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I got my Sprint GNex in the beginning of May and been having some problems with Sprint 3g (Metro Detroit). I am not sure if it just a Sprint issue or if it has to do with my phone. The problems I am experience are;
1) Certain MMS pictures just show 'download' button and wont download when pressed. I have tried toggling between wifi/3G.
2) Google music won't buffer a song when I have a full 3g signal.
3) Signal seems to get stuck on '1x' when it should have a 3g signal.
I unlocked the bootloader, rooted, and installed CMM 9. I believe I updated the radios to FD02 from FD12 but am kind of a noob when it comes to radios. I have tried updating profile and PRL but it doesn't seem to have any effect. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help.....
I just got my GNEX yesterday. Immediately after activating, I noticed the 3G data speeds seemed a bit slower than my EVO but I didn't think much of it. Then after a day of use I noticed slower data speeds overall. Today I was having trouble where I couldn't access a webpage at all in a known area with weak reception. The funny thing is I tried to access the same page from my wife's iPhone (also on Sprint) and while slow, it was still able to load the page.
From what I read the big issue with the GNEX on Sprint was that it wasn't connecting to 3G data services at all, and the FD02 software update was supposed to fix that. I'm running FD02 and I can access the 3G data network, however the transfer speeds are very slow compared to my old EVO and my wife's iPhone.
I really do enjoy this phone and I hope this is something that can be fixed via a SW update. What's the best way to handle this problem? I was thinking about going to a Sprint store to compare it with a demo model of the same phone just to see if perhaps I have a bad piece of hardware.
Haven't had this issue. However to radios in Samsung devices are notorious for having weaker signal reception which is why comparing to the Evo and iPhone it is much less. It could potentially be a bad radio in the phone you can always take it into a sprint store and have then test it.
Sent From My Sprint Galaxy Nexus via XDA Premium
I had the galaxy nexus on sprint and now selling speeds on sprint have gotten really bad so I just dropped off sprint and got tmobile and without LTE I'm hitting 12-16mbps if you guys singup a contract you should consider tmobile really
Waiting for my GN btw I'm paying 65$ for one line
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
Maybe if in lived in a populates city but I doubt if any carrier out here is any better... also I don't think I could get a better deal on my bill. And I've already signed my two year contract.
Sent From My Sprint Galaxy Nexus via XDA Premium
ÜBER™ said:
Maybe if in lived in a populates city but I doubt if any carrier out here is any better... also I don't think I could get a better deal on my bill. And I've already signed my two year contract.
Sent From My Sprint Galaxy Nexus via XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought too man but suffering after a year I couldn't take it anymore where you located and when did you sign up?
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
jgalan14 said:
That's what I thought too man but suffering after a year I couldn't take it anymore where you located and when did you sign up?
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just upgraded... not too long ago. And i live in the hill country of central texas. You can google map the city of Marble Falls, Texas. I havent even seen a Tmobile store anywhere in my area... other than the bigger cities. So i dunno... besides how much are their plans? Cheaper than sprint? That and i dont know what phone i would even go after... definetly not the One X or any HTC phone... has to be a samsung and the only one i would even consider is the S3...
ÜBER™ said:
I just upgraded... not too long ago. And i live in the hill country of central texas. You can google map the city of Marble Falls, Texas. I havent even seen a Tmobile store anywhere in my area... other than the bigger cities. So i dunno... besides how much are their plans? Cheaper than sprint? That and i dont know what phone i would even go after... definetly not the One X or any HTC phone... has to be a samsung and the only one i would even consider is the S3...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks pretty good to me (coverage kind of like mine)
I would get a unlocked nexus depending on your minute for one like you could be paying 65$ at month for unlimited everything but calls(500 minutes) and 5GB of 4G if you get a phone from then it could cost 85$ at month
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
jgalan14 said:
It looks pretty good to me (coverage kind of like mine)
I would get a unlocked nexus depending on your minute for one like you could be paying 65$ at month for unlimited everything but calls(500 minutes) and 5GB of 4G if you get a phone from then it could cost 85$ at month
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I think 30$ for extra line I think minutes is the worst thing but I use one my data then minutes so I'm fine with it plus I have a company that phone
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
Hmm... id have to think about it.. since its not in my name... its on my mother name... i'd have to ask somebody i know that actually has tmobile and see what they get. And it would involve breaking my contract now... doubt i could get out of it before they start crying and offering stuff i dont want... i may think about it.
