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[Q] Handtec VS, expansys-usa

Pretty close to buying this thing now. Trying to decide whether I should get it from handtec or expansys-usa.
Trying to get a feel from people who got theirs from either of those two places.
1) Is your version the EU version, Hong Kong or UK, or something else?
2) Have you been able to get the OTA to 2.3.6?
3) If you are in the U.S. and bought from handtec, were there any issues with U.S. customs?
Thanks in advance.

I havent gotten one but I would use expansys since they are in the us
Sent from my HD Desirable phone via XDA App

Handtech
Got mine from Handtech, very fast and courteous people to deal with. Had my phone held one night and customs, could have been an incomplete address for Samsung UK or just they general pull one or two of these once in a while. Had it the next day everything went very smoothly. Haven't received the 2.3.6 update yet, it's a UK phone not sure when that is going to happen. Not too worried about it though will be rooting and installing ICS when that's done. Love the phone best purchase ever.

dennishhh said:
Got mine from Handtech, very fast and courteous people to deal with. Had my phone held one night and customs, could have been an incomplete address for Samsung UK or just they general pull one or two of these once in a while. Had it the next day everything went very smoothly. Haven't received the 2.3.6 update yet, it's a UK phone not sure when that is going to happen. Not too worried about it though will be rooting and installing ICS when that's done. Love the phone best purchase ever.
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if your handtec model has the PLS code, then the OTA update to KKA (2.3.6) arrived yesterday.

Got mine from expansys usa with overnight shipping. Plus a $20-30 coupon. It arrived the next day by noon. Only issue I had was the us adaptor they put in the package for a expensive device. Other than that it was a quick and easy transaction thru paypal.
Cant say anything bad about hantec either, thats where I got my release day sgs2 from. The package got caught up in customs/fedex f-ed up. Got my device 3 days later.
All in all cant go wrong with either company. I paid the extra for the note with expansys because its based in the us. Should be a little easier with warranty issues.

intruda119 said:
Got mine from expansys usa with overnight shipping. Plus a $20-30 coupon. It arrived the next day by noon. Only issue I had was the us adaptor they put in the package for a expensive device. Other than that it was a quick and easy transaction thru paypal.
Cant say anything bad about hantec either, thats where I got my release day sgs2 from. The package got caught up in customs/fedex f-ed up. Got my device 3 days later.
All in all cant go wrong with either company. I paid the extra for the note with expansys because its based in the us. Should be a little easier with warranty issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If u got it from expansys thinking u have warranty, unfortunately no u dont.
u will have to send it to expansys and they will send it to where ever the phone came from.
The same thing with handtec if u are in US.
However the good thing about getting from expansys is that u can get square trade warranty. This is what i did with galaxy s2. Then my phone broke its screen and square trade refunded me the full amt insured for.

Souai said:
if your handtec model has the PLS code, then the OTA update to KKA (2.3.6) arrived yesterday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for letting me know about the update to KKA I hooked up to Kies today still didn't say I was eligible for a upgraded. Did you do anything special? Kies says I have .......KJ4 current firmware. A little frustrating that Samsung does this so randomly.

Thats exactly what I meant about the warranty. They can make the process easier with warranties. Me sending to them and expansys getting it to the right people. Square trade is the best option for us user in the usa.
drgopoos said:
If u got it from expansys thinking u have warranty, unfortunately no u dont.
u will have to send it to expansys and they will send it to where ever the phone came from.
The same thing with handtec if u are in US.
However the good thing about getting from expansys is that u can get square trade warranty. This is what i did with galaxy s2. Then my phone broke its screen and square trade refunded me the full amt insured for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

intruda119 said:
Got mine from expansys usa with overnight shipping. Plus a $20-30 coupon. It arrived the next day by noon. Only issue I had was the us adaptor they put in the package for a expensive device. Other than that it was a quick and easy transaction thru paypal.
Cant say anything bad about hantec either, thats where I got my release day sgs2 from. The package got caught up in customs/fedex f-ed up. Got my device 3 days later.
All in all cant go wrong with either company. I paid the extra for the note with expansys because its based in the us. Should be a little easier with warranty issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So intruda119, which version did you get from expansys-usa? EU, UK, HK, or something else? Were you able to get the 2.3.6 OTA?
Thanks

Ngambek2003 said:
So which version did you get from expansys-usa? EU, UK, HK, or something else? Were you able to get the 2.3.6 OTA?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
handtec.
Polish version.
I am using sheep rom now and its already 2.3.6
Most of the custom roms have stuffed removed that u wont update notification. Really dont care about the stock rom notification as this rom is very fast and smoother.

