Database Info

[Q] Motorola Repair Centre - Won't Ship Back

Hey guys,
So... I bricked my Atrix 2. Like, hard bricked it. Fortunately I am still under warranty. Motorola advised me to send it their repair centre to have it examined. Problem is, it's an Atrix 2, MB865. The phone is only manufactured in America. I'm in the UK. After talking to their customer service, they said if I ship it to them in America, they can't ship it back to the UK. Only a US address. I tried talking it over with Motorola UK, but they said that since they do not manufacture the phone I couldn't give it to them.
Anyone got any suggestions?
-Duzzii

Offer to pay return shipping, or include a pre-paid shipping label they can use to send it back. You'll need their cooperation on this.

Cooperation
post-mortem said:
Offer to pay return shipping, or include a pre-paid shipping label they can use to send it back. You'll need their cooperation on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Upon using the live chat for customer service, they've concluded by saying I need a US address for them to schedule and repair it. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try on the phone tomorrow. Until then... are there any alternatives anyone can think of?

Did you buy it in the US?
The only other thing I can think of is that you have to have someone you trust to act as a mediator, perhaps for a fee. There's a risk you'll never get it, and they carry the risk of you telling the the item was lost/damaged.

post-mortem said:
Did you buy it in the US?
The only other thing I can think of is that you have to have someone you trust to act as a mediator, perhaps for a fee. There's a risk you'll never get it, and they carry the risk of you telling the the item was lost/damaged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought it on Amazon.com, so it's from the US. The think is, it's still under Motorola's warranty. I would consider using someone as a mediator as I'm kind of out of options.

Did the seller ship it to the UK, or were you in the US when you bought it? If they shipped it to you, then contact the seller.

Seller
post-mortem said:
Did the seller ship it to the UK, or were you in the US when you bought it? If they shipped it to you, then contact the seller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased it from Amazon whilst being in the UK. I have contacted the seller, although it doesn't look like he intends to respond. I'm really out of ideas here...

I assume it's a 3rd party seller on Amazon marketplace. If they don't respond, I think you can contact Amazon directly, at least to put pressure on them to resolve the issue. If sellers behave like bad Craigslist artists, while selling on Amazon, it makes Amazon look bad. I would look into that avenue, 'cause you're running out of options.

Just came across something I'd never heard of, & remembered this thread. There's something called "Package Forwarding," and if you search online, there are loads of companies that do it. Mostly, it's for people who want to buy things from the US, & have it shipped abroad. You'll have to contact some of them to see if they'll fill your need.
Having no personal experience with any if them, though, I can't give any recommendations.
Hope you get this sorted out.
-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities

post-mortem said:
Just came across something I'd never heard of, & remembered this thread. There's something called "Package Forwarding," and if you search online, there are loads of companies that do it. Mostly, it's for people who want to buy things from the US, & have it shipped abroad. You'll have to contact some of them to see if they'll fill your need.
Having no personal experience with any if them, though, I can't give any recommendations.
Hope you get this sorted out.
-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much, this seems like it could work. I found a website which allows me to have a physical US address. Only problem is, Motorola require a US phone number while submiting the repair form. I'll try and find a way to sort that out now.

Help needed importing a Samsung Relay to Germany

as i can see, most of us here went the G1 -> G2 -> Relay way.
unfortunatly i'm sitting here in germany where the Relay is not available. and all attempts importing one so far failed. amazon doesn't have it in stock, ebay sellers don't ship overseas etc.
Can anybody help me aquire such a phone? Either get me one and send it to me or point out a dealer that ships to germany?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

kilr00y said:
as i can see, most of us here went the G1 -> G2 -> Relay way.
unfortunatly i'm sitting here in germany where the Relay is not available. and all attempts importing one so far failed. amazon doesn't have it in stock, ebay sellers don't ship overseas etc.
Can anybody help me aquire such a phone? Either get me one and send it to me or point out a dealer that ships to germany?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you have 3 options
1) negri electronics (they are trustworthy, i got my doubleshot from them)
2) canada gsm (never tried, and you gotta mail them to sort out the international shipping stuff before you order)
3) ebay
of course, going with ebay is the less expensive but the most risky option. i got my relay from ebay, i had to camp ebay.com for a while and message all the people that had a good auction open (try to stay away from fishy stuff that may be stolen or just a scam) and ask if they would ship oversea.
most of them do not, but some do, it's just a matter of patience.
keep in mind that you will have to pay the duties for importing goods, and they will probably be quite hefty, hovering around ~100€ if you go with a shop like negri electronics

