Adding imei to sprint DB troubles

[liquidreality]

So I purchased a sprint galaxy s6 off Swappa, and ran into problems activating it. Sprint corporate store said it was still someone else's phone, another agent on the phone said it was on someone's account, another agent said it was not, and two other chat agents said it was clean and just not registered in the database. So apparently all that is necessary is to add the imei to the database.

 

First of all, why did the store and the first agent say it was in use? Second, why does it take 7 - 10 days for the number to be entered into the system? I've read online that managers can simply input the number into the system with a software tool called DNA2, and the phone is activated in minutes. Is there any truth to this?

 

Largely, I've tried to ignore the anti sprint douxhebaggery, but I don't understand the inconstancy and the complication over something that seems so simple. I know this had been a problem in the past for nexus devices and other unlocked phones, but I figured that by now it shouldn't be an issue.

 

Has anyone run into this problem before?

[Rawvega]

I don't understand how the IMEI from a Sprint Galaxy S6 wouldn't already be in their database.

 

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

[burnout8488]

I would see if you could just save yourself the trouble and return the phone. I know Swappa guarantees a clean IMEI (which this phone has), but maybe they will allow a refund on a device that you can't easily activate as well. 

[liquidreality]

I don't understand why it wouldn't be in the system either. It was technically listed as refurb, which may have something to do with it, but I don't see how that would modify the imei and leave the old username and phone number intact in the software. It is pretty suspect, and I have considered getting my money back, but the seller has completed many sales and has a 5 star rating, so I'll see how it pans out after the 72 hour timeframe I was given from sprint.

[liquidreality]

To clarify, when doing a factory reset on a Samsung device, things like your sprint username, phone number and some other things are left behind. This was the case with my last Swappa device and it activated fine.

[travismheim]

I don't understand why it wouldn't be in the system either. It was technically listed as refurb, which may have something to do with it, but I don't see how that would modify the imei and leave the old username and phone number intact in the software. It is pretty suspect, and I have considered getting my money back, but the seller has completed many sales and has a 5 star rating, so I'll see how it pans out after the 72 hour timeframe I was given from sprint.

When I had my ZTE livepro replaced under warranty, the refurb/replacement wasn't in their system. When they added it, they said it could take a week but it happened within a day.

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

[liquidreality]

Cool that's good to know, thank you, that made me feel a little better.

[bill875]

Call Sprint tech support and have them submit a Click-It Ticket.  At least that is what they did for my Moto X Pure Edition and that took care of it.

[Overstew]

I've read stories of Sprint dropping the ESN from their whitelist when the device is activated on an MVNO such as Boost or RingPlus.  This sounds like that type of scenario but usually a click-it ticket adds the esn back to their whitelist.  Not really sure why Sprint would want to make it more difficult for users to join their network after going prepaid, but it is what it is.

[irev210]

So I purchased a sprint galaxy s6 off Swappa, and ran into problems activating it. Sprint corporate store said it was still someone else's phone, another agent on the phone said it was on someone's account, another agent said it was not, and two other chat agents said it was clean and just not registered in the database. So apparently all that is necessary is to add the imei to the database.

 

First of all, why did the store and the first agent say it was in use? Second, why does it take 7 - 10 days for the number to be entered into the system? I've read online that managers can simply input the number into the system with a software tool called DNA2, and the phone is activated in minutes. Is there any truth to this?

 

Largely, I've tried to ignore the anti sprint douxhebaggery, but I don't understand the inconstancy and the complication over something that seems so simple. I know this had been a problem in the past for nexus devices and other unlocked phones, but I figured that by now it shouldn't be an issue.

 

Has anyone run into this problem before?

 

Yes, when I sold my Galaxy S6.  I paid full price directly from Sprint for a Sprint GS6 and had it unlocked by Sprint.  The entire time it was on my account, it worked fine.  However, when I took it off my account and activated my Nexus 5x, Sprint in its infinite stupidity, deleted the IMEI from the whitelist since it was unlocked.

 

I had to call a number of times and have a ticket created to add the IMEI back to Sprint.

 

 

I don't understand how the IMEI from a Sprint Galaxy S6 wouldn't already be in their database.

