Related
Hello
I just phone up O2 UK Customer Service and I ask them for the Network Unlock COde and the Operator that take my call say is illegal to unlock your o2 mobile and you isnt allow to do that anyway
Oh my god.... LOL cant believe she say that.... she so stupid
weasley said:
Hello
I just phone up O2 UK Customer Service and I ask them for the Network Unlock COde and the Operator that take my call say is illegal to unlock your o2 mobile and you isnt allow to do that anyway
Oh my god.... LOL cant believe she say that.... she so stupid
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Click to collapse
If you bought the phone on a contract then she is absolutely correct.
When you buy the phone on a twelve month contract, then that contract forms a part of the sale. In other words, you havn't finished paying for the phone until the twelve months is up. Given that the phone is still, in part, owned by O2, they can put restrictions on your useage in their terms and conditions including preventing you using the phone on someone else's network. To change the state of the phone whilst it is still under contract it breaking that contract.
I'm afraid, if you want to use the phone somewhere else, you have to pay for the phone yourself! If you want someone else to help you pay for the phone (by getting it massively discounted on a contract) then you have to accept the restrictions that come with that - or wait for someone to create an unlocking utility
i bought it Sim-Free From THE LINK for £550 But is still locked to O2
so in other word the Phone isnt sim-free after all
weasley said:
i bought it Sim-Free From THE LINK for £550 But is still locked to O2
so in other word the Phone isnt sim-free after all
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In that case, I think you need to speak to the link, not O2.
It's not correct to say it's illegal.
Secondly, O2 don't own the phone. It's yours.
Thirdly, get on their case. Mither them, write to them and write a complaint to ofcom.
Bassey said:
weasley said:
i bought it Sim-Free From THE LINK for £550 But is still locked to O2
so in other word the Phone isnt sim-free after all
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In that case, I think you need to speak to the link, not O2.
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Click to collapse
Been to THE LINK First then call o2
In the Link they say Is a O2 Device and you should contact O2 for the unlock code since the stock is came from O2 Directly
It is definitely not illegal to unlock a phone in Europe. In the US, it might fall under the DMCA, and be considered illegal.
Like Bassey said, the contract you signed might forbid you from unlocking the phone, but this would be a case for civil court. No operator would find it sensible to pursue individuals who unlock their phone unless this becomes a major problem.
LeSkip said:
It is definitely not illegal to unlock a phone in Europe. In the US, it might fall under the DMCA, and be considered illegal.
Like Bassey said, the contract you signed might forbid you from unlocking the phone, but this would be a case for civil court. No operator would find it sensible to pursue individuals who unlock their phone unless this becomes a major problem.
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The XDA IIs is not from Contract..... is supose to be Sim-free.... on my invoice is say Unconnect Sim-free O2 XDA IIs
so I should entitle to get the phone to be unlock since i am not commit to a contracy
As has been said already - if you have bought it supposedly sim-free from the link, then your gripe is with them as they are breaking trades descriptions laws by selling a sim-free unit when it is network locked.
In my understanding, no phone company would ever block you from getting a phone unlocked through their own channels as it is still revenue for them if they charge you. You are still tied to the contract anyway, therefore they know they will make money out of you either way.
The only way you may have trouble from the network is if you unlock independently, as they can then claim you have tampered with the handset and are therefore out of warranty should you have a fault with the unit.
The Link are definately out of order here. The problem is that you've bought it sim free, so you don't have a Service Provider. And the link are basically telling you to ring your Service Provider. ITS THEM!!.
To get a quick soluiton email your IMEI and proof of purchase to [email protected] and they will sort it out. They did for me.
JD
Ludicrous, really...
It seems that every time you speak to someone at O2 customer services you get different answers; it's verging on the ridiculous.
My situation is that I will be travelling to Montana in the US on business next month, but the city which I'm going to is not covered by any of O2's roaming network partners - information that I double-checked before contacting O2.
Armed with this knowledge, I set about emailing O2 support. I explained the situation, and the responses were as follows (edited for brevity)
Me: I'd like to SIM unlock my XDA IIs as I'm going abroad to an area that O2 do not have sufficient roaming partner network coverage.
O2: SIM Unlocking costs £15, but we don't unlock handests until after your 12 month contract is up.
