Develop Bugs

Not your typical situation with a phone from craigslist

I did a search, and at this point I still don't know what to do..
In April I bought a close to brand new S2 off a guy from craigslist. He seemed like a professional type in every aspect, so I wasn't worried too much about being screwed. I bought the phone only and nothing else as he didn't have the box or anything for it. On my way home I noticed that it still works, I could call/ go on the internet. He told me to just do a hard reset and I could get it working in my name... (This is my 1st smartphone and used phone transaction, I was stupid not to thoroughly go through everything).
Fast forward to today almost 3 months later, I haven't had time to tinker with it as I've been overseas for a while and just got back. The phone still works 100%, not bricked or anything and I did use it to surf the web after I bought it. (I used wifi overseas as well if it matters).
I don't know if its stolen, or the seller is just such a [email protected]$$ that he never disconnected it from service and doesn't realize he's still paying for it.
Can I disconnect it from Sprint without the seller's information?
Since it hasn't been bricked so far, I'd like to try to root it/ use it in my name and hope that it hasn't been stolen and it wont get bricked on me.
Suggestions? Thanks.

If it's still working then it's tired to an account and until it's removed they won't hook it up from my experience. Anytime you but one you should have the esn checked. As far as stolen or lost or they didn't pay the bill that has nothing to do with bricking it. That's only during flashing and such and if you follow the directions the dev. Leave you, you should have no problems.you can call Sprint and see what they say I had a friend who bought a phone at the flea market and it was still tired to a commercial account and they released the esn. Depends on the person at Sprint I guess. Other wise you can have it flashed for boost our others etc. Good luck
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kleigh774 said:
If it's still working then it's tired to an account and until it's removed they won't hook it up from my experience. Anytime you but one you should have the esn checked. As far as stolen or lost or they didn't pay the bill that has nothing to do with bricking it. That's only during flashing and such and if you follow the directions the dev. Leave you, you should have no problems.you can call Sprint and see what they say I had a friend who bought a phone at the flea market and it was still tired to a commercial account and they released the esn. Depends on the person at Sprint I guess. Other wise you can have it flashed for boost our others etc. Good luck
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I'm a little confused, they way you worded it I'm interpreting it as if Sprint wouldn't agree to release the ESN- I can flash it and that will disconnect it from Sprint?
Thats a good idea though, I'll wait a bit to see if anyone else suggests anything else and hopefully get this resolved.
Thanks.

nitroheadz28 said:
I'm a little confused, they way you worded it I'm interpreting it as if Sprint wouldn't agree to release the ESN- I can flash it and that will disconnect it from Sprint?
Thats a good idea though, I'll wait a bit to see if anyone else suggests anything else and hopefully get this resolved.
Thanks.
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Flash to Boost Mobile, they had 4G too, is a good service and cheap, no contract.:good:

Sorry about the wording didn't proof read and using a new Swype and it changed a few words lol. Basically if it's reported lost, stolen, on an account that was shut off due to no payment or still on an active account they tag the esn as being "bad". Sprint says they won't release a esn in those cases but I was there as a friend told a sad story to the rep over the phone about how he bought it at a flea market because he was having surgery etc. The rep said the phone was tied to an active commercial account but sent a message to someone above them and got the esn cleared. I haven't heard of that happening much but it maybe worth a try. And if all else fails or you just want to, you can have it flashed to boost.
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I would recommend flashing the phone to boost mobile, virgin mobile, or page plus if you cant get the esn released. I have my epic touch running on virgin mobile for $25 bucks a month. Talk about a sweet phone for a crazy good deal. It helps me fight the upgrade bug from upgrading to the galaxy siii lol. Yeah my data doesnt work that great most of the time but never have a problem with talk and text.

