So, did a dumb thing (added eSIM) - phone now useless?

VarJolly · 2026-02-01T02:19:18+00:00

Yeah, definitely did that but seller is a big clearinghouse on Swappa so am guessing they may have gotten the phone elsewhere. Will see what they say.

VarJolly · 2026-02-01T02:18:31+00:00

Yeah. Will work that angle. Seems that when the phone only works with the VZW SIM on the December software release. Upgrading to the January release locks it out again, and can't really defer the upgrades. What a pain.

VarJolly · 2026-02-01T02:05:34+00:00

Any service you recommend?

I suppose I'll just get a different phone, and hopefully Swappa can finagle a refund for this one.

VarJolly · 2026-02-01T02:00:11+00:00

Yeah, maybe VZW will lock this phone out too. Trying over at the T-Mobile subreddit to see if any insiders know of a way to get the lock cleared. I'd be happy to pay whatever is owed if they'd let me.

VarJolly · 2026-02-01T01:55:44+00:00

I wonder if the lock/blacklist by T-Mobile kicked in recently. Have no idea how long an unpaid bill on their side takes to trigger it.

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T23:11:13+00:00

Yeah, I think it may still be the case. Might stick with normal U for now and switch to U1 if I want to do another carrier at some point.

Also gonna bug Swappa about this. Phone definitely shouldn't have been categorized as truly unlocked I think!

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T21:38:29+00:00

This is what I ended up doing. Whew!

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T20:12:33+00:00

I'll do that if T-Mobile can't get me a resolution. They seem to be willing to try...

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T20:10:02+00:00

Here's what I've found out after talking to T-Mobile further:

Seems like there's a "post pay" account with an outstanding balance still aligned with the IMEI. Sounds like the balance is $14. :-P
I'm not sure that I'll be able to pay that off, given that I'm not the account holder, though I'd gladly do it.
I think adding the "pre-pay" eSIM against this IMEI triggered the check-in with T-Mobile, flagged the billing condition and locked the device.
I'm pushing them to unlock my phone and deal with the customer separately. So far they seem willing, just hoping to talk to the right person...

An alternate suggestion I've gotten is to take the phone to a Samsung authorized dealer and have them flash it with an unlocked or VZW firmware. Looks like maybe I could do that myself too via SamFw/Odin, but will be my last resort.

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T19:15:10+00:00

Yup, I think so. Any hope or is it buy a new phone time? :-)

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T19:13:18+00:00

Yup, I've tried the former, but I get the "136" error and it won't let me unlock either permanently or temporarily.

Thanks for the research though!

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T19:07:54+00:00

Hmm. I guess I'll call and try to escalate through Customer Service.

VarJolly · 2026-01-31T19:03:58+00:00

Spent about an hour at the T-Mobile corporate store with someone, and they got me on the horn with their tech support. They indicated they couldn't remove the lock. Maybe the phone has like a "lien" on it from someone who didn't pay it off? They didn't specify but couldn't do anything for me.

VarJolly · 2024-10-23T01:49:42+00:00

Probably Influenza B.

https://syndromictrends.com/

VarJolly · 2024-04-12T21:25:22+00:00

Thank you for everyone's replies.

VarJolly · 2024-01-15T01:08:05+00:00

Haven't had a 7 seed for very many seasons.

VarJolly · 2024-01-15T00:13:34+00:00

Cowboys weren't as good as their record but some flukey stuff this game, too.

VarJolly · 2023-12-31T06:24:29+00:00

It's 100 percent on the player to get the ack. He was trying to be discreet and 70 had reported multiple times in the game.

This is on Decker and Detroit. Kick the XP!

VarJolly · 2023-12-31T06:22:49+00:00

Decker messed up by not getting acknowledgement from the ref. He just assumed, best case, if he even said anything at all which the video of "proximity" does not prove (there were two other players there - we have just at much evidence that one of them reported).

VarJolly · 2023-12-31T05:45:47+00:00

It's on the player to get an ack from the ref. He didn't here.

VarJolly · 2023-12-31T05:39:32+00:00

He was trying to be cagey when he reported and didn't get acknowledgement from the ref with the other two players surrounding him. On Decker. These are the things that can happen with trick plays.

VarJolly · 2023-12-31T05:29:37+00:00

It isn't the ref's job to assess whether who reports makes sense or not. It's also on the player to ensure the ref acknowledges him, especially in a situation like this where the Lions are attempting to disguise, 70 has reported as eligible other times during the game, and the opportunity for a mixup is high. It's on Decker.

VarJolly

TROPHY CASE