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Hello guys i'm from toronto i recently came from new york and purchased a vibrant when returning I am unable to use it. I called t mobile and they told me i need to find my recite or a person with a t mobile account to get the unlock code for me. Unfortunatly my recite is left in some garbage in new york somewhere. Can anyone here help me? I have my Imei number
ireiricky said:
Hello guys i'm from toronto i recently came from new york and purchased a vibrant when returning I am unable to use it. I called t mobile and they told me i need to find my recite or a person with a t mobile account to get the unlock code for me. Unfortunatly my recite is left in some garbage in new york somewhere. Can anyone here help me? I have my Imei number
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There is no reason for it to be locked other than its a stolen phone
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
ireiricky said:
Hello guys i'm from toronto i recently came from new york and purchased a vibrant when returning I am unable to use it. I called t mobile and they told me i need to find my recite or a person with a t mobile account to get the unlock code for me. Unfortunatly my recite is left in some garbage in new york somewhere. Can anyone here help me? I have my Imei number
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A, total bs, you really did not think of the fact that a phone from the states would not work in canada? Bull**** you just want someone to get the unlock code for you because you bought the phone not knowing it would not work and are screwed now.
Yes i know stupid mistaek
I bought the american version because the canadian version could not work on my carrier Mobilicity. Most mobilicity phones come unlocked and i thought that because they used the same frequencies that T mobile would too. Yes i know stupid mistake should have done it in america. And it's not stolen
itsjusttim said:
There is no reason for it to be locked other than its a stolen phone
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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ionic7 said:
A, total bs, you really did not think of the fact that a phone from the states would not work in canada? Bull**** you just want someone to get the unlock code for you because you bought the phone not knowing it would not work and are screwed now.
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Seriously you two should NOT give answers if you do not know wtf you are talking about. ALL t-mobile Vibrants are sim locked ie you cannot use it in any other country (ie with other carriers, even tmobile outside the US) but the united states and even here you cannot use it with any other carrier except t-mobile. I am about to call tmobile and have mine unlocked too so I can use it in Canada and Europe.
I usually buy t-mobile sim cards in Europe but I need my phone unlocked to be able to do that. But I will admit, since the Vibrant is pretty much the same as all the other Galaxy S phones, I also thought it could be used everywhere Tmobile was available (sans the simlock).
To the OP, go to Ebay if tmobile cannot help you, there are many companies that will unlock your phone for you for a fee. Or you can use the unlock generator from this site (but there have been mixed results with that). But even with the phone unlocked, does not mean it will get all the ranges oversees as it does here. Tmobile uses different Hz oversees than they do in the states so you may not get 3G (not sure, just using my experiences from other phones), so you may wanna check on that before going through all the effort of unlocking etc etc. You may be better off with a i9000 in Canada if thats your primary residence.
kponti said:
Seriously you two should NOT give answers if you do not know wtf you are talking about. ALL t-mobile Vibrants are sim locked ie you cannot use it in any other country (ie with other carriers, even tmobile outside the US) but the united states and even here you cannot use it with any other carrier except t-mobile. I am about to call tmobile and have mine unlocked too so I can use it in Canada and Europe.
I usually buy t-mobile sim cards in Europe but I need my phone unlocked to be able to do that. But I will admit, since the Vibrant is pretty much the same as all the other Galaxy S phones, I also thought it could be used everywhere Tmobile was available (sans the simlock).
To the OP, go to Ebay if tmobile cannot help you, there are many companies that will unlock your phone for you for a fee. Or you can use the unlock generator from this site (but there have been mixed results with that). But even with the phone unlocked, does not mean it will get all the ranges oversees as it does here. Tmobile uses different Hz oversees than they do in the states so you may not get 3G (not sure, just using my experiences from other phones), so you may wanna check on that before going through all the effort of unlocking etc etc. You may be better off with a i9000 in Canada if thats your primary residence.
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Thanks for the help o will look into both those methods you stated
go to Market, and look for SGS Unlock, if the free version can not generate the unlock code, go for the Pro version.. or you could do it yourself for free by following instructions here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=822008
kponti said:
Seriously you two should NOT give answers if you do not know wtf you are talking about. ALL t-mobile Vibrants are sim locked ie you cannot use it in any other country (ie with other carriers, even tmobile outside the US) but the united states and even here you cannot use it with any other carrier except t-mobile. I am about to call tmobile and have mine unlocked too so I can use it in Canada and Europe.
I usually buy t-mobile sim cards in Europe but I need my phone unlocked to be able to do that. But I will admit, since the Vibrant is pretty much the same as all the other Galaxy S phones, I also thought it could be used everywhere Tmobile was available (sans the simlock).