ÜBER™ said:
Hmm... id have to think about it.. since its not in my name... its on my mother name... i'd have to ask somebody i know that actually has tmobile and see what they get. And it would involve breaking my contract now... doubt i could get out of it before they start crying and offering stuff i dont want... i may think about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mm i see if is too much hassle try to see if someone wS to take it from you on craiglist is just advice I like sprint for a while but after the evo and the iphone there network went to crap and truth the nexus get lower speed test but I could assure you if you use data a lot you'll be happier with tmobile or att(too expensive had them for a while)
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
Apparently the device suffers from death grip when you grip the left side of the phone. However, the device is not dropping the signal completely, its just going to EDGE. T-Mobile has very good coverage here but I am worried about this issue.
Can anyone comment on this? Is this likely to be corrected in an OTA update? I left T-Mobile last year for the iPhone 4S on AT&T and that was a mistake in more ways than one.
I also tried out AT&T's Galaxy S III and found it to be excellent. LTE speeds weren't that great in my area but nonetheless, it was a very good device. The signal on the AT&T version seemed fine.
If I go back to T-Mobile tomorrow, I don't want a device with a poor signal. Never good to have.
MattMJB0188 said:
Apparently the device suffers from death grip when you grip the left side of the phone. However, the device is not dropping the signal completely, its just going to EDGE. T-Mobile has very good coverage here but I am worried about this issue.
Can anyone comment on this? Is this likely to be corrected in an OTA update? I left T-Mobile last year for the iPhone 4S on AT&T and that was a mistake in more ways than one.
I also tried out AT&T's Galaxy S III and found it to be excellent. LTE speeds weren't that great in my area but nonetheless, it was a very good device. The signal on the AT&T version seemed fine.
If I go back to T-Mobile tomorrow, I don't want a device with a poor signal. Never good to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't experienced any issues. Then again, I've had a case on my phone since the day i bought it.
No problems from my end.
Every thing works great for me.
Don_Perrignon said:
No problems from my end.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you grip the phone on the left side it doesn't go to EDGE? Case or not?
Nothing bad on my end. Used it for a week without case and then another week with one. Never had issues with signal
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
omejia466 said:
Nothing bad on my end. Used it for a week without case and then another week with one. Never had issues with signal
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is T-Mobile coverage by you?
I think the whole "death grip" issue was a myth.
nothing on my end case or not no matter how I hold it, it won't drop from 4g to 2g.
Don't get the phone from the t-mobile store. You can get the 16gb for 199$ on wirefly, Wal-Mart, and target. While t-mobile is charging 279$ + 50$ rebate + 30$ activation + tax, roughly around 380$.
Sent from my T-Mobile Galaxy S III .
ayeitschris said:
Don't get the phone from the t-mobile store. You can get the 16gb for 199$ on wirefly, Wal-Mart, and target. While t-mobile is charging 279$ + 50$ rebate + 30$ activation + tax, roughly around 380$.
Sent from my T-Mobile Galaxy S III .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I concur. I pre-ordered mine last Wednesday for $169.99 and got it Saturday. Now it's up to $189.99 through wirefly f&f but that beats every other place supremely
-Sent from my T999 T-Mobile Galaxy SIII
OTAw said:
+1
I concur. I pre-ordered mine last Wednesday for $169.99 and got it Saturday. Now it's up to $189.99 through wirefly f&f but that beats every other place supremely
-Sent from my T999 T-Mobile Galaxy SIII
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Click to collapse
Thanks, but I was gonna do T-Mobile's Value Plans which requires a down payment on the phone. Through T-Mobile sales, that price is $199 no rebate. The store has all the complicated rebates and what not.
I have insipio case from day 1 and non problem with signals depends n your area
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
MattMJB0188 said:
So if you grip the phone on the left side it doesn't go to EDGE? Case or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. It does not.
(SGH-T999)
Throwing bricks since 2008.....and proud of it.
Great!!! My only complain is I don't get 4g in my room. But I have WiFi so no complaints. I'm in Minnesota so not much for 4g outside of major cities.. haha
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
This issue is happening to several people including myself.
I'm gonna exchange it tomorrow hopefully and see if that makes a difference.
You have 14 days to try it out and check it out for yourself....
Powered by the SGSIII
No issues here
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
A lot of people are having this issue. Dial *#*#464636#*#* and choose device info then change the signal tobwcdma only. It will drop down the edge way less.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
The issue is when you're in an area where you are maybe getting 2 or less bars with 4g and if you hold the phone with your left it will eventually go to edge. Typically when your dbm signal is 95 or higher. But It won't happen if you have good 4g signal with 3-4 bars. So those that aren't having an issue are getting good signal already. Which Avg about 70dbm.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
I've seen no issue no matter how I hold the thing. Or maybe I'm not understanding the issue.
Does it only happen when you hold it with your right hand, and more fingers are on the left side of the phone? I've tried every way I can think of, and with the case off, I get no change in bars or service level no matter how I hold it.
