Related
I've heard the rumors... T-Mo's customer service is legendary. They're the best in the game. Everyone says so!!
Rewind: October 2007. I was a Sprint customer. After 3 years of hell with Nextel, no service in Rhode Island, replacement phones, billing errors, and long wait times, I became an ex-Spring customer when I threatened to leave Sprint for T-mobile, and the customer service SUPERVISOR said to me "You do what you have to do..." *click* and hung up on me. So I did just that... I walked into a t-mobile store and bought a wing.
Fast-forward: Today. It's now 6 months later. I've had 3 warranty replacements on the Wing, then (because I was fed up with the wing) I asked for an alternate model. They told me the only other "multiple exchange" model was the Dash. So they sent me a dash (which I can't figure out because it's cheaper). That was 3 weeks ago. Today, I noticed a bunch of white lines on my screen (see my other post for a screen shot).
I just got off the phone with T-mobile. They confirmed that this is a problem with the Dash, and the brackets holding the screen apparently break for no reason at all, causing this problem. It can happen for any or no reason at all. Well, the wing might be slow and lock up and reboot itself when it wants (though I fault t-mobile's ****ty software for that) but at least it kept it's screen in tact.
So I told them I wanted a wing back. They refused, because I did not qualify for the multiple exchange, since it was only my first dash. I told them I needed a phone that DIDN'T lose it's screen at random, so I wanted the Wing back (which is what I originally paid $300 for) and they said no, because that only applies if I had 2 or more defective dash's. What the hell is wrong with this company!?!? They can't send me a Blackberry Curve (even though it's the EXACT same price as the Wing), they can't send me ANYTHING, not even a basic phone. They said if I wanted the wing now, it would cost me $400!!!
Now, looking back at Sprint, with their new CEO (who has vowed to clean up customer service) and their newest plan (simply everything), and the coolest phone I've ever seen (the Sprint "Touch") I think I'm going to pay the early termination $200 fee and switch back to sprint when I get my $600.00 economic stimulus check from the government in May, and I told the t-mobile guy that too. He said "Well, sorry to hear that, but there's nothing we can do for you..." <-- What the hell is that??? What happened to customer service? I left Sprint because they sucked, and now they're getting better and T-Mobile sucks.
Looks like I picked a bad time to leave Sprint and an even worse time to join T-Mobile.
WARNING TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT SWITCHING TO T-MOBILE OR BUYING A PDA FROM T-MOBILE: DON'T do it!!! If it's a bad model, you'll be stuck with it!!
I am SICK of getting new phones every month in the mail. It takes me about 6 hours to get my phone looking & acting the way it should. I have to flash the ROM, copy pim.vol, change the theme, remove the stupid "callstart.wav" file, hack the **** out of the registry, and set up email, internet connections, and everything else. I've wasted countless days of my life doing this.
I've reached the end of my tether. I hope a perspective T-mobile customer reads this and it helps them decide to NOT go to T-mobile. Likewise, I hope a higher-up at T-mobile reads this and gets the message.
LMFAO Dude grow up.
SpringfieldXD45C said:
I've heard the rumors... T-Mo's customer service is legendary. They're the best in the game. Everyone says so!!
Rewind: October 2007. I was a Sprint customer. After 3 years of hell with Nextel, no service in Rhode Island, replacement phones, billing errors, and long wait times, I became an ex-Spring customer when I threatened to leave Sprint for T-mobile, and the customer service SUPERVISOR said to me "You do what you have to do..." *click* and hung up on me. So I did just that... I walked into a t-mobile store and bought a wing.
Fast-forward: Today. It's now 6 months later. I've had 3 warranty replacements on the Wing, then (because I was fed up with the wing) I asked for an alternate model. They told me the only other "multiple exchange" model was the Dash. So they sent me a dash (which I can't figure out because it's cheaper). That was 3 weeks ago. Today, I noticed a bunch of white lines on my screen (see my other post for a screen shot).
I just got off the phone with T-mobile. They confirmed that this is a problem with the Dash, and the brackets holding the screen apparently break for no reason at all, causing this problem. It can happen for any or no reason at all. Well, the wing might be slow and lock up and reboot itself when it wants (though I fault t-mobile's ****ty software for that) but at least it kept it's screen in tact.
So I told them I wanted a wing back. They refused, because I did not qualify for the multiple exchange, since it was only my first dash. I told them I needed a phone that DIDN'T lose it's screen at random, so I wanted the Wing back (which is what I originally paid $300 for) and they said no, because that only applies if I had 2 or more defective dash's. What the hell is wrong with this company!?!? They can't send me a Blackberry Curve (even though it's the EXACT same price as the Wing), they can't send me ANYTHING, not even a basic phone. They said if I wanted the wing now, it would cost me $400!!!
Now, looking back at Sprint, with their new CEO (who has vowed to clean up customer service) and their newest plan (simply everything), and the coolest phone I've ever seen (the Sprint "Touch") I think I'm going to pay the early termination $200 fee and switch back to sprint when I get my $600.00 economic stimulus check from the government in May, and I told the t-mobile guy that too. He said "Well, sorry to hear that, but there's nothing we can do for you..." <-- What the hell is that??? What happened to customer service? I left Sprint because they sucked, and now they're getting better and T-Mobile sucks.
