Note 3 blocked by T-Mobile, need advice

[xmuertex]

Xda does not support imei repair/ change

But check in craigslist around you, you can find a mobile repair faciluty that can

 

[Techngro]

First, good to hear you can use the note 3. And for me I just bought Tmobile Note 3 today for $100 like new and being block for EIP.... at the time buy it I wasn't sure how it will go but I gamble because the price. I thought I can buy it and if doesn't work out use it as small tablet the worst case I can unlock and sell on ebay to oversea people or something. Now, I feel much better.

UPDATE: As soon as I finish the post and check the phone IMEI again, it had show stolen, I guess she plan it along. :crying:

I'm sorry to hear about your situation, but in all honesty, you should have kinda known that you were going to get scammed. $100 for a like new Note 3?

o.0

If it's stolen, it's most likely going to be blocked on all local GSM carriers (unlike mine which was just blocked on T-Mobile). So you're going to have a very hard time using that as anything more than a wifi tablet. You could try to do what others have suggested and swap the mainboard, but unless you are familiar with that kind of thing, it could be more than you can handle.

You should just cut your losses and get a new phone. And don't buy phones that you know are worth $500 from someone selling it for $100. It's a sure sign of a scam.

 

[gentlefriend]

Straightalk Sim

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.

Is your StraightTalk Sim still working in your blacklisted phone today? Many thanks for your answer.

 

[Techngro]

Is your StraightTalk Sim still working in your blacklisted phone today? Many thanks for your answer.

I no longer use Straight Talk because the service wasn't really that good for what I was paying. But I have no doubts at all that the SIM would still work on my Note 3. The SIM card is only a few dollars, so I would say go for it.

 

[nijunhiju]

This morning I visited a T mobile store to get some help, the guy told me I'm not the only person who has the imei problem. Should I unlock the phone and sell it. It seems impossible to fix now. my imei number always appears with /08 at the end

 

[AxAtAx]

This morning I visited a T mobile store to get some help, the guy told me I'm not the only person who has the imei problem. Should I unlock the phone and sell it. It seems impossible to fix now. my imei number always appears with /08 at the end

delete

 

[quickbird144]

Bought a Note 3 locally for $130 originally T-Mobile with bad imei. No problem, used ChainFire region away app to unlock and am using it on ATT network. Have been doing this for a few years. ATT doesn't know what IMEI or phone you're using unless you call it in. They think I'm using a Note 2. Even if it got down to it. There's places locally that repair the IMEI for about $40.

 

[lddk23]

Similar situation, but not quite. Add'l advice?

Sorry to revive this thread, but I have a very similar situation with slight variation:

Bought a Note 3 (listed as N9005) from Swappa in September. Said it was unlocked, clean IMEI, purchased from a seller who clearly buys and sells hundreds of phones (thought that was good - high profile, not likely to sell bad stuff). Worked fine with a T-mobile network Straight Talk SIM (for my wife, she had that same plan the OP went to - $45/mo, ~2.5-3gb) until just a few days ago. Thought the SIM went bad (was a cut down full size card to fit her old nexus 4, then moved to Note 3). SIM is fine, works in my phone (unlocked Xperia Z2), etc. Finally check the IMEI number in the phone settings - doesn't match the back sticker. Don't remember if I ever checked it before, but had no reason to care since the phone worked fine. Now if I check the IMEI in the settings on the Swappa ESN check, it says blacklisted. IMEI from sticker on back says no problem...but I now notice that the sticker says it's a SM-N900T T-mobile model, not the N9005 unlocked version that it was listed as on Swappa. I also feel dumb for not noticing that before (I'm still quite the newbie) but again, it never had a problem so I didn't think to investigate.

So now, WTF?

Did I run into the same problem as the OP, but with different circumstances, like possibly a switched motherboard up front, which eventually became blacklisted? I'm super confused, and now not sure exactly what to do. New motherboard as some suggested? Sell it as is for big loss, buy new from T-Mobile (forgot to mention, we moved to T-Mobile at the same time as all this **** was happening a few days ago, so her new SIM is just sitting waiting, and working fine if tested in my phone). I posted another comment on my Swappa sale page, just to see what the seller and possibly Swappa staff have to say, but I'm not optimistic.

