Bought AT&T Note 3 from craigslist. Seller reported it as stolen after selling it to me. AT&T now blacklisted the phone. What can I do?
So I fully verified the phone before buying it, checked IMEI at AT&T store and everything was clean. I paid $570 for the phone to the craigslist guy. Two hours later, he reported it as stolen to get another phone from his AT&T insurance. AT&T detected the IMEI of my Note 3 and blacklisted the phone.
I already filed a case with the police. I have all the proof that I bought the phone and I also remembered his license plate of the car. Did some google search and I have the Guy's full name, his car information and his house address. I have all the documents to prove that I bought the phone from him.
I went to AT&T store and also talked to 3 different people at AT&T customer care. Even though I have all the documents, AT&T refused to remove the phone from blacklist. As per AT&T, the only way to remove it from blacklist is to have the original owner call AT&T and request for it.
The police also didn't seem very positive. They kinda told me that they will do their best but they can't guarantee anything and they will have to talk to AT&T about the policy. Its been 45 days since I reported the case to the police and there has not been any progress yet. One of the police officer 'hinted' me that I should sell the phone to someone else on craigslist.
What can I do in this situation, reddit? Please help me. I think changing IMEI is illegal and very difficult to do. I know changing IMEI discussion is not allowed on this forum, but I own a pantex dumb phone from 10 years ago. Can I replace my IMEI with another phone I own? Is there any other way to get my phone working?
TL;DR: Purchased a phone from craigslist, seller reported it as stolen to benefit from insurance fraud. Police and AT&T refused to help even though I have all proof and document that I bought the phone from the guy. I have the guy's house address and phone number.
AlwaysNoob said:
Bought AT&T Note 3 from craigslist. Seller reported it as stolen after selling it to me. AT&T now blacklisted the phone. What can I do?
So I fully verified the phone before buying it, checked IMEI at AT&T store and everything was clean. I paid $570 for the phone to the craigslist guy. Two hours later, he reported it as stolen to get another phone from his AT&T insurance. AT&T detected the IMEI of my Note 3 and blacklisted the phone.
I already filed a case with the police. I have all the proof that I bought the phone and I also remembered his license plate of the car. Did some google search and I have the Guy's full name, his car information and his house address. I have all the documents to prove that I bought the phone from him.
I went to AT&T store and also talked to 3 different people at AT&T customer care. Even though I have all the documents, AT&T refused to remove the phone from blacklist. As per AT&T, the only way to remove it from blacklist is to have the original owner call AT&T and request for it.
The police also didn't seem very positive. They kinda told me that they will do their best but they can't guarantee anything and they will have to talk to AT&T about the policy. Its been 45 days since I reported the case to the police and there has not been any progress yet. One of the police officer 'hinted' me that I should sell the phone to someone else on craigslist.
What can I do in this situation, reddit? Please help me. I think changing IMEI is illegal and very difficult to do. I know changing IMEI discussion is not allowed on this forum, but I own a pantex dumb phone from 10 years ago. Can I replace my IMEI with another phone I own? Is there any other way to get my phone working?
TL;DR: Purchased a phone from craigslist, seller reported it as stolen to benefit from insurance fraud. Police and AT&T refused to help even though I have all proof and document that I bought the phone from the guy. I have the guy's house address and phone number.
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You can indeed file a police report. He stole your IMEI number. That's what you are filling the report on. Your proof of purchase is what you need to show the police showing that you own that IMEI number. Take him to small claims court if you have to, it normally cost $25 bucks or so depending on where your located and present your case. AT&T can also help you, but it depends on how you sugar coat it to who you're talking to.
Agent said:
You can indeed file a police report. He stole your IMEI number. That's what you are filling the report on. Your proof of purchase is what you need to show the police showing that you own that IMEI number. Take him to small claims court if you have to, it normally cost $25 bucks or so depending on where your located and present your case. AT&T can also help you, but it depends on how you sugar coat it to who you're talking to.
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As I said, I already filed a police report 45 days ago.
From Police: "We are still investigating. We have filed subpoena to AT&T to release the seller's account information" I tried following up with police couple of times and I get the same response everytime. Police has a copy of all the documents and my email exchange including phone logs with the seller.
As per AT&T: "As far as we are concerned, the phone still belongs to the original owner, and ONLY HE can call AT&T to remove the phone from AT&T blacklist". I showed AT&T the proof of purchase and copy of the police report I filed but they didnt care looking at it.
At this point, I am down $570. I do not want to scam someone else on craigslist by selling this phone. I just want this phone to work. Is there anyway I can get this working?
yo
Agent said:
You can indeed file a police report. He stole your IMEI number. That's what you are filling the report on. Your proof of purchase is what you need to show the police showing that you own that IMEI number. Take him to small claims court if you have to, it normally cost $25 bucks or so depending on where your located and present your case. AT&T can also help you, but it depends on how you sugar coat it to who you're talking to.
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....root unlock go to net10 or t mobile or simple or metro or straight talk
..case closed
Killamurk said:
....root unlock go to net10 or t mobile or simple or metro or straight talk
..case closed
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They all share the blacklist IMEI, phone is no good on any US GSM network
Killamurk said:
....root unlock go to net10 or t mobile or simple or metro or straight talk
..case closed
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That won't work. Case reopened
---------- Post added at 07:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:20 PM ----------
AlwaysNoob said:
As I said, I already filed a police report 45 days ago.
