Develop Bugs

IMEI Blocking

Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?

LS1_01 said:
Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for missing a bill payment. The phone isn't sold or subsidized by them so they would have no right to block it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

I was wondering the same thing too. If I buy a used international Galaxy S3 i9300 would they block the imei if the previous owner report it stolen a short while after selling it? Also will the phone be block if the insurance is from third party?
These new imei blocking idea seems to create a whole new set of problems (for us consumers at least). The big carriers would probably benefit from sales of new device as people are too afraid to buy devices that can be blacklisted whenever.

whatsitsnamenow said:
I was wondering the same thing too. If I buy a used international Galaxy S3 i9300 would they block the imei if the previous owner report it stolen a short while after selling it? Also will the phone be block if the insurance is from third party?
These new imei blocking idea seems to create a whole new set of problems (for us consumers at least). The big carriers would probably benefit from sales of new device as people are too afraid to buy devices that can be blacklisted whenever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't blame the carriers . Blame criminals who benefit by reselling stolen phones on the used market. The theft of smartphones is huge right now as this is so easy and profits are huge. Anything that can slow this down is worth doing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

whatsitsnamenow said:
I was wondering the same thing too. If I buy a used international Galaxy S3 i9300 would they block the imei if the previous owner report it stolen a short while after selling it? Also will the phone be block if the insurance is from third party?
These new imei blocking idea seems to create a whole new set of problems (for us consumers at least). The big carriers would probably benefit from sales of new device as people are too afraid to buy devices that can be blacklisted whenever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never thought about the insurance aspect but when I called T-Mobile they said that any phone could be blocked if reported stolen including something like a Nexus...but who knows if it ever happens.

Its not about blaming who. I just think this is not very thought out solution. It puts a dent on phones that are actually stolen but does nothing to stop fraud. Example
I buy new Galaxy S3 from Att
I buy insurance for phone
I sell phone for $450 (good imei standing currently) on Craigslist or on Marketplace
One week later I report my phone stolen and pay my $100 deductible
Phone gets blocked and buyer gets screwed.
I receive new Samsung Galaxy S3
Next week I sell my new Galaxy S3 for $450 and start the whole process over again.
In this scenario there is no way to check for IMEI clean or not because at the time of sale the IMEI is clean.
Also CDMA phones are better protected against this scenario as the CDMA phone's ESN is link to the account holder.

whatsitsnamenow said:
Its not about blaming who. I just think this is not very thought out solution. It puts a dent on phones that are actually stolen but does nothing to stop fraud. Example
I buy new Galaxy S3 from Att
I buy insurance for phone
I sell phone for $450 (good imei standing currently) on Craigslist or on Marketplace
One week later I report my phone stolen and pay my $100 deductible
Phone gets blocked and buyer gets screwed.
I receive new Samsung Galaxy S3
Next week I sell my new Galaxy S3 for $450 and start the whole process over again.
In this scenario there is no way to check for IMEI clean or not because at the time of sale the IMEI is clean.
Also CDMA phones are better protected against this scenario as the CDMA phone's ESN is link to the account holder.
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Click to collapse
I bought a G1 from eBay when they were first released (listed as new in box) and it was blocked after a month.
It took me 4 months to get my money back from the seller and I only succeeded because I got the police involved. Personally I just wouldn't buy a phone again from a private seller.
In the UK at least there is no process to appeal an IMEI block.
That said, I still think its a good way of reducing phone theft - they just really need some kind of escrow / transfer service for IMEIs

Blacklisting a Phone that's not lost or stolen
LS1_01 said:
Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.

akr884 said:
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.
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Click to collapse
This is unacceptable and illegal.
You should ask them to show proof of documentation......
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

akr884 said:
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure the phone is unlocked? Were you using a Straight Talk AT&T Compatible SIM or a Straight Talk T-Mobile Compatible SIM? If the AT&T one that will work on all AT&T phones even if it is not unlocked but if you put a ST T-Mobile SIM into an AT&T phone like AT&T's version of the HTC One X then it needs to be unlocked...

