Metro Dirty Unlock practices , after thier insurance replacement phone telling me another 189 days till I can unlock - OnePlus Nord N10 5G Questions & Answers

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.

Related

Protection plan available now with Sprint

I just noticed when online that Sprint now offers a protection plan for the View similar to the ones offered on the phones. The cost is $13 a month. According to the message they sent me it doesn't matter when you bought the View as long as you sign up for it this month you are eligible.
Yes, although I thought it was $17 a month as I added it when I was on the phone with Retention a few days ago. Although I could be wrong in the pricing as I have gotten wrong answers from retention. I had a rep tell me that the View has a standard MicroUSB port even though it doesn't. I know the port will accept a standard MicroUSB connector and it will work to charge and may even work to access data, HTC Support advised asgainst using anything but the included USB cable.
You might check and make sure they didn't charge you wrong. Online it says it is $13 a month. At least they are offering something now.
So what is the consensus? Should we get it?I can't decide whether to get the one through Sprint or one through Sqaretrade. Any thoughts?
If all you want is device repair/replacement, call in and ask for the $10 a month plan. Instead of Total Equipment Protection it's called, "Assurant Device Insurance". It isn't available online. I had to seriously complain about being stuck with the "extra features", and refuse repeated pushes to stick with the $13 plan before they even admitted the cheaper one existed.
The attached file is the official Sprint .PDF with the details of the three programs available. (Zipped due to upload size limit.)
Here's the PR release detailing all the "extra features" $13 a month gets you! Among other things, THREE WHOLE MONTHS OF CREDIT MONITORING! Wow, I just don't know what to say Sprint, I really don't.
www.Sprint.com said:
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 26, 2011 - Sprint (NYSE: S) has launched a custom protection plan available to customers with netbooks, notebooks and tablets. The Assurant Advanced Protection Pack provides repair or replacement in the event a device suffers mechanical or electrical breakdown or is accidentally damaged, lost or stolen.
The Assurant Advanced Protection Pack, costs $13 per month* and includes features to help customers safeguard their devices. These features include a tool to locate a lost device, dedicated technical support with remote login, virus defense, data back-up of contacts, photos and media, and three months of credit monitoring if the device is lost or stolen.
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tedya said:
So what is the consensus? Should we get it?I can't decide whether to get the one through Sprint or one through Sqaretrade. Any thoughts?
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Squaretrade probably makes more financial sense, but I like knowing that I can pop over to the local (non-corporate) authorized repair center for repair/replacement. It's just easier to express strong feelings in person (well, until they call the cops or make a grab for the gun under the counter....) when you are frustrated by poor service or unreasonable delays...
I'm surprised the deductible is still just $100, given how expensive the Flyer is. A lost/stolen View without Sprint service is just a Flyer in disguise....
I will need to call Sprint and get this corrected ASAP as I don't need that extra garbage either.
I assume there's an app, same as the one available for the phones. Has anyone found a link to download it?
Called Sprint this afternoon and got it done. Now, I just wish Sprint would come out with a plan that wouldn't cost me, literally $59 a month more, while taking away 500 of my anytime minutes just to get a new PDA Phone. I have been with Sprint so long and my plan is so old that if I want to upgrade my Touch Pro 2 to something new, I need to change from my current plan which gives me 2000 anytime minutes, unlimited mobile to mobile, unlimited nights and weekends starting at 8PM and unlimited Data for $10 per line. They don't seem to understand that I am so disenchanted with them that I would sooner pay more to their competition then give them another lousy dime.

HTC One Blocked

So my dad bought an HTC One off of Craigslist brand new a few months ago. Today, it randomly stopped recog izing the Sim. It turns out that the original owners decided to call in the device as stolen and got theirs replaced from their insurance. He called T-Mobile and they said that there's nothing they can do about this.
Is there any way to make the phone usable again? Changing the IMEI, flashing a custom ROM, or whatever. Everything works, except the SIM is not recognized.
Thanks for your help.
Your SOL. You won't get imei changing help on XDA. Advise I seen given in this situation, is to sell it overseas as it useless in AT&T too.