From Police: "We are still investigating. We have filed subpoena to AT&T to release the seller's account information" I tried following up with police couple of times and I get the same response everytime. Police has a copy of all the documents and my email exchange including phone logs with the seller.
As per AT&T: "As far as we are concerned, the phone still belongs to the original owner, and ONLY HE can call AT&T to remove the phone from AT&T blacklist". I showed AT&T the proof of purchase and copy of the police report I filed but they didnt care looking at it.
At this point, I am down $570. I do not want to scam someone else on craigslist by selling this phone. I just want this phone to work. Is there anyway I can get this working?
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You need to find a way to talk to their back office. Your gonna have to do some digging and calling, but ultimately they have the ability to whitelist the phone again. Keep following up at the police department at least once a week to get a status. Ask them how long AT&T has to respond.
Agent said:
That won't work. Case reopened
---------- Post added at 07:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:20 PM ----------
You need to find a way to talk to their back office. Your gonna have to do some digging and calling, but ultimately they have the ability to whitelist the phone again. Keep following up at the police department at least once a week to get a status. Ask them how long AT&T has to respond.
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From the AT&T online link, http://smallbusiness.bellsouth.com/subpoena/
Customer Notification: It is AT&T's policy to attempt to notify our subscriber upon receipt of a civil subpoena demand for their account information. AT&T‘s notification is generally made via U.S. mail to the current account billing address on file. There is a 2 week wait period before disclosure of their information is made.
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So, AT&T will release the information within 2 weeks from the day it received the request. Police filed the subpoena on 25th Nov (Don't know if they faxed it or used the regular mail). By this timeline, I think police should have gotten all the information they need by now. I called the detective last week and she was still waiting for the AT&T's response. I am going to follow up with police again tomorrow. (I dont want to bug police a lot, I dont want to annoy them when they are trying to help me)
On a side note, since I have the guy's address, if I go to his house and knock the door to talk about this-- am I breaking any law here? Is it called trespassing when I have a legit reason to talk to the house owner?
AlwaysNoob said:
From the AT&T online link, http://smallbusiness.bellsouth.com/subpoena/
So, AT&T will release the information within 2 weeks from the day it received the request. Police filed the subpoena on 25th Nov (Don't know if they faxed it or used the regular mail). By this timeline, I think police should have gotten all the information they need by now. I called the detective last week and she was still waiting for the AT&T's response. I am going to follow up with police again tomorrow. (I dont want to bug police a lot, I dont want to annoy them when they are trying to help me)
On a side note, since I have the guy's address, if I go to his house and knock the door to talk about this-- am I breaking any law here? Is it called trespassing when I have a legit reason to talk to the house owner?
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Just be careful, you never know about craigslist people. He could shoot you I suppose. As for repairing IMEI's I don't think anyone on XDA will help since they don't like dealing with stolen phones.
AlwaysNoob said:
From the AT&T online link, http://smallbusiness.bellsouth.com/subpoena/
So, AT&T will release the information within 2 weeks from the day it received the request. Police filed the subpoena on 25th Nov (Don't know if they faxed it or used the regular mail). By this timeline, I think police should have gotten all the information they need by now. I called the detective last week and she was still waiting for the AT&T's response. I am going to follow up with police again tomorrow. (I dont want to bug police a lot, I dont want to annoy them when they are trying to help me)
On a side note, since I have the guy's address, if I go to his house and knock the door to talk about this-- am I breaking any law here? Is it called trespassing when I have a legit reason to talk to the house owner?
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I would type up a letter and slide it under his front door. Explain to him that you have filed a police report that is being actively investigated, and that you are prepared to take it to court. Tell him that you simply need him to call AT&T to remove the phone from blacklist.
If I were in your situation, I might even go so far as to suggest (in the letter) that the police are somehow waiting on your permission to pay him a visit (lol idk) OR that AT&T has requested the police report and will block the new IMEI in suspicion of fraud. Also, include all of the info you have on him (i.e. full name, license plate, etc).
I forgot to mention, I know a guy who had this same exact problem. Bought a phone from att had it on his account for awhile then the previous owner reported it stolen.
Att let him buy a brand new Note 3 for new contract price.
It sounds like you have done everything a reasonable person can do in this situation and your efforts will make things a lot easier for the police as it sounds like you have done a lot of the leg work for them.
I know you are out $570.00 and that sucks, but you need to give the police time to gather records, interview the seller and to conduct their investigation. I would recommend given them a call once a week and checking in though so the case does not become stale. A respectful and appreciative attitude will go a long way when speaking to the investigating officer.
I don't know about Minneapolis, but here in small town Alaska, you could anticipate this taking anywhere from a few months to a couple of years to be resolved. I'm sure the police in Minneapolis are just as busy as the police here and this crime isn't a priority to any department unless the crime and or criminal is part of a larger problem that is being investigated.
It's a huge benefit that you have tracked the seller down already and given the police a lot of evidence to go on initially. This alone may move this into a 'give me' arrest and prosecution and police are like anyone else in that they have no problem picking low hanging fruit.
As for going to the sellers house...bad idea. If he has an IQ of 100, he can kill you if so inclined and not face prosecution. By going to his house to 'talk' to him, you will be seen as the aggressor and you do not want to be in that position. Best case scenario is you end up dead, injured or in jail yourself.
Police departments put out PSA's for a reason telling people not to buy phones from Craigslist. It is also common knowledge that if you buy a phone from Craigslist or another unknown private party, you have the seller call the provider and have them release the phone to you before giving them one red cent.