LS1_01 said:
Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I highly doubt T-mobile/ATT would block it because it's not sold, or covered by them.

Imei blocking
My phone was stolen 2 days ago, i then called att and have them block the imei but i would like to know if the phone still can be unlocked to work on another network abroad lets say in the Caribbean??? the phone in question is the samsung s 3 i747........please can someone verify if it is possible to work on a foreign network even though att has blacklisted the imei????

Fedz7 said:
My phone was stolen 2 days ago, i then called att and have them block the imei but i would like to know if the phone still can be unlocked to work on another network abroad lets say in the Caribbean??? the phone in question is the samsung s 3 i747........please can someone verify if it is possible to work on a foreign network even though att has blacklisted the imei????
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Click to collapse
Funny story.
I bought my gf an unlocked iPhone 3GS from gamestop as a refurbished unit a few months ago. Traded some games and got a good discount. Anyway I tried to unlock it through AT&T and was told it had a stolen IMEI.... although she was using it for like 6 months.
I called Gamestop corporate and they issued me a full refund of $185, after 6 months of use. I only spent like $60 on it after one of their 20-30-40-50% trade in bonus and 10% gamers club.
So you can use stolen IMEI phones on the carrier but probably not with new service. She used her existing service. Had she tried to activate it in a store it woulda been different. The phone still worked... they just wouldn't unlock it.
I turned around and bought a 4S from a buddy for $150 and profit!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

player911 said:
Funny story.
I bought my gf an unlocked iPhone 3GS from gamestop as a refurbished unit a few months ago. Traded some games and got a good discount. Anyway I tried to unlock it through AT&T and was told it had a stolen IMEI.... although she was using it for like 6 months.
I called Gamestop corporate and they issued me a full refund of $185, 6 months later. I only spent like $60 on it after one of their 20-30-40-50% trade in bonus and 10% gamers club.
So you can use stolen IMEI phones on the carrier but probably not with new service. She used her existing service. Had she tried to activate it in a store it woulda been different. The phone still worked... they just wouldn't unlock it.
I turned around and bought a 4S from a buddy for $150 and profit!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
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Click to collapse
Ok thanks for that bit of info...

Fedz7 said:
Ok thanks for that bit of info...
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Click to collapse
I would be very upset if I spent a few hundred on a phone and had it shut down or repossessed.
I've had my Nexus 7 stolen out of my car recently so it goes both ways. The only people getting hurt are the good guys who actually purchase things.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

Fedz7 said:
My phone was stolen 2 days ago, i then called att and have them block the imei but i would like to know if the phone still can be unlocked to work on another network abroad lets say in the Caribbean??? the phone in question is the samsung s 3 i747........please can someone verify if it is possible to work on a foreign network even though att has blacklisted the imei????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone who lives in the Caribbean and works at a cell phone repair shop. I can say yes it will work over here but extremely limited. I live in Puerto Rico, technically we're US but you'd be surprised what flies around here. We have all the major carriers except for Verizon, and if att blacklisted your imei then it won't work on att or any of their prepaid companies who run on the same network (net10, straight talk, tracfone) but it will work on another carrier such as tmobile or a company we have over here called claro. A lot of people over here go crazy for iphones and when they buy a used one they're almost always stolen, then when they try and take it to our shop cause its not working or cause they want to unlock it, they're hit with a blacklist. Most of these people switch to claro, its not an American based company and they're aren't blacklisting phones. And then they end up with a perfectly good working stolen phone having effectively found a way around the original blacklist.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

oby2 said:
As someone who lives in the Caribbean and works at a cell phone repair shop. I can say yes it will work over here but extremely limited. I live in Puerto Rico, technically we're US but you'd be surprised what flies around here. We have all the major carriers except for Verizon, and if att blacklisted your imei then it won't work on att or any of their prepaid companies who run on the same network (net10, straight talk, tracfone) but it will work on another carrier such as tmobile or a company we have over here called claro. A lot of people over here go crazy for iphones and when they buy a used one they're almost always stolen, then when they try and take it to our shop cause its not working or cause they want to unlock it, they're hit with a blacklist. Most of these people switch to claro, its not an American based company and they're aren't blacklisting phones. And then they end up with a perfectly good working stolen phone having effectively found a way around the original blacklist.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can it be unlocked outside the US via imei unlock code even though its blacklisted?