Thanks gents, I'll give Sprint a call and see what they say.

sprint will not release it, I've bought more than one Craigslist phone that had this problem and have never had success getting help from sprint.... and before you guys wonder what's wrong with me if I actually want it to work I meet at a sprint store to confirm clean esn... if the price is low enough though I don't care cause I'll just play with it for a week or two then sell it on eBay for twice what I paid bad esn and all
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cp320703 said:
sprint will not release it, I've bought more than one Craigslist phone that had this problem and have never had success getting help from sprint.... and before you guys wonder what's wrong with me if I actually want it to work I meet at a sprint store to confirm clean esn... if the price is low enough though I don't care cause I'll just play with it for a week or two then sell it on eBay for twice what I paid bad esn and all
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
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I'm with u,i bought Atleast 10 e4gt on cl for a c-note to 150 and churned a ez 100plus profit on Ebay.plus it got me comfortable with the phone b4i tried to root my personal t989 a few months back. actually the s2 I'm typing on now...lol might go boost cricket or metHO with this one tho cuz i think the s3 is gonna mess with our profit margin lol but im with ya, price is right i dont give a f about esn lol. Worse case senerio, i dl groove ip and make another google voice account and wifi teather that b and have a free phone line. But to the op, ur toast, i guarentee u that phone will never be in ur name with sprint.And u have bricking confused, they won't or can't Brick it, flash a international Kernal in a tmobike s2 like one of my idiot friends did, that bricks it. But flash it to boost be done with it, unlimited everything for 50 bucks."where you at g?" Lol or I'll Paypal u 50 for it right now
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2

theUsualSuspexx said:
I'm with u,i bought Atleast 10 e4gt on cl for a c-note to 150 and churned a ez 100plus profit on Ebay.plus it got me comfortable with the phone b4i tried to root my personal t989 a few months back. actually the s2 I'm typing on now...lol might go boost cricket or metHO with this one tho cuz i think the s3 is gonna mess with our profit margin lol but im with ya, price is right i dont give a f about esn lol. Worse case senerio, i dl groove ip and make another google voice account and wifi teather that b and have a free phone line. But to the op, ur toast, i guarentee u that phone will never be in ur name with sprint.And u have bricking confused, they won't or can't Brick it, flash a international Kernal in a tmobike s2 like one of my idiot friends did, that bricks it. But flash it to boost be done with it, unlimited everything for 50 bucks."where you at g?" Lol or I'll Paypal u 50 for it right now
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2
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Offer to ship internationally, you'll get at least an extra 50 out of it and usps flat rate envelopes are like 17 to anywhere in the world... on topic though I know people have got past due balance esns cleared after 90 days (ie once sprint sells the account to collections) but if it still shows as attached to another account sprint won't do anything no matter what
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Can anyone recommend a good flash tutorial for boost? I can't find anything good and current for my S2 Epic 4G. Thanks!

mguzman0971 said:
Flash to Boost Mobile, they had 4G too, is a good service and cheap, no contract.:good:
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x2 i have mine on boost and 4 evo 4g
---------- Post added at 10:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 PM ----------
nitroheadz28 said:
Can anyone recommend a good flash tutorial for boost? I can't find anything good and current for my S2 Epic 4G. Thanks!
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see my boostflashcom
my wirelessbuddy

mrej201 said:
x2 i have mine on boost and 4 evo 4g
---------- Post added at 10:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 PM ----------
see my boostflashcom
my wirelessbuddy
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Can anyone help me out with this? Also if I flash to boost, do I have to get their Android plan? Thanks.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=891077
It looks like I'll be using that, long road ahead of me

Can anyone confirm that this is proper method? Or is there anything else? Thanks.

[Q] Galaxy Nexus/ET4G account swap?

I was proposed an offer to trade my ET4G for a GNex. Im considering doing it. What we want to do is the nice lady that wants my phone is to use her upgrade for the GNex then when she receives the phone trade it for my ET4G (She like Touchwiz, I prefer AOSP). What Im concerned about is if Sprint will allow this exchange to happen right after she receives it. I don't want them to hit her for the full amount or anything like that. She plans on calling in ans saying she doesn't like the phone and wants to add swap the phones. Will Sprint allow this to happen right after she receives the phone? I kinda hate to leave the ET4G but LTE is lighting up soon in Chicago and where I live there is no WiMax.

Up to what I know, yes, Sprint will let you do this, they'll just make you activate it on her account, resign the 2 year agreement on her account, then you can do the swap. The only thing is, buy the phone directly from Sprint, not Simplexity or something. If you buy it from Simplexity, they'll hit her with the full price, but directly bought from Sprint is A ok.