Looks like I picked a bad time to leave Sprint and an even worse time to join T-Mobile.
WARNING TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT SWITCHING TO T-MOBILE OR BUYING A PDA FROM T-MOBILE: DON'T do it!!! If it's a bad model, you'll be stuck with it!!
I am SICK of getting new phones every month in the mail. It takes me about 6 hours to get my phone looking & acting the way it should. I have to flash the ROM, copy pim.vol, change the theme, remove the stupid "callstart.wav" file, hack the **** out of the registry, and set up email, internet connections, and everything else. I've wasted countless days of my life doing this.
I've reached the end of my tether. I hope a perspective T-mobile customer reads this and it helps them decide to NOT go to T-mobile. Likewise, I hope a higher-up at T-mobile reads this and gets the message.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today! I for one would never EVER go to sprint. I don't care how much 3g or EV-DO they have...I used to be work for sprints technical support desk and i absolutely hated it! all they cared was for you to get off the phone as quickly as you could try to sell some add-on crap that you didnt need... retrigger the IOTA (internet over the air refresh) and get off the phone ASAP! and the reson why the tech do this is they dont get a bonus if they dont have an average call time under 7 minutes! i went to work for them thinking it was a technical job and all it was , was a front for over the phone sales! i was only there for 8 months and i hit the door as soon as the opportunity arose.
Maybe its you, not the phones. Ever think about that.
T-Mobile is not here to exchange any phone "YOU" decide to mod, drop, throw, dunk,etc.
They have a limit on how many, per customer, can get an exchange.
There is a thing called insurance you can buy from them, for this specific reason.
Pay up to keep getting a new phone every 4-6 months.
And see, I am the exact opposite of what the first poster said, I am a current SunCom Wireless customer, who was just bought out by T-Mobile, and I have had nothing but good things from TM's customer service. I called them about getting a Wing, and if they would provide me with a TM SIM card that would work with my SunCom plan....which wont work of course, so instead they say-"Hold on one moment and let me look at your account...(so I give em my account number, a SUNCOM account number mind you)and the dude comes back and says, well with your anytime rewards(basically 5USD off of a new phone that yoy get for every month you stay with SunCom), you can get a Wing for 249.99, and we will go ahead and SIM unlock it for you before we ship it, so that you can use it with SunCom. Then when SunCom and TM become one company, we will send you a TM SIM card(because thats what they are doing with everybody) and you will still be able to use your SunCom services and current billing prices." So of course I say hell yeah, and give the guy my debit card number, and he comes back and says, "Oh, and you also qualify for free next day air!" so hell yeah, I do LOVE TMs customer service already, and im not even one of their customers yet! BTW, teh Wing=AWESOME!
I sort of had a similar experience.
I had a Shadow, and did not like it, I really wanted the Dash to begin with..
I called and asked to send the Shadow back, and that was fine, but they wanted me to pay $200 upfront.
After thinking about it, I said no.
Called back asked for a supervisor, who immediately called the proper department, got my phone sent out FREE, gave me the rebate instantly, and also sent me a free bluetooth headset.
I have no problem with T-mobile, but if you do, call back and ask for a supervisor.
I LUV me dash and I think that Tmobile is probably the best mobile phone company. Hell they didn't ever try to sell up, but they did help me downgrade my plan with courtesy and respect and no additional months on my contract.
As to your problems with the Dash, I am sorry I would still get another. Even great products have some problems with them. I have had my Dash for over a year and couldn't possibly be more pleased. I keep it in a case and it is in pristine condition. My contract is over and I really would like a 3g device but there isn't anything I would like more than the dash out there. Especially with google's web page compression and the opera mini.
I work at IT at a hospital and most...no every smartphone has KNOWN problems with them. Please don't ask about getting a TREO..... You won't see known issues broadcast anywhere unless you are an major enterprise client. Cellular companies don't usually ever mention problems to nickel and dime clients.
My sister has major problems keeping a working cellphone for more than 4 months since they stopped making them large plasic bricks in the 90's. She has had her Dash for over a year as well. It has a large crack in the screen (no actual harm just a large crack). Various large gashes and the power button has to be pushed extra hard but it's still workin! So if you ask me it is a brick.
Tmobile is different. They only have edge no 3g at all that is a dealbreaker with enterprise clients. They only have nickel and dime clients. I think in general Tmobile have to be nice to their personal clients and they are. Just don't put a pink logo on your website!
Allright... for those of you telling me to "Grow up" and "Maybe it's not T-mobile, it's you" First of all, I'd like to remind you that I'm at least being polite to you. See, I reply to topics to give USEFUL information, not scathing remarks. That makes for somethign we like to call "a pleasant atmosphere". Perhaps you've never heard of that before. So how about YOU grow up? Thanks
I'd also like to point out that "I" am hardly the reason for the following WING issues:
Phone #1: Random reboots, battery lasted for 2 hours max, touch screen would stop working, and only come back after a reboot.
Phone #2: Extremely slow (timed: 34 seconds for the start menu to appear after pushing the start button.. OUT OF THE BOX), random reboots.
Phone #3: Internet would not work at all. On the phone with PDA Tech support who walked me through everything he wanted me to do, then finally HE suggested replacing the phone.
