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So, i just received my 7.7 Galaxy Tab today. I purchased it off of E-Bay. The item description was "brand new". However, when it arrived, the little Samsung sticker on the box was already broken (FedEx guy was already gone when I opened it). I pulled it out, all the plastic wrap on the device is there and appears to have never been removed. When i turned it on, it was already set to english, so i did not have to do anything (i.e. i did not get the android quick start screen)
Just wondering if anyone knows what i should look for to see if there is something wrong, if it was already registered or anything else.
Try to ask the seller on why the seal was already broken, carefully check of any scuff marks or signs of usage.. if it all looks and even smells pristine then you should have nothing to worry about.
Sometimes the seller will turn on to make sure it works. I'll bet this is the case. You probably have a brand new one. Enjoy.
I did the smell test, have looked it over carefully and did not notice any signs of use. I e-mailed the seller to see why, but I think all appears to be ok.
TBarb169 said:
I did the smell test, have looked it over carefully and did not notice any signs of use. I e-mailed the seller to see why, but I think all appears to be ok.
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I really love doing the smell test on new devices! ( not kidding )
Maybe he just wanted to check it out and see if he shipped a fully working device. A lot of local samsung retailers in my place also break the seal the boxes especially if the first few batches of shipment, they test for basic functionality and check if everything is in place.
Did you buy an unlocked P6800? I don't know if all of these come factory unlocked of if the seller does it.
At any rate, there were a ton of defective 10.1s from the first shipment so maybe the seller had bad memories of that and wanted to be sure the units he's moving work.
No, it is the P6810 wifi only.
Has anyone seen this on their "new" Nexus 4? I just got mine today and upon taking it out of the delivery box, I see the phone box has been re-sealed. Looks like there's security tape that was been cut under the top one.
Return it. You never know what happened. I bet Google will give you a new one right away.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
BlackV62K2 said:
Has anyone seen this on their "new" Nexus 4? I just got mine today and upon taking it out of the delivery box, I see the phone box has been re-sealed. Looks like there's security tape that was been cut under the top one.
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I thought that was because of quality control on the assembly line to ensure the units are shipping like they should. I could be wrong. I bought mine "used" so I wouldn't know
BlackV62K2 said:
Has anyone seen this on their "new" Nexus 4? I just got mine today and upon taking it out of the delivery box, I see the phone box has been re-sealed. Looks like there's security tape that was been cut under the top one.
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Since they are out of stock.. they might now be selling the phones people have RMA'd. Tweak whatever issues were, flash the phone and there it goes to another customer.
May be.
filthykid said:
Since they are out of stock.. they might now be selling the phones people have RMA'd. Tweak whatever issues were, flash the phone and there it goes to another customer.
May be.
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No, probably not. And if they were doing this I don't think they would be stupid enough to make it so obvious.
Opened the box and it definitely was taken out before. Dust and fingerprint on the screen. All the other packaged material looks untouched and sealed though.
Lift the finger print and find out who it was!
Sent from my Nexus 4
BlackV62K2 said:
Has anyone seen this on their "new" Nexus 4? I just got mine today and upon taking it out of the delivery box, I see the phone box has been re-sealed. Looks like there's security tape that was been cut under the top one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might be refurbished.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Don't know why the box was opened. No need to RMA IMO. There's no real way to prove to Google it was tampered with before you received it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I got mine in the same package with those black tapes. I bought mine from eBay and it was supposed to be "Brand new, unopened and sealed". I asked the seller why it was shipped that way and told me that he received it from Google that way packaged.
@OP
Have you bought your directly from Google?
The tape on the back of mine was also doubled, but the protective plastic around the phone was not touched and there were no finger prints on the phone. I read on another forum that a number people had the double tape on the back.
gianton said:
I got mine in the same package with those black tapes. I bought mine from eBay and it was supposed to be "Brand new, unopened and sealed". I asked the seller why it was shipped that way and told me that he received it from Google that way packaged.
@OP
Have you bought your directly from Google?
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I called Google twice. First time was right when I saw after taking it out of the delivery box. I haven't opened up the phone box yet @ this point. The guy didn't seem to know why there would be double security tape with the one under being cut open. His one guess is that maybe they opened it to setup my account/link my account so that it'll be ready to go when I take it out. It seems weird to me that they would have to do that manually if that was the reason. I told him I'll take some pictures of the box and send them (ones you see here).