Let the police handle it.
TheZander said:
I forgot to mention, I know a guy who had this same exact problem. Bought a phone from att had it on his account for awhile then the previous owner reported it stolen.
Att let him buy a brand new Note 3 for new contract price.
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For all we know, that dude might on here reading this while checking out the latest SS and ROMs
wiser212 said:
For all we know, that dude might on here reading this while checking out the latest SS and ROMs
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SS and ROMs not going to help you with stolen IMEI's
From my time working as a rep and assistant manager for ccare, this will be a hard process to reverse; I saw this happening a lot, divorced couples, estranged friends.This is due to all of the scammers and thieves out there trying to make a quick buck on stolen phones. Its a good thing unfortunately it looks like it works both ways. The idiot doesn't need to report the phone stolen to get an insurance replacement. Att and asurion are two different companies, where they share info when relevant, so after the claim was processed, they wont care if he whitelists the device. But of course he would have to do that, or someone posing as him. The best course is police action; it may take a while, but its probably going to be the only way....
if you unlock it with region lock away by chainfire it will work on any other network regardless of blacklist.
here is a link of the successful story
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2537359
TheZander said:
SS and ROMs not going to help you with stolen IMEI's
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I mean the guy who ripped off the op. He might be trying to customize his illegally acquired new Note 3.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
pham818 said:
if you unlock it with region lock away by chainfire it will work on any other network regardless of blacklist.
here is a link of the successful story
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2537359
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Having a bad IMEI phone regardless of being unlocked will still be denied by carriers such as MetroPCS and TMobile. That thread you linked he didn't really weigh in on whether or not he used his phone in the USA after being unlocked.
UPDATE: 12/19/13 Received call from Police
So I just received a call from the detective who was investigating the case. She got the information from AT&T. She went to the suspect's house and she interviewed him. Suspect said that this was an "error" and he didn't know about it. The detective made him call AT&T while she was at his house and he removed it from blacklist. Detective told me that she spoke to AT&T too who confirmed that its been removed from blacklist. Detective was told by AT&T that if you power off and power on the device, its good to go now.
But, I called AT&T myself to confirm that this IMEI is removed from blacklist and they denied it. Its still showing as blacklist on AT&T side. The rep told me that if the request was made to remove from blacklist, it will take 24-48 hrs before the device is removed from blacklist. So fingers crossed.
I will give it benefit of doubt and wait for 48 hours before calling AT&T again to verify that its been removed from blacklist. If not, I will contact the police again.
One thing I did not like about this case is the suspect said it was an "error" and officer did not do anything against him. He was indeed committing a fraud. Shouldn't he be charged for his actions? I would be satisfied if he was punished in some way for wasting my time and making me go without a phone for a month.
AlwaysNoob said:
So I just received a call from the detective who was investigating the case. She got the information from AT&T. She went to the suspect's house and she interviewed him. Suspect said that this was an "error" and he didn't know about it. The detective made him call AT&T while she was at his house and he removed it from blacklist. Detective told me that she spoke to AT&T too who confirmed that its been removed from blacklist. Detective was told by AT&T that if you power off and power on the device, its good to go now.
But, I called AT&T myself to confirm that this IMEI is removed from blacklist and they denied it. Its still showing as blacklist on AT&T side. The rep told me that if the request was made to remove from blacklist, it will take 24-48 hrs before the device is removed from blacklist. So fingers crossed.
I will give it benefit of doubt and wait for 48 hours before calling AT&T again to verify that its been removed from blacklist. If not, I will contact the police again.
One thing I did not like about this case is the suspect said it was an "error" and officer did not do anything against him. He was indeed committing a fraud. Shouldn't he be charged for his actions? I would be satisfied if he was punished in some way for wasting my time and making me go without a phone for a month.
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In order for that to happen you need to go to small claims court by filling a civil suit. Good luck
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
hotbyz168 said:
In order for that to happen you need to go to small claims court by filling a civil suit. Good luck
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
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If I go to small claims court, what can I claim for? For the hassle I had to go through? For my time? Can I charge him for $ amount for this?
Related
I have been reading about peoples problems with their phone and now I'm worried about what if my phone breaks. Can I get it replaced even though I'm not an AT&T customer. I bought it at a CompUSA which is going out of business and signs in the store said All Sales Final No Returns.
do any of ur friends have att? if so just exchange it through their acct. if not you have to go thru HTC directly which isnt fun because u send them your phone..
Don't worry about it. As long as you have the Receipt you're fine.
Call cingular customer service and ask to be redirected to warranty exchange. It's still under it's 1 year warranty and you do have a proof of purchase.
Don't trip out because you got it from CompUSA.
What XBM will do most likely is a.) either send you the replacement and ask that you send the broken phone back ( they'll fill you in on the details ) or b.) they'll redirect you to HTC's warranty exchange process ( almost the same thing but postage paid handling might not be available and/or you may need to send the device to them first. A word of caution though, HTC's warranty exchange may be on the lookout for custom roms.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the respsonses
I can't imagine AT&T being nice enough to exchange a phone for a rival's service. I had to do an exchange with my Hermes several months back before I got my tilt, and I DID have to give my account information and all of that. If I were you I would check into HTC's warranty program. And as far as going through a friend...that may work, but my guess is it would depend on if the IMEI number of your phone has been registered with their system previously or not. I know for sure that some AT&T representatives have been instructed that the warranty is null and void if change of ownership takes place. I had a similar fiasco with that same Hermes, and had to pester them by calling and speaking with 4-5 people before they finally caved in and let me do it. But it took a lot of talking and I'm pretty persistent.
