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Help Need help - Virgin suspended my account - thinking about unlocking and going to T-mobile

S

shigglyboo

Well-Known Member
So I bought my phone brand new off eBay. I activated it and it worked just long enough to no longer be covered by eBay buyer protection (longer than 45 days). Then one day I can't make or receive calls or texts. It actually happened twice, the first time I pressed "1" because the phone said "it looks like you need to speak with a live representative". They did some voodoo and my phone worked again. Then it stopped working and now they claim it's linked to another account and they say I need to buy a new phone. Obviously this is unnacceptable. Essentially I now have a $300 paper-weight and Virgin Mobile refuses to let me use the phone. I'm going to file a BBB complaint as well as anything else in my power, I am at war with VM until further notice....

But, I can't sell the phone, because anyone else will have the same problem. Up the creek without a paddle as they say. I've read that I can unlock the phone and use it with T-mobile and their $50 prepaid service. Can anyone confirm this and possibly link me to some instructions? Any help is greatly appreciated, feeling pretty lost here. I'm considering suing, not sure if I have a case or not, but I do have reason to believe I've missed job opportunities, for the last week if you call my phone it gives the same error message as someone who has not paid their bill. So to friends, family and professional contacts I appear as a deadbeat, even though I bought my phone fair and square and paid for the current month of service that I'm unable to use. I've been applying for a lot of new jobs lately, and this is really just a kick in the teeth, and they admit it has nothing to do with me, but with another users account.
 
You can't use it with T-MO's plans because they are GSM and Virgin uses CDMA, completely different and incompatible technologies. If I were you even though you're past the 45 day window for buyer protection I would still contact Ebay, I've run into issues after the protection period was over and they were still helpful in trying to help me resolve the issue. Good luck. Your only other alternative would be to try to flash the phone to Boost Mobile which is time consuming, plus you'd have to purchase a "donor" phone and can be potentially illegal in some locations.
 
That's what I was afraid of... I had read somewhere that the phone would work on T-mobile, but it must have been another HTC phone...

As far as other recourse's, eBay says there's nothing they can do, they emailed me some links to report fraud. I purchased through PayPal, and they went through my bank card, which even though it can do credit, they do debit, I just faxed a form to my bank to dispute it, however, my fear is that if they yank the money bank my PayPal account will go negative and I'll never be able to use eBay again.
 
ok. a few questions..

1. did you buy the phone with an account already on it? and it had a number programmed into it already?

2. did you have to sign up for a virgin mobile account and get to choose your own number and area code and then program the phone by entering its serial into the website?

3. did you actually PAY for the next month?


to me, it SOUNDS like you bought someone elses activated phone, and it wont let your payment go through becuase its fishy to VM.

I say that becuase ive seen it many times already with friends... they buy a "new" phone online and it turns out its been activated by someone else and resold inside the original box as "new"


and to answer your question.

No.

You will never be able to take this phone to T-mobile or any other carrier legitimately. sorry. It's a CDMA phone which means basically only VMusa, boost mobile, Sprint, and Verizon.

CDMA phones need to be programmed to the network with your account info.

on GSM phones your account info is stored on a tiny card called a "SIM card" and you can put that card into any GSM phone and that phone will work on the network under the plan you pay for.


if it turns out the phone you bought is linked to the old sellers account and there is nothing you can do. your LAST option will be to take it to Boost Mobile, I'm pretty sure they can flash it to work on their network.

you might not get 4G or even 3G data depending on whos network boost mobile is renting from in your area, but it should be good for calls and texts.
 
Boost Mobile coverage is identical to Virgin, they are both wholly owned prepaid subsidiaries of Sprint. They access the network slightly differently especially concerning mms but it's the same Sprint network and towers including Wimax used by Virgin.
 
shigglyboo said:
That's what I was afraid of... I had read somewhere that the phone would work on T-mobile, but it must have been another HTC phone...

As far as other recourse's, eBay says there's nothing they can do, they emailed me some links to report fraud. I purchased through PayPal, and they went through my bank card, which even though it can do credit, they do debit, I just faxed a form to my bank to dispute it, however, my fear is that if they yank the money bank my PayPal account will go negative and I'll never be able to use eBay again.
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While the item is being disputed by your bank, if they screw up your PayPal account you can always go to the pharmacy and purchase a moneypaq that you can deposit it into PayPal and that will allow you to keep your account open and pay for your ebay seller's fees so that your account won't be suspended.
 
