Develop Bugs

Question about Phone Swapping on Account

Repost from the Official Preorder Thread:
I was 2nd at the Shack in the Boca Raton, FL Town Center Mall. To make it the upgrade work I had to upgrade another phone on my plan with the Evo, but I am hoping that once I have the hardware, I should be easily able to switch it to my phone with Sprint Customer Care.
I've been a Sprint customer for 12 years or so, and never had an issue with that before. The guys at Shack said they'd do the upgrade on the phone that's available, but don't count on the switch since the phone is still new. Is this a possible problem??
I already did the order, so the phone is mine....but it would suck to have to use another number, or wait to move my Evo to my phone number at a later date.

Can you ask them to not activate it? I'm in the same boat, but I ordered at Best Buy.

That's something that would be asked on Launch Day, but I'm kinda looking for some Sprint CSRs who troll these forums who may have some information. I think the guys at Shack were just being douches (you don't know douchebags like South Florida douchebags), but I could be screwed over somehow.

I asked the sprint customer support this and best buy. Sprint said no problem I can do it online with the ESN swap tool. Best buy just said bring all the phones and they will do it for me without charging the activation charges. I would ask at your best buy, if they wont you CAN do it online with the esn swap. You just have to make sure you move the other account off the evo onto a third phone before you try to swap to it.

Gracias sir. Explain the whole swap thing for me? I can't visualize what you are explaining.

I did the same thing the day the Moment came out. I bought the Moment at Best Buy. They activated it on a line I don't use (with the valid upgrade). I took it home and switched it (via Sprint's online tool) onto the line that I wanted to use it on. Then I put the old phone back on the upgraded line. No problem doing this at all.

Thanks, I figured they were just trying to **** with me to make sure I didn't give them **** somehow. I will be doing this on the 4th!

Fadakar said:
Can you ask them to not activate it? I'm in the same boat, but I ordered at Best Buy.
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They will have to activate it at the shack for you to get your discount. And they weren't being douches, it is possible to get sprint to switch the devices for you once they are activated, but they don't have to do it if the phone hasn't been on the line for 30 days. So they gave the official CYA answer.

pwabbit hit it almost spot on. You will require 3 phones to do this. You will need to take the old phone, well call it flip (the line you are upgrading in to the store) they will upgrade it to the evo, you then go home and log in to sprint.com. Once logged in as the primary user, go to my account. Scroll down and you will see devices at the bottom (a list of them all). Next to the evo you just activated hover over i want to... and you will see activate a new phone. This will take you to the ESN swap screen, here you will transfer the line from the evo back to the flip. By doing this no line will be active on the evo. Then you will go back to the my accounts screen and next to your current phone (inmy case the hero) you will select i want to... and choose activate a phone. Here you can ESN swap to the evo. This makes the hero have no line activated on it. Finally you can go back to the my accounts screen and next to flip phonje select I want to... and activate a device, you can now ESN swap it to the hero. Now everyone has an adroid phone...enjoy.
Cliff Notes:
Login to sprint.com
under my accounts look for the deives list, in the i want to menu next to the phone (not the sidebar) there is an activate phone option. Use this to move the line on the evo to an extra phone, then move your line to the evo. This will require a minimum of two esn swaps.
any questions ? there will be a test on this

Ok sweet. It looks like I'll only need 2 phones though. My mom is planning on keeping her BlackBerry, and my Hero will be sent to a fellow XDA member who was interested in it. Very excited.

I have done this probobly 6 times already
As long as one line on your account that is eligable for an upgrade, they will take care of it.
Just tell them what number you would like to use, and they will update it, but you have to physically have the phone that has the number that is eligable for an upgrade with you.
So make sure if you are using a family members phone for an upgrade, you bring the phone with you.
As advanced as our technology is, they still have to program the number and then switch it to the your phone. If you are on a family plan you should not need to do this.