The first thing they ask you is: "can I have your cell phone number starting with area code please" if you don't have an account with them, look for someone that does....
Guess I'm S.O.L. since I got mine on eBay. Hopefully nothing goes wrong with it
Call Asurion & buy the insurance. Mine was like 60.00USD per year.
GSLEON3 said:
Call Asurion & buy the insurance. Mine was like 60.00USD per year.
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Sounds like the best bet.
rquinn19 said:
I have been reading about peoples problems with their phone and now I'm worried about what if my phone breaks. Can I get it replaced even though I'm not an AT&T customer. I bought it at a CompUSA which is going out of business and signs in the store said All Sales Final No Returns.
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The phone comes with a 1 year manufacturers warrenty.
AT&T will not exchange it for you, unless you're one of their customers. The AT&T exchange requires you have an account with them. It's a service to make things easier for their customers, rather than having to deal direct with the manufacturer.
You'll have to pay for shipping both ways though. To and from HTC if it breaks. Make sure you buy some insurance on it through the shipping carrier. (I shipped a W600i a few years ago and if the phone would have been lost, I would have been SOL).
As long as you have the reciept, at&t will honor the warranty. You will probably have to jump through hoops trying to explain the situation to the support rep, and get tossed around from department to department, but once you find a half-way intelligent representative, they should be able to help you. I had to do the same thing, as I bought my tilt from frys, and I got a RLoD about a month after i got it. Fry's didn't have anymore in stock so I went to the at&t store and used their phone to call the warranty deopartment. They told me they were going to create a non-member account (since i dont have an at&t account) or something of the sort, so that my info would be in their system. All I would have to do is fax them the receipt from frys, and then I would get a replacement from the store. Well it turned out that I had forgotten the reciept so I was gonna come back the next day and get it replaced, but that night I was reading up on the RLOD issue and messing around with my tilt, and I managed to fix it. Long story short, at&t will honor the warranty on an at&t branded phone, provided you have the receipt and a couple of hours to wait on hold. Oh, and the patience to explain your story 12 times to 12 different retards, until you fin a non-tard. laterz.
I worked for the company for several years and no they will not xbm. You need to have a post paid account and also have the imei registered on the account . If you call xbm they will just redirect you to the manufacturer.
Hey Everyone, Sorry for the long story, i know verizon is not the best sometimes, but this goes to show that they do try to make it right, and i belive they made it right for me. i figure i would share my story with you guys.
I have been with verizon for 9 months, how i got the bionic, was my droid x2 was bad got a replacement from verizon we'll it was doa, we'll went into a verizon store, told them what happend, they gave me a brand new droid x2, we'll i went online to look at my bill, we'll they changed my contract date without my knowledge and used me early upgrade, i called verizon and talked to a manager and explained since the store made a mistake, can i take it back and get different, he said yes, i went to the store we'll the store, told me no you are sol, and they was thinking it was funny, and so did the the store manager of that verizon store, so i called verizon and explained since they used my early upgrade date and changed my contract date with my knowledge, that if they let me take the droid x2 back to the store and get the bionic since i have went thru all this with that store and them doing this and thinking it was a joke, she said let me talk to a higher up manager and i will call you back she said about an hour, she called back 20 minutes later and said ok we can do this for you, and we will change your contract back to what it was before, so i paid $300 for the Bionic free overnight shipping and no fee's, plus $50 off my monthly bill.
But she told me i had to take it back to the store where this happend, we'll it was 30 minutes from my home 1 way, so an hour trip both way's i went to the store the next day to return i can live with out a phone for a day, so i go in the store again for a 2nd time and told them verizon customer service said, i am here to return this phone and i need proof of return with a manager signature, we'll they told me NO and starting laughing at me for the 2nd time, so i went to my car and called verizon again, and told them what happend, this time verizon told me to wait until i get my Bionic, so i get my Bionic and i take my 3rd trip out there and walked in there and told them i need the manager i waited 45 minutes for the manager, once again i told the manager, i am here to return this phone and i need proof of return with your signature, she told me no, and then she started calling verizon and saying you are wrong we wont take this back, and who ever told you this is wrong, and was laughing at me to my face.
so i go outside while my friend is in the store and they are all texting each other about this and laughing about this, we'll i got on the phone to a verizon customer service rep, explained what happend, and told him how they were telling me i am wrong, and was telling them that it is noted in my account, he put me on hold for 5 minutes.
best part of my day, he said put her on the phone so i handed her the phone and said here is verizon and they want to talk to her they were talking for 30 minutes and the next thing i know i have proof the phone had been returned and she was reading the serial number off to the verizon service rep. i d\dealt with this store for 3 days and countless hours, and alot of driving, but verizon made it right in my eye's by how the customer service rep on the phone handled it.
STAY AWAY FROM THE VERIZON WIRELESS STORE IN 1130 Levis Commons Boulevard, Perrysburg
so thats how i got my Bionic
but i love this phone!!!!! its the best, very fast everything works great as it should. and i am just in love with it lol
Killz86 said:
Atrocious ramblings of horrible grammar
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This post made my eyes vomit.
Grats on the bionic. Perhaps you can use it now to look up proper grammar and punctuation. Also, just fyi, "we'll" = "We Will" not "well".