Me: Hang on a minute, I'm locked into the contract for 12 months anyway, and on my O2 Max tarriff, you'll get at least £900 out of me for the duration. If I were to cancel my contract, I'd still have to pay O2 the remainder of my line rental and, if I didn't, you could but a global bar on the handset's IMEI... so where's the risk to O2?
O2 Yes, we confirm you've had your handset for less than 12 months; if you wish to cancel, you'll need to pay us for the remaining line rental. If you wish to use your handset abroad, you need to have international roaming activated. To do this, you will need to lodge a £100 deposit against your account, which is refundable after three months.
Me FFS! I never said I wanted to cancel, and my tariff already includes ITS (as published) and now you say I have to pay £100 to roam? Did you miss the part where I mentioned that you have NO PARTNER COVERAGE in the area which I'm travelling to?? Please escalate this issue to a supervisor.
O2 Hello. You have had your contract for less than twelve months. If you wish to SIM unlock your handset, you will have to cancel your contract, pay for any outstanding call charges and the line due for the remaining portion of your contract, plus a £15 unlock fee.
... at this point, I could kill... so I telephone O2 customer services instead.
I get told:
1. The O2 shop can do it for you
2. The O2 shop tells me they'll call customer services on my behalf
3. The O2 shop calls me and says "They say it'll cost over £900"
4. I call O2 customer services - again - and ask for a supervisor, and get told to contact O2 network services on a different number
5. O2 network services say they DO have partner coverage in Montana, and that this info is on their website... I'm not near a PC when I take this call, so I cant check.
I get to my desk, get to the O2 website and check for Billings, Montana, USA under international coverage. Guess what? No Coverage
6. I call O2 customer services again, thinking to myself that perhaps a lesser person would have resorted to mass-murder by now. I explain the situation in detail again, get told "can't unlock under 12 months yada yada" and then ask to speak to a manager. Two minutes of being on hold and then I'm told - "Right, we're organising your unlock code for you"
A half dozen emails and about 1 hour of 0870 calls to get there.
Compare and contrast this with my call to Orange to SIM unlock my SPV C500 yesterday:
Me Hello, SIM unlock yada yada
Orange Fine; we've requested the code and will call you for your £20 payment once we have it, which will be around 5 business days time.
I've had my C500 since August 26th... yes, five whole months
So, in summation
O2 = first to market with the goods, but crap support
Orange = late getting the handsets, but very little hassle
i totally agree with u
when i got my vodafone SE v800 with contract
i called the customer service the same day say i want a network unlock code .... they say fine there will be a charge of £25.... i say that fine no problem .... after they give me the code straight away no question asked
From taking contract out to un-sim lock mt phone take no longer than 15min
I usually dnt like voadfone bcoz there low coverage in my area but that time is the first time i prasie them
O2 also told me if was illegal to unlock my XDA II. Eventually (after speaking to several O2 representatives) they agreed to do it for £25 charge and said it could take up to 28 days to be applied.
At that point I downloaded the unlock utility and within 2 mins had a nice unlocked XDAII.
Seems to me the least hassle to get the phone unlocked !
cheers
Russ.
Re: Ludicrous, really...
TheMadScot said:
A half dozen emails and about 1 hour of 0870 calls to get there.
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Hi.
Thought you may be interested in the following service:
http://www.registeredcall.com/?cat=2&subcat=1&compID=2
You call this 0871 number and record phone conversations. You can then download the audio file or send a link to the file if needed.
Use it when you are phoning customer services etc so you have a copy of what people have told you - very usefull.
I have no connection with the service - I just think its a handy tool to use.
Regards,
Ian Watson
russ said:
O2 also told me if was illegal to unlock my XDA II. Eventually (after speaking to several O2 representatives) they agreed to do it for £25 charge and said it could take up to 28 days to be applied.
At that point I downloaded the unlock utility and within 2 mins had a nice unlocked XDAII.
Seems to me the least hassle to get the phone unlocked !
cheers
Russ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Y'know, if someone out there had developed a utility to unlock the XDA IIs, I'd have done the same thing
Unfortunately time wasn't on my side here... it's less expensive for me to pick up a Verizon or Sprint pre-pay SIM for my XDA IIs than to go to the trouble of either
a) Purchasing a pre-pay mobile in Montana, or
b) Renting a handset for use whilst I'm there
I'd rather pay the £15 to O2, get a pre-pay SIM when I touch down, and alter my O2 voicemail to say "I'm out of the country; call me on +1 xxx etc. if you need me" for the duration of my stay. That way I'll retain all my important data on my IIs, be able to dial within the States when necessary without spending silly money, and call back to the UK to retreive my voicemail without it costing a packet.
