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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.
Well, I got my Galaxy Nexus on the 21st, was very excited to get it, but I ended up returning it yesterday because I didn't like it very much compared to my Epic Touch. I had used my brother's upgrade (he doesn't care much about phones.) so I could get the early upgrade pushed to my account (~$45 charge). Anyways, when I was returning it, my main reason for returning was battery with screen time was terrible! (2 hours maximum for me, even on lowest brightness) and speakers weren't loud at all. Otherwise, it was a really good phone.
Anyways, when I went in, I told him I wanted to exchange the phone. He continued to tell me that having two web browsers (stock and ICS+) was draining the battery, my 1 minute screen idle screen off time was too high and that I had NFC checked, which was draining battery the entire time...(even though my complaint was screen on, not standby). After making me feel like an idiot, he told me I should just put the phone on Craigslist to trade it out for the Epic Touch (lol?). After I confirmed I wanted an exchange, he told me I'll have to put the phone back on the upgraded line myself, so he sent me over to their phone with no number to call (had to look it up on the device I was returning. lol!) I asked if they could do it for me and said only customer service can do it for me...kind of seems strange a SPRINT store couldn't do it for me. So I took about 15 minutes getting on the phone with someone, an additional 15 minutes getting the phones swapped back, then finally I had someone helping me with the exchange. Sprint said my upgrade fee is irreversible, that it changed my contract and that I could only use it at Sprint to upgrade my device. They also said my restocking fee and activation fee wouldn't be waived. While they were processing the Galaxy Nexus return, I called BestBuy, told them of my situation and they told me to return the phone and come in (the Epic Touch is $149.99 at BB anyways), so I went back into the store and just told them to return the phone and I'll be on my way. Well, they took about an hour processing my return AFTER I came back in and once again they said I can only use my early upgrade at a Sprint store. After I left activating my old Epic (SPH-D700), I went straight to BestBuy, used my early upgrade there, and got out in 30 minutes. I'm just surprised with how badly Sprint treated their customers.
Anyone else get terrible experience like this at Sprint? My total visit was from 10:40 to 1:00 PM!
Just saying now...AVOID THIS STORE!
9810 Baymeadows Rd # 1 Jacksonville, FL 32256
(904) 565-4400
P.S. I gave a family member my old Epic Touch, which is why I couldn't just simply go back to it.
P.S.S. I am glad to be back!
EDIT: They waived my restocking fee, but activation fee still there. lol
I'm glad it work out and your back
So I guess we'll be seeing you in the SGIII forums when it drops seeing how the GNex didn't excite you all that much
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
ilostmypistons said:
I'm glad it work out and your back
So I guess we'll be seeing you in the SGIII forums when it drops seeing how the GNex didn't excite you all that much
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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Haha, I'm probably going to hold out for the SGSIII. This phone was definitely faster, too. Nothing but Exynos for me.
I must say that I had a similar problem when I returned in my Photon (within my 30 days) for the Epic Touch on launch day. I had already called cs beforehand to make sure that I wouldn't have any problems. The manager at the local store was a real ***** and insisted that I be charged a $30 restocking fee. She even made a second invoice for the return. I called cs back and they refunded $15 as they couldn't find the invoice in their system. How convenient. Needless to say, I will do my phone purchases at Best Buy from now on, as they never give me any hassles. The Sprint GS3 will be an S4 as the Verizon leaked one will...so Evo S4 vs GS3 S4. Or maybe the Note successor? I'm gonna pass on the new Photon...
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
Overstew said:
Haha, I'm probably going to hold out for the SGSIII. This phone was definitely faster, too. Nothing but Exynos for me.
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Why didn't you cm9 an use franco kernal I'm almost at the same battery life I had on my sgs2
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Returning the phones is always a PITA.
Sorry to hear about your crappie experience at your Sprint store... I picked up a Galaxy Nexus a few days ago (5) at my local Sprint store and was not impressed with it at all. Battery life was horrible stock and not much better rooted and romed. Took it back this morning and didn't have one issue returning it. No restock fee or having to call anyone to do it. Just unrooted and reset it, put it back in its box and told the CS rep I didn't like it. They reactivated my EVO and made sure that my upgrade was still good.
