HELP! Strange One This!

[Guest Potatohead]

Arrgg! ;)

Help!

Dropped my SPV C600 on Saturday. No major or even minor external Damage, but ever since i Dropped it the following occurs:

With O2 Sim: Stays on Searching although shows signal strength, cannot make or receive calls or texts.

With Vodafone Sim: Shows Vodafone operator name with full signal strength, Cannot make or receive calls, can send texts but cannot receive.

I cannot work out what is wrong, had the back off but nothing appears loose at first glance.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions please let me know.

Phone bought second hand and is now ex orange so i don't think retailer repair is an option.

Gota use my dodgy work fone now boo!

[Guest fluffcat1]

Phone bought second hand and is now ex orange so i don't think retailer repair is an option.

If you've broken the seal you can't send it back but if you haven't try www.htceurope.com - you don't need a proof of purchase.

Otherwise, check the aeriel contacts are in place on the board - they are springy connections that compress down when pushed againt the aeriel - a sharp knock could jar them loose.

Richard

[Guest kam_]

At first glance i'd say your GSM module is fried. But if you can send SMS's, then thats less likely (altho still could be it). I know it sounds like the typical thing to say, but hard reset first to rule out software.

If it's hardware, then it could be as simple as the antenna, but more likely a section of the GSM module. You may have to find a replacement and atempt to replace it - it'll require soldering. I'm not sure what package the C600 uses, it may not be easy.

[Guest fluffcat1]

At first glance i'd say your GSM module is fried. But if you can send SMS's, then thats less likely (altho still could be it). I know it sounds like the typical thing to say, but hard reset first to rule out software.

If it's hardware, then it could be as simple as the antenna, but more likely a section of the GSM module. You may have to find a replacement and atempt to replace it - it'll require soldering. I'm not sure what package the C600 uses, it may not be easy.

I would find this very surprising if it is the GSM module broken via impact damage - water damage maybe - but not a drop on the ground that isn't hard enough to even damage the phone casing or LCD. My nasty suspicious mind actually thinks the 2nd hand phone may have been barred and the drop on the ground is coincidence as what has been described is the behaviour of a barred phone ;)

07973 100 150 to find out - just give them the IMEI and claim you are in a shop looking to buy.

Richard

[Guest Potatohead]

I would find this very surprising if it is the GSM module broken via impact damage - water damage maybe - but not a drop on the ground that isn't hard enough to even damage the phone casing or LCD. My nasty suspicious mind actually thinks the 2nd hand phone may have been barred and the drop on the ground is coincidence as what has been described is the behaviour of a barred phone ;)

07973 100 150 to find out - just give them the IMEI and claim you are in a shop looking to buy.

Richard

Thanks for the quick response guys!! :P

Hmm.. ok

Tried 2 x Hard Reset but still cannot make or receive calls. I can send and receive text messages tho with the vodafone card, but cannot send with O2 Card??

Tried the number above but it was asking for an orange phone number which I don't have, running the SPV with Imate ROM which i flashed when i got it, & Vodafone / O2 Sims.

Bought the phone off Ebay in January sim free and it has been running fine up until Saturday. Have contacted the seller anyway to confirm no-one has inadvertantly reported it lost or stolen.

Can anyone think of any other tests i could do?

:::UPDATE:::

Took the opportunity to Re-Flash my Phone with i-mate_SP5_NRE_2.5.333.1 ROM (which has a few nice tweaks) but it didn't cure the fault either. Booo ;)

Have also put a query into orange, but as I am not an orange user am not expecting much in the way of a reply.

Will keep posted ... unless anyone has any other ideas...

Edited May 23, 2006 by Potatohead

[Guest fluffcat1]

You don't need an orange number, just hold to speak to someone and they can tell you instantly if it's barred or not..

Richard

[Guest sporkguy]

Keep pressing the hash key on that number and after a few error messages she connects u with a CSR.

Easy ;)

[Guest Potatohead]

Keep pressing the hash key on that number and after a few error messages she connects u with a CSR.

Easy ;)

Thanks Guys got through and orange V.Helpful.

On the downside.......Fuffcats nasty suspicious mind was right. the fone has indeed been blacklisted ;)

Gotta waste loadsa time now backtracking with the seller to get it unbarred.

Better send the boys round!! :P

Thanks for your help guys an gals.

[Guest fluffcat1]

Thanks Guys got through and orange V.Helpful.

On the downside.......Fuffcats nasty suspicious mind was right. the fone has indeed been blacklisted :P

Gotta waste loadsa time now backtracking with the seller to get it unbarred.

Sorry.... ;)

How did you pay? Any paper/email trail? I didn't think an orange user could claim for a handset that had not been active on their account recently?

Usually when you point out to a seller that the IMEI was registered to them, you can prove you bought such a model from them via your own or ebay's records and paid them for the unit, and that their local Police have targets to reduce phone theft and take false claims as seriously as if the claimant had actually stolen the phone, then magically they 'find it down the back of the sofa' and ring Orange etc to report it's joyous return ;)

If you used paypal I'd claim now ( one of the few times paypal can actually be useful), I'd also report it to your local police with any paperwork you can. Do NOT wait for the seller to 'sort it out' - force their hand.

Of course, it may have been an accident, but buying other people's current contract phones is always going to be a bit iffy for some. ;)

Richard

[Guest Potatohead]

Sorry.... ;)

How did you pay? Any paper/email trail? I didn't think an orange user could claim for a handset that had not been active on their account recently?