The one feature of my IIs that'll get worked overtime is the built in WiFi; there's plenty of hotspots around so I might even take a look at Skype for those occasions I need to call
SIM FREE does not mean unlocked to all networks, it means the phone is sold without a sim, I know we assume that sim free means unlocked but that is not the case, if it was the case it would be advertised as open to all networks, crafty maybe but there is no onus on the the link to do any more for you.
I'm pretty sure in this case you could probably push them for selling it with misleading information.
I do appreciate what you're saying though and again, we dont have all the facts of how the salesman actually described the product to the buyer.
that's strange, i just got my xda IIi and then phone to the O2 customer service, they said that i have to pay 15 pounds, then they will send the unlock code to me within 14 days.
weasley said:
LeSkip said:
It is definitely not illegal to unlock a phone in Europe. In the US, it might fall under the DMCA, and be considered illegal.
Like Bassey said, the contract you signed might forbid you from unlocking the phone, but this would be a case for civil court. No operator would find it sensible to pursue individuals who unlock their phone unless this becomes a major problem.
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Click to collapse
The XDA IIs is not from Contract..... is supose to be Sim-free.... on my invoice is say Unconnect Sim-free O2 XDA IIs
so I should entitle to get the phone to be unlock since i am not commit to a contracy
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This is OUTRAGEOUS!!!! "SIM free" generally means unlocked... so you're supposed to be able to use any wireless carrier... Even though the word "SIM free" word-for-word means "no SIM" and not necessarily means unlocked, the "SIM free" word has been widely used to indicate that a device is also unlocked.
It's clear that "The Link" is playing word games with its customers. This vendor is NOT TO BE TRUSTED AGAIN...
From what has been said (and not having seen your contract with the Link or the full surrounding circumstances) it sounds like:
1 Either the link is in breach of its contract/its obligations to you as a consumer under Sale of Goods Act (SOGA); or
2 You have an actionable remedy for misrepresentation against the Link shop involved (you would need to verify that there is no small print at the point of sale or alongside the demonstration phone defining exactly what sim free means/that you weren't informed of what this meant by the sales assistant).
Absent any definition of Sim free I think it is reasonable to intrepret this as available for use with any network.
Contract/Sale of Goods Act
There are certain terms implied into all consumer contracts by SOGA. The most important being that the phone is of satisfactory quality and fit for the purpose and as described. Important here is to check through the point of sale posters and leaflets etc (see above). Also when you were speaking to the sales representative did you make know to him or her that you would be making use of this phone with another sim. If you did then this puts you in a real position of strength as you will have expressly made a particular purpose known to the vendor. If not you still probably have a reasonable case that either the phone is not of satisfactory quality (given the manner in which it was described) or that there is an actionable misrepresentation.
Misrepresentation
There are 3 types of misrepresentation (innocent, negligent and fraudulent) with technically differing effects upon your contract. But leaving the legal technicalities aside, at the very least there is a good argument that there has been an innocent or negligent misrepresentation by the Link here aside from a breach of SOGA. Either way you are entitled to demand that the Link resolve this situation to your satisfaction or threaten to take them to the small claims court.
Conclusion
Where you get to, is do you want the phone? If yes, write to them and demand that they resolve this with 02 forthwith. State your legal rights to them as outlined above (remember to think about your particular circumstances). Alternatively if you don't get anywhere say that you will and pay the necessary unlocking charge to O2 and will seek a refund of this charge and your costs from the Link (keeping the Link notified in writing and retaining all paperwork and receipts). You can then take action against the Link (if necessary) to recover it.
If you don't wish to keep the phone, then return it to them and demand a refund immediately. Do not delay.
Finally, there are various helpful guides to your rights as a consumer on the government sites - see dti.gov.uk and look for sale of goods act. Remember that everything depends on the facts of a particular case.
Good luck
P.S Finally, having given some pro bono advice, I would appreciate some help in return from anyone who would be willing to spend 30 minutes on the telephone with me going through the upgrading process. Having read through Wiki I am getting lost with all the Dos commands root files etc. If anyone can, please PM me.
Thanks J
how can i unbarred it and use the uk sim card?
any ppl can provide the unbarred the solution?
or other solution that can make my phone receive signal and used back sim card?
i bought this phone at a UK forum and right now it get blocked so i guess it was a stolen phone
so what i can do is only treat is as a htc ipod touch
and is this possible to use oversea sim card?
