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Please help me with this problem, i bought 1 samsung galaxy s3 t999 of t-mobile from 1 guy on craiglist.com 3 months ago, for the 1st 3 months, the phones work fine, but just last 4 days, my phone can not call, text or internet (i used prepaid plan $50/month from t-mobile), then i called t-mobile technician support 5, 6 times, after all they said my phone locked by t-mobile, because the owner of the phone didn't pay the bills, they said my phone right now can not using anymore, except i can find the onwer, i tried some unlock code of some website on internet, but it didn't works, either, i hopfully anyone here can help me with this, thanks alot.
Odds are he bought the phone on EIP, sold it and pocketed the difference and just recently cancelled out his contract. Your best bet is probably to sell the phone on craigslist to someone not on T-Mobile. I haven't heard about any solution to this problem.
Only solution is to use it on at&t or another SIM company. Imei has been blocked out on T-Mobile network. That's what the code you bought is for. To use it with another carrier.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
You are screwed. Buy an unlock code, unlock it and use it on AT&T or sell it to someone that can.
Sent from my SGH-T999
josh said it. close thread.
That sucks!... Where are u located??
Sorry it's locked and you won't (cant) use it on tmobile
Sent from my SGH-T999
Now im concern too because i just got a bnew T999 s3 sealed for $450 on craigslist 2 weeks ago.. I hesitated at first because it's too cheap but seller needs the money badly she says so i bite because phone is sealed with no problems..
Should i be worried? i still have the sellers email and phone number, do you think its a good idea to ask her?.. Will it also work if i go to a t-mobile store and ask them to verify the imei of my purchased phone?
Thanks all in advance for the reply..
mikeetastic said:
Now im concern too because i just got a bnew T999 s3 sealed for $450 on craigslist 2 weeks ago.. I hesitated at first because it's too cheap but seller needs the money badly she says so i bite because phone is sealed with no problems..
Should i be worried? i still have the sellers email and phone number, do you think its a good idea to ask her?.. Will it also work if i go to a t-mobile store and ask them to verify the imei of my purchased phone?
Thanks all in advance for the reply..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems to be happening more and more with new phones, and a reason that Ebay is a good option since they offer buyer (and seller) protection.
I am not saying you were scammed, but think of this:
You have the sellers temporary phone # she got from the local prepaid store, and an email she made that day? What is that going to do now? Do you know where the seller lives, or their real name? The two items you are saying you have may not be that effective to trace back to the seller.
However, I wish you the best of luck and no problems.
When will people learn.. 95% of the time Craigslist ='s bad.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I bought my GS3 from craigslist except it was a refurbished model. I've only had it a couple days though...
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
why does everyone worry about having a phone that is blocked ? unlock it and sell it or trade it.
kobe4rings said:
why does everyone worry about having a phone that is blocked ? unlock it and sell it or trade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it makes you *the seller or trader* look suspicious? I'd never buy a phone that's been blacklisted.
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mikeetastic said:
Now im concern too because i just got a bnew T999 s3 sealed for $450 on craigslist 2 weeks ago.. I hesitated at first because it's too cheap but seller needs the money badly she says so i bite because phone is sealed with no problems..
Should i be worried? i still have the sellers email and phone number, do you think its a good idea to ask her?.. Will it also work if i go to a t-mobile store and ask them to verify the imei of my purchased phone?
Thanks all in advance for the reply..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pytyper483 said:
This seems to be happening more and more with new phones, and a reason that Ebay is a good option since they offer buyer (and seller) protection.
I am not saying you were scammed, but think of this:
You have the sellers temporary phone # she got from the local prepaid store, and an email she made that day? What is that going to do now? Do you know where the seller lives, or their real name? The two items you are saying you have may not be that effective to trace back to the seller..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Afaik eBay/paypal buyer protection covers you for 45days? But according to the OP it happen after 3 months... But yeah youre right if my seller reports that her phone got stolen or didnt pay her bill after a few days or months then im screwed???
kobe4rings said:
why does everyone worry about having a phone that is blocked ? unlock it and sell it or trade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much is the cheapest unlock code for my device? And where to get it? I dont usually buy expensive stuff on CL but this S3 i got is a steal... I might sell it now before it gives me headache in a few months..
If you are going to spend $400-500 on a phone from Craigslist, you might as well just save up for another $100-150 to buy it a from a reputable seller. IE Ebay, Amazon...etc.
But yah, phones on Craigslist = trouble.
