Hello, I followed all the rules for my carrier (t-mobile), paid phone in full, bill in full, had service for 40+ days of active service and I have all the paperwork to prove it. After going in circles they finally sent me a email saying they are "unsuccessful in obtaining an unlock code for the given IMEI” after taking picture to prove that the IMEI is the correct one for the phone.
I contacted my bank (USAA) and told them what happened and they said if I could prove it, I had a valid claim. I sent them all the phone records, and emails. Email was where most of the clear proof was because of messages from t-mobile verifying I had done my part.
The bank tried to contact t-mobile and gave them 60 days to respond and they refused to respond to my bank. So the bank reversed the charges for the phone. Then t-mobile without hesitation sent a letter to Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian saying I didn’t pay my bill and creating a bill for the phone and sent it to collections. I’m still working on how to get legal help.
But in the meantime, I have a company taking advantage of their power and unjustifiably ruing my credit while I have a phone I can’t use for anything but a paper weight.
So can someone help me unlock this my phone?
I can provide all the proof I provided the bank for verification that I did everything I was suppose to do: purchased phone/paid if full, paid all phone bill and had uninterupted service for over 40 days, and made multiple attempts with t-mobile to get the phone unlocked just to have them tell me in the end....sorry we can’t find your unlock code.
Side note: Before it got to this point, I actually tried to cancel the service and return the phone 28 days after signing up for service. They said they would only refund the phone after I think 15 or 20 days. But I had been working with their tech support troubleshooting the phone and swapping sim cards to figure out why I didn’t have service anywhere in my neighborhood during that time. It had been less than 2 weeks since the last sim swap while trying to work with them. All they were doing was buying time so I could not return a phone I paid $500+ for at the time.
I got another piece of information from another forum that was a little late. Some customers of t-mobile that were aware of the problem t-mobile and other carriers were giving customers with unlocking their phone found the easiest way to get the unlock code was to tell the carrier they were going to use the phone overseas. Then the carrier wouldn’t think they were trying to switch to another service. Once they verified the customer met all the other requirements, they gave them the code and then they switched carriers.
But that information came to me too late. Plus, since I did everything I was supposed to do, why should I have to lie? Especially when people who know how to unlock phones are hesitant to do it. But carriers are still taking advantage of customers.
additional information brought up by another forum
jtl001 said:
Hello, I followed all the rules for my carrier (t-mobile), paid phone in full, bill in full, had service for 40+ days of active service and I have all the paperwork to prove it. After going in circles they finally sent me a email saying they are "unsuccessful in obtaining an unlock code for the given IMEI” after taking picture to prove that the IMEI is the correct one for the phone.
I contacted my bank (USAA) and told them what happened and they said if I could prove it, I had a valid claim. I sent them all the phone records, and emails. Email was where most of the clear proof was because of messages from t-mobile verifying I had done my part.
The bank tried to contact t-mobile and gave them 60 days to respond and they refused to respond to my bank. So the bank reversed the charges for the phone. Then t-mobile without hesitation sent a letter to Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian saying I didn’t pay my bill and creating a bill for the phone and sent it to collections. I’m still working on how to get legal help.
But in the meantime, I have a company taking advantage of their power and unjustifiably ruing my credit while I have a phone I can’t use for anything but a paper weight.
So can someone help me unlock this my phone?
I can provide all the proof I provided the bank for verification that I did everything I was suppose to do: purchased phone/paid if full, paid all phone bill and had uninterupted service for over 40 days, and made multiple attempts with t-mobile to get the phone unlocked just to have them tell me in the end....sorry we can’t find your unlock code.
Side note: Before it got to this point, I actually tried to cancel the service and return the phone 28 days after signing up for service. They said they would only refund the phone after I think 15 or 20 days. But I had been working with their tech support troubleshooting the phone and swapping sim cards to figure out why I didn’t have service anywhere in my neighborhood during that time. It had been less than 2 weeks since the last sim swap while trying to work with them. All they were doing was buying time so I could not return a phone I paid $500+ for at the time.
