I would never buy a used phone without seeing the water damage indicator. Not that running the phone through the cloths drier doesnt make that go away...

I took it to a Sprint store since it's a Sprint phone. Battery tested fine. They said it's a software issue. I asked them to do a hard reset but they can't because it's not activated under them.

I sent an email to the guy off Swappa and I'm going to try and get my money back.

Yes. Also, note that it is possible to "reset" the charge indicator to read actual charge on a different battery, or one that doesn't hold a full charge. I had to do this with mine.

Search the web for instructions on how to do it on your particular phone. For me, I had to shut it down, charge it with the phone off (not in standby) for an hour, then turn it on and leave it plugged in for another hour.

Factory Reset your Samsung Galaxy S3 — Android Forum - AndroidPIT

Samsung Galaxy S3 Hard Reset — Android Forum - AndroidPIT

Interesting. Yes that hard reset in the link Joe posted should work.

If you can, though, get your money back and buy one of these: Moto G by Motorola - A Google Company

Brand new, and an awesome phone for the money.

I ordered a new battery immediately after mine started acting up last night. It will be here tomorrow. The Sprint tech said the battery is fine. It is holding a charge and when my phone actually boots, occasionally, I can see that it is draining at a normal rate.

This is what I have been trying to do. But, as you read in my previous post, the phone does not always boot fully. It has booted fully 3 times since this started. I've had it on the Recovery Boot and selected hard reset, but the phone cut itself off before it could start the process.

Thanks for the link. I'm still set on the S3 for a while (especially after ordering the case and spare battery). I'll try my luck with getting my money back from the seller off Swappa then go from there.

Edit: Almost forgot the most important part. My phone booted long enough for me to call the GF and tell her I wasn't ignoring her :rofl:

Edit2: Email sent to Swappa to see what I/he/they can/should be doing.

Sorry, you replied as I was typing. It now sounds like it isn't the battery.

I think that phone got wet, and you got sold a lemon.

Very possible. The PO only had the phone a few weeks, so he is being completely apologetic about the entire thing AND Swappa is stepping in to make sure it all goes smoothly.

Edit: I see these phones "new" on ebay for around 270-300 dollars. Is there a catch with these or are they legit new? I don't mind dropping the coin for a new phone due to my monthly bill being practically nothing.

Edit2: Guy said he'd take it back and refund the money after he sees it. Swappa recommends I file a dispute with Paypal to invoke my buyer protection just in case he gets shifty with me. I'm sending it back as soon as I deactivate the phone with Ting.

Update: New battery arrived. Still cycling on/off, but I did manage to keep it on long enough for a "hard reboot" and wipe the phone clean. Still no bacon.

I need to order a new one, but still can't find anything on ordering a new phone off ebay. I'd like to get the exact same Sprint model. I'm digging the pebble blue. Amazon has them for 500+ dollars....yeah right.

See, I told you it wasn't the battery! :giggle:

I know you like the phone. I understand that.

But I PROMISE you there are better phones for less money. Much better phones for considerably less money. It's one thing if you're buying a used phone; the GS3 was a good buy at $180 (if it had been fully functional). But at even $300+ you're paying more for less.

Just ask Hustler :giggle:

You can buy a 16GB Nexus 5 for $350. A Moto X for $400. A Moto G, brand new, for $200. Two of those phones are SIGNIFICANTLY better phones than the GS3, and the third is at least as good of a phone but much much cheaper.

Too late! Just bought another from a dude on Swappa for a tad more than the first. This guy has insane feedback and sent pics of everything I needed to see. Phone is retarded clean. Had a tracking number for me within an hour and even expedited it because I expressed how badly I needed another phone.

Ed, I completely understand. But after the case, battery and this fiasco, I'm sticking with it for now. I have no qualms about switching later if something is just not my taste. But for now I need something and this is the fastest way to get me back into reality. Remember this is my first jump into smartphone land, and the pool is mighty deep. I can only handle so much, haha.

New phone should be here either tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I called Ting and they said I needed the new phone in front of me before they deactivated the old one if I wanted to keep the same number. I hope to have the new phone activated and the old one gone by Friday morning.

I'm sure my recruiter has left me all sorts of fun messages in the past 3 days.

haha... well I hope it works out.

The whole reason I'm recommending you get a new phone instead of a used one is because you're new to the game, not in spite of it. New phones come with warranties and newness. Used phones often come with problems because people are dbags.

I hope this one works out better! Hopefully you get it, like, NAO.

Doe anyone have any updates on how they're liking their Ting or other off-contract wireless service? My contract with Sprint is up and I'm evaluating my options including Ting and Straight Talk. My primary concern is lack of roaming data. I travel for work and and it's precisely when I'm not at and around home that I need service/data the most. That alone may lead me to Verizon, but I want I'm checking all of my options. Thanks.

if you're considering a move to Verizon, look at Page Plus--the MVNO that uses their network and costs less.

Better yet, get Ting and make work pay for a wireless hotspot on the VZW network.

On Republic wireless I can roam with Verizon. Never had coverage issues. My dad is a truck driver and is also happy with the coverage.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not sure that PagePlus yields enough of a savings compared to Verizon plan to be be worth the hassle, especially if I want to bring my own higher end phone. Republic Wireless is intriguing, even more so now that they're offering a 4G plan with up to 5 GB of data. I'm almost never near wi-fi unless I'm at home, but it doesn't seem like that's a deal breaker anymore. I'm not a fan of the previous generation phones, but it might be worth it.

For comparison purposes, if I go with Verizon I'll be splitting a "More Everything" plan with my brother, and I get a 15% discount from most of the major carriers. I'll have to look at the total cost of ownership over two years.

Good idea. For Republic I'd wait a bit longer til they come out with the newer gen phones, or just pick up the Moto E or Moto G for cheapsies in the meantime. You'll be able to get most of the money back reselling those.

You don't ever need to use wifi, though they'd really like it if you do.

One drawback: No tethering, ever. Supposedly you can hack your phone to do it but I have not explored that.

damn republic wireless is a damn good deal. Too bad you have to use their phones and you cant use a phone with a custom rom.

^truth.