Phone #4: Would not power on at all.
Phone #5: The dash: Everything is working fine. Today, while sitting on my desk (e.g. not being dropped, submersed, etc.) a bunch of white lines appear on my screen. A member of this board said he had the same problem, and even T-Mobile said it was a known issue...
I'm sorry, but please explain to me HOW that is "me" and not t-mobile!??! You've obviously proven to me what great intelligence you have by demonstrating your innate, Jedi-like ability to sit at a keyboard and say "Dude, grow up" and "Maybe it's you not t-mobile" So please explain, Captain SDA... I eagerly await your solution to "my" problems with these "perfect" phones.
My mom once told me "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". Clearly your moms never told you that, Perhaps you should ask YOUR mom for that same advice. Judging by your superior online personalities, that shouldn't be too hard: Just leave your basement and walk upstairs. I'm sorry you don't understand the value of a dollar, and the fact that I have now spent $300 on a phone that doesn't work, and I religiously pay my bill for a service I can barely use. I'm sorry that upsets me. You're right, I shouldn't complain about that.
*** sigh ***
For the rest of you: Thanks for the advice about going back to sprint. The only reason I'm even thinking about it right now is because of all the good things I heard about the new CEO and the changes he's making, and I'm excited about the Samsung Instinct as well as the Sprint HTC Touch, which I personally got to use and it was lightning fast!!
My point was that T-Mobiles history with you as their customer.
When i read the story, i thought, this guy has no luck with phones. Do you honestly think T-Mobile will start giving away replacements to a person that has a history of mishaps? Look at it from their point of view also.
The thing is these days, people think everything is about themselves.
Sorry if you hate my replies. I tell things the way I see them. I don't sugar coat anything.
If you had said THAT instead of "Dude grow up" at first, it would've been a little nicer, don't you think?? Do you think I don't have enough on my plate already, after bleeding out all kinds of money for a damn phone & service that I can't even use, without having to put up with wisecrack remarks??
Yes, I DO expect T-Mobile to stand behind their products.
I respect the hell out of calling shots as you see them, but I question HOW they're seen. Throw me a bone, will you??
SpringfieldXD45C said:
If you had said THAT instead of "Dude grow up" at first, it would've been a little nicer, don't you think?? Do you think I don't have enough on my plate already, after bleeding out all kinds of money for a damn phone & service that I can't even use, without having to put up with wisecrack remarks??
Yes, I DO expect T-Mobile to stand behind their products.
I respect the hell out of calling shots as you see them, but I question HOW they're seen. Throw me a bone, will you??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*tosses a bone in the air *
Kidding
SPRINT!!!
you know even if i had 10 phones break on me, through running normal software or even modified i would like the company to replace, even if it was my fault... thats what u pay insurance for and thats what makes great customer service. Think about it... how many people know more about the phones then someone that modifies them? not your average user, i referred about 15 people just because sprint is so good with me breaking my phone anyway i did( twice but w/e), not just a new phone but every little thing(a new box, battery, phone, 2x stylus, etc...). no need to grow up its a normal thing to worm someone about a HORRIBLE service provider, i've had sprint for a couple months no complaints, well maybe my bill once but i just shot them an email about my bill being $300, next day they gave me an extra $500. if u switch to sprint get the sero account and you may want to do it fast because no one knows how much longer that type of plan is going to be available....
atomiix said:
you know even if i had 10 phones break on me, through running normal software or even modified i would like the company to replace, even if it was my fault... thats what u pay insurance for and thats what makes great customer service. Think about it... how many people know more about the phones then someone that modifies them? not your average user, i referred about 15 people just because sprint is so good with me breaking my phone anyway i did( twice but w/e), not just a new phone but every little thing(a new box, battery, phone, 2x stylus, etc...). no need to grow up its a normal thing to worm someone about a HORRIBLE service provider, i've had sprint for a couple months no complaints, well maybe my bill once but i just shot them an email about my bill being $300, next day they gave me an extra $500. if u switch to sprint get the sero account and you may want to do it fast because no one knows how much longer that type of plan is going to be available....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea but the key element of your situation that makes it different from the person that made this thread is that you have INSURANCE! things are a whole heckofalot different when you have insurance. When you don't, you stand a chance at ending up like this poor guy! The only thing about insurance i absolutely despise is you always get a reburb.
I have to disagree...If i had a company and sold you a phone. If you modify the rom in any way, warranty is void.
I think even with insurance it gets voided. (I may be wrong)
Mikey1022 said:
I have to disagree...If i had a company and sold you a phone. If you modify the rom in any way, warranty is void.
I think even with insurance it gets voided. (I may be wrong)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No because most insurance plans cover damage ... which cover both physical and software.firmware damage.....
pudgedaddy said:
No because most insurance plans cover damage ... which cover both physical and software.firmware damage.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
original and modified firmware?
