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Ok...before I am trying to complaint with the business bureau..I would like to get some feedback or opinion from everyone:
1. Currently I am not with Sprint anymore due to the fact that I am getting tired of slow data on their network and has been filing complaint for the past 6 mos.
2. I did pay the ETF to fulfilled the contract agreement.
3. The question is since Motorola Photon is capable of both GSM quad band and CDMA. Should Sprint unlock the radio band for US user to be able to use on the US GSM network?
This is really struck me hard with their level of technically expertise:
4. I called Sprint tech support today and here is the answers:
a) Your phone can't use the SIM card (this is the answered from the Tech Support Supervisor)... After I told him to look at the only Sprint World phone release last year.. he finally accepting the fact that it is capable on GSM.
b) Then he went on explained to me that even the phone is support GSM it can't support the frequency of T-Mobile or ATT network. What the hell?
c) So just for fun, I asked him what is the frequencies for T-mobile and ATT?
he did gave me the right answers on both network so I asked him are those matching the specification of the Photon. he re-plied "YES".
d) I went on and asking him that if I fulfilled my contract with Sprint. Should I (the owner of the phone) have the right to use any carriers if my phone support it? He said "YES".
e) He then tell me that it's still does not accept SIM card with T-Mobile and ATT because the phone does not support it. I ask him why? he said because the SIM card is different (What??????????), Even after I explained to him that I have been travel to Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand I have no trouble using their SIM card.
Man .. at that point after holding on for almost 1 hour, I know the conversation getting no where. I felt like I am talking to and "idi****t".
So now, just for the fun of it I am gonna see if I get them to unlock the Radio Band for US GSM through the "Law" in US.
Any opinions would appreciated.
Thanks....It was frustrated with Sprint tech support during the call, but it's something that make me laugh real hard afterward.
you would be a hero if you were able to get it unlocked for carriers within the US. That being said, I suspect your real issue (and litigant) would be Motorola who sells the photon GSM locked for the US.
you bought a world phone, im sure there is some tiny print somewhere at some point that says its locked for some reason
shabbypenguin said:
you bought a world phone, im sure there is some tiny print somewhere at some point that says its locked for some reason
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It could be...but I found there are nothing in the 2 years agreement that I signed up for mentioned anything about it.
Secondly, It's not that I cancelled the contract and failed to pay their ETF.
I did paid my ETF as agreed in the contract.
This does mean I owned that particular phone.
T-Mobile or ATT always unlocked you phone after contract is over (for ATT is if you are with them for 6 mos.. call in and they will provide the unlock code).
findthedr said:
you would be a hero if you were able to get it unlocked for carriers within the US. That being said, I suspect your real issue (and litigant) would be Motorola who sells the photon GSM locked for the US.
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Yes, I can see that this is going to motorola ... but they gonna passing the buckets around.
I will attempt to contact Motorola later to see what their answer is gonna be.
I say if the companies won't provide it for us directly, then we should make complaints to the BBB as mentioned above along with the FCC.
- Promoting competition, innovation, and investment in broadband services and facilities;
Does allowing Sprint to lock the GSM on a phone being sold in the US from not working with US GSM Carriers truly accomplish this?
- Supporting the nation’s economy by ensuring an appropriate competitive framework for the unfolding of the communications revolution;
I don't believe that allowing our purchased handset to not be usable on other carriers while its' technically possible for it to do so supports this either. It's actually an anti-competitive framework that encourages lock-in and tries to block consumers from having choice at the technical level.
It'd be understandable if the Photon was a CDMA only phone, but it's capable of GSM at frequencies that other carriers can use. Sprint/Motorola chose to stop us from being able to switch carriers due to price deterrence by having to purchase a new telephone.
- Encouraging the highest and best use of spectrum domestically and internationally;
My phone can't use any spectrum deigned for GSM use in the US. Encourage Sprint/Motorola to fix this please.
- Revising media regulations so that new technologies flourish alongside diversity and localism;
Does that mean that you no longer care for the life old technologies that you help enable to flourish?
- Providing leadership in strengthening the defense of the nation’s communications infrastructure.
I don't think that me selling my Photon to a shady character to cover the cost of a new purchase contributes towards that security that hope to foster. In Octavia Butler's "Parable" series, it's common for people to use disposable phones as a means to not be tracked easily and to quickly stay secure personally. Why encourage me to offer someone a high-end disposable phone with all types of awesome abilities when I can keep this phone or be encouraged to give it to a trusted friend once I'm done using it?
http://www.fcc.gov/what-we-do
F-C-C please set us free!
Photon: Let me be me on ATT!
(Honestly, I would jump to T-Mobile instead of them, I can't do so because my phone has been interfered with.)
Updated: Call with Motorola and Sprint
Updated:
Call Motorola today, after frustrating call with Sprint. As soon as I mentioned about SIM Subsidiary Unlock for US GSM, I got transfered to a level II rep.
-The representative understood what I was asking for and he understood that I have my contract fulfilled with Sprint.
-He said that there are no reason why Sprint did not unlock the US GSM band. So he placed a 3 ways call to Sprint CSR. Again, Idio***t Sprint CSR said that the phone doesn't have the SIM card even though it's the World Phone and it can only be used in CDMA mode. Again I got frustrated and told the CSR that Motorola Photon operated on quad band GSM and CDMA. I have paid my ETF and I owned the phone, it does not belong to Sprint anymore and no one can tell which carrier should I use or locking me from using other and It's my property. I told her that I got the Motorola Representative online and would happy to talk to her. Motorola rep jump in and explained to her that it should work on GSM abroad and US. US carriers does operated on the same frequencies that described in Photon's specification. He asked the CSR if I am still in contract with Sprint? and Sprint CSR replied "NO". He asked did I pay my ETF and fulfilled my contract? She said "YES". He then tell her there should be no reason for Sprint not to provide the SIM Subsidiary unlock code for US GSM. He said there is no reason that I could not take my Photon to any CDMA or GSM provider US and Globally if the network supported the frequencies of the phone and use it. Here is the fun part: Sprint CSR then replied "His account no longer active and therefore I could not provide the unlock code" ??? huh ???
and yet my account with them still active but they could not find my phone? I then asked Sprint CSR: do you know what is the SIM Subsidiary unlock code is? and please do not mistaken with the MSL number. At this point both I and the Motorola Rep got tired. She then kept repeating that the phone is not active she can't do it.
I got frustrated, and said this "If I do not get this issue resolve by either Sprint or Motorola, I will complaint to BBB and FCC on both Sprint and Motorola". Sprint CSR said go ahead if I wanted to. Both I and Motorola say goodbye to her.
Motorola Rep, however understood what I am asking. He promised to call me back tomorrow with a solution, but first he needs to research with the technical team and higher management on the matter.
