Advice on what to do with blocked iPhone motherboard

[Maz00nga]

Hello everyone,

Apologies if this is not the correct place to ask such a question but I hope that someone has experienced this before and might have some insight.

I recently started my own business repairing and trading iPhones. So far everything has gone smoothly. Since I like hardware repairs more than anything else I try to buy joblots of motherboards. In a recent joblot that I purchased on eBay as "faulty or for parts" there were a couple of motherboards that are blocked. I verified the IMEI with the carrier and they confirmed they had been blocked since a specific date.

My questions are; whether or not the seller has done anything illegal by including blocked/barred motherboards in the joblot and; what should I do with them with regards to legislation? Can I hand them to the police? Should I try another authority?

Also, I recently got a full refund for a phone that I purchased that turned out to be blocked. The seller was adamant that he had no idea that the IMEI was blocked and hence he refunded my money in full. What should I do with that phone?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

At least the activation lock threads are getting more creative....

 

[Maz00nga]

At least the activation lock threads are getting more creative....

And that means?..

 

[Diseal3]

At least the activation lock threads are getting more creative....

They sure are.

To the OP: When you get them in the mail you request an immediate refund for stolen property and don't get involved.

 

[Maz00nga]

They sure are.

To the OP: When you get them in the mail you request an immediate refund for stolen property and don't get involved.

Thank you. I already won one case for a phone, hopefully I will be able to sort out the motherboards as well. Considering that the seller was not aware that his phone was blocked, who do I contact regarding this matter? He did refund me once I proved it was blocked and he said he will contact Orange himself in case he can get the phone unblocked. I have already sent an e-mail to MCOL asking what to do, what other action can I take? Also, out of sheer curiosity, what happens to all the motherboards that are blocked?

 

[Newtons Apple]

And that means?..

It means that the person who sold you this box of parts likely did not know either. Unless he stated that the box of parts is all working and good to use, he was not really stretching the truth.

 

[Diseal3]

Thank you. I already won one case for a phone, hopefully I will be able to sort out the motherboards as well. Considering that the seller was not aware that his phone was blocked, who do I contact regarding this matter? He did refund me once I proved it was blocked and he said he will contact Orange himself in case he can get the phone unblocked. I have already sent an e-mail to MCOL asking what to do, what other action can I take? Also, out of sheer curiosity, what happens to all the motherboards that are blocked?

It's really the radios that are blocked from what you are saying. The IMEIs are "Hardcoded" into the radio and illegal to change if at all. The carriers just share a blacklist that prevents them from working on any of their networks. Simple as that. Not sure their is any real procedure to follow other then to discard/recycle them. None of these companies will repurpose them so its a wasted effort.

 

[Maz00nga]

It means that the person who sold you this box of parts likely did not know either. Unless he stated that the box of parts is all working and good to use, he was not really stretching the truth.

The joblot was marked as "faulty or for parts" and it was not stated whether or not the motherboards were tested. I don't have reason to suspect foul play since out of approximately 50 motherboards only 2 have been confirmed blocked. In any case, I will get in touch with the seller and see where this goes.

Only issue is with eBay part refunding for the blocked motherboards, most of the time I can't even talk to a person at Customer Support to explain what has happened, even though they are supposed to acknowledge the role of MCOL and the Checkmend initiative.

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It's really the radios that are blocked from what you are saying. The IMEIs are "Hardcoded" into the radio and illegal to change if at all. The carriers just share a blacklist that prevents them from working on any of their networks. Simple as that. Not sure their is any real procedure to follow other then to discard/recycle them. None of these companies will repurpose them so its a wasted effort.

Again thanks for the advice, I have read a bit on IMEI, blacklisting and ESN, a blocked motherboard is useless as a GSM device, but from what I gather it is not always a case of stolen property. Although the carrier I checked the IMEIs with did not disclose why the motherboards were blacklisted (only gave me the date they were barred) I gathered that they were probably in a contract phone and somehow the user breached that contract or claimed insurance on it.

And since I only just now found out what activation lock is, I only work with 3G and 3GS devices (yes, I am THAT late to this game) so I don't think that applies to my case.

 

[Diseal3]

Again thanks for the advice, I have read a bit on IMEI, blacklisting and ESN, a blocked motherboard is useless as a GSM device, but from what I gather it is not always a case of stolen property. Although the carrier I checked the IMEIs with did not disclose why the motherboards were blacklisted (only gave me the date they were barred) I gathered that they were probably in a contract phone and somehow the user breached that contract or claimed insurance on it.

And since I only just now found out what activation lock is, I only work with 3G and 3GS devices (yes, I am THAT late to this game) so I don't think that applies to my case.

No problem. I don't know where in the world you are located but here in the United States to my knowledge only Verizon and Sprint will block for non-payment of ETF (Breach of contract) I think all the other carriers will block the IMEI in cases of insurance fraud. Either way it's some kind of tom foolery so best to stay clear.

You don't need to keep clear of devices, just iOS 7. Activation lock didn't exist before then.

 

[Maz00nga]

No problem. I don't know where in the world you are located but here in the United States to my knowledge only Verizon and Sprint will block for non-payment of ETF (Breach of contract) I think all the other carriers will block the IMEI in cases of insurance fraud. Either way it's some kind of tom foolery so best to stay clear.

You don't need to keep clear of devices, just iOS 7. Activation lock didn't exist before then.

I'm in Scotland, UK. AFAIK in this part of the world IMEI blocking is enforced rather seriously for non-payment (and gives rise to the notorious cheap and cheerful not-working-in-the-UK-but-everywhere-else mobile phone plague). Why they bother enforcing a strict rule within the UK only and not make it EU-wide is beyond me.

Didn't know that regarding activation lock, thank you. I haven't bothered touching anything higher than the 3GS because my limited budget doesn't allow the purchase of good quality replacement parts yet.

 

[Crichton333]

Why they bother enforcing a strict rule within the UK only and not make it EU-wide is beyond me.

In the rest of the EU if you dont pay what you spent they get a court order and seize the owed money from your bank account where you receive your employment paycheck. T-Mobile atleast.

They dont even bother with the phone itself, just add that value to the money owed.

 

[Maz00nga]

In the rest of the EU if you dont pay what you spent they get a court order and seize the owed money from your bank account where you receive your employment paycheck. T-Mobile atleast.

They dont even bother with the phone itself, just add that value to the money owed.

Sounds reasonable and efficient, what happens to the device though?

 

[Crichton333]

Sounds reasonable and efficient, what happens to the device though?

They dont bother with repossession or bloking it because they got their money from your bank account or social check what ever the court can "leach" the money from.

Thats why you see the massive anticorporate goverment protests in the EU when the goverment can just legally take your house and bank account if you dont pay 2 bills in a row (gas, electric, cell).

 

[Diseal3]

They dont bother with repossession or bloking it because they got their money from your bank account or social check what ever the court can "leach" the money from.

Thats why you see the massive anticorporate goverment protests in the EU when the goverment can just legally take your house and bank account if you dont pay 2 bills in a row (gas, electric, cell).

I never knew that. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Newtons Apple]

The joblot was marked as "faulty or for parts" and it was not stated whether or not the motherboards were tested. I don't have reason to suspect foul play since out of approximately 50 motherboards only 2 have been confirmed blocked. In any case, I will get in touch with the seller and see where this goes.

I do not see you have much of a claim when the lot was marked "faulty or parts". I wish you the best of luck with getting any satisfaction when labeled like this.