WhiteWidows said:
I was proposed an offer to trade my ET4G for a GNex. Im considering doing it. What we want to do is the nice lady that wants my phone is to use her upgrade for the GNex then when she receives the phone trade it for my ET4G (She like Touchwiz, I prefer AOSP). What Im concerned about is if Sprint will allow this exchange to happen right after she receives it. I don't want them to hit her for the full amount or anything like that. She plans on calling in ans saying she doesn't like the phone and wants to add swap the phones. Will Sprint allow this to happen right after she receives the phone? I kinda hate to leave the ET4G but LTE is lighting up soon in Chicago and where I live there is no WiMax.
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So long as it is an upgrade and not a new customer, it's ok. She doesn't even have to make up that story. What I would advise, though, is to wait to do the trade until after the 14 day is up, simply to be safe guarded if the device is defective out of the box. Not saying that the ESN swap voids our policy, but it would just make it logistically tough in a retail store, with how it would look on our end.
Also, she'll need an inactive phone to complete the transaction. We can't just flip-flop two different accounts' ESNs simultaneously, and an account can't be left without an ESN, even temporarily. She'll need to activate another phone (not yours, since it's tied to your account, unless you activate another phone instead of her), the gnex will then be inactive and free to go on your account, and then you can put your E4GT on hers.
What this all really amounts to is that this whole transaction will be much much easier in a store than over a phone lol.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

He is exactly right. Listen to him

squshy 7 said:
So long as it is an upgrade and not a new customer, it's ok. She doesn't even have to make up that story. What I would advise, though, is to wait to do the trade until after the 14 day is up, simply to be safe guarded if the device is defective out of the box. Not saying that the ESN swap voids our policy, but it would just make it logistically tough in a retail store, with how it would look on our end.
Also, she'll need an inactive phone to complete the transaction. We can't just flip-flop two different accounts' ESNs simultaneously, and an account can't be left without an ESN, even temporarily. She'll need to activate another phone (not yours, since it's tied to your account, unless you activate another phone instead of her), the gnex will then be inactive and free to go on your account, and then you can put your E4GT on hers.
What this all really amounts to is that this whole transaction will be much much easier in a store than over a phone lol.
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Damn, I thanked you on accident. If I may interject... You are correct up until the whole inactive phone part. Sales Rep should contact NSS and they should be able to do the flip flop over the phone... At least that is what I gather from past experience.. :highfive:
If NSS gives you a hard time simply hang up and call again until you speak to someone who knows what they are doing..

z31k said:
Damn, I thanked you on accident. If I may interject... You are correct up until the whole inactive phone part. Sales Rep should contact NSS and they should be able to do the flip flop over the phone... At least that is what I gather from past experience.. :highfive:
If NSS gives you a hard time simply hang up and call again until you speak to someone who knows what they are doing..
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Lol this is correct, though I know many in my store would rather do it themselves to save some time.
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Thanks everyone! Now I need to decide if I want to leave the ET...

Well if they want an esn on the account at all times and she is using her upgrade then she would have a phone with a clean esn that you could swap your phone for then she swaps your e4gt to her account and then you swap the GNex on to yours. Yes its a lot of extra work but its an option if you have to have an active phone on both accounts
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WhiteWidows said:
Thanks everyone! Now I need to decide if I want to leave the ET...
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I'm leaving it for the Nexus. My sister want my E4GT and her upgrade is available next month, so she wants me to take her upgrade and give her my phone. I'm leaving sprint in December anyways, so it's not worth getting a phone like the S3 or Evo LTE. And the iPhone is a definite no anyways.
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[Q] Can I sell a phone

I was wondering if I can sell my Galaxy S3 so that I could by the Note 2. I only wonder because I bought the S3 several months ago under the 2 year agreement price. I of course would still have the contract but don't know about how it works. Thanks

As long as you fulfill your contractual obligation, you can sell it
Out Of The Ground, I Rise To Grace

dcaplinger76 said:
I was wondering if I can sell my Galaxy S3 so that I could by the Note 2. I only wonder because I bought the S3 several months ago under the 2 year agreement price. I of course would still have the contract but don't know about how it works. Thanks
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?
You can sell your phone to an individual and buy a Note 2 (either paying full price or getting it used) and activate it on your account in place of the S3. Your contract will not be affected by that. Not sure I completely understand the question.