Well.. in my opinion, it's true that the SIM Subsidiary unlock code is the carriers responsibility. Phone Manufacture normally provided these with the phone. It's the carrier responsible to unlock the phone based on the contract agreement. I have experienced with AT&T and T-Mobile when asking for unlock code. They should provided to you when the contract is over or earlier depends on how good you are as customer to them.
Let wait and see if Motorola came up with something..If not I will file the complaint with BBB and FCC.
Even that now I don't use Photon (just got the huge Galaxy Note with AT&T) .. I am still pursuing this matter. No one can tell me what to do with thing that I owned as long as I don't use them illegally. hmmm
roadster92 said:
Updated:
Call Motorola today, after frustrating call with Sprint. As soon as I mentioned about SIM Subsidiary Unlock for US GSM, I got transfered to a level II rep.
-The representative understood what I was asking for and he understood that I have my contract fulfilled with Sprint.
-He said that there are no reason why Sprint did not unlock the US GSM band. So he placed a 3 ways call to Sprint CSR. Again, Idio***t Sprint CSR said that the phone doesn't have the SIM card even though it's the World Phone and it can only be used in CDMA mode. Again I got frustrated and told the CSR that Motorola Photon operated on quad band GSM and CDMA. I have paid my ETF and I owned the phone, it does not belong to Sprint anymore and no one can tell which carrier should I use or locking me from using other and It's my property. I told her that I got the Motorola Representative online and would happy to talk to her. Motorola rep jump in and explained to her that it should work on GSM abroad and US. US carriers does operated on the same frequencies that described in Photon's specification. He asked the CSR if I am still in contract with Sprint? and Sprint CSR replied "NO". He asked did I pay my ETF and fulfilled my contract? She said "YES". He then tell her there should be no reason for Sprint not to provide the SIM Subsidiary unlock code for US GSM. He said there is no reason that I could not take my Photon to any CDMA or GSM provider US and Globally if the network supported the frequencies of the phone and use it. Here is the fun part: Sprint CSR then replied "His account no longer active and therefore I could not provide the unlock code" ??? huh ???
and yet my account with them still active but they could not find my phone? I then asked Sprint CSR: do you know what is the SIM Subsidiary unlock code is? and please do not mistaken with the MSL number. At this point both I and the Motorola Rep got tired. She then kept repeating that the phone is not active she can't do it.
I got frustrated, and said this "If I do not get this issue resolve by either Sprint or Motorola, I will complaint to BBB and FCC on both Sprint and Motorola". Sprint CSR said go ahead if I wanted to. Both I and Motorola say goodbye to her.
Motorola Rep, however understood what I am asking. He promised to call me back tomorrow with a solution, but first he needs to research with the technical team and higher management on the matter.
Well.. in my opinion, it's true that the SIM Subsidiary unlock code is the carriers responsibility. Phone Manufacture normally provided these with the phone. It's the carrier responsible to unlock the phone based on the contract agreement. I have experienced with AT&T and T-Mobile when asking for unlock code. They should provided to you when the contract is over or earlier depends on how good you are as customer to them.
Let wait and see if Motorola came up with something..If not I will file the complaint with BBB and FCC.
Even that now I don't use Photon (just got the huge Galaxy Note with AT&T) .. I am still pursuing this matter. No one can tell me what to do with thing that I owned as long as I don't use them illegally. hmmm
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You should have asked to speak to a manager while you had the rep on the phone. Btw was the rep you spoke with American or foreign to america in accent? No offence to foreign call centers but they are way to close to their sprint handbook. I have dealt with sprint several times and every time I called except twice I got an American who was extremely helpful and have even done things for me without question. The two times I got a foreign call center, I was placed on hold several times, spoke to several different people about my issue and then finally after nearly a 30 minute call they finally told me if I could pay ahead on a zero balance for future billing. Called back a few days later just to verify my answer and got an American first try and without hesitation new the answer and even said I could set up autopay to exceed the next months bill and whatever remaining balance I had would count as a credit towards the month after that. As with any device or technical question I have american call centers have always given a more straight forward answer without all the bull****.
I used to work for an ATT call center and we had to go to 3 months of training before we could start taking calls and then another 3 months of assisted training once on the phone. We had to learn every device they sold and had to know the entire book or they would not accept us on the floor. It payed very well for a call center so I understand why they would spend so much time making sure we knew what the hell we were talking about. Sometimes you have slackers that someone get through training but I can verify that foreign call centers only have to go through ONE day of training before taking calls and only have ONE superviser per 40+ reps as to American call centers have around 10 supervisors to every 40 reps plus supers have to going to more intense training to better assist customers. They can even provide us with an ATT or T-Mobile unlock code even if the phone is not active.
Sent from my Photon Q using ultramegaextremeXDA
Previous call did get to a supervisor and manager with Sprint. No help at all. Second call was 3 ways call with Motorola, Sprint and me. And I am kinda surprised at the second call where the Sprint CSR did not even call a Manager or Supervisor... and she has the nerve tell me go ahead with the complaint to BBB and FCC. Wow, I guessed she did not care. So the Motorola Rep decided to say goodbye to the Sprint CSR so he can get on with my issue. I think he is also frustrated at the Sprint CSR too. Let wait and see how this play out.
roadster92 said:
Previous call did get to a supervisor and manager with Sprint. No help at all. Second call was 3 ways call with Motorola, Sprint and me. And I am kinda surprised at the second call where the Sprint CSR did not even call a Manager or Supervisor... and she has the nerve tell me go ahead with the complaint to BBB and FCC. Wow, I guessed she did not care. So the Motorola Rep decided to say goodbye to the Sprint CSR so he can get on with my issue. I think he is also frustrated at the Sprint CSR too. Let wait and see how this play out.
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Ive complained to the FCC and BBB twice in the past year about Sprint and both times Sprint's reply has pretty much been "f**k you".
Sprint in general doesn't care about FCC or BBB complaints.
CSRs definitely do not - since those complaints are not tied back to the CSR and never impact their metrics.
Also, I've never had a CSR volunteer to get a supervisor involved - I've always had to ask. And whenever I hear a canned phrase for the second time, I do ask to speak with a supervisor.
I dont think Sprint cares about much except whether or not your bill is late.
MadFlava said:
I dont think Sprint cares about much except whether or not your bill is late.
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Quite true.