I am a noob fresh user from htc one x ~
help pls ~thanks
i dont think its barred, it network locked, <--- maybe not
you need to find that person and ask him to ask his network to get it unlocked,
he will need the phone imei no.
teanbread said:
how can i unbarred it and use the uk sim card?
any ppl can provide the unbarred the solution?
or other solution that can make my phone receive signal and used back sim card?
i bought this phone at a UK forum and right now it get blocked so i guess it was a stolen phone
so what i can do is only treat is as a htc ipod touch
and is this possible to use oversea sim card?
I am a noob fresh user from htc one x ~
help pls ~thanks
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Click to collapse
If it is barred then you can't use a UK so you'll need to change the IMEI which in itself is illegal in the UK.
Each time you enter a sim it checks for the unique code which is registered when your phone is blocked. Hence why you'll get no signal.
An international sim will work if you are using it abroad.
However as posted by thunder it could be that the phone is network locked so only the original network sim will work you need to find out if it's network locked or actually blocked.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
that seller dun wan asnwer my call anymore
mean i can solve this problem by unlocked the network or using other sim which not from any UK network right?
Use checkmend. Google it. Think it's £1.99 and it will tell you it's status. Wether it's network barred, reported lost or stolen.
sent from my tegra 3 powered, HTC beast.
i confirm that the phone is get barred ~
so what i can do right now?
pls save me
Ask the seller for a refund. It could be a stolen phone or insurance scammed. I would first ask the seller and or contact the forum mods which in turn may tell you to go to the police if it's a stolen handset.
There is nothing you can do legally to change imei as this is illegal.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Sounds like you've been pretty much done in. Based on the condition you're describing it surely classes as having been sold a faulty or misrepresented good, so it's time to do the following (and fast):
If an intermediary like PayPal was used, file a complaint immediately and dispute the transaction
Get in touch with your bank and file for a chargeback; with credit cards you have pretty much guaranteed cover here, for debit cards you should still be covered so long as it's VISA [1][2]
Also, don't forget that Distance Selling Regulations entitle you to an unconditional 7-day window for returning any good you're not happy with so long as it's in original condition (it is not necessary for the packaging to be in good condition or even present at all).
You can of course consider notifying the police too, but that may result in the phone being confiscated and you not getting your money back. If the seller won't respond to your contact now, the chargeback should get his attention and you can go ahead and return the phone if you like — then tell the police anyway once you have your money.
As I see it, you're most likely going to get your money back so long as the purchase wasn't below £100 and thus not eligible for cover (If you seriously thought you were getting a legit One X for this much WTF were you thinking?), done through pure cash, or past the claim time limit — if any of those are the case I guess you can treat this as a hard lesson in how to shop more carefully online.
Sounds like you've been pretty much done in. Based on the condition you're describing it surely classes as having been sold a faulty or misrepresented good, so it's time to do the following (and fast):
If an intermediary like PayPal was used, file a complaint immediately and dispute the transaction
Get in touch with your bank and file for a chargeback; with credit cards you have pretty much guaranteed cover here, for debit cards you should still be covered so long as it's VISA [1][2]
Also, don't forget that Distance Selling Regulations entitle you to an unconditional 7-day window for returning any good you're not happy with so long as it's in original condition (it is not necessary for the packaging to be in good condition or even present at all).
You can of course consider notifying the police too, but that may result in the phone being confiscated and you not getting your money back. If the seller won't respond to your contact now, the chargeback should get his attention and you can go ahead and return the phone if you like — then tell the police anyway once you have your money.
As I see it, you're most likely going to get your money back so long as the purchase wasn't below £100 and thus not eligible for cover (If you seriously thought you were getting a legit One X for this much WTF were you thinking?), done through pure cash, or past the claim time limit — if any of those are the case I guess you can treat this as a hard lesson in how to shop more carefully online.
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DSR won't apply with this situation as it was a private sale according to the OP.
You have to be very careful when doing private sales on forums, same thing happened to me, bought my sister a SGS2 it came with a receipt and everything from a private seller, a year later she went to CPW to trade in and they found out that it was an insurance scammed phone! The odd thing was it wasn't barred as UK sims were still working in them but could have been barred at anytime.
