Move Sprint S5 to Ting, Boostmobile...Sprint MNVO... - Galaxy S 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all!
Let me say this right now...when it comes to Cell phones I am the capital "N" in Noob!
Here is what I'm trying to do:
I just bought a brand new S5 from Best Buy. Paid $800 for the Sprint S5 because we use Ting and that is a Sprint MNVO...we saw S5s' on their site and assumed we could BYOD over like we did with our 3 previous phones. We paid what we did and used Best Buy so we could use our credit card and absorb the painfully expensive hit over a bunch of months. Anyway, I digress....apparently there is a contract that Ting cannot BYOD device if said device is newer than a year....so....what do I need to do to take this brand new Sprint S5 and get it on to Ting? (I'll even take getting it on to Boostmobile at this point)
What do I need to unlock or root or flash...or whatever to get this fantastic new phone on either Ting or Boostmobile? IS there anything I can do? Can someone help?? My wife (her phone) is extremely unhappy and she loves the copper gold color we got so taking it back is, hopefully, not an option. Let me know...I would greatly appreciate it...thanks!!!! PS...I do have the MLS code...if that helps.

Mezzavo said:
Hi all!
Let me say this right now...when it comes to Cell phones I am the capital "N" in Noob!
Here is what I'm trying to do:
I just bought a brand new S5 from Best Buy. Paid $800 for the Sprint S5 because we use Ting and that is a Sprint MNVO...we saw S5s' on their site and assumed we could BYOD over like we did with our 3 previous phones. We paid what we did and used Best Buy so we could use our credit card and absorb the painfully expensive hit over a bunch of months. Anyway, I digress....apparently there is a contract that Ting cannot BYOD device if said device is newer than a year....so....what do I need to do to take this brand new Sprint S5 and get it on to Ting? (I'll even take getting it on to Boostmobile at this point)
What do I need to unlock or root or flash...or whatever to get this fantastic new phone on either Ting or Boostmobile? IS there anything I can do? Can someone help?? My wife (her phone) is extremely unhappy and she loves the copper gold color we got so taking it back is, hopefully, not an option. Let me know...I would greatly appreciate it...thanks!!!! PS...I do have the MLS code...if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bumping this...Anyone...can anyone help??

Mezzavo said:
Bumping this...Anyone...can anyone help??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of Sprints MNVO's have this policy/agreement with Sprint. Short of changing the MEID which is not only illegal, but apparently renders the phone unable to get a signal, theres really no options i know of at the moment other than waiting out the year or selling the device and possibly taking a hit on the price. Too bad you cant use it on a GSM network, but thats not a option currently either. I seem to remember the wait being 2 years a few years back, thankfully its only 12 months now.
I wish you luck, but i fear there may be little or nothing you can do short of selling or waiting out the year