Usually when you point out to a seller that the IMEI was registered to them, you can prove you bought such a model from them via your own or ebay's records and paid them for the unit, and that their local Police have targets to reduce phone theft and take false claims as seriously as if the claimant had actually stolen the phone, then magically they 'find it down the back of the sofa' and ring Orange etc to report it's joyous return :P

If you used paypal I'd claim now ( one of the few times paypal can actually be useful), I'd also report it to your local police with any paperwork you can. Do NOT wait for the seller to 'sort it out' - force their hand.

Of course, it may have been an accident, but buying other people's current contract phones is always going to be a bit iffy for some. ;)

Richard

Yeah, thankfully i've got a full audit trail on the purchase, i have notified ebay and am gona get onto paypal later on today. Will give the seller 24hrs to respond before i get the Fuzz involved in case it was accidental.

Whats even more ironic is that the C600s are now available for

[Guest Potatohead]

Ah well,

Looks like i'm stuffed. :)

as it over 45 days since purchase, Ebay not interested, paypal not interested.

Guess i'd better start saving for a new C600. :)

.

[Guest fluffcat1]

Ah well,

Looks like i'm stuffed. :)

as it over 45 days since purchase, Ebay not interested, paypal not interested.

Guess i'd better start saving for a new C600. :)

.

Try harder. Go to the police - the guy is at the very least handling stolen goods if it wasn't his to sell, and is committing fraud if it was his to sell you and he then claimed it as stolen. Police forces are very interested in mobile phone theft / fraud currently.

Paypal / ebay protection should be 90 days - however, if you funded your paypal with a credit card for the purchase ( rather than existing funds) go to them as well as under the consumer credit act they are jointly liable for the phone for an unlimited period of time, and as it has now been barred it is not as described. Just bear in mind this may pee paypal off slightly...

Has the seller got back to you yet? Want to name and shame them here?....

Warn them what you will do and in the order you will do it, usually shakes a seller up IMO.

There is still a LOT you can do.

Richard

[Guest Potatohead]

Try harder. Go to the police - the guy is at the very least handling stolen goods if it wasn't his to sell, and is committing fraud if it was his to sell you and he then claimed it as stolen. Police forces are very interested in mobile phone theft / fraud currently.

Paypal / ebay protection should be 90 days - however, if you funded your paypal with a credit card for the purchase ( rather than existing funds) go to them as well as under the consumer credit act they are jointly liable for the phone for an unlimited period of time, and as it has now been barred it is not as described. Just bear in mind this may pee paypal off slightly...

Has the seller got back to you yet? Want to name and shame them here?....

Warn them what you will do and in the order you will do it, usually shakes a seller up IMO.

There is still a LOT you can do.

Richard

Thanks for the motivation :)

I have already issued firm threats of legal action via the only email address thats available with a deadline for response, if i get no reply I will definitely be reporting the matter to the police, scummers like this shouldn't be allowed to do what they do, i just need to collate all the documents and get a statement from Orange regarding the IMEI Blacklisting status.

I don't think i should name them (that's if they are real names - would you believe, ebay allowed them to register with a contact tel number of "01622 123 456" !!? ) until i am certain that this is a deliberate criminal act. - yeah like i'm not certain already.

Unfortunately i can't go the credit card route as i blimin used the funds directly from the sale of my SGH-i300 ;)

ebay is now a dead end, the seller - albeit had excellent feedback at the time - is no longer a registered user. Funny that! :) every response i now get from ebay is just a bunch of pre-scripted standard stuff. I'll let the police liason chase them.

As i rely heavily on my C600 for work i have had to give in and purchase a new PAYG handset from Orange, and i will just have to unlock it and re-flash the ROM.

(assuming thats possible with a PAYG handset - waddaya think?)

Thanks again for the moral support, which was more than i ever expected from a forum format. Hopefully my plight mite make others extremely wary of buying these items from ebay or other private sources.

Gota stamp these gits out!

[Guest fluffcat1]

I wouldn't say ebay / paypal is a dead end just yet.

paypal : 08707 307 191

you may get lost in IVR hell but I find it helps to write down the options you press in case you do/don't want to use the same ones the next time.

If you complain to the police you may loose the barred handset and any hope of recovering any value from it - it is still worth something for scrap / sale abroad. Naughty, but you bought it in good faith at the time and still have legal title to it.

I have explained the pitfalls of buying a contract phone at length previously but this should serve as a reminder :-(

There must be some trail you can follow re: their details - use their feedback against them - see what they have bought, contact the sellers and ask for their delivery address after explaining the situation, for example. Check with other buyers for similar situations. Explain to orange you are aware of DPA regulations, but ask for a reference / account number for the original owner and a number for their police liason. Also ask for an address / contact at oraneg where legal documents can be served.

Present the police with as MUCH info as you can - the less legwork / thought they need to do the better.

Use the electoral roll, assuming their address is correct. Check their paypal address if you can.

Once you are fairly certain of their address use a service such as www.moneyclaim.gov.uk ( google it - can't rememebr the URL) for

[Guest Potatohead]

Oh well,

Passed all details to plod now so we'll see what happenz next.

On the up side at least I have a "bench" fone, so that i can now start to expolre a workaround to try and get rid of this blasted AKU2 ROM that my new C600 is loaded with wihtout worrying about codzing up my working fone.

If i get any joy i'l post anew.

Thanks again.

:)

OOOPZ! have succeeded in achieving dreaded white screen doom.....somewhere between installing the ORange AKU2 ROM back onto my test phone that was running Imate, it froze as it tried to cold boot and 1/2 hour later i have a white screen that wont go away even with battery removal. Definitely a spares phone now methinks :)

Edited June 3, 2006 by Potatohead