Here's my situation:
I have two lines on my account: one is my Hero which is not eligible for an upgrade until October. However, my other line is an Airave (courtesy of Sprint) that is eligible as of May first of this year.
Do you think I can use the Airave line's upgrade credit to get the EVO? Biggest thing I'm worried about is losing the free airave service ($5/month) and equipment I'm currently getting courtesy of Sprint.

pwc realtor said:
Here's my situation:
I have two lines on my account: one is my Hero which is not eligible for an upgrade until October. However, my other line is an Airave (courtesy of Sprint) that is eligible as of May first of this year.
Do you think I can use the Airave line's upgrade credit to get the EVO? Biggest thing I'm worried about is losing the free airave service ($5/month) and equipment I'm currently getting courtesy of Sprint.
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I would recommend contacting them to ask. Worst they can say is no. Which in my opinion is probablly how it will go. I too have an airrave but I have not tried to upgrade it, so really im not 100% sure.
Best of luck to you, I prefer online chat so you can have a transcript of the conversation.

vandersmissenc said:
I would recommend contacting them to ask. Worst they can say is no. Which in my opinion is probablly how it will go. I too have an airrave but I have not tried to upgrade it, so really im not 100% sure.
Best of luck to you, I prefer online chat so you can have a transcript of the conversation.
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I may drop by my local Best Buy tomorrow. I already talked to Sprint and they said they could do the upgrade but the mail-in-rebate would fail if the new phone was swapped to another line. since Best Buy doens't do mail in rebates and I've heard tey've been able to finanngle this hey its worth the shot.

pwc realtor said:
I may drop by my local Best Buy tomorrow. I already talked to Sprint and they said they could do the upgrade but the mail-in-rebate would fail if the new phone was swapped to another line. since Best Buy doens't do mail in rebates and I've heard tey've been able to finanngle this hey its worth the shot.
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I completely agree, if you don't try we wont know for future reference. Let us know how it goes.

The story behind it: The Shack will activate it for you, BUT the reason they won't switch the line is that it messes up the automated system that passes on the carrier kick-back to the shack, therefore if you switch the line, the shack does NOT get paid for the $700 phone you just bought. Under the hood, the shack pays right near 'no contract' value for the phone, relying on the carrier kick-back which comes about 90 days after activation to compensate them for the inital sale at a loss. That's why they can do no mail-in rebates, they just absorb the cost initially.

Fird said:
The story behind it: The Shack will activate it for you, BUT the reason they won't switch the line is that it messes up the automated system that passes on the carrier kick-back to the shack, therefore if you switch the line, the shack does NOT get paid for the $700 phone you just bought. Under the hood, the shack pays right near 'no contract' value for the phone, relying on the carrier kick-back which comes about 90 days after activation to compensate them for the inital sale at a loss. That's why they can do no mail-in rebates, they just absorb the cost initially.
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That makes sense. Does that mean if you take it home and do the ESN swap they don't get a kick back ? That would make me feel bad....I would still do it ....any ideas on that ?

I'm not certain on that one, but I think that it might.. I suspect they just look up the ESN numbers from (90 days ago) each business day and match them with tickets sold. no match, no $$.

vandersmissenc said:
That makes sense. Does that mean if you take it home and do the ESN swap they don't get a kick back ? That would make me feel bad....I would still do it ....any ideas on that ?
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Yes it does. While it's convenient for you, it takes money out of our pockets

I went to the local shack today being in the same situation. My Pre is still under contract but my wifes diamond is not. The sales person said no problem, they would put my wifes phone on the new contract and activate the evo to my number. He didn't mention bringing my wifes phone, but after reading these post, I will take it just incase.

[Q] How to remove lost/stolen status from an evo

So my good friend bought a used evo, the bad thing is that the phone has lost/stolen status, its been verified by a sprint store manager that in fact it is not lost or stolen, its a long story, anybody who works for sprint in the forums can you help. how does he go about removin the status from the phone, so he can activate?

I don't work for Sprint but had to go through this with a Mogul I purchased a few years back... basically what I was told is that the only way to get the flag removed is to have the person that originally reported it lost/stolen call into Customer Care to report it un-lost (or would that be found? )

if u call tech support they can do a chat to try to get it removed it takes about 5-10 min but it doesnt work 100% of the time when i worked in sprint tech i did it some times

yea this is probably a case where the person used there insurance and reported it lost then sold the old phone. happens a lot. try tech support i have gotten them to fix one of my old phones but i have heard many stories of them not being able to as well. Hope it works out/ if nto hopefully he paid paypal or credit card and can report it to try tog et his money back (assuming it doesnt say it was a bad esn when he bought it)

Your good friend needs to talk to the person he bought it from and have them handle it for him. Is there a chance this actually is a lost or stolen phone?
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

I actually hope there is no way to get the Lost/stolen flag removed, it would only give thieves the opportunity to start stealing phones again and using them, or people committing fraud against the insurance firms, which down the line cost us more $$$$
Sorry but your friend should of been more careful?

sjjones said:
I actually hope there is no way to get the Lost/stolen flag removed, it would only give thieves the opportunity to start stealing phones again and using them, or people committing fraud against the insurance firms, which down the line cost us more $$$$
Sorry but your friend should of been more careful?
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Really? So if you lost your phone, reported it as lost to Sprint, DIDN'T file an insurance replacement claim, and found it the next week, you wouldn't want to be able to get the lost/stolen flag taken off? I call BS!
Besides, I have had many lost/stolen flags taken off of many different phones due to some of the numbskulls working at my company, no problems. Haven't had to do it for an EVO yet though.
There are always legitimate reasons for wanting that taken off, as opposed to just wasting a perfectly good piece of hardware. Thieves will always steal, regardless of whether or not what they steal can be reactivated or not. Your logic is flawed.