I thought the photon was locked in the radio software to ignore the gsm signals from att and t mobile in the usa. The Sim unlock wouldn't really do anything because the software on the phone would still ignore the Sim card because it isn't setup to use the Sim card in the usa. I think you are kinda **** out of luck. There are numerous posts about this issue already and from what i understand it will not work here in the usa with gsm
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
abrcrmdl23 said:
I thought the photon was locked in the radio software to ignore the gsm signals from att and t mobile in the usa. The Sim unlock wouldn't really do anything because the software on the phone would still ignore the Sim card because it isn't setup to use the Sim card in the usa. I think you are kinda **** out of luck. There are numerous posts about this issue already and from what i understand it will not work here in the usa with gsm
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
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I know it doesn't work with GSM band here in the US. My argument is that I am off contract and fully paid for the phone, therefore I should get those GSM US band unlock. It's not a sprint phone... It's my phone and I paid for it.
I agree with you but the gsm is not locked to sprint..its blocked in rom from the us gsm network...this requires an update to the the radio rom firmware....real world it can be done...but sprint and motorolla will fight it every step of the way...make bet the moto rep that backed you will get an ass chewing from moto managment if they here about it...
It this case they look at a firmware update to turn on hardware parts of the phone as a hardware upgrade..
But again real work kdd japans photon is the same hardware as a sprint photon...replace the sprint firmware with kdd firmware (really just the radio firmware)..and your phone would work with us gsm..may not work with sprint but would work us gsm..
But for that you need to know how to upgrade the rom and have the right rom and sprint and moto are not going to tell you
Sent from my MB855 using XDA
Have you heard back from Motorola yet?
Sent from my Photon Q using ultramegaextremeXDA
Motorola give me the feedback, but it's not good. Generally, I think he got chewed by his higher up. He said he understood that I am gone through, and the only way to get unlock is to have Sprint approval. He explained to me that the lock is in the lower level programming and it is needed to get approved by Motorola. He said really sorry that he could not help more. He have asked me to pursue whatever course it takes to get Sprint authorized.
I felt that this is the first time he step on something like this. Poor guy, he doesn't sound enthusiastic as he did when he first spoke with me.
In any case, I will file the complaint through BBB and see how Sprint response. Heck I don't even need the phone now, and about to list and sell on Ebay.
I just got my Galaxy Note (huge phone) with AT&T and I like it. I think in the past of couple of years , Samsung finally improve their product.
roadster92 said:
I just got my Galaxy Note (huge phone) with AT&T and I like it. I think in the past of couple of years , Samsung finally improve their product.
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Do you like it over the Photon?
roadster92 said:
Heck I don't even need the phone now, and about to list and sell on Ebay.
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I am looking for a cheap one for my wife. What do you want for it?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
So far, Motorola's best response to us betrayed Photon owners was that they would buy our devices back for $100. After my initial excitement of Motorola's unending generosity died down, I realized that $100 isn't so generous after all.
-- Sprint will give you $63 for your phone.
-- Samsung will give you $75 for your phone. samsungupgrade.com
-- HTC will give you $75 for your phone. htctradeup.com
-- As of 10/2 used Photons are selling on ebay in good condition for more than $100 (search past listings for Photon 4G)
Essentially, excluding what you can get if you go to the trouble of selling your Photon on ebay, Motorola is giving us an extra $25, since they are requiring us to send in a device that does have some value elsewhere. Is $25 enough for you to stay a Motorola customer? That is certainly up to you. But you should at least be aware that other major phone manufacturers are not far off, and may very well provide better support.
jbot81 said:
So far, Motorola's best response to us betrayed Photon owners was that they would buy our devices back for $100. After my initial excitement of Motorola's unending generosity died down, I realized that $100 isn't so generous after all.
-- Sprint will give you $63 for your phone.
-- Samsung will give you $75 for your phone. samsungupgrade.com
-- HTC will give you $75 for your phone. htctradeup.com
-- As of 10/2 used Photons are selling on ebay in good condition for more than $100 (search past listings for Photon 4G)
Essentially, excluding what you can get if you go to the trouble of selling your Photon on ebay, Motorola is giving us an extra $25, since they are requiring us to send in a device that does have some value elsewhere. Is $25 enough for you to stay a Motorola customer? That is certainly up to you. But you should at least be aware that other major phone manufacturers are not far off, and may very well provide better support.
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Thanks for the info. If I stay with Android (in spite of horrendous fragmentation), I go back to HTC. If not Android, I'll reconsider WP8 (had used WinMo up until 1.5 years ago).
I love my Photon HW, so really a shame what Moto has done.
I called Sprint and walked into a store asking if the Motorola credit was offered on top of the $63 they give you. They said they are not aware of any Motorola credit.
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
refer them to this: https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/ci/documents/detail/2/motorola-jelly-bean-rebate_en-US
Is it even a credit?
I don't know if getting your rebate is contingent on it or not but on the website they bring up "If your phone is not updated to Jelly Bean we don't want you to miss out." Does this mean that they won't give the rebate if they do update your phone to JB?? Not sure, but I'd watch how they word their rebate contingencies.
It also requires you to purchase, or upgrade to another Motorola. So it's not really a credit, lol. You have to give up your phone, PLUS get another moto device, just to be eligible. I'll never go back to moto simply because they've started doing the stupidest thing ever and designed all they're new phones with built in batteries, my arch nemesis!! lol. They can keep they're money, and I'll keep my atrix.
Sent from my SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
Agreed ...
It's not 100$ credit but they are actually making you to spend another/more bucks for upgrade ... why we upgrade if they failed to update
I've bought few months back then why i upgrade and spend more bucks for the same failed brand ...
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
Could somebody copypasta this info into the Official Support My Moto Campaign Thread? I've been at it for almost 20hrs and am really starting to pay for it.
Lokifish Marz said:
Could somebody copypasta this info into the Official Support My Moto Campaign Thread? I've been at it for almost 20hrs and am really starting to pay for it.
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As requested, I have copy and pasted it.
I'm probably switching carriers, and probably going to get another Moto device. I love the radio/antenna/whatever it is that helps with reception, and the feel and build quality. I'm loving the way the droid razr maxx hd looks. I'm loving the other carrier at the moment. I know they screwed us on the Photon, but for the new phones they already seem to be doing better. Samsung took over a year to upgrade Epic 4g to gingerbread. They appear to have learned from that as the galaxy s3 looks to be getting JB before too long. Moto upgraded the Razr to ICS a couple months ago, and the Razrs are all supposed to get JB by the end of the year. The Photon Q is one of the three phones on the first round of devices that get officially unlocked bootloaders. You have to go to a website and enter a device ID to get the files, or something like that. But it has the unlockable bootloader like the developer edition. I know VZ hates unlocked bootloaders, but other than the RAZR maxx, I'll be looking at the next nexus devices. I don't dev much anyway. I have always like stock kernels with custom ROMs. They have always seemed more stable to me anyway.