Mikey1022 said:
original and modified firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! Heck even if it didnt and the insurance covered only physical damage. I'd beat the heck out of the phone so it wouldnt turn on to find out which firmware or ROM was installed. I mean if you think about it , the phone companies make a buttload of money gettin $5 ( or more) a month for monthly insurance charges,,,, then the customer still has to fork out a deductible when they use the insurance. So trust me, I'd love to offer insurance. Lastly most insurance policies limit the nunber of exchanges to 2 or 3 per year. so it would insure that they couldn't abuse the insurance plan
it sucks about the issues you are experiencing, but do you think this is the right forum (no pun intended) for this issue? in my opinion, you will have better luck discussing this issue with mid - senior level management at T-Mobile USA; not with a bunch of people looking to modify their mobile devices.
johnnylavah said:
it sucks about the issues you are experiencing, but do you think this is the right forum (no pun intended) for this issue? in my opinion, you will have better luck discussing this issue with mid - senior level management at T-Mobile USA; not with a bunch of people looking to modify their mobile devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. The mods should close this thread
I have no other place to vent, and to be honest, I was hoping to get a former T-mobile employee (or someone) who would send me a PM or leave a post with a bit of a tip in it.
If nothing else, I'm outraged and I need to vent (something wrong with that??) It's only natural.
By the way, this has nothing to do with insurance... this is still warranty!! And how do you figure flashing the ROM voids the warranty?? It changes no physical part of the phone... and as long as you can flash the factory ROM back onto it, (thus making the phone still useable) what harm was done?
I see nothing in the warranty about flashing the ROM as being grounds for voiding.
i just got back from the att store in Lexington ky off richmond rd and the rudest jerk would not sell me the tilt 2 unless i got a data plan, even if i paid full price! What the heck! I hate freakin att, it took all I had not to pop this blond haired dude just for how rude he was to me and my wife. I told him I'll just get it off ebay and he said they would detect it and automatically add data plan.
My wife is eligible for early upgrade and she has an iphone w/ data plan
Shouldn't I be able to get her to get the tilt 2. They will de-activate her iphone, then when she gets home put my old sim in tilt 2 and have her re-activate her phone. Is this possible or no. Please help
I don't want to pay for a stupid 30 a month data plan data plan, i only want the wifi use.
ATT is much more proactive about checking IMEI's now than they used to be. As a result, upon placing your sim in the Tilt 2, you will very likely receive a text message informing you that if you do not add a smartphone data plan to your phone, one will be added for you.
One possible, and I stress POSSIBLE, way around this is to use an unlocked TP2 from another carrier, or the int'l unbranded version. It won't have 3G, but it may not get flagged as a smartphone because most carriers only have their own phones in the IMEI database that they use to check for this sort of thing. So while they would detect the Tilt2 and charge you for a monthly data plan, they might not detect an unlocked branded version from VZW or Tmobile or the unbranded international version as a smartphone.
I'm sorry the dude was rude, and I'm not super fond of ATT (or other carriers for that matter) either, but based on my experience and that of some other users I know, I believe his information is accurate. We used to be able to get away with a lot more than we can now.
Best way to go without paying for data these days is prepaid (though prepaid plans like VZW's which include for example, unlimited data, don't allow smartphones for fear of abuse. I haven't heard of ATT's prepaid rejecting smartphones because their prepaid data packages are per mb--no danger of abuse).
fortunz said:
One possible, and I stress POSSIBLE, way around this is to use an unlocked TP2 from another carrier, or the int'l unbranded version. It won't have 3G, but it may not get flagged as a smartphone because most carriers only have their own phones in the IMEI database that they use to check for this sort of thing. So while they would detect the Tilt2 and charge you for a monthly data plan, they might not detect an unlocked branded version from VZW or Tmobile or the unbranded international version as a smartphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds good in theory, and would work out pretty well for OP since he isn't concerned about 3G capabilities.
When you log into your AT&T wireless account, AT&T attempts to detect your phone and displays it on screen for you. When I was using unlocked phones on their network (i900 Omnia for a year and most recently for 3 days, T-MO's Touch Pro 2), it never detected/displayed my phone.
I just logged into my account now to check if it detected my new AT&T branded Tilt 2, and indeed it did.
Not to spam OP, but if you're interested in a T-Mo Touch Pro 2, I have one listed in the Marketplace. Good luck!
Thanks for your sympathy
Thanks for your sim-pathy (sympathy), It is good to know I'm not the only one angry about this.
It would sure be nice to have a 3.5 jack with an unlocked verizon or sprint version, but I'm just not sure how not having 3g band would effect my signal. Years ago I remember having sprint service and it was horrible where I live.
You are wondering how it would affect your carrier edge data signal? I thought you only wanted to use wifi?
If you are worried about how it would affect your regular GSM phone signal, I can't imagine that would be problem. I believe the GSM chip is the same in all versions, and would expect similar performance from all TP2s that have it.
To date, I haven't yet heard of an unlocked Sprint version working on US GSM carriers (possibly due to some software protections they added in). Unlocked VZWs have been proven to work on ATT. If you want the 3.5mm jack, maybe VZW or Telus would be your best bet.
thanks for the tip
I did not know unlocked sprint versions would not work on US gsm, thanks for the tip. I'm going to start searching the threads for people who have got the unlocked Verizon's to work before I buy.
I was not for sure if the 3g just carried data, thanks for clearing that up. If that is all it adds I won't miss it because, "i really only use wifi".
or maybe just hold out for the hd2.....don't know if I can stand using my backup Motorola phone much longer *my htc trinity drowned ......