akr884 said:
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the htc one x att ? if so your phone does not have to be unlocked cuz st8 talk is att. Did you use a sim from an origanal st8 talk phone? some work but eventualy get kicked off the network.

[Q] Lesson learned when buying on craigslist

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

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

KillaHurtz said:
Yeah, best thing is to call the carrier before purchase, or better yet have them meet you at a tmo store. Sorry ya lost out dude.
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!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

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

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

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

tbukkos said:
Sorry to hear that :/ Would it work on simple mobile if it's black listed on T-mobile? You could also try to unlock it and sell it to someone who uses AT&T...
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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.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

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

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

Any other ATT users getting the Tmobile one? Also what's the chance of unlocking?

Any other AT&T users who feel burned by the Note 3 Root fiasco going with a full price Tmobile Note 4 to use on AT&T? I know first question is why not switch to Tmobile, well in my area they don't have good coverage so it's not an option. I plan on signing up for their $40 plan, paying full price for the phone, trading in my old iPhone 4 for $50 and getting the remainder $150 rebate from Samsung then shutting off Tmobile service as soon as I get home.
The only issue with my plan is Tmobile requires 40 days of service before they unlock your phone. Anyone care to guess how long it will take an aftermarket company to have the ability to unlock the Tmobile Note 4 for a fee?

I am in the same boat. I will keep my T plan and just want to purchase the full price TMOB phone. I was unaware I needed to start service with TMOB to buy one. Perhaps my sister who is a TMOB customer will buy it for me. I am not sure the LTE frequencies are the same for TMOB and T. I see some threads that say for the Note that it will work but I am note sure if that is for 3G or LTE. I require LTE or I'll just look at other phones. I am still on a subsidized phone plan so I may just pre-order the T locked crapola phone and sell it discounted to recoupe the part of TMOB phone cost. But I too am looking for confirmation that the TMOB boot loader will be unlocked.
This locked boot loader is a bunch of BS!

Same here. I want to confirm it will be rootable.
I also didn't realize you have to go onto their plan to purchase. I'd think if paying full price it wouldn't be a requirement.
I'll be watching. I'm anxious, but need to be patient.

Well I'm not 100% sure you have to sign up for a plan, I'm just not sure how much resistance or BS you will encounter if you just walk in and say you want a full price phone without getting a plan, IE: without making the rep any money. Maybe it's possible to just buy it outright on the website, I think there is also an option to trade in your phone then because you need to prove a trade in to get the $200 Samsung rebate.
I think the issue is to get it unlocked you have to have it on a Tmobile plan for 40 days. So it's going to have to be an unlocking service that is aftermarket. Do these aftermarket unlocking service typically have access to unlock codes immediately when a new phone is released?

Att user here i will be getting the tmob.. as its official that att and verizon Will not sell devices with unlocked bootladers anymore..
So tmob here i come.. shouldnt take long for xda to come up with an unlock....
Sent from my Flashvetrin using Tapatalk

Funny ATT and VZW is not afraid to give more business to Tmo. Thats interesting and good for Tmo.