I got another piece of information from another forum that was a little late. Some customers of t-mobile that were aware of the problem t-mobile and other carriers were giving customers with unlocking their phone found the easiest way to get the unlock code was to tell the carrier they were going to use the phone overseas. Then the carrier wouldn’t think they were trying to switch to another service. Once they verified the customer met all the other requirements, they gave them the code and then they switched carriers.
But that information came to me too late. Plus, since I did everything I was supposed to do, why should I have to lie? Especially when people who know how to unlock phones are hesitant to do it. But carriers are still taking advantage of customers.
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The Reason for the post
[quotemsg=14275745,0,312531]Sorry! It is against the rules to offer code or password help.[/quotemsg]
The board rules also state the reason why, and I have proof that I legally purchased the phone, I have a copy of the t-mobile agreement which states that I need uninterrupted service for 40 or more days before eligible for unlock, and as far as the rights agreement between the user and the carrier, the carrier indirectly violated their own agreement by pretending they could not find the unlock code after I followed all the rules requested to receive the unlock code. That is why USAA reversed the charges after getting all the verification and giving t-mobile a opportunity to respond.
So t-mobile took the path of least resistance. Instead of battling it out legally over the "terms of service" with my bank, they just defrauded my credit and left me to fight to get it fixed which has become a bigger financial problem than the cost of the phone.
So the request was with the "rules" in mind. Which is why I included in the post that I can provide all legal evidence that the phone was legally purchased, the carrier breached their own agreement, and I've done everything I know possible to correct the problem.
Another reference to the rules: you can verify ownership along with email communication's with t-mobile through full header/footer copies of emails which is what the bank did. And the bank statements from the bank as well as t-mobile in store purchase receipt verify purchase.
I don't see why you post as if you cannot understand why I am even reaching out to online communities after reading my original post.
[quotemsg=14275745,0,312531] Please contact the carrier.[/quotemsg]
Pretty obvious from my first post that has been done by myself and USAA Federal Saving Bank with no progress
Sorry, I cannot help with your unlocking query,
However, if you're ultimately unable to unlock the handset (or just want a change), the 1st gen Moto G might be a good option for a replacement for an i9100 (or any other S2). Buy it unlocked and sim-free not from a carrier or one of their partners/resellers.
Stock rom or custom rom. It is an affordable handset with very decent specs.
Related
Not sure where to put this, so I'm putting it here. I attempted to buy G-Watch from in.mobilefun.com (mobilefun.co.uk's india website). A day later they informed me that due to shipping issue they are unable to make the item available in India at all, they have since removed it from their indian website. The money was credited back to me.
HOWEVER, they have since re-debited my account for said money, under the same transaction (reversal of above credit). CAlling up mobilefun's UK phone numbers usually does not connect me to anyone and when it does I get a rather unhelpful set of people telling me they have no idea about the re-debit, the last they see is that my account was credited BACK for the amount.
PLEASE no one buy from this site, they are swearing they didn't take my money, not shipping or having any promise of ever shipping the item to me or this country at large, and have taken my money and refusing to give it. Since Visa's dispute policy is 10-15 days post-purchase I have to basically wait a month before even thinking about getting my money back.
I kinda doubt that mobilefun.co.uk is a fraud. Im not from the UK, but they have a trustworthy rating. Maybe your bank has made a mistake. Have you tried contacting your bank and asking them about it? That's what I would do.
Mobilefun isn't a fraud, but they do tend to have dubious practices concerning stock levels. They will claim an items in stock when its not so that you order with them and they hope you will wait rather than cancel..
Ask your bank about it. They should reclaim the money.
Even though you may see a reversal sometimes they can stay pending for several days. Same with any pre-authorized amount when you first purchased the item. Sometimes these will drop off the account before it is fully posted. I'd call the bank though they should be able to tell if it was a hold or pending debit or credit to your account.