Handtec is the cheapest coming out at around $705 USD shipped at the moment for the blue version of the Note. Your order is going to be typically delivered by the following business day after it ships by FedEx unless it happens to get held up for some reason by customs so very quick delivery from the UK. Keep in mind that you need to figure out the foreign exchange rate for USD to British Pounds as it fluctuates day to day and also whether your credit card issuer charges a foreign exchange fee which many do. I have a Capitol One card which I used because it has 0% fee for foreign transactions.
With Expansys-USA there is a $20 coupon you can use as well as getting 2% cashback through Fatwallet which works out to around $760 so about $55 more than Handtec but since they're a US dealer the return shipping won't be as expensive if you need warranty and you may be able to purchase a SquareTrade warranty as well.
Handtec or Expansys-USA either one will get you the 2 year Samsung EU warranty.

I give handtec a 10 out of 10
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Sellers on Amazon are starting to sell the note at $700 or less. Don't know about the warranty though, but if you're in the US like me, why not?

Just an FYI: Expansys-usa has a $100 discount code for Galaxy Note use bfnote during checkout. Ttl delivered to USA address = $694.99

claude4 said:
Just an FYI: Expansys-usa has a $100 discount code for Galaxy Note use fpnote during checkout. Ttl delivered to USA address = $694.99
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Yeah..Unfortunately they charge taxes for Illinois delivery address.

Anyone else?
Thanks

Got a Polish version from handtec in early November.....took them about 2 days to send it out and took about 3 days to come to me in AUS.
Mine had 3 dead pixels on it....has just sent it back to them for a replacement....seems like a very responsible company with good customer service via email and online chat (couldn't reach them on the phone though).
Will see how good they really are by how long I will get my replacement....
So...if you are in the US....and unlucky like me.....replacement warranty can be a pain in the bum....(they don't pay for your return postage)

Well yesterday i decided to go with Expansys-usa. I had emailed them about a question. No response. I called the number, hold for an hour. No response. I said screw it, I'll order it because it will ship same day and I'll get it overnite. Now it's ships in up to 5 days. So I call again. Hold....no response.
I waited until this morning to see if anything has changed. Nothing. Called again. Hold for 30 minutes. Nothing.
I have a feeling i'm going to have to cancel this and go with handtec. How would i even go about customer service requests when I cannot get an answer. I emailed them again. Let's see what happens.
Has anyone else had any issues with them? Or had as such hard of a time as I am just to speak to someone?

Finally decided to go with Handtec.
Got Fedex tracking number on the same day I made my order (yesterday). Although Fedex missed the pickup yesterday - they just picked it up today. It's supposed to be delivered tomorrow.
So far Handtec has been very responsive. I was able to use their online chat to ask questions about my order.
We'll see when the goods actually arrive.

Anyone bought G-note from ebay?

I have yet to see someone claim to have bought e-note from ebay? I see prices as low as $670 dollars (US) including shipping yet no one has reported to have bought one from them. what is the risk involved that people are still paying $740 from other places and no one seems to be taking advantage of new g-notes from ebay at cheaper prices?

I think its fear + ignorance which stops more people getting them from ebay. These things are made pretty close to Hong Kong, so its not suprising how cheap they are buying them from there through ebay. ebay used to be fairly shady too, and I think a lot of people still hold the fear of splashing $700 into a site which they may feel unsure about. However, as many of us know these days, ebay + paypal combined is an insanely safe shopping source. Not only is your sale fully ensured, but the amount of turnover most of these stores do, and the ability to access other shopper's comments does make it a really valuable source.
I'll be getting my note from ebay sometime next week (when the pay comes through), but have previously bought my SGS 1, and asus transformer from there, with NO problems, extremely quick shipping, and hundreds of dollars saved. I always recomend it

thanks for the vote of confidence. I am also thinking about getting my g-note next week through ebay.

Just read through the sellers past feedback. You should quickly see if the seller is reliable. Also read carefully through the description to see if it is new/used/damaged or if the title is wrong and they they are selling a 600$ notebook with a photo of a galaxy on it rather than a phone.
I got mine from eBay.