Sorry to hear man.. i know your pain
Unlock the phone. Tmobile will even do it for you since they don't bother looking up the status of the phone when they ask you to. This happened to me before and it sucks, but that's what happens when you don't trust your gut. =/ (even sometimes when you do you're wrong)
SO
Unlock it.
Sell it to someone who can use it on ATT.
and get yourself a replacement through a better way..
Cheapest unlock ive found is 7.99 dollars on ebay. You have to let the person access your pc via remote access and let him unlock your connected phone via usb. search ebay "t999 unlock".
babymatteo said:
If you are going to spend $400-500 on a phone from Craigslist, you might as well just save up for another $100-150 to buy it a from a reputable seller. IE Ebay, Amazon...etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know about eBay since your only protected from Paypal for a few days after purchase and like the OP said it happened after 3 months.. and you cant even view the original ad/listing on eBay after 90 days..
arctic84 said:
Sorry to hear man.. i know your pain
Unlock the phone. Tmobile will even do it for you since they don't bother looking up the status of the phone when they ask you to. This happened to me before and it sucks, but that's what happens when you don't trust your gut. =/ (even sometimes when you do you're wrong)
SO
Unlock it.
Sell it to someone who can use it on ATT.
and get yourself a replacement through a better way..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
share your story? what happen? how many days did it last from purchase till T-Mobile blocking it?
will try to call or visit the store and see what can they do about unlocking my device, still fully functional right now and hoping that my seller really needs the money that's why she sold it @$450 and doesn't do anything to her account or or report it stolen...
kobe4rings said:
Cheapest unlock ive found is 7.99 dollars on ebay. You have to let the person access your pc via remote access and let him unlock your connected phone via usb. search ebay "t999 unlock".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot.. giving the eBay seller a remote access is safe right? or maybe make a guest account to be more safer?
mikeetastic said:
i don't know about eBay since your only protected from Paypal for a few days after purchase and like the OP said it happened after 3 months.. and you cant even view the original ad/listing on eBay after 90 days..
share your story? what happen? how many days did it last from purchase till T-Mobile blocking it?
will try to call or visit the store and see what can they do about unlocking my device, still fully functional right now and hoping that my seller really needs the money that's why she sold it @$450 and doesn't do anything to her account or or report it stolen...
Thanks a lot.. giving the eBay seller a remote access is safe right? or maybe make a guest account to be more safer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to be a debbie downer, but if you got it for $450 when they sell for more it's likely going to be blacklisted. Everyone on CL says they need money.
So is this a new thing T-Mobile is doing, or a GSIII thang. Never heard of them being able to lock a phone out of the system because of a unpaid bill, if it was reported loss or stolen maybe, never heard of this till now tho
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
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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.
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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
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.
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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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
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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.
Hey all I am about to buy a new sealed note II off swappa or ebay, and I am wondering what is the best way to protect against bad imei issues.
I know retail is the only sure fire way, but I'd like to save a few $100, off what t-mobile charges if possible.
I've heard horror stories of phones getting blocked 30days after a sale, even when the imei was confirmed clean on the phone upon initial sale. And then having to deal with PayPal protection
Any better way to make sure this doesn't happen, or is it just luck of the draw?
Amd4life said:
Hey all I am about to buy a new sealed note II off swappa or ebay, and I am wondering what is the best way to protect against bad imei issues.
I know retail is the only sure fire way, but I'd like to save a few $100, off what t-mobile charges if possible.
I've heard horror stories of phones getting blocked 30days after a sale, even when the imei was confirmed clean on the phone upon initial sale. And then having to deal with PayPal protection
Any better way to make sure this doesn't happen, or is it just luck of the draw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tell the seller to read the imei off the sticker or receipt. should be a label or something on the outside of the box. call the carrier to see if the imei is clean.
Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
Some don't go bad until months. The original owner decides 2 or 3 months down the road he or she doesn't want to make any more payments on the phone (EIP). Better make sure the phone is not on any payment plans.
Or they could still report phone lost or stolen 45 days later.
There really isn't much protection for buyers.
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Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
I bought from a seller off ebay cellstoreusa for $620 free shipping. Also check my other reply on xda about how to check imei numbers, the info came from a tmobile rep.
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---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------
I found my reply for you.
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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Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
If you're on a monthly plan keep calling 611 and telling then you don't want to pay full price. I ended up getting mine for $300 and I wasn't even due for an early upgrade I was only with T-Mobile for 10 months.
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I must have bought 10 phones off Craigslist and 2 or 3 from Ebay. Never had an issue with a bad esn/meid/imei. I hear horror stories but never had a bad experience.
