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Before one buys a used atrix hd off the bay, how does he make sure the imei had not been blacklisted by at&t? Especially if he lives overseas and has no way of trying out an at&t sim for a few weeks before he visits the US?
I understand atrix hd is also offered on contract. So what is stopping from someone taking it on the contract for cheap and buy a code from ebay and unlock the phone. Missed payments could make at&t blacklist the phone right?
I guess one way to avoid buying a stolen phone is to insist on the box with the sale, but how does one protect oneself about the above possibility?
AT&T employee here. Phones being blacklisted due to missed payments is usually only a CDMA thing, and AT&T just blacklist if reported stolen. Blacklisting is becoming more and more of an issue, so it is something to keep in mind when buying used from individuals. I would recommend getting them to provide you with the IMEI then call AT&T customer service 1-800-331-0500 to check it to see if it's clear.
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
AzraelsVoice said:
AT&T employee here. Phones being blacklisted due to missed payments is usually only a CDMA thing, and AT&T just blacklist if reported stolen. Blacklisting is becoming more and more of an issue, so it is something to keep in mind when buying used from individuals. I would recommend getting them to provide you with the IMEI then call AT&T customer service 1-800-331-0500 to check it to see if it's clear.
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
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Thanks. I just called them. They told me that they do not keep a list like that! I'll send you a PM about it.
Blue Bell said:
Thanks. I just called them. They told me that they do not keep a list like that! I'll send you a PM about it.
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Try and buy from a good seller also. Look for "good imei" or something like that. As long as it is listed as good, eBay will protect you investment, aka refund you if you get the shaft lol
Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2
SirHoover2010 said:
Try and buy from a good seller also. Look for "good imei" or something like that. As long as it is listed as good, eBay will protect you investment, aka refund you if you get the shaft lol
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Click to collapse
Exactly. Ebay is all for protecting buyers, and unfortunately not sellers.
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
If you want a good site with good imei then try swappa. Com I have purchased several android phones there and never had a problem, and the site checks the imei for u before u purchase the phone.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Didn't know Swappa did that. Good piece of information.
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
AzraelsVoice said:
Didn't know Swappa did that. Good piece of information.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they just implimented a beta service today
Check out Swappa's new ESN Check (Beta) service. Validate with carriers to ensure ESN is clean for activation. swappa.com/esn
34 minutes ago from Swappa.
glad to help,i just bought an s3 like new for 390.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but ESN checking would only work for CDMA phones right?
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
AzraelsVoice said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but ESN checking would only work for CDMA phones right?
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
yes that is correct ESN is just for cdma phones but swappa check's IMEI as well just thought id throw that lil bit of info out there if anyone was interested.
when ever i have sold a phone on swappa the first thing i have to do is give swappa the IMEI so they can confirm if it is good.
SirHoover2010 said:
Try and buy from a good seller also. Look for "good imei" or something like that. As long as it is listed as good, eBay will protect you investment, aka refund you if you get the shaft lol
Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately though, I live overseas, and I wouldn't be able to check if it works on AT&T until I try their sim in a month or two! Hence the pickle.
Swappa recognized the IMEI as the correct device but could not validate the status. Is CheckMEND a reliable solution?
AzraelsVoice said:
AT&T employee here. Phones being blacklisted due to missed payments is usually only a CDMA thing, and AT&T just blacklist if reported stolen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another quick clarification on the statement above. So, what happens to GSM phones that are bought on contract at a subsidized price and unlocked via one of the many third party sites online (if it is possible to illegally unlock phones on contract that is)? AT&T does nothing about it and just bears the loss?
Blue Bell said:
Another quick clarification on the statement above. So, what happens to GSM phones that are bought on contract at a subsidized price and unlocked via one of the many third party sites online (if it is possible to illegally unlock phones on contract that is)? AT&T does nothing about it and just bears the loss?
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Click to collapse
if you unlock a gsm phone 90% of the time you can use them with any carrier ,i believe and correct me if im wrong. if you report a phone lost or stolen thats when there is a problem.i have a tmobile phone right now which is working with at&t.so as long as its a gsm phone and you can unlock
it then your good to go.i just bought a s3 off swappa then unlocked with cellunlocker.net for 25 and just popped my sim in and i was good to go.
hope this helps.
I don't get that business model. What is stopping people then from buying phones on contract for $50 and using them on another carrier after unlocking it for $25? Or is the contract obligations so binding in US that people don't ever break their contracts? How does it work there?