I bought mine from Ebay I paid 720 for it including shipping that was free. That's 2 Weeks ago prices were much higher.
It was a reputable seller and didn't have any issue the phone is running great

I went through 3 SGN's so far.. One from Amazon.de, One from Ebay.de and one from my Country which was the most expensive one but was worth the local warranty reassurance since I'm keeping this one. Received it today.
The second one from Ebay was a German model, no problems, sold it like I did with the first one from Amazon after I played around abit with it.
Anyway ALWAYS read the FEEDBACK! Even if it's a TOP Rated it means NOTHING! It might be a hacked account or a bad TopRated. Better safe than sorry.
Example: Someone is selling some SGN's in a very attractive price. Check the feedback if another person bought and received a Note from the Seller already. If the listing just came up then check it's feedback for some expensive stuff and not 2-3euros worth of items.
If the Seller has low feedback(<30-50) but it's 100% positive and every buyer is happy with him, then sent him a message first and see. He might be just a regular guy selling a Note.
Yes Ebay and Paypal did help me a couple times and they were very helpful, but Scammers will always be around.

Got mine on ebay for $760 about 3 weeks ago when they first came out. It arrived in a few days without any problem. It turn out to be a Polish model with a with a Polish provider branding.
Just rooted & loaded a custom ROM & now all OK.
I love this phone. Absolutely awesome screen.

Got mine from a Hong Kong ebayer with no problem.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Buying the N7000 from Amazon

Hello, I am interested in getting the Galaxy note. I am on ATT service. I know the phone is coming here soon, but after examining it I would really like to get the international version with the guaranteed ICS upgrade, and the Exynos chip.
I was wondering if it is safe to buy it from Amazon?
I cant post a link here, but it is called
Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16gb Unlocked Android Smartphone in White
And it is sold by FGS Trading and Fulfilled by Amazon.
I read a couple of threads here that said to watch out for certain sellers of the phone, and I dont want to buy one that will not be able to get the updates.
Is that one safe to buy?

Bought mine off Amazon, came from Germany (DBT code) in December. Has worked perfectly on at&t. Just input the APN (found on here) and you should be good to go. Now that at&t is releasing it, if you buy one off Amazon, it should say that it has a home button, unlocked and not branded by a carrier.

Is yours from FGS Trading?
I just found another one in white from WorldWide Distributors.
Maybe they are a better company to deal with, I'm not sure. Ive never bought a phone from Amazon before

I purchased from amazon. Mine was sold by and fullfilled by amazon.com (as opposed to sold by someone else) and supposedly has a US Warranty. Personally, I think this is a safer bet than one of those sold by a 3rd party through amazon for a few reasons:
1. amazon prime overnight shipping for only 3.99 USD
2. if there are problems, its easy to talk to amazon directly to resolve them.
3. if the "US Warranty" isn't exactly true, I can just return the device directly to amazon without any hassles or run arounds.
4. I had an issue with the first Note amazon sent me. I called them up and they shipped, overnight, a replacement Note. They did this at their own expense BEFORE I sent back the defective one without any additional credit card charges. They also sent me a pre-paid UPS shipping label to send back the defective one. (Which reminds me, I need to send the first one back to amazon...)
Take care
Gary

I just got mine two days ago from Amazon. Went with the white one from Global Mobiles and definitely do not regret it. Phone came in perfect and about 18 hours after I ordered it (have to love that prime shipping). As said earlier, put in the apn found here for Internet and also one for mms's and you should be fine - that's what worked for me.
Additionally, in ordering it from Amazon and getting the unlocked one, you don't have to deal with AT&T's slow update track record, but you will have enough access to their LTE of you're in one of the markets where it is available as well as local insurance. It's a trade off, as they are different devices on the inside. I believe even it's a sticky here, check it out.
Either way, I don't think you'll go wrong this device.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Yeah I understand that they are different devices, thats why I would like to purchase the unlocked one. I live in an LTE area, but I really want the Exynos chip that is in the international version. Everywhere I go I have wifi, so LTE isnt a big concern for me. And I understand that LTE eats lots of battery. Maybe in two years when LTE is better, and the chipsets for it are not as demanding, I will upgrade.
Since I want to get the white version, amazon itself doesnt sell it. I have to go through 3rd party sellers.
Anybody ever dealt with Goodios?
I think I will order it today, and I can get it on tuesday.

If you are east coast USA I can recommend AT GSM in New York. Quick process and shipment.