Braccoz said:
you have 3 options
1) negri electronics (they are trustworthy, i got my doubleshot from them)
2) canada gsm (never tried, and you gotta mail them to sort out the international shipping stuff before you order)
3) ebay
of course, going with ebay is the less expensive but the most risky option. i got my relay from ebay, i had to camp ebay.com for a while and message all the people that had a good auction open (try to stay away from fishy stuff that may be stolen or just a scam) and ask if they would ship oversea.
most of them do not, but some do, it's just a matter of patience.
keep in mind that you will have to pay the duties for importing goods, and they will probably be quite hefty, hovering around ~100€ if you go with a shop like negri electronics
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main reason why ebay sellers don't ship overseas, is due to customs and shipping. USPS Express mail, is the only way you can ship internationally with tracking. But some countries simply won't allow those shipments.
And the hassle of dealing with problems if something goes wrong...
Sent from my Captivate Glide

thanks for the 2 shops. i will look into it
i do a lot of international trading via ebay, but rarely with the US. but do i get this straight: in a country as large as the United States there is just one carrier which offers sending insured parcels overseas??? hard to believe...
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda app-developers app

gtmaster303 said:
The main reason why ebay sellers don't ship overseas, is due to customs and shipping. USPS Express mail, is the only way you can ship internationally with tracking. But some countries simply won't allow those shipments.
And the hassle of dealing with problems if something goes wrong...
Sent from my Captivate Glide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is incorrect information.
first of all, customs duties will be paid by the buyer when he receives the package. the seller won't even know how much will be paid.
second, you can ship overseas with any major courier like FedEx (i recommend), UPS, DHL and of course USPS which will then be handled by your local postal service.
about stuff going wrong (in the shipment phase) there isn't much if you pay with paypal and make sure the shipping is made via a trustworthy courier with a tracking number.
of course after you have got the phone, you'd be on your own if it has some problems but if you do it right the shipment shouldn't be that much of an issue

negri was out of stock so i just placed an order with canadagsm. camping ebay didn't work for me since i've already tried that one for some weeks.
as the story continues, i will post updates as others might be faced with the same situation

kilr00y said:
negri was out of stock so i just placed an order with canadagsm. camping ebay didn't work for me since i've already tried that one for some weeks.
as the story continues, i will post updates as others might be faced with the same situation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about a service like SHIPITO?
I am from Czech Rep and have a luck that many of my colleagues are flying to US on regular basis but this service could be used just for this very special purpose.

@fantomex:
yeah.. i stumbled over services like that and i'm considering it.
about canadagsm: i wrote a couple of mails with them back and forth about shipping and conditions and after everything was sorted out i told them that i would like to order. no answer from them now for 2 days. seems like it's back to the drawing board. :-/
found an ebay-seller who's willing to ship to germany, but auction is still up for 3 days... and dunno how that will turn out.
anybody can suggest more online stores that will ship to germany? spend an hour or two torturing google and co but it's hard getting any results since search results are filtered by location. and i guess i cannot deny my german IP ^ ^
found a couple of phone stores but they were either out of stock of didn't have the Relay listed at all.

weird that canadagsm stopped responding. anyway negri has written on its site that it is on backorder, and that they usually ship backordered items within few work days (they probably will just buy a phone then unlock and ship it) so i think you can try and ask them.
if you wanna go the ebay way, make sure you buy a perfect (mint) condition phone, no bad imei, and that the seller will ship with tracking to you. (and, ofc, paypal payment)

yeah.. it's weird about canadagsm.. took them an hour to reply to the initial mail. but now: nothing. already re-sent the mail twice..
will contact negri when i get home since the phone on ebay dissapeared without a trace all of a sudden..
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda app-developers app

Hi
Ebay india has a sevice called 'global easybuy'. One can buy anything from ebay usa (irrespective of the seller ships internationally or not) and ebay will deliver to your doorstep. Shipping, customs etc charges are included at the time of payment and are quite nominal. Look for 'global easy buy' on ebay germany. Hope they have this service.

negri said: "we don't know. check our website for updates"...
i have found some forwarding services, but i don't feel to comfortable with it. none of them i ever heard of. don't consider it to be too safe at all with another anonymous person in the middle.
i'm on an ebay auction again atm which will end tomorrow. maybe i get lucky.
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda app-developers app

hint: *cough* jbidwatcher *cough*

I'll ship you one if you paypal me the funds and agree not to sue me if the post office loses it. PM me.