Jye75 said:
Really? So if you lost your phone, reported it as lost to Sprint, DIDN'T file an insurance replacement claim, and found it the next week, you wouldn't want to be able to get the lost/stolen flag taken off? I call BS!
Besides, I have had many lost/stolen flags taken off of many different phones due to some of the numbskulls working at my company, no problems. Haven't had to do it for an EVO yet though.
There are always legitimate reasons for wanting that taken off, as opposed to just wasting a perfectly good piece of hardware. Thieves will always steal, regardless of whether or not what they steal can be reactivated or not. Your logic is flawed.
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I'm fairly sure the original owner can remove the Lost/Stolen flag, so it is your logic that is invalid.
The only reason someone would want to remove a Lost/Stolen flag from a phone that was not originally theirs is someone who was the recipient of a stolen phone, or one released through insurance fraud.

sohr said:
I'm fairly sure the original owner can remove the Lost/Stolen flag, so it is your logic that is invalid.
The only reason someone would want to remove a Lost/Stolen flag from a phone that was not originally theirs is someone who was the recipient of a stolen phone, or one released through insurance fraud.
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No, my logic is sound, and a correct reply to the comment above as it is worded. More specifically regarding the thieves stealing phones portion. And I might add that your "only reason" doesn't cover all bases either. Not everyone who loses a phone, files an insurance claim. In fact, many people do not carry insurance on their phones. In that event, the original owner could find their lost/stolen phone, and turn around and sell or give it to someone else while forgetting to clear the device through the service provider.
I love it when the "know-it-alls" come out and only "know" what they have experienced or can imagine in their own minds. Limited.

Sprint accidentally reported my Evo lost/stolen when I was on the phone with them once. Then they lost the ESN from their system. Then they told me that HTC had to reload the ESN into their system before Sprint could do anything.
Took about 5 days to get my phone back but they did finally do it.
I understand the issue here but that is why I never buy a phone from someone unless I meet them at the store to verify that it is legit and clear to activate.

Jye75 said:
that event, the original owner could find their lost/stolen phone, and turn around and sell or give it to someone else while forgetting to clear the device through the service provider.
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If the original owner "forgets" to clear the device, whose fault is that? It's not Sprints-- and it's something that is easily remedied-- have the original owner call Sprint and have it removed.
Every legitimate reason for removing a stolen/lost flag is covered that way.
I love it when the "know-it-alls" come out and only "know" what they have experienced or can imagine in their own minds. Limited.
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Pot meet kettle, much?

sohr said:
I'm fairly sure the original owner can remove the Lost/Stolen flag, so it is your logic that is invalid.
The only reason someone would want to remove a Lost/Stolen flag from a phone that was not originally theirs is someone who was the recipient of a stolen phone, or one released through insurance fraud.
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Same thing I was thinking. You could file a claim, pay the deductible, get a new phone and just be like" nevermind, I found it. Can you remove the lost/stolen tag please?" Now you have a spare phone you could sell to recoup the cost of the deductible, and then some.
I'm going to be more blunt than others and just call this exactly what it looks like. Fraud.

sohr said:
If the original owner "forgets" to clear the device, whose fault is that? It's not Sprints--Never said it was Sprint's fault. And you know, SOME people are ignorant enough to not know that they NEED to clear the ESN of a lost phone. Some may think that replacing it and assigning the number to the new one takes care of any trouble they might have. and it's something that is easily remedied-- True, but the person I was replying to commented that in their opinion, there should be NO way to clear a lost/stolen ESN. Read much?have the original owner call Sprint and have it removed.
Every legitimate reason for removing a stolen/lost flag is covered that way.
Pot meet kettle, much? You'd think, but no. In this case, and every case that I choose to argue, I make it a point to actually KNOW what I'm talking about, which is more than I can say for you. Now, sit down and color.
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My point's made, end of interaction with you.

