Flavacee

While I was a Sprint the 1st time, I thought the manager would hold the phone until he contacted the supposed owner...but he took down the esn # and told me to take it until he contacted that person. When I finally DID speak to the manager the last time it was by phone because I got tired of going to Sprint to hear the manger isn't in or the manger told me he left a message with the supposed owner & was waiting on a reply.
The number that showed up on the cell phone screen when I pressed the voicemail key must've been the previous owners phone #. I called that # from another cellphone to hear what was on it.
How could the supposed owner NOT know the phone was missing yet the esn # was reported? Why was his voicemail stating: This is "John Doe......Thank you for calling Sprint"? The same name that was on the pc screen at the Sprint store.
I even tried calling the "fraud office" at Sprint...that was a big joke. It felt like a "who's on 1st" skit. The rep was so clueless.

 

Brad729

^^^ Wow, I'm sorry to hear that! I'd suggest calling that same number back and asking for a supervisor. It's an unfortunate risk people take when buying phones on ebay. I always recommend requesting the ESN from the seller and checking it with Sprint before making the purchase, but sadly that advice won't help you out of your situation. Sorry I can't do more to help, but I'd definitely call that fraud hotline back and ask for a supervisor, good luck!

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idoctorp

I brought this Phone online used when I tried to get it turned on Sprint says it stolen I Payed $400.00 for this thing and they want me to turn it in man I need to change the ESN or something Please help that's a lot of money to lose if i can't get it to work for me.
Thanks: Phillip

Brad729

I'm sorry to say, it happens often. I moved your post into a related thread where it has been discussed quite a bit. Maybe some of the info in this thread will help you sort it out.

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jdean1182

i bought a phone on ebay. tried to activate with sprint and they say the esn number is locked, but the people's account that it's locked on are in good standings with sprint, i cannot get ahold of the person who sold me the phone. is there anyway to get this esn number cleared ? or is this a total loss?

Brad729

Generally, the only reasons an ESN would be locked like that are a) the phone is reported lost or stolen, or b) there is an unpaid bill OR an unpaid early termination fee. Are you sure the person who sold it to you is being honest about their standings with Sprint? It's illegal to try to change the ESN, plus it requires some technical knowledge to tamper with your phone, so that's definitely not an option you should consider, plus it's easy to ruin a phone in the process of trying.

I've heard of people getting these things cleared before, but you might have to jump through some hoops with Sprint. If I were you, I'd print out the auction info and take it in person to a Sprint Store, then remember that you're asking them to do you a big favor they don't normally do, and practically beg them. If you're a girl, cry and tell them you can't afford to replace the phone so please please help you activate it.

Sounds silly, but what you need is a sympathetic supervisor to make a few phone calls and pull some strings, so crying might help if you can pull it off. It's honestly a bit of a long shot, or I wouldn't be telling you to turn on the faucets. Good luck, and please let us know how it turns out!

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jdean1182

when i talked to sprint it seems like they would have said something if it was lost or stolen, sprint did say that the peoples account was paid and in good standings with them. idk

SprintPCS650

Hi all, Well my sad story is just a little different. I called Sprint to check on a ESN for a Treo650 on Ebay and was told by Sprint that the ESN was clear and that I could it on my account. I won the Treo and when I received it Sprint said they made a mistake and that the ESN was on a Fraud list and couldn't be activated. They even had my call, checking on the ESN logged, but still nothing. One person at Sprint even suggested that I was part of the Fraud. So far I must have 3 hours phone time trying to get Sprint to honor their mistake and just turn the phone on. I even offered to send them the phone and issue me credit on my account, but they almost laughed. Would anyone know if I can use a Sprint PCS Treo 650 on a different service, or am I stuck? I also asked Sprint to send me a letter stating that the phone was stolen, and I might be able to get some $$ back from Paypal, but Sprint said the phone wasn't stolen. It was just the account was a Fraud.

I've taken a lot of suggestions from this group and I'm being Very Nice. Next Its on to the Sprint Executives?

Thanks

Brad729

That's awful! I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune. If I were you (this may or may not make a difference but if I were you I'd be willing to give anything a try) I'd email Sprint, every email address I can find for them, send them a link to this post and let them know our 110,000+ member site gets 1 million+ unique hits every day. Ask them if they really want this kind of publicity and tell them you'll be happy to reply to this post after they resolve your issue to let everyone know they fixed the problem. It's kind of drawing straws, but it might be worth it to let them know your voice is being heard by millions of people who might think twice about things like this in the future when they're looking for a new service provider. Since nothing else has gotten through to them, maybe that will.

Another option would be going to an independent Sprint dealer, explain the situation to them and ask them if they can please get on the phone with whatever Sprint hotline they have and beg them to activate your phone. I have heard of instances where independent dealers were able to activate blacklisted phones because they had the right connections higher up the ladder, it's another long shot but as I said before, you are probably willing to try anything at this point. Good luck, please let us know the outcome!

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cellietelli045

hey i bought a cell phone from someone and the esn is bad.. i was just wonderin if there was any way to get a new one cuz im out a couple much needed bucks. thanks!

danotoriousnic

That is true if you can find the right independent dealer it is possible some of them do have the connections to do this, especially if you are trying to start a plan with them...all in all it comes down to will somebody go out of the way for you and do they believe you, its all on how you present yourself to them and who you get

cellietelli045

that sounds like a perfect idea actually... so where do i find me one of those independent contractors?? im not very good at all of this, but i bought a bunch of stuff for this phone and i really think ill be needing it soon! thank you so much for your help!

danotoriousnic

basically look for the stores that arent a actual Sprint store something like a All Star Wireless or somewhere with a name like that not Sprint Store lol

cellietelli045

So pretty much I should look for anything that isn't an actuall cell phone carrier like Cingular or US Cellular and others like that? I'll see what I can do, thankx guys!!

deckof53

the only way to verify for sure that an esn is able to be used is to try and add it to your account. sprint does not have searches that can easily tell if you can add an esn or not. buyer beware is the phrase!!