HTC One
You're screwed, unlock it if you can. Hopefully it was fully paid for so you can do that, then like the other guy said sell it on Ebay to someone overseas. Be honest and say it's blocked. It will still sell. The thieves have a good racket going, and the carriers refuse to stop it by adding kill switches.
jawmail said:
You're screwed, unlock it if you can. Hopefully it was fully paid for so you can do that, then like the other guy said sell it on Ebay to someone overseas. Be honest and say it's blocked. It will still sell. The thieves have a good racket going, and the carriers refuse to stop it by adding kill switches.
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What would adding kill switches do. ? You take your chances with buying from Cl just this last month I had two htc ones and a iPhone 5. Switched back to a used HTC one and have had no issues. I've met every one of those people at the store. The thing is the system will only grant someone a warranty or insurance claim on a device used last. If enough time passes or the other person registers a new phone the insurance/ warranty system will register a new device. Any claims on the only one will be invalid. I believe scammers are waiting just long enough before that or not registering new devices to their account so they can still claim the device as lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
monkeypaws said:
What would adding kill switches do. ? You take your chances with buying from Cl just this last month I had two htc ones and a iPhone 5. Switched back to a used HTC one and have had no issues. I've met every one of those people at the store. The thing is the system will only grant someone a warranty or insurance claim on a device used last. If enough time passes or the other person registers a new phone the insurance/ warranty system will register a new device. Any claims on the only one will be invalid. I believe scammers are waiting just long enough before that or not registering new devices to their account so they can still claim the device as lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Kill switches would prevent the phone from being used domestically and possibly internationally. Similar to how Verizon does it by locking the phone IMEI or MEID whatever they call it on Verizon phones. If you buy one that's locked it "lost or stolen" and doesn't work on their network.
Read this, explains what might be done if the carriers agree. Right now they make too much money from insurance to care. Don't know if I can post links but Google 'cell phone kill switch'. http://www.today.com/money/push-get-kill-switch-smartphones-2D11897060
I ran into this a while back with a GS3 on TMO.
Heres what usually happens. Scammer has insurance on his phone. Sells it to you. Then waits up to 30 days to file a claim. Lost / Stolen.
Once a claim has been filed they have an additional 180 days to pay the deductible and finalize the claim. Once that happens the IMEI gets entered into the system and bam you have a WiFi only device.
I went to the TMO store by my office and spoke with a manager.. The system is flawed in favor of the insurance companies and carriers.
I can prove that unit was active and in use on my account for 3 months before it got shut off. Yet TMO refuses to do anything.
I emailed Assurion twice to let them know the user who filed the IMEI as lost/stolen was performing insurance fraud and it fell on deaf ears.
Why? Because they keep selling the monthly subscription to the scammers and honest users plus they collect the deductible.
Carriers wont do anything because most of the time it forces the user who got scammed to buy buy a new phone.. Rarely will they change carriers. So TMO still gets paid.
IAmSixNine said:
I ran into this a while back with a GS3 on TMO.
Heres what usually happens. Scammer has insurance on his phone. Sells it to you. Then waits up to 30 days to file a claim. Lost / Stolen.
Once a claim has been filed they have an additional 180 days to pay the deductible and finalize the claim. Once that happens the IMEI gets entered into the system and bam you have a WiFi only device.
I went to the TMO store by my office and spoke with a manager.. The system is flawed in favor of the insurance companies and carriers.
I can prove that unit was active and in use on my account for 3 months before it got shut off. Yet TMO refuses to do anything.
I emailed Assurion twice to let them know the user who filed the IMEI as lost/stolen was performing insurance fraud and it fell on deaf ears.
Why? Because they keep selling the monthly subscription to the scammers and honest users plus they collect the deductible.
Carriers wont do anything because most of the time it forces the user who got scammed to buy buy a new phone.. Rarely will they change carriers. So TMO still gets paid.
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Yes that is very typical. It's so sad they do not stop the theft and the fraud. It will happen it's only a matter of time.
