I recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy S II T989 off of craigslist. It was described as Brand New, and came with box and all original accessories, etc. Still had screen protectors and everything on it, so i assumed i would have no problems. I am using AT&T and wanting to unlock it so that i wouldn't have to switch carriers. I paid a pretty reputable website 25$ for the unlock code, which i received and entered as directed.
I attempted to enter my SIM and i get an invalid SIM message. I called Samsung to figure it out and they had me send them the phone. They received it and inspected it to ensure nothing was wrong. They then tested the IMEI which came back as a black-listed phone, but would not disclose the reason.
So t-mobile will offer me no help what so ever, nor will samsung. I try calling the *#7465625# number to test if the phone is unlocked, but i get an error message stating "The process com.android.phone has stopped unexpectedly" and i have only one option which is force quit. I used the factory reset option a couple times to see if this helped at all, and got nothing.
I only have experience with iphones, so i really know nothing about the android OS. I've heard a lot about "rooting" and such for the unlock but it's like a whole different language for me. If anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated. This phone has just been sitting in my drawer for the past month because i have absolutely no idea what to do.
Sounds to me like you may have bought a phone that someone perhaps filled an insurance claim on. I know I had a phone taken once and filed a claim on it and got a new one, eventually got the old one back and when a friend took it in it was taken on the spot. This may or may not be the case.
Yup sounds like someone bought a phone, Reported it lost,Kept the replacement, and sold you the stolen one. The same thing happened to me about a year ago with a HTC G2 from craigslist. You could try rooting (really not as scary as it seems) putting a new ROM then try to unlock again
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
That is what i'm assuming the case is. I've heard of friends and such running into the problem, but never thought i would fall victim to it.
Do you know where i might be able to find a rooting guide for a complete noob like myself? Step by step in depth kind of stuff? Would the fact that the phone is blacklisted cause me to get the error i'm getting whenever i try to test the unlock? Is it possible to unlock the phone for another GSM carrier even though it is blacklisted with t-mobile.
Explore all the options of getting your money back. If no good, you can always try to get someone to chqnge the imei for you, beware tho, its same illegal as changing vin plate on a car. Theoretically noone will help you, but practically, there are plenty shops selling nintendo cardridges with 100 original games in one...
Sent from my ST18i using XDA
You cannot ask on here how to fix this problem. It is against the rules, and illegal. This thread will be closed.. Just saying.
Ebay it with bad efs in the title, sell for parts, will probably get a coupe hundred for it. Don't buy a phone off frauds list unless you meet them at the retail store and have the number ran. At least then if they report it stolen you have some record of the transaction and may be able to get it UN black listed. Crappy situation that is for sure.
Sent from my SGH-T989D using xda premium
As stated, the course of action you were proposing is illegal and therefore discussing it on the forum will not be tolerated.
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Hi,
I am currently travelling at Hongkong, here in Mongkok district of Hongkong, there are hundreds of shops selling mobile phones at 'quite cheap' prices.
I just bought a HTC desire, it was sealed with plastic, and the storekeeper said that it was a HTC desire with HK warranty. For HKD 4100.
I wanted to buy 2 units, one for my sister. But the store only has 1. So I went to a store next door, and the storekeeper said what I just bought must have been a 'refurbished' one. He said the normal price in HK should be around HKD4250 - HKD4300.
Question is, Are there really any method to check whether this new phone I just bought isn't a refurbished one? or a second hand sold as a new unit ? seeing me as a foreigner, they would think I am easier to trick.
Blackberry units, at least, has its own call/data meter, which is unresettable, so I could easily know whether the unit was new or not..
here is the photo of the phone in the store
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if you take the back cover off there are two screws at the top right and bottom right that should have "Void" stickers on... not sure if there is anything else you can check, software is guarenteed to be reset, maybe check for signs of wear on the screws while your there..
from what I heard, the store would go as far as replacing a new outer case for it.
I didn't see any signs of wear on the screws though...
