Develop Bugs

[Q] Should I check anything B4 buying from Craigslist?

Hi.
Just making sure. Anything I need to check in terms of stolen/reported or whatnot?
I am about to buy one, so just asking for your advice
thanks

Bring your SIM card and a sd card. Make a phone call then save something on the sd card.
If he let's you, download a benchmark app and check if the reported specs match to see if it's a fake or not.
At this point you've checked whether the phone is banned, has a working sd card slot and isn't fake. The only thing left is cosmetic damage.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

kr3w1337 said:
Bring your SIM card and a sd card. Make a phone call then save something on the sd card.
If he let's you, download a benchmark app and check if the reported specs match to see if it's a fake or not.
At this point you've checked whether the phone is banned, has a working sd card slot and isn't fake. The only thing left is cosmetic damage.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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Thanks so much (i thanked u)!!!
I would never in a million years think it could be a fake one.....
wow!

You can also if they're willing to, meet at a t-mo store to have them check the ESN for a stolen phone or not

You can't check if the phone is banned. I just lost 450 dollars as I bought s2 from Cl. I used the phone for 2 months and it quit working. I called T-Mobile and they told me it was reported lost or stolen. Imei got banned.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

theghazi said:
You can't check if the phone is banned. I just lost 450 dollars as I bought s2 from Cl. I used the phone for 2 months and it quit working. I called T-Mobile and they told me it was reported lost or stolen. Imei got banned.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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That's horrible! I am surprised that they can even do that (t-mobile, i mean)! But how is the IMEI related to their ability to shut it down? does the phone transmits this info to their servers? I was under the impression that only the CDMA phones can do that....

If your sim card on their network is in a phone, that phone has a specific number that is transmitted as your using the phone. If the number comes up as stolen or otherwise the network can stop that specific numbered phone from accessing the network.
Hence my above post.

I see.
But that means EVERY buyer is in risk!

That is what I though that only cdma phones. But since they signed the contract to get these phones. If they break the contract and don't pay their bills. They banned the imei number. The phone will not get any signal and it would say can't register to network. Same things happens when you claim the phone as lost or stolen. My first hand experience.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

theghazi said:
That is what I though that only cdma phones. But since they signed the contract to get these phones. If they break the contract and don't pay their bills. They banned the imei number. The phone will not get any signal and it would say can't register to network. Same things happens when you claim the phone as lost or stolen. My first hand experience.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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So how can one be protected?

benyben123 said:
So how can one be protected?
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You can either have the ESN checked on the phone before making any final deals, buy brand new phones, or buy straight from the carrier or phone manufacture.

icepally said:
You can either have the ESN checked on the phone before making any final deals, buy brand new phones, or buy straight from the carrier or phone manufacture.
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If I had the money

theghazi said:
You can't check if the phone is banned. I just lost 450 dollars as I bought s2 from Cl. I used the phone for 2 months and it quit working. I called T-Mobile and they told me it was reported lost or stolen. Imei got banned.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
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I actually think that rep you talked to told you the wrong information. I highly doubt that the original owner could report a stolen phone that he has not used under his account after 2 months, I've played with a friend's t-mobile agents account and the IMEI of every phone you ever used is listed including the date used. It is most likely that asurion or t-mobile will not agree to do a insurance claim on a phone that he or she has not used for 2 months.
I actually believe that the original owner had a subsidized phone and stopped paying for it after he sold it to you, t-mobile probably warned him the first month and ended up banning the imei the 2nd month.
Now I am wondering myself, I thought T-mobile/asurion only bans a phone if it was reported STOLEN not LOST. Can someone clarify this for me? I use to buy a lot of phones off CL even though I bet many are reported "lost" and people filed insurance claims for them; however, I have yet to have a phone become "banned." Well I haven't bought any phones off CL since January.... sooo i guess things might have changed?

Phones can honestly be blocked for any reason, I usually have heard of them for non payment on the device or being stolen at the time of delivery

kylephillips66 said:
Phones can honestly be blocked for any reason, I usually have heard of them for non payment on the device or being stolen at the time of delivery
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If it was indeed blocked, is that the final story for the device? That's it? Dead? Gone? Nothing to do about it? Can't one unlock it, use it with a different number of the same carrier (tmobile)?

You could unlock the sim and go to at&t
Sent from next year on my CM 10ed G-Mobile Galaxy Note 2!

icepally said:
You can either have the ESN checked on the phone before making any final deals, buy brand new phones, or buy straight from the carrier or phone manufacture.
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you can get scammed with brand new phones too. there's the "equipment installment plan" with tmobile. the way the scam works is to put a loan out on a phone, then don't pay the monthly payments.the scammer sells the phone, and then tmobile bans that phone

ceejay83 said:
you can get scammed with brand new phones too. there's the "equipment installment plan" with tmobile. the way the scam works is to put a loan out on a phone, then don't pay the monthly payments.the scammer sells the phone, and then tmobile bans that phone
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I respectfully have to disagree with you. I am a RSA with T-Mobile USA and the way the payment plan or the "equipment installment plan" works is that it is on your account so if your account gets cancelled due to non-payment it's gets charged off to your account including the ETF. One thing T-Mobile cannot do is ban your IMEI because it is unlawful, it is not different then you buying clothes on your macy's card and then not paying for it and them coming into your place to confiscate your clothes. the only time T-mobile will ban a IMEI is A. when it is stolen from a store i.e Demo phones or missing merchandise. or B customer calling in to report the phone missing. in the case where the gentleman stated his phone got banned after 2 months isn't because of a late insurance claim but much more likely due to a missing phone coming up in the quarterly inventory. the best way to ensure you are getting a legitimate deal is by calling 611 from your phone during the purchase and verifying the IMEI and then asking the rep to memo it in your account so if in the future the phone is reported missing the burden is on T-mobile and not you. I hope this helps you all.