I have done some forum reading and have learned a lot from it (I think...) but I still have some remaining questions seeing as some of the posts are old and I'm sure things have changed by now.
Some things I have learned, correct me if I'm wrong.
SGH-i317M:
- Model provided by Bell
- LTE
- Up to 75Mb - 150mb Depending on towers
N7105:
- LTE
- Uses more battery in LTE mode
- Up to 75Mb - 150mb Depending on towers
N7100:
- NOT LTE
- Up to 21Mb to 45Mb Depending on towers
The thing is I live in Fredericton NB Canada and after looking over the Bell Tower Map there are no towers around me that are faster then a 21Mb to 45Mb. and knowing Bell it will be years before there is any here... With that in mind I have come to an unfortunate conclusion that LTE would be useless to me at this time. So I'm thinking of get a N7100. (correct me if I'm making the wrong choice)
The question I have about the N7100 are:
- Will it work with Bell Canada?
- Will it have better Battery life because it doesn't have LTE?
- Any one know where to buy one in Canada?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
No Canadian Note 2 users out there?
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
Yes N7100 will work for Canada. As for battery life note 2 already has a big mah capacity. I'm using N7100 with Rogers right now. I got mines locally so prices will vary. But should be in the $600 range
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
I just went to buy my N7100 at Newegg.ca and now there sold out... They had some yesterday there gos that idea... :crying:
Ok, Enough Crying. What is the current story on SGH-i317M?
For some reason Rogers sell it for $650 but Bell if $730 for the same phone.. What the hell is up with that?
So looks like I'll have to buy the Rogers one, I assume it can be rooted to work on the Bell Network?
What has the ROM action been like as of late for the "SGH-i317M"? I know in older post people where saying there was not much support, is that still the same?
http://www.expansys.ca/samsung-gala...tphone-16gb-gray-unlocked-850-1900-3g-236052/ (It says $675 on front page but its $650 + shipping when u add to cart)
No idea why Bell has a higher price one. Just unlock the phone and it can be used with any of the carriers.
Was just about to order that one from expansys.ca then I seen it is out of stock looks like I'm back to the SGH-i317M again.
You can try this $625 + shipping instock atm lol
http://canadagsm.ca/SAMSUNG/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-N7100/
Get Bell version if you need lte. Get N7100 if you want better roms.
I got N7100 for the better roms and mods. All data plans suck in Canada. Too small for Lte.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
McLaren__F1 said:
You can try this $625 + shipping instock atm lol
http://canadagsm.ca/SAMSUNG/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-N7100/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just ordered it from there and selected the Gray Model then I get an email after order saying there shipping me the White one... I emailed them back to change it I hope they don't send me white. I don't want white and I ordered a Black case to mach the Gray one from another company last night....
Ok, time to think ahead and seeing as I'm getting some good help here
I know about rooting and all that stuff (I rooted my last 2 phone) and I'm sure I'll figure that stuff out later...
but, I have never bought a "Unlocked" phone before dose that mean I can just place my old SIM from my SGS2 (that I will cut down with tin snips :good . in the N7100 and it will just work? or will I have to install a cretin ROM or Radio to make it work on my existing Bell Plan?
MaritimeGamer said:
Ok, time to think ahead and seeing as I'm getting some good help here
I know about rooting and all that stuff (I rooted my last 2 phone) and I'm sure I'll figure that stuff out later...
but, I have never bought a "Unlocked" phone before dose that mean I can just place my old SIM from my SGS2 (that I will cut down with tin snips :good . in the N7100 and it will just work? or will I have to install a cretin ROM or Radio to make it work on my existing Bell Plan?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes u can just take out your old SIM card from SGS2, just make sure its MicroSim. No need to install any special ROM/Radio
So... I received the phone today from canadagsm.ca and not only is it the wrong model it's the SGH-i317M (I ordered the N7100) and on top of that it's was USED! It still had some ones old SIM in it... So I'm sending it back, there paying for shipping back (we will see if that happens...) And they said they will send me the right phone "IF" they have it. other wise they will give me a refund. I think I should just get a refund ether way I don't trust them at all now, and I would recommend no one buys from them. I see other people in the internet saying they got used phones from them too.
MaritimeGamer said:
So... I received the phone today from canadagsm.ca and not only is it the wrong model it's the SGH-i317M (I ordered the N7100) and on top of that it's was USED! It still had some ones old SIM in it... So I'm sending it back, there paying for shipping back (we will see if that happens...) And they said they will send me the right phone "IF" they have it. other wise they will give me a refund. I think I should just get a refund ether way I don't trust them at all now, and I would recommend no one buys from them. I see other people in the internet saying they got used phones from them too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, sorry i recommend you that site:crying:
Hope, you get it sorted out ASAP.
