I think my st tech support has no idea what they are talking about

[Al Red Hornbeam]

Bought a unlocked note 8 ( was told it started on vzw but has tmo carrier splash. Bought a new byop sim card vzw . Fought for a while with tech support and apns . Finally got data and the ability to make a call at the same time I thought all was good. Until I tried to send a picture message . No luck . Download speed was very slow as well . Called them back gave me to a tech support manager who tells Samsung s7 and up have a software problem follow these steps .. remove sim , power phone on no sim, factory data reset, connect to wifi , system update, power down , insert sim , power up enter apn ( TRACFONE.VZWENTP) all should be well . Told me this comes from a bulletin put out by Samsung. All is not well when I got to the point to do the update phone says your software is up to date . ( I had already done the update a few hours before and the reset hadn't erased it? ) now I have mostly no service and when I do have it it's 3g at best. ... total nightmare

 

[B. Diddy]

Where did you buy the phone from? I wonder if someone flashed the T-Mobile firmware onto a Verizon variant. @mustang7757, any thoughts?

 

[mustang7757]

Verizon models are weird where they won't change the splash screen , my suggestion like I mentioned in other thread flash the unlocked firmware

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

Update
Did the reboot no sim software update thing st told me too
But this time I used my new Verizon sim. Got rid of the tmo splash and bloatware . And replaced it with shiny new Vz splash and bloatware. That's better don't get me wrong I hated the jingle that it played on boot Other then that everything is the same . I have noticed that as I monkey around with every apn I can possibly think of things change . One will have great bars and display 4g LTE but no phone calls . One will have a few bars display 3g and phone calls will work but no multimedia messages . On the second the bars jump around too .

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

Where did you buy the phone from? I wonder if someone flashed the T-Mobile firmware onto a Verizon variant. @mustang7757, any thoughts?

An individual. He said it had been on Verizon before it was on tmobile .

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

I spent another hour with tech support this evening . The higher tier . Guy said that he was re programming it give it an hour or two and I'll get a callback..... that never happend that's two callbacks today that never came. .. I'm pretty sure they just lie to get you off the phone .. absolutely no accountability. I wonder if I make 300 new gmail accounts and use each one to give them horrible 1 star reviews if that would get their attention. Maybe start recording the calls with dogs barking in the same room and post em on YouTube.

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

I'm going to try to flash it I think . I might need to use this phone to download onto my PC so that could present a problem... . Will it run on windows 8 . ? Not going to lie I'm a little nervous

 

[mustang7757]

I'm going to try to flash it I think . I might need to use this phone to download onto my PC so that could present a problem... . Will it run on windows 8 . ? Not going to lie I'm a little nervous

Yeah window 8 is fine

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

When it kicks back my multimedia messages it says invalid destination

 

[mustang7757]

When it kicks back my multimedia messages it says invalid destination

Can you show your APN page ?

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

I'll give it a whirl

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

Attempt apn screenshots 1

 

[mustang7757]

None of the list there highlight a APN

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

I don't know what that means . The first photo is how it is stock the rest is after they have me change the . Name and apn fields. Once I do that from there on everything else but tracfone disappear from the list and the shades shaded out LTE

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

I'm on the Sam mobile site. I'm not sure which one I should download the first says just says USA the second says USA and Verizon

 

[mustang7757]

I don't know what that means . The first photo is how it is stock the rest is after they have me change the . Name and apn fields. Once I do that from there on everything else but tracfone disappear from the list and the shades shaded out LTE

One of these should be checked

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

That's what I thought too but after I put in the apn they give me they all disappear and only the one I entered is there and that's checked ......

 

[mustang7757]

Highlight one of them and go from there Verizon for or Verizon CBS

 

[Al Red Hornbeam]

I've highlighted them all the only one that works is when I add the TRACFONE.VZWENTP

 

[mustang7757]

I've highlighted them all the only one that works is when I add the TRACFONE.VZWENTP

Ok with that highlighted how does it work now?