I guess my point is this bad experience isn't enough for me to give up on Moto, because I'm not willing to go back to flimsy loss of signal phones, and I think in the future they'll be better. Just takes some time for them to get their crap together with the problems and then the Google purchase.
fester30 said:
I'm probably switching carriers, and probably going to get another Moto device. I love the radio/antenna/whatever it is that helps with reception, and the feel and build quality. I'm loving the way the droid razr maxx hd looks. I'm loving the other carrier at the moment. I know they screwed us on the Photon, but for the new phones they already seem to be doing better. Samsung took over a year to upgrade Epic 4g to gingerbread. They appear to have learned from that as the galaxy s3 looks to be getting JB before too long. Moto upgraded the Razr to ICS a couple months ago, and the Razrs are all supposed to get JB by the end of the year. The Photon Q is one of the three phones on the first round of devices that get officially unlocked bootloaders. You have to go to a website and enter a device ID to get the files, or something like that. But it has the unlockable bootloader like the developer edition. I know VZ hates unlocked bootloaders, but other than the RAZR maxx, I'll be looking at the next nexus devices. I don't dev much anyway. I have always like stock kernels with custom ROMs. They have always seemed more stable to me anyway.
I guess my point is this bad experience isn't enough for me to give up on Moto, because I'm not willing to go back to flimsy loss of signal phones, and I think in the future they'll be better. Just takes some time for them to get their crap together with the problems and then the Google purchase.
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Unfortunately for Sprint users many of your pluses don't apply. I haven't had a good signal in at least 4 months. I keep hearing the wonderful line "we're doing networks upgrades so there's nothing we can do ". The other day it took 7 minutes to make a phone call when I had a strong signal showing.
In addition to that the photon is now 2 OS upgrades behind. Many of us purchased a Motorola phone because of the promised upgrades. Piss poor customer service makes many of us quite hostile and unwilling to forgive the lies.
I guess I didn't realize that you had to turn your phone in to get the $100. That is pretty worthless then.
xNicoyAx said:
I called Sprint and walked into a store asking if the Motorola credit was offered on top of the $63 they give you. They said they are not aware of any Motorola credit.
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Sprint wouldn't be. It's not a Motorola credit, it's a Verizon credit.
To qualify, you have to trade in your phone, as others have said... and you have to buy a Verizon-exclusive Motorola smartphone. The plan will be fully realized by the end of the month -- it is not currently available in any case. But I imagine it will actually be done through Verizon. That is, you sign up for service, buy the phone, and Verizon gives you the Motorola form, and you mail in your proof of purchase, the barcode from the phone box with ESN/IMEI, and your Photon/Atrix/Electrify, and Motorola mails you $100 (in the form of a Visa/MC gift card with nasty fees of course!). US Cellular does a similar song and dance with its rebates. BTW, US Cellular has a standard rebate of $100 off a new smartphone. This can vary but that's the usual amount. Although their advertised prices are minus this rebate, so you pay the advertised price plus $100 up front and get the $100 in two months. I was lucky and got an instant rebate sale -- Electrify for $150 out the door. At tax time. Yeah, I scored. :victory:
Dark Reality said:
Sprint wouldn't be. It's not a Motorola credit, it's a Verizon credit.
To qualify, you have to trade in your phone, as others have said... and you have to buy a Verizon-exclusive Motorola smartphone. The plan will be fully realized by the end of the month -- it is not currently available in any case. But I imagine it will actually be done through Verizon. That is, you sign up for service, buy the phone, and Verizon gives you the Motorola form, and you mail in your proof of purchase, the barcode from the phone box with ESN/IMEI, and your Photon/Atrix/Electrify, and Motorola mails you $100 (in the form of a Visa/MC gift card with nasty fees of course!). US Cellular does a similar song and dance with its rebates. BTW, US Cellular has a standard rebate of $100 off a new smartphone. This can vary but that's the usual amount. Although their advertised prices are minus this rebate, so you pay the advertised price plus $100 up front and get the $100 in two months. I was lucky and got an instant rebate sale -- Electrify for $150 out the door. At tax time. Yeah, I scored. :victory:
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Click to collapse
I really need verification on this! If anybody has a PDF or screencap PM me. If this is true then we may be able to step things up a bit.
Hello,
I got absurdly lucky and sold my Photon for $250. I included a 32gb SD Card, and Otterbox Defender. I still cannot believe I got that as Sprint offered me $67 for it. I am still so pissed about ICS as I actually was going to hold on to the phone even though I purchased an iPhone 5.
Cheers,
JJ
Hi everyone, first thread and first post on this forum, i was really thinking about getting the new lumia .. but what i thought is... Contract or pay as you go??
We've seen so far that new phones with new hardware and new features are getting released pretty much every 6months, (iphone 5s? upcoming nexus?)..
so my question is, do you guys feel confident about being "stuck" 24 months with nokia lumia 920, or you will not risk and go for a pay as you go deal? :good:
Hi, end of 2008, I bought the HTC Touch HD because I thought it was quiet well competing with the iPhone 2, even though the iPhone 3 was already coming (but I hate so much the iTunes environment!).
Today, 4 years later, I'm still using my old Touch HD everyday, and I'm very happy of it even though it is getting quiet old now and I'm thinking of moving to the Lumia 920.
Anyway, just to say that the Lumia 920 will most probably no longer be the best one in 6 months of course, and probably no longer the Nokia's best one in one year when an upgrade of the Lumia series comes out with thinner, lighter, faster, stronger phones...
But what is sure is that you will be able to have a lot of fun with it even maybe in 2 or 4 years when it is no longer the newest phone on the market.
Better example, the HTC Touch HD2 which is really know as a killer phone even though it is no longer that great compared to the new devices.
So the real question is if you are used to change your phone often or not.
Keep in mind you can always sell your Lumia 920 next year, probably at half of its current price... especially if Windows Phone 8 rocks .
Personnally, as my company is paying for my SIM card, I will for sure just buy the Lumia 920 as is, without any carrier contract or so.
hey finally a reply, well im not really changing phone so often, since i have no money ahah but yeah, just wanted to see what other people think about getting it in contract..i think i will anyway thanks for your reply
any other thoughts people?
bellasahbella said:
hey finally a reply, well im not really changing phone so often, since i have no money ahah but yeah, just wanted to see what other people think about getting it in contract..i think i will anyway thanks for your reply
any other thoughts people?
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With a data heavy device like a smartphone, it would be wiser (and cheaper) to go with contract. AT&T's prepaid options are rather expensive when it comes to using data on a smartphone. Windows Phone being such a connected device would not be very fun to use on a very limited data plan or on no data plan at all (or any phone really).
At the end of the day, you have to pay for service anyway. You may as well spend a little extra money for a little more convenience, a smaller upfront cost (phone wise), and better overall data options.