To the OP, go to Ebay if tmobile cannot help you, there are many companies that will unlock your phone for you for a fee. Or you can use the unlock generator from this site (but there have been mixed results with that). But even with the phone unlocked, does not mean it will get all the ranges oversees as it does here. Tmobile uses different Hz oversees than they do in the states so you may not get 3G (not sure, just using my experiences from other phones), so you may wanna check on that before going through all the effort of unlocking etc etc. You may be better off with a i9000 in Canada if thats your primary residence.
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I know all american vibrants are locked thats why it is stupid for him to buy one to take back to canada with out an unlock code ready...
ionic7 said:
I know all american vibrants are locked thats why it is stupid for him to buy one to take back to canada with out an unlock code ready...
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Maybe he didn't know? Maybe he forgot? Don't call people stupid for THINGS everyone does wrong everyday.
I purchased a GS3 from newegg and I'm trying to work out the country of origin for warranty service. Here's the kicker: I'm trying to do this without opening the box and voiding their return policy as I haven't decided whether to keep it.
(Basically, newegg told me it was new-in-box, but later said it might have been 3rd party unlocked with no warranty other than that provided by their vendor in the US. So I'm trying to independently verify the country of origin and warranty status since newegg is no help.)
I'm still new at this, but would the Final Assembly Code portion of the IMEI tell me the country of origin?
I also tried looking up the IMEI and found the issuer was British Approvals Board of Telecommunications. I thought this might mean that it's a British handset, but that might be a bit of a leap.
Try checking the CSC. You can find it by either way:
1) By connecting to KIES and checking the code (3 alphabets).
2) By going to the dialler on the phone and pressing *#1234#.
Again, I'm trying to see if this can be determined without opening the box. I have the IMEI code, which is on the sticker outside the box. Do you know how I can determine the country of origin from the code? The FAC is 05. Thanks!
That's not possible but why don't you have warranty from the shop where you purchased it? If there is some kind weird warranty thing going on juat retutn it and invest few more bucks to the device from trusted dealer
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
http://www.numberingplans.com/?page=analysis&sub=imeinr
All you can do .
jje
beetmonger said:
I purchased a GS3 from newegg and I'm trying to work out the country of origin for warranty service. Here's the kicker: I'm trying to do this without opening the box and voiding their return policy as I haven't decided whether to keep it.
(Basically, newegg told me it was new-in-box, but later said it might have been 3rd party unlocked with no warranty other than that provided by their vendor in the US. So I'm trying to independently verify the country of origin and warranty status since newegg is no help.)
I'm still new at this, but would the Final Assembly Code portion of the IMEI tell me the country of origin?
I also tried looking up the IMEI and found the issuer was British Approvals Board of Telecommunications. I thought this might mean that it's a British handset, but that might be a bit of a leap.
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Just call Samsung customer servic in your country, i did and they can tell you from the imei number the country of origin.
Thanks for all the advice, though I'm still hoping that someone can tell me which country is identified by the Factory Assembly Code 05.
gee2012 said:
Just call Samsung customer servic in your country, i did and they can tell you from the imei number the country of origin.
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I've called Samsung US three times. And tried their chat bot. And tried Samsung in Australia and the UK. No luck.
JJEgan said:
http://www.numberingplans.com/?page=analysis&sub=imeinr
All you can do .
jje
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Tried that, too. Didn't have it in the database.
johku12 said:
That's not possible but why don't you have warranty from the shop where you purchased it? If there is some kind weird warranty thing going on juat retutn it and invest few more bucks to the device from trusted dealer
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
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In brief, it appears that newegg gets their phones from a third party rather than direct from Samsung. That doesn't mean the phones aren't new, but they don't know (or won't tell) the country of origin. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in Central or South America.
Just to follow up: I called Samsung again and this time got someone with a brain who looked up the IMEI and told me the phone is of British origin. Of course, then she gave me the number for Samsung's Canada office...
Anyway, I called Samsung UK and was able to verify not only that it is a British phone, but that it has an extended warranty good through August 2014. Not sure how that happened, but not going to complain, either!
I have order one from Newegg also. HAVE YOU TRIED IT YET? Does it work? Never had problems with Newegg on warranty before.
It works and appears to be new. I've been pretty happy with it so far, but I probably wouldn't order from newegg again since they make you click through a disclaimer that phones might not be new.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2
hmm might have to give this a try to see where my S3 came from, does this mean the country where it was meant to be sold, not where it was manufactured right?
it's just that grey market imports are rampant here in Hong Kong and you can't tell if its been repackaged with the correct adapters and language manuals etc.