Blue Bell said:
I don't get that business model. What is stopping people then from buying phones on contract for $50 and using them on another carrier after unlocking it for $25? Or is the contract obligations so binding in US that people don't ever break their contracts? How does it work there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well to be honest it has to do with credit and your credit line,if you buy a phone with a contract and you break and or dont pay your bill then it will go to collections and that in turn affects your credit as far as getting credit cards or anything for that matter that involves anything having to do with credit,of course some people just dont care but for the majority it is better for them to pay the bill or to pay to get out of the contract as in an early termination fee. hope this helps
titaneds73 said:
well to be honest it has to do with credit and your credit line,if you buy a phone with a contract and you break and or dont pay your bill then it will go to collections and that in turn affects your credit as far as getting credit cards or anything for that matter that involves anything having to do with credit,of course some people just dont care but for the majority it is better for them to pay the bill or to pay to get out of the contract as in an early termination fee. hope this helps
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Click to collapse
Oh okay. So the only worry is if people buy the phones and claim that it had been lost (and the insurance) but sell them off internationally. This way the phone will work everywhere except in US where it will blacklisted.
But then, will insurance and/or the police insist on seeing the box? If so, insisting on getting the phone with the box would technically make sure that the phone is not stolen and/or blacklisted right?
Blue Bell said:
Oh okay. So the only worry is if people buy the phones and claim that it had been lost (and the insurance) but sell them off internationally. This way the phone will work everywhere except in US where it will blacklisted.
But then, will insurance and/or the police insist on seeing the box? If so, insisting on getting the phone with the box would technically make sure that the phone is not stolen and/or blacklisted right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im afraid things work differently over here,not the police or the company really have time or care about a phone.insurance is just that ,if you have it then they will give you another and register the phones imei as bad and will be flagged as bad and will not work with the company you buy it from but if it is a gsm phone more than likely it will work unlocked with other companies ,now having said that if you want a phone that will work with at&t or any other carrier that are gsm then may plz recommend this website, swappa.com i have purchased several phones from them and never had a problem i would recommend buying at&t phone or a tmobile phone and if it is not unlocked then you can unlock the phone at cellunlocker.net which i have used as well and can verify that they give good unlock codes ,within 5 to 10 min,also swappa only deals with paypal so if the phones imei no. for some reason is not right even though they check it before hand and or the phone is not in the condition they said it was you are protected under there buyer protection program which means if need be they can refund your money.
Thanks. I had already been through Swappa. Unfortunately, it seems like most of the sellers do not ship internationally.
Blue Bell said:
I don't get that business model. What is stopping people then from buying phones on contract for $50 and using them on another carrier after unlocking it for $25? Or is the contract obligations so binding in US that people don't ever break their contracts? How does it work there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way it works with AT&T here is that you may get a $500 phone for $100 with a two year contract, but a stipulation of the contract is a $350 declining early contract termination fee. That way they're covered if you do decide to take it elsewhere. If a phone is blacklisted, it will fry your sim card almost immediately when you try to use it in that phone. Keep in mind, I'm an employee but not speaking on behalf of the company, just trying to be helpful and shed some light on things.
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
AzraelsVoice said:
The way it works with AT&T here is that you may get a $500 phone for $100 with a two year contract, but a stipulation of the contract is a $350 declining early contract termination fee. That way they're covered if you do decide to take it elsewhere. If a phone is blacklisted, it will fry your sim card almost immediately when you try to use it in that phone. Keep in mind, I'm an employee but not speaking on behalf of the company, just trying to be helpful and shed some light on things.
Sent from my MB886 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
really did not know that ,thanks for the info
At&t won't sell me a Galaxy S5 with out a contract plan. Currently I'm on At&t Gophone and tried to purchase a phone yesterday and they said completely not. The only retailer that would was Bestbuy but of course there phone is $100 more. I'm thinking about going to T-Mobile prepaid since they said they would no problem. Uh decisions, decisions. Has anyone else had this problem with At&t.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
I have a thread about this in the Q and A section. Same deal here. Maybe after a few days they will. I got mine from best buy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using xda app-developers app
Best buy will price match att.
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jayv81 said:
Best buy will price match att.
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Naw they won't I went there before even going to the At&t store because I wanted to get the geek squad insurance.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
jayv81 said:
Best buy will price match att.