CCallahan said:
?
You can sell your phone to an individual and buy a Note 2 (either paying full price or getting it used) and activate it on your account in place of the S3. Your contract will not be affected by that. Not sure I completely understand the question.
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My intention is to sell the S3 to someone, then use the money to get the note through an upgrade on another line of mine. I basically just want to make sure the other person will be able to activate the phone.
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dcaplinger76 said:
My intention is to sell the S3 to someone, then use the money to get the note through an upgrade on another line of mine. I basically just want to make sure the other person will be able to activate the phone.
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People buy and sell phones all the time, as long as the ESN isn't bad in any way (like marked as stolen or currently in use on another plan) Anyone can activate the device on their plan.
When I was testing some things on the EVO 3D, I had someone send me their phone that I could use for testing purposes, and then someone else was kind enough to offer their other line because I needed to be able to test activation and real world usability of a fix. I gave them the ESN, and they were able to activated it without even having the phone in their possession. So I had someone else's device on ANOTHER person's plan. It doesn't matter to Sprint, it's all just numbers, the only thing stopping them is whether it's stolen or already in use.

So as long as I deactivate it from my account we should be good?
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At least TRY to help.

Basically I bought a phone from a guy off Craigslist.
I asked for the ESN before purchase.
Called Sprint, was clean+clear and ready for activation on ANY account.
Bought phone.
Sprint says the phone is still tied to an account, and they cannot do anything unless I have his permission.
The guy I bought the phone from, when I was on my way to get it. Texted me and said, call this number when you get there.
So I did.
6-7 hours pass, I call, no answer. I text, says its some 70 year old person and to quit texting them.
I have his E-Mail, phone numbers all that in the settings>status
Cops won't do a damn thing. I'm just in the air.
I could be that guy and re-sell it to someone who was as stupid as me.

Your spelling and punctuation makes it difficult to understand you.
Sent from a Superior ROM

I think hes saying that he bought an S3 that was supposed to be unactivated, but it turned out to be on Verizon....so hes trying to find out how to get it onto Sprint
@OP, if you make the title of your post more informative, you'll probably get more views and more responses
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What would you like us to do? Wave a magic wand and clear up the ESN for you? next time meet the person at a sprint store and activate the device before you pay for it. Lesson learned.
I like to break stuff!

OP, have a look at this thread. Basically, you need a donor Sprint phone to flash your Verizon S3 back to Sprint.
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CNexus said:
OP, have a look at this thread. Basically, you need a donor Sprint phone to flash your Verizon S3 back to Sprint.
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I will fix the OP.
Listen.
I have a Sprint S3 which I am using and is active.
I wanted to buy a Note 2, I found a guy to sell me one.
I asked him for the ESN before I went to buy it. Called Sprint, was clean and ready to be activated.
Met up and bought the Note 2 for Sprint.
Sprint now says they cannot do anything to the phone unless the owner gives them permission too.
Guess I'm just screwed for using this on the Sprint network.
Cricket said $75 to flash, and 60 a mo for service.
Or, I could be that guy & re-sell it on CL and screw someone else over.
Then just go buy a new one.

You could be honest and resell, someone might want it for cricket. There's no need to pass along any BS.

Yeah its your mistake. You should have gone to a sprint store or at least called sprint on the spot to activate it before you pay.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah, talked to a Sprint manager that I know and she said he owes Sprint like $305. So, its on Craigslist now. Posted it as a flashable phone. Thanks guys..

Nickitt said:
Yeah, talked to a Sprint manager that I know and she said he owes Sprint like $305. So, its on Craigslist now. Posted it as a flashable phone. Thanks guys..
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a GS3 flashed to cricket on ebay sells for MORE$$$ then a regular GS3 that was on Sprint or Verizon
Cricket dont sell GS3's so people with cricket love that phone and will pay $$$ to have it work on their network
you can actually get more then what you think.
on ebay i see them go for over $400 all day long
you can always give me a nice little commision if you want if you sell it like i said to
im sure you will make way more money then you thought

Note 2 only working with AT&T sim...weird. help

bought a T-Mobile Note 2 off craigslist. The guy had it unlocked, using it on AT&T.
I tried putting it in my TMo sim and got no data. It would just search for signal. It was rooted, so I restored the newest firmware via ODIN. Didn't help at all. I then rooted it again, flashed newest kernel and modem using CWM. Still my t-mo sim gets zero signal. It is stuck at searching. Yet when I put that same SIM into any other phone, works great.
I then put my AT&T sim into that Note 2 and it works great. Even data.
I checked the APN and everything. What am I doing wrong?