Contact the seller, say if they don't give the only back you will contact the police as effectively this was a fraudulent sale, they probably won't do much at all but hey it'll make the seller aware you won't give up.
But contact the moderators of the forum you purchased this from and let them get involved as well.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Ah, didn't realise DSR didn't apply to such sales. As a general rule I avoid private selling like the plague because I've heard too many horror stories, unless it's via eBay which offers you somewhat reasonable protection and is why you should insist on going through such a medium unless you literally know the person.
OP: I think you can still go down the chargeback route though, have a look through the links I posted before and figure out if you can make a claim. You never know simply appealing to the seller's goodwill by saying it doesn't work may get you a refund, but I'm guessing not.
Hi i had this happen to me, i swapped my SGS 2 for another phone and the phone i swapped for become barred.. I didnt know what to do but a friend of mine said contact the police, so i did i gave them the persons name and contact number who i got it off and the police managed to get my phone back and it was in London too on its way to India (im from Sheffield). So i would suggest contacting the police worth a shot:good:
springy0114 said:
Hi i had this happen to me, i swapped my SGS 2 for another phone and the phone i swapped for become barred.. I didnt know what to do but a friend of mine said contact the police, so i did i gave them the persons name and contact number who i got it off and the police managed to get my phone back and it was in London too on its way to India (im from Sheffield). So i would suggest contacting the police worth a shot:good:
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wow they actually did something about it? and there was a result!?!?!
springy0114 said:
Hi i had this happen to me, i swapped my SGS 2 for another phone and the phone i swapped for become barred.. I didnt know what to do but a friend of mine said contact the police, so i did i gave them the persons name and contact number who i got it off and the police managed to get my phone back and it was in London too on its way to India (im from Sheffield). So i would suggest contacting the police worth a shot:good:
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Click to collapse
Good to hear a positive story for once with the feds doing something positive! Quie common for phones to end up back in Asia, big demand for them there as well as all the scams that go on with them!
In my now locked other thread it was pointed out that changing the IMEI is illegal. Could someone point me to the law that covers this for the USA? I haven't been having much luck with google.
If you like you must know
Read it
http://www.wirelessforums.org/alt-i...-anysmartphone-even-sans-contract-104959.html
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
I don't see a link to the law in that thread. I have seen many people say that it is illegal, but I have yet to find any US law about it. Is everyone making an assumption here?
Oh its certainly illegal. You'll get more time for changing your imei than you would if you slapped your wife. Bad example? oh well
Ends said:
Oh its certainly illegal. You'll get more time for changing your imei than you would if you slapped your wife. Bad example? oh well
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This is my point. Everyone says this but can't seem to point to the law. I am looking for the actual law that covers this. Can someone point this out?
I do not and will not claim to know the answer to this question, but i would imagine the place to start looking for this type of information would be the FCC.
If your so determined to see this "law" a very simple google search yeilds the answer.
thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.3186.IS:
Here is your answer now can we get this closed because I'm very opposed to changing imei number.
3 weeks ago my cousin was killed over his phone and the imei number of the phone is what helped catch the scumbag.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
I'm sorry for your loss. And thank you for settling this.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
imei's are used for good, but sadly carriers use them to squeeze extra money out of you by tracking you and forcing extra services on you..
there's plenty of people who have posted imei tweaks, but they get pulled right away.. imei changing isn't illegal everywhere, but sadly it is in us/uk, so xda is a bad place to try and find such things..
android china is fair game tho!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
there is no such law in the usa ANYWHERE but still its hard to find info on it
meleii said:
If your so determined to see this "law" a very simple google search yeilds the answer.
thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.3186.IS:
Here is your answer now can we get this closed because I'm very opposed to changing imei number.
3 weeks ago my cousin was killed over his phone and the imei number of the phone is what helped catch the scumbag.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
That looks like law to me.
---------- Post added at 09:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 AM ----------
boricuastar77 said:
there is no such law in the usa ANYWHERE but still its hard to find info on it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.maybe you should have read all the posts on this thread
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-121 here is law you looking for but i don't know how illigal it is.
As far as I'm concerned,
A lot of people would fall under the exception "`(d) Exception- Subsection (b) shall not apply to the manufacturer of a mobile device or a person who repairs or refurbishes a mobile device unless the manufacturer or person knows that the mobile device or part involved is stolen.'."
since the phone (hopefully) is not stolen. You can consider yourself as the person refurbishing your own phone.