There is an alternative
You may try to purchase a phone from T-mobile and they won't limit you to having a data plan especially if you pay full price. I've seen many do it, and many succeed. Good Luck
lol, get the phone with the data plan. go home, call at&t and tell them you've changed your mind and dont want the data plan. have your old phone's imei around and tell them your going to use your old phone. done. i've done it multiple times. no use arguing with those idiots at the store; most of us here know more about phones than they do
xda kindness
If only our mobile devices companies were all staffed by the nice and informative people of xda the universe would be a better place.
omaralt said:
lol, get the phone with the data plan. go home, call at&t and tell them you've changed your mind and dont want the data plan. have your old phone's imei around and tell them your going to use your old phone. done. i've done it multiple times. no use arguing with those idiots at the store; most of us here know more about phones than they do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lots of us have, but you should note that not all the old tricks work anymore. IMEI checking occurs much more often now, not just when you call in.
Are you looking to just not have a data plan period for her phone? The Smartphone/PDA data and iPhone data are the same price.
fortunz said:
As a result, upon placing your sim in the Tilt 2, you will very likely receive a text message informing you that if you do not add a smartphone data plan to your phone, one will be added for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been running for about a week now on my old SIM w/ MediaNet and have not received any such message.
RacerX10 said:
I've been running for about a week now on my old SIM w/ MediaNet and have not received any such message.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope it keeps working for you.
I don't understand how he was being rude at all. If he can't sell it to you without those conditions then it certainly isn't his fault. I work at RadioShack and the system we use will not allow us to sell smartphones without adding data either. Not sure how this applies to phones bought outright but all sellers do things a little different. Don't be upset at the associate, be upset at att and the rest of the carriers who also require this.
Actually, according to the rep I had, it seems more along the lines of the phones official launch being today that is the issue from the store side. Since its so new they're not, at least the regular associate isn't, allowed to sell the phone sans contract.
Needless to say my shackles are back on
Considering the amount that shipped out to some stores if his store was any indicator it wouldn't surprise me. How do you only send 3, with one to be set for display purposes?
RE: att rep
I never blamed this guy for the rules this att rep he had to follow, that is not what ticked me off. This had nothing to do with what ticked me off
From the second I walked into this store he was the most sarcastic punk ever, and took it personal that I was trying to get this great htc phone without a data plan. He treated me like I was trying to steal it. I was very polite and I doubt he even knew that I was the least bit upset.
Just got back from an At&t store myself. Rep said the same thing and was also a jerk. I couldn't purchase the phone by itself. I'm not due for an upgrade yet so I was trying to buy the phone full price.
The rep was asking me why I wanted the phone. He said its horrible, it useless, he had a Fuze and gave it away because of how bad it was. He uses a BB and iPhone (BIG SURPRISE). He said I was probably the only person asking for the phone the whole day and thats why they didn't have a display model, because no one wants this phone. He said "Why do you want a windows phone, its windows!!!! Haha, c'mon!"
I was screaming inside. If the jackass had any technology knowledge he would understand why I wanted the phone. The possibilities are endless. I'm running TomTom, Wifi access point, internet sharing, mp3 trimmer, push e-mail, Skyfire, DirecTV NFL Superfan Streaming, registry edits, etc. I know a BB and iPhone can also do some of these things but they CAN'T DO ALL.
gtdRR said:
Just got back from an At&t store myself. Rep said the same thing and was also a jerk. I couldn't purchase the phone by itself. I'm not due for an upgrade yet so I was trying to buy the phone full price.
The rep was asking me why I wanted the phone. He said its horrible, it useless, he had a Fuze and gave it away because of how bad it was. He uses a BB and iPhone (BIG SURPRISE). He said I was probably the only person asking for the phone the whole day and thats why they didn't have a display model, because no one wants this phone. He said "Why do you want a windows phone, its windows!!!! Haha, c'mon!"
I was screaming inside. If the jackass had any technology knowledge he would understand why I wanted the phone. The possibilities are endless. I'm running TomTom, Wifi access point, internet sharing, mp3 trimmer, push e-mail, Skyfire, DirecTV NFL Superfan Streaming, registry edits, etc. I know a BB and iPhone can also do some of these things but they CAN'T DO ALL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the people in the stores are just typical sales people. They have bad attitudes, and think they know everything because of their "training". Just remember that they are trying to make their commission off of you. Every time I call customer service I make a point to complain about the sales people in the stores. Once, I went in to a store and asked for a new SIM card, and the jerk didn't want to give me one because I was not buying something. I asked for a manager, and she was a b***h about it too and told me that the SIM cards cost them a lot of money. She told me to go to the RadioShack down the road and get one (and they wanted to charge me $25 for one). I just stopped going to the stores all together. If I need a new SIM card, I call customer service and request one to be shipped to me. My advise.... Stay away from the stores!!!!
If they are so into earning their commissions one would think they would want to sell a $549 phone at full price, no?
I work for Best Buy Mobile and indeed AT&T does automatically add the data plan once the IMEI for smartphones is detected in their database but this does not mean you can't buy the phone outright.. that's where the guy was wrong. I don't know if he would get a lesser commission if he sells without an activation or whatnot.