Nothing you can do. Sorry but that's just how it is. I refuse to buy any phone that's not from the company I'm with. That being tmobile. That way I have a record of buying my phone and they can't block it
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Sucks man.
I'd say to check your imei against the stolen registries, but that wouldn't have done you any good.
Sent from my LG-V510 using xda app-developers app
If you have even a phone number or any contact information from when your dad bought the phone, you should report the seller to the FBI or your local US Attorney's Office and perhaps even attempt to file a lawsuit for fraud. I'm shocked that people are willing to commit federal crimes for $300.
Actually you are all wrong, Any locked/blocked/stolen/blacklisted tmobile phone be unlocked for att, Tmobile only blacklisted on there own network, I am currently using a blocked htc one that checkesnfree.com says it blocked by tmobile and it says no service when I put in my tmobile sim card, I bought an unlock code form ebay for $4 and am currently using the tmobile htc one on H2o wireless (atat) towers
works perfect
jqwest said:
Actually you are all wrong, Any locked/blocked/stolen/blacklisted tmobile phone be unlocked for att, Tmobile only blacklisted on there own network, I am currently using a blocked htc one that checkesnfree.com says it blocked by tmobile and it says no service when I put in my tmobile sim card, I bought an unlock code form ebay for $4 and am currently using the tmobile htc one on H2o wireless (atat) towers
works perfect
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Actually, you're mistaken.
A "blocked" device on T-Mobile is still usable on AT&T. A "blocked" device is not a blacklisted device, and therefor is eligible for use on another carrier (not MVNO of the blocked carrier).
A device can only be blacklisted if it has been reported as lost or stolen. If the device is just blocked on T-Mobile, then it wasn't reported as lost or stolen.
I buy used phones as a business and if a tmobile phone is blacklisted/lost/stolen/blocked for non payment. they only blackliston tmobile cell towers. This is fact any bad tmobile phone after unlocked can be used on atat regardless of imei status with tmobile, Im currently using a tmobile htc one that is blacklisted/blocked by tmobile, Im using it on atat

[Q] Followed all rules and still didn't get unlock code...need help

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.

Verizon = shady employees

I'm about send a six page letter to the Verizon VP of retail operations and customer service. I have never experienced more improper behavior by the hourly employees of any company. Before the V10 release I called to confirm that unlimited data customers could buy the phone on the device payment plan on Nov. 15th. I received numerous confirmations over the phone. When I entered the store they had no idea what I was talking about. Fine, put that on Verizon corporate for not properly informing all the stores of what was going on. After many calls a customer service supervisor indicated that I was correct but that Verizon had not updated its own software to make the change in time. I placed the order online that night as the stores had already closed. When I called the next day with another supervisor they again told me I was correct and would make arrangement to ensure that I was given the device payment plan without losing my unlimited data. I arranged to pick up the phone at an official Verizon store. The supervisor assured me that she would follow up after I picked up the phone to make sure everything was correct.
SHADY BEHAVIOR #1 - that same supervisor went into the notes after the call the next day and left an outright lie indicating that she informed the customer (me) that I would NOT be able to buy on the device payment plan until December. The order was canceled and NO ONE notified until AFTER I walked into the store to pick up the phone. My order was canceled without any notification via email or text, so I basically wasted my time going to the store and making all these calls with the supervisor.
SHADY BEHAVIOR #2 - When I called customer service from wihin the store, another supervisor, who said she knew the first supervisor personally, began telling me that I had no order. I emailed it to her and she began refuting the validity of it and when I asked her to give me the status of the order she admitted she had no way of knowing because she had no access to internet orders, which was not her department. Clearly she was just trying to cover for her supervisor friend. I immediately told her to stop wasting my time, now some 30 minutes after first calling, and connect me with a supervisor in the internet orders department ASAP, what she should have done from the beginning. Unbelievable... they see that you are clearly angered and yet they try to blame you the customer for their mistakes.
I returned the phone after I was told that device payment plan would start exactly one week later. On the day I was eligible for the DPP I purchased a new phone. After spending nearly 10 hours and speaking to over a dozen different Verizon employees I wasn't about to come away from the ordeal without the device payment play as I was assured I would.