Yes sorry i dont have good grammer at all i will admit it, i wont say i do, because that will be a lie.
and thank you for your honesty
Killz86 said:
Yes sorry i dont have good grammer at all i will admit it, i wont say i do, because that will be a lie.
and thank you for your honesty
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Great post and great example of "not blowing your top" in an extreme situation. You are to be congratulated and I sure hope you enjoy your new Bionic as much as I am enjoying mine!!
Well done!!!
Geezer Squid said:
Great post and great example of "not blowing your top" in an extreme situation. You are to be congratulated and I sure hope you enjoy your new Bionic as much as I am enjoying mine!!
Well done!!!
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Thank you
no reason for me to get mad, why make it wrose and make myself look like a jackass. they did it to them selfs already.
I already left a message for there District manager
Very nice post. It's nice to see some people still have patience.
If I had verizon store reps laughing at me while I tried doing something I told would work. I would have filed a formal complaint with Verizon and made sure it was on file. I don't tolerate that stuff.
Verizon has always done well by me when problems have popped up. I have gotten credits on my phone bill of $25 at least twice that I can remember.
I did found out the district manager's number and called and left a message and see if she calls back or not, if not i will being calling verizon and make sure i get it dealt with.
Killz86 said:
STAY AWAY FROM THE VERIZON WIRELESS STORE IN 1130 Levis Commons Boulevard, Perrysburg
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Yes, I would find a new store run by someone else. Win some/lose some. Glad they finally made it right.
Killz86 said:
I did found out the district manager's number and called and left a message and see if she calls back or not, if not i will being calling verizon and make sure i get it dealt with.
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If she has any shred of integrity she'll call back. Hope she does.
Out of curiosity, what was the reason the manager gave for refusing the return? If you were within your 14day WFG period, they can't refuse unless the device had been damaged in some way.
Also, and this is just FYI, there is nothing for the manager/Rep/anyone to sign to validate the return. Returning anything, either a case or phone or car charger, generates its own order number and is attached to the remarks in the account. The order number is also present on your reciept.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
A
Banggugyangu said:
This post made my eyes vomit.
Grats on the bionic. Perhaps you can use it now to look up proper grammar and punctuation. Also, just fyi, "we'll" = "We Will" not "well".
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You know what you self absorbed, self righteous know nothing foot in mouth bonehead of death?
English is not everyone's first language. If you have trouble reading posts, move along and buy yourself a 1st grade education....especially the helmet boy certified program where your brain learns to deduce what was meant based on comprehension and rudimentary deduction skills you obviously missed out on all because you were too busy peeing your pants and stealing 1% cartons of milk....mmmm K?
It's no wonder why there is so much estrogen in baby formula....it turns men into babies who expect via bigotry and prepubescent baby booboo passive aggressive character denigration based on a post by someone who obviously hasn't grammatical perfection yet has to put up with an English speaking twit who cannot afford a fellow member a modicum of latitude considering his sentence structure/syntax don't appear impeccible by your grandiose expectation(s) all because mommy forgot to hug you before tying your shoes...
Don't be a jerkoff.
Inform a mod if his posts offend you....need some patience, understanding and some much needed acceptance, you do.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
Different phone, same predicament...
Each and every corporate retail location I've dealt with (be it csr, super or actual store gm) they are NOT obligated to accept a return or exchange "IF" said item (be it accessory or phone) has been ordered/purchased over the phone OR online...
Technically the Store does not want the added inventory and technically it is against the terms ajd conditions because as we all know...everything comes down to contracts, and what is exclusionary or inclusionary of which the return of said item falls directly under the aptly ambiguous return/exchange policy which, does NOT differentiate Verizon Wireless entities via the location of the point of sale...
So what does the brick and mortar say? This:
"If you look inside of your box...there is a return shipping label..." then they tell you:
"I can return it for you no problem....but all I'm going to do is out it back in the box, tape and ship it....but I won't return it here because the inventories do not match up," which smells like melted BS...
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
unremarked said:
Out of curiosity, what was the reason the manager gave for refusing the return? If you were within your 14day WFG period, they can't refuse unless the device had been damaged in some way.
Also, and this is just FYI, there is nothing for the manager/Rep/anyone to sign to validate the return. Returning anything, either a case or phone or car charger, generates its own order number and is attached to the remarks in the account. The order number is also present on your reciept.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
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Because she used my early upgrade and changed my contract with out my promission. and she was trying to cover it up, it was a replacement for the droid x2 and she never gave me the box/battery/back cover just the phone, but yet she used my early upgrade and changed my contract date.
SigmunDroid said:
Different phone, same predicament...
Each and every corporate retail location I've dealt with (be it csr, super or actual store gm) they are NOT obligated to accept a return or exchange "IF" said item (be it accessory or phone) has been ordered/purchased over the phone OR online...
Technically the Store does not want the added inventory and technically it is against the terms ajd conditions because as we all know...everything comes down to contracts, and what is exclusionary or inclusionary of which the return of said item falls directly under the aptly ambiguous return/exchange policy which, does NOT differentiate Verizon Wireless entities via the location of the point of sale...
So what does the brick and mortar say? This:
"If you look inside of your box...there is a return shipping label..." then they tell you:
"I can return it for you no problem....but all I'm going to do is out it back in the box, tape and ship it....but I won't return it here because the inventories do not match up," which smells like melted BS...