I plan on buying the t-mobile note 4 at full retail price than paying like 10 or less to unlock it from an online site. I then have a note 4 at a lower price than att outright and hopefully a modable phone

Last year I initially bought the Note 3 on ATT and then later bought the t mobile version off of ebay for full retail unlocked. Then returned my ATT version to best buy.
I tried to buy the t mobile version directly from T mobile, but they would not sell to me without my getting a plan. It was going to cost me quite a bit extra to do it that way so I just went to ebay. Swappa may be another option.

drmacrofish said:
Last year I initially bought the Note 3 on ATT and then later bought the t mobile version off of ebay for full retail unlocked. Then returned my ATT version to best buy.
I tried to buy the t mobile version directly from T mobile, but they would not sell to me without my getting a plan. It was going to cost me quite a bit extra to do it that way so I just went to ebay. Swappa may be another option.
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Best buy looks like the best option if they have the Tmobile version next week. They are giving a $200 gift card for any traded in phone, which is as good as the Samsung rebate if you like to spend money at BB. You can also just order it full price on the internet no questions asked, no pushy reps.
What do you guys think of warranty issues though? With a ATT phone I'd just go to the ATT warranty center. Since I won't have a Tmobile account I don't think Tmobile will help me with warranty issues. I guess I'm stuck with Samsung for warranty issues. Will a Samsung kiosk take the phone and replace it or send it in, or do I have to deal with Samsung directly?

spinedoc said:
Best buy looks like the best option if they have the Tmobile version next week. They are giving a $200 gift card for any traded in phone, which is as good as the Samsung rebate if you like to spend money at BB. You can also just order it full price on the internet no questions asked, no pushy reps.
What do you guys think of warranty issues though? With a ATT phone I'd just go to the ATT warranty center. Since I won't have a Tmobile account I don't think Tmobile will help me with warranty issues. I guess I'm stuck with Samsung for warranty issues. Will a Samsung kiosk take the phone and replace it or send it in, or do I have to deal with Samsung directly?
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Best Buy doesn't carry T-Mobile phones or plans other than the prepaid stuff. That's why T-Mobile is excluded from the Best Buy promotion. Amazon also doesn't carry T-Mobile phones/plans other than the prepaid stuff.
You'll need to send it in.

Bleh, I guess I'm stuck with Tmobile and faking their cheapest plan then cancelling when I get home. Oh well, at least I can trade my old iPhone in for the Samsung promo. $549 is not a bad deal for the N4 at all.

Can anyone who has bought a TMOB phone please verify they actually get LTE service on T? Looking at the LTE bands, it appears T verse TMOB used different bands in the same frequency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks

Flame Red said:
Can anyone who has bought a TMOB phone please verify they actually get LTE service on T? Looking at the LTE bands, it appears T verse TMOB used different bands in the same frequency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks
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Yup, many people get ATT LTE with tmobile phones. Here is a very large thread in the note 3 section on everything you need to know.

See my signature.
I'll never buy another AT&T phone as long as they keep locking the bootloader and going out of their way to prevent root.
T-Mobile S5 got root (and recovery option) the first week it was released. First day maybe even?
AT&T S5 didn't get root until what, seven freaking weeks after release?
This year though, I'm seriously considering just leaving AT&T all together and going with both TMO phone AND plan.
Their coverage in my area is actually better than ATT in some places.
I'm not in a rush to leave my Note 3 behind though.
I'm running an AOSP/CM/Slim based ROM that is absolutely rock solid stable, fast and great battery life and has tons of customization options.
It would be several months before the Note 4 gets a really good AOSP ROM.

A relative of mine has a TMOB plan and I asked them to pre-order the phone for me. They said that TMOB requires you to have a the "jump" plan which they did not use so they would not let them pre-order it.
I assume someone on Flea-Bay will sell unlocked TMOB Note 4 eventually. I guess I'll just have to wait for those to show up. Unless there will eventually is another source without a plan?
Or are all of you preordering them here and then will just cancel the service after you receive it and pay the balance?

