3GS shipped with wrong SIM card

[bellanotte03]

Bad SIM card and some other guy's name on my phone number

I have been reading the posts and wanted to share what's going on with me and possibly getting some advice. I got my iPhone yesterday evening and activated it. I did a test phone call to our VOIP cable phone and it worked great. I was in iPhone heaven! But the caller ID on our cable phone said some guy had my phone number! That's not me and I am female! I tried to call 611 AT&T customer service from my iPhone and I got a warning box that said NO SIM. To make a long story short I ended up using another phone to call AT&T and it looks like I have a bad SIM card along with some other guy's name attached to it. AT&T says my name is attached to my phone but why in the heck does another name come up with caller ID? The rep said he would put in a request to change it. So anyway phone doesn't no longer sees the SIM card and thinks there isn't one in the phone. I inquired if I could use the SIM card from my Blackjack that's also AT&T but the rep said not to do that. The rep tried to call my AT&T store to get another SIM card but they weren't answering the phone and it was an hour before they close! Now I am waiting for another card but in the meantime does anyone think I can try the SIM card from my other phone? When I checked the iPhone SIM card it looked scraped.

 

[Shawn Parr]

Now I am waiting for another card but in the meantime does anyone think I can try the SIM card from my other phone?

It probably won't hurt anything, but I believe when you activated your iPhone with the new SIM it deactivated the old SIM on the network.

At least with a SIM problem you can get it fixed the next time you can get into an AT&T store. Many are open on Sundays from what I hear, unfortunately mine isn't.

 

[Coukos34]

I did that several times, both on my own, and while talking to an AT&T rep. It does not work. The SIM is fully activated. You can not make it more active than that.

No matter what you do, the IMEI of the iPhone is tied to someone else's account. When you plug in a phone bought from Apple, you get the window that I've attached, obviously I've covered up the other guy's number. As long as a number other than yours is listed there you will never be able to activate. That number is found by checking the with the system on what it thinks the phone number is for the IMEI of that phone.

Here is the kicker. After an hour on the phone with another rep, he claimed he was finally able to get the correct IMEI into AT&T's system. It took a lot of tries due to 'Parked Data' that every time he removed or cleared had a tendency to show back up. But eventually he put me on hold when a supervisor showed up and claimed their systems showed the correct IMEI and the number for the new SIM card.

Even after that the wrong number is appearing in iTunes. And since you need the phone #, the zip code, and the last 4 of the SS# and you are unable to change the phone # from what it gets from the system, that form will never validate.

The way this appears in iTunes is different then when I have to reactive my older iPhone after a restore or when the old SIM was deactivated. Then it asked if it was a new or existing number, and allowed me to choose the number, which is what some of the suggestions above in this thread and trying to get at. Unfortunately that is not how the system behaves with a brand new phone purchased from Apple.

I also put the 3GS into DFU mode and did a restore just to see if the information was being cached/stored on the phone. Nope, still comes up with the wrong number.

I'm pretty sure that eventually the only solution will be to have Apple treat the phone as defective and do a replacement. When they update the IMEI in the system that way it will likely appear in iTunes properly.

+1 Couldn't have explained it better....While I think they will probably just send out a new phone, I dont understand why ATT cant get the IMEI's swapped correctly? It would seem to be the easiest fix but for some reason it just wont work.

 

[dave006]

I have been reading the posts and wanted to share what's going on with me and possibly getting some advice. I got my iPhone yesterday evening and activated it. I did a test phone call to our VOIP cable phone and it worked great. I was in iPhone heaven! But the caller ID on our cable phone said some guy had my phone number! That's not me and I am female! I tried to call 611 AT&T customer service from my iPhone and I got a warning box that said NO SIM. To make a long story short I ended up using another phone to call AT&T and it looks like I have a bad SIM card along with some other guy's name attached to it. AT&T says my name is attached to my phone but why in the heck does another name come up with caller ID? The rep said he would put in a request to change it. So anyway phone doesn't no longer sees the SIM card and thinks there isn't one in the phone. I inquired if I could use the SIM card from my Blackjack that's also AT&T but the rep said not to do that. The rep tried to call my AT&T store to get another SIM card but they weren't answering the phone and it was an hour before they close! Now I am waiting for another card but in the meantime does anyone think I can try the SIM card from my other phone? When I checked the iPhone SIM card it looked scraped.

You have two different issues, let's take them in order.

1. No SIM - Power Off your iPhone, try taking out the SIM and putting it it back in and Power on your iPhone. No SIM errors are most often either a problem with the physical SIM or the iPhone.

2. If you completed your activation and you are replacing your Blackjack with the iPhone then your SIM that is in your Blackjack is now deactivated. You can only have one SIM active per line of services. If you Blackjack SIM is current and active with AT&T and do you plan, you could try it in your iPhone.