Overstew said:
Haha, I'm probably going to hold out for the SGSIII. This phone was definitely faster, too. Nothing but Exynos for me.
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The US version of the S3 isn't getting the Quadcore Samsung Exynos chip, it's not compatible with US LTE/4G. The US version is going to get the Dualcore Qualcom S4 chip.
Sent From My ICS Galaxy10.1 Class Starship.
I hate how sales reps always seem to take returns personally, especially when you didn't buy the phone from them in the first place so you aren't taking commission out of their pocket.
I always purchase my phones through Sprint's website unless someone local is offering a deal that can't be beat and if I need to return that phone I take it into the local corporate store as is allowed.
SouthPhilly said:
The US version of the S3 isn't getting the Quadcore Samsung Exynos chip, it's not compatible with US LTE/4G. The US version is going to get the Dualcore Qualcom S4 chip.
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Epic bonerkill.
Thats why i buy from Sam's Club. they give you 30 day exchanges too even though sprint changed their policy, usually have the phone on release day with no lines, lower price (and save money on taxes too in CA bc how they ring it up), and while ur waiting on activation u head on down to the food section and grab urself a polish dog!
coldblooded79 said:
I must say that I had a similar problem when I returned in my Photon (within my 30 days) for the Epic Touch on launch day. I had already called cs beforehand to make sure that I wouldn't have any problems. The manager at the local store was a real ***** and insisted that I be charged a $30 restocking fee. She even made a second invoice for the return. I called cs back and they refunded $15 as they couldn't find the invoice in their system. How convenient. Needless to say, I will do my phone purchases at Best Buy from now on, as they never give me any hassles. The Sprint GS3 will be an S4 as the Verizon leaked one will...so Evo S4 vs GS3 S4. Or maybe the Note successor? I'm gonna pass on the new Photon...
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
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Looks like I'll have to call Sprint again to get some fees waived. No reason to even give me any aside from the one from bestbuy.
gr33nd3vil said:
Why didn't you cm9 an use franco kernal I'm almost at the same battery life I had on my sgs2
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Trust me, I tried every kernel available. The standby time was phenomenal, just the screen time was bad.
SouthPhilly said:
Sorry to hear about your crappie experience at your Sprint store... I picked up a Galaxy Nexus a few days ago (5) at my local Sprint store and was not impressed with it at all. Battery life was horrible stock and not much better rooted and romed. Took it back this morning and didn't have one issue returning it. No restock fee or having to call anyone to do it. Just unrooted and reset it, put it back in its box and told the CS rep I didn't like it. They reactivated my EVO and made sure that my upgrade was still good.
The US version of the S3 isn't getting the Quadcore Samsung Exynos chip, it's not compatible with US LTE/4G. The US version is going to get the Dualcore Qualcom S4 chip.
Sent From My ICS Galaxy10.1 Class Starship.
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They seemed a lot more helpful when I went in to buy the phone (they even sold me it a day early). Sucks to see how much they change when you want to return something.
As for the s4, I am not going to believe it until Samsung announces it. This exact thing happened last year with this phone. Remember when everyone stated this phone was going to get the Tegra 2?
Esoteric68 said:
I hate how sales reps always seem to take returns personally, especially when you didn't buy the phone from them in the first place so you aren't taking commission out of their pocket.
I always purchase my phones through Sprint's website unless someone local is offering a deal that can't be beat and if I need to return that phone I take it into the local corporate store as is allowed.
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Trust me, I tried. Eve over the phone and in chat, they stated I could only get the early upgrade pushed at a retail store. I didn't want to go in in the first place. Lol
Overstew - I just sent you a PM
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
SouthPhilly said:
Sorry to hear about your crappie experience at your Sprint store... I picked up a Galaxy Nexus a few days ago (5) at my local Sprint store and was not impressed with it at all. Battery life was horrible stock and not much better rooted and romed. Took it back this morning and didn't have one issue returning it. No restock fee or having to call anyone to do it. Just unrooted and reset it, put it back in its box and told the CS rep I didn't like it. They reactivated my EVO and made sure that my upgrade was still good.