willywonka84 said:
I respectfully have to disagree with you. I am a RSA with T-Mobile USA and the way the payment plan or the "equipment installment plan" works is that it is on your account so if your account gets cancelled due to non-payment it's gets charged off to your account including the ETF. One thing T-Mobile cannot do is ban your IMEI because it is unlawful, it is not different then you buying clothes on your macy's card and then not paying for it and them coming into your place to confiscate your clothes. the only time T-mobile will ban a IMEI is A. when it is stolen from a store i.e Demo phones or missing merchandise. or B customer calling in to report the phone missing. in the case where the gentleman stated his phone got banned after 2 months isn't because of a late insurance claim but much more likely due to a missing phone coming up in the quarterly inventory. the best way to ensure you are getting a legitimate deal is by calling 611 from your phone during the purchase and verifying the IMEI and then asking the rep to memo it in your account so if in the future the phone is reported missing the burden is on T-mobile and not you. I hope this helps you all.
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interesting stuff, but there were a couple cases where reps told the customer that the phone is blocked because the owner stopped paying for the phone. I think there are a couple stories of that floating around this subforum.
But okay can you elaborate more on what you mean by the missing phone coming up in the quarterly inventory?

also make sure u plug the phone in and make sure it charges, bring a laptop and usb cable if u can too. If the microusb port doesn't work, u can't charge, root, or do anything else.

[Q] Lesson learned when buying on craigslist

So yeah, I have learned today to always be wary of where things come from, especially on Craigslist.
The story of how I got my Note 2. Normally I buy my phones full price and I found an incredible deal on a white iPhone 5 16GB for a mere $500 at launch date. Fast forward to a few months a so, I found someone selling a brand new wrapped T-mobile Note II. Offered the guy a direct trade, he agrees. Fast forward again to Dec. 26,
BAM!
Found out my phone has been blacklisted. Asked T-mobile about it, they says the owner defaulted on their bill so it was claimed lost or stolen.
Yeah, It was depressing. I though only CDMA carriers enforced the whole IMEI blacklisting thing, but I guess now GSM carriers in the US started blacklisting as well back in November. I never suspected the phone to be stolen or anything, and I was under the assumption that being a GSM phone I'd be ok. Guess not...
Moral of story: When buying phones even if its GSM, make sure its legit and you wont get screwed over somehow. Maybe ask for a receipt so you can track him down and beat his... I mean, have records to be safe and do business near a carrier store.
And now I come to the XDA gods, being that its been 18 hours without my beloved Note II, is it worth me dishing out money to buy full price (again, sorta) and buy another one at the T-Mo store? Or maybe look into newer and better options, if any? I'm leaning towards getting another one but yeah, I need the approval of the internet. :good:
FWIW I sold the Note on Craigslist for 300 ducks, clearly stating that it was blacklisted. Hate being scammed and I wont stoop down to that level.

Yeah, best thing is to call the carrier before purchase, or better yet have them meet you at a tmo store. Sorry ya lost out dude.

KillaHurtz said:
Yeah, best thing is to call the carrier before purchase, or better yet have them meet you at a tmo store. Sorry ya lost out dude.
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Doesnt matter, sure the phone might be good that date but the original owner can stop paying their bill then default on it later, days/weeks/months whenever...
The best thing you can do is get a signed bill of sale with the IMEI number written on there, most craiglist sellers wont do it. actually here... just listen to my story.
So I sold my asus padfone last thursday 12/20/12. And immediately after that I started surfing craigslist for a new note 2 for tmobile, they were running from 550-570 brand new. I contacted MANY MANY people. Maybe 20 or so, everyone first asking if the phone was brand new then telling them I have cash in hand ready and ready to pay if they will sign a simple bill of sale with the IMEI of the phone written on there. Every single one of those 20 declined to sign anything. Now after using a phone I found in my closet (nokia 6800 from 2005) I was getting ancy because I felt like my life was crumbling around me since I didnt have internet on my phone. I went into a small korean owned tmobile store and asked if I could buy a note 2 straight out and how much it would be. They said 700 + tax and I asked if they had any used ones or if they could give me a better price cash. It just so happens that the owner bought a note 2 to test it out like he does all the phones and would sell one for 650 cash with a actual printed bill of sale. So thats how I got mine... got an extra battery, 32 gb samsung micro sd, case and screen protector thrown in for free. So it really wasnt a bad deal...

Damn dude. I would have called the cops & gotten your original phone back.

It's not that they defaulted on the their bill, it's if they defaulted on their eip (financing over 12 or 20 months.) still a bummer!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

I also bought GS3 from craigslist that got blacklisted a week later. Luckily I tracked down the guy who sold it to me and got my money back.
If you could live without a sd slot and removable memory you might want to give Oppo Find 5 a try. If I didn't bought the Note 2 I would have probably gone with that phone.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

That's the risk you take when buying off craiglist or even ebay.
I've had good experience so far on craiglist but my expense never exceeded $300

I would for sure track the guy down with the phone number or email. Also I would file charges with the police. I would go after him with every means possible including small claims court. Sometimes it's not just about the money, but the principle of the matter. Make sure he NEVER does it to anyone else!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

I would try to take this up with Tmobile. If the phone was blacklisted then they know the address of the person that got it blacklisted. If it was stolen it would have been blacklisted when you originally got the phone. Not sure how you would legally go after TMobile but without a doubt if you had TMobile service with the phone and then they blacklisted it they are full of ****. Also you said the phone was "brand new wrapped" did it have the original sticker on the screen? too many times people allow big companies to rip them off thinking they have no recourse. sprint tried that **** with me and with a quick call from my lawyer my contract was ended and i didn't have to pay an etf. BTW i always get the plate number of teh person I buy a phone from. and recently started to take a photo of their DL.