McLaren__F1 said:
Wow, sorry i recommend you that site:crying:
Hope, you get it sorted out ASAP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not you fault I should have gone with my Gut and not my Heart. My Gut said "This company looks sketchy" and my heart just wanted the phone.
I have now called them 3+ times in the past 9 hours and it is always the same lady on the phone and she always sounds frantic. Like her world is crashing around her (witch it will be if I don't get 100% of my money back..) she keeps saying she will email me a shipping label but it has been over 8 hours and still nothing...
If I had to guess I would bet that this company is actually a Cell Booth in a Mall and they are selling refurbished phones as new ones (and for the same price as new ones!) and are also doing online internet sales too.
Looks like I'll be waiting a lot longer for my phone now then I wanted :crying:
They sent me a return shipping label! Fingers crossed :fingers-crossed: I get my money back. I still don't trust them...
I see Newegg.ca got the N7100 back in, I just ordered one from them. I have ordered many times from Newegg and they have always been good and safe.
If you are in lte area, i317 definitely worth for speed.
But Samsung canada sucks over updates.
Not even multiwindow update has been released.
If you are not in Lte area, N7100 is best option, considering battery life and on time updates.
Note 2 rocks.
Sent from my SGH-I317M Rogers Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Canada xda app-developers app
MaritimeGamer said:
They sent me a return shipping label! Fingers crossed :fingers-crossed: I get my money back. I still don't trust them...
I see Newegg.ca got the N7100 back in, I just ordered one from them. I have ordered many times from Newegg and they have always been good and safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, can't believe they did that to you! Must be agonizing!
And now they sent you a return shipping label - I hope you do get your money back!!!!
Scary
I got my n7100 from expansys.ca and use it on the Virgin Mobile network (Bell). To be honest, I don't care for lte as data plans are so small and I consume over 60gb of data per month on my phone, so the advantages of s faster Internet are hampered by a small bandwidth allowance.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2
I shiped out my Phone on Monday. They received it on Wednesday and Paypal sent me an Email saying there is a Pending Refund from them for the FULL amount! I have to wait till next Friday to make sure I get the money, but it's looking really good so far! Thank goodness, that is a lot of money to be out, the wife would kill me. :crying:
I got my N7100 from Newegg yesterday and it is awesome! Thanks you Newegg for not trying to scamming me!
I cut down my BELL Sim Card with tin-snips and a box cutter, put it in and everything worked! Things are really starting to look up. I also got the update for dual screen witch the Canadian phones don't even have yet.
I never rooted it yet. (no need to where everything worked) but there are some things I don't like, that rooting might change so I might in the not to far future.
I'd like to thanks everyone for there help. I'm sure you'll hear from me soon enough with more questions.
I bought a new Note 2 from an Authorised T-Mobile store for a price which was about 100 dollars less than what most T-mobile stores sell. It came in a non T-mobile box and didn't have t-Mobile branding on the back which I never noticed until I got home. It had the normal sticker on the side of the box with the IMEI, SGH-T889 model number and SKU etc etc. I put my sim in fired it up and went to phone info. It showed T-Moble and showed there was software update which it did. Phone starts up with usual T-mobile startup movie thing and seems to work ok. in my apartment I was only getting edge but out and about it shows LTE and 4G. The edge thing bugged me (my Nexus 4 gets 3G and H in the same place) and I went to a T-Mobile Chat with a rep and they checked the IMEI and guess what... they say ....."Based on our records, the phone is not verified as a T-Mobile phone". WTF!!!!!!
Obviously I'm heading back to the store tomorrow, but anyone know what is going on? Anyone heard of this before. Is it a "gray market" phone if such things exist. The store looks like it is authorised. T-Mobile sign on outside wall and all t-Mobile branding and handsets inside.
Totally new one on me.
Probably the tmobile rom loaded onto a n7100, that's the only thing I can think of. That still doesn't explain the, label "t889" you said...strange
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
salmanaman said:
Probably the tmobile rom loaded onto a n7100, that's the only thing I can think of. That still doesn't explain the, label "t889" you said...strange
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It gets better. the battery doesn't have any Samsung marking on it and when I looked at the label under the battery it does show the little Samsung Logo, gives the FCC ID and says rated 3.8V ------- 1,300mA
I'm not much with electrical stuff but the battery says 3100mAh. does 1,300mA equate to 3100mAh. I guess mA = miliamps and mAh is miliamp hours. My first though was that the label in the phone was misprinted and it should say 3100mA and not 1300mA.