Then again, you're probably not going to find the information you want (I want it too) on this site, or any other site out there, because it will have international repercussions (other countries explicitly make IMEI modifications illegal).
Then again, I find it stupid that information on "how to do this" is not widely available - information for a lot of "illegal" stuff is already widely available ._.
Maybe some nice guy out there will start fiddling around with android's IMEI systems, and let us know about it. After all, the IMEI is something the manufacturer maintains, and corporations use, not something that the government enforces. Technology (and pretty much everything else) moves along way too fast for the political system to catch up to it.
meleii said:
If your so determined to see this "law" a very simple google search yeilds the answer.
thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.3186.IS:
Here is your answer now can we get this closed because I'm very opposed to changing imei number.
3 weeks ago my cousin was killed over his phone and the imei number of the phone is what helped catch the scumbag.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s3186
Code:
S. 3186 (112th): Mobile Device Theft Deterrence Act of 2012
Introduced:
May 15, 2012 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
Sponsor:
Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Status:
[B][U]Died[/U][/B] (Referred to Committee)
next google search? I've tried... can't get any straight answer so far
(the bill makes "modifing IMEI" = federal crime... which suggests it's NOT a federal crime right now to modify IMEI......?)
could still be a state/local crime (unlikely), or something that's covered under civil law and not criminal
@mods, this thread is healthy discussion about whether it's legal/illegal to modify IMEI (in USA), not a "how-to modify IMEI tutorial"... dont close it, move it to general topic?
It is illegal and has been for many years.
Wayne Tech S-III
zelendel said:
It is illegal and has been for many years.
Wayne Tech S-III
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source?
(I want something like the Congress bill posted above, but something that's actually active or passed by Congress)
I just see "oh, its illegal..."... who said it was illegal?
Is there some explicit law against it?
Or some cursory FCC regulation that might prohibit it, and was never explicitly outlawed, or there was a court case that set precedence for it?
As I said, if we need a bill to make tampering IMEI a federal crime, this means it's currently NOT a federal crime to modify IMEI?
----- part 2 of my google sleuthing-----
According to FCC Section 22.919, modifying ESNs is illegal...
However, ESN and IMEI are not the same (ESN identifies both the physical phone AND the phone subscriber, while IMEI only identifies the physical phone, with the SIM card providing the phone subscriber identifier)
Also, FCC 22.919 was repealed in 2003
http://etler.com/FCC/pdf/WT/WT 01-108/FCC 04-22.pdf
Search for "The Commission appropriately removed section 22.919 which set out electronic serial
number (ESN) hardware design requirements"
After reviewing the original purpose of the rule,
the advanced fraud control technologies measures developed to combat fraud since the adoption of the
rule, as well as comments submitted in the proceeding, the Commission concluded that the ESN
requirements were no longer necessary as a preventative measure against cellular cloning fraud. 127 The
Commission therefore removed section 22.919 of its rules.
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I will try to hunt the the FCC regulation on on it. Been awhile since I needed to post it as this is common knowledge among phone developers. It was passed a long time ago to prevent cloning.
Here is one article but I will find the one that states IMEI directly. This one states pretty much everything done here is illegal lol
Wayne Tech S-III
Any law any country... Changing IMEI is a criminal offence... God forbid if you change your IMEI to that of any known criminal... You think its worth the risk?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III
diablo009 said:
Any law any country... Changing IMEI is a criminal offence... God forbid if you change your IMEI to that of any known criminal... You think its worth the risk?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III
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Um, am I allowed to change my Phone A's IMEI to my Phone B's IMEI, with both phones legally bought?
this is just a curiosity exercise... and I'm asking "WHERE IN THE USA <insert code of law, FCC guidelines...> is modifying IMEI illegal"... you haven't answered my question
example: In UK, it is illegal due to this Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act 2002 passed in 2002.. but then there's a loophole (i can modify IMEI if I created the device, or the manufacture allowed me to)... (I havent read any of the amendments to see if those loopholes are changed)
^^ I want someone to answer me in that format, with reference to USA laws
Illegal?
While I am sorry for your loss meleii, that was simply a bill that didn't make it past a senate vote....much like SOPA and CISPA. While I am glad that a murderer was brought to justice, that isn't the purpose of the IMEI, any more that a session cookie is to keep you from cheating at online games. It helps sometimes, but that's incidental to it's actual purpose.
