Did I void my warranty?

[jakeski]

I'm in need of some expert help here (T-Mobile Galaxy S4).

My phone gave me the "Not registered on network" message and won't make calls or allow mobile data so I made a few attempts to resolve it myself. One "solution" that I found was to root it and replace the stock firmware. I got as far as installing SuperUser with Odin before I got a hold of Samsung to find out if they would repair the phone (the guy at the T-mobile store said the issue is not the SIM card). Samsung issued a service ticket for repair and now I'm worried that installing SuperUser voided the warranty. I installed "root check" which said my phone is not rooted and "Triangle Away" hangs at the "Loading... Checking SuperUser support..." screen. When I launch SuperUser it says "The SU binary needs to be updated. Continue?" and when I click continue I get "Installation failed!"

My goal is to either completely fix the "Not registered on network" issue or to be positive that I can safely send the phone to Samsung for repair without them telling me that the warranty is voided. Any advice is greatly appreciated and apologies if any of this is unclear. Thanks!

 

[lalec]

Poor signal can give you that error. They probably won't honor the warranty if they notice the superuser app but if your "settings" "about" phone menu still shows "official" and not "custom" you are probably not really rooted and the stock firmware probably replaced your custom recovery with stock recovery.

Sent from my SGH-M919

 

[jakeski]

Poor signal can give you that error. They probably won't honor the warranty if they notice the superuser app but if your "settings" "about" phone menu still shows "official" and not "custom" you are probably not really rooted and the stock firmware probably replaced your custom recovery with stock recovery.

Sent from my SGH-M919

Thanks for the response. The device status does say "custom". I hadn't checked that before. Any advice on how I should proceed?

 

[Joseph Awad]

Yes, you need to root your phone, install Triangle Away (to reset your binary flash counter), then run Triangle Away. Finally, through Odin, you need to flash your STOCK UNCHANGED firmware. This is the only way it will not trigger your flash counter. At this point, your phone will no longer be rooted, your custom recovery will revert back to the original, and your phone should show up as Normal (or Official), and not Custom.

BANG! Warranty returned!

 

[jakeski]

Yes, you need to root your phone, install Triangle Away (to reset your binary flash counter), then run Triangle Away. Finally, through Odin, you need to flash your STOCK UNCHANGED firmware. This is the only way it will not trigger your flash counter. At this point, your phone will no longer be rooted, your custom recovery will revert back to the original, and your phone should show up as Normal (or Official), and not Custom.

BANG! Warranty returned!

Thanks for the response. I have now gotten as far as downloading the original firmware and installing Triangle Away. I've got 2 issues at this point: After I run Triangle Away, I reboot and run Triangle Away to see if it worked and it still says that the phone has been flashed 3 times. The other issue is that when I try to unzip the stock firmware that I downloaded from Galaxy S4 Stock Firmware | GalaxyS4Root.com and stockroms the unzip fails each time (downloaded from each site 3 times now). Am I doing something wrong?

 

[lalec]

Keep trying. Check the md5 checksum after you download to know for sure it was good before you try to use it.

Sent from my SGH-M919

 

[prozacfield]

Thanks for the response. I have now gotten as far as downloading the original firmware and installing Triangle Away. I've got 2 issues at this point: After I run Triangle Away, I reboot and run Triangle Away to see if it worked and it still says that the phone has been flashed 3 times. The other issue is that when I try to unzip the stock firmware that I downloaded from Galaxy S4 Stock Firmware | GalaxyS4Root.com and stockroms the unzip fails each time (downloaded from each site 3 times now). Am I doing something wrong?

Make sure Triangle Away actually worked, it looks like failed attempt. For firmware: go to XDA and find your firmware in Odin's tar.md5 format.

 

[jakeski]

Update: I was able to download the stock firmware (using IE - wow! first time using it in years) and restore my phone to stock. I sent it in to Samsung and I got it back last night. NOT FIXED! WTF?? Powered the phone on with my SIM card and when I try to make a call, I get the same "Not connected to network" message. Same goes for wifi calling (error:90) and no data connection either.