Definitely interesting stuff for me
Can you post some screen shots man?
needabottle said:
It gets better. the battery doesn't have any Samsung marking on it and when I looked at the label under the battery it does show the little Samsung Logo, gives the FCC ID and says rated 3.8V ------- 1,300mA
I'm not much with electrical stuff but the battery says 3100mAh. does 1,300mA equate to 3100mAh. I guess mA = miliamps and mAh is miliamp hours. My first though was that the label in the phone was misprinted and it should say 3100mA and not 1300mA.
Definitely interesting stuff for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats normal. I cant explain it, but based off about 5 legit direct from tmo sght889's, they all said that.
First thing coming to my mind is that someone got a bootleg phone, purchased a real one aswell, said it messed up, and returned the bootleg one to the tmo store. Then somehow they got it to u.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium HD app
You just better hope they let you exchange it. You dont want them to tell you that they cant because its a phony phone and blaming you that you swaped the legit one to that one.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
moabizzi said:
First thing coming to my mind is that someone got a bootleg phone, purchased a real one aswell, said it messed up, and returned the bootleg one to the tmo store. Then somehow they got it to u.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was an official T-Mobile store, they would've checked the phone's IMEI to verify.
If anything, OP said the store looked like it was authorized. Just because they have T-Mobile stickers on the window pane and sell t-mobile phones doesn't make it a T-Mobile phone. They're just a dependent authorized reseller and to be honest, t-mobile has little to no business as to how the operate.
Pictures please so we know what exactly what you are seeing.
Guys thanks for your thoughts. Went back to the store, they basically said "tough doodoos". $70 restocking fee...... We tested the phone and it would get LTE/4G and 1 bar. It was therefore working fine according to them. His note 2 was pulling down some insane speed of over 20 megawoopdeedoos on speedtest. Mine was lucky to connect. If I set the network to 4G/3G/2G it wouldn't get any signal at all. Just a circle with a line through it. Called the T-Mobile tech line. This guy said yes it was a verifiable T-Mobile phone. What.... but your colleague last night said it wasn't............ Seller refused to swop or refund so I left. Went to T-Mobile store. They said it was probably a refurb phone and that basically it was a crapshoot with them and that they couldn't help. They gave me a new sim card in case it was the problem but no change. Phone seems to cycle from no signal to 3 bars on E to 1 bar on LTE/4G to no signal at all just sitting on my desk.
Unfortunately I paid with a debit card. the store wouldn't accept credit cards. The charge is still pending but Chase said they couldn't stop it. However as the phone is defective / suspect, advertised as new but probably a refurb they said to contact claims once the charge has gone through and they will see about reversing it. No idea if that will be successful. So ultimately, I might get a refund. If not I guess I could try Samsung and see if it can be looked at / repaired. I could start flashing Roms and play with it or I could throw it through the shops window :laugh:
I have to say that this has turned out like a twilight zone episode...hmmmm, what's that music...dee,dee,dee dee, dee, dee, dee dee.......
Oh and just for clarification. The area I am in has great coverage. Spent about 30 mins on the chat with a T-mobile guy today trying to troubleshoot the connection problems.
You can try this app out to see if it is a genuine note 2 t889. Otherwise it might just be a modem or rom issue if it is a genuine unless theres broken internal parts.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hotdog.truth
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
That is unreal man. I would be so upset at them not exchanging it, but unfortunately for you it tested out fine.
Crazy how two different reps said two different things.
Feel for you man. Hope you get refunded and things work out.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks. Downloaded it and it says its genuine SGH-T889 which is what the 2nd T-Mobile guys con firmed.
OK, here the question to the knowledgeable guys out there.....
I immediately updated the phone as soon as I got it. Could the update have been bad and shagged the radio or maybe the initial ROM flash have been bad? I guess I could go do a complete restore using Odin and see what happens. Is there anyway of doing it so it doesn't trip the flash counter? I'd hate to end up taking it to Samsung if that's my only option and they say I did the dirty deed and they won't touch it.
e46tuning said:
You can try this app out to see if it is a genuine note 2 t889. Otherwise it might just be a modem or rom issue if it is a genuine unless theres broken internal parts.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hotdog.truth
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could possibly be a bad download.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Im not expert but possibly you could turn off lte and switch apn to old one and try speed test again. It helped me with my slow speeds after update.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
needabottle said:
Guys thanks for your thoughts. Went back to the store, they basically said "tough doodoos". $70 restocking fee...... We tested the phone and it would get LTE/4G and 1 bar. It was therefore working fine according to them. His note 2 was pulling down some insane speed of over 20 megawoopdeedoos on speedtest. Mine was lucky to connect. If I set the network to 4G/3G/2G it wouldn't get any signal at all. Just a circle with a line through it. Called the T-Mobile tech line. This guy said yes it was a verifiable T-Mobile phone. What.... but your colleague last night said it wasn't............ Seller refused to swop or refund so I left. Went to T-Mobile store. They said it was probably a refurb phone and that basically it was a crapshoot with them and that they couldn't help. They gave me a new sim card in case it was the problem but no change. Phone seems to cycle from no signal to 3 bars on E to 1 bar on LTE/4G to no signal at all just sitting on my desk.