I can think of several reasons that someone might want to change their IMEI, like having a smartphone but only wanting a voice plan, or for that matter using a tablet's IMEI to have a data only plan. If you've made the jump to full on internet communication (Skype, SIP and the like) then a voice/text plan is simply a subsidy for everyone else's usage.
That being said, it is illegal in several countries, most notably the UK. It is also against every carriers EULA, but so is almost everything that is done in these hallowed halls....like wifi and bluetooth tethering without paying for a plan that includes it, installing software OSs on devices that were never intended to have it, or releasing the DRM deathgrip on content.
Saying that something is bad, wrong, immoral, or even just a piss poor idea that is bound to cause headaches for yourself and damage the image of the modding community is one thing, but to say something is illegal without being able to produce a law doesn't hold up.
If anyone does find the text prohibiting this in the wild, like buried in the text of the DMCA, or in an obscure FCC regulation, I stand ready to apologize and take back everything I've said.
Like any useful tool, it's only as good or bad as the people using it. I've used my lock picks to help friends get into their homes when they got locked out, and thieves use them to get into peoples homes to steal. I don't condone or make excuses for people dealing in the stolen phone market, but they aren't the only reason for this to exist.
Hello everyone,
A lot of good work is done here to help people get the most value out of their Android devices. One point that really annoys me though is the phones from the major cell companies are sold at a premium price but are locked to only that carrier. I started a petition on Change,org to address this. The data charges that are added to an account to get a "free" or reduced price phone are a rip off of the consumer. I appreciate all the information on rooting available here, but the efforts required to unlock phones should not be necessary. If I buy a car the dealer doesn't get to tell me what roads I can drive on. I urge you to consider signing the petition if you agree that contract phones are an abuse of the consumer.
http://www.change.org/petitions/us-...tm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created
Hi
I wanted to share a recent story with all of you, what happened with my experience. 4 months ago, I purchased an S3 from someone off of CL. I am extremely careful with purchasing mobiles from there, due to the possibility of getting screwed out of hard earned money that only benefits the person screwing you. Before I purchased the mobile, I did an IMEI validation through T-Mobile's web service, along with a couple more IMEI checks. T-Mobile's web service advised that the phone was not reported lost or stolen and that it was ready for activation. The other web services reported the same result, so based on what is supposed to be a reliable source of information, especially from the carrier itself, I bought the mobile.
GoSmart wouldn't add the phone to my plan because they said the phone had been blacklisted as lost and/or stolen. I told GSm that was impossible since the carrier who issues the device reported the phone clean. This started what turned out to be a 3 month battle between myself and T-Mobile. I phone them up, and after a bit of "we're checking, hang on" or "give me just a few minutes more as I am having to access another system", they informed me that indeed the phone had a lost/stolen insurance claim on it and that the IMEI was blocked. I escalated to a supervisor, only to be told the same information. I explained to them that had their web service been working at the time I used it, I would not have made the purchase. And for the next month, once per week, I continued discussing with customer service, along with checking their IMEI site showing that the phone was still reported clean. They advised me that Asurion claims and blocks do not show on the IMEI site, and I told her that the customer is in the dark about that, and there is no disclaimer on the site alerting anyone of this fact. I also wanted to verify #1 that I was not losing my mind, and #2 to make sure I was on solid enough ground to insist to be escalated to someone in TMo's IT department. I wanted someone to first explain to me why their web service was not accurate, and 2nd to make sure that someone who could make that change to their system got the ball rolling on fixing their web service so that some other unfortunate soul would have to go through what I'd been through so far.
Enter Alisha, systems analyst from TMo IT. Out of anyone who I have ever talked with in any customer service arena, she was by far the best, sympathetic, and understanding person I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Ever. I told her I was a system analyst, I know what they go through when it comes to issues like this and that it needed to be resolved. She then did what no one in customer service offered to do for me, and that was to check both systems to see if I was telling the truth. And sure enough, she discovered that they did in fact have an issue. Even after this discovery, she said that due to the phone being blocked by Asurion that she was powerless to do anything. I told her that the hope of the phone being unblocked was well in the past now, by goal was to get them to fix the problem that forced me down this road in the first place.