SO the guy he bought it from told him to stop calling him or he will press harrassment charges against him. there's gotta be away to get this solved through customer service may be an upper level management can help. the seller says he called sprint and they reported that phone is not on the lost or stolen. please guys solutions not bickering between each other this is ridiculus
the seller has canceled his account recently i dont know what the means as far the phone goes. sprint c.s. said they don't understand why it has this status on it.

Hmmm, if the seller cancelled recently, and sold his EVO, then it might be that he owes Sprint, and they will not release the ESN until it's paid up. Think about it, a lot of people jumped at the Evo with a 2 year contract, discounted price. Maybe the seller could not afford the service and decided not to pay. I've heard of a couple of situations like this.

if thats the case what options are there? what can sprint do for my friend to get this phone activated. this sucks for my friend. maybe the seller is afraid he'll have to pay if he calls sprint. idk. weird situation?

That's what would need to happen, he'd have to pay his debt first. How much did your friend buy it for?

DR.mobbfigga said:
SO the guy he bought it from told him to stop calling him or he will press harrassment charges against him. there's gotta be away to get this solved through customer service may be an upper level management can help. the seller says he called sprint and they reported that phone is not on the lost or stolen. please guys solutions not bickering between each other this is ridiculus
the seller has canceled his account recently i dont know what the means as far the phone goes. sprint c.s. said they don't understand why it has this status on it.
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This is bad... really bad. Did he disclose that the phone had a bad ESN when your friend bought it? And it means that the seller is basically telling you that your friend is on his/her own since the seller already has the money.
DR.mobbfigga said:
if thats the case what options are there? what can sprint do for my friend to get this phone activated. this sucks for my friend. maybe the seller is afraid he'll have to pay if he calls sprint. idk. weird situation?
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Either way Sprint will not activate the phone unless they get whatever is due to them. It would be a lot easier for your friend to get his/her money back and return the phone and shop for a new one with a clean ESN. I don't think you can have Sprint do anything at all at this point. Go resolve the issue with the seller or try to have your friend get money back... at this point I hope your friend can still get the money.

DR.mobbfigga said:
SO the guy he bought it from told him to stop calling him or he will press harrassment charges against him. there's gotta be away to get this solved through customer service may be an upper level management can help. the seller says he called sprint and they reported that phone is not on the lost or stolen. please guys solutions not bickering between each other this is ridiculus
the seller has canceled his account recently i dont know what the means as far the phone goes. sprint c.s. said they don't understand why it has this status on it.
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This happened to me before for a phone I sold. But in my case it wasn't in lost/stolen status, but showing as active on an account. As the seller I did everything possible on a Saturday to resolve the issue for the buyer right away. I was on the phone with Sprint, even gave the buyer my personal number (this was an ebay transaction) told him to have Sprint conference me in. After a few calls this was resolved.
From the way your friend's seller is acting I would be more inclined to believe this is a stolen phone. The guy should refund your friend right away and just take the phone back. If I was your friend in this situation, I would be finding out with sprint right now if I should be going to the police to report this guy.

Going to the police is what he's,gonna do tomorrow. Hopefully this can be resolved.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] Skeptical about buying EVO off Craigslist

I'm finally getting an Evo - however I plan on buying it from craigslist. There are a few people selling in my area for about $300, but I talked to one guy and he was willing to go down to $200 for me since I asked for $250 but it's a bit of a drive. Now I've seen good deals like this before, but the guy seems a bit skeptical but having delt on craigslist before... I know some people are just like that.
The phone (HTC EVO obviously) is brand new and un-opened, but I've never seen the box (other than the picture he sent me of it) and I wanted to ask if there was anything I could do to make sure it really is brand new and has not been opened or replaced with rocks! I could ask him to open it in front of me... if there is nothing wrong with it as he claims then he should have no problem doing it since I'll be buying it.
That's my only idea.
Is there a way to find out if it's stolen or blacklisted by sprint?
Any help is appreciated.

You can ask him for the ESN, then you can call sprint and ask them is it is clear for activation....if so, be sure to visually inspect it to ensure that is the one you are buying
Sent from my froyo using the xda app

Askfor the esn and call sprint and tell them u wanna do a esn check then check the box its not like sealed or anything it just slides open but inside everthing needs to be sealed in plastic battery phone and ask l phone will have a sprint screen protrxtor on it thats new I get evos all day fromsprint for 300
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Great!
Hey I can't beleive I didn't think of that! That's why I posted I guess haha. Thanks a ton guys.
Is the ESN visible if the phone packaging has never been opened?