Anyone else? Thanks in advance for any new insight. I read through many other threads, and this seemed eerily familiar, so I don't need restate of previous advice. You all have given lots of helpful info, I just thought my situation was slightly different and might have something not yet discussed.

 

[Techngro]

Sorry to revive this thread, but I have a very similar situation with slight variation:

Bought a Note 3 (listed as N9005) from Swappa in September. Said it was unlocked, clean IMEI, purchased from a seller who clearly buys and sells hundreds of phones (thought that was good - high profile, not likely to sell bad stuff). Worked fine with a T-mobile network Straight Talk SIM (for my wife, she had that same plan the OP went to - $45/mo, ~2.5-3gb) until just a few days ago. Thought the SIM went bad (was a cut down full size card to fit her old nexus 4, then moved to Note 3). SIM is fine, works in my phone (unlocked Xperia Z2), etc. Finally check the IMEI number in the phone settings - doesn't match the back sticker. Don't remember if I ever checked it before, but had no reason to care since the phone worked fine. Now if I check the IMEI in the settings on the Swappa ESN check, it says blacklisted. IMEI from sticker on back says no problem...but I now notice that the sticker says it's a SM-N900T T-mobile model, not the N9005 unlocked version that it was listed as on Swappa. I also feel dumb for not noticing that before (I'm still quite the newbie) but again, it never had a problem so I didn't think to investigate.

So now, WTF?

Did I run into the same problem as the OP, but with different circumstances, like possibly a switched motherboard up front, which eventually became blacklisted? I'm super confused, and now not sure exactly what to do. New motherboard as some suggested? Sell it as is for big loss, buy new from T-Mobile (forgot to mention, we moved to T-Mobile at the same time as all this **** was happening a few days ago, so her new SIM is just sitting waiting, and working fine if tested in my phone). I posted another comment on my Swappa sale page, just to see what the seller and possibly Swappa staff have to say, but I'm not optimistic.

Anyone else? Thanks in advance for any new insight. I read through many other threads, and this seemed eerily familiar, so I don't need restate of previous advice. You all have given lots of helpful info, I just thought my situation was slightly different and might have something not yet discussed.

Sorry to hear about your situation. Yeah, we both got scammed on Swappa, but yes, your situation is a little different from mine.

Most likely what happened is that the person changed the IMEI to one from a N9005 using less than legal means. It isn't necessary to change the motherboard to do this, it can be done via software.

From my experience, you won't get any help from Swappa, and from what you explained happened, the seller has zero incentive to help you since he most likely intentionally scammed you.

You do have a few options. You can try and sell the device internationally instead of locally, since a blacklist in the US doesn't matter anywhere else, which might mean that you won't have to have a monetary loss at all. Or, you can try and see if you can unlock it and take it to AT&T like I did (read my other posts in this thread to see how). A final option, even though I can't really talk about it on XDA because it is not allowed, is to try and change the IMEI yourself. You can do some Googling and find out more, but that's all I can say about that.

 

[ytj87]

QPST.

It is absolutely legal in the US to alter IMEIs. It's an endlessly repeated fallacy that it isn't. A bill to make it a crime just hasn't gotten momentum, both in 2012 and 2013. It's an industry game to make people think otherwise. Another option is to find someone on ebay who can change it remotely.

 

[lddk23]

Update: reply from Swappa seller

Just wanted to follow up, as I think it's only fair to the Swappa seller (and honestly, the site in general since part of this thread is related to the OP's experience with the site). I commented on my Swappa sale page with a description of my problem. Long story short, this seller is a "trusted" seller with over 1000 good reviews in about a year, so they sell a lot of phones and aren't likely to be shady. They are not sure why the numbers don't match, but also confirmed that it's now blacklisted for whatever reason. They're standing behind their sale, and will be replacing the phone for a working model, and all under the oversight of the Swappa staff (in that they specifically commented in the thread that I can send the phone back and they stand behind the seller). So I'll see what happens, but this is certainly the best case scenario. Assuming the "exchange" process is completed successfully in the next week or so, I'll at least feel better about buying from trusted sellers on that site. The main annoying thing is my wife having to borrow a phone until then.