I could never go prepaid, no matter how cheap it is. There is little value in it, in my opinion.
prjkthack, you are right for the US market, but for instance, here, in Belgium, you can have much data with a prepaid offer with Mobile Vikings (€15 per month, so around $20 per month, for 2GB of non-restricted data + 1H phone calls + 1000 SMS + 1H phone calls per day to other Mobile Vikings phone numbers).
And as far as I'm concerned, I cannot go for a contract as my company is paying for my contract, so if I want another phone, I can just buy a new one...
That being said, I think it really depends on each person, case and country .
michoob said:
prjkthack, you are right for the US market, but for instance, here, in Belgium, you can have much data with a prepaid offer with Mobile Vikings (€15 per month, so around $20 per month, for 2GB of non-restricted data + 1H phone calls + 1000 SMS + 1H phone calls per day to other Mobile Vikings phone numbers).
And as far as I'm concerned, I cannot go for a contract as my company is paying for my contract, so if I want another phone, I can just buy a new one...
That being said, I think it really depends on each person, case and country .
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Oh yeah, I'm totally speaking from the perspective of purchasing a phone/plan in the US. I know little about other areas of the world, except that its far more common to purchase phones for full price and without a contract than it is here in the US. I wish the US were that way as well, as it certainly has more benefits than downsides (I try to purchase un-subsidized whenever I can), but sadly the market here and the overall mentality of how to purchase phones has been muddled with contracts and subsidization.
prjkthack said:
With a data heavy device like a smartphone, it would be wiser (and cheaper) to go with contract. AT&T's prepaid options are rather expensive when it comes to using data on a smartphone. Windows Phone being such a connected device would not be very fun to use on a very limited data plan or on no data plan at all (or any phone really).
At the end of the day, you have to pay for service anyway. You may as well spend a little extra money for a little more convenience, a smaller upfront cost (phone wise), and better overall data options.
I could never go prepaid, no matter how cheap it is. There is little value in it, in my opinion.
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You need to do the math. Buying on contract is a HUGE waste of money.
AnyMal said:
You need to do the math. Buying on contract is a HUGE waste of money.
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I never said it wasn't a waste of money.
Its definitely more expensive, but there is a tradeoff between using a prepaid service versus a contract.
There is value in both, and I'm looking for the best phones with the best coverage, services, and convenience. Contract is the only option that gives that.
Prepaid gives you low prices (on certain things) and flexibility.
More expensive? Yes, but you get more for your money on contract, versus the bare minimum on prepaid. There is a reason why you pay less on prepaid, and its simply because you get less. You don't need math to know that. For some people, that's enough, but I don't want enough, I want my money's worth, and I'm willing to spend a little more to get all the extras. Prepaid data is also commonly more expensive on prepaid services, and with all the data these smartphones use, the cost of it can easily meet or exceed the cost of contract-based smartphone/data plans. Prepaid is totally the way to go if all you want is a basic phone, but for quality smartphone hardware and service, only contract can provide that (with few exceptions).
prjkthack said:
I never said it wasn't a waste of money.
Its definitely more expensive, but there is a tradeoff between using a prepaid service versus a contract.
There is value in both, and I'm looking for the best phones with the best coverage, services, and convenience. Contract is the only option that gives that.
Prepaid gives you low prices (on certain things) and flexibility.
More expensive? Yes, but you get more for your money on contract, versus the bare minimum on prepaid. There is a reason why you pay less on prepaid, and its simply because you get less. You don't need math to know that. For some people, that's enough, but I don't want enough, I want my money's worth, and I'm willing to spend a little more to get all the extras. Prepaid data is also commonly more expensive on prepaid services, and with all the data these smartphones use, the cost of it can easily meet or exceed the cost of contract-based smartphone/data plans. Prepaid is totally the way to go if all you want is a basic phone, but for quality smartphone hardware and service, only contract can provide that (with few exceptions).
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Huh? With Straight Talk I am getting exactly same service I was getting with AT&T, all for a measly $45 per month. What am I missing?
AnyMal said:
Huh? With Straight Talk I am getting exactly same service I was getting with AT&T, all for a measly $45 per month. What am I missing?
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StraightTalk (TracFone) is nice, and is probably one of the better prepaid services out there, but there are still some downsides:
4G LTE - Currently, no access to AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint's 4G LTE network.
Customer Service - there is none. robots upon robots on the phone, then if you can get to someone, they are foreign people who are difficult to understand, and who ultimately have a toolset that does not allow many changes or much flexibility for them unless they speak to someone higher up. If you don't want to deal with someone on the phone, then you can go to Walmart, where you can... oh wait, there's no customer service there either. -_-'
Coverage and roaming - Exactly the same as TracFone (since it is TracFone). Depending on your phone, you get AT&T and/or T-Mobile, or Verizon and/or Sprint. You don't get access to these carrier's extended roaming agreements, which means that roaming is limited to non-existent. Not to mention
Online support - Abysmal. Nowhere near the amount of tools and options for managing your account as any contract carrier can provide you.
Devices - StraightTalk's selection of phones is typical of a prepaid carrier. Poor choices for basic phones and older/slower hardware for whatever small amount of smartphones they offer. To get a real phone, you need to BYOD and that costs a pretty penny (that most people are unwilling to pay).
Additional features - StraightTalk is, like most other prepaid carriers, barebones. Individual line service (no family plans), less international/roaming options, less extra features (stuff like FamilyMap, roadside assitance, AT&T Navigator, A-List, Insurance, etc.), little to not infrastructure to sort out issues coverage wise or technical issues with your cellular service, advanced billing/tracking/history functionality, no official support for wireless hotspot/tethering, and a long list of common data activities that are not supported by StraightTalk (violation of the terms can lead to the end of your service with StraightTalk), etc.
And really this goes for all prepaid carriers. None of them offer the depth and comprehensiveness as a contract carrier can. There is a reason why the prepaid carriers piggyback off of the big carriers, they simply don't have the infrastructure or support (or money) to really provide you a fleshed out mobile service. MVNOs also come and go very frequently, so while you can be pretty sure that AT&T and Verizon (and maybe Sprint and T-Mobile) will be around for a while, you can't say the same for prepaid carriers. So many pop-up every year and die off shortly (RIP Helio). Its a tough business.
prjkthack said:
StraightTalk (TracFone) is nice, and is probably one of the better prepaid services out there, but there are still some downsides:
4G LTE - Currently, no access to AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint's 4G LTE network.