Related

[Q] T-Mobile's exchange/replacement policy

Does anyone know tmo's exchange policy? I am on my 4th MT4G and this is one having problems. I want tmo to exchange/replace my phone with another phone of equal or lesser value. In the past they have given me this option or given me credit for the phone to apply to an upgrade.
I originally purchased the phone straight up and on the even more plus plan. I also pay for the PHP equipment bundle.
Thanks for help and hope to hear soon! If there's any more information you need then just ask.
I just ran into the same problem you have. I am on my 3rd 4g and asked them if they would do exactly what you were asking. I have the warranty purchase plan and even with that they told me at the tmobile store I was at can only offer whatever the computer gives you which is based off what HTC will give you.Each store also varies on if they will offer that as well. Why? Idk but in my case they offered me the HD7. I just laughed. So they tried calling the higher ups to see what they could do. I explained to them what was going on with the phone and the only thing he could offer me was a full upgrade discount on a different phone and I pay the difference. Not paying another $260 on another phone for one that I have had for less than year.
So in a nutshell. Tmobile will not warranty out your phone for a different brand one but they will (if the store allows for it or you gripe to the loyalty department) on a phone of the same brand. So it varies on the store you go to and it will have to be another HTC phone. Hope this helps you.
dive_junkie76 said:
I just ran into the same problem you have. I am on my 3rd 4g and asked them if they would do exactly what you were asking. I have the warranty purchase plan and even with that they told me at the tmobile store I was at can only offer whatever the computer gives you which is based off what HTC will give you.Each store also varies on if they will offer that as well. Why? Idk but in my case they offered me the HD7. I just laughed. So they tried calling the higher ups to see what they could do. I explained to them what was going on with the phone and the only thing he could offer me was a full upgrade discount on a different phone and I pay the difference. Not paying another $260 on another phone for one that I have had for less than year.
So in a nutshell. Tmobile will not warranty out your phone for a different brand one but they will (if the store allows for it or you gripe to the loyalty department) on a phone of the same brand. So it varies on the store you go to and it will have to be another HTC phone. Hope this helps you.
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Thanks for the reply! They offered me another MT4G or a "certified open boxed" G2. Whatever the F that means. So I get another phone with which I have had terrible luck with or a discontinued phone that actually came out before my phone. I refuse to believe their bull. I have been with them for 8-10 years and have always bought their highest end phone at the time and paid full price. Thank god I am an even more plus customer, time to move to Sprint unless they can cut the bull. Their "solution" to my problems and frustration is to keep on offering me the same phone. Makes a lot of sense T-Mobile! By no means at all am I trying to pass one over on them. I simply want an equal or lesser phone. I like T-Mobile which is why I have stayed with them for so long, I will call again and see what else they can offer. But, if they continue I will move to Sprint and never look back.
Sorry for replying so late but how have things worked out? The only reason I haven't switched companies is because T mobile has been pretty good with me. There rate plans are the best and that's the only thing that has kept me around. This is the only time I have had an issue with them. I would have like to switch out like you were wanting but I am glad I didn't.I just think this is best phone for me right now. At least until I can get the samsung galaxy 2.

Buying a used phone

I am moving over to Straight Talk here in a month from Verizon, and will be using an AT&T SIM for service. I have been reading up on this "Blacklisting" that AT&T is doing with stolen/lost phones, and how some folks are being scammed from Craigslist/eBay.
My question, then, is if I were to meet someone at an AT&T store, have the IMEI checked, and it comes back clean, and make the transaction, with the seller still there, will AT&T be able to put a note on their account that the phone was sold, so the seller cannot go back a week later and claim the phone was lost or stolen (fraud)? By doing that, wouldn't the folks at AT&T who Blacklist, see that on their account, and you, as the buyer, would be in the free and clear?
Anyhow, I am just looking for thoughts and suggestions about this, and anything else someone might provide. Thanks!
You can get it checked but it always can be reported stolen later on. It's just like ESNs on Verizon/Sprint. But as long as you verify it you should be fine.
MrObvious said:
You can get it checked but it always can be reported stolen later on. It's just like ESNs on Verizon/Sprint. But as long as you verify it you should be fine.
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I guess what I am asking, is while I am at the AT&T store, can I have the associate put a note on the seller's account that states the phone is being sold to me, while the seller is there in the store, and consents to this being put on his account? I would think that it would be impossible then to blacklist the phone, as its there.
I guess I am looking for the best way to protect myself from scam, without having to buy a retail phone at full price. Although, honestly my gut feeling is, is that most folks will not scam you... but, I could just see me being one of those unlucky few with a $300 paperweight!
You'd have to ask AT&T unless someone has that experience. Sorry.
We decided that we are going with new Nexus 4 (16gb) phones instead. This way, we can also use a T-Mobile SIM card if we decide AT&T service with Straight Talk isn't doing it for us. Better to have piece of mind!
why not a Xperia X8? haha

Taking a Spring S4 over to Straight Talk?