I got mine from Amazon-Global Mobiles. Since it is fulfilled by Amazon, you get the Amazon return policy etc. You can certainly feel safe buying from Amazon.
---------- Post added at 04:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:00 PM ----------
geoldr said:
Yeah I understand that they are different devices, thats why I would like to purchase the unlocked one. I live in an LTE area, but I really want the Exynos chip that is in the international version. Everywhere I go I have wifi, so LTE isnt a big concern for me. And I understand that LTE eats lots of battery. Maybe in two years when LTE is better, and the chipsets for it are not as demanding, I will upgrade.
Since I want to get the white version, amazon itself doesnt sell it. I have to go through 3rd party sellers.
Anybody ever dealt with Goodios?
I think I will order it today, and I can get it on tuesday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the ATT version is so close, don't you want to wait to see the reviews before buying one?

Got mine from amazon too. Global mobiles. There is no US warranty on any of the imports.
I'm considering selling. PM me if interested. Its mint.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Also got from Global Mobile - Amazon. Fell in love with this phone. You'll want to root it after you get it.

Moved to Q&A​
This is a question, as such belongs in the Q&A section​

Safe to buy a used LG G4 in reference to major bootloop issue on older models?

I was in the market to replace my parent’s old Galaxy Note 2. So I’ve been searching around for comparable phone that has slight upgrades. My Budget is around $300. Parents need a phone with removable battery and good GPS so I’m limited to the LG G3, G4 and Note 3 and 4. Also wants screen at 5.5 inches or larger. So was concerned to read about this widespread bootloop issue. After reading up on this issue it seems all old models/ will eventually be affected. I usually purchase phones second hand off of eBay or Swappa but in this case It seems I must be very careful as it seems many people are unloading these devices which will eventually fail. Some have sold their devices beforehand because of this and I’m sure as second hand buyers we will inherit/get the issue in time. Also not sure about how warranty works for second hand buyers. I’m with T-Mobile by the way. What do you guys think about buying a G4 right now? Safe bet or stay away? Also if you guys know any comparable devices that meet all the criteria or most let me know. Thanks

I'll throw my two cents in here. I bought an LG G2 about a year ago and loved the LG style of hardware, button placement, and great performance. I had the old upgrade itch rear its ugly head and so I decided the G4 was the phone for me. Generally it wouldn't bother me to buy mint used phones, but I decided in this case I should do some research. I found out about the bootloop issue and decided it wasn't worth the risk (for me). An awesome deal came up on eBay, brand new G4 in box for $348, snapped that up right away, got it yesterday and from my time with it so far I love it. Best phone I've ever owned. Sorry for the long preamble, here's my advice, if you can swing the extra $40 -$50 for a new boxed phone (assuming a deal like that pops up on eBay again) I would say go for it. The extra $50 in my mind is well worth the peace of mind knowing that it has a warranty. I will say that when I was looking at Swappa I saw a lot of like new T-Mobile refurbs for the G4, however I was still a bit hesitant on those because I couldn't find much info on T-Mobile's refurbishment process. You may be more comfortable with T-Mobile refurbs than I was though so something to consider. I hope you find something that will work well!

Thanks for the advice
asinglenoob said:
I'll throw my two cents in here. I bought an LG G2 about a year ago and loved the LG style of hardware, button placement, and great performance. I had the old upgrade itch rear its ugly head and so I decided the G4 was the phone for me. Generally it wouldn't bother me to buy mint used phones, but I decided in this case I should do some research. I found out about the bootloop issue and decided it wasn't worth the risk (for me). An awesome deal came up on eBay, brand new G4 in box for $348, snapped that up right away, got it yesterday and from my time with it so far I love it. Best phone I've ever owned. Sorry for the long preamble, here's my advice, if you can swing the extra $40 -$50 for a new boxed phone (assuming a deal like that pops up on eBay again) I would say go for it. The extra $50 in my mind is well worth the peace of mind knowing that it has a warranty. I will say that when I was looking at Swappa I saw a lot of like new T-Mobile refurbs for the G4, however I was still a bit hesitant on those because I couldn't find much info on T-Mobile's refurbishment process. You may be more comfortable with T-Mobile refurbs than I was though so something to consider. I hope you find something that will work well!
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Click to collapse
Yeah the scary part is it seems people are just unloading the phones and you cant really know which ones will have issues later. If i buy new from ebay will i still be covered by T-Mobiles warranty ? I thought to get that you had to buy the phone direct from them ? I will keep looking around to see if any deals come up.