Here is the repair log:
*09/23/2013//18:25:50//0001773863//Web Chat//ASC*
9/23/2013 5:25 PM-Adela Quevalda: The unit is shipped.
*09/23/2013//18:25:47//0001773863//Web Chat//ASC*
9/23/2013 5:25 PM-Adela Quevalda: No hold amount
*09/23/2013//18:14:37//0001773863//Web Chat//ASC*
9/23/2013 5:14 PM-Martha Munoz: QC Pass.
*09/23/2013//14:35:20//0001773863//Web Chat//ASC*
9/23/2013 1:34 PM-David Ramirez: The unit has left the technician. SOLUTION: Replaced Component
*09/23/2013//14:35:19//0001773863//Web Chat//ASC*
IMEI is blocked
*09/23/2013//14:35:16//0001773863//Web Chat//ASC*
phone came in with some scratches on frame
*09/20/2013//10:35:08//0001773863//Web Chat//ASC*
9/20/2013 9:33 AM-Madison Obando: The unit has been received. Pack Condition: Fair Packaging (Box & Cushion)

What is interesting is that they noted "IMEI is blocked" which it doesn't appear to be when I check using T-mobile's IMEI checker it says "This device has not been reported as lost or stolen and is currently available for use". Samsung apparently replaced a part relating to the charge status checker.

So, do I contact Samsung again? I really don't want to take a $400 loss with this phone. What are my options now?

Thanks again to everyone.

 

[prozacfield]

Who blocked your IMEI? And why? Send it back again and again or sue them.

 

[Aditya Bhimrajka]

you didn't void warranty don't worry for the same

 

[Mike Lang1]

Any update? Just wondering...

 

[jakeski]

Final update:

So I did contact Samsung again and they told me that the motherboard had been replaced and that I just needed to contact T-Mobile to have the new IMEI activated to my account. "That sounds promising" I thought... I headed into my local T-Mobile storefront and explained what Samsung told me. They called their support line and were told that this was the first time they heard of such a process. Checked the IMEI which was, surprise surprise, not a new number but the same one that was causing the trouble in the first place. They checked the number which came back as "Blocked for fraud". So after all of the trouble I went to to get this figured out and after repeatedly checking the IMEI and seeing that it was not reported for theft or fraud, it finally switched over in their system and yes, I am a victim of a craigslist phone scam.

Fuming and semi-resigned to my situation, I decide that my only real course of action here is either keeping the blocked device as a $400 mini tablet or trying to sell it as-is. I do some research on ebay for sold GS4 phones in the same condition and am happy to find that they regularly go for near $400 while being clearly labeled as "BLOCKED IMEI, SOLD AS-IS, NO RETURNS". I post the phone and a week later it's sold for almost $400.

So, in the end, I didn't end up losing much money but I did go through a lot of aggravation. T-Mobile's new month-to-month contracts coupled with the installment payment plans are bad news for people buying used phones to use on T-Mobile's network. Even trusted sites like Swappa which verify IMEI and confirm the seller's ownership beforehand state specifically that there is nothing to prevent the seller from reporting the device stolen any time after the sale. The buyer will be stuck with a dead phone and no option for a refund.

I see a Nexus 5 in my future...

 

[Mike Lang1]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm not sure if there is any sure way to buy a used smartphone nowadays, unless it's from someone we know (friends, colleagues etc...) Swappa can only check the IMEI **at the time** of the posting. I'm glad that you were able to resell it to recoup your cost.

 

[tech_head]

You can still buy a Craigslist phone.
Meet them at the store to activate... Problem solved.
If they don't want to meet at the store... Well then you know the rest.

Also buying on Swappa gives you PayPal Buyer Protection.
I've bought multiple devices on Swappa and have not been scammed.
The fact that you have to have a bank account/credit card with PayPal and possibly verified with a real address is somewhat a deterrent to fraud.