Hello folks! I've been rooting Android devices since the OEM Droid, but I feel out of my depth with my new endeavor
I just scooped up a brand new Sprint S4 on the cheap via craigslist(literally 30 mins ago).... but here's the plan:
I plan on taking this new S4 over to Straight Talk to see how I like it. But, I've NEVER transferred a device between carriers before, and don't know what the crap I'm doing. I'm assuming I need to unlock the phone before activating with Straight Talk(not a problem, I'm sure I can get 'er done. I've only ever unlocked AND rooted both together, but assuming I can figure it out).
But after I activate with Straight Talk am I up a creek as far as flashing new ROMS on the device? Can I still root and flash (whatever) via this same device thread?
I'm coming from a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. I'm actually out of contract for the first time in 17 years, and almost can't believe it. The stock S4 is light years better than my rooted and overclocked Nexus, so worst case scenario, I'm plenty happy with staying stock if I'm SOL. But I'd LOVE to tinker with this puppy if I'm able to.
A good shove in the right direction would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks for taking to read this post!
it would appear I didn't do enough homework Looks like I've got my work cut out for me just to get the dang phone to work with Straight Talk.
Your best bet to get your CDMA phone working with them is to call customer service to check out the ESN. Or if you get good t-mobile or att reception in your area, you could always unlock it and pick up an att or tmo sim card to use.
There is this thread that shows how to unlock a Sprint S4 for domestic GSM carriers if you're interested...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2530610
Dlnp22 said:
Hello folks! I've been rooting Android devices since the OEM Droid, but I feel out of my depth with my new endeavor
I just scooped up a brand new Sprint S4 on the cheap via craigslist(literally 30 mins ago).... but here's the plan:
I plan on taking this new S4 over to Straight Talk to see how I like it. But, I've NEVER transferred a device between carriers before, and don't know what the crap I'm doing. I'm assuming I need to unlock the phone before activating with Straight Talk(not a problem, I'm sure I can get 'er done. I've only ever unlocked AND rooted both together, but assuming I can figure it out).
But after I activate with Straight Talk am I up a creek as far as flashing new ROMS on the device? Can I still root and flash (whatever) via this same device thread?
I'm coming from a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. I'm actually out of contract for the first time in 17 years, and almost can't believe it. The stock S4 is light years better than my rooted and overclocked Nexus, so worst case scenario, I'm plenty happy with staying stock if I'm SOL. But I'd LOVE to tinker with this puppy if I'm able to.
A good shove in the right direction would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks for taking to read this post!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, on top of our private messages... I'm on straight talk and so far very happy. Only thing I can complain about is not having 4g...which I never had, so I've never experienced it. The flash service through ebay, the guy will take control of your PC and you can have it done when the flasher scheduled you a time. I bought my s4 on ebay with a bad ESN for like $389 a month after release. Also, the native hotspot doesnt work, but works once you flash the hotspot hack and use a widget from the playstore to turn it on/off it works perfectly. I personally use exlir 2 as my widget. I'm on a Sprint phone and it's flashed to Verizon's towers too, which is better in most areas. Other then that, for rooting/ROM purposes, I have zero issues. Signal/GPS is perfect. It even takes the OTA updates as long as your pure stock.:good: Using Odin .tar files is okay.
On second thought, the ebay service is illegal...your cloning a phone. Straight Talk thinks I have a Blackberry
KStyles69 said:
Again, on top of our private messages... I'm on straight talk and so far very happy. Only thing I can complain about is not having 4g...which I never had, so I've never experienced it. The flash service through ebay, the guy will take control of your PC and you can have it done when the flasher scheduled you a time. I bought my s4 on ebay with a bad ESN for like $389 a month after release. Also, the native hotspot doesnt work, but works once you flash the hotspot hack and use a widget from the playstore to turn it on/off it works perfectly. I personally use exlir 2 as my widget. I'm on a Sprint phone and it's flashed to Verizon's towers too, which is better in most areas. Other then that, for rooting/ROM purposes, I have zero issues. Signal/GPS is perfect. It even takes the OTA updates as long as your pure stock.:good: Using Odin .tar files is okay.
On second thought, the ebay service is illegal...your cloning a phone. Straight Talk thinks I have a Blackberry
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Click to collapse
I know I'm late in responding, but you made a point I found out after the fact. No 4G when taking the CDMA phone over to Straight Talk. This was a deal killer for me. I've since turned the phone on craigslist, and am looking for an AT&T version now
My only question is- How do you flash for specific towers?
congrats
Dlnp22 said:
Hello folks! I've been rooting Android devices since the OEM Droid, but I feel out of my depth with my new endeavor
I just scooped up a brand new Sprint S4 on the cheap via craigslist(literally 30 mins ago).... but here's the plan:
I plan on taking this new S4 over to Straight Talk to see how I like it. But, I've NEVER transferred a device between carriers before, and don't know what the crap I'm doing. I'm assuming I need to unlock the phone before activating with Straight Talk(not a problem, I'm sure I can get 'er done. I've only ever unlocked AND rooted both together, but assuming I can figure it out).
But after I activate with Straight Talk am I up a creek as far as flashing new ROMS on the device? Can I still root and flash (whatever) via this same device thread?
I'm coming from a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. I'm actually out of contract for the first time in 17 years, and almost can't believe it. The stock S4 is light years better than my rooted and overclocked Nexus, so worst case scenario, I'm plenty happy with staying stock if I'm SOL. But I'd LOVE to tinker with this puppy if I'm able to.
A good shove in the right direction would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks for taking to read this post!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
congrats on being out of contract...I love straighttalk, paid a whole year off at once......use hotspot often...last month got 90 gb of data usage....I used my tmo note 2....but I have 2 sprint s4's that I would love to take to ST....if it works out well for you please let me know
oclark1011 said:
congrats on being out of contract...I love straighttalk, paid a whole year off at once......use hotspot often...last month got 90 gb of data usage....I used my tmo note 2....but I have 2 sprint s4's that I would love to take to ST....if it works out well for you please let me know
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Click to collapse
1 week in and LOVING it. So long VZW.