SHADY BEHAVIOR #3 - In the store the new phone (#2) was handed to me without a screen protector and a receipt was not given to me.
SHADY BEHAVIOR #4 - when I went back into the store to ask for a receipt, and point out that the phone was not working, a employee passed himself off as being "THE" manager. I asked him if he was the store manager and he admitted he was not. He would not provide me with receipt because the store was now closed although many employees were still inside with some customers. He said my receipt information would be available online, which was false. Even the confirmation email sent did not make reference to the model of the phone that was purchased it only made reference to my old phone.
SHADY BEHAVIOR #5 - The next day I returned the phone and was finally given a receipt. This phone also stopped working properly after a few hours! I called a store near my work to confirm if they had a replacement phone in stock and they said they did. I walked over to the store and they said, after finding out it was for an exchange, that they did not have the phone in stock after all. Huh? I drove over to another Verizon store as no one was picking up the phone (??) and as soon as I walked in I asked if they had my phone in stock. They said sure we have it. I asked them to confirm but they would not tell me unless I gave them my phone number, presumably to see if I was there for an exchange or for a new line activation. I told the guy it was for an exchange and he went in the back stock room and, when he came out surprise, surprise they didn't have the phone in stock. I'm tenacious so I walked over to the third Verizon store of the night. On the way over I called and asked if they had the phone in stock, they confirmed that they did and that they had more than one in stock. When I walked in they tried to do the same thing, as soon as I asked if they had it in stock they wouldn't answer unless I gave them my phone number. But this time I had them on the hook because the guy told me over the phone that they the phone in stock and "PLENTY". The employee that took care of me tried to give me the run around too once they saw it was an exchange. She took my phone to the back room to show it to her manager and confirm the equipment problem. I asked her to tell him to come out as I did not want my phone leaving my sight for long. She said he could not come out..... shady. She comes out with a new phone and I ask her to turn it on before she switches over the service as I want to make sure the screen is 100% operational before I have to go through a third exchange. She says she can't take it out of the box without switching over the service. I asked her if they had more than one of the phone in stock in case there was a problem, and without making eye contact she responds with an incoherent "nu uhh" and head shake. I did not tell her that her own co-worker confirmed that they IN FACT did have more than one phone in stock nor did I ask why they were now singing a different tune. Seriously... this is how a publicly traded company runs its retail operations?
To summarize, I was LIED to repeatedly by Verizon employees. Supervisors lied in their notes to cover up their giving out incorrect information. Verizon retail stores make it deliberately hard for your to exchange a phone. I plan to send this letter to the consumer protection agency run by the federal government.
Somehow I find it hard to believe you where treated this badly by VZ. You had 3 brand new defective phones in a row??
I have dealt with 3 different VZ stores in my area & have had excellent/courteous service from all 3. Sure, we where all upset when VZ raised the price of the unlimited data service by $20 a month (I cancelled 3 lines because of that) but that was not their employees fault.
I owned a retail store for over 20 years & your whole attitude seems to me as being one of those customers that is never satisfied no matter how hard they try.
~John
^ Yes I can tell you were a retail owner. To make a blanket statement like "your whole attitude" is indicative of that.
You made not a single mention of the outright lies that were told by the Verizon employees but instead opted to put it on the customer or impugned the customer's integrity by voicing skepticism of faulty equipment without any solid basis for that skepticism. You don't know me, and you don't know the track record of an entirely new phone. Have you visited the LG forums to see those who have had to make multiple returns? Of course not. Yours is the typical management response of Fortune 500 companies that are loathed by the public.
Also, there were two returns for faulty equipment, each confirmed at the Verizon store before a new phone was given. The first return was simply my prerogative to take advantage of the device payment plan, as I was initially told by numerous Verizon employees prior to the initial sale. And secondly you fail to address the point that the stores apparently have unethical motivation to make an exchange of their inventory for another location's sale of hotly sought after phones deliberately more difficult.