Customer Service - there is none. robots upon robots on the phone, then if you can get to someone, they are foreign people who are difficult to understand, and who ultimately have a toolset that does not allow many changes or much flexibility for them unless they speak to someone higher up. If you don't want to deal with someone on the phone, then you can go to Walmart, where you can... oh wait, there's no customer service there either. -_-'
Coverage and roaming - Exactly the same as TracFone (since it is TracFone). Depending on your phone, you get AT&T and/or T-Mobile, or Verizon and/or Sprint. You don't get access to these carrier's extended roaming agreements, which means that roaming is limited to non-existent. Not to mention
Online support - Abysmal. Nowhere near the amount of tools and options for managing your account as any contract carrier can provide you.
Devices - StraightTalk's selection of phones is typical of a prepaid carrier. Poor choices for basic phones and older/slower hardware for whatever small amount of smartphones they offer. To get a real phone, you need to BYOD and that costs a pretty penny (that most people are unwilling to pay).
Additional features - StraightTalk is, like most other prepaid carriers, barebones. Individual line service (no family plans), less international/roaming options, less extra features (stuff like FamilyMap, roadside assitance, AT&T Navigator, A-List, Insurance, etc.), little to not infrastructure to sort out issues coverage wise or technical issues with your cellular service, advanced billing/tracking/history functionality, no official support for wireless hotspot/tethering, and a long list of common data activities that are not supported by StraightTalk (violation of the terms can lead to the end of your service with StraightTalk), etc.
And really this goes for all prepaid carriers. None of them offer the depth and comprehensiveness as a contract carrier can. There is a reason why the prepaid carriers piggyback off of the big carriers, they simply don't have the infrastructure or support (or money) to really provide you a fleshed out mobile service. MVNOs also come and go very frequently, so while you can be pretty sure that AT&T and Verizon (and maybe Sprint and T-Mobile) will be around for a while, you can't say the same for prepaid carriers. So many pop-up every year and die off shortly (RIP Helio). Its a tough business.
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None of your points are compelling or even valid to begin with.
4G LTE - even for AT&T customers it's only available in handful of locations. Heck, even if it was widely available, HSPA is plenty fast for all data applications.
Customer service - only used once. Filled out an online form and was contacted back in few hours. I also hear that you can get a hold of them even quicker through Facebook.
Coverage and Roaming - not an issue. I am covered no matter where I am as long as I am on AT&T. I travel extensively and my service is identical to what it was when I was paying to AT&T, but at the fraction of the cost.
Online support - covered above.
Devices - not an issue. Tons of smartphones are available on the secondary market for any budget.
Additional Features - Two all-you-can-eat lines with ST cost me exactly the same as a single line with AT&T. Nobody in their right mind should pay AT&T (or any other carriers) for "ripsurance". It's a rip off, plain and simple. All other services you mention should not be obtained from AT&T either; they can be obtained for free or for a lot less elsewhere. I do not know what "data activities" you're referring to, but I stream audio and video all the time, and use the hotspot frequently, but I am yet to run into any issues. Sure, you can get throttled or even cut off if you abuse your data plan, but the same goes for AT&T as well.
Bottom line, OP asked about the most economical way, and there is absolutely no denying that PAYGo IS the way to go, even if you have to pay full price of the device up front. There is no way of fooling the simple math.
AnyMal said:
None of your points are compelling or even valid to begin with.
4G LTE - even for AT&T customers it's only available in handful of locations. Heck, even if it was widely available, HSPA is plenty fast for all data applications.
Customer service - only used once. Filled out an online form and was contacted back in few hours. I also hear that you can get a hold of them even quicker through Facebook.
Coverage and Roaming - not an issue. I am covered no matter where I am as long as I am on AT&T. I travel extensively and my service is identical to what it was when I was paying to AT&T, but at the fraction of the cost.
Online support - covered above.
Devices - not an issue. Tons of smartphones are available on the secondary market for any budget.
Additional Features - Two all-you-can-eat lines with ST cost me exactly the same as a single line with AT&T. Nobody in their right mind should pay AT&T (or any other carriers) for "ripsurance". It's a rip off, plain and simple. All other services you mention should not be obtained from AT&T either; they can be obtained for free or for a lot less elsewhere. I do not know what "data activities" you're referring to, but I stream audio and video all the time, and use the hotspot frequently, but I am yet to run into any issues. Sure, you can get throttled or even cut off if you abuse your data plan, but the same goes for AT&T as well.
Bottom line, OP asked about the most economical way, and there is absolutely no denying that PAYGo IS the way to go, even if you have to pay full price of the device up front. There is no way of fooling the simple math.
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Read your Terms of Service. StraightTalk specifically prohibits many common data activities. Have you even used LTE before? A world of a difference. I do agree that AT&T's HSPA+ network can't be beat, but dropping from LTE to HSPA (or even worse) is just not fun. And when it comes to devices, I'm not talking about the hundreds of below-average smartphones that you can of course get for bargain basement prices. These are computers after all, you don't want to be caught with a below-average device. I'm talking about getting the best of the best (such as the Lumia 920, which is what the OP is talking about). Speaking about the average consumer, dropping $700 to $900 for a top of the line device is just not an option. A contract gives you the option to get great service and awesome devices. So while dropping a wad of cash for a phone may not be an issue for you, it is for most of the country. Facebook does not equal online support. It compliments it, but does not replace it. You can get your issue resolved in a few hours, I can take care of it in a few minutes. Be glad that you only had to use customer service once, because when you have any real issues, it won't be fun. And insurance can be a rip-off for some, and a life-saver for others. Really all depends on what's going on.
Bottom line, OP didn't ask for a math lesson. OP wanted our opinions of postpaid vs prepaid, and while we can all agree to disagree, there is no doubt that both sides have their advantages and disadvantages regardless of whether you pay a little more or a little less. Value is subjective. Its up to the OP to decide what is more valuable to him/herself.
I am with Rogers Canada with 2 years left on my contract. I do not want to renew my contract for another 3 years yet so that I can get the 920 for the subsidized price.
Given that Rogers will offer the 920 off-contract for $600+ and having to wait for them to release the updates, it seems my best option will be to buy the 920 factory unlocked from eBay or so and use it on the Rogers network.
When it gets old or when I want to change phones, I can easily sell it. That is a much better option than locking yourself up with your provider for longer if you don't have a hardware upgrade to use.
Hi Bella welcome to the forums,
As for your question there are both pluses and minuses to contract/prepaid. Personally I find it better for me to go the prepaid route. I will be purchasing this phone internationally unlocked (screw you AT&T and your branding also hoping international phone is pentaband like fcc papers state) for about ~$600 USD +/-.