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Click to collapse
They will price match it but ATT isn't offering the phone off contract right now so they won't price match it until then
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using xda app-developers app
Best Buys in my area we're always jerks and wouldn't match carrier retail pricing. They would for contracts though.
It seems like it's dependent on store management on whether they will price match carrier full price.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Well I was able to get Bestbuy to price match Amazon's 699 price which I am happy enough with. But its just irritating that stores make up there own policies. Some one won't price match at all, some are saying they cant sell unless its on a contract, and one said okay and gave me the $50 off.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
Being a corporate retail chain aren't they supposed to follow the corporate policies that Best Buy has in place, its not like they are a franchise and can do as they please. They are supposed to follow the rules, but then again thats why I buy from Amazon.
Cyberguycpt said:
At&t won't sell me a Galaxy S5 with out a contract plan. Currently I'm on At&t Gophone and tried to purchase a phone yesterday and they said completely not. The only retailer that would was Bestbuy but of course there phone is $100 more. I'm thinking about going to T-Mobile prepaid since they said they would no problem. Uh decisions, decisions. Has anyone else had this problem with At&t.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
LOL You can't get a phone and I received accidently 2 additional phones. It appears that when I cancelled and re-ordered, I got charged all three orders but with one upgrade. AT&T is such a joke. At least I can wait for a root and if it bricks have two other to try it again.
Cyberguycpt said:
At&t won't sell me a Galaxy S5 with out a contract plan. Currently I'm on At&t Gophone and tried to purchase a phone yesterday and they said completely not. The only retailer that would was Bestbuy but of course there phone is $100 more. I'm thinking about going to T-Mobile prepaid since they said they would no problem. Uh decisions, decisions. Has anyone else had this problem with At&t.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
buy it here cheaper than AT&T.
http://swappa.com/buy/samsung-galaxy-s-5-att/us
jayv81 said:
Best buy will price match att.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got Best Buy to price match and regretted it; maybe buying outright is ok but whatever you do keep them away from your plan/contract. I don't trust them at all at this point for anything.
They screwed us up badly at our last upgrade (a simple 2 phones - 1 plan) and we spent at least 2 hours/week for 3 months getting it sorted out. The AT&T rep it eventually escalated to was mystified as to how the Best Buy employee had altered so many points of our plan without noticing it could not work for us, even offering an upgrade on a line that I thought wasn't eligible for 2 more months. We stopped in for just my upgrade so we should have recognized that something was wrong when that happened but I had lost track of how far apart our upgrades were and she was reading it off our account screen (or so it seemed).
Our bills for that 3 month period totalled almost $2000 as Best Buy had left it. Somehow we were billed full price for the ineligible device as well. It took a while but AT&T wiped it all away and even gave us a bill credit for the hassle. The AT&T rep joked that we had to promise to avoid Best Buy for our next upgrade in exchange for the credit. Apparently this is not an isolated problem.
On the plus side it realigned the upgrade dates for our lines when AT&T restarted our original plan so I got this S5 and she got a M8 on Sunday.
Cyberguycpt said:
At&t won't sell me a Galaxy S5 with out a contract plan. Currently I'm on At&t Gophone and tried to purchase a phone yesterday and they said completely not. The only retailer that would was Bestbuy but of course there phone is $100 more. I'm thinking about going to T-Mobile prepaid since they said they would no problem. Uh decisions, decisions. Has anyone else had this problem with At&t.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... I'll sell mine.
Christopher3712 said:
Hmmm... I'll sell mine.
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Click to collapse
Lol. Sorry already bought one.
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Moderator Comment: Thread cleaned of inappropriate comments. Carry on.
Cyberguycpt said:
At&t won't sell me a Galaxy S5 with out a contract plan. Currently I'm on At&t Gophone and tried to purchase a phone yesterday and they said completely not. The only retailer that would was Bestbuy but of course there phone is $100 more. I'm thinking about going to T-Mobile prepaid since they said they would no problem. Uh decisions, decisions. Has anyone else had this problem with At&t.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to two different stores in California and it was not a problem.
Maybe you need to buy the GoPhone card first?
NOW, I need to unlock and root.
alex_tytn said:
I went to two different stores in California and it was not a problem.
Maybe you need to buy the GoPhone card first?
NOW, I need to unlock and root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In what part of California was it?
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Cyberguycpt said:
In what part of California was it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SoCal - Los Angeles, Torrance to be exact. But I ended up purchasing from AT&T in Manhattan Beach. But both AT&T stores would sell me with a GoPhone plan for the full price of $649.