I bought an almost new S3 LTE SGH-T999L for my son off CL. It checked OK on swappa and it worked for a week, then unable to connect to network. Swappa now says blacklisted. DOH!
It sucks to have a $350 paper weight! I tried to contact the seller with no luck.
Couple questions...
Any way to fix it?
Can this model be downgraded to 4.1.1 to use free unlock method and even then will it possibly work on anther carrier is the US. I know it will work outside the US if unlocked.
I contacted T-Mobile and they said nothing I can do, only the original owner can have the blacklist lifted.
Any help or advice much appreciated!
Also let this be a lesson to all...just because it works when you buy it, don't mean it wont go belly-up in a week. :crying:
Sorry I didn't answer your PM before. Wasn't ignoring you. Unfortunately your options are extremely limited.
You will have to pay for an unlock code online (see the last couple pages of the unlock thread), and then sell overseas. Just please be honest about it to whoever you sell it to in case they plan on bringing it to the states.
Personally, I'd also file a police report. May not come to anything, but if the guy gets arrested for anything else, or enough people file a report against him for similar stuff, you may then have some recourse against him. But he has twice committed fraud, or theft by deception (or something like that). First against T-Mobile, then against you.
Once unlocked, it might work on other carriers here, but not for long. I'm told all US carriers will be sharing the same blacklist by year's end. I've also heard it may also be shared with Canadian carriers as well.
Sorry to hear that happened to you. You're definitely not alone! This happens all the time, unfortunately.
Never buy used unless you make the transaction in person at a T-Mobile store where the seller can prove they have paid for the device in full and are allowed to sell it. Also, have a note made on both accounts (preferably by a manager) that the sale is made so they can't report it stolen a few weeks later.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
I hear you, but it never goes down like that. I've bought and sold 30 or 40 smartphones. First time I've ever got burnt. I make small profit along, but this one is a stinger. I've had people want to meet me at Verizon, ATT and T-Mobile and every time I met them there all the store employees would say is if the sim card works it's ok.
Of course you could ask for a receipt...but what if it's a reseller like myself? I've had one receipt the whole time. Most of the time you can spot a fraud and steer clear. I check esn on swappa and/or Verizon site. I guess it's just a risky thing and I've been very lucky so far.
I did get a guy on ebay to unlock the phone for $10 last night. It works with a Lycamobile sim(T-Mobile reseller) and also works with a new LTE ATT Straight Talk sim...recieves LTE even. Maybe not for long...but it works fine now and it's been blacklisted about a month.
Guy on ebay unlocks clean phones for $5 & blacklisted for $10, he does remote into your pc to do it, but it only takes 2-3 minutes. He gave me the code, but it was never needed.
I'm a PagePlus dealer and I do alot of carrier flashing, not to beat blacklist, but to get more use from older 3G devices. Anytime I sell a phone I always give a 2 days return policy if they change their mind.
The seller of the phone should be able to get some sort of confirmation off of his own account showing he is not currently making payments on it. If the employees are only saying to see if the SIM works, they are just being lazy or ignorant! With the owners permission they can look it up, or call support from the phone and have him ask them to verify on speaker so you can hear. I'm just trying to say there's other ways to get the info before buying.
I'd say that if you've bought that many you are pretty lucky. But for the blacklisted one that worked on other carriers...expect it not to on AT&T very soon and all other US carriers around the end of the year. Right now T-Mobile and AT&T share their lists, but don't use the same one, so it'll often take a few weeks to catch up. As I understand it, once the national list is in place, all carriers will be using the same one so it'll be more instant.
I have spoken to a few people who bought their phone used and all seemed good, but then nearly 2 months later it got blacklisted! Some people are apparently selling it, but then waiting a month or two to report it stolen!
I just hope that if one of your customers gets blacklisted a few weeks after buying from you, you will be willing to at least exchange it.
But before you try and sell this one, please consider that it's practically a given that it's not gonna work for very long.
Also, (and I'm not sure of the ramifications here) keep in mind that you are knowingly in possession of stolen property. That by itself is probably not a big deal for you, legally speaking, since it happens to so many people and hardly no one knows what they are buying when this happens to them. But if you sell it, you will be knowingly selling stolen goods. If one of your customers gets blacklisted, you could be the one held liable.
Don't take it wrong, I'm just trying to help!
And I'm just curious, what do you mean by "carrier flashing"?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
I understand where you're coming from and I will not sell this phone except to one particular customer who takes them outside the country. My son is using it now on LycaMobile which is a UK based reseller using T-Molile towers. We will see how long it lasts...strange circumstance there since the provider is not from the US, will they also adhere to universal blacklist? I dunno...time will tell. At $30 per month they are cheapest unlimited I know of(Only 50MB 4G data, then 2G/3G).
I run a legitimate part time business and have rarely had phones returned, but always made the customer happy. Happy customers come back and most of my profit is selling refills and flashing/rooting/unlocking...not the actual phone sales.
Carrier flashing: Mainly I've flashed older Metro phones to work on PagePlus and GS3's from Sprint or Verizon must be flashed for pageplus because they don't yet allow 4G phones. I never do any ESN changes. I'm an old techie and I go way back to Nextel mods in mid 90's. lol
BTW I installed CM 10.1.2 RC2 right from the phone yesterday after originally flashing the CM10 linked in Doc's T999L thread. It flashed perfect right through CM update utility automatically and seems to run perfectly.
