Issues with BB bought from Ebay!!

Hi, I am new to this forum and BB but its incredible to find all this information in the same place.

I bought my BB from ebay a couple of days ago, it was listed as new and unlocked. I verified that it is unlocked from the SIM card section through Options->Advanced Options-->Sim Card. (All options are disabled)

I do not have a contract since I will be traveling soon and wanted to buy the SIM card with BB plan at my destination. As of now I only have the phone.

My problem is that I tried creating a BIS account to verify if the phone was ready to be used once I got to my destination. Once I tried creating the account through the AT&T site I received a message that "This BB device is registered with another carrier".

I thought it might be one of these two problems: 1) I do not have a BB plan yet or 2) my PIN has not been released.
I emailed the seller asking for the carrier to which this phone was registered and if he can ask that carrier to release the PIN but I haven't receive an answer yet.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

When you turn the phone on, the carrier should be identified on the splash screen that displays for a few seconds.

You can try calling the carrier and ask them to release the PIN.

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Originally Posted by juanser

Hi, I am new to this forum and BB but its incredible to find all this information in the same place.

I bought my BB from ebay a couple of days ago, it was listed as new and unlocked. I verified that it is unlocked from the SIM card section through Options->Advanced Options-->Sim Card. (All options are disabled)

I do not have a contract since I will be traveling soon and wanted to buy the SIM card with BB plan at my destination. As of now I only have the phone.

My problem is that I tried creating a BIS account to verify if the phone was ready to be used once I got to my destination. Once I tried creating the account through the AT&T site I received a message that "This BB device is registered with another carrier".

I thought it might be one of these two problems: 1) I do not have a BB plan yet or 2) my PIN has not been released.
I emailed the seller asking for the carrier to which this phone was registered and if he can ask that carrier to release the PIN but I haven't receive an answer yet.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

you can also call your carrier and ask them to run the number to see if the device can be activated and is not on the blacklist.

Thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately, I do not get any carrier screen. When I turn it on, i see the Blackberry logo and then I see my home screen. Any other ideas?

That's strange. Is yours unbranded? I thought the carrier screens were either impossible to change, or just super difficult.

Try this. Hold down the Alt key, then left Shift, then press H. Look for the vendor ID number.

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Originally Posted by xliderider

Try this. Hold down the Alt key, then left Shift, then press H. Look for the vendor ID number.

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Quick question: Does removing the vendor.xml file get rid of this?

I just tried removing the battery and turning it on again and I only get the Blackberry screen. The box came with an AT&T User's Guide but that is the only reference I have to a carrier.
I am going to wait for the response from the seller but I am leaving the US soon and I wanted to know if the BB is ready to setup a BIS with any carrier or not asap. Thanks!! Any other ideas are welcome!

if it doesn't work just make up an excuse and file a complaint through paypal

Originally Posted by xliderider

Try this. Hold down the Alt key, then left Shift, then press H. Look for the vendor ID number.

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Probably sounds like a stupid question, I have a BB pearl 8120. I hold down the alt key, then the caps key "shift", then press H.

Just wanted to know If I was doing it correctly.

Originally Posted by savioAMG

Quick question: Does removing the vendor.xml file get rid of this?

I removed the vendor.xml file and my vendor ID is 105.

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Originally Posted by juanser

Probably sounds like a stupid question, I have a BB pearl 8120. I hold down the alt key, then the caps key "shift", then press H.

Just wanted to know If I was doing it correctly.

As usual, it's different with the Pearl. Try this: Press ALT + R A C E.

xliderider,

I got the vendor ID: 179. I checked google for a list of vendor ID's and I got "FAST_100". I've never heard of that company.

And on the Curve it's Alt + EACE. ;)

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Check out this thread: Who is Vendor ID 179? - PinStack.com

That person has the same "symptoms" as you. Vendor ID of 179... Purchased unlocked... No carrier splash screen.. Just the BB logo. One of the posters in that thread says that they were testing a prototype BB and they had the same Vendor ID. This is neat.

Yes, I believe vendor ID 179 means it is unbranded.

Thanks, so its Hafatel from Guam. I suppose I need to wait for my Ebay seller to reply. Thanks again!!

Originally Posted by juanser

Thanks, so its Hafatel from Guam. I suppose I need to wait for my Ebay seller to reply. Thanks again!!

No, it does not mean it is Hafatel from Guam... it just means the phone has been unbranded.

Originally Posted by juanser

Thanks, so its Hafatel from Guam. I suppose I need to wait for my Ebay seller to reply. Thanks again!!

It should be unbranded.

HowardForums: Your Mobile Phone Community & Resource - Unbranded Blackberry...

If it is unbranded, can it still have the IMEI and PIN registered to a carrier?

Originally Posted by juanser

If it is unbranded, can it still have the IMEI and PIN registered to a carrier?

From some googling I've been doing about this, if your device turns out to be a test device (which could explain why it's unbranded), RIM may have disabled the PIN which could be why you're having trouble trying to make an account. I'm just passing on some info, not saying this is necessarily the case of your phone.

Originally Posted by savioAMG

From some googling I've been doing about this, if your device turns out to be a test device (which could explain why it's unbranded), RIM may have disabled the PIN which could be why you're having trouble trying to make an account. I'm just passing on some info, not saying this is necessarily the case of your phone.

very true...

thats why I also suggested said person calls the wireless carrier and have them run a check..

Thank you all for your help.

Originally Posted by savioAMG

From some googling I've been doing about this, if your device turns out to be a test device (which could explain why it's unbranded), RIM may have disabled the PIN which could be why you're having trouble trying to make an account. I'm just passing on some info, not saying this is necessarily the case of your phone.

The seller replied back. He said another customer had the same problem but was able to solve it. Do I need to register for the blackberry service BEFORE trying to setup a BIS account? I mean, do I need an active blackberry service in order to create an account or can I just create it and then sign up for service.