thanks for the offer, nardholio, but i've got lucky on ebay. cell was $305, shipping was $45 via usps... and other means of shipping were clearly un-affordable.
brand new and sealed... and locked ^ ^ but that should be the least problem
let's see what the custom fee will be...
5 days and it made it to san francisco so far.. i guess that's why they call it "snail mail" ^ ^

it's here up and running cm10.1
spent another 50eur on customs. but... worth it
Sent from my SGH-T699 using xda app-developers app

OX Mobile Spy
I personally still relatively tend to eBay shopping, everything went smoothly, you can try.

Can customs charge me? HELP!!!!

Hi, my cosuin bought a note 3 for me from dubai (UAE). He then went to pakistan for a wedding and took the note 3 with him as my brother was also going pakistan at the same time so he could give it to him. If my cousin were to post the note 3 from paistan bought from dubai via fedex then can customs charge me in UK as it is not a purchase from pakistan?
Thanks

??????

I don't think customs would care about 1 unit....
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 4

You don't need to report anything. Whoever is bringing your Note 3 doesnt have to mention "his" note 3 at all.
And even if someone do an checking your brother will say it's his private device... If you want to be 100% sure remove the Note from the box put the battery, add to your pocket and that's it.

You will be charged VAT and import duty and if you try and scam it they will confiscate your phone.
Good luck

My question is that when you purchase something outside of eu then uk adds vat on delivery. But if someone sends you something via post (not a purchase) can the uk add vat on delivery?

hayat55 said:
My question is that when you purchase something outside of eu then uk adds vat on delivery. But if someone sends you something via post (not a purchase) can the uk add vat on delivery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Goods with a value exceeding £15, for commercial items including internet/mail order purchases, or £36 in the case of gifts between private individuals, are generally subject to Customs charges."
Have a look here for a bit more info. Hope this helps.
http://www.parcelforce.com/receiving-parcel/importing-uk/customs-charging

Tell him to take it out the box, and "Use" it, and just get him to send the empty box back. Customs are a bugger, I bought something then got a £130 Bill two weeks later.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 4

chrmit said:
"Goods with a value exceeding £15, for commercial items including internet/mail order purchases, or £36 in the case of gifts between private individuals, are generally subject to Customs charges."
Have a look here for a bit more info. Hope this helps.
http://www.parcelforce.com/receiving-parcel/importing-uk/customs-charging
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RavenY2K3 said:
Tell him to take it out the box, and "Use" it, and just get him to send the empty box back. Customs are a bugger, I bought something then got a £130 Bill two weeks later.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What i mean is that if i ask him to post the phone unopened from Pakistan and because it is not a purchase from Pakistan then can customs still charge?

hayat55 said:
What i mean is that if i ask him to post the phone unopened from Pakistan and because it is not a purchase from Pakistan then can customs still charge?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the UK at least yes! That's why I said tell him to take it out of the box and make it look like it's his own personal phone, and just send t he empty box in the post.
My friend got hammered bringing an iPad into the UK and had to pay taxes, second time he brought another high value item back, he took it out the box, posted it to himself back home. This way it looks like he had the device before he left the country.
Sent from my GT-N5100 using Tapatalk 4

hayat55 said:
What i mean is that if i ask him to post the phone unopened from Pakistan and because it is not a purchase from Pakistan then can customs still charge?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As the goods are being sent from a country outside the EU then the answer is a straight yes. They can and will charge you the appropriate taxes. Some people would make a false claim on the paperwork stating the value as being lower and claiming the package contains something other that what is actually inside, but those people face the risk of being caught and fined or worse. On top of that, if the package got lost in transit there would be no hope of making a claim for compensation for the true value.

Just don't take the box, ship the box separately later on it he needs it and call it a day.