Waited a 6 hours with no response so I called in again. Talked to some lady this time that had no clue what the problem was. I asked to RMA the phone and she said she'll put the RMA through. I asked if I can open the box to see if it was used. She said yeah and I can still RMA it. No email confirmation about the RMA yet though.
When I opened the box I found dust/finger prints on the screen protector. Turned it on and no account info was set (so there goes that first guy's theory). So now I'm waiting for my RMA. Am I suppose to get some sort of email confirmation?
Did you check the battery history? I didn't have double tape, but I saw about 6 minutes of prior use, hooked up to a charger. I'm sure it's just QC, but if you have a longer history, maybe that's something more suspicious?
I took a screenshot but forgot to copy it off the phone before unlocking.
How does the phone work? Got a year to change it out
Thats strange. However i wouldnt mind it if the device was in perfect condition ..
Also, that "theory" the Google guy gave you must be the most ridiculous thing ive ever heard.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
seriously.... all these posts and people didnt notice yet?
for those of you that bought it on the play store.... didnt you noticed that upon checkout there was a checkbox for "Sync this device to my google account"??? how do you think google will do that? they dont manufacture it and flash it just for you. :silly:
when you order that phone, they grab a new one "off the shelve", open the box, sync it to your account, re-seal the package and mail it to you.
SMH :good:
chaco81 said:
seriously.... all these posts and people didnt notice yet?
for those of you that bought it on the play store.... didnt you noticed that upon checkout there was a checkbox for "Sync this device to my google account"??? how do you think google will do that? they dont manufacture it and flash it just for you. :silly:
when you order that phone, they grab a new one "off the shelve", open the box, sync it to your account, re-seal the package and mail it to you.
SMH :good:
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Did you read? He said that when he turned it on no account info was set
I dont mean to be rude or anything, but it's literally spelled out.
BTW: Google does the account setup remotely. No people need to be involved and touching your phone. Same way amazon does it for kindles (I think...correct me if i'm wrong)
lopoomm satirical
To all of the confusion going on about this about a package looking like it was resealed I would like to clear some things up.
1. Google does NOT refurbish devices. They send new in box items for RMA's and for new orders.
2. Google is more than happy to exchange your device if you feel it has been tampered with during shipping such as broken seals.
3. Sometimes when you select the option to have your device synced with a Google Account the security seals may be broken. It's usually not a problem, but feel free to contact them and have it replaced if you're worried.
I know this all from personal experiences with Google. Hope you all read this and get some clarification.
Thatoneguy.
I have a galaxy S5 that I have purchased from someone on Craigslist (been doing this for years, never had a bad experience).
But I am completely at loss about this device.
The box and the battery labels have one kind of a EMEI and the phone SW in the "about" section a completely different one.
Prior to purchasing the phone, I have asked the owner for the EMEI, I have called the ATT store and they said it's unlocked. (this is the one on the back of the device under the battery and the box). After I have purchased the phone (because I am a fool) and realized there is something wrong with it, I have called Samsung US customer service. I have given them both EMEI numbers from under the battery and in the menu, but they were not able to find anything. They said that if it is an international device, they would not have any information on this device. Which makes sense, but doesn't help at all.
I have downloaded an info app to get the exact model number because if I click on the model in the menu, it pops up and I can change it to anything I want.(wtf???) The info app says its a SM900S version, the SSN number on the back says its a G900G SMH version.(The model no. is simply SM-G900). The sticker says a certain serial number, the inside SW in about section says 123456789ABCD. This phone is a joke.
Battery drains like crazy, the display seems to be something like a 240p resolution when taking videos or pictures.
Watching youtube videos is laggy and washed out. I thought it's the fake Galaxy S5, but the finger scanner works, heartbeat sensor works as well (these would not work on the fake ones as far as I understand it correctly). By now I figured this is not an American version but a unlocked version (works with ATT on H speed and T-Mobile on Edge and uses roaming for a European version). The info app shows that there is a 801 processor in it and that all CPU's are running. GPU is 330.
What puzzles me is the screen resolution and the horrible quality of the picture/videos on the screen and camera. I have reset the phone to see if it helps, but it doesn't. I don't feel great about reselling it knowing that there are these issues there. I wanted to see if it is even possible to burn a ROM on this device and see if it helps, but since the label and SW version show a different model, I have no clue which version, or whether I can install a ROM in the first place.