Unfortunately I paid with a debit card. the store wouldn't accept credit cards. The charge is still pending but Chase said they couldn't stop it. However as the phone is defective / suspect, advertised as new but probably a refurb they said to contact claims once the charge has gone through and they will see about reversing it. No idea if that will be successful. So ultimately, I might get a refund. If not I guess I could try Samsung and see if it can be looked at / repaired. I could start flashing Roms and play with it or I could throw it through the shops window :laugh:
I have to say that this has turned out like a twilight zone episode...hmmmm, what's that music...dee,dee,dee dee, dee, dee, dee dee.......
Oh and just for clarification. The area I am in has great coverage. Spent about 30 mins on the chat with a T-mobile guy today trying to troubleshoot the connection problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When a retailer doesn't accept credit cards, that should raise a red flag concerning the legitmacy. Debit cards are less secure since it's a direct line to your bank account. Besides that, there isn't any difference between debit and credit, provided they are the same (ie Visa, MasterCard, etc). I almost never use my debit card except to acess an ATM. Even if it was an international version, it shouldn't have issues connecting to T-Mobile's network.
jerm1027 said:
When a retailer doesn't accept credit cards, that should raise a red flag concerning the legitmacy. Debit cards are less secure since it's a direct line to your bank account. Besides that, there isn't any difference between debit and credit, provided they are the same (ie Visa, MasterCard, etc). I almost never use my debit card except to acess an ATM. Even if it was an international version, it shouldn't have issues connecting to T-Mobile's network.
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Yea I feel like a bit of a donkey..... I never even thought about it...I'm a trusting sod....thou art too full of the milk of human kindness .. as lady Macbeth said.... and they looked like genuine T-Mobile extravaganza. Well I guess tomorrow the charge will go through and I'll see if Chase can do something. Believe me it would give me the greatest of pleasure to be able to walk into the shop and plonk the phone on the counter, smile and bid the guy good day
This story. .....Just doesn't add up. ....whether you paid full retail or not you have 14 days or 30 days for a full refund or exchange. ..how you buy a device , then the next day you accept being denied a refund or exchange -_- , and T-Mobile can tell if a device is refurbish or not. ......try again with this story, just doesn't add up
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
This is indeed an odd story...you mentioned you bought the phone from an authorized tmobile dealer so I dont understand why they cant exchange it or provide a refund? ??
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Is this store listed on T_mobile's website?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Individual results may vary. I am not responsible for the device you gain/lose
Believe it or not, you may actually be able to swap your current S3 for the LTE Variant Right Now.
Let me give you some backstory:
I called my salesrep and asked about coming in to swap my HSPA variant S3 for the LTE variant. I simply explained that when I originally switched to TMO from Sprint, I started with the S2 due to money issues, but later swapped to the S3. Upon swapping, I SPECIFICALLY asked about this device getting LTE once the towers launch. He told me yes, whether it's a firmware push or already there, he wasn't quite sure, but assured me I'd get it. The salesrep told me he understands my concern and talked to his manager, I was on hold for about 5 minutes being asked random questions about my device; How long I've been a customer, phone color, etc. When he finally returned, he told me that because I'm out of my 30 day trial period, he cannot swap my device. Even with a restocking fee, he sadly could not bypass the system to do it, otherwise he would right there on the spot.
He told me to try and call TMO customer support and get through to Loyalty. So after thanking him and discussing LTE things, I went on my way.
I got a hold of this woman whom I did not remember to take down her name, but I started off by saying how amazing TMO is compared to Sprint. Customer service, support, coverage, and speed; when she told me she actually came from Sprint herself as a Rep. We joked for a bit about how slow Sprint was at rolling out towers compared to TMO and how pitiful the speeds were, and she tried to discourage me about swapping since there are new phones out there, LTE may not be available in my area, speeds may be minimal, etc. But she did say she'd transfer me anyway if I desired. I said sure, I may not qualify, but couldn't hurt to try. Here's where it gets interesting.
I got pushed through to Loyalty, and spoke to a gentleman named AJ, but the system has him down as Andrew. I again expressed my concerns and issues, and he said he completely understood. He proceeded to tell me that at the time, the salesrep I originally asked about LTE was technically right, at the time. (You all know how reps know little to nothing until a week or two until it's released.... and he confirmed this.) But it turned out it wasn't the case as a separate device was released.