It probably was reported lost or stolen. When that happens they turn out off via IMEI.
So if you're caught with a stolen item then it could mean jail time or fines. Good luck.

Sorta unrelated, how much do GNII's be going for on CL these days
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I've been searching and I've seen them (probably stolen) go for a little as $320. No battery, no S-Pen and no battery door. My coworker wants one and I told him I'll go with him to see if it works so I can pop my battery in and check the IMEI. He was a bit weary.
Another one, popped up yesterday for $350 I asked if he can prove if it worked and no reply. Lol

I can guarantee that a good 90% of Note 2 and probably other phones on CL are stolen or unpaid for with the carrier or will be reported stolen after the sale in order to get insurance benefit. If you can't provide the buyer with your original receipt, you're running a scam, simple as that.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Double0EK said:
It probably was reported lost or stolen. When that happens they turn out off via IMEI.
So if you're caught with a stolen item then it could mean jail time or fines. Good luck.
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Yeah, my roommate ended up buying it for himself. I was able to get ahold of Tmo this morning. It was stolen, so we called the guy and *****ed him out. Got our money back. phew.
thanks for your help!
PhxDroid86 said:
Sorta unrelated, how much do GNII's be going for on CL these days
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Here in Boston, AT&T ones command top dollar because they're much rarer. Sprint, Tmo, VZW are going for about $375-400. AT&T: $400 for one without box, etc and up to $550 for a BNIB.
Double0EK said:
I've been searching and I've seen them (probably stolen) go for a little as $320. No battery, no S-Pen and no battery door. My coworker wants one and I told him I'll go with him to see if it works so I can pop my battery in and check the IMEI. He was a bit weary.
Another one, popped up yesterday for $350 I asked if he can prove if it worked and no reply. Lol
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yeah man. I searched for over a month to get myself one. Most had no boxes, etc/bad IMEI. Going for closer to $400. I lucked out. Found an older gentleman who had a BNIB Grey one, which I was able to pick up for $450 because he wanted an iPhone. Met him at his home. Gave me the original receipt. Totally legit.
e-motion said:
I can guarantee that a good 90% of Note 2 and probably other phones on CL are stolen or unpaid for with the carrier or will be reported stolen after the sale in order to get insurance benefit. If you can't provide the buyer with your original receipt, you're running a scam, simple as that.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
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Yup, it's as simple as that. I spent a month finding the correct one. Two of my friends got screwed (one yesterday as above), but were able to contact the guy and get their money back.
gotta be careful these days. My advice is to check the IMEI these days.
Skip ones without charger, box, s-pen, etc. Because they're probably the most sketchy ones.

Looking to buy a blocked imei note 2, can anyone help me get one ??
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I just bought one off ebay from a individual that sells new phones for $620 and no tax free shipping. In the past you could buy off a phone off Craigslist and have no problem. That's what I was about to do til I heard how easy someone can sell a phone and then in a day or two, file claim that it was stolen to get another phone. That phone will work, till they blacklist the imei. I talked to a sales rep about that situation and one option is to get the imei number from the seller before u buy it, and call Tmobile to check it.Then as soon as you buy the phone register the phone in your name. The rep said it take less than 5min if they're not busy and can be done on the phone. If a seller can't give you the imei number to check don't buy it. I had a seller off Craigslist not finished the sale cause I wanted to check the imei number.
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If your going to buy a t-mobile note 2, meet the seller at a t-mobile store and have it checked and activate it, then let the store register it also to your account. Best and safest way. I got mine when i added a free line, paid $450, with a $50 rebate. I think That's the safest way you can get a note 2.
POWERED by FROSTY!

The only reason I ask is considering I only paid 365 out the door, 20 bucks added to my bill for 2 months while waiting for my 200 rebate and to "save" the additional 160, my phone in less than 3 months is paid off and my bill for unlimited everything is like 70 a month...
So essentially I don't see why anyone would even waste their time on CL for this phone
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