Virgin Mobile (USA) can't activate iPhones

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Level 1

1 points

Virgin Mobile (USA) can't activate iPhones

I was having a problem with Virgin Mobile's 3G network not working on an iPhone 4s (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4196917). Eventually Virgin decided the phone was probably defective and that I needed a new one.

On Sunday I got a replacement at an Apple Store. But Virgin wasn't able to activate it. They can't find the MEID in their system, so they say there's basically nothing they can do. They said I'd have to go get another new phone to replace this one.

On Tuesday I got another replacement at an Apple Store. Virgin Mobile can't activate this one either, for exactly the same reason. I was on the phone with Virgin for an hour and 45 minutes and it was a complete waste of time. They want me to go back to Apple for a third replacement phone.

I could probably do that but I don't know why it would work this time when it's failed twice this week already.

Virgin just keeps telling me that they're doing something or other and that I'll have to wait 1-3 days for any news. I've already been without phone service for four days.

Is anyone else having problems where Virgin Mobile just can't activate an iPhone? If so, did you ever get it resolved? They sell these phones and advertise them, but they don't seem to be able to actually make them work.

iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1.1, Virgin Mobile

Posted on Aug 30, 2012 9:06 AM

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Answer 1

bhazel

Level 4

3,537 points

Aug 30, 2012 10:39 AM in response to Mechanist

does virgin moble even support iphone. if they dont your phone must be unlocked in order formt ehm to be able to activate it

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Answer 2

Mechanist Author

Level 1

1 points

Aug 30, 2012 11:11 AM in response to bhazel

Yes, they sell the phone right on their web site, and the replacements from the Apple store were both Virgin Mobile phones.

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Answer 3

bhazel

Level 4

3,537 points

Aug 30, 2012 11:21 AM in response to Mechanist

its ironic that both phones have the exact same problem. i would talk to virgin mobile again and ask for a senior advisor but thats all i can think of

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Answer 4

Mechanist Author

Level 1

1 points

Aug 30, 2012 1:19 PM in response to bhazel

Yeah I've done that a few times and Virgin Mobile's senior staff doesn't know what to do either. I was hoping someone else might have encountered the same problem and have experiences they could share.

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Answer 5

Mechanist Author

Level 1

1 points

Aug 31, 2012 10:08 AM in response to Mechanist

I went to an Apple store last night and one of the geniuses called Virgin for me. He kept at it for two hours but could not get Virgin Mobile to activate the phone. It was a heroic effort but talking to Virgin Mobile is like talking to a brick wall. Half the time their reps are reading scripts that only work on Android phones.

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Answer 6

bhazel

Level 4

3,537 points

Aug 31, 2012 10:26 AM in response to Mechanist

well that makes it rather hard. I think that it is something on their side but it just hard cause like you said its like talking to a brick wall

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Answer 7

Mechanist Author

Level 1

1 points

Sep 1, 2012 3:44 PM in response to Mechanist

They finally got it working after five days with no service.

If this happens to you: That is, you try to activate a Virgin Mobile phone and they say they can't find the phone's MEID and that you need to replace the phone: Prepare for some frustration, but the following steps may help.

When calling Virgin's customer support, just ask for technical support immediately. Don't try to deal with their front-line customer support for this.
When you get to tech support, if they can't actviate the phone immediately, ask them to escalate the case. In my case I was escalated to tier 3 tech support and then from Virgin Mobile to Sprint (Virgin's parent company in the USA). At that point, things got fixed.
Don't take the phone back to Apple for a replacement unless you have some unrelated reason (e.g. if the phone is clearly defective somehow). Virgin Mobile won't be able to activate the replacement either, so it's a waste of time.
Keep after Virgin for updates on your case. They'll tell you over and over that it will be 24-72 hours before you get news, but don't hesitate to ask as often as you have time for. They told me 24-72 hours every day for a week. You can do this by email if you prefer-- send email to saveme@thevirginangels.com.

Good luck! You'll need it.

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Answer 8

Carcamo

Level 1

0 points

Sep 6, 2012 11:41 PM in response to Mechanist

thats whats happening to me ... my original iphone 4s it disnt charge so apple send me a replacement one... and its been two weeks and virgin mobile cant activate my phone... techcsupport have a case open and yeah they told me to wait 24 to 72 hours to receive a call from them.... :,( i spend so much money and i cant even use the iphone... im stuck with a slow *** android phone

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Answer 9

MAE0125

Level 1

115 points

Sep 7, 2012 12:02 AM in response to Mechanist

I don't know which fault is it but all you just really need is a proof of replacement from APPLE. The MEID is included on that and Virgin accepts that kind of invoice.

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Answer 10

Mechanist Author

Level 1

1 points

Sep 7, 2012 9:02 AM in response to MAE0125

Thanks for taking the time to comment, MAE0125, but I had all of that and more. Virgin Mobile said they could not find the MEID to activate it. No amount of proof of replacement would put the MEID into their computers.

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Answer 11

Joylala

Level 1

0 points

Sep 23, 2012 10:00 AM in response to Mechanist

I had the exact same issue and I am so glad to find this post. I sent an email to

saveme@thevirginangels.com with this link and just 2-3 emails back and forth later it was resolved.

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Answer 12

Feb 7, 2013 10:49 PM in response to Mechanist

Thank-you so much for this post.

I encountered the same problem. I got a replacement iphone because the power button stopped working, but Virgin could not find the MEID of the replacement phone in their network.

Customer Service was not helpful. I wasted atleast an hour just waiting to talk to them, this deosn't include the actual conversation with customer service. When I did talk to customer service three different agents arrived at the same verbatim script. The Apple store I got the replacement from just told me it was a network issue not a replacement phone issue.

I just encountered your post and finally have a ray of hope. I sent an e-mail to saveme@virginangels.com I'm so hoping they can help. Thanks for including the e-mail in your original post. It was very helpful to have a resource where resolution is a possibility.

As of now I wait for a response to my inquiry for help from the e-mail your post provided.

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Answer 13

Feb 10, 2013 5:54 PM in response to highly_distilled1

So,

Thanks to the e-mail you provided, saveme@virginangels.com, my problem got resolved in a matter of hours, not days. Thank you.

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Answer 14

Feb 19, 2013 8:50 PM in response to Mechanist

I am having the same problem i called 4 times to vm and they did not help.this message pops up and i need help. Thanks for that Email i Emailed them and hopfully they will hepl. Can you halp at all?

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Answer 15

Feb 21, 2013 10:45 AM in response to Mechanist

Hello. I'm having the same problem

I just bought the iphone 4s from virginmobileusa.com and I got it delievered yesterday. I tried the activation process online and it said their was a problem with the MEID code. I called customer service maybe like 10 times and spoke to 20 different people and nobody, not even the supervisor really helped. They said they did escalate the case and that they would call me back in 24-72 hours but does anyone know what is really wrong with the phone? Why doesn't the code work if I got the phone straight from virgin mobile? Will it ever be able to activate to their network? HELP ME PLEASE

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