Its a shame that you cant trust anybody these days. Ruins it for the few of us honest people left.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

bad4life07 said:
So yeah, I have learned today to always be wary of where things come from, especially on Craigslist.
The story of how I got my Note 2. Normally I buy my phones full price and I found an incredible deal on a white iPhone 5 16GB for a mere $500 at launch date. Fast forward to a few months a so, I found someone selling a brand new wrapped T-mobile Note II. Offered the guy a direct trade, he agrees. Fast forward again to Dec. 26,
BAM!
Found out my phone has been blacklisted. Asked T-mobile about it, they says the owner defaulted on their bill so it was claimed lost or stolen.
Yeah, It was depressing. I though only CDMA carriers enforced the whole IMEI blacklisting thing, but I guess now GSM carriers in the US started blacklisting as well back in November. I never suspected the phone to be stolen or anything, and I was under the assumption that being a GSM phone I'd be ok. Guess not...
Moral of story: When buying phones even if its GSM, make sure its legit and you wont get screwed over somehow. Maybe ask for a receipt so you can track him down and beat his... I mean, have records to be safe and do business near a carrier store.
And now I come to the XDA gods, being that its been 18 hours without my beloved Note II, is it worth me dishing out money to buy full price (again, sorta) and buy another one at the T-Mo store? Or maybe look into newer and better options, if any? I'm leaning towards getting another one but yeah, I need the approval of the internet. :good:
FWIW I sold the Note on Craigslist for 300 ducks, clearly stating that it was blacklisted. Hate being scammed and I wont stoop down to that level.
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Click to collapse
Man, you sold it WAYYY too cheap. If you would've put it on ebay you would've gotten at least 450 AFTER final value fees and shipping cost.

Hmm, now I'm worried. I did a trade from a guy who got it from a guy. Its unlocked. Been working fine for a month and a half...now I'm afraid it will eventually be reported as stolen or some other financial default due to it's shady past.
Great.

Sorry to hear that :/ Would it work on simple mobile if it's black listed on T-mobile? You could also try to unlock it and sell it to someone who uses AT&T...

bad4life07 said:
So yeah, I have learned today to always be wary of where things come from, especially on Craigslist.
The story of how I got my Note 2. Normally I buy my phones full price and I found an incredible deal on a white iPhone 5 16GB for a mere $500 at launch date. Fast forward to a few months a so, I found someone selling a brand new wrapped T-mobile Note II. Offered the guy a direct trade, he agrees. Fast forward again to Dec. 26,
BAM!
Found out my phone has been blacklisted. Asked T-mobile about it, they says the owner defaulted on their bill so it was claimed lost or stolen.
Yeah, It was depressing. I though only CDMA carriers enforced the whole IMEI blacklisting thing, but I guess now GSM carriers in the US started blacklisting as well back in November. I never suspected the phone to be stolen or anything, and I was under the assumption that being a GSM phone I'd be ok. Guess not...
Moral of story: When buying phones even if its GSM, make sure its legit and you wont get screwed over somehow. Maybe ask for a receipt so you can track him down and beat his... I mean, have records to be safe and do business near a carrier store.
And now I come to the XDA gods, being that its been 18 hours without my beloved Note II, is it worth me dishing out money to buy full price (again, sorta) and buy another one at the T-Mo store? Or maybe look into newer and better options, if any? I'm leaning towards getting another one but yeah, I need the approval of the internet. :good:
FWIW I sold the Note on Craigslist for 300 ducks, clearly stating that it was blacklisted. Hate being scammed and I wont stoop down to that level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I would of done is contacted t mobile and told em you want to run the imei number before u bought it. And if they blacklist it still contact the better business Bureau and tell em your story and u will see how fast they change their tone. When someone breaks contract t mobile needs to go after them for all of it.they cant black list it if they gonna collect the retail price for it.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

tbukkos said:
Sorry to hear that :/ Would it work on simple mobile if it's black listed on T-mobile? You could also try to unlock it and sell it to someone who uses AT&T...
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I believe tmo and att are gonna start cross checking their imei database. So if its blacklisted with either company, lets att, tmo's system will be able to see that its blacklisted for att or vice versa. Now im not sure when thatll take effect but I read it on one of the more popular tech blogs I.e engadget, verge..
When I deal with CL now, I request the person meet me at the store just like I did with sprint phones. No other way to do it. Then at that time maybe you can get the rep to document the his/her acciunt stating they sold the phone to you. Idk something...
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

Man, now you're scaring me. I've always been super honest on all my Craigslist and eBay posts and done my best to offer tip top service even if I only meet them once. So far I've only been annoyed once by a buyer who negliged on wanting to buy some video cards and wasted my time, but other than that I've been pretty successful in selling things.

To all that are worried about buying phones off of Craigslist:
They only blacklist the phones that are purchased under the EIP. You can call T-mobile with the IMEI to verify that the phone was not purchased under EIP before you buy it. If the phone was purchased subsidized with a classic plan, they can't blacklist the phone for an unpaid bill, because you own the phone. If it was purchased under EIP, you would have to go with the seller to a T-mobile store to pay off the balance to guarantee it won't be blacklisted.

