Looking for someone who works for T-Mobile?

[kmarei]

I bought a used Sony phone on craigslist
dude advertised it as unlocked
when I got back home, it turns out its still locked to tmobile
I called tmobile, they said there is still money owed on the phone
and that they could not unlock it till its paid
so I asked them how much, and I will pay it
they said we can't tell you that
so I said well unless you tell me, you're very likely to NEVER get that money since the original owner sold the phone
no go

I texted the guy I bought it from, no response 7 days later

can anyone who works for tmobile assist?
I am willing to pay off the outstanding balance

I already tried several of the online unlocking website
none work for tmobile, as apparently tmobile removes the ability to enter an unlock code.
and they have a built in app that does the unlocking
but that app fails on my phone and said it does not meet the requirements...

am I screwed?
I didn't pay a lot for the phone
but I really want to use it for a few months
getting bored with my iphone 5s, and I don't like the iphone 6

[DSB335d]

Damn that sucks. Happened to me once too with T-Mobile also! Bought a phone from an employee, turns out he stole the phone. Cops contacted me about it and ended up confiscating the phone, and I was out what I paid for it too!!

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by DSB335d

Damn that sucks. Happened to me once too with T-Mobile also! Bought a phone from an employee, turns out he stole the phone. Cops contacted me about it and ended up confiscating the phone, and I was out what I paid for it too!!

damn!
at least mine works as an ipod touch like device
no calls, but all the apps work
it's a really nice phone
my brother always told sony makes the best android phones
and based on what I have seen so far, it is

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by kmarei

I bought a used Sony phone on craigslist
dude advertised it as unlocked
when I got back home, it turns out its still locked to tmobile
I called tmobile, they said there is still money owed on the phone
and that they could not unlock it till its paid
so I asked them how much, and I will pay it
they said we can't tell you that
so I said well unless you tell me, you're very likely to NEVER get that money since the original owner sold the phone
no go

I texted the guy I bought it from, no response 7 days later

can anyone who works for tmobile assist?
I am willing to pay off the outstanding balance

I already tried several of the online unlocking website
none work for tmobile, as apparently tmobile removes the ability to enter an unlock code.
and they have a built in app that does the unlocking
but that app fails on my phone and said it does not meet the requirements...

am I screwed?
I didn't pay a lot for the phone
but I really want to use it for a few months
getting bored with my iphone 5s, and I don't like the iphone 6

Youre screwed. A buddy of mine went round and round with several carriers and all said the same as you. You can try to look for a imei unlocker service online with no guarantees.

[Douche]

Why not unlock it yourself at home? That would've been job number one for me, why call, why ask?

[G559]

Send me a message with your phone's IMEI and model number. You can locate it behind the battery or better yet dial *#06# and a 15 digit number should pop up. I have over 10 years of cell phone repair/unlock experience and can more than likely help.

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by Douche

Why not unlock it yourself at home? That would've been job number one for me, why call, why ask?

Because you can't unlock it at home
It's locked by the carrier, so only the carrier can unlock it.

Today's phones are very different than the older style that only needed an unlock code to be entered and they would become unlocked
Try unlocking an iPhone at home

[Douche]

Originally Posted by kmarei

Because you can't unlock it at home
It's locked by the carrier, so only the carrier can unlock it.

Today's phones are very different than the older style that only needed an unlock code to be entered and they would become unlocked
Try unlocking an iPhone at home

I can. Jailbreak and then unlock.

[upstatedoc]

I just picked up a trac phone (spare) at CVS for $7. That's right, SEVEN DOLLARS. 130 minutes and it's good for the next six months.

[NEFARIOUS]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

I just picked up a trac phone (spare) at CVS for $7. That's right, SEVEN DOLLARS. 130 minutes and it's good for the next six months.

Sorry, 130 minutes won't work for me. 1 1/2 conference calls and I'm done. I'm at almost 10 times the allotted TracFone minutes, and I have 11 more days to go on this billing cycle.