You really can use any valid AT&T SIM. Just use care that you don't start using data with your iPhone if your Blackjack SIM does not have a valid data plan or you will pay per the KB of data and it is very expensive lesson.


3. The CID with the wrong name could just be a simple directory issue or it may indicate the original problem. If you really had received a SIM that was registered to another account and AT&T deactivated it, then your new iPhones SIM may be deactivated.

Is this a new number for your iPhone? The way the system works is that the Cell provider assigns a name for CID and then it available for all local providers to pull updates. This can take up to 30 days or more depending on the provider of your VoIP service.

Give this a try and let us know how it goes.

Dave

 

[dave006]

+1 Couldn't have explained it better....While I think they will probably just send out a new phone, I dont understand why ATT cant get the IMEI's swapped correctly? It would seem to be the easiest fix but for some reason it just wont work.

I think we have two different issues.

I agree the iTunes activation process has changed again this year. I can't test mine until I get my Father's Day give of my new iPhone 3G S in about 3 hours.

1. Wrong ICCID and IMEI numbers registered in the AT&T data - easy for AT&T to fix but need a knowlegable rep
2. iTunes Activation Servers holding the wrong data. Apple will have to update this DB

Have you tried using the web activation to just activate the phone? It was not clear for your earlier posts which option you picked when you used the web activation proces. You can do just the SIM, just the handset or both.

SIM / Handset Activation:https://www.wireless.att.com/activations/

Dave

 

[Shawn Parr]

New developments.

Since AT&T seems to think the information has been updated, but it doesn't appear properly in iTunes still, I called Apple again today to see if they could update the information in iTunes. I don't know if it possible for them to do that or not, but that is not the route they took.

After being passed off two or three times, I now have a return set up for my iPhone, and I've already printed out the FedEx labels. I was asked whether I wanted to buy another over the phone or go to a store to buy, I asked how I can do that with my upgrade status messed up as I just bought an upgrade phone. The rep told me that they have been dealing with this by calling AT&T with the customer on the phone and explaining to a supervisor the situation, who then can reset the upgrade status.

AT&T's phone number that Apple has is closed on Sunday. Oh joy. My local store is also closed on Sunday. So now I'm waiting for a store to open in Shreveport (about 70 miles away) to find out if there will be a manager that can conference call with me to Apple to reset my upgrade status. If I can pull of that sure to be impossible feat, then I have to find out if they have the model I want in stock. Then I get to drive over an hour to attempt to get a phone, which I'm sure the system will buck at with all the changes that have been made and attempted on my account over the last two days.

I still can't believe Apple would do this. It is absolutely ridiculous. I'm familiar with locking a phone to a carrier, but when bought online locking a phone's IMEI to a specific account so that it can only be activated by that one person? That is new to me. I'm guessing that Apple does this to prevent eBay auctions, or at least to turn them into a nightmare so that people will use proper channels. Had they not done this, none of these shenanigans would have occurred. We would have received our phones, chosen to upgrade an existing line, and been activated and running in practically no time. At least compared to the 72 hour debacle this is becoming.

At this point I just want a working 3GS, I don't care how I get it. Although with each hour I feel more and more like I should just forget the whole thing. If Apple wants to make it this hard to use a device that I paid for, why should I go to all that trouble to use it? I've had some bad customer support issues before, but this one really takes the cake.

 

[bellanotte03]

1. No SIM - Power Off your iPhone, try taking out the SIM and putting it it back in and Power on your iPhone. No SIM errors are most often either a problem with the physical SIM or the iPhone.

2. If you completed your activation and you are replacing your Blackjack with the iPhone then your SIM that is in your Blackjack is now deactivated. You can only have one SIM active per line of services. If you Blackjack SIM is current and active with AT&T and do you plan, you could try it in your iPhone.

You really can use any valid AT&T SIM. Just use care that you don't start using data with your iPhone if your Blackjack SIM does not have a valid data plan or you will pay per the KB of data and it is very expensive lesson.


3. The CID with the wrong name could just be a simple directory issue or it may indicate the original problem. If you really had received a SIM that was registered to another account and AT&T deactivated it, then your new iPhones SIM may be deactivated.

Is this a new number for your iPhone? The way the system works is that the Cell provider assigns a name for CID and then it available for all local providers to pull updates. This can take up to 30 days or more depending on the provider of your VoIP service.

Give this a try and let us know how it goes.

Thank you for your suggestions Dave. My iPhone recognized my Blackjack's SIM card. I do have an unlimited data plan on the Blackjack. My iPhone does have a new phone number. To make a long story short, it was cheaper to get a family plan for my husband and I than to upgrade my iPhone from the Blackjack so I now have a new phone number. My Blackjack account is due to expire this Tuesday. I just had a feeling to keep it active for a few days and I'm glad that I did. I cannot access my email right now with the iPhone because it says I don't have a date plan but that's okay. I'm just glad to know that I must have bad SIM card. I am able to use my phone and it has the Blackjack phone number when I call. I guess I'll just wait for the new SIM card. Thank you very much for your help.