That's nothing I got a warranty replacement device from mdpa insurance which I got when I bought it through wire fly. Worked fine for about a month then It suddenly dropped from tmobile network went to store got three new simcards etc etc. Called customer support then they told me it was blacklisted from it being associated with somebody else's account and the didnt pay there bill so I got screwed. But wait I got if from my insurance company ? So I called them and they sent me out a new one after stating my case. Any ways I got screwed with one through my insurance company so really your not safe a times unless I you buy new straight from a source I.e. bestbuy, tmobile, walmart get me. Cool then buy buy.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

Mod Edit:
Selling, trading and exchanging devices or any item will no longer be permitted in any forum or via Private Messages.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/announcement.php?a=81

lowandbehold said:
To all that are worried about buying phones off of Craigslist:
They only blacklist the phones that are purchased under the EIP. You can call T-mobile with the IMEI to verify that the phone was not purchased under EIP before you buy it. If the phone was purchased subsidized with a classic plan, they can't blacklist the phone for an unpaid bill, because you own the phone. If it was purchased under EIP, you would have to go with the seller to a T-mobile store to pay off the balance to guarantee it won't be blacklisted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can have a phone blocked for many reasons. Not just lack of EIP payoff. It can be black listed even if the person got the 2 yr contract discount. And more importantly, people can sell a phone that works just fine the day of sale(passing all IMEI checks) then have it blacklisted days later. Buying on CL is a gamble. Also, there is no legal action you can take if someone sells you a phone and then does not pay the EIP. You bought a used phone. It's not stolen because you don't return the phone if you end your service. They just bill you for it. That's the cost of doing business.
Also, ATT and Tmobile are already using the cross check system on our phones. You would have to unlock it and use it on verizon or some network not att tmobile related.

Terrible asurion service

Basically, I lost my s3 without the sim card in it, instead in my Mytouch 4g for tethering purposes. Now asurion wouldn't insure my s3. I know this isn't the first time this has happened to someone, but I've yet to find a solution. Is there anything I can do? I've filed about 7 claims , but they've all been rejected because of this.

hundredhead said:
Basically, I lost my s3 without the sim card in it, instead in my Mytouch 4g for tethering purposes. Now asurion wouldn't insure my s3. I know this isn't the first time this has happened to someone, but I've yet to find a solution. Is there anything I can do? I've filed about 7 claims , but they've all been rejected because of this.
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Click to collapse
There is nothing you can do. Insurance only covers the phone that is currently activated (ie., the one with the SIM card in it).
Why would you expect them to cover a phone that isn't actively being used? That's ridiculous. Sorry about your luck but with insurance, it has always been the activated device. With CDMA carriers you had to call with the ESN. With GSM its done automatically with the SIM.

When I bought the insurance, it was for my GS3 and no other phone. I wouldn't want them to replace the mytouch if it was lost, because I didn't buy insurance for that phone.

hundredhead said:
When I bought the insurance, it was for my GS3 and no other phone. I wouldn't want them to replace the mytouch if it was lost, because I didn't buy insurance for that phone.
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Read your insurance contract. Insurance only covers whatever device is currently active on the account at the time of the claim. Sorry but you won't find a way out of this one.

He's right, when I called to report a faulty device they wouldn't give me an exchange because I was using another phone at the time, they told me I had to put my sim card in it and use it for at least 3 days before they would give me an exchange.. Well it wasn't to asurion, it was to T-Mobile but it makes sense they would do the same
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

That's why the monthly fee is the same regardless of your device. Only the deductible is determined by the device.
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DocHoliday77 said:
That's why the monthly fee is the same regardless of your device. Only the deductible is determined by the device.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda premium
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The monthly fee is not the same for the HTC One or S4 and possibly other devices. Its one of the things holding me back. Its 12 a month for a "premier" bundle versus the 8 per phone we pay for the "premium" bundle on our S3s. There is a 7.49 option for premier devices but it doesn't have the warranty with it. I don't know how the warranty add on goes with T-Mobile but if you didn't have it with Sprint it was a nightmare trying to get replacements for manufacturing defects.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

My bad, I didn't realize that. May be it was just the ones I looked at at the time were the same.
Anyway, if they are charging different monthly rates for different devices, and you pay for the S3, then I think they should be a bit more lenient on honoring it. I understand they are not and understand why, but still, if you sign up and pay for the service.....well, you should be provided that service or a refund.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda premium

So, by this logic, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but ANY phone I put the simcard into, should be insured without question, right? What's stopping me from putting the simcard in a really broken s3 and replacing that?

Its gotta be actice on the network and match that imei.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda premium

The IMEI has to match what? They say that they will insure my Mytouch 3g, just because the sim is in it. and that phone was never even mine. Also when does the sim recognize what phone it's in? Will it recognize before I go through the setup process?

hundredhead said:
The IMEI has to match what? They say that they will insure my Mytouch 3g, just because the sim is in it. and that phone was never even mine. Also when does the sim recognize what phone it's in? Will it recognize before I go through the setup process?
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The imei most recently registered on the network has to match the imei of the device you're trying to file a claim on. The sim just allows it to use the network. As soon as you connect your device registers itself and thats is the info they use. The sim is attached to your account.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda premium

hundredhead said:
The IMEI has to match what? They say that they will insure my Mytouch 3g, just because the sim is in it. and that phone was never even mine. Also when does the sim recognize what phone it's in? Will it recognize before I go through the setup process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you're looking for a way out of this but you won't find one. Even if you swap devices with someone for a few days, calling Asurion for a replacement will make that phone Asurion's property once the replacement arrives. As soon as you turn on the device and it registers with the network, the update is made in the system and the IMEI is updated on your account to match the phone you are using.
They will not make an exception ever. From what I understand, Asurion can't even see the information to replace a phone that you're not actively using period.
You might be able to get a sympathetic loyalty rep at T-Mobile that can help you recover some of the cost of a new phone but that's your only option at this point.