Note 3 blocked by T-Mobile, need advice

Hey guys, i've got a problem and I need some advice/options.
Long story short, as some of you may know, I bought my T-Mobile branded Note 3 on Swappa in November. Of course, Swappa says that they check IMEIs and the seller assured me that the phone was fully paid for, but a few days ago my Note 3 was blocked/blacklisted (whatever you call it) by T-Mobile for non-payment of EIP.
I have tried to resolve the issue through communicating with the seller and Swappa, but there's really nothing to be done. The seller won't refund my money, Swappa is powerless, and Paypal says the transaction is past their 45 day dispute period. The phone isn't even unlocked, so I can't even try and use it on another carrier right now.
So at this point i'm trying to minimize my losses. I am open to any suggestions as to how I can either:
1. find a way to get the phone unlocked and use it on another carrier (I know that when a T-Mobile phone is blocked or blacklisted, they share that info now with AT&T, but i'm hoping I can use it on Simple Mobile or Straight Talk or Walmart's service)
or
2. sell the phone internationally (with full disclosure of the fact that the phone is blocked on T-Mobile/AT&T of course, but it shouldn't matter if someone wants to use it outside of the US, right?)
or
3. sell the phone as a 'dev' device (at a substantial loss i'm sure), but I have no idea how to do this or even whether a dev would want a phone that is blocked (don't they need to test network stuff?).
I'm trying to find a way to make the best of a bad situation. Any one who reads this post and wants to give me some decent advice is welcome. But if you just want to start trolling PLEASE JUST GO AWAY. I have enough problems as it is right now.
In any case, i've learned my lesson. No more Craigslist, no more Negri, no more Swappa. I'm just gonna pony up the money and get my phones directly from T-Mobile. The money I thought I was saving doesn't look like such a deal anymore.
Ah damn, yeah seems a lot of people have fallen into the same trap you have unfortunately.
Well you could try another network. . However the chances are high that it'll be blocked all over the US. - yes you could sell it internationally and disclose the issue but the frequency has a different range(?) - this would probably be your best option.
If not then you'd just have to take the hit on it, toss it away or use as a media device. And put it down to a very bad lesson learnt the hard way :-/
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
radicalisto said:
Ah damn, yeah seems a lot of people have fallen into the same trap you have unfortunately.
Well you could try another network. . However the chances are high that it'll be blocked all over the US. - yes you could sell it internationally and disclose the issue but the frequency has a different range(?) - this would probably be your best option.
If not then you'd just have to take the hit on it, toss it away or use as a media device. And put it down to a very bad lesson learnt the hard way :-/
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
Appreciate the response, but now way I could toss $650 away. It took me a few months to save that up. That's why i'm trying to salvage whatever I can of this situation.
Perhaps there's a Canadian carrier uses the same frequencies as T-Mobile? Anyone know a site that would help me compare GSM bands/frequencies to see which countries would be the best option for reselling?
You could have a scan on gsmarena they detail frequencies on the different models.
Yeah it's definitely an expensive error for sure, assume T - Mobile aren't too keen to help at all then?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
radicalisto said:
You could have a scan on gsmarena they detail frequencies on the different models.
Yeah it's definitely an expensive error for sure, assume T - Mobile aren't too keen to help at all then?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
No, T-Mobile won't give me any info because i'm not the original account holder for the phone. T-Mobile will probably go after that person, but it's probably just a tax write off for them.
Try RegionLock away on Play store or buy an unlock code then try with a pre-paid service. GL
RMXO said:
Try RegionLock away on Play store or buy an unlock code then try with a pre-paid service. GL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Won't help.... Phone has been blacklisted...
Unless you can get the carrier to take it off the blacklist it won't be allowed to connect to any network in that country (theoretically)...
Just a thought though - if the phone hasn't been paid for to the carrier, it's on the blacklist and you are caught trying to use it, you may find yourself charged with possession of stolen goods... Unless you have a receipt that states it was sold to you. Either way though you will loose the phone...
Techngro said:
Hey guys, i've got a problem and I need some advice/options.
Long story short, as some of you may know, I bought my T-Mobile branded Note 3 on Swappa in November. Of course, Swappa says that they check IMEIs and the seller assured me that the phone was fully paid for, but a few days ago my Note 3 was blocked/blacklisted (whatever you call it) by T-Mobile for non-payment of EIP.
I have tried to resolve the issue through communicating with the seller and Swappa, but there's really nothing to be done. The seller won't refund my money, Swappa is powerless, and Paypal says the transaction is past their 45 day dispute period. The phone isn't even unlocked, so I can't even try and use it on another carrier right now.