They are using your money to buy more stock of items then by the time you fight it they have sold enough to cover it. It's called a float. Terrible practice.
Sent from my LG-F400K using XDA Free mobile app
coolsilver said:
Even though you may see a reversal sometimes they can stay pending for several days. Same with any pre-authorized amount when you first purchased the item. Sometimes these will drop off the account before it is fully posted. I'd call the bank though they should be able to tell if it was a hold or pending debit or credit to your account.
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My bank says it was originally a hold that was reversed as the order was cancelled, but the "reversal was reversed" in essence, mobilefun basically claimed their money back from my bank after reversing it
Hi TjPhysicist,
I am from the Mobile Fun Indian customer service team.
If you would kindly let me know your order ID and I will look in to this as a matter of urgency and respond via email.
Can I also ask for any Customer Service Ticket ID's for any queries you have submitted to us, so I can investigate the level of service we have provided you already.
We have indeed removed the LG-G watches from our Indian site as we are unable to sell them currently due to supplier restrictions. We are however working hard to try to rectify this issue and have them listed again as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully,
Mobile Fun India
MobileFun India said:
Hi TjPhysicist,
I am from the Mobile Fun Indian customer service team.
If you would kindly let me know your order ID and I will look in to this as a matter of urgency and respond via email.
Can I also ask for any Customer Service Ticket ID's for any queries you have submitted to us, so I can investigate the level of service we have provided you already.
We have indeed removed the LG-G watches from our Indian site as we are unable to sell them currently due to supplier restrictions. We are however working hard to try to rectify this issue and have them listed again as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully,
Mobile Fun India
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3949286 is the order ID#. I have called many times about this and am assured that you have *not* made any debits further to the credit on your side. The bank says that the second debit and the first are in fact done under ONE single authorisation code (not sure what that means). All in all, my whole experience is soured, It could be the bank being wierd, I don't know, but the result is the same.
TjPhysicist said:
3949286 is the order ID#. I have called many times about this and am assured that you have *not* made any debits further to the credit on your side. The bank says that the second debit and the first are in fact done under ONE single authorisation code (not sure what that means). All in all, my whole experience is soured, It could be the bank being wierd, I don't know, but the result is the same.
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Hi TJPhysicist,
This does sound very strange and my apologies for this. Would it be possible to send over the full details of the individual transactions(including times, dates and auth codes) to [email protected] and I will investigate further with our payment service provider. Like you said it may just be the bank being weird and hopefully it will be cleared up in the next 24hrs.
My apologies again for the inconvenience caused and I assure you that this is the first case of this we have dealt with in the numerous refunds we have ever processed.
TjPhysicist said:
3949286 is the order ID#. I have called many times about this and am assured that you have *not* made any debits further to the credit on your side. The bank says that the second debit and the first are in fact done under ONE single authorisation code (not sure what that means). All in all, my whole experience is soured, It could be the bank being wierd, I don't know, but the result is the same.
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Hey, was this issue resolved or not as i am thinking to buy a 3500 MAH battery from mobilefun, i will place my order on your feedback only
OK, so here's the deal, guys. I recently ran into some financial issues, which may mean a total loss of income for an undetermined period of time. I've been calling companies I owe money, offering to settle old debts like college loans, so I can get my credit straightened out.
I bought an LG v10 less than 6 months ago. I went into a local T-Mobile store yesterday to pay off last month's balance, but more importantly, my device balance. So now my account balance is zero for everything. The account is still active but won't be as of next month. I'm trying to get my SIM permanently unlocked so I can switch to another carrier like MetroPCS or Straight Talk (prepaid). I am aware that carriers can blacklist the ESNs of devices that are past due/delinquent, so that is part of my motivation. I just wanted to own my device free and clear.