Now selling on Craigslist a different story, it's always an adventure. You post pictures and people text/call/email asking for pics. Tell them the price is firm and the first response will be will you accept half. Don't put firm in the price and only come down $25 and they ***** saying I should have put firm in the ad. My favorite, do you want to trade for anything on this list, it's a huge list of all old and worthless crap. Not to mention the no shows and the priests that want to make payments.
Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
Lol, that's funny as hell, I sell a lot on Craigslist, I'm running into the same problems. I told one buyer the price, he wanted it cheaper, so I lowered it more. When we met up he said he was short $20. Lol, i politely told him to take out his sim card out the phone and I left. Now I'm selling on ebay and getting more then I expect, I just sold my note n7000 for $371, I thought the most would be $250.
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Jack143 said:
I bought from a seller off ebay cellstoreusa for $620 free shipping. Also check my other reply on xda about how to check imei numbers, the info came from a tmobile rep.
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---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------
I found my reply for you.
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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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great advice on the timing of changing the imei ownership, never thought of that, I will do just that, thanks everyone
Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
T mobile rep here. The sad thing about this IMEI thing is buyers have no control over this. A customer can call T - Mobile years from now just to block an IMEI they have on file just because. It sucks, I know. Best interest these days to buy from people you know or with good ratings. Nothing less than.
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XCrazedxPyroX said:
T mobile rep here. The sad thing about this IMEI thing is buyers have no control over this. A customer can call T - Mobile years from now just to block an IMEI they have on file just because. It sucks, I know. Best interest these days to buy from people you know or with good ratings. Nothing less than.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't elaborate, you can't just can't and block a phone cause you can. Phone has to be reported stolen/lost and had to be a phone that was used within the past 30 days. Also if the phone was set up on a payment plan, and the customer cancels the account, if the phone isn't paid off, the IMEI will be blocked and only the original customer who bought it can unblock it once they submit proof that they fully paid the phone off to T-Mobile.
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gedster314 said:
I must have bought 10 phones off Craigslist and 2 or 3 from Ebay. Never had an issue with a bad esn/meid/imei. I hear horror stories but never had a bad experience.
Now selling on Craigslist a different story, it's always an adventure. You post pictures and people text/call/email asking for pics. Tell them the price is firm and the first response will be will you accept half. Don't put firm in the price and only come down $25 and they ***** saying I should have put firm in the ad. My favorite, do you want to trade for anything on this list, it's a huge list of all old and worthless crap. Not to mention the no shows and the priests that want to make payments.
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now this was rich! Lol so true and funny
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My My question is, I bought mine off craigslist a couple months ago, no problems at all. Did crack my screen so got a new phone through insurance. Obviously a different imei now so I shouldn't have any problems right? Say, if someone tried to blacklist the old phone, would that come back to me still?
deviusdragger said:
You didn't elaborate, you can't just can't and block a phone cause you can. Phone has to be reported stolen/lost and had to be a phone that was used within the past 30 days. Also if the phone was set up on a payment plan, and the customer cancels the account, if the phone isn't paid off, the IMEI will be blocked and only the original customer who bought it can unblock it once they submit proof that they fully paid the phone off to T-Mobile.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, he's technically right.
You are listing the procedures, but not every worker knows or follows them. Used to be you needed a police report. Now everything is all willy nilly.
I actually bought from Craigslist and according to a recent call to Tmo, this phone was reported stolen. I've got it on Straight Talk with an AT&T sim and its working fine for now. I have no way to get back to the seller...
Is there anything I might be able to do to get Tmo to un-blacklist the IMEI? Maybe activate it with them? Or do I just live with it and never know if its going to quit working?
Sent from my phablet.
LanceDiamond said:
I actually bought from Craigslist and according to a recent call to Tmo, this phone was reported stolen. I've got it on Straight Talk with an AT&T sim and its working fine for now. I have no way to get back to the seller...
Is there anything I might be able to do to get Tmo to un-blacklist the IMEI? Maybe activate it with them? Or do I just live with it and never know if its going to quit working?
Sent from my phablet.
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Click to collapse
Read what I posted. With the nationwide program that tmo is now using to check imeis, the market for stolen phones will drop and the list of blocked Imeis will rise. There are no ways around to unblock a phone, NO MATTER WHAT! Only the original purchaser can unlock it once proof is submitted to T-Mobile that the debt for the phone was paid off. If the phone was lost and the original purchaser found it, he has to send it back to the insurance company. Imeis will not be unblocked for lost or stolen phones if an insurance claim was done on it.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Thanks for the clarification or rather reiteration...
Why would the phone still be working? Is it that tmo & att aren't (yet) sharing blacklists? Or could it be that going through Straight Talk is whats saving me?