Cyberguycpt said:
At&t won't sell me a Galaxy S5 with out a contract plan. Currently I'm on At&t Gophone and tried to purchase a phone yesterday and they said completely not. The only retailer that would was Bestbuy but of course there phone is $100 more. I'm thinking about going to T-Mobile prepaid since they said they would no problem. Uh decisions, decisions. Has anyone else had this problem with At&t.
Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think all depends on manager of store. I went to at&t store close to my house and pay full price for S5 they did not even ask me if i have at&t account. Payed cash, get phone and left store..
Hi I want to buy this phone, unlock it and use it for ATT.
I heard you cannot buy this phone off contract and that you must have a service with them. I hear people are just signing up for the service for one day and then cancel the day after.
Can someone explain how they did it?
pham818 said:
Hi I want to buy this phone, unlock it and use it for ATT.
I heard you cannot buy this phone off contract and that you must have a service with them. I hear people are just signing up for the service for one day and then cancel the day after.
Can someone explain how they did it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pay full price for phone up front and buy the smallest package. After 40 days cancel the service. Some stores will sell it out right without a plan, but you will have to do some searching and calling. I had to go to 3 different stores before I found one that would sell it out right.
I read LTE and 4G dont work so well when you take it back to ATT. I read somewhere.
chong67 said:
I read LTE and 4G dont work so well when you take it back to ATT. I read somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Results vary. Some say it works just as good
My LTE works perfect on AT&T.
My unlocked T Mobile Note 4 running on AT&T.
chong67 said:
I read LTE and 4G dont work so well when you take it back to ATT. I read somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the same thing. This is not the case with the Note 4. It was an issue with the Note 3 and previous devices in my experience.
martinezma99 said:
My unlocked T Mobile Note 4 running on AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who did you use to unlock it? im looking to pick one up and i'd rather not have to wait for tmobiles unlocking terms.
If you buy the phone out right you can unlock asap
bigmase23 said:
If you buy the phone out right you can unlock asap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's been conflicting reports about that.
I bought the phone outright. Paid $30 or so to cellunlocker to get an unlock code. Popped in AT&T sim and off I went. Still need to cancel Tmo service.
taphius said:
There's been conflicting reports about that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you purchase the phone outright you now it and can unlock it.
I bought my Note 4 outright and purchased the lowest priced package I could. I unlocked it the first day I received it, inserted my sim card from Consumer Cellular and was up and running. However, I read that T-Mobile can and have blacklisted the IMEI of phones that don't comply with their terms of service. Since I didn't read the fine print when I bought the phone and service, I decided it would be prudent to go ahead and meet the 40 service requirement to get an unlock code (although the phone is already unlocked) rather than take a chance and have some T-Mobile manager with a Napoleonic complex blacklist the phone. Then I would be out of $800.00. I asked the customer care representative about blacklisting the phone if I didn't meet the 40 day requirement and she said it was possible. I wasn't willing to take that chance. I will pony up an additional $80.00 + dollars to have peace of mind.
cartertucker said:
I bought the phone outright. Paid $30 or so to cellunlocker to get an unlock code. Popped in AT&T sim and off I went. Still need to cancel Tmo service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
I preordered, got phone Monday the 13th.
I unlocked with cellunlocker.net 4 days later.
Been using it on AT&T since last friday. Called and canceled tmobile same day.
Easy as that.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
bigmase23 said:
When you purchase the phone outright you now it and can unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right but you make it sound like every T-Mobile store or reseller will sell you a phone outright with absolutely zero commitment of any kind like you walked in to buy a pack of gum or bought a nexus from google play store. There are conflicting reports about zero commitment purchases. The safer bet seems to be walking in with the understanding that you may have to agree to a month-to-month or prepaid contract that you can cancel a day or more later.
The best way i can think to explain it is as follows:
A few people have reported that they were able to buy it outright without service. Though many have been denied that option.
Some have implied that Tmobile then unlocked it.
A moderately safe assumption is that you can buy it with service, unlock it via third party service, and cancel your tmobile service the second u get your unlock code. This comes with the gray area of region locking and having to activate it on tmobile first to remove the region lock pior to unlocking. This can be a lengthy discussion, you might not care about region locking, I'll leave it at that, but read into it. I went this route, activated on tmobile for 4 days, then unlocked and cancelled. I say assumption because people are worried about blacklisting and T.O.S.