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
The only thing that can't be returned to a corporate store is something purchased at an indirect location(i.e. authorized retailer). The reason for this is because you did not purchase the item from Verizon Wireless. You purchased this item from Joe Bob's Cellular Sales who purchased it from Verizon Wireless to sell the product and service to you.
Killz86 said:
Because she used my early upgrade and changed my contract with out my promission. and she was trying to cover it up, it was a replacement for the droid x2 and she never gave me the box/battery/back cover just the phone, but yet she used my early upgrade and changed my contract date.
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? This does not make sense. Btw, I'm not trying to defend her or anything, just trying to figure out what she was trying to do.
If you receive a replacement phone without a box/battery/backcover, then you have received a warranty replacement phone. Did you pay anything out of pocket for the replacement Droid X2? An early upgrade is exactly what it sounds like. You pay the 2yr pricing of the device, plus $20, and get it right then and there inside the store.
yes i got a received a warranty replacement phone from them in store, no out of pocket cost, but what she did was used my early upgrade and changed my contract date like stated when she did the replacement she changed my account with out my promission or knowledge, and i called verizon and spoke with them and explained to them and they said, the store made a mistake and you can exchange for what ever phone you want, and when i called there they said me no, that did not happen, they did nto use my early upgrade date or change my contract.
but verizon customer service said they did, and i belive verizon customer service over a verizon store any day.
Like i said, I was just curious about your situation because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. But at the end of the day all that matters is someone took care of you and you have your shiny new phone.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
unremarked said:
The part you quoted was in response to the other guy, not you. I'm glad you know the difference because a lot of people don't. They just see big red on the outside and assume its all the same.
Anyway, I was just curious about your situation because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. But at the end of the day all that matters is someone took care of you and you have your shiny new phone.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
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i add'd above i fixed my error. to explain it better i hopefully made it clearer
Yeah I generally have good luck calling Verizon CS. I broke my Incredible by throwing it on my driveway to prove to my buddy that it wouldn't break. Well it cracked the screen.
So I had a decision to make. 20 bucks for a new screen from ebay. Or 300 for a new Bionic. I chose the Bionic. Called Verizon 20 minutes later, told the rep EXACTLY what happened... And how much I had been drinking. And he told me he would wave the early upgrade fee for me considering my situation. Just wish Verizon would allow in store pickup. I have 2 Verizon corporate stores within a mile of my house. Could have had it Saturday but now I have to wait till tomorrow, possibly Wednesday!
And yes I know throwing my Incredible on the cement was a stupid idea. But I had a lot of Jagermeister in me!
I really wanted this phone but didn't have an upgrade and didn't want to open a new line.
Nice VZW store guy allowed me to open a "new line" with the Bionic and then transferred the phone to my "old line" account. He put in an IMEI or something for an old phone so I didn't require data. It was a family share plan.
I called VZW 2 days later and said I didn't need the second line. The lady on the phone said I can sell my "old feature phone" on ebay...
Took a little work and activation fee cost, but nice little workaround.
So here is my absolute HORROR STORY of dealing with PayPal.
I sold a phone on eBay (an Evo with a clean ESN and rooted w/ICS) and the seller emails me a few days later saying the phone can't be activated and they were on the phone with sprint for 3 hours and the "other Evo they bought was able to be activated (wtf? why would they buy two for the same account??)" so I asked them for the ESN number to double check... they give me the serial number. REALLY? You've been on the phone with Sprint for "3 hours" but don't know the damn ESN number??? The person is obviously a LIAR. I eventually get them to give me the ESN (which sprint says they can activate and say they haven't had anyone trying to activate the ESN... proving they are a liar). I ask why they didn't just go to the store since I looked up their address and they had one close by. They ignore the question and say they are going to file a report against me. I say go ahead, thinking paypal will listen to my evidence.... NOPE!!!!!
PayPal completely IGNORES the evidence and after freaking WEEKS they give her the money back!!! I have NO PHONE, NO TRACKING NUMBER, and NO MONEY!!!
WTF!!!
Oh and get this.. "the phone can't be activated because it has ICS...". I literally screamed in anger when I read this. I've activated phones rooted with ICS a million times, and it was in the damn description that it had ICS.
I'm calling PayPal tomorrow and telling them to give me the money, or give me a tracking number, or I'm filing a damn police report.
I used to take up for Paypal when others would report similar issues; but, when it happened to me, I finally understood just how merciless Paypal can be.
I had an old iTunes account floating out there that I forgot to cancel, and also forgot to pull my info from the account. It was totally my fault for leaving the stuff out there like that, I don't deny it, but what happened next forever changed my view of Paypal.
Somehow, someone got ahold of this account, and purchased two iTunes gift cards in the amount of $50 each. As soon as these hit my bank, I contacted Paypal, and explained that I had no idea what was going on. Their reply was that they were freezing my account, and that I needed to contact Apple and try and find out what was going on.
While I was going 'round and 'round with Apple, three more charges went through on my "frozen" account with Paypal. Meanwhile, Paypal support swore up and down that there was no way that someone could use a frozen account.
Finally, Apple found the old account, closed it, and refunded all of the purchases. Paypal never really lifted a finger to help me.
derekwilkinson said:
So here is my absolute HORROR STORY of dealing with PayPal.