For the love of God, can anyone think of something here. Please do not go into "don't buy of Craigslist" thing.
I really need help with this piece of ****e
I live in DC, MD, VA area. I am willing to meet with someone in the DMV or PA area if you would be willing to take a look at this phone.
emanko111 said:
I have a galaxy S5 that I purchased from a Craigslist owner (been doing this for years, never had a bad experience).
But I am completely at loss about this device.
The box and the battery labels have one kind of a EMEI and the phone SW in the "about" section a completely different one.
Prior to purchasing the phone, I have asked the owner for the EMEI, I have called the ATT store and they said it's unlocked. (this is the one on the back of the device under the battery and the box). After I have purchased the phone (because I am a fool) and realized there is something wrong with it, I have called Samsung US customer service. I have given them both EMEI numbers from under the battery and in the menu, but they were not able to find anything. They said that if it is an international device, they would not have any information on this device. Which makes sense, but doesn't help at all.
I have downloaded an info app to get the exact model number because if I click on the model in the menu, it pops up and I can change it to anything I want.(wtf???) The info app says its a SM900S version, the SSN number on the back says its a G900G SMH version.(The model no. is simply SM-G900). The sticker says a certain serial number, the inside SW in about section says 123456789ABCD. This phone is a joke.
Battery drains like crazy, the display seems to be something like a 240p resolution when taking videos or pictures.
Watching youtube videos is laggy and washed out. I thought it's the fake Galaxy S5, but the finger scanner works, heartbeat sensor works as well (these would not work on the fake ones as far as I understand it correctly). By now I figured this is not an American version but a unlocked version (works with ATT on H speed and T-Mobile on Edge and uses roaming for a European version). The info app shows that there is a 801 processor in it and that all CPU's are running. GPU is 330.
What puzzles me is the screen resolution and the horrible quality of the picture/videos on the screen and camera. I have reset the phone to see if it helps, but it doesn't. I don't feel great about reselling it knowing that there are these issues there. I wanted to see if it is even possible to burn a ROM on this device and see if it helps, but since the label and SW version show a different model, I have no clue which version, or whether I can install a ROM in the first place.
For the love of God, can anyone think of something here. Please do not go into "don't buy of Craigslist" thing.
I really need help with this piece of ****e
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you bought the device with a creditcard you should be able to get your money back because of fraude. Or contact the seller and see if he reverses the sale, if he will not do that file a police report for fraude and give them as much details/info as you can. Thats about it mate you can do imo, good luck mate
gee2012 said:
If you bought the device with a creditcard you should be able to get your money back because of fraude. Or contact the seller and see if he reverses the sale, if he will not do that file a police report for fraude and give them as much details/info as you can. Thats about it mate you can do imo, good luck mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Of courseI have paid cash, it's hard not to with CS stuff. (he went down from $480 to $420 bc I was willing to meet him the PM hours).
I will contact the police although from what I heard, they don't give a damn about "fraud" cases such as these.
Also, I wonder how can I prove that I have purchased a device from him, if I have no receipt?
emanko111 said:
Thanks.
Of courseI have paid cash, it's hard not to with CS stuff. (he went down from $480 to $420 bc I was willing to meet him the PM hours).
I will contact the police although from what I heard, they don't give a damn about "fraud" cases such as these.
Also, I wonder how can I prove that I have purchased a device from him, if I have no receipt?
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Click to collapse
Unless there we`re witnesses present during the sale you can`t prove anything.
Its impossible to prove who a seller is through the ad so legally the police can't do anything, And you didn't pay with credit card so basically you are completely stuffed and your only 2 choices are to track him down and beat the **** out of him or just take this as a life lesson and spend a bit more next time from a reputable seller.
Michael_P said:
Its impossible to prove who a seller is through the ad so legally the police can't do anything, And you didn't pay with credit card so basically you are completely stuffed and your only 2 choices are to track him down and beat the **** out of him or just take this as a life lesson and spend a bit more next time from a reputable seller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
But does anyone have an idea about whats going on with the phone?
I have the same model, but I was aware beforehand that it was a fake. My question is this: Has anyone found the correct way to hard reset this model SM-G900 (G900SMH) ? I can get to the factory reset screen, with the android guy saying "no command". I need help on this one, if anybody has the correct sequence of button presses?