Not complaining but why is ours rooted and not theres? Did y'all know there is like a $5,000 reward for finding a way to root it? If this is a new find ill claim my 2% of the reward if someone from over here can do it.
LOL! Verizon locks the bootloaders, Sprint doesn't. Verizon has been locking this and locking that since the first Blackberry curve come out in 2008. They locked the GPS chip and made it only work if you subscribed to VZ Navigator for an extra $10 per month. I drew the line at that point and left to come to Sprint where they don't lock or restrict GPS, Wi-Fi etc and make you pay to activate it on the device. That is some bs and I will never go back to Verizon until they stop dictating which features/hardware they will allow users to use. Especially when the phones leave the factory with those things fully working.
I can pretty much guarantee that more experienced developers are hard at work trying to unlock the bootloader for the Verizon Note 4. It's not gonna happen soon enough and a lot of Verizon smartphone tinkerers are gonna jump ship when they've finally had enough of Verizon's shenanigans.
Just wondering. Why are so many of you buying from Verizon & BestBuy instead of Google?
You do realize the phones not purchased from Google will have a locked bootloader. So why would you buy from Verizon or BestBuy instead of Google, who has the same price and you can use either phones on Verizon if you so choose to do so.
I don't want to say ya'll are dumb, but I kind of feel this way.
I'm sure there is something I'm missing though, so help me understand please.
Are the payment plan options the same? If so that might be one reason. I have Verizon because that's what my employer (who pays for the phone and the bill) uses.
Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk
Believe it or not, not everyone needs a bootloader unlocked these days. My days of tinkering with Android are over as I feel Android is better than ever. It is unfortunate the OP feels that I am dumb because everyone doesn't agree with his way of thinking...
It was also cheaper to purchase from Verizon for a new 2 year cobtract
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
I personally ordered mine from Verizon due to my work account, and also don't care about root or unlocked boot loaders since I haven't needed either in several years. That being said I also believe many people have not been buying directly from Google because Google hasn't been able to keep them in stock. Which of course also implies that many people are buying them from Google, lol.
Best Buy is cheaper with a 2 year agreement ($299.99) as well as a 24 month installment ($31 a month), for 32GB version.
Also, best buy is giving a $100 gift card, which you can do whatever you want with. (resell it, use it, etc).
If you are only keeping the phone for two years, and don't care about updates after that, then its probably a better route. After two years, you are SOL for getting an up to date OS.
I had the note 7....the last return I just upgraded to the pixel xl. In exchange So....through Verizon it was.
Its an economic decision for me. In Germany I'll get the Device from T-Mobile Germany for 179€ (around 197 US$) for the renewal of my contract - I think this ist much better than the 1097€ direct from Google. The only downside is that it will have a locked bootloader...I'm still hoping someone finds a way to unlock the bootloaders of the Devices wich doesnt come directly from Google.
I ordered mine from Verizon. I haven't rooted a phone in a long time so locked or unlocked bootloader doesn't really matter for me.
Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk
CZ Eddie said:
You do realize the phones not purchased from Google will have a locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my phone rooted for Tasker and Xposed, but the Verizon phone can effectively be considerably cheaper right now.
So why would you buy from Verizon or BestBuy instead of Google, who has the same price and you can use either phones on Verizon if you so choose to do so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best Buy will currently give a $100 gift card if you don't want a new line, a $200 gift card for a new line, another $25 for a sign-up will be available after the pre-order is over, and it can be done with monthly payments to allow porting out or cancelling the line. Verizon has phone trades that total $200-$300, which is done through reduced monthly payments, and my Razr M qualified for $200. Some people have other options on Verizon. Google does not offer similar sort of ways to essentially reduce the phone's cost at this time.
I don't want to say ya'll are dumb, but I kind of feel this way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I question the idea of paying iPhone 7 prices, and since I'm not interested in the VR headset, that's basically what initial Google store customers are doing. As much as I like what Tasker can do with root, I'm not sure it's worth giving up automatic updates and effectively spending another $175 that I could have with $225 in Best Buy gift cards. If it turns out that there are limitations on the Verizon phones for anything other than the bootloader unlock, I'll probably change my opinion, but at this time it looks like Google's bottom-line price is considerably higher than what is possible at Verizon.
Purely inventory for me. Google shipments are a month or more out. They won't even take my money to pre-order it. VZW device I can have in 3 days.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Buying it as a contract renewal over Deutsche Telekom is way cheaper for me, especially because I work there and get a monthly discount on the main contract.
I have to 29,95€ monthly instead of 64,95€ and get the Pixel XL 128 GB for 279,95€ on time fee.
But even the phone for my wife is way cheaper. I paid 19,95€ for here family card without a phone before, now we upgraded it to a contract with phone to 29,95€ a month and also 279,95€ for the small Pixel 32 GB.
Yes, I would also love to have a unlockable bootloader and instant updates from Google but after not rooting phones for a couple of years I will get along with it.