Yes. It's on the outside barcode.

Thank you sir!
Call him now.

Vandelay007 said:
You can ask him for the ESN, then you can call sprint and ask them is it is clear for activation....if so, be sure to visually inspect it to ensure that is the one you are buying
Sent from my froyo using the xda app
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i purchased my last phone, a Touch pro this way. met him in a parking lot(walmart, HIGH traffic) popped open the phone, called sprint, told them the situation(they were cool with it) read off the ESN, came back clean, done deal.
I very much recommend bring a buddy or two. just in case!

I got mine off Craigslist, I just met the person at a local Sprint store and had the sales rep check it right there, he even called into the activation center to double check for me. Then took it home rooted, blah blah, and then activated later on the website.

bbv203 said:
I got mine off Craigslist, I just met the person at a local Sprint store and had the sales rep check it right there, he even called into the activation center to double check for me. Then took it home rooted, blah blah, and then activated later on the website.
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Best method I think u just meet at sprint get it done there I did tht when I got a sidekick of cl
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

sprint store +1

The best option would be to contact the seller and see if he would be willing to complete the transaction at a Sprint retailer. This way you will be in a public area, and it can be checked prior to handing over the dough. Good luck on the transaction, and enjoy your new EVO.

I think I'll write up a little 'Craigslist Buying Guide' with all this good information... And now experience!
I got two calls back last night, one of which would meet me at the sprint store! Her Idea too. But on my way out she called back and said she had another offer for more money... And I wasn't about to start a bidding war for her benefit so I was upset and went back to my original seller. The guy lived super far but I was potentially getting a great deal. Once I got there, I checked out the phone and tried to get a good read on the seller... he was VERY strange as most everyone I've dealt with on craigslist have been. This is my first craigslist phone purchase however.
So I called sprint, did the number thing and went through hours of customer service crap. Turns out, the guy has a business account (probably a made up bogus business but with a real fed tax ID and crap - anyone can start a business) and he buys the phones with pre-paid visa's, like you would use when making online purchases or give away as a xmas present. So these visa's look just like debt/credit cards that his "Business" would use and he gets the phones with plans so they're discounted (even though I can't see how he would get the MIR??). Once discounted he sells the devices or 'the hardware' for profit and at a good deal (seemingly) to the consumers like myself. I'm not sure how he makes much profit considering the EVO is $200 after MIR not to mention he had to have paid the first month of service and other fees/costs.... Maybe he was genuine and just bought the phone and changed his mind... but it seemed very skeptical.
Ok so the purpose of using the pre-paid visas was that in 30 days when the new billing cycle comes... Sprint will not be able to bill his visa because its out of money! It's not attached to his name or business like a normal credit card would be and now they'll try contacting him but I figure he'd probably just ignore them. Then a cancellation fee would be added ($200 more) but that wont get paid either and then I would assume Sprint will blacklist the ESN untill it's bill are paid.
What do you guys think? There was a lot more to the story so it may be hard to figure out what he was doing exactly. Maybe he genuinely was ignorant. Was it smart to not buy the phone off him? (even though it was only $200 unopened)

I had some people come to my home that were selling something on Craigslist. That night my home was burglarized. Figure it out.
Craigslist can have some good people on there but so many scumbags it isnt worth it.

Well I think it's obvious you should always meet in a public place. I would NEVER tell someone to meet me at my home!

this guy sounds shady and it sounds like Sprint not activate that phone if it's attached to an account that owes them money.

Found replacement phone

I recently found my Evo that I had lost several months ago and had replaced with Insurance from Sprint. It's been deactivated by Sprint and I want it reactivated by Sprint so I can give to my sister. Will they let me do that? Or will they only allow me to have one activated at a time for some stupid corporate-gain reason?

when you report a phone stolen or lost sprint blacklist the ESN preventing anyone from activating it again. This is in place to prevent insurance fraud and dissuade anyone from stealing your phone (more so the former).
I doubt sprint will activate your lost phone on a different account.
Won't hurt to call them and tell them you "found your lost phone" and see where it goes from there.