I am really confused with all those T Mobile phones on sale. What is the difference between phone with original "samsung" sticker and the phone with those different stickers located at the back of the phone. Pictures attached.
Also when I check the IMEI with those funky stickers many times shows that this is SM-N910C (SM-910T) phone. I really dont understand it. Is it safe to buy those phones? so they work as original one?
Thanks for help
netgar said:
I am really confused with all those T Mobile phones on sale. What is the difference between phone with original "samsung" sticker and the phone with those different stickers located at the back of the phone. Pictures attached.
Also when I check the IMEI with those funky stickers many times shows that this is SM-N910C (SM-910T) phone. I really dont understand it. Is it safe to buy those phones? so they work as original one?
Thanks for help
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Click to collapse
Honestly, IMO, I wouldn't run any risks getting the phones with the second sticker at all. in fact, you should only buy a phone used or refurbished from a trusted reseller. I use Swappa myself, but be warned about the Note 4's. Some of the phones have an issue with the motherboard which gives them weird boot issues and emmc read fails. I would be very careful about getting one used. I got my Note 4 from Swappa and started getting these mmc_read fails. Thinking about returning it.
EDIT: Didn't read the second sticker too well. The IMEI can't be traced to a device however, it isn't blacklisted though. If it is a T-Mobile phone though, there should at least be a samsung logo on the sticker, some cheap replicas don't bother with the sticker though. Honestly, that looks kind of sketchy, which site are you looking on?
There are two different stickers from two different note 4.
There is no second sticker on top of the other. Just single sticker but how much different from original one. I used swappa.
What sticker do u have?
I bought the phone from ebay from china, the seller claims its "new and original , send in sealed box, not opened." How do I test if it is real and not some knock-off and/or not used? I'm thinking it could be fake or used because:
1. Cheap plastic wrap on the box
2. Box says made in Korea but phone back plate says made in china
3. Poor print quality in manual and on some labels
4. Doesn't match boxing T-mobile unboxing videos online
5. Different screen protector from online
6. There was no security sticker on the box
7. Phone box says b&o but the back of the phone doesn't say it
8. Battery was inside the phone, but was the terminal was covered in yellow tape
9. When I booted up the phone , the phone was already set up.
10. No plastic film over the camera
other than the the phone seems to be fined but i haven't used it enough.
EDIT:
https://ibb.co/6g4QwXC
https://ibb.co/B28p9gV
https://ibb.co/Lp8PdmK
https://ibb.co/nqGqQdY
https://ibb.co/3c6brjj
https://ibb.co/qYgHz5V
I was recently in the same boat so I'll take a stab at this.
By "genuine", are you asking if it is a real H918 or are you asking if it is "new/unused"?
The listing says it's new. I would say there is about a 99.9999999999% chance it is not "new/unused".
All of your suspicions are valid. I would add the following:
As far as I know, the H918 was only a T-Mobile phone and a new one would only come in a T-Mobile branded box. If you haven't already done so, look at Jerry Rig Everything's unboxing video. That's what a T-Mobile H918 box looks like.
The sticker on the side would not look like what you have posted. Most, if not all of the Chinese Frankenphones/refurbs have the type of sticker in your picture. The UPC code on that sticker (8801031687305) is for an LG G3, not a V20. Use a barcode scanner and check for yourself.
The battery wouldn't have that capton tape over the contacts and wouldn't be in the phone. It would be sealed in a separate bag. I'll bet the writing on the back of the battery is all Chinese. Correct? A "real" H918 battery would be in English.
The date on the inner label is from 11/2015 and the V20 wasn't even released until the 2nd half of 2016 (IIRC Sept/Oct).
Those screen protectors that say "V20" are what you usually see on a refurb. The screen protectors on new "real" H918's were clear.
A "genuine" V20 would come with a flat USB C cable.
No H918's had the B&O tuning and wouldn't say B&O on the box.
The mere fact that it is coming from China probably means it is some sort of refurb. Also, look at the seller's feedback. 97.7% isn't very good.
Check if the serial numbers on the box, battery compartment and inside the phone settings all match. I would be surprised if they do.
With all of that said, just because it is a refurb, doesn't necessarily mean it is bad. It could have new parts (screen, mobo etc.) Check out ALL of the functions, and also check for screen burn in/image retention. If you already have image retention, then you know the phone has already been used extensively. If not, and everything else is OK, then maybe you got a decent phone for a pretty good price, considering these things were $700ish when new.