And by the way, I worked for a five star hotel, deemed the best in the metropolitan area, all through college where we bent over backwards to ensure customer loyalty and to deliver value for premium services. I had to take written tests for AAA certification to verify that I knew all the latest information required of my job and had frequent training seminars to ensure that we were all worthy of the "best in class" title. Verizon like trumpet that they're the best, evidently they don't visit their own stores very often. You know how well your operation is doing when the customer has a problem, and not just for how well they handle mundane transactions. Can your staff rectify the problem as quickly as possible without further aggravation to customer? But ultimately we're not talking about just dropped balls and incompetence here, we're talking of employees repeatedly making deliberately false statements to customers. That's beyond acceptable.
Sucks to be PorscheOscar.
Is there any chance that the humanity of at least ONE employee would have come forth and done at least half-of-the-right-thing by you if you were presenting a good persona?
But I feel for you ... because of course ... ALL the employee's in the store wouldn't have the same negative attitude and manipulate a computer system because the person in front of them was completely rational, respectful and courteous. It has to be some corporate level decision that was sent through the regional representatives and programmed into the one store to single YOU out and destroy your integrity.
I've been disappointed by some of Verizon's products and also their staff before - but instead of finding a manager within the store that supported someone I couldn't get a positive interaction with, I just drove 5 to 10 miles in any direction and went to a different Verizon store.
Good luck trying to get good service from a Verizon Rep based on the computer notes now!
I've been with Verizon for 10+ years (also have unlimited data). I've been pretty happy with their service. I typically call 611 when I have issues rather than visiting a call. The stores #1 (and seemingly only) objective is to sell devices. They have no interest in handling returns/defects/etc. I've actually called 611 from within a store when a sales rep told me something wasn't covered.
The information they told you could have been true and false at the same time. Did they have several brand new V10's in inventory? Yes. Did they have refurbed V10's in inventory to issue as replacements? No. Most companies will not give you a brand new phone as a replacement. A manager can choose to give you one but that's few and far between. Though Verizon (in terms of the big 4 carriers) is your best bet at getting such replacement.
Next time try calling 611. They'll ship you a replacement and give you a return label for the defective one.
All in all, your experience is still better than you'd expect from AT&T. Wanna test that? Ask a Verizon rep to send you a text or e-mail (written confirmation) of something. They will. I've been fighting AT&T U-Verse since July for a bill that I don't owe. Every month they bill me, every month I call and explain, and every month some rep (or manager) has said not to worry and they've removed it from my account. EVERY SINGLE REP has told me they're not allowed to send any e-mails, texts, faxes, or mail...no written confirmation. I got my first collection letter last week. It's my word against theirs. Sorry POS company!
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
joshw0000 said:
I've been with Verizon for 10+ years (also have unlimited data). I've been pretty happy with their service. I typically call 611 when I have issues rather than visiting a call. The stores #1 (and seemingly only) objective is to sell devices. They have no interest in handling returns/defects/etc. I've actually called 611 from within a store when a sales rep told me something wasn't covered.
The information they told you could have been true and false at the same time. Did they have several brand new V10's in inventory? Yes. Did they have refurbed V10's in inventory to issue as replacements? No. Most companies will not give you a brand new phone as a replacement. A manager can choose to give you one but that's few and far between. Though Verizon (in terms of the big 4 carriers) is your best bet at getting such replacement.
Next time try calling 611. They'll ship you a replacement and give you a return label for the defective one.
All in all, your experience is still better than you'd expect from AT&T. Wanna test that? Ask a Verizon rep to send you a text or e-mail (written confirmation) of something. They will. I've been fighting AT&T U-Verse since July for a bill that I don't owe. Every month they bill me, every month I call and explain, and every month some rep (or manager) has said not to worry and they've removed it from my account. EVERY SINGLE REP has told me they're not allowed to send any e-mails, texts, faxes, or mail...no written confirmation. I got my first collection letter last week. It's my word against theirs. Sorry POS company!