naruto.ninjakid said:
Yeah the scary part is it seems people are just unloading the phones and you cant really know which ones will have issues later. If i buy new from ebay will i still be covered by T-Mobiles warranty ? I thought to get that you had to buy the phone direct from them ? I will keep looking around to see if any deals come up.
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I don't think you'll be covered by T-Mobile's warranty, but you should be covered by LG's manufacturer warranty (I would think anyway) as long as it's new in box. Also a lot of the new supply is likely to be manufactured after the date when they had issues. The issue dates were from months 05-08 of 2015 (from what I've read in the forums). The phone I got from eBay was manufactured in 09 2015 so it should *fingers crossed* be just fine.

asinglenoob said:
I don't think you'll be covered by T-Mobile's warranty, but you should be covered by LG's manufacturer warranty (I would think anyway) as long as it's new in box. Also a lot of the new supply is likely to be manufactured after the date when they had issues. The issue dates were from months 05-08 of 2015 (from what I've read in the forums). The phone I got from eBay was manufactured in 09 2015 so it should *fingers crossed* be just fine.
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your right. Before i buy it ill have to ask the seller a lot of questions like when was it manufactured and whats the serial numbers and such. Will look into LG's warranty coverage for eBay. I think on eBay you can also buy squaretrade coverage as well.

naruto.ninjakid said:
I was in the market to replace my parent’s old Galaxy Note 2. So I’ve been searching around for comparable phone that has slight upgrades. My Budget is around $300. Parents need a phone with removable battery and good GPS so I’m limited to the LG G3, G4 and Note 3 and 4. Also wants screen at 5.5 inches or larger. So was concerned to read about this widespread bootloop issue. After reading up on this issue it seems all old models/ will eventually be affected. I usually purchase phones second hand off of eBay or Swappa but in this case It seems I must be very careful as it seems many people are unloading these devices which will eventually fail. Some have sold their devices beforehand because of this and I’m sure as second hand buyers we will inherit/get the issue in time. Also not sure about how warranty works for second hand buyers. I’m with T-Mobile by the way. What do you guys think about buying a G4 right now? Safe bet or stay away? Also if you guys know any comparable devices that meet all the criteria or most let me know. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have had mine since about a week after release last year. Zero problems. Will have it for quite a while longer.

there is a new in box on swappa right now, but the seller says he opened the box to remove the sim. Do phones come with a sim already in place like that?

raqfox said:
there is a new in box on swappa right now, but the seller says he opened the box to remove the sim. Do phones come with a sim already in place like that?
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I'm not aware of any phone that comes with a sim pre-installed.

T-Mobile phones come with an unactivated sim on a punch out card. They are not "installed" in the phone. The Swappa seller is not including this sim in his listing.

naruto.ninjakid said:
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For $300 you can manage to get a brand new G4 right now, beside tell get cheaper now that the G5 been announce.
P.S any G4 manufacture on or after 09/16 as far as i know don't have those issues

Will keep an eye out.
DrakenFX said:
For $300 you can manage to get a brand new G4 right now, beside tell get cheaper now that the G5 been announce.
P.S any G4 manufacture on or after 09/16 as far as i know don't have those issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks for the tips. do you have a link for the sale for $300 or do you mean on Swappa. Would rather purchase from a retailer so if you have any sites you purchase from let me know. Thanks

naruto.ninjakid said:
Hi thanks for the tips. do you have a link for the sale for $300 or do you mean on Swappa. Would rather purchase from a retailer so if you have any sites you purchase from let me know. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Used prices are roughly 300 used so new would cost 500ish but there have been sales that brought the price down to 400ish. Keep waiting and it'll drop even more.

naruto.ninjakid said:
Hi thanks for the tips. do you have a link for the sale for $300 or do you mean on Swappa. Would rather purchase from a retailer so if you have any sites you purchase from let me know. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tiskewlio said:
Used prices are roughly 300 used so new would cost 500ish but there have been sales that brought the price down to 400ish. Keep waiting and it'll drop even more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well right now the G4 (H811) is going for $400 (Full Price) and just recently there was a $75 off from $400 but ended already....just wait or if you have $100 more to spare just get it, but i just recommend to wait a bit to see a permanent price cut on the G4 or even the V10.

Better to buy "new" international version or refurbished from Best Buy?

