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Advice Needed: Recently 'Blacklisted' iPhone X

ChazySA

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Hi Everyone,

So I recently got introduced with a bit of a predicament and it recently came up when there was a new Vodacom Carrier update on iOS. What this update has done, to my experience, has exposed devices which are blacklisted and blocked them from accessing the network. Now, what this means for me is that I cannot use the phone to make calls, SMS, 3G/4G etc. It will only work via WiFi.

Some Background
Around October 2018 I purchased this device from a bloke who had just been retrenched from his job and would now need to consolidate as much funds as he can. The device, at the time, was under an MTN contract and I trusted the deal as there are many people on Carbie who takes out contracts and sells the device. So after almost a year of using the device it just suddenly blocks me completely. Device is still working but the Carrier blocks it. On Vodacom's systems the reason is "Bad Debt" which I assume is due to this bloke being even more in a pickle now than ever. Voda proceeds in telling me that it is blacklisted with MTN and I should contact the guy to pay his account. (I no longer have this guys details as it was off forum and I felt no need to keep it seeing that the device was working as it should).

My cry for help

- Is there anything that can be done?
- Do I break the iPhone?
- Is it actually worth anything now?

Any advice would be highly appreciated. I'm going to try and contact MTN once again today to see if anything can be done but I'm stuck at the moment.
 
Get an affidavit from the police station to show you bought the phone and are the owner ... Apparently this approach did work with someone I know. He might have been lucky ... But worth the try


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Only way as far as I know is to pay up the bad debt.

I concur... However, they won't give me his contact details nor will they give me a view into his contract.

Hopefully I deal with someone nicer today from their side.
 
They wont give the clients details as that is against company policy/SOP phone will work abroad on different network bands or alternative broken down for spares

Vodacom status will only change once the full amount is paid up as it is a contract purchased device hence you are in their eye not the original owner (I worked for vodacom 7 years) perphaps speaking to a senior at MTN and give them the full terms of the transaction you concluded good luck sir ...
 
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Get an affidavit from the police station to show you bought the phone and are the owner ... Apparently this approach did work with someone I know. He might have been lucky ... But worth the try


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm gonna give this a try provided it can be accepted by the carrier. On one hand I was told that a device can only be blacklisted if it is stolen/lost but the reasoning says differently.

Thank you, bud!
 
They wont give the clients details as that is against company policy/SOP phone will work abroad on different network bands or alternative broken down for spares

Vodacom status will only change once the full amount is paid up as it is a contract purchased device hence you are in their eye not the original owner (I worked for vodacom 7 years) perphaps speaking to senior at MTN and give them the full terms of the transaction you concluded good luck sir ...

Thank you for this, bud - This helps. I'm gonna try get in touch with a senior from MTN. I'll post on this thread the traction of events.
 
Just a heads up:

I got a call from a customer on Friday last week stating one of the phones I sold him (S10+ dual) was blacklisted. I ran it with my supplier who promised a refund or replacement unit if it really was. In the meantime, he went to the networks to investigate the issue.
He goes to telkom and asks them what the issue with the phone was, since everything was showing as clear. Turns out, even Telkom themselves did not know what the issue was. They had no reason on their system why it was blacklisted. There was a case number against the phone which showed as "123456" only.
They unblacklisted it, and by Saturday evening the phone was functioning as normal.

Might be helpful to go to the network store and ask what the issue is.
 
Just a heads up:

I got a call from a customer on Friday last week stating one of the phones I sold him (S10+ dual) was blacklisted. I ran it with my supplier who promised a refund or replacement unit if it really was. In the meantime, he went to the networks to investigate the issue.
He goes to telkom and asks them what the issue with the phone was, since everything was showing as clear. Turns out, even Telkom themselves did not know what the issue was. They had no reason on their system why it was blacklisted. There was a case number against the phone which showed as "123456" only.
They unblacklisted it, and by Saturday evening the phone was functioning as normal.

Might be helpful to go to the network store and ask what the issue is.

I've been to MTN and Vodacom. VC says there's nothing that they can do and that it will need to be un-blacklisted from MTN's side. MTN has been zero help, I gave them the IMEI # and it comes up as 'blank' on their system, They want the original owners contact details. I would need to somehow source this as it may shortlist the process.
 
Effectively you bought a phone from somebody that was not the owner (it remains MTN's property until paid in full). Very unfortunate situation.
 
Effectively you bought a phone from somebody that was not the owner (it remains MTN's property until paid in full). Very unfortunate situation.

From what I know this is correct thus selling any phone that is under any contract is IMHO illegal or at the very least contrary to the terms of the contract - so those guys will not go out of their way to help you and in the meantime the original owner has made his "pickle" into your "pickle" so it's a false saving to buy the contract phones especially in the current economic environment where you may be confident that the person selling the phone will be capable of continuing to pay the contract

BUT

the simple fact is that once he sells the phone there is no pressure on him to continue paying the contract and most people will just default on payment with no regard of what happens to the buyer of said phone
 
So many of these instances popping up. For fuck sake carbies (those of you who are guilty) if you sell your contract phones pay your damn contracts. We are well aware that life sometimes happens but you have an obligation so sell that fancy rig and commit to your obligation
 
Just to give some feedback to everyone:

Managed to track down the transaction on the statement. FNB helped to give me the account holder name (bless their souls).

Found him on Facebook (bless their souls), popped him a message.

He said its a fault on MTN’s side and that he is still using the number. His payments are up to date.

The bloke will go to MTN this weekend to resolve and hopefully by Monday things should be back to normal.

Hooopefully.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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