Flame Red said:
A relative of mine has a TMOB plan and I asked them to pre-order the phone for me. They said that TMOB requires you to have a the "jump" plan which they did not use so they would not let them pre-order it.
I assume someone on Flea-Bay will sell unlocked TMOB Note 4 eventually. I guess I'll just have to wait for those to show up. Unless there will eventually is another source without a plan?
Or are all of you preordering them here and then will just cancel the service after you receive it and pay the balance?
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Yeah I'm just grabbing it off the website, I'm assuming my plan won't start until I actually activate the phone. As soon as I get the phone delivered I'll cancel the plan and hopefully they don't charge me the first month. Only 2 things I'm not sure of are:
1) They are charging me a $50 deposit versus the first months service, will I get this back? It also says within 12 months!?!? Still I'm ok with it as it's cheaper than the ATT one.
2) What happens to the $22 credit they are giving me for my old phone trade in? I won't have a bill to apply it to, will this get lost?

I have the tmobile note 3 and the at&t note 3,I have at&t service as tmobile service sucks were I am.I bought the tmobile note 3 last year from tmobile full price from store got the cheapest plan then shut it off the next day.I got it unlocked when I got home for 15 bucks from unlock service out of the play store in about an hour.I will never buy a At&t phone again unless the bootloader is unlocked.It took forever just to get root access on the at&t model thats why I bought the tmobile note 3.I can live without the roms but not root.I can assure you I get the same at%t service on my tmobile note 3 as the at&t note 3 including lte on the tmobile note 3.I will be picking up the tmobile note 4 .I want the note edge but there no release date yet so the note 4 will do until I can get the note edge,which will also be picking up the tmobile model using it with at&t service.

Flame Red said:
A relative of mine has a TMOB plan and I asked them to pre-order the phone for me. They said that TMOB requires you to have a the "jump" plan which they did not use so they would not let them pre-order it.
I assume someone on Flea-Bay will sell unlocked TMOB Note 4 eventually. I guess I'll just have to wait for those to show up. Unless there will eventually is another source without a plan?
Or are all of you preordering them here and then will just cancel the service after you receive it and pay the balance?
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Click to collapse
That's what I'll be doing.
I've been reading through the Note 3 TMobile-->AT&T thread and am hoping I don't screw up AT&T LTE service if they have my IMEI. (Or lose my grandfathered unlimited plan)
However, I probably just don't fully understand the process yet.

groovadelickun said:
That's what I'll be doing.
I've been reading through the Note 3 TMobile-->AT&T thread and am hoping I don't screw up AT&T LTE service if they have my IMEI. (Or lose my grandfathered unlimited plan)
However, I probably just don't fully understand the process yet.
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I have the grandfathered unlimited plan also, been using the tmobile note 3 on at&t and I haven't lost my lte or unlimited plan for about a year now.