I sold a phone on eBay (an Evo with a clean ESN and rooted w/ICS) and the seller emails me a few days later saying the phone can't be activated and they were on the phone with sprint for 3 hours and the "other Evo they bought was able to be activated (wtf? why would they buy two for the same account??)" so I asked them for the ESN number to double check... they give me the serial number. REALLY? You've been on the phone with Sprint for "3 hours" but don't know the damn ESN number??? The person is obviously a LIAR. I eventually get them to give me the ESN (which sprint says they can activate and say they haven't had anyone trying to activate the ESN... proving they are a liar). I ask why they didn't just go to the store since I looked up their address and they had one close by. They ignore the question and say they are going to file a report against me. I say go ahead, thinking paypal will listen to my evidence.... NOPE!!!!!
PayPal completely IGNORES the evidence and after freaking WEEKS they give her the money back!!! I have NO PHONE, NO TRACKING NUMBER, and NO MONEY!!!
WTF!!!
Oh and get this.. "the phone can't be activated because it has ICS...". I literally screamed in anger when I read this. I've activated phones rooted with ICS a million times, and it was in the damn description that it had ICS.
I'm calling PayPal tomorrow and telling them to give me the money, or give me a tracking number, or I'm filing a damn police report.
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I think you are not the only one. This is the leaking of the rule and the buyers do like to take advantages on it...
still the paypal the safest website for internet commerical
i90 said:
still the paypal the safest website for internet commerical
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yeah!
Paypal is a good example of a company that has become too big to care. I've had dozens of problems with them, from bugs in their website, to bs big company politics. Unfortunately, in the end, where else are you gonna go?
Pay pal was a great site. You could look into Amazon Payments.
That sucks man PayPal should at least guarantee that the item gets returned to seller then refund the money. Best of luck
Sent From Galaxy Bigger Than Yours.
I had a paypal account suspended years ago when my sister in law, with the same name as me, screwed someone over on ebay. Same name, same TOWN, so they told me they considered it the same person.
I literally had to convince her to get a scan of her ID and mine to sort it, and it took weeks after the info was sent in.
Since then, I still use it, but I attach it to an account that I ONLY use for paypal and I never leave money in there for longer than I need to for a purchase.
In my experience paypal is all about supporting customers and just pushing aside sellers, which is proven by your case, they just always assume that the seller is some dodgy no code crook when often its the other way round
Yeah, horrible situation. How they can simply refund the purchaser's money without making sure that the seller gets the original item back is beyond ridiculous. Obviously it would take some capital but this would be a great time for someone else to step in and create a secure site.
Would it be possible to implement a system that acts as escrow, holding the buyer's funds electronically until the transaction is complete and only refunding the cost if the original item is first returned to the seller in case of dissatisfaction?
The escow style idea should be the way that it is. I have had to return an item bought via paypal and I was told in order for the seller to get the money back I needed to show proof of shipping with tracking. I had no problem with this, of course. I do know that the money was not pulled from me until I provided this.
I think paypal plays on a case by case basis for some crazy reason, because the stories that you read/hear about often have no real similarities.
I'm glad my dealings with PayPal have been limited to using them as an intermediary for credit card transactions with sketchy sellers (mostly eBay). I'm not giving anyone direct access to my bank account, especially with stories like these... jeeze.
I had many of good and bad experiences with paypal. They've rolled on me and gave my money back to a buyer. Luckily, I got the sold item back.
I had my identity stolen using paypal and they had my back like no other. It overdrew the associated bank acount by 2000 dollars, and not only was it all reimbursed, but they covered my overdraft fees and gave me 200 dollars for the inconvience. I also got the bank to waive the same overdraft fees and came out another 150 dollars ahead.
The cookie crumbles both ways.
Me and paypal are good.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA
Another reason:
Some weird buseniss took some money from account. So I asked paypal to but it back, they did. And then I had to do security check to see of my account was hacked. I had to sent a letter from my bank with adress etc. But I do everything only, so they say to send bill for electricity, but I dont get no bills, I live with my parents. I used paypal 2 years ago for the last time, I was a happy user, but know there are still 50 freaking euros I cant, get back
Galaxy Gio
CM7.2 by phiexz
wow such horrible stories! seems like sometimes we really feel powerless against these big companies right ?
Yeah ik bro. There were multiple times when paypal would just refund the buyer's money and I would end up getting scammed even though the phones/tablets I was selling were perfectly functional. I soon realized after this happened to me twice that paypal is just a plain scam and I stopped selling stuff on ebay.
derekwilkinson said:
So here is my absolute HORROR STORY of dealing with PayPal.
I sold a phone on eBay (an Evo with a clean ESN and rooted w/ICS) and the seller emails me a few days later saying the phone can't be activated and they were on the phone with sprint for 3 hours and the "other Evo they bought was able to be activated (wtf? why would they buy two for the same account??)" so I asked them for the ESN number to double check... they give me the serial number. REALLY? You've been on the phone with Sprint for "3 hours" but don't know the damn ESN number??? The person is obviously a LIAR. I eventually get them to give me the ESN (which sprint says they can activate and say they haven't had anyone trying to activate the ESN... proving they are a liar). I ask why they didn't just go to the store since I looked up their address and they had one close by. They ignore the question and say they are going to file a report against me. I say go ahead, thinking paypal will listen to my evidence.... NOPE!!!!!
PayPal completely IGNORES the evidence and after freaking WEEKS they give her the money back!!! I have NO PHONE, NO TRACKING NUMBER, and NO MONEY!!!
WTF!!!
Oh and get this.. "the phone can't be activated because it has ICS...". I literally screamed in anger when I read this. I've activated phones rooted with ICS a million times, and it was in the damn description that it had ICS.