The rep told me in the store that I can use the Device Unlock app on the stock ROM (he noticed that I had CM13 installed, LOL) to request a permanent unlock. So I flashed back to stock, relocked bootloader, and tried the app. But it's not working. He did say that I would possibly need to wait 24 hours, and I have. I was also told not to cancel the account before unlocking, or else I can't get an unlock, paid or not. I really prefer not to pay another month's bill, I also don't want to pay some shady unlock website. I read the terms for unlocking, since I'm paid then I should be eligible.
Now, this is where the situation gets a little hairy, so read carefully. When I bought the phone I put it in a now ex-friend's name, because he has good credit and mine is crap. The price they quoted him was less than half of what they quoted me. So the account is under his name, he had to use his ID, but I paid for everything with *MY* money. But the phone is in my physical possession, I'm the one paying the bills. To make long story short, I caught him trying to steal from me, so I ended the friendship. He's made himself scarce, so up until yesterday getting hold of him to convince him to come into the store with me was difficult. But now I have to find him again so we can make a final call to settle the unlock, then I'll just let the account get cancelled when I don't pay next month. They won't let me do anything over the phone except make payments, since I don't know his Social Security #.
Once I get the SIM unlocked and the account is cancelled there will be no fear with blacklisting, I should be able to freely switch to another prepaid carrier later. However, if I decide I want to take advantage of T-Mobile's "bring your own device" policy later, will they let me rejoin as a prepaid customer? No potential issues?
I'm just looking for a little advice on what to do next.
Thanks!
Did you figure this out? What error message was the unlock app giving you?
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
@YrrchSebor: No, still not solved. The device unlock app just tells me I'm not eligible. I'm sure I can get a temp unlock but I'd rather have a permanent unlock. I even got hold of my ex-friend and forced him to call T-Mo, they just put you on hold forever and jerk you around from rep to rep. I had the entire conversation recorded, every rep says I'm not eligible. This is a bunch of BS if you ask me, I've read the conditions for an unlock, I meet all the requirements, we explained this to the reps blow by blow, but they just say the same thing. They also refuse to say why I'm not eligible. I've called back dozens of times for the past week, same answers. I've been a customer for over 5 years, owned a handful of devices with T-Mo, you would think they would have no issues giving an unlock if the device is paid and no other balance is due. I also explained the financial hardship situation to them. They're being such pricks about this, that when I finally get an unlock, I may never be a customer again. My best advice is, just keep calling and hound the **** out of them. Be polite, demand explanations, ask to talk to a supervisor/manager if possible.
AnonVendetta said:
@YrrchSebor: No, still not solved. The device unlock app just tells me I'm not eligible. I'm sure I can get a temp unlock but I'd rather have a permanent unlock. I even got hold of my ex-friend and forced him to call T-Mo, they just put you on hold forever and jerk you around from rep to rep. I had the entire conversation recorded, every rep says I'm not eligible. This is a bunch of BS if you ask me, I've read the conditions for an unlock, I meet all the requirements, we explained this to the reps blow by blow, but they just say the same thing. They also refuse to say why I'm not eligible. I've called back dozens of times for the past week, same answers. I've been a customer for over 5 years, owned a handful of devices with T-Mo, you would think they would have no issues giving an unlock if the device is paid and no other balance is due. I also explained the financial hardship situation to them. They're being such pricks about this, that when I finally get an unlock, I may never be a customer again. My best advice is, just keep calling and hound the **** out of them. Be polite, demand explanations, ask to talk to a supervisor/manager if possible.
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Damn, that sucks!! Have ANY of the reps given you a reason for your ineligibility? They definitely owe you that I'd say, and if they can't give it then something's wrong.
It sounds like your device's IMEI should be in their database, but if for some reason it isn't, there is another unlock thread where an XDA member, markbencze(not positive on the spelling), gives the direct telephone line to a rep who seems to be sympathetic and seems to be able to add devices to the database that aren't in there. Just letting you know that in case you didn't know and possibly she could help you..