So at this point i'm trying to minimize my losses. I am open to any suggestions as to how I can either:
1. find a way to get the phone unlocked and use it on another carrier (I know that when a T-Mobile phone is blocked or blacklisted, they share that info now with AT&T, but i'm hoping I can use it on Simple Mobile or Straight Talk or Walmart's service)
or
2. sell the phone internationally (with full disclosure of the fact that the phone is blocked on T-Mobile/AT&T of course, but it shouldn't matter if someone wants to use it outside of the US, right?)
or
3. sell the phone as a 'dev' device (at a substantial loss i'm sure), but I have no idea how to do this or even whether a dev would want a phone that is blocked (don't they need to test network stuff?).
I'm trying to find a way to make the best of a bad situation. Any one who reads this post and wants to give me some decent advice is welcome. But if you just want to start trolling PLEASE JUST GO AWAY. I have enough problems as it is right now.
In any case, i've learned my lesson. No more Craigslist, no more Negri, no more Swappa. I'm just gonna pony up the money and get my phones directly from T-Mobile. The money I thought I was saving doesn't look like such a deal anymore.
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Click to collapse
bad luck for you.
But i can tell you a thing or 2 about selling phone internationally.
your t-mobile fone can be used here in SEA region and for the N3 its probably multi band.so selling it internationally shouldn't be an issue for you.but you'll probably want to sell it at a huge discount.
from past experience,t-mobile's GSM frequency is the same as those in my country and i have no issues using T-mo fone here.my signature should tell you what t-mo fones i had.but i cannot say if the 4g band is the same though.so dun worry about the GSM band being compatible or not,that's the buyer's responsibility.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_frequency_bands)
i am not sure if there is a way to sim unlock your fone without having to buy a unlock code(i noe the sensation 4g had a way to remove sim lock altogether),if you do find a way,there is no harm testing to see if you can still use the fone on other networks.
take it as a hard lesson learned bro but dun give up trying other ways to use your fone,i am pretty sure the journey is educational.like how i tried to make t-mo fones work in my country.
I might be wrong but its only blacklisted IMEI NUMBER? in UK its illegal to change it. But I think you end up selling it OK on ebay
with NO RETURNS OR REFUND!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
ultramag69 said:
Won't help.... Phone has been blacklisted...
Unless you can get the carrier to take it off the blacklist it won't be allowed to connect to any network in that country (theoretically)...
Just a thought though - if the phone hasn't been paid for to the carrier, it's on the blacklist and you are caught trying to use it, you may find yourself charged with possession of stolen goods... Unless you have a receipt that states it was sold to you. Either way though you will loose the phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I do have a receipt from both Paypal and Swappa. But I think would only work if it has been reported lost or stolen by the original owner. I don't think that's the case. T-Mobile said it was blocked for non-payment of EIP. Guess the guy just flipped the phone as soon as he signed the contract. People suck.
frostmore said:
bad luck for you.
But i can tell you a thing or 2 about selling phone internationally.
your t-mobile fone can be used here in SEA region and for the N3 its probably multi band.so selling it internationally shouldn't be an issue for you.but you'll probably want to sell it at a huge discount.
from past experience,t-mobile's GSM frequency is the same as those in my country and i have no issues using T-mo fone here.my signature should tell you what t-mo fones i had.but i cannot say if the 4g band is the same though.so dun worry about the GSM band being compatible or not,that's the buyer's responsibility.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_frequency_bands)
i am not sure if there is a way to sim unlock your fone without having to buy a unlock code(i noe the sensation 4g had a way to remove sim lock altogether),if you do find a way,there is no harm testing to see if you can still use the fone on other networks.
take it as a hard lesson learned bro but dun give up trying other ways to use your fone,i am pretty sure the journey is educational.like how i tried to make t-mo fones work in my country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, very educational. I used to buy my phone on Craigslist. I never once got scammed. But then Craigslist turned into Scam Central Station. So I went to Swappa because they use Paypal and I thought that would give me some protection. Turns out, the only way to ensure that you won't get a phone that will be blocked or blacklisted later is to get it directly from the source. It's turning out to be an expensive lesson. :crying:
How much of a discount do you normally get when you purchase a T-Mobile phone? I don't want to lose $200. It would make more sense to just get a cheap 4G phone and tether it to my Note 3 and use it as a little tablet.
jowett69 said:
I might be wrong but its only blacklisted IMEI NUMBER? in UK its illegal to change it. But I think you end up selling it OK on ebay