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1. I'm glad you pointed out the issue about exchanges vs. Refunds. Note to all: if you are still in your two week return window and have an issue DO NOT EXCHANGE. RETURN FOR REDUND ONLY. They will not tell you if you are receiving a refurbished phone. Demand a new phone. I can't believe I made this mistake because I had exactly this same experience 6 years ago with Droid X. They kept giving me refurbished phones one after the other until I was in my 9th return. Verizon have very poor if nonexistent quality control testing of refurbished phones. I'm going to have to give hard thought to returning this phone if they confirm that it's a refurb, even if I have to eat the $35 restocking fee. Given how the manager of the store couldn't be bothered to leave the back room I have no issue with giving him a return.
2. Yes AT&T is bad, Sprint is Worse and Tmobil I once caught red handed doing something shady on international calls which I reported to the State Attorneys and FCC. But Verizon leads them all for expensive service. The expectation of competent and non-shady service goes up. This all unfortunate because I reward straight shooters with long term loyalty. I would expect this from a fly by night Cell phone company but not an established company with millions of shareholders.
Was the Droid X that long ago? I loved that phone.
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I've never had issues with Verizon by phone conversation. but going to a Verizon retail store is a different story. stay away
I called LG to verify I had a new phone and They said it was. Also, while I was in the phone with them I asked about an issue I was having with a set of refurbished LG 900 Infinium headphones purchased on Amazon. I was told that if you buy LG Bluetooth headphones and have an issue they will send you new unit not a refurbished even though they were refurbs to begin with.
I also called Verizon tech support and they claim that if you go in store for an exchange they can only give you new phones as they don't stock refurbs. If however you make a claim over the phone They will send you refurbished units. Avoid that at all costs if you are in your 14 day return window.
joshw0000 said:
Was the Droid X that long ago? I loved that phone.
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I keep every phone I ever had in my desk as a little museum. I still have my BlackBerry Pearl..the first must have phone all my friends ran out and switched too, the iphone wasn't the first. But the Droid X was the phone I got when I left T-Mobile just to secure unlimited data. When the iPhone 4 was announced still without 4G, I was Android do good.
porscheoscar said:
I keep every phone I ever had in my desk as a little museum. I still have my BlackBerry Pearl..the first must have phone all my friends ran out and switched too, the iphone wasn't the first. But the Droid X was the phone I got when I left T-Mobile just to secure unlimited data. When the iPhone 4 was announced still without 4G, I was Android do good.
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I sell mine as soon as a better phone is released. That's how I get to try every new phone that will work on Verizon.
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i'm not sure how you got so far as to preorder on the phone then schedule an in store pick up. I called about 3 times before actually going through with a purchase on my UDP line and making sure every questions was answered. I then proceeded to get the phone picked the phone and color then the person couldn't proceed. I was then transferred and they clearly explained to me the deal after again trying and not being able to proceed while keeping the UDP line. I then had to wait til my pay period ended. 3 days later I went to the store and did the actual DPP on my UDP line.
Sorry you had a bad experience. I usually avoid the stores at all costs.
I've had generally good experiences with Verizon stores, but tend to do my business online, simply because I don't have to worry about being pushed or "pitched" anything. Recently, my wife's LG G4 was caught in a bootloop (showed LG logo, then went black). After 3 store reps fiddled around with it trying to factory reset it (BTW, it said "Modified" on the menu, but none noticed that fact!) As one of them was processing the warranty replacement, another guy walked into the store with a G4 and it was doing the exact same thing! Anyway, I asked them if there was anything else I could do since my wife wanted to take photos for Christmas (this was on the 23rd) and the replacement was shipping 2-day. They did offer for me to buy a new phone, but her G4 is 6 months old. Anyway, they seemed very helpful to me and I've never experienced what the OP did--doesn't mean it can't happen, but I would say it's rare.
