long story short. i monitor a phone for my grandfather who is currently in a nursing home and is battling pancreatic cancer. his phone grew some feet and walked off thursday. it literally is a junk drawer phone so the cost of replacement doesnt not phase me. questions though . has any one tested or actually used the block phone feature on the tello dashboard? is it something i can turn off and turn back on if i find it without customer service help? or do i need CS help and trouble ticket writing and weeks of waiting and wondering and rechecking in to make sure its getting worked on, or is it a one way ticket to the trash pile for that phone and associated esn/meid? the dashboard says it hasnt been used, which im sure it wont be as it is so old no person looking to steal phones will want it. however the number associated with it as well as the phone itself has become sort of his security blanket and at this very late stage reteaching him cell phone workings or a new number if the block is a one way ticket will cause undue stress id rather not have to put on everyone. ive done the basics contacted the home, talked to the nurses and contacted his chemo lab to see if it was there. it is labeled several places with sharpie and label maker tape and his name. im sure it just got misplaced.
You can find an identical or similar phone from eBay and swap it to the account.
I haven't used the block feature. Perhaps a good time to try Tello Chat to ask. If there's not a better link on your dashbaord, try the "Start Chat" selection at the bottom of
https://tello.com/contact
As Zubrin points out, swapping to a different phone, if you have one available, is a very effective 'block' on the lost phone. Swap back to it when it's found. (I believe swaps are free at Tello?) And it would keep your grandfather in touch.
What type of phone is the misplaced phone?
Do you have a spare phone, or at least a spare ESN (could be a broken phone) to swap to?
Not sure what you would want to spend to replace the phone, but I noticed today that Tello has an Alcatel Cinch refurbished feature phone for sale for $25, and , given their good CS, you should be able to purchase it and have them do the swap with the missing phone before sending it to you(shipping is free). Also, I have used two used Kyocera Sprint feature phones on Tello that I purchased for $10 and $15 on Ebay from "Comvergics Wirelss" seller, and phone models were Kyocera DuraXT E4277 and DuraPlus E4233. Also, just to be sure, I assume you have called the missing phone in the attempt to locate it?
Tello are very responsive with customer service. No chance you'll be waiting weeks for an answer. Just call or chat with them if none of the suggestions work for you.
thank you all for your suggestions. yes ive called it, no answer, it rings so its not dead. yes ive thought about the swap. my concern is that at 97 yrs young he wont ( or refuse) to learn a new phone . hes currently rocking a pro700. i have others in my old phone tub that look like it same placement of buttons etc. and may try those my easiest thought was to block it in hopes that after christmas when we as a hoard of family had time to go out and look for it wed most likely find it and then i could just simply turn it back on. if no results today i will reach out to CS.
cancer is a vile vile female dog, it has taken a wonderful always happy always caring man and turned him into a crotchety cold human and with this latest prognosis he refuses to let anyone spend money on him so purchasing and lying about its origins is out of the question although the easiest solution.
Tello's customer service is first class.
Yes I am surprised ferocious had issues getting hold of anyone.
I remember I sent them a message via their homepage and they responded quickly. The problem was complex but they never acted like I should go F myself. I had already quit but they kept calling me for followup and eventually solved the problem. Thumbs up to Tello.
I think "ferocious" was not talking about calling "Tello" but talking about calling his misplaced phone in an attempt to locate its whereabouts.
Oops. Yes you are right.
When I left Ting to join Tello, I couldn't get 4G LTE on my Moto G4 w/ Amzn ads, even though I had LTE on Ting & R+ previously. Tello gave me some suggestions, but told me that if the suggestions didn't work, there's nothing they can do, as many Moto & Nexus Project Fi phones will only get 3G.
That was the only 1 instance, so far, of Tello essentially telling me that I was on my own. Like everyone else here, Tello has been very helpful.
Are you able to get LTE with Sprint Postpaid? Still time to sign up for Sprint 1 year "free" for the Moto G4.
I was able to get LTE on Tello by using one of their suggestions - reset APN using the Change APN app.
As for 1-year-free Sprint PP, I've awaiting Sprint to clear whatever flag that is making the G4 an ineligible device.
He did not know how and might need to call/email Tello for assistance.
How do you get 1 year free Sprint service?
Starting information: only specific 'universal' phones are eligible. You must port a number from a non-Sprint provider (including non-Sprint MVNO).
als has a nice post here with the list of eligible phones, and a link to the offer from Sprint.
https://www.nthcircle.com/forum/big-four/1025-any-gotcha-with-sprint-1-year-free-unlimited-service?start=50#17789
It's not quite free-- you have to pay fees and taxes, which is likely to run $2.50-$4.00 a month.
Read through the thread with als's post above to get a start on understanding the offer.
Swaps are indeed free, just did one last night.