with NO RETURNS OR REFUND!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I would have to do it that way, but i'm worried now about losing too much money trying to sell it. If I sell it internationally, I don't see why I should lose that much, since the T-Mobile block only applies to the US.
Another option?
I really don't want to lose my $30 5GB plan. I've been looking on Amazon and saw that they have some cheap T-Mobile 4G phones like this Nokia Lumia 521: http://goo.gl/KgvOgR
My thought is, I can purchase that, tether my Note 3 to it and keep using it. 90% of what I do on my Note 3 is data/browsing, gaming, etc. So if I can tether to the Lumia, I guess it would work.
Any thoughts?
Was the Paypal transaction a credit card one? If so, I would contact them directly (you may have recourse for up to 3 months?). I use Paypal but always use my credit card to pay for items and never my bank account because Paypal will not stand behind the purchase if they have a way out.
FedUpx2 said:
Was the Paypal transaction a credit card one? If so, I would contact them directly (you may have recourse for up to 3 months?). I use Paypal but always use my credit card to pay for items and never my bank account because Paypal will not stand behind the purchase if they have a way out.
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Click to collapse
No, unfortunately, it was a bank account. Sigh...
UPDATE
So here's an update on my situation.
After considering my options, I ordered a Straight Talk AT&T sim card a few days ago. It was only $7 with free shipping, so I figured I might as well give it a try. It got here today, so I got Chainfire's RegionLock Away app and followed the instructions here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2471742) to unlock my Note 3 using the Straight Talk sim card. Didn't have a single problem getting it unlocked. Total cost to unlock ~ $10.
Once it was unlocked, I signed up for the $45 Straight Talk plan (which ends up around $50 with taxes/fees), and after a couple of reboots, I have service. The service seems pretty fast, but I don't want to do a speedtest because it's just a waste of my limited data allotment. It shows as being 4G LTE, but I don't know if that's the case.
So, I pay $20 more for half the data, and I have a Note 3 that is worth considerably less than what I paid for it only a couple of months ago on Swappa. I've definitely learned a valuable lesson here. But at least I have a working phone, so there's that.
Thanks for all of the suggestions guys.
That's awesome and glad you are able to use the phone normally.
Techngro said:
So here's an update on my situation.
After considering my options, I ordered a Straight Talk AT&T sim card a few days ago. It was only $7 with free shipping, so I figured I might as well give it a try. It got here today, so I got Chainfire's RegionLock Away app and followed the instructions here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2471742) to unlock my Note 3 using the Straight Talk sim card. Didn't have a single problem getting it unlocked. Total cost to unlock ~ $10.
Once it was unlocked, I signed up for the $45 Straight Talk plan (which ends up around $50 with taxes/fees), and after a couple of reboots, I have service. The service seems pretty fast, but I don't want to do a speedtest because it's just a waste of my limited data allotment. It shows as being 4G LTE, but I don't know if that's the case.
So, I pay $20 more for half the data, and I have a Note 3 that is worth considerably less than what I paid for it only a couple of months ago on Swappa. I've definitely learned a valuable lesson here. But at least I have a working phone, so there's that.
Thanks for all of the suggestions guys.
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Sorry to hear about your problems. Even though a couple people had the same issue with phones from Negri Electronics, mine purchased from Negri still says that the IMEI is not recognized when checked and it works fine on T-Mobile or AT&T (tested with sister's T-Mobile SIM and daily use with AT&T grandfathered Unlimited) with LTE. I am very happy. T-Mobile was going to make me spend $791 + at least 45 days of unwanted service before I could even request an unlock and they have 7 days to respond (52 days of unwanted service?). That's not a deal.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
CZroe said:
Sorry to hear about your problems. Even though a couple people had the same issue with phones from Negri Electronics, mine purchased from Negri still says that the IMEI is not recognized when checked and it works fine on T-Mobile or AT&T (tested with sister's T-Mobile SIM and daily use with AT&T grandfathered Unlimited) with LTE. I am very happy. T-Mobile was going to make me spend $791 + at least 45 days of unwanted service before I could even request an unlock and they have 7 days to respond (52 days of unwanted service?). That's not a deal.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
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Well, i'm glad that Negri made someone happy. There were plenty of people on this forum who felt they were getting scammed by them and had to cancel preorders after waiting 3 weeks for a shipment that never happened.
You might feel you're getting a deal, and maybe you are, and i'm glad for you. But for me, as I said, I learned a very expensive lesson from my experiences with both Negri and Swappa. It's only a deal when it works out the way you want it to. When you get screwed like I did, it stops being a deal. Not only did my phone get blocked, I now pay more money for less service. The extra $100 in savings isn't worth the risk for me anymore.