Bottom Line
Bottom line, there is no guarantee of of any cell phone you buy being what is claims to be. If you buy online, realize that if you are getting a killer deal, something is amiss. Cell phones are just like perishables, they do drop as they get older, but there is little difference in price between Amazon, New Egg, etc. If you find a seller selling $100 cheaper than everyone else, something is sketchy. If someone wants to take a used phone and make it look new, you will never know the difference. Buy your cell phone from somewhere that gives you a warranty, better if it is an actual local store or someone you trust.
cellrookie said:
Bottom line, there is no guarantee of of any cell phone you buy being what is claims to be. If you buy online, realize that if you are getting a killer deal, something is amiss. Cell phones are just like perishables, they do drop as they get older, but there is little difference in price between Amazon, New Egg, etc. If you find a seller selling $100 cheaper than everyone else, something is sketchy. If someone wants to take a used phone and make it look new, you will never know the difference. Buy your cell phone from somewhere that gives you a warranty, better if it is an actual local store or someone you trust.
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wow, that's quite a thread necro! the problem for US customers is that the international S3 isn't sold in local stores or by carriers.
So I have had my I9300 GS3 since launch and the other day I cracked my screen.
Now I need to get it fixed, I know that the whole unit AMOLED and digitizer needs to be replaced.
I could probably do it myself if the savings will be a lot but I'm looking for all options and Samsung US won't touch it apparently because its not a US model.
So anyway know of a way to get Samsung US to fix it or where Is a good place I could send it or get a display for it?
Anyone have any ideas?
Use your warranty it wont cost a dime
EDIT:
oh wait.. you cracked it.. mmmm.. you may try some low-end stores maybe in malls just to be sure. You could also do it yourself, there are lots of how-to's in youtube
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
if you're in the US and you have the i9300, then you have 2 choices:
1) DIY. buy the parts from ebay and follow instructions online..
2) Contact the Samsung on the country your phone is registered to. The one I had was register to the UK and they simply said that I'll have to contact their special service center there, arrange the case number with them, then send it to them as well as providing return postage. Then when they receive it, it will take up to 28 days to fix your phone + potential costs for repairs because you are physically not in their region. Any attempt to contact Samsung USA will get the agents telling you that they only service american models and that, I quote, their technicians do not have the knowledge or skill or parts to repair the i9300.
This is my personal experience with the incompetence of Samsung USA.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Napsterbater said:
So I have had my I9300 GS3 since launch and the other day I cracked my screen.
Now I need to get it fixed, I know that the whole unit AMOLED and digitizer needs to be replaced.
I could probably do it myself if the savings will be a lot but I'm looking for all options and Samsung US won't touch it apparently because its not a US model.
So anyway know of a way to get Samsung US to fix it or where Is a good place I could send it or get a display for it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can do it yourself following max lee's steps
http://androidroot.org/watch_video.php?v=4Y7HHX55S5W1
Clove.co.uk sells the 64GB and 128GB version of the SM-G965F, but they don't seem to sell the 256GB version.
Are there any *trusted* vendors who do?
Samsung UK it them direct, and Currys PCWorld sell it from what I can see.
Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
Incarniac said:
Samsung UK it them direct, and Currys PCWorld sell it from what I can see.
Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
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As far as I can tell, even if I buy a prepaid UK SIM card, using it in the US wouldn't let me deactivate the region lock. So unless that's incorrect, or there's another good option, I have no choice but to use a dealer who will activate the phone before shipping it. I don't think either Samsung UK or PCWorld would do this.
In addition, I'd be surprised if Samsung UK would sell and ship to an international address, and the Delivery section on PCWorld's site doesn't list international as an option.
Didn't realise you were in the US and this was a requirement. I don't have any personal experience from working around the region lock in this manner, so can't offer any definite help on whether it needs to be in the region or whether a SIM from the region will do the trick.
Clove's option of pre-activating (and breaking seals in the process) is one that I don't know anyone else do, this to me sounds like a very specialised niche they have targeted and I wouldn't expect most, if any, other retailers would do this (technically, once opened, it can no longer be sold as 'new').
Incarniac said:
Didn't realise you were in the US and this was a requirement. I don't have any personal experience from working around the region lock in this manner, so can't offer any definite help on whether it needs to be in the region or whether a SIM from the region will do the trick.
Clove's option of pre-activating (and breaking seals in the process) is one that I don't know anyone else do, this to me sounds like a very specialised niche they have targeted and I wouldn't expect most, if any, other retailers would do this (technically, once opened, it can no longer be sold as 'new').
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I wish a SIM card by itself was a guarantee - I hate getting opened box goods. And I've seen *way* too many sales/tech reps be casually careless with cell phones. I hate the possibility that I'm going to be paying $1k to get a brand new(ish) scratched phone.
That being said, I found one other dealer that does the activation - KickMobiles.com. They do have the 256GB version (only in Titanium) - but the reviews are very mixed for them. Clove has a much better reputation, but they don't stock the 256GB at all.