If you speak to a supervisor and just be totally honest and sincere about what happened, they have the discretion to remove the block...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

I thought I read somewhere that Sprint only gives a bad esn if the phone was stolen, not lost.
However, I read it somewhere on xda, and you all know how rumours fly around here. It could also be something that was once true but has since changed.
Honestly, it seems like bad info to me, but it might be something worth looking in to.
If it's in good working order but does have a bad esn, you could sell it and at least get your deductible back.
(from... Evo/MIUI/Tapatalk)

jasonleb1 said:
I recently found my Evo that I had lost several months ago and had replaced with Insurance from Sprint. It's been deactivated by Sprint and I want it reactivated by Sprint so I can give to my sister. Will they let me do that? Or will they only allow me to have one activated at a time for some stupid corporate-gain reason?
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So what was the outcome? I'm curious as to what sprint did for you.

You should claim lost on your current phone so your brother can have it 2 months later when you do find it.
Once insurance is filed your claimed phone becomes the property of the insuring company. It no longer belongs to you.

whatsitsnamenow said:
You should claim lost on your current phone so your brother can have it 2 months later when you do find it.
Once insurance is filed your claimed phone becomes the property of the insuring company. It no longer belongs to you.
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You're an ass,you can't just jump to the conclusion that he's lying about losing it and finding. Once again You're an ass.

i want to say it will not work but from experience i would say you should give it a try.
my buddy owns a sprint store with his brother and when evo first came out one of them got. so the other one wanted a evo as well because it was his birthday so his older brother filed a missing claim and turned it off and used a replacement phone for about a month or 2 and when the new phone came in he gave his brother one evo and he kept the other.
he is still using the phone to this day.
its a hassle but it did work (for them atleast)

Evo4eva said:
You're an ass,you can't just jump to the conclusion that he's lying about losing it and finding. Once again You're an ass.
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I can jump to any conclusions I like. Plus where in my response did I said the op is lying. I am just giving him a scenario.

Joey_UFC said:
i want to say it will not work but from experience i would say you should give it a try.
my buddy owns a sprint store with his brother and when evo first came out one of them got. so the other one wanted a evo as well because it was his birthday so his older brother filed a missing claim and turned it off and used a replacement phone for about a month or 2 and when the new phone came in he gave his brother one evo and he kept the other.
he is still using the phone to this day.
its a hassle but it did work (for them atleast)
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Besides it being a hassle, now we all know that your buddy is totally cool with lying and fraud. Maybe if he had better ethics he'd do better business and be able to afford to just buy the things he wants legally. Just a thought.

SilverZero said:
Besides it being a hassle, now we all know that your buddy is totally cool with lying and fraud. Maybe if he had better ethics he'd do better business and be able to afford to just buy the things he wants legally. Just a thought.
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i could of told you that

Stolen Sprint Galaxy S3

Hey guys,
I need your help. I bought of Craigslist and it was stolen.
I am always cautious, so before buying I requested ESN number from seller and called sprint to check phone, some women answered me and said Phone had no problem and I could go ahead and buy with sellers ask price. So I went to that buy and paid 400$. Later that day I called sprint again to double check, cuz phone was without box, after second attempt guy from Sprint that it was reported.
What should I do. Probably I don't have chance to prove that I bought it honestly. But as every carrier service records customer call, I can prove them that they gave me false information. I thought that owner could report it during that two owner difference between first call and second call but chance of that is very low

paata01 said:
Hey guys,
I need your help. I bought of Craigslist and it was stolen.
I am always cautious, so before buying I requested ESN number from seller and called sprint to check phone, some women answered me and said Phone had no problem and I could go ahead and buy with sellers ask price. So I went to that buy and paid 400$. Later that day I called sprint again to double check, cuz phone was without box, after second attempt guy from Sprint that it was reported.
What should I do. Probably I don't have chance to prove that I bought it honestly. But as every carrier service records customer call, I can prove them that they gave me false information. I thought that owner could report it during that two owner difference between first call and second call but chance of that is very low
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It was probably not reported yet. By the time you called again it was updated in the system. So no false info was given. That's why you should always meet at a Sprint store and do the change and activation on the spot. Nothing you can do now.
Sent from my stock rooted Galaxy S3

wickedskills said:
It was probably not reported yet. By the time you called again it was updated in the system. So no false info was given. That's why you should always meet at a Sprint store and do the change and activation on the spot. Nothing you can do now.
Sent from my stock rooted Galaxy S3
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Maybe, I don't know... I can't afford 400$ lose..If I bring it to dealer and they flash it on Metro or other carrier, will 3G or 4G work and which carrier is best..
I don't know what to do, If I call owner he/she may not request to unlock phone, so I'd rather flash

What you SHOULD do is return the phone to Sprint and get it back to it's rightful owner. You can call the police on the person who sold you the stolen property and go after them for your money. It's wrong of you to keep something that you know isn't yours.