I hate that there is nothing to do about it but I guess I took my chances buying off craigslist without knowing to check the imei.
Sent from my phablet.
Last time i tried to see if there was anything a t-mobile rep could do for me i ended coming up short. As i was in the transaction of purchasing the phone, the t-mobile rep I called didn't mention ANYTHING about registering the IMEI under my account, all she said she could do was verify it wasn't blocked at the time and couldn't guarantee **** about the future. I got screwed for almost $500 the day after i bought the phone. It's up to you if you want to take the risk. =/
Jack143 said:
I bought from a seller off ebay cellstoreusa for $620 free shipping. Also check my other reply on xda about how to check imei numbers, the info came from a tmobile rep.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------
I found my reply for you.
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.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
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arctic84 said:
Last time i tried to see if there was anything a t-mobile rep could do for me i ended coming up short. As i was in the transaction of purchasing the phone, the t-mobile rep I called didn't mention ANYTHING about registering the IMEI under my account, all she said she could do was verify it wasn't blocked at the time and couldn't guarantee **** about the future. I got screwed for almost $500 the day after i bought the phone. It's up to you if you want to take the risk. =/
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Click to collapse
Only relatively safe way is to have the person sign over the phone to you At tmobile. That way they can instantly switch the IMEI to you, and the other person can't go home and report it stolen.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD
mrbkkt1 said:
Only relatively safe way is to have the person sign over the phone to you At tmobile. That way they can instantly switch the IMEI to you, and the other person can't go home and report it stolen.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD
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Guess i'll give that a shot for next time, thanks.
Should I buy a note 3 off Craig's list or is it dangours. If its Eip I'm screw right?
Sent from my GT-I9505G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
spodie said:
Should I buy a note 3 off Craig's list or is it dangours. If its Eip I'm screw right?
Sent from my GT-I9505G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
it is safe as long as you meet in a public place like a Starbucks or something.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk now Free
You run the risk of buying a stolen devices or from a person who has been delequent on payments. For this reason, I would personally not buy and always will never buy any cellphones from craigslist. I see too many horror stories. But if you insist on buying Id make sure to ask the right questions before you buy and test the device before paying
Sent from my SM-N900T
When I buy phone off Craig's I meet only at T-mobile store and have store clerks check with T-mobile Customer Service to make sure phone is paid off and not reported stolen, then I ask to notate my account that I am the owner of the phone now and it being paid for.
This way old owner has no legal right to claim it stolen, since he is right there present with me along with store of other witnesses.
djpaul said:
When I buy phone off Craig's I meet only at T-mobile store and have store clerks check with T-mobile Customer Service to make sure phone is paid off and not reported stolen, then I ask to notate my account that I am the owner of the phone now and it being paid for.
This way old owner has no legal right to claim it stolen, since he is right there present with me along with store of other witnesses.
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Click to collapse
Never thought of doing it that away. Smart
Just sold my Note 2 on Craigslist. Went very smooth. Nice young lady. Even made a little extra cash unlocking it for her.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Bought my note 3 on Craigslist. Easy transaction at a local Starbucks.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
No because even if you go to t mobile the phone is legit the person can later say the phone is stolen n then your phone is messed up
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2
atlprettygirl2145 said:
No because even if you go to t mobile the phone is legit the person can later say the phone is stolen n then your phone is messed up
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2
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Not If the imei is transferred to a different account. Also, if this is a concern you can get a signed sales record.
Plus AFAIK, they don't blacklist stolen phones anyway. There's been some pressure from government officials to make this happen. But I don't think there's been anything yet.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Why not I bought one for 350 and I'm typing on it now lol
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
I bought one for 550 and this Tuesday my service went out, when I called they told me my phone was reported lost. I just told the guy, I have it right here. And he unblocked it.
TRUE STORY:
I bought a phone from CL, met at a TMobile location, ask them to transfer the IMEI to my line. so far so good??
No... I used the phone for a few month and one morning, no more network. I try my ATT SIM and it works. I call TMobile, they tell me I need to change the SIM what I do, still nothing. I send the phone to Samsung, they dont see any issue.
Call back to TMo, they tell me the phone was declared stolen and there is NOTHING I can do because I am not the original buyer!! a complete RIP-OFF.
The worst is that they wont take any responsability
At least ATT transfer the number to your account as long as you have the info of the previous owner so the phone really belongs to you while TMobile just say there is nothing they can do.
I first believe this blacklist system would be a great thing to avoid stolen phones, but the way it is implemented is so wrong that the only looser is the guy at the end of the food chain.