[Q] Why does this guy want money to "fix" my Note 3?

I have a Note 3 from my old, expired, contract with Sprint. I'm still shopping around for a better carrier in my area. In the mean time I opened service with a company called Metro PCS. As a side note this also lets me evaluate T-mobile's network (since I believe they are on the same network).
An employee at the local dealership checked out my Note 3 and said it would totally work with their network, IF I payed him $75 to do some "magic" to the phone. Ok then... He promised it worked and had a few examples on a shelf that he'd worked on for others to show me.
I got him to lower the price to $40 and signed my phone over (I'm not kidding, I made him sign an agreement...as legal as that really is xD), then a couple days later he tells me he can't set it up because it's running the custom cyanogen rom I have on it.
Now I'm wondering two things....
Why would my rom cause an issue???
And wtf was he going to do anyways???
I work 5 days a week and don't have much free time to screw with all of this stuff. That's a big reason I was down to shell out some cash for it to just "work".
Does anyone have any clue what this dude was up to? And what should I do next?
Thanks folks!
P.S. I'd re-install stock rom if it wasn't such a piece of s#!t
Maybe he would flash some files that could open for your new network. And it was made for stock roms? That's why he can't do it for you on CM.
Get your phone back.
Maybe some one can help you here with unlocking your device.
jcanuet said:
I have a Note 3 from my old, expired, contract with Sprint. I'm still shopping around for a better carrier in my area. In the mean time I opened service with a company called Metro PCS. As a side note this also lets me evaluate T-mobile's network (since I believe they are on the same network).
An employee at the local dealership checked out my Note 3 and said it would totally work with their network, IF I payed him $75 to do some "magic" to the phone. Ok then... He promised it worked and had a few examples on a shelf that he'd worked on for others to show me.
I got him to lower the price to $40 and signed my phone over (I'm not kidding, I made him sign an agreement...as legal as that really is xD), then a couple days later he tells me he can't set it up because it's running the custom cyanogen rom I have on it.
Now I'm wondering two things....
Why would my rom cause an issue???
And wtf was he going to do anyways???
I work 5 days a week and don't have much free time to screw with all of this stuff. That's a big reason I was down to shell out some cash for it to just "work".
Does anyone have any clue what this dude was up to? And what should I do next?
Thanks folks!
P.S. I'd re-install stock rom if it wasn't such a piece of s#!t
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He probably is charging for the network unlock code.

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