OverByter said:
While the item is being disputed by your bank, if they screw up your PayPal account you can always go to the pharmacy and purchase a moneypaq that you can deposit it into PayPal and that will allow you to keep your account open and pay for your ebay seller's fees so that your account won't be suspended.
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I tried using that and they wouldnt let me deposit it into paypal or pay for anything with it until they got a scanned copy of my social security card and ID and some other documents, then when I gave up and just tried refunding it, they charged me for the service and in the end I just lost money overall.
 
imabitfighty said:
I tried using that and they wouldnt let me deposit it into paypal or pay for anything with it until they got a scanned copy of my social security card and ID and some other documents, then when I gave up and just tried refunding it, they charged me for the service and in the end I just lost money overall.
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when you bought this phone did they state it has a clean ESN? i have sold an old phone i had on boost mobile but before i sell my phone i always my new phone first transfer my number over and cancel my account on the old number this way when the buyer got my phone it was ready to be activated. :)
 
I bought two EVO's at RS. One for me one as a gift. I didn't even open the box and used the MEID on the bar code sticker to do the phone swap so it would look neat when I gave it to them. I got the error twice on each and called a live advisor.

The two phones were already associated with a number. They told me to return them. Exchanged them brought two more new ones and went through the same process. Both again associated with a different number. Customer service said they couldn't do anything about it even if they were sealed.

Went to a different store and got two more unopened. Error again. Called customer service and the guy said he manually transferred them over. I guess it depends who you talk to.
 
If they have flagged your device as being on another account, even if you could transfer it to another carrier, the device would not work. Carriers share bad ESN numbers with each other. The only way of sorting it out is work through customer service, or purchase a new phone.
 
imabitfighty said:
I tried using that and they wouldnt let me deposit it into paypal or pay for anything with it until they got a scanned copy of my social security card and ID and some other documents, then when I gave up and just tried refunding it, they charged me for the service and in the end I just lost money overall.
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Yeah that's the new government regulations against terrorist funding, even though my PayPal account has been verified for over 5 years I just had to email them the documents last month myself.
 
ninite said:
I bought two EVO's at RS. One for me one as a gift. I didn't even open the box and used the MEID on the bar code sticker to do the phone swap so it would look neat when I gave it to them. I got the error twice on each and called a live advisor.

The two phones were already associated with a number. They told me to return them. Exchanged them brought two more new ones and went through the same process. Both again associated with a different number. Customer service said they couldn't do anything about it even if they were sealed.

Went to a different store and got two more unopened. Error again. Called customer service and the guy said he manually transferred them over. I guess it depends who you talk to.
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I've never heard of this happening with so many sealed phones, even if someone went into the store and copied the meid to write it to a phone with a bad esn that meid shouldn't be able to activate on the network because the new device hasn't been scanned into the system yet, that happens at the register after purchase. If someone shoplifted the phone it would show up as having a bad esn and be unable to activate. I just don't see how this is possible.
 
jerofld said:
If they have flagged your device as being on another account, even if you could transfer it to another carrier, the device would not work. Carriers share bad ESN numbers with each other. The only way of sorting it out is work through customer service, or purchase a new phone.
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Believe it or not this doesn't happen as often as you would hope, I've had a few phones that were lost /stolen that were reactivated on a different carrier and one time AT&T even activated a phone that I reported stolen on their own service.
 
I have had the same-thing happen to me with unopened evo v and radio shack near me took it back and shipped a new one to me. If this is happening to allot of people then this makes me think that sprint gave all there old evo 3ds to virgin and they just repackaged them without cleaning them up.
 
MaddawgTL said:
I have had the same-thing happen to me with unopened evo v and radio shack near me took it back and shipped a new one to me. If this is happening to allot of people then this makes me think that sprint gave all there old evo 3ds to virgin and they just repackaged them without cleaning them up.
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Well Sprint did flash their existing stock to Virgin software, but they can't repackage used devices without them being marked as refurbished. It's against federal consumer protection laws. Also if you type ##clear# on the phone itself it'll tell you it's reconditioned status. If they've never been scanned into the system I just don't see how that it's possible for the esn /meid to be tied to another account.
 