He continued to tell me that He would be glad to send me another device, ALTHOUGH NOT GUARANTEEING it would be the LTE variant, but most likely being the case. He said that there was a 6 day back order at the moment and said once it's available, he'd overnight ship for no extra charge; although there is a chance it might be a Refurb. There was a 5$ fee of swapping or something, but said he'd waive it, and if by chance the device I got wasn't the LTE variant, I might be able to get it waived again and send it back and start over. I had 7 days upon receiving the device to mail either one back or be charged around 500$, I'm assuming the rest of the money I owe on my current device. If I sent either back with water or other damage, be charge about 130$, which I assume is a slightly higher deductible for the protection plan. I was told that upon receiving the device, it would have instructions how to setup and activate, as well as how to ship either device back.
Bottom line, you may be able to have the same happen to you. as I said at the top, results may vary, and I cannot be held responsible for which device you get and/or not backing up data before switching. Give it a try, I got lucky on the first try, maybe it's because I'm a new customer, try what I did and let the rest of us know. Once I get my new device I will of course report back and tell my results.
So basically a warranty exchange. You go to T-Mobile and tell them your "story" and for $5 they send you a refurbished (rarely new) phone and back cover, you send the back your phone and back cover.
So you haven't received the phone yet?
If you do get the LTE version, don't brick it, currently no way to unbrick it.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I rather keep my T-999 version.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Da Kine said:
So basically a warranty exchange. You go to T-Mobile and tell them your "story" and for $5 they send you a refurbished (rarely new) phone and back cover, you send the back your phone and back cover.
So you haven't received the phone yet?
If you do get the LTE version, don't brick it, currently no way to unbrick it.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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How is a warranty exchange? I have no issue with my current device and I'm not paying any deductible. And a T999L Is basically new, refurb'd or not. It's been out what, a little over a month?
Naturesretard said:
How is a warranty exchange? I have no issue with my current device and I'm not paying any deductible. And a T999L Is basically new, refurb'd or not. It's been out what, a little over a month?
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Sorry but this process is called a warranty exchange through Tmobile. Proof. I used to work for their call centers and processed a billion of these. Yes normally its 5$ if you have the insurance and anyone with the insurance gets the overnight shipping waived. . The chances of you getting a brand new t999l are lessthan 90% . proof: they'll send it to you in a white box where it will cone with instructions to return your "defective device" without battery and back cover. They told you that right. The "new device" will not come with a battery and back cover that's why they have you keep that stuff. Not to be rude but this is nothing special. There is a good chance you may get a t999l or just a regular t999 depending in their stock. Rarely do they send brand new units. You may get lucky though and they send you a new one but its rare. Good luck. Basically even if the t999l is new they use devices that people return or can be rwfurb to give back to those using warranty exchange.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Naturesretard said:
How is a warranty exchange? I have no issue with my current device and I'm not paying any deductible. And a T999L Is basically new, refurb'd or not. It's been out what, a little over a month?
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My sister has done it through T-Mobile with her mytouch 4g slide the same way. They sent her the same thing T-Mobile said they would send you, Except she really had problems with her phone and wasnt trying to get a new or better phone out of T-Mobile.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 06:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:07 PM ----------
monkeypaws said:
Sorry but this process is called a warranty exchange through Tmobile. Proof. I used to work for their call centers and processed a billion of these. Yes normally its 5$ if you have the insurance and anyone with the insurance gets the overnight shipping waived. . The chances of you getting a brand new t999l are lessthan 90% . proof: they'll send it to you in a white box where it will cone with instructions to return your "defective device" without battery and back cover. They told you that right. The "new device" will not come with a battery and back cover that's why they have you keep that stuff. Not to be rude but this is nothing special. There is a good chance you may get a t999l or just a regular t999 depending in their stock. Rarely do they send brand new units. You may get lucky though and they send you a new one but its rare. Good luck. Basically even if the t999l is new they use devices that people return or can be rwfurb to give back to those using warranty exchange.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Monkeypaws is correct.
Also, the device you receive will most likely give you more problems than you had with your original S3, T-Mobile will only do so much to a device to mark it as "refurbished". Who knows how many exchanges you'll go through until you are happy with an S3 that is issue free or a t999l with few problems.