Sorry to hear this happen to you. You should have activated it on the spot to make sure it was good to go. And second. Why did you pay $400. The phones worth $300 max
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TexasEpic/ThePeoplesROM-KennyGlass123/daniel4653.png

gyrospazjohn said:
What you SHOULD do is return the phone to Sprint and get it back to it's rightful owner. You can call the police on the person who sold you the stolen property and go after them for your money. It's wrong of you to keep something that you know isn't yours.
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This. Do this.
Some guy ripped me off on an evo, lost $100.
Edit: meant to say the s3 back to it's owner lol
Go to the police, make the report, your likely to get your money back and the evo to its original owner. Do it ASAP or the report isn't credible.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

First of all unless this was a factory sealed phone you payed too much. I got my S3 in November 2012 and it was from a 3rd party Sprint seller on eBay, which is highly rated by a lot of people. It was an open box item and flawless, I got it for $350 with a 30 day return policy and some accessories. Second if you ever buy a phone off someone on craigslist make them meet you at a Sprint store and activate it while they are there then pay them, all done in the store in front of the workers. If they disagree say bye. Last but not least that could have been their phone for all you know. They could have sold you the phone that they got on their contract then the next day called Sprint and said my phone was lost/stolen here is my insurance cost of something like $150. They get new phone and make $250. Or they just stole it and sold it to you. So lesson learned I guess for you huh. Also Sprint "may record your call for quality assurance" not they record and keep every single phone made to them for quality assurance.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

gyrospazjohn said:
What you SHOULD do is return the phone to Sprint and get it back to it's rightful owner. You can call the police on the person who sold you the stolen property and go after them for your money. It's wrong of you to keep something that you know isn't yours.
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Only problem there is the seller can always play stupid and say he bought the phone from someone and was not aware it was stolen.
Sent from my stock rooted Galaxy S3

When it boils down to it, OP is now is possession of stolen property, which is a crime.
Go to the police or sprint and give the phone up. You can try to go to the police and take the seller to court. But is that time and effort really worth $400?
Sent from a planet far far away.

Speedin07si said:
When it boils down to it, OP is now is possession of stolen property, which is a crime.
Go to the police or sprint and give the phone up. You can try to go to the police and take the seller to court. But is that time and effort really worth $400?
Sent from a planet far far away.
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OP, you said you couldn't afford to lose $400, I'm betting the real owner of the phone feels the same way. Do the right thing.

gyrospazjohn said:
OP, you said you couldn't afford to lose $400, I'm betting the real owner of the phone feels the same way. Do the right thing.
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Most likely, real owner is covered by insurance, but still it does not matter. I would be glad if someone would return my stolen phone, so I will do the same.. I hope I will get my money back.
Thanks guys

Speedin07si said:
When it boils down to it, OP is now is possession of stolen property, which is a crime.
Go to the police or sprint and give the phone up. You can try to go to the police and take the seller to court. But is that time and effort really worth $400?
Sent from a planet far far away.
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Click to collapse
It wouldn't be like that. He just needs to go to the police. Sprint won't refund any money. If he goes to the police, they will figure everything out, and he will get his money back and likely not even have to go to court. Police have access to digital proof via messages or texts or various other things and can easily get it done.
Legally what happened would fall under fraud and robbery. As the item was stated as genuine and non stolen and in working order, and it happens to be stolen and not in activate able condition, that is fraud due to lying about the product, then he took your money knowingly for a broken product and getting away with money as if it was a clean esn. Ignore sprint, go straight to the police. Your money will be recovered and the phone returned to the right person. If it was him saying it was stolen, after the product was sold, then likely he will get the boot from sprint
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

paata01 said:
Hey guys,
I need your help. I bought of Craigslist and it was stolen.
I am always cautious, so before buying I requested ESN number from seller and called sprint to check phone, some women answered me and said Phone had no problem and I could go ahead and buy with sellers ask price. So I went to that buy and paid 400$. Later that day I called sprint again to double check, cuz phone was without box, after second attempt guy from Sprint that it was reported.
What should I do. Probably I don't have chance to prove that I bought it honestly. But as every carrier service records customer call, I can prove them that they gave me false information. I thought that owner could report it during that two owner difference between first call and second call but chance of that is very low
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ACTUALLY THIS PERSON YOU BOUGHT IT FROM WAS A TOTAL BUTT.... I GUARANTEE HE / SHE GOT CASH IN HAND THEY CALLED AND REPORTED IT STOLEN I HONESTLY WOULD BET $50 THATS WHAT THEY DID ONLY BAD THING HAVING A GSM PHONE KINDA MISS HAVING A SIM CARD
Sent From My Samsung Galaxy S3

