live and learn

[bsliv]

I bought a Verizon branded Samsung Galaxy S4 off craigslist yesterday. Today I tried to get on Verizon's prepaid plan. The Verizon clerk said the phone is tied to a delinquent account and I can't use it. Arrrrggggg!!! Even worse, I can't pay the delinquent amount. He basically said I'm sol. Am I?

The phone didn't come with a sim card and Verizon said they don't sell sim cards.

Can I do anything to get this working?

Thanks.

 

[jhawkkw]

If the phone is tied to a delinquent account, then the phone will not active on Verizon period unless the balance is paid off by the account owner. The ESN has been blacklisted, and likely the IMEI as well. You can test it by entering the IMEI using swappa's checker to verify though. http://swappa.com/esn

 

[bsliv]

I just went to swappa (thanks!). It says:

ESN appears ready for activation!
This indicates the ESN is valid and should be ready for activation.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 16GB Black Mist


I wish this were true.

 

[timelord65]

When buying a phone, especially on craigslist, always verify ESN before buying. Ebay and swappa use paypal, so your covered by buyers protection if the seller is untruthful about the device.

 

[kate]

When buying a phone, especially on craigslist, always verify ESN before buying.

Yep. Next time you buy a used phone in person meet your seller at the phone store and have them verify it's not stolen. Then have the phone transferred into your name while the seller is still there, after that they also can't report it stolen.

Don't have any ideas for your S4, sorry.

 

[bsliv]

If the original owner paid his bill, will Verizon unblock this phone?

If the original owner doesn't pay his bill, will Verizon unblock the phone at some time in the future? (6 months? 6 years?)

If I put my Boost Mobile Volt's sim card in the S4, can I get it to work on Boost?

If I respond to another craigslist ad that says they can unblock the phone, will it work?

Can I flash (whatever that is) the S4 to another carrier?

Can I root the S4 to change the esn/meid/whatever else?

Can the Verizon branded S4 work with any carrier (gsm or cdma)?

Sell it to the next sucker that comes along?

Put a bullet thru it?