They can, and probably will, charge you. At 20%, there is too much cash there for them to waive it.
Here in Oz, anything under $1k is generally exempt, even for purchases. This probably saves a lot of work, but I'd also expect it to stop soon, especially if GST goes over 10% (I hope not).
I sent a laptop from my business address in Oz to my (same) business address in the UK. Customs tried to charge VAT @ 20%, even though it was obviously a used item, and actually several years old. It was cheaper to just ignore it and let FedEx ship it back, which is just stupid. Next time someone went to the UK, they took it as luggage instead.
I had the same issue sending 5 laptops (used for training) from the UK to Oz. Again, customs tried to charge, but I was able to prove that they were bought in Oz, and had GST fully paid. As far as I am aware, that is the only way to manage it.
So if you happened to have a UK receipt for that particular phone (and I'd never, ever suggest it might just be a receipt for any phone of the same model), you will probably be OK. Just tell them your cousin took it by mistake and is sending it back (a letter in the parcel could confirm this).

Buying from China...Blacklisted

Hi guys !
I bought a Smartphone from an Online Shop in China...the price were awesome and I jump on the opportunity
However, for safety purposes (it is the first time that I payed so much from chines online shop), I payed for an transport insurance that will payback if the phone get lost in the "journey" from China to Europe.
By tracking system info, I know that the phone get to Spain, than Portugal (no customs system )...but it's been a while since the phone is stuck in Lisbon and, next week, the deadline for the reception of the good will come to an end....
Now, my question is:
If I activate the insurance from China, since the deadline is overdue and Lisbon won't answer my requests for more informations, and that, by some miracle, the phone finally get to my address (it happened for some goods in the past), will the phone works?
I don't know if the seller will blacklist the phone in China or in worldwide carriers....in fact, I don't even know if I will get a payback
Thanks for the help !!

Shurykan said:
Hi guys !
I bought a Smartphone from an Online Shop in China...the price were awesome and I jump on the opportunity
However, for safety purposes (it is the first time that I payed so much from chines online shop), I payed for an transport insurance that will payback if the phone get lost in the "journey" from China to Europe.
By tracking system info, I know that the phone get to Spain, than Portugal (no customs system )...but it's been a while since the phone is stuck in Lisbon and, next week, the deadline for the reception of the good will come to an end....
Now, my question is:
If I activate the insurance from China, since the deadline is overdue and Lisbon won't answer my requests for more informations, and that, by some miracle, the phone finally get to my address (it happened for some goods in the past), will the phone works?
I don't know if the seller will blacklist the phone in China or in worldwide carriers....in fact, I don't even know if I will get a payback
Thanks for the help !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would a seller blacklist a phone they are knowingly selling? Was it listed for sale as a black listed item?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

jr866gooner said:
Why would a seller blacklist a phone they are knowingly selling? Was it listed for sale as a black listed item?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the phone doesn't reach the client...it could mean 2 things, or it's lost or it was robbed by someone in the chain of transport...at least that's how I think.

Shurykan said:
If the phone doesn't reach the client...it could mean 2 things, or it's lost or it was robbed by someone in the chain of transport...at least that's how I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... No ones knows if a blacklisted phone in China will work in Europe?

how much is import tax from india to uk?

Hi, I've found an Indian version but am worried the import tax is gonna be massive...they're selling it for £650 so how can I calculate the import fee?

There are a few online calculators that you can try.
But, at a minimum, you'd pay 20% VAT plus the handling charge - so you're talking ballpark another £140 on top.
Plus, depending on the tariff code for mobile phones, there may be an additional duty on top of that but ti's hard to get a definitive answer about that online.

Hi,
I bought from UK and used a firm on ebay based from Ireland.
If you can just avoid Norway, Switzerland, India and Hong Kong as all will have a lot of import duty.
If you buy from an Irish based company on ebay you pay the conversion rate (Usually on Paypal) and that's it. No import duties.

Lascif said:
Hi,
I bought from UK and used a firm on ebay based from Ireland.
If you can just avoid Norway, Switzerland, India and Hong Kong as all will have a lot of import duty.
If you buy from an Irish based company on ebay you pay the conversion rate (Usually on Paypal) and that's it. No import duties.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True but what are the chances of the Irish sellers having the Indian version?

Step666 said:
There are a few online calculators that you can try.
But, at a minimum, you'd pay 20% VAT plus the handling charge - so you're talking ballpark another £140 on top.
Plus, depending on the tariff code for mobile phones, there may be an additional duty on top of that but ti's hard to get a definitive answer about that online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh lol **** that

Lascif said:
If you can just avoid Norway, Switzerland, India and Hong Kong as all will have a lot of import duty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not entirely correct.
Switzerland, whilst not part of the EU, is part of a larger European Customs Union, meaning that goods imported/exported between Switzerland and the rest of the EU are treated the same as if it were between EU member states.
I'm not sure about Norway but I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true.