otterboxfan4l said:
ACTUALLY THIS PERSON YOU BOUGHT IT FROM WAS A TOTAL BUTT.... I GUARANTEE HE / SHE GOT CASH IN HAND THEY CALLED AND REPORTED IT STOLEN I HONESTLY WOULD BET $50 THATS WHAT THEY DID ONLY BAD THING HAVING A GSM PHONE KINDA MISS HAVING A SIM CARD
Sent From My Samsung Galaxy S3
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HOLY CRAP CAPITAL LETTERS BATMAN! haha
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

Guys. I had that same thing happen to me. Got it off CL, turned out to be stolen.
Typed ##786# to get the number of the previous owner, because when tried calling the guy who sold i to me, number was unresponsive.
So, when i called the real owner she said phone was stolen, i was not smart to call from a blocked numer, but from my cell, so she had all my information and googled me threatening to turn me in for stealing.
I decided to beat her to it, and handed it over to the cops. She then called me mltiple times threatening, to which i replied i no longer had the phone.
Interesting fact, when the cop took the phone, he ran some check and did not find to be tolen, only sprint knew it was stolen, so unless i would have give him her cell, the phone would have probably sat around. They are not as sufisticated as we thing, this is not FBI or CIA, just some cop.
If u return to the police, do the ##786# and call the previous owner to tell them the stoy, otherwise dont waste your time, it took me 3 hrs waiting for cops at the police station to only hear phone is not stolen.

ReapersDeath said:
It wouldn't be like that. He just needs to go to the police. Sprint won't refund any money. If he goes to the police, they will figure everything out, and he will get his money back and likely not even have to go to court. Police have access to digital proof via messages or texts or various other things and can easily get it done.
Legally what happened would fall under fraud and robbery. As the item was stated as genuine and non stolen and in working order, and it happens to be stolen and not in activate able condition, that is fraud due to lying about the product, then he took your money knowingly for a broken product and getting away with money as if it was a clean esn. Ignore sprint, go straight to the police. Your money will be recovered and the phone returned to the right person. If it was him saying it was stolen, after the product was sold, then likely he will get the boot from sprint
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Police don't have any type of access to any digital records and "various other things" you speak of.
Once in court, the judge would have to issue a subpoena. Once issued, Sprint has a legal department that can release certain digital items.
When you print emails, they can be falsified. I honestly don't think cops care for you buying stolen goods as CL is at your own liability. No one is responsible for it but yourself.
I like how if you don't know an answer, people make stuff or voice how they think the world should work.

chrischoi said:
Police don't have any type of access to any digital records and "various other things" you speak of.
Once in court, the judge would have to issue a subpoena. Once issued, Sprint has a legal department that can release certain digital items.
When you print emails, they can be falsified. I honestly don't think cops care for you buying stolen goods as CL is at your own liability. No one is responsible for it but yourself.
I like how if you don't know an answer, people make stuff or voice how they think the world should work.
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My whole family is police.. They deal with Craigs list stuff constantly. Most of the time they report results in the person getting their money back and the person who sold the stolen item gets dealt with whichever way they choose to,

Your not getting your money back unless you sell that phone to someone else. If you do that I highly doubt you get the full 400 but at least you get something back. It ain't right but hell I rather take that chance then waiting to take the person that sold you the phone to court . You won't win that case unless you signed a contract or have a receipt. These phones seriously need sim cards like T-Mobile and at&t and the rest of the world and you wouldn't have this problem. Whoever does this to somebody should seriously get a ass kicking, reading this pissed me off. The original owner of that phone sounds like the same person that sold it to you. He got the money then reported it stolen . Good luck on getting your money back but next time just add another line to your service and avoid the hassle.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium App

Yeah I got my S3 from Craigslist in December for $300. I never bought a phone like this before but meeting at Sprint seemed like a no brainer ( and a deal breaker if they won't meet there) Seller had no problem meeting meand as soon as the Sprint rep activated the phone and I made a call on it, I handed her the money. Awesome deal considering the phone was only 2 days old, like brand new, in the box with accessories.
I got lucky that this girl didn't like the S3, and wanted her iphone back
But for the op. Hopefully you communicated with the seller by text. That's a record of the communications you can show the cops when you tell them what happened.

You should have used xda's new market place
Swappa
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