OverByter said:
I've never heard of this happening with so many sealed phones, even if someone went into the store and copied the meid to write it to a phone with a bad esn that meid shouldn't be able to activate on the network because the new device hasn't been scanned into the system yet, that happens at the register after purchase. If someone shoplifted the phone it would show up as having a bad esn and be unable to activate. I just don't see how this is possible.
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When I went to return the first set the RS guy gave me a weird look until he called it in and they told him the same. When I took the second set back he offered me money back instantly because the only one left in stock was also assigned a phone number which he called in before even ringing it up.

My guess at first was that the system assigns the phone a number when you scan the barcode on the box that says "For activation scan:" and it lists I believe Best Buy, Target, RS. I thought he might have scanned that on accident because he asked before whether I wanted to activate it which I said No. But that theory wouldn't work if the one he called in prior to scanning was also assigned a number.

When I called customer service for the first one she told me the number had the same area code as mine but the number was way different.
 
Message the original seller and ask them to contact VM and make sure their account is clear and the phone has been removed. VM is not the best about phones removed from accounts, they make mistakes.

If not, most likely what happened is when the seller listed the phone they got one or more people sending them messages saying something like "I need to verify your phone ESN is clean, can you send me the number"?

Then someone goes out and uses the ESN on a donor phone (they illegally hack another phone with a bad ESN with the one the seller sent them) and activate it on VM service for $35.

Unfortunately Ebay is overrun with scammers trying to get ESN's from unknowing sellers. To compound the issue, if you look up "is it ok to give out my ESN on Ebay" on Google and other places there are Ebay guides telling you to give it to people.

NEVER provide the ESN to anyone. If you must, just say that the ESN will be provided to the winning bidder after payment is made and confirmed so they can verify it.

I sell a lot of used electronics I pick up at various places as a side business and EVERY phone from VM/Verizon that I list gets people asking for the ESN.

If that is what happened it is really up to the seller to fix. I would simply message them and very politely ask if maybe prior to selling the phone if anyone asked for the ESN. If they say yes I would explain the situation and ask what they can do to resolve the issue.

If course that all assumes VM customer service is correct. The very first Evo V I bought would not activate and they told me the same thing... for a Evo that was sealed in the box.
 
didn't realize there were more replies here, it stopped emailing me. I just checked the MEID, which I guess is the same as the ESN? It said "clean on Sprint", not sure what that means. I have two MEID's beneath the battery, the second one also says clean.

The guys at Virgin say that the seller (or original account holder) submitted a RMA request and that this phone was the replacement phone. They say they never got the old bad phone back, so they need to receive one or the other. I asked why I'm responsible for the actions of another account holder and they asked if I had any other questions...

So my account is still suspended. There's no way I'd do business with Virgin Mobile at this point. I purchased the phone new and in good faith. I already had an account and a phone number, I activated this one and sold my old Triumph. I'm still waiting for my bank to try and recover the money I gave Virgin for this month of service. Right now I'm out $350 and it's Virgin MObile who is being unreasonable. I've filed a BBB complain, done two bank chargeback requests and filed a fraud claim with USPS. I've tried to contact the original seller through eBay and they won't reply, I even emailed their company directly.

How would I go about flashing for Boost Mobile? Is this something they'll do for you? My other thought is to just sell the phone for someone else to hack, just let them know it can't be used on Virgin Mobile for more than two months. I really don't get why they let me activate and use the phone for 45 days, then randomly cut it off. It actually happened twice. They turned me back on for about 2 weeks, then the next time they refused to un-suspend my account or unlink the phone from the other user.
 
shigglyboo said:
didn't realize there were more replies here, it stopped emailing me. I just checked the MEID, which I guess is the same as the ESN? It said "clean on Sprint", not sure what that means. I have two MEID's beneath the battery, the second one also says clean.

The guys at Virgin say that the seller (or original account holder) submitted a RMA request and that this phone was the replacement phone. They say they never got the old bad phone back, so they need to receive one or the other. I asked why I'm responsible for the actions of another account holder and they asked if I had any other questions...

So my account is still suspended. There's no way I'd do business with Virgin Mobile at this point. I purchased the phone new and in good faith. I already had an account and a phone number, I activated this one and sold my old Triumph. I'm still waiting for my bank to try and recover the money I gave Virgin for this month of service. Right now I'm out $350 and it's Virgin MObile who is being unreasonable. I've filed a BBB complain, done two bank chargeback requests and filed a fraud claim with USPS. I've tried to contact the original seller through eBay and they won't reply, I even emailed their company directly.