Are there really no method by software to know whether this phone has ever been used before (call/data) ?
if there is no way of telling, whats that point in finding out?
Syn3rgetic said:
if there is no way of telling, whats that point in finding out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because there is no way of telling just by looking from the cases and screws, now I am asking whether there are methods to find out by software/system ? something like a call/data meter which is un-reset-able. are there any?
I have been in Hong Kong last week myself and bought my Desire there.
The best price that was offered to me was at Tsim Sha Tsui at a shop right opposite of the mosque in a corner store on Nathan street. They asked for 3500 HK$ and I could bargain them down to 3100. After I agreed they told me they would need to unlock the phone and I should not make any updates afterwards. I did not like that and got my money back right away. They explained to me that these cheap offers are imports from the US. They need to unlock them since they are branded, that is why they are that cheap.
For 4100 you should get a regular unbranded and unlocked phone.
If you're unsure, as was I, go to Fortress - they might be a bit more expensive (I paid 4450 HK$) but you get a proper guarantee plus an 8 GB memory card add-on and they put on a display protection right in the store. Not to forget the good feeling about having avoided to be fooled ... ;-)
One thing that just popped up in my mind:
Why don't you just call HTC support and ask them? I called them course I had some questions and they registered me as a customer. They would immediately be able to tell where the phone comes from and how old it is - or if the IMEI is a fake. You could even tell them a fa- ehm I mean they do not check if your name is really your name...
So I am a little hesitant about activating the replacement device I received today...I got my Nexus before they switched to the shared data and was told I can keep it until I activate another 4G phone. I am wondering if their automated systems will treat this device as a new phone considering its got a different serial and all. Has anyone went through this recently?
slickrickstyles said:
So I am a little hesitant about activating the replacement device I received today...I got my Nexus before they switched to the shared data and was told I can keep it until I activate another 4G phone. I am wondering if their automated systems will treat this device as a new phone considering its got a different serial and all. Has anyone went through this recently?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't done it recently, but that shouldn't be an issue.
Can't you just pop your sim in and go?
This is my first 4G device with a sim so I wasnt quite sure how exactly it will work out and calling Verizon didnt help at all the two ladies I talked to couldnt grasp the question I was asking with one telling me that as long as the Unlimited Data is on my account i'll never lose it...Figured I was much better coming here instead
slickrickstyles said:
This is my first 4G device with a sim so I wasnt quite sure how exactly it will work out and calling Verizon didnt help at all the two ladies I talked to couldnt grasp the question I was asking with one telling me that as long as the Unlimited Data is on my account i'll never lose it...Figured I was much better coming here instead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have unlimited data on VZW, and I had an LG Revolution, granted this example is before the shared data BS, I just bought a used GNexus off ebay about 2 months ago. I just walked into the store, said I need to get a micro SIM (REVO used full size SIM), they got me a new micro SIM, even activated it for me, and I specifically said I want to make sure my plan does not change and she said of course not, and it did not.
You should only loose it if you buy a new phone from them and then re-up your contract.
From this point forward pretty much all VZW customers with unlimited plans need to buy phones from other sources than VZW.
Big Cam said:
You should only loose it if you buy a new phone from them and then re-up your contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true. You will only lose your unlimited if you use a subsidy or do a transfer of liability.
Thanks guys it went off without a hitch and when i checked with *#*#RTN#*#* i was surprised to find that this phone has not been reconditioned...So I am assuming its new which is nice...Its a v.9 though while my previous one was a .10. Doesn't look like the signal has improved though so far which is frustrating.