 

[Techngro]

Just wanted to follow up, as I think it's only fair to the Swappa seller (and honestly, the site in general since part of this thread is related to the OP's experience with the site). I commented on my Swappa sale page with a description of my problem. Long story short, this seller is a "trusted" seller with over 1000 good reviews in about a year, so they sell a lot of phones and aren't likely to be shady. They are not sure why the numbers don't match, but also confirmed that it's now blacklisted for whatever reason. They're standing behind their sale, and will be replacing the phone for a working model, and all under the oversight of the Swappa staff (in that they specifically commented in the thread that I can send the phone back and they stand behind the seller). So I'll see what happens, but this is certainly the best case scenario. Assuming the "exchange" process is completed successfully in the next week or so, I'll at least feel better about buying from trusted sellers on that site. The main annoying thing is my wife having to borrow a phone until then.

If you had a seller who was willing to replace your phone, then you got lucky. Absent that, there's nothing that Swappa could do to force the seller to refund or replace. I know because I tried. The best I got from Swappa was moral support ("Yeah, what the seller did was bad"). And for that, I will never use Swappa again.

But I'm glad that it worked out for you in the end.

 

[lddk23]

Totally understand.

If you had a seller who was willing to replace your phone, then you got lucky. Absent that, there's nothing that Swappa could do to force the seller to refund or replace. I know because I tried. The best I got from Swappa was moral support ("Yeah, what the seller did was bad"). And for that, I will never use Swappa again.

But I'm glad that it worked out for you in the end.

Can't blame you. I'm certainly going to be hesitant, and picky if I do decide to keep using it. I have sold a few things on there, and do think it's better than craiglist or ebay from both ends of the transaction, but there are still some big gaping holes to get caught in. Unfortunately, you got about the worst of it

 

[TJBunch1228]

You can buy a service from eBay to get your phone back up and running if it's blacklisted. Worked great for me.

Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app

 

[AndyBrine]

Hi Techngro,

I came across your post about your blocked galaxy note 3 and am wondering if we can help one another. I have purchased my galaxy note 3 (32gb) on ebay and it is in fully working order and I discovered today that my phone has been blocked. So like yourself, I am unable to dial out or receive any calls. After numerous calls, it seems as though I am not able to get this resolved.

One thing that I have discovered is that as my phone is network blocked or blacklisted, and it should work in the US. I would imagine that your mobile phone should also work here in the UK. If you would be willing to, I would be more than happy to chat with you about swapping the phones. Please let me know if this maybe something you maybe interested in doing?

Many Thanks

Andy

 

[Techngro]

Hi Techngro,

I came across your post about your blocked galaxy note 3 and am wondering if we can help one another. I have purchased my galaxy note 3 (32gb) on ebay and it is in fully working order and I discovered today that my phone has been blocked. So like yourself, I am unable to dial out or receive any calls. After numerous calls, it seems as though I am not able to get this resolved.

One thing that I have discovered is that as my phone is network blocked or blacklisted, and it should work in the US. I would imagine that your mobile phone should also work here in the UK. If you would be willing to, I would be more than happy to chat with you about swapping the phones. Please let me know if this maybe something you maybe interested in doing?

Many Thanks

Andy

I PM'd you a response.

 

[AndyBrine]

I PM'd you a response.

Thanks Techngro

 

[cbernardo13]

I can help you guys with your blocked Note 3

 

[AJSmartRepairs]

We Specialize in imei repairs.

Hi there well i seen this happen to alot of people that buy used phone either online or in the street but rest assure we do ave a solution for you. We repair all Samsung and HTC Imei numbers so that you may use it again wit the carrier and at the same time we unlock the phone to be used with all carriers if you choose to. We are located in Yonkers,NY if you are near us you could stop in to our store or use our Ship To Us Service. Visit us on our website we will be happy to help you. inbox me so that i may send you the our website url since im not able to post it on ere since i am new.

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 IMEI 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 IMEI 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.

 

[PanchoPlanet]

Hi there well i seen this happen to alot of people that buy used phone either online or in the street but rest assure we do ave a solution for you. We repair all Samsung and HTC Imei numbers so that you may use it again wit the carrier and at the same time we unlock the phone to be used with all carriers if you choose to. We are located in Yonkers,NY if you are near us you could stop in to our store or use our Ship To Us Service. Visit us on our website we will be happy to help you. inbox me so that i may send you the our website url since im not able to post it on ere since i am new.

Do you guys offer JTag?

Have old GS2 Epic 4G touch that's bricked, want to use as mp3 player.

Pp.