How would I go about flashing for Boost Mobile? Is this something they'll do for you? My other thought is to just sell the phone for someone else to hack, just let them know it can't be used on Virgin Mobile for more than two months. I really don't get why they let me activate and use the phone for 45 days, then randomly cut it off. It actually happened twice. They turned me back on for about 2 weeks, then the next time they refused to un-suspend my account or unlink the phone from the other user.
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this is a whole bunch of new information you should have told us in the beginning.

Your not at fault.

and Virgin is just enforcing their own rules and codes.

the previous owner is the problem here.

he STOLE a phone from vmusa, SOLD that stolen phone, and now virgin realizes where it went and blocked it from service.

it most likely took so long becuase VM has to go through so many thousand ESNs before they come across yours. it isnt an instant process. OR they gave a month or two grace period for the previous seller returning his phone and on the date it was over they had to cancel the replacements esn.


anyways, RECORD a conversation with a VM rep Or get some emails that say all that, THEN open a dispute with your credit card, bank, or paypal, or ebay, whichever makes the most sense for how you paid for the phone.

show them that the seller sold a stolen phone and you want a refund and if it all goes well you should get your money back.

beyond that, the problem is NOT virgin mobile or you. its the previous seller.
 
I've spent hours on the phone with VM, I have two employees and their ID #'s and their statements that amount to "we are holding you responsible for the actions of another account holder".

Essentially, I could care less about the seller. I actually got someone on the phone who works for the company who runs the eBay account, he says I can return the phone. So I just factory reset it and I'm sending it back. If I don't get a refund I'm filing a police report and going to small claims.

I've already filed the following:

BBB complaint against VM for the cost of the phone and the month of service I paid for but did not receive.

Bank dispute against PayPal for the cost of the phone and VM for the month of service that I paid for but did not receive.

USPS mail fraud case for using the mail system to transport "stolen" goods.

Here's why Virgin Mobile is a rotten company that I will forever crusade against. I bought a legitimate new phone. So it's attached to another users account? No problem, unlink it. It's that simple. The other account holder owes you a phone? Simple, bill them for it. They don't want to pay? No problem, send them to collections. I don't see what any of that has to do with me. Virgin Mobile literally asked me to send this phone to them to get my account off suspension. They told me point blank they would not send a replacement phone or reimburse me, they just want me to send them something I paid for and get nothing in return. That's corrupt and wrong. All they have to do is unlink the phone and enter it into their system as mine. For a situation like this that should be a no brainer. The lady at my bank couldn't believe this story. She, as everyone else who I've told this to, doesn't understand why they expect me to be held to account for the actions of another account holder. And maybe it's just a system error. After all, the phone worked for 2 months, and the first time it went down they restored it no problem. Perhaps the other user did return the other phone, maybe it was lost in the mail, or stolen, or sent to the wrong address. Either way, there's absolutely no acceptable reason to try and make me pay for it.

I'm switching to Verizon or possibly Ting. I refuse to do business with a company that tries to rob you of $350, all they had to do was switch the phone to my account. Anything the seller did wrong should be between him and Virgin Mobile, not me. They chose to involve me in something that I had nothing to do with, and that's made me an enemy for life. Both MEID numbers checked out as clean on that link above. The seller has 100% perfect feedback on eBay, and they may be willing to accept a return. So it looks like the bad guy in all of this is essentially Virgin Mobile. They could have saved the day, and billed the other account holder. Why on earth is that not an acceptable solution? It's not that complicated.

Anyway, I'll spend the rest of my life telling friends/family/coworkers to join Ting, or Boost, or Metro PCS, or Sprint, Tmobile, Verizon (AT&T are rotten as well - don't ever sign up for them). And while I'm at it, don't ever book a trip through Expedia, use Priceline or Orbitz. Expedia will leave you in Miami with nowhere to sleep, and your only hope will be the hotel manager at the place that Expedia overbooked you at. I have no doubt I'll be able to sway lots of customers away from them. That's just how I roll. When companies treat me right I make sure to tell the world too. I love Sweetwater Music, Onnit (supplements, and Amazon - they all treat me like I matter.

Thanks for all the help here, love this forum - it's been the #1 resource for all my Android information. I've rooted, flashed and restored several phones thanks to all the info here and I recommend this place to all Android users who ask me for advice.
 
I am sorry this happened to you, but your gripe is with the Ebay seller, not Virgin. You need to go after him with your filings.
 
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