I really like T-Mobo's monthly 4G thingy they have (100 mins/ultd text/ultd data (throttled after 5GB) for only 30.00/month. Lucky me T-mobile has refarmed my area so I'll be getting 3G speeds instead of 2G speeds b/c of lack of AWS band on L920. I'll be saving a bunch compared to contract in the long haul but initially will cost quite the penny b/c of phone purchase (but hey that's why I've been saving :laugh
I'm really not a big fan of Carriers and their plans Hope you make the right choice for you and enjoy your upcoming Lumia 920
prjkthack said:
Read your Terms of Service. StraightTalk specifically prohibits many common data activities. Have you even used LTE before? A world of a difference. I do agree that AT&T's HSPA+ network can't be beat, but dropping from LTE to HSPA (or even worse) is just not fun. And when it comes to devices, I'm not talking about the hundreds of below-average smartphones that you can of course get for bargain basement prices. These are computers after all, you don't want to be caught with a below-average device. I'm talking about getting the best of the best (such as the Lumia 920, which is what the OP is talking about). Speaking about the average consumer, dropping $700 to $900 for a top of the line device is just not an option. A contract gives you the option to get great service and awesome devices. So while dropping a wad of cash for a phone may not be an issue for you, it is for most of the country. Facebook does not equal online support. It compliments it, but does not replace it. You can get your issue resolved in a few hours, I can take care of it in a few minutes. Be glad that you only had to use customer service once, because when you have any real issues, it won't be fun. And insurance can be a rip-off for some, and a life-saver for others. Really all depends on what's going on.
Bottom line, OP didn't ask for a math lesson. OP wanted our opinions of postpaid vs prepaid, and while we can all agree to disagree, there is no doubt that both sides have their advantages and disadvantages regardless of whether you pay a little more or a little less. Value is subjective. Its up to the OP to decide what is more valuable to him/herself.
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Just my two cents, I get 4g LTE on straight talk using an ATT device... I pay $45 a month and bought an HTC One X brand new for 300 online. Over the course of two years that's $1380 as opposed to $2355 through ATT. With taxes and other applicable fees that difference increases even moreso making prepaid a pretty obvious choice.
Poecifer said:
Just my two cents, I get 4g LTE on straight talk using an ATT device... I pay $45 a month and bought an HTC One X brand new for 300 online. Over the course of two years that's $1380 as opposed to $2355 through ATT. With taxes and other applicable fees that difference increases even moreso making prepaid a pretty obvious choice.
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How did you get LTE on your device? You need a special SIM in order to do that, and right now, per AT&T's company policy, only AT&T has those special LTE SIM cards. StraightTalk only officially distributes regular AT&T 3G SIM cards rebranded for StraightTalk. I imagine sometime in the future they'll allow MVNOs to use the LTE network, but right now, they are not.
Not that I don't believe you, but are you sure you are getting 4G LTE? The One X (and any 4G LTE device really) specifically has a 4G LTE icon in the top tray when you are on it (at least on an official ROM, if you are on a custom ROM, then who knows what you are really on, lol). An icon that says 4G is not the same as 4G LTE, just so you know.
If you are getting 4G LTE, I'm sure sharing how is good because a lot of people would love to know how, as that is one of the big downsides of any MVNO at the moment.
I'm currently on a Prepaid deal, whereby I get $1000 talk and text + 2gb (or so) data, for $60 per month with Telstra in Australia.
Compare that to the $60 plan, which currently, in nokia terms, gets you a Lumia 800 $0 upfront and $0 extra per month, with $600 worth of bonuses and 1.5gb of data. There isn't that much between them.
In the end, $60 per month is still $60 per month, and it'd be nice to get a phone out of it too.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app
Prepay is a better alternative.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium
Well, look at this from the overall standpoint. $60 contract is $1440 over 24 months, phone included. Spending $60 per month prepaid plus a, for argument's sake, $500 outright phone is $1940 per 24 months.
I barely touch the $1000 talk&text, as most of my expenditure is mobile data, and what's 500MB less a month anyway?
In short, for me, with my usage, the Contract probably wouldn't be such a bad move.
In full, that's just me. Your choice of carrier, phone, plan/prepaid, etc. needs to be decided based on HOW you will use your phone, not what people say in a forum.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app
prjkthack said:
How did you get LTE on your device? You need a special SIM in order to do that, and right now, per AT&T's company policy, only AT&T has those special LTE SIM cards. StraightTalk only officially distributes regular AT&T 3G SIM cards rebranded for StraightTalk. I imagine sometime in the future they'll allow MVNOs to use the LTE network, but right now, they are not.
Not that I don't believe you, but are you sure you are getting 4G LTE? The One X (and any 4G LTE device really) specifically has a 4G LTE icon in the top tray when you are on it (at least on an official ROM, if you are on a custom ROM, then who knows what you are really on, lol). An icon that says 4G is not the same as 4G LTE, just so you know.
If you are getting 4G LTE, I'm sure sharing how is good because a lot of people would love to know how, as that is one of the big downsides of any MVNO at the moment.
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Not sure really, I used a sim card provided by StraightTalk allocated for ATT's phones. I specifically ordered the micro rather than cutting it like myself as I've done in the past and now I get the 4g LTE symbol and I regularly get about 38-43 mbps download speeds. This is much better than 4-9 I was getting prior.
I'm looking for general advice concerning phone plans (if possible prepaid/pay as you go) in the US.
We are a family of 3 and we have Motorola Nexus 6, Razr HD and Moto G. As I heard today at best buy, not all phones support all standards (GSM/CDMA). So it would be nice if member with experience could give some advice.
We're looking for inexpensive phone plans. It would be ok if 2 phones only work here in the US and we would need one that can also be used for long distance calling to Germany. We don't need many minutes or a lot of data. I think about 100 - 300 minutes would suffice per month. If there's no data included, we could still rely on wifi at home (I did this before and it worked pretty well).
I'm quite confused by the different carrier offers, but so far, something like tracfone looks the most promising. With rates of as low as $29 for 90 days it doesn't sound bad.
Another thing I wondered: I wanted to check cricket wireless, and to see plans I had to enter IMEI. After entering this number, the system reported my nexus 6 as stolen. Well, I purchased it unlocked in Germany. I just wonder if I need to jump through loops to get it activated with a sim card. But I would hate to have to purchase 3 new phones.
Any advice is appreciated. I couldn't even find the fine print for tracfone or net10 where all details of the "contracts" without contract are provided.
I've tried to grab two (G500T) now and both refuse to connect to T-Mobile unless I'm in their store. The reps figured it was a SIM issue and didn't bother to look up the IMEI. At home I tried my and my wife's sims from a rooted S3 and a rooted Core Prime and I get the same thing.... they won't attach to T-Mobile even though the other phones do.
So when I used TMo's IMEI tool both report as being overdue on accounts. So how are supposedly "Manufacturer refurbs" coming out with this flag? Is there any way to get these G500T's and know before purchase that the IMEI is clean and that it will just work on Tmo?