Personally, I wouldn't waste the time or money on trying to get the the t999l, when my phone works and looks as it should. But who knows, you might end up being one of those lucky SOBs who get a t999l that is issue free.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Come on guys, just because you get a refurb doesn't mean its gonna give you problems, I have a refurb t999 and I have never had any problems, the only reason I got the refurb was because I messed something up on my previous s3.. OP is just trying to help those that were fooled by tmo employees that guaranteed them their s3 would get lte once it was rolled out.. I don't wanna make a big deal about this, but if lte is up and running in your area I think its definitely worth a try.. If you don't think its worth it then just don't worry about it and carry on
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
serio22 said:
Come on guys, just because you get a refurb doesn't mean its gonna give you problems, I have a refurb t999 and I have never had any problems, the only reason I got the refurb was because I messed something up on my previous s3.. OP is just trying to help those that were fooled by tmo employees that guaranteed them their s3 would get lte once it was rolled out.. I don't wanna make a big deal about this, but if lte is up and running in your area I think its definitely worth a try.. If you don't think its worth it then just don't worry about it and carry on
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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I agree with you. I went through 2 warranty exchanges with my sgs3. All awesome. Also the op was making it seem like this was a trick to get an LTE version when any rep can process this same exchange without going all the way to loyalty. I've also been lucky where loyalty actually sent me a new phone in sealed box but that was a special case where thru screwed up . I've also had it where they were out of stock on a certain color and sent me a new white sgs3 for my black.
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I was unaware this is a common thing. But figures I'd offer my story anyway. Refurb or not, t999L is new, chances of having a serious issue on one is slim right?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Naturesretard said:
I was unaware this is a common thing. But figures I'd offer my story anyway. Refurb or not, t999L is new, chances of having a serious issue on one is slim right?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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If say slim. They do go through testing and making sure its working before they ship out. That is not to say there may be hardware issues that may happen but that is the same chance when buying a new device also. Samsung builds quality devices so I'd say not to worry. Check everything out as soon as you get it since you have seven days to return your older device out. My wife on the other hand went through more than 7 returns of a mytouch4g. Even loyalty couldn't help me there.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Not for nothing but im in nj and i have s3 without lte and my wife have s4 and about a month ago she begin getting lte and i dont see any diff with the speed actually i did a speedtest full bars on both n mine marked 25+mbps and hers 10mbps with her lte... Im happy with my s3 w/o lte , i can get the s4 anytime but s3 is working fine n my speed is great anywhere i go
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
If that's the average she sees when on lte, then something is very wrong. Lte should get an average of 30-40mbps as I'm aware. I've even seen people report over 50.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
DocHoliday77 said:
If that's the average she sees when on lte, then something is very wrong. Lte should get an average of 30-40mbps as I'm aware. I've even seen people report over 50.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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Most I've ever seen from hspa + I've seen is 15mbs on a good day. But that was only once. LTE offers faster upload... That's mainly the big difference besides penetration
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Lte is supposed to be blazing fast! The only place there may not be much difference is when you're comparing to HSPA+42. Its fast but still not as fast as lte.
On hspa I can generally get around 20mbps. But have seen peaks quite a bit higher.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I mostly get 23 down and 24 up with good signal strength on my Note 2. That is in the Seattle-Bellevue market.
I used to get 24 down and 3.5 up on HSPA+ (installing the LTE modem chopped my HSPA download performance down to 15 down typically). Where lte shines in my opinion is latency. Super low compared to HSPA+. My wife's S3 is still smoking fast on hspa, latency just sucks.
Hastily spouted for your befuddlement
I dont really care for the T999L. Im happy with what I have. Here in Dallas, My friend have a AT&T S3 with LTE and he wasnt near as fast as mine.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Just an FYI, T-Mobile is out of S3 refurbs and so is Asurion. If you go through T-Mobile warranty exchange you will get a refurb T999. If you pay your deductible and go through Asurion, because of Asurions contract with you to provide you with a "comparable" device the fact they currently have no refurbs to send out means you will get a new in box S3 LTE - why? Because unlike T-Mobile, Asurion is required to have a low turn around for customers because you are paying the deductible and you've been billed monthly for the privilege.
Here's a tip though - break the phone, call Asurion from a landline or someone else's phone, make the claim, and use an older phone only AFTER you have reported it broken - if you do it beforehand, as soon as the IMEI changes in the system, that phone becomes the covered phone and its a ***** to deal with them in that situation.
Finally, none of this is worth it. The T999L is the same old technology on the at&t version and if you're going to pay the deductible, you might as well upgrade.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
I like that Remnant guy. He's always a glass half empty but usually fully correct.
:beer:
Sent while sleeping in chair.
tower_gilead said:
I like that Remnant guy. He's always a glass half empty but usually fully correct.
:beer:
Sent while sleeping in chair.
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That just made my day lol!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
I'd like LTE cuz it sound so cool but I get 1.3-2 megaBYTES regularly so I really don't see the need for more speed...
Plus after the things my phone has seen... I really wouldn't want to use a refurbished one that someone else used.. I'll be getting the S5 :silly: