problems after switching from verizon to metropcs

[dan_quality]

first of all, i apologize if someone already made a thread about this. ive looked everywhere and have gone on other forums, but am unable to find a fix.

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i was on a family plan for verizon. i wanted my own phone provider, so i decided to switch to Metro PCS. my aunt, who's family plan i was on, told me to switch to MPCS first, and then let her know so she can take me off the Verizon plan.
metro pcs had a problem and said that i should have taken myself off the plan first. they had trouble activating my account. after an hour of calling my aunt and getting her account number plus pin for Verizon, they finally got me to switch over to MPCS.

i brought in my own device, a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 and chose to keep my original number.

they told me it would take 24 hours before my phone would work properly. after a day, i could do EVERYTHING but SEND a text message and use my keypad while in a call. i try to access my voicemail but the keypad is unresponsive. it was never this way before i switched to MPCS.

after 2 days, i decided to call Metro PCS help line. both people i spoke to could not do anything for me. they repeated the same troubleshoot tips and "refreshed" my phone. didn't do anything. and i know it's irrelevant, but i could barely understand what they were saying to me. it just added to my frustration.

next i called the MPCS store i went to before and the guy told me that i should wait a few more days...so i did. after a few more days i got fed up and went down to the store again. the same guy who switched me over to MPCS acted bothered that i needed help. he fiddled with my phone for a minute, shrugged, handed my phone back to me and then told me to...you guessed it...wait a few more days.

i waited a few more days, went back down there. there were two different guys there. one i believe was the manager. even he couldn't figure it out. he pretty much did the same thing the other guy did. he shrugged, handed me my phone, and then told me that I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BETTER LUCK WITH ONE OF THEIR PHONES...

the first thing i asked them when i went in there the first time was if my phone was compatible with their service and they said yes. so what is the point of getting one of their phones if i could bring in my own? and now there are problems!!! the fact that they just shrug and go IDK ticks me off and makes me want to switch to some other provider.

i called MPCS help line one last time and this guy seemed to be a little more helpful. he didn't go through troubleshooting because i told him i went through all of it before. so after 20 minutes of being on hold, he told me that he made a "ticket" for me and that tomorrow ill be getting a call from service specialists or something like that and that they will be able to take care of me. i appreciated the fact that that guy did that for me, but also i appreciated the fact that i could understand him.

anybody know a solution to this? i can't send text messages, nor can i use the keypad while in a call. there is also a message that is ALWAYS at the top of my screen saying that the SIM card is not from verizon.

ive tried:
turning my phone off. taking MPCS SIM card out. put SIM card back in and turn phone back on.
ive tried other messaging apps.
ive tried MULTIPLE APN settings.

im gonna laugh if i find out its an easy fix thats been right in front of me this whole time.
thanks for any input. i only signed up for this website just to post this.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I'm always wary about using a carrier-specific phone on a completely different network (especially a Verizon phone, which uses their CDMA network, on T-Mobile, which is GSM). Although technically it's supposed to work, there's a whole lot of other junk from Verizon on that phone that might cause funky things to happen on a different network.

First, try wiping the cache partition, which won't erase any personal data: http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-5744

If that doesn't help, then try booting into Safe Mode to see if the problem is due to a 3rd party app. Steps are at the bottom of that linked article.

If the problem still persists, try going to the App Manager and disabling as many Verizon apps as you can. Select them and tap Disable.

 

[dan_quality]

thanks for the reply. i tried what you told me to do, still no change. im not sure how many 3rd party apps i have on my phone or which ones they are.
metro pcs never called back like they said they were going to. oh well. thanks anyways.

 

[dan_quality]

today i woke up on the wrong side of the bed. im so flustered that i can't send one little text on my phone.
when i first went into metro pcs, i asked if i could use my own device to switch over to them. they said yes, but it would defeat the purpose of me getting a new FREE phone from them. i said i don't care, ill use my own.
i called them this morning to tell them of my frustration. i told them ive been in their store twice and all they did was shrug. i called customer service 3 times. the third guy never called me back like he said he was going to do.
so i told the guy on the phone that since im not getting their full service and no one can seem to help me with my problem, that i want my money back ($53). i still have the receipt they gave me.
the guy said that they can't refund my money.
i said fine. then you guys should give me a free phone like you guys offered me when i switched over.
the guy said they can't do it anymore, that i should have gotten one in the beginning.
"............so i have to buy a new phone?"
".....yes."
that's when i lost it. the guy told me that I WAS AT FAULT because i chose to bring in my own device, yet they told me it would work...he then said that some phones have a 90% chance of being compatible and sometimes they don't work at all...
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!?!" i screamed, which he scolded me for and told me to "calm down".
they tell me my phone will work, but after finding out it doesn't work, they tell me there is a chance it might not work...

i don't know what to do. im gonna wait til the end of this month, because i have a feeling if i cancel my service with them they will still make me pay for this month's bill. once this month is over with im going to cancel my service with them and then start a new year with a new wireless provider and possibly a new phone.

 

[B. Diddy]

Oof. That kind of customer service (or lack thereof) is paaaaaainful.

I suggest calling their customer service line, discussing your issue cordially with the first rep you speak to, then explaining that you've been through this with several other reps without any satisfactory resolution. Ask to speak to the supervisor, and calmly explain the issue to that person. When speaking with the supervisor, fight the urge to sound angry or irritated. Instead, focus on the fact that you had switched from Verizon to MetroPCS because you had heard that the service was not only more reasonably priced, but that the customer service was better (try not to snort when you say this ). Let them know that you'd hate to switch back to Verizon (or some other carrier), and that you'd love to stay with MetroPCS, so is there anything he can possibly do for you? Also focus on the fact that you had been told your phone would be compatible, only to find later that it wasn't--and that had you known this in the first place, you would've gone for the free phone, since you really want to be on MetroPCS's great service (again, try not to snort).

Always sound friendly, and try to flatter them when you can. That will make them much more inclined to help you. Also, make a note of the names of each person you speak to, in case you have to reference them in a future conversation (and after you get their names, say "Thank you [name]!" cheerily, so they don't think you're just keeping records of everyone so that you can sue them). When you're done speaking with the supervisor, ask for a case number for your case, to make sure you don't have to explain the whole thing again the next time you call.

Hope that works. Good luck!

 

[jezka212]

I just transferred from Verizon to Metro pcs this week and having the same issue. Where you able to solve the problem? If so, can you share. I've found that the only way I'm able to send a message is if I add a subject line to each text, otherwise, it's a No go. However, this is just an unnecessary step I would like to avoid. Thank you, hope you can respond.

 

[busheze]

exact same problem. did you switch carriers? what good is a phone if it won't text. at least they credited me $15. but after seeing your post, im thinking of switching back to verizon. i only switched to metro to save 21 a mo.