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slickrickstyles said:
Thanks guys it went off without a hitch and when i checked with *#*#RTN#*#* i was surprised to find that this phone has not been reconditioned...So I am assuming its new which is nice...Its a v.9 though while my previous one was a .10. Doesn't look like the signal has improved though so far which is frustrating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a refurbished phone. Trust me. They're good at refurbing the nexus. I have no idea why you thought you'd lose unlimited...all you have to do is slip in your SIM, no activation required.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
I just got this a few days ago from the s3. I am familiar with rooting; am installing the toolkit as i type now. I have used cm on my original nexus. But its obviously been awhile. The only real reason i desire to root is for tethering. "The assistant mgr at sprint told me a few things, thats why he would root but your risking battery life, said a few other things but i wasn't paying attention". He also said they can tell w/in 3min if you have ever rooted it and warr is voided. I however have insurance from b buy i think theirs is better. I was under the impression if you do the flash reset with that triangle app it looks as if you never flashed it.
Now with the rom and possibly kernel. I am very happy with the stock rom; so what is the closest thing to it out there at the moment that is maybe better or faster?
Lab rats, sts, digiblurs rom are 3 of the usual mentioned in these type of threads.
Lab rats has a few changes from stock to make it different, but they are all easily set back to stock in the updater.
Just look around at the OPs of various roms and pick what sounds like what you want.
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check out our rom website, http://updater.team-nocturnal.com/labrats/
bocaccio said:
I just got this a few days ago from the s3. I am familiar with rooting; am installing the toolkit as i type now. I have used cm on my original nexus. But its obviously been awhile. The only real reason i desire to root is for tethering. "The assistant mgr at sprint told me a few things, thats why he would root but your risking battery life, said a few other things but i wasn't paying attention". He also said they can tell w/in 3min if you have ever rooted it and warr is voided. I however have insurance from b buy i think theirs is better. I was under the impression if you do the flash reset with that triangle app it looks as if you never flashed it.
Now with the rom and possibly kernel. I am very happy with the stock rom; so what is the closest thing to it out there at the moment that is maybe better or faster?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I got my phone from best buy and they asked about black tie I said hell yes and told the guy I like to play with my phones outside the box he said it would be the perfect plan for me.. Lol.. He also mentioned he had the same protection on his ifail and had recently jailbroken it... Screw Sprint's warranty and their insurance plan.. I have yet to lose a phone (knock on wood) and theft and loss seems to be the only thing not covered.. Hell, on my paperwork it even says no deductible, which I'm sure would change eventually as that's a lot of money, but in my opinion root away and have fun!!! Oh, and don't believe anything sprint tells u like that, they don't know jack!! I called them to switch my evo lte to my oldest boy and in the process they told me I had remove the (nonremovable) battery to reset it... Lmmfao!!
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
EDIT: See post #5. Samsung has multiple IMEI checkers for different countries, my google search led me to the wrong one.
Original Post starts here:
So I have a brand new, Verizon note 7, box has the black square, green battery icon.
After the reports this weekend, I thought "eh, I'll check". Using Samsung's IMEI check, it returns a message
Hold your horses.
It's either that the IMEI you entered is incorrect or device you are using might not be safe to use. If the latter is true and the device you have was obtained thru our Voluntary Replacement Program, power down your device and contact our Customer Service hotline at +63(2)422-2111 so we can sort things out as soon as possible.
If you have not yet availed of our Voluntary Replacement Program, we advise you to IMMEDIATELY POWER DOWN your Note7 device and get in touch with the entity from which you have obtained it so you could be assisted in getting a replacement unit or a different unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, that's not good. I guess I'm exchanging it later today for an S7 Edge now.
(Curiously, when I called Samsung just now they said it wasn't on the list of recalled phones, and that mine was safe to use... so left hand not knowing what the right is doing?)
I would trust the green battery icon and black square over the imei checker.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just goes to show how screwed Samsung has things when it comes to instilling trust with their customers when it matters most.
Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk
The imei checker actually allows for an option that you DO have an exchanged Note yet it is still a bad one? What if this is a new feature that indicates there will be another, limited recall?
update, turns out I may have used the wrong IMEI checker. the one I used was the first hit in google for my search:
http://www.samsung.com/ph/note7imeichecker/ and I read "/ph" as "phone".
The checker at http://www.samsung.com/us/note7recall/ one says that my phone is safe.