I wanted the one from the google store but didn't feel like waiting for it. I would like to have the bootloader unlocked just for the option but i haven't had time or need to mess with rooting and custom roms, so just having pure android is perfect for me. So for me it made sense to just order from Verizon, everyone has different needs or reasons and i would say for 90% of the people buying this phone has no need to ever unlock the bootloader or even know much about that world of roms and rooting. I thinks its a stretch to insinuate people are dumb for having a choice and choosing one over the other
dbrohrer said:
Troll. Glad you like your OP3. I'm sure there are plenty people on the OP3 threads that agree with you and would love to hear your comments.
I ordered from Verizon because I was able to trade in an old phone for monthly device credit. It should save me $100-200 depending on how long I stay on Verizon DPP. I preordered one from the Google Play Store as well. I don't plan on opening the box from the play store unless the Verizon model upsets me and needs to be returned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats the point of buying two then? Everything about the Verizon version is the same except for boot loader.....
Buying it directly from Verizon because
1) My job will be paying for it
2) I feel once I have stock Android I don't really need to have root or an unlocked bootloader.
3) Don't have to wait until it comes back in stock via the playstore.
Major discount through employee. 419 vs 869 for xl 128gb and plus availability. Still waiting though as I want to see if anyone cracks that Verizon bootloader within the first month.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
IkeBiker said:
Whats the point of buying two then? Everything about the Verizon version is the same except for boot loader.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am planning on keeping the Verizon Pixel because it is cheaper for me. As more reviews and info come out that is ACTUALLY reputable, I want to be able to return it to Verizon within the first 2 weeks if I decide there are significant differences between the Verizon version and the Google Play version. If I do that, I want to have the Google Play store Pixel in a box ready for me to switch over. This way I also get to take advantage of the Daydream VR, no matter which device I return.
Since the announcement on October 4th, there has not been any real credible information about the Pixel. Everything has been "so and so said this... Don't buy the Verizon version... etc." Then every Android blog site just blindly regurgitates what was said as if it was real news. NO ONE fact checks. Some CSR at Verizon who doesn't know what a freaking bootloader even is said something, then everyone freaks out and android headlines and forums go crazy. Then someone at Google says something else and everyone takes that as the truth. Does anyone even look at where the info came from? The only group I believe at all at this time is Google Pixel team. If they didn't say it or someone cannot show me in a video with their phone in their hand, I'm not going to believe it.
As long as I am confident that the Verizon pixel will get updates straight from Google when Google promises (just like what I'm used to with Nexus), I don't see a convincing reason not to go with Verizon. I would like the ability to unlock the bootloader so that I can flash the factory images if that promise is not kept. With every new version of Android, I find less need to try custom roms. With what I have seen from 7.1, I don't think I will even have the urge.
destes37 said:
It is unfortunate the OP feels that I am dumb because everyone doesn't agree with his way of thinking...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I regret saying it the way I did.
I don't think you're dumb at all.
XDA is all about development, I guess I'm still surprised when there are people here who don't care about flashing ROM's or backing up in TWRP and even some who apparently don't care about root any longer.
If I didn't care about flashing ROM's (or root), I'd be on a S7 Edge right now.
dbrohrer said:
I am planning on keeping the Verizon Pixel because it is cheaper for me. As more reviews and info come out that is ACTUALLY reputable, I want to be able to return it to Verizon within the first 2 weeks if I decide there are significant differences between the Verizon version and the Google Play version. If I do that, I want to have the Google Play store Pixel in a box ready for me to switch over. This way I also get to take advantage of the Daydream VR, no matter which device I return.
Since the announcement on October 4th, there has not been any real credible information about the Pixel. Everything has been "so and so said this... Don't buy the Verizon version... etc." Then every Android blog site just blindly regurgitates what was said as if it was real news. NO ONE fact checks. Some CSR at Verizon who doesn't know what a freaking bootloader even is said something, then everyone freaks out and android headlines and forums go crazy. Then someone at Google says something else and everyone takes that as the truth. Does anyone even look at where the info came from? The only group I believe at all at this time is Google Pixel team. If they didn't say it or someone cannot show me in a video with their phone in their hand, I'm not going to believe it.
As long as I am confident that the Verizon pixel will get updates straight from Google when Google promises (just like what I'm used to with Nexus), I don't see a convincing reason not to go with Verizon. I would like the ability to unlock the bootloader so that I can flash the factory images if that promise is not kept. With every new version of Android, I find less need to try custom roms. With what I have seen from 7.1, I don't think I will even have the urge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So much this right here. They said this about the Verizon N6 also. That everything would be locked down and look what happened. Nothing was locked down at all. I ordered the Verizon Pixel XL because of this also and i dont really need root anymore. If i am able to root its a plus but not a deal breaker for me.
arcanexvi said:
Purely inventory for me. Google shipments are a month or more out. They won't even take my money to pre-order it. VZW device I can have in 3 days.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Yes, I also am grumpy and pissed at google for messing up the "orders / pre-orders". Year after year, they keep screwing up on the first step. They "could" have manufactured an extra 50, 000 and it would not have hurt their economics and it would have greatly helped their public image. Did the 'Note 7' burn put a snag in things ?
.
What if the "big and detailed" reviews start coming in and it shows a narley wart about the phone ? ? ? My biggest, desired attribute is the big leap in the camera ( camcorder ? ) area . . .