EtherealRemnant said:
I know you're looking for a way out of this but you won't find one. Even if you swap devices with someone for a few days, calling Asurion for a replacement will make that phone Asurion's property once the replacement arrives. As soon as you turn on the device and it registers with the network, the update is made in the system and the IMEI is updated on your account to match the phone you are using.
They will not make an exception ever. From what I understand, Asurion can't even see the information to replace a phone that you're not actively using period.
You might be able to get a sympathetic loyalty rep at T-Mobile that can help you recover some of the cost of a new phone but that's your only option at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking of just getting a broken phone and putting the sim card in there, and sending it back as damaged. The reason I asked about the sim activation is because if the phone isn't working, and if it's factory reset, and mice won't work on the initial setup screen (where it asks you to select your language and connect your account), then would the sim still recognize the phone from the very first screen where it says english? Thanks for all your help so far though. I really appreciate it.

hundredhead said:
I was thinking of just getting a broken phone and putting the sim card in there, and sending it back as damaged. The reason I asked about the sim activation is because if the phone isn't working, and if it's factory reset, and mice won't work on the initial setup screen (where it asks you to select your language and connect your account), then would the sim still recognize the phone from the very first screen where it says english? Thanks for all your help so far though. I really appreciate it.
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Click to collapse
With how many claims they have already rejected they will likely reject that claim too - I would be careful because they CAN take away your insurance benefits (they did it to me on Sprint for 6 months after getting into a fight with a supervisor at Asurion). Not to mention that you're forgetting a key thing - you have to have that phone registered on the network for at least 72 hours. So you want to carry around a phone you can't use for 3 days?
As for activation, if the device powers up and connects to the network, it will register. You don't have to go through the setup process - as long as the phone gets a signal from the tower, you will be registered.

EtherealRemnant said:
With how many claims they have already rejected they will likely reject that claim too - I would be careful because they CAN take away your insurance benefits (they did it to me on Sprint for 6 months after getting into a fight with a supervisor at Asurion). Not to mention that you're forgetting a key thing - you have to have that phone registered on the network for at least 72 hours. So you want to carry around a phone you can't use for 3 days?
As for activation, if the device powers up and connects to the network, it will register. You don't have to go through the setup process - as long as the phone gets a signal from the tower, you will be registered.
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Click to collapse
That company is horrible. When I left Sprint they were looking for another company to use because they had so many complaints... and guess what. If you file a claim and they send you a phone... it has zero warranty through them. So you could get stuck with a dead phone. It's a horrible company to deal with.
tmobile s3 running wicked. I still use a t9 text app so excuse the errors

Josh McGrath said:
That company is horrible. When I left Sprint they were looking for another company to use because they had so many complaints... and guess what. If you file a claim and they send you a phone... it has zero warranty through them. So you could get stuck with a dead phone. It's a horrible company to deal with.
tmobile s3 running wicked. I still use a t9 text app so excuse the errors
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wasn't my experience with Asurion and Sprint. If I replaced a phone through Asurion, TEP covered my warranty on the replacement phone every time.
The problem I had with Asurion was all the "lemon" phones HTC was churning out back then - I would swap a phone 4 or 5 times under warranty and one time Sprint was out of stock on refurbs so they made me go through Asurion, long story short I made the supervisor at Asurion upgrade me to the Touch Pro 2 from the Mogul but lost my insurance for 6 months. Didn't matter because I didn't keep the TP2 long anyway before I moved on but yeah.

EtherealRemnant said:
With how many claims they have already rejected they will likely reject that claim too - I would be careful because they CAN take away your insurance benefits (they did it to me on Sprint for 6 months after getting into a fight with a supervisor at Asurion). Not to mention that you're forgetting a key thing - you have to have that phone registered on the network for at least 72 hours. So you want to carry around a phone you can't use for 3 days?
As for activation, if the device powers up and connects to the network, it will register. You don't have to go through the setup process - as long as the phone gets a signal from the tower, you will be registered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm just going to take the risk and hope that they don't reject this claim, if I can get a broken phone. Also, not having a phone for a few days is fine with me, also, I don't really care about the insurance benefits for 6 months, I'll just have to be more careful for a while. Besides you got what you wanted from the fight, right? They shouldn't have anything to fall back on if they reject this claim, since everything should check out. Thanks for the help again, you've been so useful.

Make a comaint against t mobile and bbb. This has worked for me 2times. Do this if your story is legite and not bsing us or asurion.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

mike102871 said:
Make a comaint against t mobile and bbb. This has worked for me 2times. Do this if your story is legite and not bsing us or asurion.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He should make a complaint to the BBB about T-Mobile for not being compliant with the terms and conditions outlined in the insurance policy that he has with Asurion? Hmm, that's some great logic.
Here are the terms in question:
"The wireless device owned by you for which: 1) the unique
identification number (International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)),
Electronic Serial Number (ESN) or Mobile Equipment ID (MEID) of
such wireless device is reflected in the records of the Wireless Service
Provider at the time your coverage initially became effective; and 2)
for which outgoing airtime usage has been logged with the Wireless
Service Provider on your account after coverage became effective;
unless you have logged outgoing airtime on a different wireless phone
immediately prior to the time of loss, in which case such wireless
device becomes the covered property so long as: i) such wireless
device is owned by you and you provide us proof of ownership; and
ii) airtime usage was logged on such device on your account with the
Wireless Service Provider immediately prior to the time of loss."
The bold part is what matters. This is Asurion policy, not T-Mobile policy. File a complaint with the BBB against Asurion if you think you have been wronged.
The "proof of ownership" clause doesn't count in GSM phones, it goes by the IMEI registered in the system as has been explained.

Galaxy S4 from Craigslist - IMEI Blacklisted...options?