Haphim said:
I wish a SIM card by itself was a guarantee - I hate getting opened box goods. And I've seen *way* too many sales/tech reps be casually careless with cell phones. I hate the possibility that I'm going to be paying $1k to get a brand new(ish) scratched phone.
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Indeed. I don't know how accurate this article from TechAdvisor is, but it implies you do need to be in the region to remove the region lock, or alternatively apparently a Samsung Support/Repair Centre can do so for you. The latter may be an avenue worth investigating if there is one near you, maybe call them and ask and see what they say.
Haphim said:
That being said, I found one other dealer that does the activation - KickMobiles.com. They do have the 256GB version (only in Titanium) - but the reviews are very mixed for them. Clove has a much better reputation, but they don't stock the 256GB at all.
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Never heard of or used KickMobiles myself. I have used Clove in the past (it is quite a few years ago now) and would use them again if opportunity arose (right pricing, etc).
Incarniac said:
Indeed. I don't know how accurate this article from TechAdvisor is, but it implies you do need to be in the region to remove the region lock, or alternatively apparently a Samsung Support/Repair Centre can do so for you. The latter may be an avenue worth investigating if there is one near you, maybe call them and ask and see what they say.
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Click to collapse
I've looked into this. Apparently, local support centers won't do it - they refer you to the support centers in the phone's intended region. And I've seen numerous reports from people who say that when people call the support centers of the home region, they couldn't care less and while some of them have helped, others have told them that they have to get on a plane and fly back to make the local call that disables the region lock.
I can't risk having a $1000 brick.
There are websites that claim to sell you an unlock code for $50, although I don't know how trustworthy they are nor do I know how they're able to do this unless they're run by disgruntled Samsung techs. If xda had a keygen for the unlock codes, that would be sweet, but I haven't seen any sign of that.
Haphim said:
There are websites that claim to sell you an unlock code for $50, although I don't know how trustworthy they are nor do I know how they're able to do this unless they're run by disgruntled Samsung techs. If xda had a keygen for the unlock codes, that would be sweet, but I haven't seen any sign of that.
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I didn't think you could unlock the region lock via codes. Don't know for sure mind, but be wary.
Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
Incarniac said:
I didn't think you could unlock the region lock via codes. Don't know for sure mind, but be wary.
Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
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You can - that's how the Samsung support centers do it. But I appreciate the note of caution - will do.
I found a site that has a lot of good reviews, so I've got some hope on that front, at least.
Good luck If you're so inclined, updating your thread here with how it goes would be of interest even if it's not something I personally am looking to do. Sharing the information is good
I'm heading for vacation in Seoul for a week, starting this Saturday. I'd like to buy an S23 there. Does anyone have any advice on how that process works there? Best places to get it, etc?
I'm currently in Mongolia and eventually will head back to the States so I know I need to check bands.
TIA!!!
Is there anything special with Korean devices except for Korean bloatware? It used to be that Galaxy devices sold in Korea were made in Korea but I don't know if that still applies to the S23? I bought my S1 from Korea and it was made in Korea then... But, aren't you better off with US unlocked version?
OK... I'm back from Korea... and figured I'd answer my own question.
Only Samsung Stores sell Samsung phones to foreigners in Korea! :-(
I found this out the hard way when I tried at multiple "cell phone stores". Nobody would help me at all, they wouldn't even talk to me. I finally forced someone to talk to me and they said, "you're not Korean and we don't sell to foreigners". I asked where to buy one then and I was told "Samsung Stores only".
Of course due to my lack of planning, it was the evening of my last day there and I didn't have time to go across Seoul, I came home without one :-(
Now I have a choice... buy from America and pay to ship to Mongolia... or buy in Mongolia and pay a premium for the same model. I'm currently undecided...
cjkimmel said:
OK... I'm back from Korea... and figured I'd answer my own question.
Only Samsung Stores sell Samsung phones to foreigners in Korea! :-(
I found this out the hard way when I tried at multiple "cell phone stores". Nobody would help me at all, they wouldn't even talk to me. I finally forced someone to talk to me and they said, "you're not Korean and we don't sell to foreigners". I asked where to buy one then and I was told "Samsung Stores only".
Of course due to my lack of planning, it was the evening of my last day there and I didn't have time to go across Seoul, I came home without one :-(
Now I have a choice... buy from America and pay to ship to Mongolia... or buy in Mongolia and pay a premium for the same model. I'm currently undecided...
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yeah its weird, i think you can buy normally here in Vn even if youre a foreigner
You could buy every product in every country without limits. Of course it's clear that has to be legal in that country, but it's strange that an USA citizen couldn't buy in SK..
Phone shops sell plans and require kyc. It pretty much the same way with apple in Japan.