forward a week I wake up to a nice message on my phone that Samsung has blocked my device due to incomplete trade in and that I need to contact Samsung to fix it. Cant use the phone at all. I have a $900 paper weight. Does anyone know of a bypass for this? Will rooting it give me the ability to get around this?
That's a new one to me. Sorry can't help, post a photo of the message the phone is showing.
The reason that happened is probably because the guy purcahased the phone from Samsung with a Trade-in discount. He did not send his phone in as part of the agreement. Then they tried to bill his card for the amount of the Trade-in and it didn't go through for whatever reason. After that they blocked his phone which you purchased from him. He most likely hated the phone kept his old phone and now you are screwed until you contact Samsung and resolve it. They specifically state on the Trade-in info they send you with the shipping label that if you don't send them the Trade-in phone within 2 weeeks the new phone will be locked out. The other reason they do that is if it's reported stolen. So your only two options are 1) Contact Samsung or 2) Throw it in the trash.
i think its unlikely, you could try to flash a new firmware with unbranded csc , im not saying that WILL fix it, but it wont do u any harm to try if your not planning on seeking help from samsung, i would recommend trying to fake an imei in an efs and load that, i couldnt advise you how though im afraid
That's the new way, they allow multiple trade in devices so the scumbag will select devices with the highest trade in to bring down the purchase price to the lowest possible level and sell it on arrival making hundreds in profits. Possibly the only way to avoid this would be to remove any samsung stuff BEFORE they initiate a lockdown.
We can't have nice things because of this and if it keeps up I see (Samsung) wanting to put a full purchase price hold at time of purchase and then release it when they get the trade ins. :-(
thats why i like to pre order and buy my devices for cash, no waiting and you know your phone is bnib
cpufrost said:
That's the new way, they allow multiple trade in devices so the scumbag will select devices with the highest trade in to bring down the purchase price to the lowest possible level and sell it on arrival making hundreds in profits.
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I read about this somewhere just recently. The bad guys are sure creative in figuring out how to game the system. Around here we have to be very careful of FB Marketplace. Sometimes it seems there are way more sketchy stolen items on it than legitimate items.
The other thing is you probably should get a screenshot of the persons drivers license when making a purchase for such a large amount of money. That way the Police know where they live and they got a photo as well. If the seller is not willing to provide that info to you then stay away. I am not gonna send somebody $900 on the internet and just hope they willl send me what they promised without fully checking them out first.
Nobody would accept that. They can simply say don't buy it then. How would he now you wouldn't be a dodgy guy and use his driving licence for scams? The safest way of this kind of trade in risks is to request the purchasing invoice where you could see if it was purchased with trade in option. If the seller doesn't provide it then i would recommend not to buy the phone for the first 3 months of phone's releasing date when trade in would have been completed already.
Always a risk when you guy items from individuals. The one thing for sure, if the deal is too good to be true, it usually is sketchy.
Paul_Deemer said:
The reason that happened is probably because the guy purcahased the phone from Samsung with a Trade-in discount. He did not send his phone in as part of the agreement. Then they tried to bill his card for the amount of the Trade-in and it didn't go through for whatever reason. After that they blocked his phone which you purchased from him. He most likely hated the phone kept his old phone and now you are screwed until you contact Samsung and resolve it. They specifically state on the Trade-in info they send you with the shipping label that if you don't send them the Trade-in phone within 2 weeeks the new phone will be locked out. The other reason they do that is if it's reported stolen. So your only two options are 1) Contact Samsung or 2) Throw it in the trash.
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This is the most likely reason, and the only thing you can do is to contact Samsung. You could offer to pay the trade in value discount that was applied at the time of purchase, but that could be up to £570 (here in the UK) as that was the top tier (S21Ultra) trade in if I remember rightly.
I think there must of been some genuine trade in purchase, as a valid IMEI number is required at the time of ordering the new phone....Unless there is a way of generating IMEI numbers I'm not aware of.
I would contact Samsung before doing anything else with the phone, as I wouldn't be surprised if Samsung have locked the phone through Knox or something.
That phone is locked via knox. Nothing you can do unless you contact samsung and give them proof of your transaction then from there it's either they will help you or wont care at all.
That's samsungs fault at first. Here in Turkey, you pay full price. After they receive trade-in device they refund discount amount to you. This is the only way to stop such thing.
rroyy said:
That's samsungs fault at first. Here in Turkey, you pay full price. After they receive trade-in device they refund discount amount to you. This is the only way to stop such thing.
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Right, and too, because of folks not playing nice and taking advantage of others, they will wind up doing the same thing here in USA. At the very least placing a merchant hold for the full device price on the method of payment and releasing it upon successful redemption of trade in value.
Samsung locked the wrong phone. They should be locking the new phone. Call them
Will_T said:
I read about this somewhere just recently. The bad guys are sure creative in figuring out how to game the system. Around here we have to be very careful of FB Marketplace. Sometimes it seems there are way more sketchy stolen items on it than legitimate items.
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Agree with you, FB\Meta is a mess.
I've had nothing but stellar results selling and buying using Swappa. They are pretty stringent with phone condition and both buyers and sellers.
My favorite transaction was about 4 yrs ago when I dropped a very well protected Nexus 6 just wrong while waiting on a lift, and the screen broke. If it were newer I would have replaced the screen, but 10 minutes into a business meeting I found a replacement for $150 in my city on Swappa. I pinged the seller and he was sitting across the street from me. When I got out of the meeting 30 minutes later, I walked across the street and he handed me the like brand new phone in box and waited for me to boot up! All pre-checked IMEI on Swappa for free to ensure not stolen, etc.
armst433 said:
Samsung locked the wrong phone. They should be locking the new phone. Call them
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It's an S22U. It is the new phone....
I'm hoping OP updates us, I wanna know whats going on with this rather strange story.
Parzival__ said:
So I bought a S22 Ultra off Facebook marketplace for $900 I did an imei check with my carrier and confirmed it wasn't stolen or anything of that nature and we set it up on my account in store with the guy present and confirmed it worked. Fast forward a week I wake up to a nice message on my phone that Samsung has blocked my device due to incomplete trade in and that I need to contact Samsung to fix it. Cant use the phone at all. I have a $900 paper weight. Does anyone know of a bypass for this? Will rooting it give me the ability to get around this?
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the phone turns on? it comes in wi-fi where are the wi-fi networks? if you get high is there a bar? if it exists write www.youtube.com done do glue in the copy bar open Youtube go to click and see Youtube Terms of Service in the bar write this E-FRP site addresses appear and there is e-frp click open and see for Samsung and other functions for you you are interested in ftp and test account or Samsung it would be better to have another phone active go to Youtube and in the bar write e-frp for Samsung because there are several steps. Good luck
Paul_Deemer said:
The other thing is you probably should get a screenshot of the persons drivers license when making a purchase for such a large amount of money. That way the Police know where they live and they got a photo as well. If the seller is not willing to provide that info to you then stay away. I am not gonna send somebody $900 on the internet and just hope they willl send me what they promised without fully checking them out first.
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Well the crazy part is it was a in person purchase. Dude met me at spectrum mobile and they verified it was unlocked and would work and that's when the transaction happened.