Sprint says Tello has made changes to my Samsung S6 which permanently identify the phone as pre- paid phone, changed from postpaid, and therefore any phone used with Tello can NEVER be used again with Sprint.
If Tello made permanent changes to my phone which Sprint is incapable of reversing, can Tello reverse the changes?
The phone was purchased new for full price and used with Sprint for 3 months. Then I switched to Tello for a year. Now Sprint says Tello has made permanent changes to the phone which permanently identify the phone as prepaid, changed from postpaid, so the phone can NEVER be used with Sprint.
No money is owed on the phone or any provider. This afternoon at 3pm Sprint support said there were no holds or locks on the phone and it was ready to be activated with Sprint. A later phone 3 way call between me, Sprint, and the phone purchaser revealed Sprints finding that phones used on Tello are forever identified as prepaid and can NEVER be used with Sprint.
jackhobbs, you got a Sprint agent who doesn't know how to do his/her job. (Sorry about the wrong name earlier-- you look a lot like a friend of mine, Mark.)
If it was a Sprint Postpaid phone, it can be fixed to use on Sprint Postpaid. (Different story entirely if it started life as a Sprint Prepaid phone, though.)
Sprint tracks phones as PLBL (Private Label, or wholesale/MVNO) or SPCS (Sprint Postpaid)
Your phone should have been switched back to SPCS when released by Tello, but is still indicated as PLBL.
It's really just a matter of ticking a box in the database. but a lot of Sprint agents don't have a clue about what it is..
If it was last used on Tello, you could ask them for assistance-- their agents should understand this easily..
If they can't, you'll have to follow up with Sprint. Ask an agent for a click-it ticket, and if they don't know what that is, ask to be transferred to someone who does.
If you prefer a face-to-face inquiry instead of phone contact, see if you have a Sprint Corporate store available locally, and ask about the click-it ticket.
Sprint maintains 2 parallel databases for phones eligible to be used on the Sprint network: those that are eligible to be used on Sprint Postpaid, and those that are eligible to be used on Sprint Prepaid/MVNO providers.
Assuming it's paid off & not on contract, you can always use a Sprint Postpaid phone on an MVNO, but you can't use a phone that started as an MVNO phone (perhaps bought from Ting, FreedomPop, etc., or the prepaid Boost/Virgin subsidiaries) on Sprint Postpaid.
When a Postpaid eligible phone gets enrolled with a Sprint MVNO, it's removed from the Postpaid database, and transferred to the Prepaid database. When the same phone is deactivated from the MVNO, it's supposed to be transferred back to the Postpaid database, so that it would be eligible for Sprint Postpaid again.
Sometimes this transfer back to the Postpaid database doesn't happen correctly, and the Postpaid phone appears in Sprint's databse as a Prepaid/MVNO phone that is not eligible for Sprint Postpaid use.
The "Click-It Ticket" is Sprint's method of correcting this error, and returning the PostPaid eligible phone to the Postpaid-eligible database.
It's also sometimes referred to an a Wholesale/Retail error, or a PLBL/SPCS error. (Private LaBLe/Sprint), or a phone needing to be 'pushed back' to Sprint. They all describe the same problem, but most Sprint employees don't seem familiar with the issue. Since the Click-It Ticket is the process Sprint uses to fix the error, it's usually a shortcut to ask for help with a Click-It Ticket.
Several Sprint techs have refused to accept my Sprint phone which started life with Sprint, then was used briefly with Tello.
They muddle on for hours, then report they are unable to use my phone on the Sprint network, because it was used with Tello.
The phone in question is a Samsung S6, purchased new for full price cash, then placed on Sprint.
There are no issues regarding compatibility with Sprint network, unpaid bills, or locking, etc.
The only issue is whether a phone which has been used on the Sprint network, then a 3rd party network (Tello), can EVER be used again with the Sprint network.
Sprint is saying no.
Seems a silly way to chase away new Sprint customers, but I guess they hope to sell new phones.
So, beware Tello users.
jackhobbs,
Can you confirm for me that your S6 was purchased from Sprint Postpaid? (Not Sprint Prepaid, or Boost, or Virgin Mobile.)
(This is a critical difference.)
Can you confirm that the S6 was previously used on Sprint Postpaid? (Not Sprint Prepaid, or Boost, or Virgin Mobile.)
In either case, the information the Sprint techs are giving you is wrong as to the cause of the issue. If you can confirm Sprint Postpaid, they are also wrong about not being able to fix the issue.
Sometimes you have to call Sprint many times to get a rep who knows how to get a click it ticket created. Call Sprint and follow the prompts for cancelling. Tell the agent you need to have a click it ticket created to add your phone to the Sprint database and if the are able to do it. Ask if they are familiar with DNA2. If they sound like they don't know what you're talking about, ask to be transferred to tech support. Be sure to ask for the ticket number before they close the request. It should start with SD. God luck.
The phone was purchased new from Amazon for Paypal cash, then activated on Sprint Postpaid (unlimited talk, text, data, unlimited freedom) the day I received it 11/16/2016.
It stayed on Sprint for about 3 months then I changed carriers to RingPlus then to Tello (after RingPlus died).
Now that I've sold the phone, how can I get Sprint to activate this phone on Sprint postpaid network for the purchaser?
I've asked for Tech Support supervisors. I think the phone was handed to the person sitting next to the tech I was talking to. I can get a reference number, but that seems meaningless, because I have to go through the same questions each time I call.
Sprint chat lines are OK because at least I get a record of what Sprint said, but the chat people are apparently not empowered to do anything except promise somebody else will help.
What recourse is available if Sprint Tech Support can't (or won't) help?
I would be surprised if checking the ESN on Ting solves this problem-- your problem isn't that the S6 isn't in the database, but that it's listed with the wrong flag in the database.
The other parts of JoJack's link seem more applicable. (Getting the right Sprint employee to fix it in the DNA2 database.)
As a last-ditch effort, you could file an FCC complaint, carefully including the history of the phone that you've posted here. Sprint should reach out to you as a result, and it will be someone who will be motivated to get the issue fixed. (Be sure to monitor whatever contact route you use in the FCC complaint.)
Have you checked your IMEI HERE? Did you try to get a click it ticked started by chat? Buyer probably is not interested in waiting for you to conclude an FCC complaint. Last ditch, send email to Marci@sprint.com (in charge of customer care). Many have gotten satisfactory results from her team.
jackhobbs, have you tried talking to Tello about this? I think there's a good chance Tello can address this issue, and you shouldn't have any problem getting a Tello tech to understand what the issue is. The error is in Sprint's database, but it happened when the phone was released from Tello, and Tello seems to be pretty sharp & pretty willing to help.
At least it should be pretty quick to get an answer from Tello about whether or not they can assist. They don't have the layers upon layers of employees that Sprint has.
If Tello can't help, here is another alternative. I had the same issue with Sprint not able to activate a device on their network. I had used this device with RingPlus, Ting, and CellNuvo/Redpocket (in that order). Since Ting has great and knowledgeable customer service, I logged into my Ting account which still had my device listed as inactive and they were able to switch it SPCS. This was done via chat in a couple minutes even though I didn't have active service with Ting and this phone had not been active most recently with Ting. If you don't have a Ting account and this device was never on Ting, then you would need to activate the device on Ting and pay your $6 monthly fee or leverage a referral code.