Hi All,
I searched and saw many threads about a similar problem, but my specific question is what can I do about this as far as getting rid of the phone? I learned my lesson the hard way - I dropped my HTC One and broke it a day before a business trip and I needed a phone. I am planning on switching to T-mobile in a month when my AT&T contract is up, so I decided to purchase a T-mobile variant of the Galaxy S4 on Craigslist. It was new, sealed, and cost $500 from what seemed like a somewhat reputable seller.
I got the phone and all was great. It was unlocked and worked perfectly with my AT&T SIM. I got home from the business trip, put in a T-mobile prepaid SIM card (so I could test the service at my house before switching) and got the dreaded "Not registered on network" error message when I tried to make a call. Sure enough, T-mobile said the IMEI had been blacklisted for "fraudulent activity." I believe the seller opened an account and then simply didn't pay the bill for the phone. I've bought quite a few used phones, but I learned my lesson this time. I even asked T-mobile if I could pay the remaining balance, or if they even wanted the phone back. I received a prompt "no" to each question. I asked if the phone was "stolen" and they said no as well - it was marked as fraudulent, but not lost of stolen. Whatever they want to call it, it don't work!
So my question is this (and sorry for the long-winded vent): can I sell this phone? I just want it gone. I look at it and I get angry and upset with myself for making this mistake. I know I will lose a ton of $$$, but I would rather sell it on eBay while FULLY disclosing the phone's history and let someone overseas use it or someone on AT&T use it. Am I violating any rules by doing this as long as I fully disclose everything I know? Also, if this is the wrong forum, I apologize. Thank you for any insight and to save you all the trouble - yes I screwed up and I'm an idiot. But, I'm not the thief here. I sure wish I could get a hole of the seller!
-Collin-

i had the same happen to me this weekend i bought a sealed s4 from cl i also payed 500$ it was for great for 3 weeks up until this weekend i wasn;t getting 4g data so i called tmobile and they told me that that they blocked the imei sue to the person deciding not to pay for the phone..i learned my lesson NEVER TO BUY any phones from Cl. i went to the store and paid retail price for a s4 and i have the receipt just in case tmobile comes back and try to screw me
CollinFX45 said:
Hi All,
I searched and saw many threads about a similar problem, but my specific question is what can I do about this as far as getting rid of the phone? I learned my lesson the hard way - I dropped my HTC One and broke it a day before a business trip and I needed a phone. I am planning on switching to T-mobile in a month when my AT&T contract is up, so I decided to purchase a T-mobile variant of the Galaxy S4 on Craigslist. It was new, sealed, and cost $500 from what seemed like a somewhat reputable seller.
I got the phone and all was great. It was unlocked and worked perfectly with my AT&T SIM. I got home from the business trip, put in a T-mobile prepaid SIM card (so I could test the service at my house before switching) and got the dreaded "Not registered on network" error message when I tried to make a call. Sure enough, T-mobile said the IMEI had been blacklisted for "fraudulent activity." I believe the seller opened an account and then simply didn't pay the bill for the phone. I've bought quite a few used phones, but I learned my lesson this time. I even asked T-mobile if I could pay the remaining balance, or if they even wanted the phone back. I received a prompt "no" to each question. I asked if the phone was "stolen" and they said no as well - it was marked as fraudulent, but not lost of stolen. Whatever they want to call it, it don't work!
So my question is this (and sorry for the long-winded vent): can I sell this phone? I just want it gone. I look at it and I get angry and upset with myself for making this mistake. I know I will lose a ton of $$$, but I would rather sell it on eBay while FULLY disclosing the phone's history and let someone overseas use it or someone on AT&T use it. Am I violating any rules by doing this as long as I fully disclose everything I know? Also, if this is the wrong forum, I apologize. Thank you for any insight and to save you all the trouble - yes I screwed up and I'm an idiot. But, I'm not the thief here. I sure wish I could get a hole of the seller!
-Collin-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hey Collin. I had a similar issue with an HTC one being blacklisted but thankfully I bought it from eBay and their buyers protection came into play and I got a full refund. Because blacklisting is a very effective way to lose a heck load of money, I now suggest not getting phones from craisgslist or actually meeting at a carrier store to check phone status before the purchase is made. I'd stick to buying on eBay or swappa..now my suggestion is selling the phone overseas where the blocked imei doesn't really work. That would be the best option for now and you'll lose money but because it is basically a relatively new phone, you should not loose too much. Hope this helps.
-piterson
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Thank you guys for the thoughts. It's terrible that this sort of thing happens and personally, I wouldn't risk jail for 500 bucks. Hell, I wouldn't risk jail for any amount of money. It just blows me away that these people do this.
I guess what I will likely do is list it on eBay internationally with a full disclosure. Thankfully, my HTC One repair is finally complete and the phone should be back in my hands any day now. But, it's the developer edition and doesn't work well on T-mobile, so I'm back to square one for a T-mobile phone!
Anyway, sorry that this happened to you guys as well. It's just not as simple as it used to be, is it. Though I guess blacklisting has been used for a while now.
-Collin-

i listed mine on ebay with full disclosure and its not looking good..so far i have 4 days left in the auction and 1 day has passed & no one bid on it yet lol your best bet to purchase a new phone is go straight through tmobile unless you want to risk swappa or ebay then a month later if they cancel or don;t pay for the phone for it to happen again ... i would n;t risk it
CollinFX45 said:
Thank you guys for the thoughts. It's terrible that this sort of thing happens and personally, I wouldn't risk jail for 500 bucks. Hell, I wouldn't risk jail for any amount of money. It just blows me away that these people do this.
I guess what I will likely do is list it on eBay internationally with a full disclosure. Thankfully, my HTC One repair is finally complete and the phone should be back in my hands any day now. But, it's the developer edition and doesn't work well on T-mobile, so I'm back to square one for a T-mobile phone!
Anyway, sorry that this happened to you guys as well. It's just not as simple as it used to be, is it. Though I guess blacklisting has been used for a while now.
-Collin-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Romcrazguy said:
i listed mine on ebay with full disclosure and its not looking good..so far i have 4 days left in the auction and 1 day has passed & no one bid on it yet lol your best bet to purchase a new phone is go straight through tmobile unless you want to risk swappa or ebay then a month later if they cancel or don;t pay for the phone for it to happen again ... i would n;t risk it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a bummer. Did you list it internationally? I know you probably can't link to eBay, but can you give me the auction number? I want to watch and cheer you on
-Collin-