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
@YrrchSebor: No, I've never been given a reason. My device's IMEI should be in their database, I bought and activated the phone in a T-Mo store. My ex-friend gave me the last 4 digits of his Social Security Number, so I can call in posing as him without his presence. I had to force cooperation but he did give in. I'm going to be extremely pissed if I cant get an unlock or the phone gets blacklisted, I have very limited income right now and have spent alot of money on this. My gameplan is to get the unlock as soon as possible, then cancel the account so I dont have to pay next month. I have a cheap AT&T prepaid SIM card to test with, to see if the unlock is for real.
If you can possibly post a link to the aforementioned thread here it would be very much appreciated.
AnonVendetta said:
@YrrchSebor: No, I've never been given a reason. My device's IMEI should be in their database, I bought and activated the phone in a T-Mo store. My ex-friend gave me the last 4 digits of his Social Security Number, so I can call in posing as him without his presence. I had to force cooperation but he did give in. I'm going to be extremely pissed if I cant get an unlock or the phone gets blacklisted, I have very limited income right now and have spent alot of money on this. My gameplan is to get the unlock as soon as possible, then cancel the account so I dont have to pay next month. I have a cheap AT&T prepaid SIM card to test with, to see if the unlock is for real.
If you can possibly post a link to the aforementioned thread here it would be very much appreciated.
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I see talk of it in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3241032. Maybe start at the end and work back..
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Thanks for the info, I just checked my IMEI with a link I found in the other unlock thread, it's not blacklisted and is also in T-Mo's database. So there must be some other reason. I'll try giving that lady a call.
@YrrchSebor: I just got my unlock about half an hour ago. I didn't call that lady, I just kept calling and asking to speak to supervisors until my request was elevated. Finally, they asked for email and said to wait 3 days. I dont know exactly what happened, but I think they added my IMEI to unlock database. I got the email, ran Unlock app again, worked first time around.
AnonVendetta said:
@YrrchSebor: I just got my unlock about half an hour ago. I didn't call that lady, I just kept calling and asking to speak to supervisors until my request was elevated. Finally, they asked for email and said to wait 3 days. I dont know exactly what happened, but I think they added my IMEI to unlock database. I got the email, ran Unlock app again, worked first time around.
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Glad you finally got it [emoji106]
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Hey all,
I did some searching so it makes me suspect this isn't possible yet, but does anyone have a method to change the IMEI or MEID of the LG V30+ (Sprint, if that matters)? I need to change it and not just mask it.
The short story is I bought on on eBay but it was already tied to someone's account. The seller won't give me that person's contact info, Sprint won't tell me if there's a finance balance on it and if I can pay it off, and Sprint won't give me that person's contact info either. eBay declined my request for a refund, so now I'm just trying to see if I can make this thing usable at all.
Thanks!
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
t1mman said:
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
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I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2249666&p=40723213
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
nizmoboy98 said:
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
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When I put the IMEI into swappa's IMEI checker it says "Financial Eligibility - Device is not eligible for resale (financed)." When I talk to Sprint (Which I've done over a few calls and trips to the store) they tell me it can't be put on my account because it's still attached to another account, but they don't tell me why at all. They've never told me if I could just take over payments for the phone, which is interesting since I've asked specifically about that. I wonder if something else is blocking this IMEI? So far I haven't been able to reach anyone at Sprint that can tell me anything about the phone's previous owner or any financial obligations on the phone.
Do you happen to know of a different IMEI checker I should try that might give me more information?
Imei checker by cavallo enterprise
I tried that on my insuranced replacement lg v30 and it gave me unpaid balance on mines
cjshrader said:
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself.
So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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I'm sorry you are out the money....