Step666 said:
That's not entirely correct.
Switzerland, whilst not part of the EU, is part of a larger European Customs Union, meaning that goods imported/exported between Switzerland and the rest of the EU are treated the same as if it were between EU member states.
I'm not sure about Norway but I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I checked we apparently still had to play customs duty which is still a considerable amount of money.
"Customs Regulations. As mentioned above, because Switzerland is not an active member of the EU, all imported goods have to be customs-cleared. In most cases this mean that you are subject to paying duty on your import from Switzerland, and the amount will vary depending on the specific type of goods you are importing."
Buying from Ireland to the UK is the best bet and is cheaper.
Nikolay1243D said:
True but what are the chances of the Irish sellers having the Indian version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why Indian version specifically? The EAN of the HK one matches and so is essentially the same phone.

Lascif said:
When I checked we apparently still had to play customs duty which is still a considerable amount of money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird, that's the opposite of what I'd found when I looked into it.
I ordered one from Switzerland, so I guess I'll find out soon...

Step666 said:
Weird, that's the opposite of what I'd found when I looked into it.
I ordered one from Switzerland, so I guess I'll find out soon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going by based on the Governments stance on it all.
Sometimes countries will misvalue the item being set or say it's a gift on the shipping information to avoid the duty.
The only times duty is usually charged is when it is truly exported from a place like Switzerland to the UK (It will usually be on the outside of the package)
Also https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad
It mentions that even though other Countries are not in the EU they are in the EEA but it doesn't go both ways. This means for small time consumers they still have to pay import from these non-eu countries.
You may be lucky and have it sent as a gift though.

Lascif said:
Why Indian version specifically? The EAN of the HK one matches and so is essentially the same phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cause that one doesnt have the chinese assistant on the left and you dont have to go through hoops to remove the chinese apps/get nova working properly... I guess my best bet is to wait for a month and see if vivo release a true international one.

Nikolay1243D said:
Cause that one doesnt have the chinese assistant on the left and you dont have to go through hoops to remove the chinese apps/get nova working properly... I guess my best bet is to wait for a month and see if vivo release a true international one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please read my prior posts.
I have a HK Version phone that is International. The phone does not have issues removing any of the chinese apps and like the other international models has Google Assistant instead of the Jovi button.
I have Nova fully working with 0 issues and the phone works flawlessly.
I can post proof or evidence if you want or answer more questions.

Lascif said:
Please read my prior posts.
I have a HK Version phone that is International. The phone does not have issues removing any of the chinese apps and like the other international models has Google Assistant instead of the Jovi button.
I have Nova fully working with 0 issues and the phone works flawlessly.
I can post proof or evidence if you want or answer more questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really? I just assumed HK=The chinese version
If that's the case then I've seen a couple of HK versions on ebay

Nikolay1243D said:
Oh really? I just assumed HK=The chinese version
If that's the case then I've seen a couple of HK versions on ebay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there have been a few people have bought ones advertised as 'Hong Kong model' only to find it's the Chinese one with Google Play pre-installed.

Step666 said:
I think there have been a few people have bought ones advertised as 'Hong Kong model' only to find it's the Chinese one with Google Play pre-installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well we'll find out some time in the future cause I ordered an HK one from ireland

Ugh I ordered last Thursday but the seller is shipping today and says it will take 6-8 days to get to me *rolls eyes*

Yep got the nex s HK today after dpd messed up with the delivery yesterday, can also confirm that is basically the international version

Mine arrived on Friday, didn't get a chance to spend much time with it until today though.
Same story, it actually was the HK version, not just a Chinese one with Google Play installed - EAN on the box matched, no Vivo account needed, most of the Chinese bloat removed.
Spent today ADBing some of the remaining bloat, installing Nova, GCam etc.
Really pleased, seems like a decent successor to my OG Mi Mix.

Something I noticed with gcam is if the hdr isn't on, it would take the picture and then "boil" it 1 second later

Which GCam version are you using?
The one that was recommended in the other thread?

Guys, I don't know... Do I have to pay an import tax from India to the UK? I know that before it was necessary to pay, but I read that today you do not need to pay. I don't think this is true, so I hope you can help me with some tips. I even found an online tax service because recently I have too many issues with taxes. I think this is really very easy and convenient because you just need to message and you will immediately receive the necessary response. In addition, this company has excellent reviews on the account of filing taxes. I hope they will help me.