[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] needabottle:
OK, here is the absolute "full monty". Hope you are sitting comfortably, it should be entertaining... :)

The Note 2 was for my wife. I swop phones like a chocolate addict troughs Hershey bars. In the last couple of months, I have had 2 Nexus 4s, 1 iPhone, 1 Lumia 920, 1 Galaxy S2 and yes even a Note 2. I'm on the $30 T-Mobile plan so I buy the phones off ebay or Craigslist, use them for a couple of weeks or so and then change. I'm just looking for the right one. Size, speed etc. I have to have it in a leather flip case. I'm weird like that but they give the best and most convenient protection in my view. I have a Nexus 4 at the minute running expanded screen with button savior and Windows8 launcher. It's the soup du jour for me at the moment but I do fancy the HTC One......... Couldn't unlock the 920 so it was a bust.

After I sold the Note 2 (too big with flip case on it) my wife who has a Note 1 said..."darling, I quite fancy the Note 2..." Anyone reading this who is married will smile ruefully...

A brand spanky new one from T-mobile off contract was over $700 bucks plus tax. I've never had a problem buying phones off ebay so I saw one advertised as clean IMEI and in good condition for $450. I bought it, it arrived, looked good. However, as soon as I put my sim in ... no network. I called T-Mobile with the IMEI and was informed it was blocked. Sent it back and got a full refund.

OK, next was Craigslist. Another "minter" for $475. Met at the guys house. Looked a decent bloke and being a trusting sod, I thought why would he meet at his house and then proceed to stiff me. Took the phone home, set it up for the wife and it worked fantastic. She loved it. Just about to sell the Note 1 when 2 days later....... no network..... Mr T-Mobile informed me the phone was blocked as it was flagged as lost.

Got my money back. Seems the phone belonged to the guys girlfriend etc etc... yea right....

I couldn't understand what was going on until a friend told me that the new game in town seems to be, buy the phone on contract, claim lost or stolen and insurance a new one. Then sell it. After a while the carrier will block it but it should work on another carrier. Being a cheap barsteward and not wanting to pay over 700 green ones for a phone I told the wife... stick with the Note 1. Well people say food and sex is over-rated but I'm not so sure.

Then I saw this advert on craigslist.....

Looked good. T-Mobile store..New Note 2. Even after tax way less than $700. Now I'm not daft enough to believe that you get something for nothing. There has to be a catch. Maybe refurbished... no problem, every bit of Apple kit I've ever bought has been refurb... but no, says new. Maybe different box etc....who cares. I've seldom ever got a box anyway... So I go check it out

Here is the box

OK that's it. Non branded box, but it is a T889 which is T-Mobile's code and the store looks every inch like a T-Mobile store.

Guy sticks a sim in and makes a call to his phone. Looks good. He is showing me his Note 2 which has the LTE upgrade pulling down 20 odd megathings on speedtest. Cant do it on "my" phone because it needs updated.

The phone looks new. I never noticed it didn't have T-Mobile on the back. It is a T889, this is a T-mobile store, I'm not suspicious, anyway the phone isn't for me. I'm just happy that I have a genuine T-Mobile phone for my wife with a years warranty which wont get blocked. He puts it in the T-Mobile bag. Says cash or debit card. I actually use my debit card all the time so never thought much about it. He tells me about the year warranty and any problems come back etc etc. all smiles. The receipt is in the bag which of course says no refunds or returns. Even if I saw it I didn't care. As soon as my wife got her hands on it, it was never coming back or being refunded and I assumed I had the usual consumer protection for faulty goods. I walk out a happy bunny.

I get home, unpack and pull cover. Take of plastic backing and notice no T-Mobile branding on back. also no Samsung on battery....hmmmmm OK... probably why it is cheaper.

I pull the battery. It has T889 on the sticker. Everything looks good.

I put my sim in and fire up the phone. Usual bleeps blinks and whatnots as the guy in the shop bypassed all the set up but I still got the odd swipe this, do that, things. No signal. Circle with line... hmmmmm, couple of minutes later signal. 1 bar. Called my home number. Worked. Looking good. Set up Playstore account and downloaded speedtest. Data indicator is showing E. Tries speedtest. Can't connect. No bars, then 2 bars. Speedtest is measured in hedgehogs per field it is that slow. Bummer.

Wait a minute, the guy said upgrade. I checks the system info. Upgrade available. I do it, phone reboots, set up. No signal initially. I'm guessing that's what happens as the upgrade does its stuff and everything settles down.... woooo LTE thing in status bar with one signal bar. Goes and gets speedtest. Of course to do this I hook into my home wifI. Much faster etc. Everything seems good

Disables wifi. Looking at LTE, 1 bar. Speedtest can't connect. Then it can, I get halfway through a test. It craps out. Signal gone. Circle with line. Now I could bore you with all the tests in different parts of the house. Walking down the street that evening. Then over at the mall the next day. In work on Monday, factory resets etc etc but I won't. My initial reaction was maybe speedtest servers are on the blink. Maybe T-mobile is refarming my toilet. I want to believe. My wife wants to believe, she just wants the phone. The phone connection and signal is up and down like a fiddler's elbow, while at the same time her phone and my Nexus 4 are steadier than Mount Rushmore.

The rest of the story you know. T-Mobile technical help. Samsung technical help. Phone behaves like my wife trying to decide which shoes to wear. yes, no, on, off, good, bad........ Its like I driving through the middle of Nebraska. I have an RMA from Samsung. This morning Chase recredited my account with the money...... BUT... the seller has 45 days to challenge this and is he does the cash gets pulled out again and then it goes to prove it was defective etc etc etc.

All my wife (and I) want is a working Note 2......

So that's how it stands at the minute. I can ring the guy tomorrow and say I have my money back and I'm bringing the phone back. Not sure how that will work out. I would need a receipt confirmation in case they challenge the refund etc. I could send it to Samsung and get a nice working phone. The guy was so belligerent and non co-operative I just want to give him the phone back and get my money back.

OK chaps, you can stand easy now. I'm sure you are all comatose from my ramblings and think I'm 2 tins of beans short of a supermarket and maybe I am or maybe the good Lord just doesn't want my wife to own a Note 2 :)

Sorry if I bored everyone.