But the flaw in your logic is that 2017 $800-$900 LG V30 phone still belongs to Sprint, until paid off. The person who "sold" it to you had no right to sell property they do not own (unless they used the money to pay off the balance). So, technically, they are stealing it. The only reason it's not been "reported" stolen is Sprint is probably taking care of this in civil proceedings as opposed to criminal proceedings? They are probably getting a judgement against the person. In which case, Sprint doesn't want to deal with you because that just complicates the case.
IF the person you bought it from had used that money to immediately pay of the balance, then everything would be OK. But they probably sold for lot less than owed to Sprint. (Sprint wants customers with recurring monthly payments, they don't want to be Best Buy. The financial price of the contract is probably a LOT more than the hardware cost of the phone.)
This phone was released in October. The user probably didn't make any payments, to be honest. So you would be out not only what you paid them, but probably the full amount they owe Sprint for up to two years?
Sprint also had deals where you would get a phone, get free first year service, but then be obligated to pay for 2nd year of service. People signed a legal contract. To get out of the contract they had to pay the value of what was still left. The amount owed on this phone might not be just the cost of the phone, but a year or two of Sprint service charges. I haven't seen the contract, I really couldn't care less about Sprint --- I've helped many friends escape Sprint -- I'm just speculating why Sprint isn't being helpful with you. It seems it's more than just the phone?
One Sprint deal was to LEASE TWO PHONES. LEASE one phone, get one for free:
http://newsroom.sprint.com/lg-v30-a...e-get-one-on-us-just-38-per-month-for-two.htm
In which case, they weren't even buying the phone from Sprint over two years, they were renting it.
I see this a lot with new Sprint phones sold on Craigslist and eBay -- lots of drama for some reason. Earlier this year was lots of posts for help in unlocking Sprint Galaxy S8/S8+. It's not that those model phones cannot be unlocked, it's that money was owed on them still. People were getting new Sprint phones for "free", then turning around and selling them on eBay, Craigslist. But they weren't free. They had signed a contract, and until the terms were fulfilled it was still Sprint's phones. So, it was really a scam.
In many countries, changing IMEI numbers is like changing VIN on a car. It's against the law, because either the car is stolen or some other bad intent is happening.
Sent from my carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
cjshrader said:
I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_cloning#Effectiveness_and_legislation
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud
Contact your seller, explain the situation, and if the description didn't state the IMEI issue, or didn't state the item was AS-IS, contact paypal/ebay and open a dispute.
If it was stated, well, you knew what you where getting into!
Good luck!
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
Sent from my LG-H931 using XDA Labs
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
Mr CATFISH said:
Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
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I appreciate that, and even though I'm paying extra for one I'm definitely thinking it's going to be the next phone I get. I've been on a Note 4 for a long time and it's on its last legs.
adsubzero said:
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
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The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
Josh McGrath said:
If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
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The purchase was through Paypal, and since eBay and Paypal are generally in lock step together. That being said, I should still take a shot, it wouldn't hurt. This is effectively a bad IMEI phone, and the seller said the problem with it was it was "activated on someone else's account." Those two things don't mean the same to me.
cjshrader said:
The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
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He's saying there are other providers who don't care that it's a blacklisted phone. That IF you get the phone carrier unlocked through an unlock code perhaps you can then use it with another service provider.
My understanding is there's a U.S. carrier blacklist covering all four major carriers. Whether there are loopholes, I don't know. Like maybe since is not actually been reported lost/stolen?
But there's also tons of U.S. MVNOs who may or may not suscribe to that list. Those MVNOs use the major carriers, like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, but provide their own SIM cards.
I'm just explaining what the other person meant. What you do is your own decision.
Sent from my official carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
Try and search ebay for the this seller and message the seller any questions you have. Ask seller if you will get refund if it does not work . im guessing sites that provide this service knows someone that works at sprint and maybe pays them under the table to change status of imei
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
cjshrader said:
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
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You sent the seller back a bad phone?
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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Well, with the refund it's now eBay seller's property (again)...
He can sell it to someone outside the U.S. and it will work.