As a small side-note to my story, I happened to be shopping at BJ's Wholesale during the day on Christmas Eve. In the store, there's a Verizon Kiosk, which is actually run by Diamond Wireless. EVERY SINGLE TIME I've done anything through them, they've been amazing. I guess it actually helps to have some degrees of separation from VZW! I told the guy what happened to my wife's phone. I asked him if I could buy a phone, then return it within 14 days without being worse for the wear--which he confirmed. He then suggested I "buy" the V10 as it has a better camera, etc. Since VZW had already issued a warranty replacement G4, he said they couldn't cancel it, but he suggested that I do a "buddy upgrade" (I have 3 total lines eligible), which I did. Unfortunately, my employee discount doesn't allow payment plan, so I was out $300 temporarily. HOWEVER, LG is giving a $100 rebate (Visa Gift Card). Then on top of that, the replacement G4 that will arrive shortly will be all mine--I'm hoping to sell it for at least $200, so I will break even in the long run. The Diamond Wireless guy walked me through everything, answering all my pesky questions and ensuring everything was done properly. The best part is that my wife has an amazing new phone and took many great Christmas photos with it. I like the phone so much, I'm thinking of switching to a V10 myself... I may wait to see if/what HTC releases next (usually March) and if it doesn't suit my fancy, I'm a new LG V10 owner.
Hell yeah the VZW stores are shady! I had to call CS for 3 months to get a 50 dollar credit I was assured was coming to me. I've jumped from Verizon since then, same bull**** just different source at this point
My experiences have been just the opposite. The instore folks have been so helpful. The telehelp people were clueless about all the discounts on my account and completely jacked everything up. The store manager did some creative genius and my account got fixed. His creativity cost me $35 but it saved me over $1,000 in the end. Everytime I've been in to the store I've had great experiences. I've been in so much recently that I practically know all the employees by first name. (Lots of $300 trade-ins of $10 phones. Thank Vzw!)
I'm not trying to negate your negative experiences as I've seen upset people in the Vzw store every time I've gone in. I understand your frustration and writing the letter was probably very therapuetic. However, sending it probably won't make one bit of difference. The stores are meant for one purpose and only one purpose, sign up new accounts and do phone upgrades. They aren't there to do exchanges like Walmart. If they give you a new phone then that means there's one less new phone in the store to sell. Verizon is a business in business to make money. Exchanging a phone doesn't bring them any new money. Like it or not, that's the facts jack.
If you haven't sent the letter yet then don't bother. You'll probably get a nasty note added to your file.
Op.
You are whats wrong with america, everytime you think you have been wronged in the SLIGHTEST way, You go cry to the better business bureau or aaa or fbi cia dea, obama, whoever will listen to your little violin playing at your pity party.. ...big red is a big companh, they dont give 2 f's about you or your opinion, and neither does the government agency who has their contracted service through big red... Play the game, or get pegged as a pest...and then treated as such
porscheoscar said:
I'm about send a six page letter to the Verizon VP of retail operations and customer service.
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You can stop right there. Your post here is already tl;dr.
Time to do some serious editing. Ideally, you'll parse it down to a single page. Two pages is the max.
Beyond that, you're into serial killer manifesto territory. The only reason anybody will read beyond the second page is to see if you're just a kook, or if you're actually a threat and they need to report you to law enforcement.
Itt: people who don't know what a sales quota is,so they're surprised a corporate verizon rep is only concerned with a sale. Their quotas are so high their jobs are quite frequently on the chopping block if they take time to actually help customers with issues like this.
It sucks, but that's why I usually go to authorized retailers instead.
There's always two sides. Funny thing is 97% of the shadiness I've seen from T-Mobile AND Verizon was to benefit me. You probably come off as pretentious and entitled over the phone, same as in text.
Sorry you had to go through all that nonsense but its true if its a Corporate store they do not care about customer service I have experienced myself and have been lied to also , its much better to go thru a 3rd party where they will treat you better or customer service and since all the nonsense with corp stores I always avoid them would rather get the phone on ebay or amazon or even craigslist before I go to a corp store cuz all they are interested in is sales vs customer sevices and I have many friends and family memebers with Verizon that have had bad experiences so I beleive you sir and its a shame that it happens cuz they are a huge corp that should not be acting like that and should try to make the customer happy even though there are some customers out there that are worse than the employees cuz they expect to get their way cuz of that stupid saying "The Customer is always RIGHT" which is also aload of bs,Anyways it works both ways!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leaving Verizon While Under Contract for Att prepaid, can they deactivate/block?

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
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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!

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