gubbilo144 said:
I have the tmobile note 3 and the at&t note 3,I have at&t service as tmobile service sucks were I am.I bought the tmobile note 3 last year from tmobile full price from store got the cheapest plan then shut it off the next day.I got it unlocked when I got home for 15 bucks from unlock service out of the play store in about an hour.I will never buy a At&t phone again unless the bootloader is unlocked.It took forever just to get root access on the at&t model thats why I bought the tmobile note 3.I can live without the roms but not root.I can assure you I get the same at%t service on my tmobile note 3 as the at&t note 3 including lte on the tmobile note 3.I will be picking up the tmobile note 4 .I want the note edge but there no release date yet so the note 4 will do until I can get the note edge,which will also be picking up the tmobile model using it with at&t service.
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I am not sure how big a PITA it will be to cancel TMOB service the day I receive the phone. Will they hit me with charges other than the cost of the phone and the $10 for the SIM?
It does not sound like the day I receive it I could just stick in my T SIM and go since it comes locked (I assume). Folks with Note 3 experience, please chime in if I am wrong.
Plus, I assume the phone will be locked to TMOB. I was reading that they will unlock it after 45 days, but I wonder if you cancel the service if that is true. I guess someone will offer an unlock service for a nominal amount eventually.
Cancellation and Returns. Service Cancellation: You can cancel a new line of Service, and if applicable, not pay an Early Termination Fee, if you cancel WITHIN 14 DAYS of activating that new line of Service (some states may differ – ask your sales representative) (“Cancellation Period”). You remain responsible for all Charges incurred through the date of cancellation. To cancel Service during the Cancellation Period, you may be required to go to the place where you activated Service and return any T-Mobile Device you acquired at the time of activation. You must return your T-Mobile Device in its package with all original contents, undamaged and in good working condition with no material alterations to the Device’s hardware or software. If you do not return your T-Mobile Device or if you return your T-Mobile Device in a damaged, altered or destroyed condition, we may take one or more of the following actions: (a) prevent your T-Mobile Device from working on any network; (b) charge you the Early Termination Fee(if your line of Service is subject to an early termination fee); (c) elect not to process your Service cancellation; or (d) charge you the suggested retail price or the cost to repair a damaged, destroyed, or non-returned T-Mobile Device, (which may be greater than the price you paid), plus any shipping and handling charges. Device Refunds and Restocking Fees: For T-Mobile Device and accessory returns and exchanges, see the applicable return policy, which is available at your place of purchase. Some T-Mobile Devices and accessories may not be refunded or exchanged, and you may be required to pay a restocking fee.
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I am wondering if it just might be less hassle to wait a few days after the phone ship and buy it from Flea-Bay or Swappa or such, where the phone may come unlocked (to TMOB carrier) out of the box?

Iemi confusion

This may not be the best place to post this. If not, I apologize and will delete if necessary. Here's my dilemma. About a year and a half ago, I purchased an ATT note 3 and sold it in order to buy a tmobile note 3 to be used on att. I've now cancelled my att service while still under contract and my tmobile note 3 appears to be blacklisted. I have every intention of paying my etf, but am just curious why the tmobile note was bkacklisted. Isn't the iemi tied to the phone, not the line? will the phone/line be unblacklisted automatically once I pay the etf? Also, does the att note I sold a year and a half ago now also have a bad iemi?

It just occurred to me that the most likely explanation for this is that the tmobile note is blacklisted because of whomever I bought the phone from not paying his bill/paying off the phone. If you have a blacklisted phone on one provider, that doesn't mean it will be blacklisted on all providers, right?

nosaj13 said:
It just occurred to me that the most likely explanation for this is that the tmobile note is blacklisted because of whomever I bought the phone from not paying his bill/paying off the phone. If you have a blacklisted phone on one provider, that doesn't mean it will be blacklisted on all providers, right?
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It is blacklisted on most providers, major providers. You maybe able to use blacklisted phones on some small providers such as Net10. Check the thread for blacklisted phone in this section for more information.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2605960
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium App

verizon bad esn

I see some Verizon bad esn phones on ebay. would those still work on Tmobile since they are unlocked?

no. All bad ESN phones are linked to not work in the US and probably Canada these days. Back in the day this was not the case and that was possible, but not anymore.
Also on ebay those sales get flagged and removed because those phones are either lost or stolen

Eventually bad ESN devices get flagged and stop working, YMMV At most those are good for replacement parts. Or use outside of their current market.

you guys sure about that?
back in the day, each carrier maintained their own lists. then a few years ago, AT&T and T-Mobile started sharing their lists as fellow gsm carriers. but verizon was always separate, at least as of a year ago

Now a days bad esn is bad across all carriers in the US. Bad esn may still be usable in SE countries overseas
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

In my experiences the last couple weeks, with a verizon note 5 AND a verizon galaxy s7, the people came in to my shop using att with them and they were blacklisted from verizon. I put my sim in them to test functionality thinking the same thing that everyone shares blacklists. It toasted my verizon sim, and I had to go the store to get a new one. They of course didn't mention they were blacklisted from Verizon.