There are services on ebay that will change the IMEI for $50.

lancemoreland said:
There are services on ebay that will change the IMEI for $50.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate that information. Unfortunately from my limited research, I think this thread will get locked if we even go down that road since it is illegal. Argh.
-Collin-

Wow. that sucks so much. The worst I have experienced in craigslist is some guy tried to scam me out of an iPod touch that i found. I still remember the email. It said something along the lines of:
Can you please send this device to my son in Africa? I will pay you full price for the phone + $50 dollars of shipping!
I knew it was a fake because 1) the email they sent was a very random email. (like [email protected]) and 2) PHONE? it's not a phone. thats how i knew that he was scamming multiple people and just copying and pasting.
Oh craigslist is full of scammers and idiots.

Yeah that's what these scammers are doing, buy the phone on a payment plan and not make the payment. A lot of times unknowing buyers get the phone and it will work for a month till payment is due but not paid. I see great deals on CL but steer clear.

The best thing to do is unlocked the device and sell it Internationally via eBay. I have a GS3 in my possesion that my wife's little brother bought from CL and was later blacklisted since the person reported it stolen two hours later after he took the cash.

lancemoreland said:
There are services on ebay that will change the IMEI for $50.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is right it is illegal and if caught could face jail time.
Wayne Tech Nexus

i just got a s4 on ebay for 420 i call tmobile they told the imei is clean that dont worry about future non payment fraud or blacklisted the lady told me when i get the phone is going to be in my account so the owner will have to pay any remaining balance but they cannot block the phone idk know im worry

Whenever I buy something from craiglist I always ask for 2 valid ID and have them photocopy.

I'll buy it for parts. If interested inbox me. Thanks!

I had the same damn thing happen but with a Galaxy S2 a while back. What I had to do is buy a used motherboard from a cracked screen one on eBay. Spent way more on the phone than I intended but all I did was switch the motherboards and voila. Good as new.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

Just sell try and sell it on Craigslist and ebay. Specify that it is blacklisted with tmobile but it ia unlocked so you can use it with att. Here's one and it's at almost 300 with 17h left on the auction
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=200948373767
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4

elflip88 said:
Just sell try and sell it on Craigslist and ebay. Specify that it is blacklisted with tmobile but it ia unlocked so you can use it with att. Here's one and it's at almost 300 with 17h left on the auction
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=200948373767
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read not long ago that AT&T and T-Mobile started sharing IMEI blacklist. Not sure if the policy is in effect yet or not.

baseballfanz said:
I read not long ago that AT&T and T-Mobile started sharing IMEI blacklist. Not sure if the policy is in effect yet or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Op said he used it on att network so my guess is no
Sent from Flip's Galaxy S4

rona809 said:
i just got a s4 on ebay for 420 i call tmobile they told the imei is clean that dont worry about future non payment fraud or blacklisted the lady told me when i get the phone is going to be in my account so the owner will have to pay any remaining balance but they cannot block the phone idk know im worry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
Walk away.

Tips buying a T-Mobile note 3 on Craigslist?

Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602

snoopycr said:
Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My best advice would be to ask the seller if he/ she would be willing to meet at a T-mobile location to make sure the handset is legitimate. Tell the seller a friend or relative of yours was ripped off in the past and you just want to make sure. Best of luck to you friend.
sent from my note 3

Meet in a Tmobile store and have the seller have the tmobile rep look at their account and verify the phone is not on an equipment installment plan and the imei is not reported as lost or stolen. Also get a signed recepiet (with both parties printed name and the description of the item sold)from the seller stating they sold you the phone. There are many stories where a phone is reported lost or stolen after the sale and after the imei was checked to be in good standing.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

If meeting at a store isn't possible you can call T-Mobile and have them switch it over to you over the phone while standing there with the guy before any money exchanges hands.

Shouldnt there be less problems with this now? I mean, even if someone cancels, they are charged the remaining value on the phone, right? So none of these phones should be blacklisted at all, ever. I mean, they cant make you pay if you leave and still blacklist the phone. Even if u never pay the final bill, if its even on your credit report, you're responsible for it. Is my train of thought here wrong?

tony yayo said:
Shouldnt there be less problems with this now? I mean, even if someone cancels, they are charged the remaining value on the phone, right? So none of these phones should be blacklisted at all, ever. I mean, they cant make you pay if you leave and still blacklist the phone. Even if u never pay the final bill, if its even on your credit report, you're responsible for it. Is my train of thought here wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmo will block the phone until the bill is paid in full. So if they never pay the bill with the phone balance due the phone bought will not work. And now tmo and att share a blcklist so cant use it on att network either. Also as stated even after the sale some people report the phone as lost or stolen and claim a warranty on it making the phone sold useless.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

blakkheartt12 said:
Tmo will block the phone until the bill is paid in full. So if they never pay the bill with the phone balance due the phone bought will not work. And now tmo and att share a blcklist so cant use it on att network either. Also as stated even after the sale some people report the phone as lost or stolen and claim a warranty on it making the phone sold useless.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happens when the bill goes to collections? Tmo gets paid by the collection agency but when the collectors get paid will they unblock the phone?
Besides, if they were to report it stolen 2 months later, who would believe you would wait 2 months to report a stolen $700 phone?