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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This is a year old thread ?
I apologize if i found the wrong forum to ask this in, if so please forgive and excuse me.
So for the "TL/DR" version, the question i have is...
From what i understand the SM-G965U Samsung Verizon S9+ that i have, which i today flashed to G965u1 global variant was already, by default sold from verizon as Unlocked. A IMEI check on various MVNO's ting.com, straighttalk, Walmart Fam Mobile, as well as a few IMEI checker sites have show this IMEI for this phone thats still under payments as clear and ready to activate with their sim. Also after successfully flashing the global bloat free variant to the phone, i was able to make a successful test call and confirm mobile data worked great with a borrowed Walmart Family Mobile Sim in it.
If i bounce out of this relashonsip, and take my phone as it is, still under her plan, and just go get a Sim Kit with the Unlimited plan from (Probably AT&T) will verizon or can verizon, or her block the phone once the sim from another carrier is working in it? Either by financle lock or her reporting it lost or anything like that? Or am I in the clear?
This isnt going to base my decison to leave this situation or not, (im going to peroid my childs welbeing is most important of all, my tolance for anger, abuse and BS comes a much later 2nd or 3rd) I just want to make plans as to what i should do about my phone, i want to keep it, im not going to fall into her games, and im going to change the number and would like to just pop the sim and be done with it, but i want to know if they can do anything if its reported lost, or she just stops paying her bill and they shut the account down due to non payment.
And for the details, and the morally inclined the situation is..
I have a week and a half new S9+ activated on an account from Verizon. The situation with myself and the account holder (Ex-Gf, or soon to be) has turned very sour so much that Im at a empass where I feel myself and my daughter are in a unhealthy enviroment and Im legitamatly concerned for her mental health, and the enviroment being to agressive, controlling and abusive. So basicly im leavin her. Im a single dad and this is my kid, not her so no im not running off with "our" child, unfortuatley the biological mother doesnt care to be in her life. But enough about the moral dilemma, emplications and personal life. This person is very unhealthy and we need to leave.
I became a authorized user on her account, allowed to make any decisons/purchases ect and she was with me when we bought it. Or rather signed up the payment agreement, with 0 down and just paid taxes and turned her plan and mine into a family with Go unlimited. With my S9+ having 24 payments of like $36 a month with the insurance ect. Phone case and screen protector added to the next bill, bill date the 27th.
Night before i handed her $400 in cash to add to the bill to get this about half paid off, only to find out she choose to blow it on something else, and giving her friend $150 because he was down on his luck.
The enviroment and some things she has said, has frightened me to the point where i belive she may try to either falsely accuse me of something to hold me hostage in the relashonship as she wont seek counsiling, or just continue to scream and agrue and yell either in front of or directly at my child, and after many attempts to try to get some 3rd party help counsilling ect ive decided its not going to work, and shes not going to try. She addtionaly has around $2k of my silver bars locked in her safe deposit box she wont allow access to for reasons I spend to much on things i dont need which isnt true. I think she is just trying to limit my resources to leave and or make me more dependant on her.
Which isnt going to work.
Thank you, and I apologize for the personal details of the post, and the lenght.
Thanks again.
She will likely report the phone stolen. It will be blacklisted at that point for all American carriers, but would still work internationally.
You should just be able to return it if you've had it a week and a half. It's network locked and won't work with another carrier's SIM unless you pay it off and get the code from Verizon or use one of the pay services you can find around the net.
No, it's not network locked. As I said I just tested it with a At&t sim and worked fine. It seems all Verizon phones are now unlock from the network as per an agreement with the FCC during the purchase of the 700 megahertz Spectrum that they would allow their phones to be unlocked what's your now done at the point of sale and activation. When I'm wondering is as if after I've Place another Sim in it and have continued use if she decides to be the way that she is and report it stolen or lost or whatever which I'm guessing is it can't be reported stolen unless there's a police report lost Maybe. If the new carrier it's working on will the activate or block it. I've already given her money to make up for the cost of the device whether or not she can apply it to the bill is up to her or if she even can but I'm not getting that money back so it's in my best interest to keep the device and keep it working on a different network via prepaid.