The most cautious method would be to wait out your 40 days per Tmobile T.O.S., in addition to the time it takes for them to send your unlock code, pay applicable fees, then cancel.
Hope this clears up the options a bit.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
T-Mobile has the IMEI of phone they sell you in their records. I confirmed it when I called them and they read it to me for confirmation purposes. They sold the phone to you and they know everything about it. Guaranteed. If their records show the phone being used on another carrier without it being activated with them or unlocked by them then they can blacklist the IMEI of the phone. That phone will then be an $800.00 paperweight. They have done it before and a quick Google search will prove it. I'm not saying they will since that seems to be an unknown, but they can and the owner of the phone will have no recourse. I sure don't want to wake up one day and find out that my $800.00 phone is dead. I might very well be wrong, but I am not willing to take that chance after paying $800.00 for the phone. I'll pay for the 40 days of service.
I just bought my Note 4 full price from AT&T after calling about 30 stores in my area and finding one store with one black model in stock. I ended up paying less than full price because of some computer error that rung up the phone $749.99 instead of $825.99. They charged me the difference so I only paid $825 outright, after taxes. All in all, I saved almost $50 (difference in tax from $750 to $825). I still feel like it is ridiculous though that the AT&T model is $80 more expensive than TMo. Is it worth buying a TMO Note 4 with their baseball discount ($30 off) and trying to unlock it to use it on AT&T? Sorry for my long comment/question.
Bought mine from swappa in a sealed pack. Opened the phone, went to Cellunlocker.com and within 10 min had my unlock code. Works great on ATT
Here we go....another victim to Tmo's overbearing retroactive IMEI blocking
I bought it used from a private seller, now 3 months later the IMEI is blocked.
What can I do about it? No holds barred here. How do I get my phone working again? If it's against XDA rules to openly discuss it, don't...please discreetly point me in the right direction or drop a PM. I'm down for anything....ANYTHING!!!
So please give me a little help...I've done some searching and what I keep seeing is 'maybe...depending on the device'....is N6 one of them it's possible?
Also, just so it's said...I have another Nexus with physical damage, but a valid 100% legit donor IMEI of which I am the original owner, so this isn't an attempt to hijack one from someone....just wanted to make that perfectly clear.
hp420 said:
Here we go....another victim to Tmo's overbearing retroactive IMEI blocking
I bought it used from a private seller, now 3 months later the IMEI is blocked.
What can I do about it? No holds barred here. How do I get my phone working again? If it's against XDA rules to openly discuss it, don't...please discreetly point me in the right direction or drop a PM. I'm down for anything....ANYTHING!!!
So please give me a little help...I've done some searching and what I keep seeing is 'maybe...depending on the device'....is N6 one of them it's possible?
Also, just so it's said...I have another Nexus with physical damage, but a valid 100% legit donor IMEI of which I am the original owner, so this isn't an attempt to hijack one from someone....just wanted to make that perfectly clear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds like the seller sold you a stolen phone, or one not paid off. there's nothing you can do about it, and talking about changing your imei isn't allowed on XDA.
hp420 said:
Here we go....another victim to Tmo's overbearing retroactive IMEI blocking
I bought it used from a private seller, now 3 months later the IMEI is blocked.
What can I do about it? No holds barred here. How do I get my phone working again? If it's against XDA rules to openly discuss it, don't...please discreetly point me in the right direction or drop a PM. I'm down for anything....ANYTHING!!!
So please give me a little help...I've done some searching and what I keep seeing is 'maybe...depending on the device'....is N6 one of them it's possible?
Also, just so it's said...I have another Nexus with physical damage, but a valid 100% legit donor IMEI of which I am the original owner, so this isn't an attempt to hijack one from someone....just wanted to make that perfectly clear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you contact t-Mobile to ask why the imei is blocked? Contact the seller for a refund and/or file a police report if he is not willing to do that.
Thanks guys. I did call tmo...we had a lengthy conversation, I was passed to 3 supervisors, escalated ro tier 2, and they still refused to do anything. The customer cancelled service and has an outstanding balance for the device, so Unless I pay for it ($900 they said...I got a great laugh out of that one) they won't do anything for me.
I'm aware IMEI talk usn't allowed in public, which is why I have asked people to keep that discussion OUT of this thread please...don't get this thread closed on me please, people...if you have sonething to say, please PM me.