I'm calling PayPal tomorrow and telling them to give me the money, or give me a tracking number, or I'm filing a damn police report.
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Another example of corruption....
Very sorry for you sir
Sent from a blaze of amazon using Tapatalk
So, theres a guy on craigslist who was selling his Note 3 in box for $400, and I offered $325. Now, what I had planned to do was to meet in public, most likely at the AT&T store, pop in my sim, and check to make sure its working. Also, I was going to check the imei number, and make up a bill of sale with the imei included. Anything else I can do?
And if the phone is linked to their contract, and they end up not paying, that will blacklist the phone correct? Will a bill of sale protect me?
DarthScabrous said:
So, theres a guy on craigslist who was selling his Note 3 in box for $400, and I offered $325. Now, what I had planned to do was to meet in public, most likely at the AT&T store, pop in my sim, and check to make sure its working. Also, I was going to check the imei number, and make up a bill of sale with the imei included. Anything else I can do?
And if the phone is linked to their contract, and they end up not paying, that will blacklist the phone correct? Will a bill of sale protect me?
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Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=49280606#post49280606
Well, I think I scared him off anyway. I requested pictures, the imei number, receipt of purchase, and that he was going to have to sign a bill of sale. He said ok, and hasn't replied in two hours. Oh well, I need to save money for a trip anyway, I'm just tired of looking at my LG Optimus G Pro. I want to upgrade, as stupid as it sounds.
Nothing will protect you against blacklisting of IMEI numbers. It's only going to get worse on Craigslist with programs like AT&T Next. Even if it's not blacklisted today it might be in 2 months when the not paid phone hits collections.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
DarthScabrous said:
Well, I think I scared him off anyway. I requested pictures, the imei number, receipt of purchase, and that he was going to have to sign a bill of sale. He said ok, and hasn't replied in two hours. Oh well, I need to save money for a trip anyway, I'm just tired of looking at my LG Optimus G Pro. I want to upgrade, as stupid as it sounds.
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You did the right thing..who cares if you think you scared a thief away...You protected yourself from scumbags that rip good people off..spending that kind of money and getting blacklisted isn't worth all the hassle.....If you find a honest seller he/she won't hesitate at all for a bill of sale...
---------- Post added at 04:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 AM ----------
aygriffith said:
Nothing will protect you against blacklisting of IMEI numbers. It's only going to get worse on Craigslist with programs like AT&T Next. Even if it's not blacklisted today it might be in 2 months when the not paid phone hits collections.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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True..but as long as he had a proper "bill of sale" least he has some evidence of a crooked seller,and have more options then nothing at all.....But your exactly right though, and it will get worse with more carriers offering upgrades sooner.
I've sold many phones on ebay and craigslist and also purchased quite a few. I never had any problems doing so. Just use common sense, see what the person is like, never go alone when meeting someone. And obviously make sure it's not blacklisted. A person who was a serious seller would do whatever needed to make the sale, however it is best to explain why you want the information you're asking for. Otherwise they'll think you're just being annoying lol
This thread is about a guy that bought an N3 off Craigslist, and the seller blacklisted it a few hours after the sale (insurance fraud). You may want to make sure the seller transfers ownership to you with AT&T.
DarthScabrous said:
So, theres a guy on craigslist who was selling his Note 3 in box for $400, and I offered $325. Now, what I had planned to do was to meet in public, most likely at the AT&T store, pop in my sim, and check to make sure its working. Also, I was going to check the imei number, and make up a bill of sale with the imei included. Anything else I can do?
And if the phone is linked to their contract, and they end up not paying, that will blacklist the phone correct? Will a bill of sale protect me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never had any problems doing so. Just use common sense, see what the person is like, never go alone when meeting someone. And obviously make sure it's not blacklisted. A person who was a serious seller would do whatever needed to make the sale, however it is best to explain why you want the information you're asking for. Otherwise they'll think you're just being annoying lol
Guys can you help me? I bought a phone which was on AT&T but seller promised it is paid off. Well, it came on instalment plan. AT&T refuses to unlock at least becasue I don't know the real owner)))Any chance I can unlock it through Odin or somehow else? I did previously unlock from Google but this thing happened first.... The reason I'm asking - I can't return, there is uneligible to get refund item..... I didn't see that first. I would be happy if you can tell that it can be unlocked))) Please help.
unlocked for other networks probably yeah, but you'd need a paid service for that. might as well take it to the kind of shop that does that stuff (assuming you have those where you are). there's online unlock sites too but I know nothing about them other than they're not free either.
Probably have to pay balance. Have seen this happen to others
butchieboy said:
Probably have to pay balance. Have seen this happen to others
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the balance remaining on the phone could be dozens of times more than the cost of paying an unlocking service. plus the network now knows the phone was sold, if they were going to blacklist it they would've done it already.
Ok. Just saying what I have heard happen to others
butchieboy said:
Ok. Just saying what I have heard happen to others
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yes it's good for people to know, it's unfair on those who buy phones in good faith.
If you used a Visa or MC to buy the phone, send it back insured/signature required and take detailed photos of it and packaging. Double box it.
Then file a claim with the card company for a full refund. Call the card company today and get it started instead of being part of the scam.
You can also file a complaint with your state attorney general if it's in the USA. Most states will go after the perp. That is also mail fraud if ship by USPS and well as wire fraud.
Don't play the game... beat it to death so others don't get scammed☠
Some people just suck..lol. hope it all works out.