If you buy from CL, ALWAYS ask for the original receipt!!!! if they dont have it, it is fishy! and if you can have a bill of sale
CarpeNoctem said:
TRUE STORY:
I bought a phone from CL, met at a TMobile location, ask them to transfer the IMEI to my line. so far so good??
No... I used the phone for a few month and one morning, no more network. I try my ATT SIM and it works. I call TMobile, they tell me I need to change the SIM what I do, still nothing. I send the phone to Samsung, they dont see any issue.
Call back to TMo, they tell me the phone was declared stolen and there is NOTHING I can do because I am not the original buyer!! a complete RIP-OFF.
The worst is that they wont take any responsability
At least ATT transfer the number to your account as long as you have the info of the previous owner so the phone really belongs to you while TMobile just say there is nothing they can do.
I first believe this blacklist system would be a great thing to avoid stolen phones, but the way it is implemented is so wrong that the only looser is the guy at the end of the food chain.
If you buy from CL, ALWAYS ask for the original receipt!!!! if they dont have it, it is fishy! and if you can have a bill of sale
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like some folks are claiming insurance fraud then selling the phones then the IMEI becomes black listed - very bad ethically and morally.
I personally have sold a few of my old iphones and more recently Galaxy S4 with no paperwork. The person checks it out it works give me cash and then bye bye. I try and prevent giving them my receipts or documents as they contain personal information on them. However I would show them it if asked.
Just curious why would some people sell their note 3 craigs list and not return it under the 14 days? Perhaps they have an upgrade and want to cash it out for a profit?
rg1973 said:
Why not I bought one for 350 and I'm typing on it now lol
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
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350 for a note 3? that is crazy cheap. Must have purchased it under contract or something
Limeybastard said:
Seems like some folks are claiming insurance fraud then selling the phones then the IMEI becomes black listed - very bad ethically and morally.
I personally have sold a few of my old iphones and more recently Galaxy S4 with no paperwork. The person checks it out it works give me cash and then bye bye. I try and prevent giving them my receipts or documents as they contain personal information on them. However I would show them it if asked.
Just curious why would some people sell their note 3 craigs list and not return it under the 14 days? Perhaps they have an upgrade and want to cash it out for a profit?
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Click to collapse
Yeah, they sell it for cash, but that doesn't make sense at all with T-Mobile now. Since you end up paying $700 for a phone. There is no point in selling it for $500 on craigslist unless you plan to commit fraud or whatever. Now, if it's contract like the other carriers, it makes sense and you can make a little bit of money.
All I can say is meet at the T-Mobile store and verify the phone is paid off. Then if possible (not sure if they would allow this) ask a T-Mo rep to make a note on the seller's account that the phone is being sold to your account and vice versa on your account. If the seller is okay with this, then it should give you a hint that he's a somewhat honest person, but anything can still happen. I say just buy the phone from T-Mobile, authorized retailer, or Newegg/Amazon.
DKYang said:
Yeah, they sell it for cash, but that doesn't make sense at all with T-Mobile now. Since you end up paying $700 for a phone. There is no point in selling it for $500 on craigslist unless you plan to commit fraud or whatever. Now, if it's contract like the other carriers, it makes sense and you can make a little bit of money.
All I can say is meet at the T-Mobile store and verify the phone is paid off. Then if possible (not sure if they would allow this) ask a T-Mo rep to make a note on the seller's account that the phone is being sold to your account and vice versa on your account. If the seller is okay with this, then it should give you a hint that he's a somewhat honest person, but anything can still happen. I say just buy the phone from T-Mobile, authorized retailer, or Newegg/Amazon.
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Good points raised. I was going to return mine and get a craigs list used T mobile version, but it ain't worth the 200 dollar or less saving for me. Like you mentioned why would they sell the t mobile one when they can get their money back from store minus 50 perhaps.
Bought mine for 600 yesterday it was still sealed I love this phone so much!
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
You have to take precautions.
Have something in writing when buying or selling. Include the serial number and IMEI number then both sign it.
I have sold and bought a handful of phones with no problems. Yes I do consider myself lucky because stuff does happen.
Avoid PayPal and high check amount transactions. They are scams.
phones
I didn't know tmo had changed like this... I thought you could just pop in a sim card and be done... so now there like sprint and verizon with a id per phone?
Ya, I've seen several times, someone pays the initial down payment on a phone (or 0 down), sells the phone for full price, then defaults on the payment. The buyer usually doesn't find out for 3 months. Definitely meet at a store.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk 4
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
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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?
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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
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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
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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.