-gmolds
Am i missing something here... this Amazon post for the G900T even states that the device is only partially usable on TMo. Isn't that the Tmo variant? I mean the two I receieved booted to 4.4.2 or maybe 4.4.4 with the TMo graphinc and Jingle yet wouldn't grab a TMo tower outside of their store.
Add to that if I turned on WiFi calling I was recognized as the correct number and could send and receive calls/sms just fine.
gmolds said:
Am i missing something here... this Amazon post for the G900T even states that the device is only partially usable on TMo. Isn't that the Tmo variant? I mean the two I receieved booted to 4.4.2 or maybe 4.4.4 with the TMo graphinc and Jingle yet wouldn't grab a TMo tower outside of their store.
Add to that if I turned on WiFi calling I was recognized as the correct number and could send and receive calls/sms just fine.
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There has been tons and tons of rebranded att devices people are selling as unlocked g900f and g900t devices as att has locked bootloader and nobody wants them. Could be your problem.
I wouldn't trust amazon nor eBay. Try swappa.com 100% and guaranteed to not be black listed
ShinySide said:
There has been tons and tons of rebranded att devices people are selling as unlocked g900f and g900t devices as att has locked bootloader and nobody wants them. Could be your problem.
I wouldn't trust amazon nor eBay. Try swappa.com 100% and guaranteed to not be black listed
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I'll look at swappa... but would AT&T locked ones root and take TMo kernels/ROMs becasue I was able to do exactly that and as stated, in the TMo store, it linked up instantly with full LTE (WiFi off) but outside of the stores reach it wouldn't connect. And again, the phone's IMEI according to TMo's lookup tool (both of them) had outstanding bills associated with them.
Isn't the Amazon link odd in that it is listed as a T but claims partial TMo functionality?
Or you could just buy straight from T-Mobile! I got two for $200 each. They're also eligible for T-Mobile's interest free credit system and come with a 90 day warranty which they will honour even if rooted.
invisiblewave said:
Or you could just buy straight from T-Mobile! I got two for $200 each. They're also eligible for T-Mobile's interest free credit system and come with a 90 day warranty which they will honour even if rooted.
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Currently showing $250... a bit high for this model used IMO.
Worth a bit extra for some peace of mind, imo. As the T-Mobile rep I spoke to pointed out, the CPO devices go through an 80 point check which the new phones don't, at least not by TM. Both ours look brand new, and I'm guessing that both the glass & battery, and probably the outer cover too, were replaced. There's a difference between used & CPO. And I'm guessing $250 is less than you paid for the two you bought that you can't use outside the store??
invisiblewave said:
Worth a bit extra for some peace of mind, imo. As the T-Mobile rep I spoke to pointed out, the CPO devices go through an 80 point check which the new phones don't, at least not by TM. Both ours look brand new, and I'm guessing that both the glass & battery, and probably the outer cover too, were replaced. There's a difference between used & CPO. And I'm guessing $250 is less than you paid for the two you bought that you can't use outside the store??
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Actually they were $140 apiece via Woot (Amazon subsidiary) and were listed as AT&T and T-Mobile friendly. One wouldn't charge and the other had the bad IMEI. I'd go as high as $200 I think. I'll keep an eye on Swappa and maybe call a TMo rep to see if they'll come down. I'm in no hurry... just getting ready for our next phones. I can't let Shiny get too far ahead or I'll miss out on all of his great work and their derivatives
As I said, when I bought ours they were $200, they'd previously been $250, so you may get lucky if you keep your eye on T-Mobile. I did their interest-free plan, so it's $8/month each, which seems like a hell of a deal now I've seen how good the phone is. Add a $10 wireless charging coil and you've got a phone that's indistinguishable from a $700 current model.
gmolds said:
Actually they were $140 apiece via Woot (Amazon subsidiary) and were listed as AT&T and T-Mobile friendly. One wouldn't charge and the other had the bad IMEI. I'd go as high as $200 I think. I'll keep an eye on Swappa and maybe call a TMo rep to see if they'll come down. I'm in no hurry... just getting ready for our next phones. I can't let Shiny get too far ahead or I'll miss out on all of his great work and their derivatives
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Those are TMo friendly phones, in that you can put a TMo SIM in them and they will work. However, that's not the same as a 900T. I bought a S5 through Woot back in January, and it was described as a 900T and it was a 900T.
rlichtefeld said:
Those are TMo friendly phones, in that you can put a TMo SIM in them and they will work. However, that's not the same as a 900T. I bought a S5 through Woot back in January, and it was described as a 900T and it was a 900T.
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It is/was (http://www.woot.com/offers/samsung-galaxy-s5-unlocked-16gb-sd-23) in fact a 900T. It reported as much. I've laid out pretty specifically what the problem was and got confirmation from TMo. The real problem is the resellers putting these phones out there as able to be used when the IMEI clearly reports as a phone in arrears on it's account.
If I had been willing to pay the account that the pay as you go phone had been bought on, it would have started working. TMo had taht IMEI blacklisted.
Maybe they're generic specs, but they don't list the AWS bands for T-Mobile, which is the usual problem with buying phones that may or may not be T-Mobile devices.
Readily admitting that I don't know what you're talking about but the fact that I connected to TMo with full bars when at the Tmo shop but dropped out as soon as I drove away and the fact that the phone is in Tmo's system seems to me to be a fairly clear indication that is was a proper model.
In any case.. got one off of swappa and watching for another in my price range and in a condition I will accept. Thanks all for the comments and pointers.
It's not an indication that it's a proper model. Speaking very generally, an AT&T phone will work on T-Mobile because they're both GSM/LTE phones. However, the GSM bands they use aren't identical. There's some overlap, but in some areas there are bands used on T-Mobile that AT&T phones can't use. What that means in practice is that in some places the AT&T phones won't get a signal on T-Mobile and may use 3G rather than LTE. AWS is GSM 1700/2100. It's the same reason why my T-Mobile phones work in the UK but the data over there is slow.
So in this case when the phone is reporting that knox hadn't been tripped and the phone info claimed to be a 900T is still may be an AT&T?
I just bought this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MF64PSK/ on Amazon. Clean IMEI and a 90 day money back guarantee. Looks brand new.
magdelaine said:
I just bought this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MF64PSK/ on Amazon. Clean IMEI and a 90 day money back guarantee. Looks brand new.
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Awesome to hear that real ones are out there... seems hit or miss on Amazon. I have gotten full refunds from W00T and now have two "good" condition phones from swappa and am happy with their conditions and the prices paid.
gmolds said:
Awesome to hear that real ones are out there... seems hit or miss on Amazon. I have gotten full refunds from W00T and now have two "good" condition phones from swappa and am happy with their conditions and the prices paid.
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I have really liked what I've purchased from Swappa too, but this time I went with Amazon. I read your post and was worried...I had to check the IMEI!