bad esn#

i purchased a HTC Touch from a third party store and the phone came back lost/stolen but some one told me that it was possible that a dealer or sprint can clear the esn number...can any one help?

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i just bought the sprint branded new phone on craigslist and after searching the net found this thread, i am new to sprint and was wondering how do i exactly check if my esn is good? is there a special number to all? also would i be able to use this phone n metropcs, verizon or any other carrier that uses cdma? ty in advance for helping a sprint noob

Originally Posted by pesok

i just bought the sprint branded new phone on craigslist and after searching the net found this thread, i am new to sprint and was wondering how do i exactly check if my esn is good? is there a special number to all? also would i be able to use this phone n metropcs, verizon or any other carrier that uses cdma? ty in advance for helping a sprint noob

You can call Sprint and give them the serial number that should be on the inside of the battery compartment on the phone and they can check.

Sprint phone can be flashed to other CDMA carriers (I know it can be flashed for Cricket) but I'm not too sure if all the features will work.

One thing a person should ALWAYS do when phone CDMA phone shopping from craigslist or ebay-get the ESN from the seller first and check before purchasing. Some sellers will tell you that the ESN is bad (usually folks with PDA or Smartphones) and that the phone is being sold mostly for the PIM features. Remember if you get a phone with a bad ESN you will have to pay off the account before you can use it and heaven help you if the phone has had a prior bad ESN. Then you will basically have an expensive brick as Sprint won't allow the phone in circulation again unless they have changed their policy recently.

ty for reply GadgetGirl but which number do i call to find out the esn status with sprint, i read so much that most reps lie/get wrong info about esn, so is there a more knowledgable group of people at sprint i should call to make sure i have the right info? Also from what i read the bad esn(if it turns out to be bad) does not matter when going to different carrier? IS that true?

ok i just got off the phone with sprint and they told me the "phone is still active on someone elses account". I am trying to reach the guy now but so far no luck, anyone had experience with this?

Originally Posted by pesok

ok i just got off the phone with sprint and they told me the "phone is still active on someone elses account". I am trying to reach the guy now but so far no luck, anyone had experience with this?

Hmmm...was the guy really communicative when selling you the phone and now isn't returning any replies? I hope the phone wasn't stolen. I'm surprised Sprint didn't give you more info other than that the phone is still active; that means the person hasn't cancelled their account or maybe a person lost it-I don't know. You'd better investigate further with Sprint.

i have the same problem right now, i bought a blackberry from somebody off of craigslist and when i call sprint they said it is still active, they tell me i have to get in touch with the guy and tell him to clear the esn, but so far i cant get in touch with him, so im stuck with this blackberry now

Originally Posted by erick504

i have the same problem right now, i bought a blackberry from somebody off of craigslist and when i call sprint they said it is still active, they tell me i have to get in touch with the guy and tell him to clear the esn, but so far i cant get in touch with him, so im stuck with this blackberry now

Sorry about that. That's why when buying CDMA phones from craigslist, ebay, etc.-especially CDMA(Sprint, Verizon) it's important to get the ESN info before completing purchase. You get the ESN# and check and don't take anyone's word that there will be no problems.

I'd say just go return the phone and say you bought the wrong phone, 6 months means nothing, be like you bought it by mistake, I was able to return my phone after 10 months and 14 days because I kept nagging at Verizon.

I purchased a phone from someone on craigslist. when i called to have the phone put on my account they told me that it was still listed on someone else's account. the person that i got it from told me that the account has been canceled for over a year and that there isnt a balance on the account. they said that i could return it back to them and they would refund my money. however, i really like the phone and would love to be able to use it. any suggestions?

Originally Posted by allydean

I purchased a phone from someone on craigslist. when i called to have the phone put on my account they told me that it was still listed on someone else's account. the person that i got it from told me that the account has been canceled for over a year and that there isnt a balance on the account. they said that i could return it back to them and they would refund my money. however, i really like the phone and would love to be able to use it. any suggestions?

To me, it doesn't seem to be worth all the trouble or hassle. The carrier is telling you that the phone is someone else's account-I would take the company's word over a seller. I mean, call and check again to be sure and if it's the case, I'd make arrangements to return for refund. You could always get the kind of phone you want from a more reputable person.