Bottom line, if you're using a device that isn't yours (and honestly, it really isn't), it's not safe. It seems unlikely that she will just continue to make payments on a device used by someone that just left her life. Maybe she's honest and will do the right thing, since you paid her money. But you'll never really know. You could wake up one day with no service and have very little you can do about it.
The better thing to do, rather than handing her $400, would have been to walk out of the relationship, leaving the phone in the home. Go take the $400 and buy a midrange device of your own.
Given she already took your money and blew it on something other than the bill you intended it for, you're pretty much screwed. She could easily blacklist the phone and there wouldn't really be any recourse for you (not even small claims court, as I'm guessing it was a verbal "agreement" when you gave her the $400 to put towards the bill. It would literally be your word against hers, and that wouldn't go far.)
Not saying you would have considered that route, but just putting it out there it wouldn't work
Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
T-Mobile employee here. If she decides to report it lost or stolen (if she still has the insurance on it she can pay the deductible and receive another of the same model) your IMEI will be put on a national blacklist. Doesn't matter which carrier you use or the firmware you flash on the device, the IMEI will be the same and will not register with any network in the US if she uses her insurance or just reports it but doesn't claim it. Once the IMEI is on this list it's nearly impossible to get it unblocked. Your best option is to try and return it and get your money back from your ex. You could try to sell it to someone overseas but that comes with it's own risks.
Thread closed by OP request!
Ok, so I have been a Metro cistomer for over a year and while they are the cheapest here you surely get what you pay for. The support is aweful. Well twi weeks ago I cracked my screen and called their insurance and got a replacement. Welm yoday I call Metro and they refused to unlock it. i asked to soeak with manager after manager and eCh one told me they could not unlock it because it is a new phone and has to be on the network for 180 days i was like Boyght this phone over a year ago, this is a replace through insurance. How dies that reset my 180 days. I am so angry right now and Metro is no help How are they able yo keep me network restricted after being with them for that long. To use an insurance replacement to lock me in for another 189 days. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
VEC
Unlocking is a per device basis, it seems.
Every time you get a new device from them, that device has to be on their network for a specific amount of time before they allow you to take it over to a new carrier if you wanted to.
This insures that you have to use their service, and therefore pay them, for at least another 6 months. It prevents people from getting good phones for cheap or maybe free then jumping ship to a different carrier before they can at least recoup whatever they lost on the phone. Same way with contract carriers you can get phones at a major discount if you agree to be locked into a long term contract. (Eg. my first smartphone retailed for $600 back in 2011, but the family member that paid my bill at the time only spent $200 after rebate by agreeing to have my line on a 2 year contract)
By allowing a replacement phone to be unlocked right off bat that means someone considering switching carriers can intentionally break their device, get it replaced on insurance, then jump to a different carrier with a brand new device and leave the old carrier eating the cost of the replacement.
They are probably within their right to do so, as it probably is in the fine print of their Unlocking Policy, or written in hard to understand yet still valid legalese.
It's kind of sucky, but it's understandable why when so many people are looking for ways to get one over and exploit loopholes and stuff.
There is another N10 thread here where someone did this to have their phone unlocked BEFORE the 180 days........ file an FCC complaint online that they are being unfair with their unlock policy. In your case OP, it even makes more sense to do this. Once you file the complaint stating your problem, the FCC contacts Metro, and Metro contacts you. Then you tell them they are being unfair and you want that device unlocked. No guarantees but it is worth a try. Apparently FCC complaints are never ignored by carrier.
Device unlocking is based on IMEI.
If you got a new phone for any reason, it's a new IMEI which means a whole new deal.
Like poog said, take it to the fcc.