[deeLow]

Your best bet is an online unlocking service. I'd contact one first and tell them the details...if it's unlockable pay up and have it done.

[monkeybingo]

That sucks...

[Revartr]

Originally Posted by kmarei

Because you can't unlock it at home
It's locked by the carrier, so only the carrier can unlock it.

Today's phones are very different than the older style that only needed an unlock code to be entered and they would become unlocked
Try unlocking an iPhone at home

Uh, yes you can? It's not super easy, but it's not really that hard. And "try unlocking an iPhone at home"? You do realize that people do that ALL the time, right?

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by Revartr

Uh, yes you can? It's not super easy, but it's not really that hard. And "try unlocking an iPhone at home"? You do realize that people do that ALL the time, right?

Maybe you're just that good but if a carrier blocks the IMEI number it's mighty difficult. Unlocking a carrier is different than IMEI unblocking

[Revartr]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Maybe you're just that good but if a carrier blocks the IMEI number it's mighty difficult. Unlocking a carrier is different than IMEI unblocking

I'm not trying to insinuate I am. The most I've done is jailbreaking my old iPhone and unlocking my Galaxy SIII. But I know that there are a lot of people who do that sort of thing regularly. Check over on the Android XDA Developers forums (http://forum.xda-developers.com/).

[Douche]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Maybe you're just that good but if a carrier blocks the IMEI number it's mighty difficult. Unlocking a carrier is different than IMEI unblocking

Are you saying that if a carrier blocks an IMEI for lack of payment you cannot activate your phone with another carrier? That sounds like what you said. Please confirm.

[hongsc]

Originally Posted by Douche

Are you saying that if a carrier blocks an IMEI for lack of payment you cannot activate your phone with another carrier? That sounds like what you said. Please confirm.

Yeah a bit confusing in the wording. The phone is blacklisted so it won't work on the current carrier. But will on a different carrier if it's carrier unlocked.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by hongsc

Yeah a bit confusing in the wording. The phone is blacklisted so it won't work on the current carrier. But will on a different carrier if it's carrier unlocked.

Since I have not personally went through this ever, all I can state is that a friend of mine bought a used iPhone through Gamestop. He took the phone to AT&T and because the previous owner did not pay the bill, they blocked the IMEI.

He attempted to jailbreak and unlock to move to a different carrier however T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint all refused to activate the phone.

He contacted AT&T again and offered to pay off the balance or to see if there was something else that could be done and they refused.

He went back to Gamestop and got another phone and found out that the phone had the same issue.

He went back to Gamestop and got a refund and bought a phone elsewhere.
What I could gather was that being "unlocked" vs IMEI blacklisted are two different things.
YMMV

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by Revartr

Uh, yes you can? It's not super easy, but it's not really that hard. And "try unlocking an iPhone at home"? You do realize that people do that ALL the time, right?

the last time an iphone was unlockable is years ago
manufacturers have gotten a lot smarter
and it's not as easy as it used to be
I know because I unlocked many an iphone
and all those solutions were half asses
software unlock through jailbreak is not something I would do for my primary phone
cuz if you have issues, you suddenly have a non functioning phone
I prefer a regular , legal, legit unlock
that NEVER has issues

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by kmarei

the last time an iphone was unlockable is years ago
manufacturers have gotten a lot smarter
and it's not as easy as it used to be
I know because I unlocked many an iphone
and all those solutions were half asses
software unlock through jailbreak is not something I would do for my primary phone
cuz if you have issues, you suddenly have a non functioning phone
I prefer a regular , legal, legit unlock
that NEVER has issues

Was G559 able to get this working for you?

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Was G559 able to get this working for you?

Not yet
He was trying to find out how much money is owed
Weird that tmobile won't assit
I'm trying to give them money

[e92_boost]

Did you get this issue resolved? I have an uncle that works at a T-Mobile as a Manager or Supervisor I can get you info on it and hopefully help out!