So I got one on amazon that was supposed to be new and a us warrantied model.
Turns out it's not a us model. Also the box wasn't sealed and Sony says that the warranty info says it would expire over a month prior to a year past my purchase date... indicating to them that it has been previously activated.
I noticed best buy occasionally has them refurbished with a 90 day geek squad warranty.
Any thoughts on which is the better option?
Thanks in adavance

I wouldn't buy a refurbished phone, but that's just me. Too bad you can't get the US version sold by Amazon anymore, and too bad that seller shafted you - looks like they are the only NEW seller on Amazon currently.
Do you have any international sellers in mind? Perhaps depending on the vendor, you could at least have some kind of return option for the worst case scenario of a DOA phone.
I hope you can get this all resolved. And partly because I'm hoping you'll share the exact steps you take to get root/fingerprint/t-mo all working on the phone so I can replicate it. Good luck.

camaro322hp said:
I wouldn't buy a refurbished phone, but that's just me. Too bad you can't get the US version sold by Amazon anymore, and too bad that seller shafted you - looks like they are the only NEW seller on Amazon currently.
Do you have any international sellers in mind? Perhaps depending on the vendor, you could at least have some kind of return option for the worst case scenario of a DOA phone.
I hope you can get this all resolved. And partly because I'm hoping you'll share the exact steps you take to get root/fingerprint/t-mo all working on the phone so I can replicate it. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sort of leaning towards the international one, but i have my doubts that this one they sent me is new. I should have no problem flashing the modified firmware to keep the fingerprint sensor and enable wifi calling/vo-lte. I just worry about the battery lifespan mostly.
Regardless by the time I'm finished unlocking and rooting I won't be sending it in to sony for any repairs.

POMF2K said:
I'm sort of leaning towards the international one, but i have my doubts that this one they sent me is new...... I just worry about the battery lifespan mostly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would feel exactly the same. The battery unknown is a big reason why I would avoid refurbed phones. Even though you bought from a 3rd party on Amazon, you should have some protections from amazon, especially in the case where the item is not as described. Sounds like you have proof of that, so I would pursue trying to return that.
As far as where to get a replacement though, I'm not sure, unless you want to buy from a European supplier such as Clove.

camaro322hp said:
I would feel exactly the same. The battery unknown is a big reason why I would avoid refurbed phones. Even though you bought from a 3rd party on Amazon, you should have some protections from amazon, especially in the case where the item is not as described. Sounds like you have proof of that, so I would pursue trying to return that.
As far as where to get a replacement though, I'm not sure, unless you want to buy from a European supplier such as Clove.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of Clove. Pretty reputable? As long as exchange is good it should still come in under $400 us.
I've actually asked the amazon company if they would exchange for a sealed in box model or give me a discount since it wasn't as described. They have pretty good feedback, I just worry about the battery.

I recently got a brand new international model from Ebay.

POMF2K said:
Never heard of Clove. Pretty reputable? As long as exchange is good it should still come in under $400 us.
I've actually asked the amazon company if they would exchange for a sealed in box model or give me a discount since it wasn't as described. They have pretty good feedback, I just worry about the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't personally used Clove, but they've been mentioned by XDA users over the years as a good source of unlocked phones. Or, like Dean says, there is always Ebay if you end up having to return your Amazon phone.

POMF2K said:
So I got one on amazon that was supposed to be new and a us warrantied model.
Turns out it's not a us model. Also the box wasn't sealed and Sony says that the warranty info says it would expire over a month prior to a year past my purchase date... indicating to them that it has been previously activated.
Thanks in adavance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least here in Germany the phones did not come sealed (we bought 3 phones so far) and the Warranty started at a date that was much earlier than our purchase date. Dropping an email to Sony fixed the problem

I'd get a new one, and it's not like region matters if you're planning to flash an international firmware to get the fingerprint sensor working anyway

POMF2K said:
Any thoughts on which is the better option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could buy a new one from Amazon Germany AND save some money. Then the fingerprint scanner will work out of the box.

Didgesteve said:
You could buy a new one from Amazon Germany AND save some money. Then the fingerprint scanner will work out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a good find, but why you guys do not recommend buying used phones from Amazon? For example this one: Amazon.de blue xz1c.
I mean, the only concern would be the battery, right? Because there is no info about how much and for how long it has been used.
I am also looking for auctions on eBay.

Didgesteve said:
You could buy a new one from Amazon Germany AND save some money. Then the fingerprint scanner will work out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming I got a fair exchange rate it would still be right around $400 us for a new one. Even if shipping it here wasn't crazy expensive I'd still have to wait for it.