So...strange. If I were in the Philippines this phone is bad, in the US it's safe?
notefreak said:
The imei checker actually allows for an option that you DO have an exchanged Note yet it is still a bad one? What if this is a new feature that indicates there will be another, limited recall?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol! So it does. Just tried mine for a laugh.
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Sent from my SM-N930W8 using Tapatalk
Maybe you got that error then because it's checking for a IMEI code that's linked with the Philippines but you're putting in a code that is for USA models and therefore is coming back as an incorrect IMEI hence the error message "It's either that the IMEI you entered is incorrect...". So most likely just that and not a screw up with the checker lol.
I buy Alot of gardets on ebay and resell in my country but this particular is new to me
I checked and found something Strange and someone said the phone is on fmm lock
The challenging part is that I cannot go to recovery mode or download mode (image attached)
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Please can iget through with this?
I can longer send it back to USA rather I am finding a solution to this. Thank you
Contact the seller and ask them to remove the lock
*Detection* said:
Contact th jie seller and ask them to remove the lock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The seller claims he cannot trace it
Its a stolen Phone or registred as such
hold volume down + power to force shut down the phone and then quickly do the recovery key combo / download mode combo before it reboots
This does look like a stolen phone and should be returned.
One of the hazards of buying second hand phones etc.
If you bought it through somewhere like ebay then claim the money back. If you didn't then it's a case of buyer beware and need to chalk it up to "you live, and you learn"
Rule no. 1 dont trust e-bay for used electronics
Rule no. 2 dont buy used electronics without seeing with your eyes.
Been dealing with used phones for almost 5 years, never had any issue.
Okijaamaka said:
I buy Alot of gardets on ebay and resell in my country but this particular is new to me
I checked and found something Strange and someone said the phone is on fmm lock
The challenging part is that I cannot go to recovery mode or download mode (image attached)
Please can iget through with this?
I can longer send it back to USA rather I am finding a solution to this. Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If i were you, i will request refund and return the phone to seller.
If you are past the return dates, i would pop in a simcard and keep the phone charged.
Then lodge a police report saying you got scammed buyingthis suspected stolen phone.
When the original phone owner come knocking on your door, you have the police report with your intentions stated to protect you from legal liability, and just return the phone to the owner.
Or.. still the phone for parts
Sent from my SM-G985F using Tapatalk
Thank you
JR_44 said:
hold volume down + power to force shut down the phone and then quickly do the recovery key combo / download mode combo before it reboots
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new security lock or prevent it from entering recovery mode
Quite Strange
FMM is unbreakable like iPhone lock
thanks God better late than never that came to Samsung from iPhone
You reseller has sold you a stolen phone, Bypass gmail services lock other term frp bypass lock, Look Google for answer its possible on every android i did it few times on my own samsung s20 plus and I can confirm it works even tested for few friends and there where realy happy that there could acces there own phones after forgot pincode or fingerprint lock no need for recovery or any tools only a file and USB connection plus an desktop computer
rubenownz said:
You reseller has sold you a stolen phone, Bypass gmail services lock other term frp bypass lock, Look Google for answer its possible on every android i did it few times on my own samsung s20 plus and I can confirm it works even tested for few friends and there where realy happy that there could acces there own phones after forgot pincode or fingerprint lock no need for recovery or any tools only a file and USB connection plus an desktop computer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no solution
hello everyone, today ebay stepped in and said i can no longer get my refund because its more than 30 days since i opened the return case,
since this phone is stuck with me, i know the screen can cover some of my losses, but i really want to know if there is another solution to this
thank you
As already stated, this is most likely a stolen phone that's been resold. Next step would be a police report and making sure it finds its way back to the rightful owner (or simply just handing it over to the authorities).
Keeping it and/or selling it for parts when knowing it is most likely stolen is morally ambiguous and in many parts of the world likely illegal.
This thread has run it's course, so I'm closing it now.
Cheers
Didgeridoohan
Forum Moderator/Developer Relations