 

[Lou142]

Hi all,

I seem to be in the same boat as everyone (different # showing up in activation process and not letting me activate phone). The # showing up is actually the original number assigned to the phone when I ordered through the online store (I asked my # to be ported from verizon, but decided against this). Without ever activating the phone, I obtained a new sim and attempted to activate the phone with same (however, the port cancellation had never gone through completely and was hung up in the system on att's side). Regardless, though, I am currently on the phone with apple and am going to ask them if they can update their DB with my new information, b/c it seems that the right information is not on file. I assume that upon inserting your phone into the dock and attempting to activate, itunes reaches out to att to confirm your information.

Update: I was basically told to go into the att store and get another sim.

 

[Shawn Parr]

So this morning I call into the Apple Store Support to get them to work with AT&T to change my upgrade status. This way I could walk into an AT&T store and buy a 3GS, if they had stock.

Talked to a rep and a manager, as of today there is no such process, they can only either send out a new phone to replace, or I can wait 7-10 days for my upgrade status to be changed after they get the phone back.

Suffice it to say, I was not happy. In a last ditch effort I called the local AT&T store after it was open and spoke with the manager. She said she had to check into a few things and would call me back. After explaining the situation three times, she finally came back with this:

1. She could change my upgrade status so that I was eligible for upgrade pricing

2. I would have to buy the phone at the store (I knew this before I called, but she checked to see if she could take the 'bad' one in exchange)

3. AT&T was going to have no business with how Apple and I took care of charging, or refunding my money (I also knew this before I called)

4. They had stock of the 32GB 3GS, but very few.

So I made arrangements to get over there as quickly as I could. When I arrived I introduced myself to her, and while she and a sales person were getting the phone, I chatted with one of the three people who had tried to help me out on Saturday. He was amazed that it was all still messed up.

So now I have two iPhone 3GS, one that works, one that can't be activated, with a fedex tag to send it back to Apple. Now I just need to arrange for FedEx to come get it since they don't have any locations near here (about 70 miles or so to the nearest one).

And I'm floating the two of them on my credit card until the return is processed, which is not exactly the best solution. However in the long run if there are more shenanigans I can always get the CC company to reverse the charges from Apple (which I doubt I'll have to do).

This experience has been ridiculous, and totally could have been avoided if it wasn't for Apple playing IMEI games with the phones they ship.

And I'm really enjoying the 3GS. It is a great upgrade from my 1st gen iPhone, especially in web browsing, but also in speed overall. I've been playing with the video features, and I'm pretty happy with them.

So for other people having this issue, you are in for a rough ride. Only extreme perseverance and a bit of begging got it resolved. You can get it resolved though, it just takes time and energy.

 

[Diseal3]

I finally received my new iPhone 3GS to replace my original iPhone. There were shenanigans with FedEx (I had to drive 150 miles round trip to get the damn thing cause the delivery person decided that if no cars were at the house I wasn't home so he shouldn't bother knocking).

Then when I plug the iPhone into iTunes, it comes up with the activation screen, and it has a number listed that is not only not mine, it is from many states away. On a lark I go ahead and put in my zip code and last 4 of am SS just to see what happens, and of course it doesn't work.

So I call Apple. Sufficed to say, the rep on the phone was floored. She had dealt with some activation issues involving SIM cards, but this was a first for her. She got my details and put me on hold to contact AT&T about resolution.

After a few minutes she came back and said AT&T is working with someone else with this problem, and their iPhone has my number associated with it. I ask about either using my old iPhone's SIM (which with a normal phone would work), or going to the local AT&T store (which I've been trying to avoid as it can be a bit weedy, I live in a very small town). She says using the old SIM "isn't supported" and she wanted to see if they could solve it over the phone before sending me to the store.

Long and short of it is, after a 40 minute long call, an AT&T rep gave me a set of instructions to have done at the local AT&T store, and noted them in the account. I have to wait for my wife to return before I can go, but I just felt the need to share.

So, if you happen to be in Connecticut, and can't activate your iPhone because it has a Louisiana phone number attached to it, sorry man, I feel your pain!

I'll pop back in after I make it to the AT&T store. In the mean time I'm also using twitter: #iphoneshenanigans

Try settling THAT with verizon, a simple sim change couldnt fix that situation!

 

[Shawn Parr]

Try settling THAT with verizon, a simple sim change couldnt fix that situation!

Hmm. Someone didn't read the rest of the thread.....

SIM swap didn't work. And having used Verizon before, while they don't have SIM cards, they do have an online tool in your account settings to register a different phone with your account. So while I have no idea if their system allows for total lock downs of phone serial numbers, it is possible with that system a quick trip to my account settings could have fixed the situation.

Although I think if the phones ID number is on another account you still can't use it with Verizon either. It has been several years since I was with them, but I had three phones and occasionally swapped between them.