Tesco have killed my phone

37eeyore

My son had his LG GS290 stolen. It was locked to the Tesco Network so I got them to bar it. He wanted the same phone and Tesco no longer sold it so I bought anoyher LG GS290 locked to the Tesco network from Ebay. It came in its original box and the seller had good feedback. It worked fine for a month or so and then stopped making and receiving calls and texts. I rang Tesco who said it had been barred but they would get it removed. We assumed it was barred because of some confusion with the stolen phone. It took a while and some more phone calls but Tesco enetually removed the bar. It worked for another 3 days and then stopped again. I contacted Tesco who apologised but said it was o2 who had barred it. They would sort it out. Nothing happened. When I contacted them again they said there was no bar on the phone and put me through to handset support. They told me to reset the phone but that barring and unbarring a phone can cause software problems and my phone might need reflashing. They would only do this if I had the original receipt. The resetting didn't work so I contacted customer services again. They insisted there was no bar on the phone but would look into it and ring me back. They never rang back and cancelled my sim card. I rang them again and was told there was a corporate bar on my phone. They insisted they hadn't done it and wouldn't tell me who had. I asked who else could bar it and they said any network could. I pointed out that it was locked to their network but she said it wasn't them and I should contact Ebay. The person I bought it from said they gat it from Cash Converters and have provided me with a receipt. I spoke to cash converters who said they only buy pay as you go phones with an original receipt. They ran a Check Mend report for me which showed the phone isn't lost, stolen or the subject of an insurance claim. It also showed the phone isn't blocked. Tesco did tell me the date the phone was first used, which was August 2010, So I can't see it would benefit anyone to falsely report it. I think Tesco have mucked up my phone and don't want to take responsibility. There is no reasoning with them and they keep saying it's nothing to do with them and as they didn't bar it they can't help. What can I do now?

custardy

its a 2nd hand phone
if it develops a fault then you are iable to repair it or prove Tesco caused it
if its as simple as a reflash then you maybe able to do it yourself or get an LG repair centre to do it

37eeyore

Tesco are insisting it barred so they don't think it needs repairing.

Jon_01

Sounds to me like O2 barred it despite what Tesco are telling you. That's why the bar keeps coming back on.

Only O2 can remove the bar (if that's the case) and only at the request of the original owner. If Tesco remove it, it'll just rebar once the blacklist updates (2 or 3 times a week). And they shouldn't be removing another networks bar in the first place, it make the whole process pointless. . .

Annie._2

The IMEI is blacklisted if a phone has been reported lost or stolen. Phones are sometimes sold on ebay as working and the seller reports the phone as lost in order to make an insurance claim and get to keep the money made from the sale.

Its the police, insurance companies etc who blacklist the devises and the person who requested it to be done is the only person who can remove the bar.

As this was a ebay purchase, I would pursue getting your money back from the seller. If the seller refuses to cooperate, make a report through PayPal and get your money back that way.

At the moment, that phone is not even your Sons property, with a bit of luck the rightful owner will get their property back or the seller will be prosecuted for selling a stolen phone or making a fraudulent insurance claim.

You took a chance on purchasing a mobile phoine through ebay and unfortunately, you have been conned.

Dont stand for any nonsense from the seller, he refunds the money, you then return the phone.

37eeyore

I contacted o2 and they didn't bar it. The phone was a pay as you go, and is not that expensive, so probably wouldn't be insured. The Checkmend report says it isn't lost or stolen and the person on Ebay has proved they bought it legitamately from Cash Converters and had it working for several months. Cash Converters thoroughly check a phone before they buy it. I can see no logical reason for it to be barred.

sdduk

How long have you had the eBay phone?

I say that because you only have 40 something days to resolve a problem though pay-pal

I do agree with Ann contact the seller and try and get a refund he won't loss out because he can take it back to cash converters and then they will have to refund him

If he say no then go to( Resolve a Problem ) in your eBay account and then let Pay-pal deal with it for you just explain to them that its a blocked phone...

Good luck hope all turns out fine

We must have been typing at the same time just seen you post
Have you tried the Sim card in a different Phone? it should work in a Tesco or O2 phone
was wondering if its the Sim that's playing up and not the phone....just a thought.

37eeyore

The sim works fine. My son is usung it in my phone, which is unlocked. The time for querying it through Ebay is passed and I din't think the seller has done anything wrong. In fact, they have been incredibly helpful. They sold two of these phones and I contacted the other buyer and he has had no problems.

Annie._2

37eeyore wrote: »

The sim works fine. My son is usung it in my phone, which is unlocked. The time for querying it through Ebay is passed and I din't think the seller has done anything wrong. In fact, they have been incredibly helpful. They sold two of these phones and I contacted the other buyer and he has had no problems.

Of course he has done nothing wrong, only sold you an IMEI blacklisted phone.

Its people like this seller who give the site a bad name, but take the soft touch and let him get away with it.

The time may have passed, but you make sure you let him know what has happened and you want your money back. If the seller spins you a honest store, dont believe a word of it.

If he refuses, you report him to the Police and PayPal for selling you what could be a stolen phone.

37eeyore

It annoys me when people can't get past the word ebay. This person has proved they did nothing wrong. Cash Converters did all the checks. The phone has not been reported stolen. I'm pretty sure Tesco are to blame but I don't know what to do about it.

37eeyore

Just a follow on from my last post. The phone worked for a month after I bought it from Ebay. The seller proved they bought it from Cash Converters. What would they have to gain by barring it?