The end is near I promise. I still think I was wronged on the business side of the equation, so I went to the BBB and filed a complaint. The following Friday, I receive a call from TMo Customer Service, and after an hour on the phone the gentleman told me that due to the way the claim was filed, that he would open a ticket to send to the team that would be able to unlock the phone and that it would be unlocked by that coming Monday. I was elated. Monday comes, and the phone is still locked. I call customer service again, only to be told "the gentleman who told you that did not have the authority to do so, and did not have the means to make a promise like that due to the phone being insurance blocked." I went off, stating that their company's inability to effectively train their employees, especially those who handle escalated issues was not my concern. She apologize profusely. I went back to the BBB and updated my ticket, stating that the company made an obligation to me, they didn't follow through and to contact the business again. 2 days later, an email arrives from TMo stating the obvious "Mr Harrison should not have purchased a phone from an unauthorized source, yadda, yadda", followed by "due to the nature of the circumstances, we are willing to make a 1 time exception for him and have unblocked the IMEI number." My phone was unblocked and remains unblocked today.
I wanted to share my story with all of you because the bottom line is that until you pick up that phone and talk to someone voice to voice at TMo, do not use the IMEI site as your only source of verification. I thought I was safe by using not only their site, but 2 others, and a call to the police to see if the phone was stolen, but I wasn't safe. Use the site as a preliminary determining factor, but then pick up the phone and talk to their customer service directly to make sure the site is telling you right. And when they tell you it is, then double-check to make sure the phone does not have an insurance IMEI block on it.
Thanks!
I don't think you understand that yes the phone was fine before you bought it but afterwards the person who sold it to you reported it stolen, and probably got another one after paying a deductible while still making money off of the one sold to you. You keep repeating about before you bought it, but you failed to realize its a common scam on CL and you should really be careful next time. You're lucky T-Mobile hooked you up though.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Though there may have been a breakdown in the systems being able to communicate, it still doesn't change the fact that the phone you bought was stolen. You can argue specifics about who told you what and when, but in the end it doesn't change the fact that the device is stolen property.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset about getting scammed, but you sound like you are trying to vent all your anger in T-Mobile's direction, when it is not their fault that someone stole a device from them and used it to scam you. It's the criminal who stole the phone and then stole your money that you should be most angry with.
Sure, you didn't know that you weren't getting info from all the sources you should have, probably would've been the same for me and everyone else, but it's not really anyone's fault. They have been updating the way blacklists work for some time now, and while it's getting better, we can't expect instant perfection.
I am glad you shared that T-Mobile doesn't currently have their blacklist synced to Asurions btw, that is very good to know. I just think your anger is a little misplaced is all. From what I've read T-Mobile has been one of the more proactive in sharing blacklist info. Currently they share theirs with AT&T, possibly others.
As I understand it though, in a few months this should all become a bit of a non issue. I've been told that they will be implementing a nationwide blacklist, that all carriers and insurance companies will use, so there will only be one to worry about, and when a device is added to the list, it is instantly blocked everywhere in the US (and maybe Canada).
Sorry to hear about your misfortune, but I consider you extremely lucky to have got them to unblock it. I seriously doubt that would've happened anywhere else. I'm happy for you that they did nonetheless.
Sent from my SGH-T999N using Tapatalk
@dudenphx
First off, allow me to commiserate with your travails. I really do feel bad for you. I am glad it has ended well in the end.
It is a great discovery you made that T-Mo IMEI Checker does not have Asurion Blocks. That alone in my mind gives you Kudos that you greatly deserve. I thank you for that.
So to the problem per se. I am afraid I agree with Doc. You did check on CL Scams. But that was probably was not sufficient. The modus operendi of CL Scam is to Report Stolen AFTER the Sale Not before .
If at all I am buying a phone on Craig's list, I'd first take the IMEI to Assurion and have them Change Ownership on their records for that IMEI. This is similar to Vehicle VIN Number registration to DMV. After that, I'd call the Carriers to do the same thing. Only after that has happened, that I will pay the seller the full amount. I am sure this is not a foolproof way, but at the least I can hang it on Assurion so they don't block the IMEI. If I know them any better, they will still wriggle out of that and block it. But may be I am the half empty kind.
Thanks
Perseus71,
Thanks for the kind words. It felt like Rudolph vs the Abominable Snow Monster, and that really sucked.
There has to be a solution that isn't 100% airtight (nothing is these days), but something that would be as low of a risk as possible. Have you called Asurion before and did the ownership change? What would they require for this to be done? I like buying stuff on CL, this was the first bad experience I had, but I would like to continue buying on CL. The risks are there, but isn't life full of risks anyway?
thanks!