tony yayo said:
What happens when the bill goes to collections? Tmo gets paid by the collection agency but when the collectors get paid will they unblock the phone?
Besides, if they were to report it stolen 2 months later, who would believe you would wait 2 months to report a stolen $700 phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently people do. Just search on xda for phone stop working or phone doesnt get service after working for a few months (there were a lot of threads like that in the tmo note 2 forum). Many said tmo wont unblock it until the original owner pays it off. They wont even allow you to pay it off if you wanted to. So its better to have all the evidence as possible that the phone was sold to you.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I personally wouldn't buy new T-Mo phone on craigslist nowa days, and I would be super careful and do due diligence when purchasing on eBay. Even eBay is subject to these issues, just look at how many people are selling Note 3(s) on eBay that are listed as having bad IMEI(s). Why do you think that is? People are are doing multiple different scams and such that involve the IMEI getting blacklisted after a while.
One involves people selling the phones and then not paying their bill after it was purchased on a payment plan. Once they don't pay their bill they blacklist the IMEI. The ONLY way to unblacklist the IMEI is for the original purchaser to pay their payment plan bill. Even if you legitimately purchased the phone they will not unblock it for you. I know of more then one person that has tried to resolve this with ZERO success. Going to a T-Mobile store to do the transaction will not help in this situation because often the account is not in a negative standing yet and doesn't happen till a later date. The only thing a T-Mobile store can help with is identifying if the phone is stolen or not, which doesn't help with these latest scams.
The only way to avoid this is to 100% make sure that the phone you purchased was paid for in full at full price and not on a payment plan. Even then I have heard of sellers providing photoshopped receipts to buyers only to get their phones blacklisted months or weeks later because the phones were not really paid off. One might think that eBay is safer from a seller that has feedback but no not really. Often by the time you get blacklisted you cannot leave bad feedback or file a dispute. However with that said, most card companies (VISA, MC, ETC) allow you to do a chargeback within six months of a purchase if its some type of fraud that happened as a result.
The other way involves a more scammy way that I will not explain, with again the outcome being a blacklisted phone that the 2nd purchaser cannot resolve. However these are happening all over the place and there's not a sure fire way to avoid it. The best way to avoid this is to simply buy a phone directly from a authorized seller like T-Mo, or to trust your buyer 100%.
Just saying.

There is no way to be 100% sure that a T-Mobile phone is a safe bet, unless it is coming from someone you trust.
Even if you go to a store with the seller and verify that the phone is fully paid for, they still have 30 days from the incident date to report it stolen or lost if they have insurance or JUMP! Yes it is fraud, but it is almost impossible to combat. Police will record your incident and file it, but will not actively pursue a situation such as this in most cases. T-Mobile will suggest that you contact your local police and will not do anything to help you.
Another note: If you call or go into a store and ask them to check the IMEI number, they can't give you information regarding financing unless the phone is being financed under your name or a authorized account manager. You will need the phone seller to go in to the store to verify this information for you.
I'm sure there are plenty of people out there trying to sell their TMO phones honestly, but do you want to take a high percentage chance that you are being ripped off? That percentage rises if the phone is brand new selling at a huge discount. EX. Craigslist in my city shows a guy selling 4 TMO Note 3's brand new for 550.00 each. I can almost guarantee that those phones will be blacklisted sooner or later.

buy it on swappa

There is a certain amount of risk involved. It all depends on how good of a deal you get. I've bought quite a few phones from CL then sold later on Ebay. Right now I'm using a Note 3 bought on CL for $400. I could sell it with a bad IMEI on Ebay and still make a good profit. I always disclose in my auction that the phone has been verified as clean at the time of sale but that could change in the future since I don't know the history of the phone. it doesn't seem to stop people from buying the phones.
Just last weekend I found a great deal on a S4 international version, or so I thought. After getting home and messing with it I found out it was a fake! The owner never answered my calls or texts, go figure. I was able to sell it on Ebay fully disclosed as a fake and only take about a $40 hit. If you're going to use CL you better be willing to take some risk.
Also my research leads me to belive that Tmo and att do not SHARE blacklist info for phones that the bill is not paid on, only units reported lost or stolen. Nobody had been able to prove to me they do. Since I use Straight Talk with att sim card that eliminates some risk of my phone becoming blacklisted. In my mind anyhow it makes me feel better!
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app

snoopycr said:
Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best way to buy it is to PRESUME the phone you are buying is ALREADY blacklisted. Next is to buy it at the lowest price you think it fair. For example, I bought a Note 3 T-Mobile from craighstlist for 525. The guy said it had a clean IMEI but I was skeptical of it but since it was at 525, I could not have cared less since I was planning on using it with AT&T. I later unlocked it using RegionLock Away and everything is SMOOTH. Love the phone.

i wouldnt trust craigslist.. i had bought a phone on it that i thought worked. when i came home it bricked.

Just thought I'd share my craigslist experience this morning. I wanted to post a screenshot but cannot for some reason so copy and pastiing.
Me: you still got the note 4 for sale?
Him: yes
Me: Can you provide a reciept to show that its fulky paid for and a bill of sale with your name and id number? I'm just trying to avoid insurance scammers.
Him: It's not fully paid off. I just got the phone because it came with the line which is all i needed at no additional cost to me.
Him: But I'm not eligible for insurance because I've used my two for the year up already.
Me: Well if you're selling a phone that isn't fully paid off tmobile will block it when you stop making payments. Which makes the phine useless and you're trying to sell it is fraud.
Me: lol good luck man
Him: Umm your wrong
Him: but ok
Funny how his insurance is already used up, i wonder what became of those phones hmmm. So I would encourage anybody buying off craigslist to ask the same questions i did. They're are some genuine sellers i buy and sell from Craigslist all the time.

Make sure the box is a genuine t-mobile box the phone will set in a recessed form fitted area and not just on top of flat paper.