Here is a Reddit thread that talks about things to test when you get an H918.
I hope this helps.
Another thing you can try for checking a used phone might be to go to About Phone -> Hardware Info and check the value of lifetime calls as well as the internal S/N. The vast majority of "older" phones on eBay are refurbs even if they say "new". Most say "New - Other" as if that lets them get away with it. They typically have new cosmetic housing, but the internals are used. I would trust a listing by an actual person with in depth description and pictures of that specific phone over a large eBay seller any day.
"Lifetime Calls" in settings is a great indicator of a used phone for sure, but I don't think the H918 has it. My VS995 has it, but neither of my H918's have it, unfortunately. They only have "up time" which only tells you how long the phone has been on since the last power cycle.
Rootabaga said:
I was recently in the same boat so I'll take a stab at this.
By "genuine", are you asking if it is a real H918 or are you asking if it is "new/unused"?
The listing says it's new. I would say there is about a 99.9999999999% chance it is not "new/unused".
All of your suspicions are valid. I would add the following:
As far as I know, the H918 was only a T-Mobile phone and a new one would only come in a T-Mobile branded box. If you haven't already done so, look at Jerry Rig Everything's unboxing video. That's what a T-Mobile H918 box looks like.
The sticker on the side would not look like what you have posted. Most, if not all of the Chinese Frankenphones/refurbs have the type of sticker in your picture. The UPC code on that sticker (8801031687305) is for an LG G3, not a V20. Use a barcode scanner and check for yourself.
The battery wouldn't have that capton tape over the contacts and wouldn't be in the phone. It would be sealed in a separate bag. I'll bet the writing on the back of the battery is all Chinese. Correct? A "real" H918 battery would be in English.
The date on the inner label is from 11/2015 and the V20 wasn't even released until the 2nd half of 2016 (IIRC Sept/Oct).
Those screen protectors that say "V20" are what you usually see on a refurb. The screen protectors on new "real" H918's were clear.
A "genuine" V20 would come with a flat USB C cable.
No H918's had the B&O tuning and wouldn't say B&O on the box.
The mere fact that it is coming from China probably means it is some sort of refurb. Also, look at the seller's feedback. 97.7% isn't very good.
Check if the serial numbers on the box, battery compartment and inside the phone settings all match. I would be surprised if they do.
With all of that said, just because it is a refurb, doesn't necessarily mean it is bad. It could have new parts (screen, mobo etc.) Check out ALL of the functions, and also check for screen burn in/image retention. If you already have image retention, then you know the phone has already been used extensively. If not, and everything else is OK, then maybe you got a decent phone for a pretty good price, considering these things were $700ish when new.
Here is a Reddit thread that talks about things to test when you get an H918.
I hope this helps.
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I checked all the functions and sensors, and headphone ports. camera, recording, etc. everything seems fine and no screen retention. The only issue i experienced was when the power button didn't work, but taking a screenshot fixed it. I hope i didn't miss anything.
The battery surprising matches what i see online from Jerry Rig Everything, minus the part that says it was made in late 2018. I emailed LG the IMEI and s/n and they confirmed that my phone was sent in for a "full refurbishment". But after that, the s/n was altered. I find it weird how they said the phone was made in USA but the box and the back of the phone says otherwise. I'm going to msg the seller.
jackson019 said:
Another thing you can try for checking a used phone might be to go to About Phone -> Hardware Info and check the value of lifetime calls as well as the internal S/N. The vast majority of "older" phones on eBay are refurbs even if they say "new". Most say "New - Other" as if that lets them get away with it. They typically have new cosmetic housing, but the internals are used. I would trust a listing by an actual person with in depth description and pictures of that specific phone over a large eBay seller any day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my phone doesn't have the lifetime calls.
I noticed my phone has the t-mobile device unlock app and it says my phone is carrier unlocked. Online says the app will disappear once i unlocked my phone. But i was able to make and receive calls from 2 different sim cards/networks just fine. Do I need to worry about this? should i do it anyways to see what happens?
EDIT: ran the unlocking app and when i press permanently unlock, it fails. I accidentally pressed temporary unlock and it worked. hopefully i didn't screw it up in the long run.
It is pretty hard to copy a v20 never seen a cloned one yet.......