Samsung Galaxy Note 3, poor signal reception

[Anonymous]

I have just bought a Sumsung Galaxy Note 3 and I am having problems receiving a 3g signal, before this I had a Blackberry Torch on Orange and their signal has been all over the place, from 5 bars on 3g to SOS.

The reason I bought the Note 3 on O2 was the number of good reviews for the Note 3 and I had bought an LG GT540 on PAYG some time ago and at home I can usually get 2 or 3 bars on 3g but on the Note 3 I can usually only get a 2g signal, if I lock the Note 3 on WCDMA I might scrape 1 bar but most of the time there is no signal strength.

Has anyone else had the same problem or if they know a work round other than changing the phone I would be glad to hear.

[MI5]

If it is a genuine Samsung product you would be best approaching then directly http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/servicelocation/

[adamtemp64]

as @MI5 says but if you paid customs I assume it came from outside the European area.

@MI5 would the firmware info indicate where it came from ?

[MI5]

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@adamtemp64 wrote:

@MI5 would the firmware info indicate where it came from ?

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Yes it would - It may also be a region lock problem or a fake phone, depending on where it came from 😞

[Anonymous]

A "fake" phone @MI5? Please do elaborate as I found a website based in Birmingham (so it said) selling brand new Note 3's for just £279.

[MI5]

Unfortunately there ate many Chinese rip offs that get passed on as genuine items. Some people don't notice until it's too late.
Even if genuine the Note 3 has a region lock which means it must be activated in the region that it is designed for, so if bought from China/Taiwan etc it would be wrong for the UK market.

[Anonymous]

Most interesting. Thank you @MI5.
I was nervous about the website as it was poorly set up with no contact details other than an email address.

I did do a Google search and took advice elsewhere and found the director and company details. Sent an email with an inquiry but thus far no response.

Guess if it looks too good to be true. ......

[MI5]

It sounds way too cheap to be genuine.....

[jonsie]

I could have picked any number of these counterfeit phones in Thailand for half the retail prices in Europe but the fact that they are region locked would have rendered them useless over here. Having said that, as I spend half of the year over there I may well purchase one on my next trip solely for use with my Thai sim card.

[Anonymous]

Yes do be careful as the site I used was aco.uk one so came as a shock to then be asked to pay customs charges!!!!! Does look to be authentic as far as I can tell & love it really just the in & out signal as reported by many others.

[MI5]

Samsung or Carphonewarehouse would be your best bet for repairs under warranty.