The thing that's so messed up is I did pay for it already...it's far from my fault if that money never got to the original seller in one way or another, and now they want me to pay for it again just to use it!!! How is this literally not extortion??? Can't I file a police report against Tmo for this? They activated a brand new prepaid sim using the IMEI from the same Nexus 6 just 2 months ago, which, in my eyes, is a guarantee from Tmo that the IMEI is good, no?? I sort of feel like Tmo should be responsible for this since they let me activate it after checking the number.
hp420 said:
Thanks guys. I did call tmo...we had a lengthy conversation, I was passed to 3 supervisors, escalated ro tier 2, and they still refused to do anything. The customer cancelled service and has an outstanding balance for the device, so Unless I pay for it ($900 they said...I got a great laugh out of that one) they won't do anything for me.
I'm aware IMEI talk usn't allowed in public, which is why I have asked people to keep that discussion OUT of this thread please...don't get this thread closed on me please, people...if you have sonething to say, please PM me.
The thing that's so messed up is I did pay for it already...it's far from my fault if that money never got to the original seller in one way or another, and now they want me to pay for it again just to use it!!! How is this literally not extortion??? Can't I file a police report against Tmo for this? They activated a brand new prepaid sim using the IMEI from the same Nexus 6 just 2 months ago, which, in my eyes, is a guarantee from Tmo that the IMEI is good, no?? I sort of feel like Tmo should be responsible for this since they let me activate it after checking the number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all depends on when he canceled the contract. This is why I never buy used devices unless I know the person. T-mobile and many carriers are doing this because of things just like this. Its not their fault. It is the person that sold you the device. You could file a police report against that person for selling stolen property.
As @zelendel said, it depends on when he canceled the contract. I agree it's not your fault that the money didn't get to the original seller, but what T-Mobile does isn't extortion because they still own the phone as long as there are payments left on it. It sucks, and I can only imagine the spot you're in. But T-Mobile, as the original owner of the device, is within their rights to block the IMEI.
Keep in mind that T-Mobile blocking the IMEI on their network is different from blacklisting the IMEI. In the case of the former, it only applies to the T-Mobile network and covers non-payment of the monthly charge for the equipment. The latter applies to all carriers and covers if the device is lost or stolen.
In short, if the device is blocked, you can try it on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or any of their MVNOs. If it's blacklisted, the device likely won't work at all on any carrier. There are of course no guarantees that using another carrier will work, but as this apparently isn't a lost or stolen phone the chances of being able to use the device are high.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
As @zelendel said, it depends on when he canceled the contract. I agree it's not your fault that the money didn't get to the original seller, but what T-Mobile does isn't extortion because they still own the phone as long as there are payments left on it. It sucks, and I can only imagine the spot you're in. But T-Mobile, as the original owner of the device, is within their rights to block the IMEI.
Keep in mind that T-Mobile blocking the IMEI on their network is different from blacklisting the IMEI. In the case of the former, it only applies to the T-Mobile network and covers non-payment of the monthly charge for the equipment. The latter applies to all carriers and covers if the device is lost or stolen.
In short, if the device is blocked, you can try it on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or any of their MVNOs. If it's blacklisted, the device likely won't work at all on any carrier. There are of course no guarantees that using another carrier will work, but as this apparently isn't a lost or stolen phone the chances of being able to use the device are high.
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How about a Tmo mvno? Is metro going to block me, as well?
hp420 said:
How about a Tmo mvno? Is metro going to block me, as well?
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Yes because it still uses their network.
hp420 said:
How about a Tmo mvno? Is metro going to block me, as well?
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Use the xposed route I PM u about
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
If your other nexus' board still works, why not swap boards? Not ideal, but at least you would have at least one working phone.
Port to cricket
mike102871 said:
Port to cricket
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They're AT&T...no thanks
chapelfreak said:
If your other nexus' board still works, why not swap boards? Not ideal, but at least you would have at least one working phone.
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Busted motherboard. I appreciate the input, though.
hp420 said:
Busted motherboard. I appreciate the input, though.
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https://swappa.com/boneyard/post/KV6XQ9
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Port to cricket is your easiest and quickest fix. Nothing wrong with the service. Been using it for a year.
I've been using Straight Talk for several years now. No problems with them, and they are a MVNO that has agreements for all the US networks.
Since T-Mobile isn't available, you don't like AT&T, and Sprint is terrible, your only real option is Verizon.
mike102871 said:
Port to cricket is your easiest and quickest fix. Nothing wrong with the service. Been using it for a year.