 

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

When you unlock the phone and take it off the sprint database, the IMEI gets wiped from the sprint whitelist.

 

I don't understand why it wouldn't be in the system either. It was technically listed as refurb, which may have something to do with it, but I don't see how that would modify the imei and leave the old username and phone number intact in the software. It is pretty suspect, and I have considered getting my money back, but the seller has completed many sales and has a 5 star rating, so I'll see how it pans out after the 72 hour timeframe I was given from sprint.

 

Because sprint is very nasty about unlocking sprint branded devices once you take them off their network.

 

 

Call Sprint tech support and have them submit a Click-It Ticket.  At least that is what they did for my Moto X Pure Edition and that took care of it.

 

Yup - exactly correct.

 

I've read stories of Sprint dropping the ESN from their whitelist when the device is activated on an MVNO such as Boost or RingPlus.  This sounds like that type of scenario but usually a click-it ticket adds the esn back to their whitelist.  Not really sure why Sprint would want to make it more difficult for users to join their network after going prepaid, but it is what it is.

 

Yeah i dunno about the MVNO thing - I thought it was a locked vs. unlocked handset thing.

[Overstew]

Yeah i dunno about the MVNO thing - I thought it was a locked vs. unlocked handset thing.

I'm going based on posts I've read on Reddit.  I actually recall someone checking their ESN eligibility on freedompop and it caused the device to be removed from Sprint's whitelist.  Not sure why, maybe it was a coincidence, but there's no way to really find out. I used a $20 sim unlock service on my Sprint iPhone 6s to test the network around on other carriers.  Works like a charm and Sprint will still reactivate it.  But iPhones may be handled differently than the S6.

[twospirits]

This also happened to me a while back with a brand new unopened LG G Flex 2. Sprint gave it to me as a gift and it took 2 days on the phone with no luck and an additional day at a corp store to get it on the database. Same thing with the HTC A9 they gave me. Yet others that got it did not have an issue. 

 

TS

[liquidreality]

Yes, when I sold my Galaxy S6.  I paid full price directly from Sprint for a Sprint GS6 and had it unlocked by Sprint.  The entire time it was on my account, it worked fine.  However, when I took it off my account and activated my Nexus 5x, Sprint in its infinite stupidity, deleted the IMEI from the whitelist since it was unlocked.

 

I had to call a number of times and have a ticket created to add the IMEI back to Sprint.

 

thank you.  i have managed to get the phone activated by creating a ticket as everyone suggested, and thank you @irev210 for the info.  I agree, it doesn't make any sense that they would want to delete the numbers.

 

They initially tell you the ticket takes 7 -10 days to resolve, which seems like an unreasonable length of time for something so simple, but what really bothered me is that no one at sprint would tell me a) why it takes that long, and why the number wouldn't be there int he first place.  i'm glad to have gotten something of an answer here, and i appreciate that this forum exists for that reason.

 

Overall, i just wish there was a way to speak directly with higher level agents instead of having to deal with their prewritten scripts and have them doubting the information you are giving them.  i must have been asked 7 times if it was a Sprint phone.

 

As far as the corporate store, they told my wife that the phone was stolen, probably without even running the number because it still had someone's username in the "about phone" dialog.  I mean REALLY Sprint?  i understand they are salesmen above all else, but even the manager tried to convince her it was stolen.  It's scenarios like this that give sprint a bad rep. when it comes to customer service, and overall i just wish it were different, and understand how less knowledgeable people would be extremely dissatisfied with their experience at sprint.

[ahecht]

I've had this happen on every single phone I've purchased from Sprint on my line (although not on other lines on my account). Starting with a Palm Centro, and then later the EVO 4G LTE and HTC M8. Each one arrived fresh in the box from Sprint already attached to someone else's account. The first time, after being called a thief and being accused of stealing the phone by customer service and a supervisor, who threatened to call the police if I didn't send the phone back, I was finally able to get someone in the Dan Hesse's office who found the other account and got it fixed. With the second phone, when the first CSR told me it wasn't on the account I just hung up and directly called the person in executive support who had helped me the first time. By the time the M8 arrived, the CSR said there was a note on my account to have all activations handled directly by the "Escalations Group".