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I know they aren't, but they screwed me on data several years ago. I promised they would never see another dime from me, and I'm a man of my word lol
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I've been using Straight Talk for several years now. No problems with them, and they are a MVNO that has agreements for all the US networks.
Since T-Mobile isn't available, you don't like AT&T, and Sprint is terrible, your only real option is Verizon.
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Sprint is actually kinda ok where I live. I had them back in the WiMax days and I was always confused what all the complaining was about...I guess I was just lucky, but my Nexus S got some awesome "4g" (TOTALLY unlimited too)
31ken31 said:
https://swappa.com/boneyard/post/KV6XQ9
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
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It's been a thought, but if I need to farm the IMEI from that device I can't sell it. Thanks though!
31ken31 said:
Use the xposed route I PM u about
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
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Thank you!! I'm not ignoring you, bud I'm running N preview and I haven't had time to flash a 6.0 rom to test this. It's on my to-do list, though. If that actually works I'd be pretty happy with it at least as a temporary fix...just too bad it's totally dependant on xposed, you know? That could put a real damper on updating it, which is like 90% of what makes Nexus devices so awesome. Thanks for the idea, though!
@hp420,
If you bought on Swappa or eBay and paid with PayPal... PayPal's buyer protection is good for 180 days after purchase. File a claim against the seller on PayPal. Device "Significantly not as Described". You will get your money back, for sure....
cam30era said:
@hp420,
If you bought on Swappa or eBay and paid with PayPal... PayPal's buyer protection is good for 180 days after purchase. File a claim against the seller on PayPal. Device "Significantly not as Described". You will get your money back, for sure....
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I wish Private sale, and I thought I could trust the guy. Lesson learned.
hp420 said:
Thanks guys. I did call tmo...we had a lengthy conversation, I was passed to 3 supervisors, escalated ro tier 2, and they still refused to do anything. The customer cancelled service and has an outstanding balance for the device, so Unless I pay for it ($900 they said...I got a great laugh out of that one) they won't do anything for me.
I'm aware IMEI talk usn't allowed in public, which is why I have asked people to keep that discussion OUT of this thread please...don't get this thread closed on me please, people...if you have sonething to say, please PM me.
The thing that's so messed up is I did pay for it already...it's far from my fault if that money never got to the original seller in one way or another, and now they want me to pay for it again just to use it!!! How is this literally not extortion??? Can't I file a police report against Tmo for this? They activated a brand new prepaid sim using the IMEI from the same Nexus 6 just 2 months ago, which, in my eyes, is a guarantee from Tmo that the IMEI is good, no?? I sort of feel like Tmo should be responsible for this since they let me activate it after checking the number.
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I agree that the private phone sales situation is in a pretty sad state. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is fraudulent on the part of the service providers. They should either provide an easily accessible lookup database (this would have to be a joint database among *all* service providers) to validate that a device is unencumbered, or forgive the "new" owner if the original skipped town.
Normally I would say that a problem with a product should be handled between buyer and seller, but in this case, that doesn't secure the buyer at all.
The service provider just wants to sell you a new phone.
I am thinking of purchasing this phone from the current private seller via an ad.
The phone is US T-mobile, outside the US and was not unlocked during the initial 4 months at T-Mobile. Apparently 2 users tried to unlock via 3rd party service it but could not.
Can I be sure it can be unlocked . It's not blacklisted.
kjarak said:
I am thinking of purchasing this phone from the current private seller via an ad.
The phone is US T-mobile, outside the US and was not unlocked during the initial 4 months at T-Mobile. Apparently 2 users tried to unlock via 3rd party service it but could not.
Can I be sure it can be unlocked if it's not blacklisted (I have not checked yet)
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Make sure you are getting a deal. Saw today that you can buy new on eBay for under $200
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk
It is a decent deal and IMEI shows as clean.
I am concerned I may not be able to unlock it in a normal manner
kenweise said:
Make sure you are getting a deal. Saw today that you can buy new on eBay for under $200
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk
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You can unlock it only if you are using T-Mobile service for around 30 to 40 days. You then simply use the T-Mobile unlock app from the stock rom to unlock it yourself. No 3rd party service works as far as I heard. I would not bother with a locked phone. I got one in mint condition for $120 a month ago. I think the current price is around $130 for new other condition on ebay