The US version of the S3 isn't getting the Quadcore Samsung Exynos chip, it's not compatible with US LTE/4G. The US version is going to get the Dualcore Qualcom S4 chip.
Sent From My ICS Galaxy10.1 Class Starship.
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Couldn't Samsung have made their exynos compatible with lte by now?
Just commenting for the sake of it we'll all see tomorrow
ludrose said:
Couldn't Samsung have made their exynos compatible with lte by now?
Just commenting for the sake of it we'll all see tomorrow
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They do have the Exynos compatible with LTE, but only for the Korean market as of now, as their LTE network is different from the US/Canada.
Tomorrow at 2pm EST is not that far away, so we'll see.
I have never been to a sprint store for a phone I refuse to, always best buy. Shorter time, better price, customer service most of the sprint stores you have to get a number and wait...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
I got my Epics from letstalk.com, spoke to no one and did it all on line, phones for 99.00 each, no activation fees, overnight shipping and no tax. This was back in October, 6 months and no problems or regrets. One phone is stone stock and other rooted.
Pp.
PS. Still waiting for some ics goodness.
Sent from my tofu plasma converter.
Absolutely the worst customer service of any provider out there. They don't give 2 ****s about their customers and that is very clear. Not only do they offer extremely poor customer service, but their rude on top of it. T-Mobile has excellent CS in comparison hands down...(and yes, once my contract expires I will never go back to sprint, I made a mistake and now I'm stuck in this pool of ****).
If you think their stores are bad, try calling them on the phone, there they REALLY don't give a ****....on the line with some fat ghetto chick that's filling her nails and can't speak proper Inglish, now that's a treat for ya! I recently had a 2 hour argument with them about no service at my house and at work (you know, the usual no text coming through at times, calls that never come through, and lets no speak about their 3g speeds...) . Nothing was done to help me, I even explained that I have a 3 year old at home with the wife and that it's vital that I don't miss calls in case of an emergency etc...but apparently my word doesn't jack since it shows that my area has coverage on their system. Their final response was: "Sir, that's what our 14 day return policy is for!" Bout lost it as you can imagine...!:banghead:
Sorry for the novel, saw the title and couldn't help it, but since that experience I have developed a deep hatred for sprint and their horrible CS. I ****ing hate them, but I'm stuck ATM...(and no I'm not spending 700$ to get out of it..).
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
I feel your pain Overstew. You should go to the sprint store in orange park. They have a great staff. Really helpful too.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Good to have you back. Just a thought for the future, check out Amazonwireless next time. Got my E4GT for $100 less than Sprint (or Corp Sprint store) - $99.00 U.S. AND got it in just two days; ordered on monday around noon had it in my hand by wednesday afternoon! Let it charge for a little while called CS from my old phone and let them know I was wanted to activate my new phone, and in less than 5 minutes I was up and running. I've sent other to Amazonwireless and none have been dissapointed. A co-worker save $100 on the lates Droid4 too.
So after calling my T-Mo store yesterday to ask if they were going to have phones today they said that yes, they would, but only a few. So I had to ask if there was a list at all, didn't seem like he wanted to offer that information, but I asked to be put on it and he did. Didn't bother to explain to me how their system was going to work. I assumed I should be there first thing in the morning. Hell, I was there before the employees! Mind you there were 5 of us standing in front of the store for 20 mins before they opened the door. Then we walk in and they're like deer in the headlights. Uhhh uhhh uhhh. The people at the top of the list have til 5 p.m. to pick it up, if they don't then we'll call the next people for the next day. So conceivably, they could sit there with these phones for DAYS if the people they call don't come in. Why the hell wouldn't they sell me the phone when I'm right there, cash in hand!? Couldn't they have come out and told us this when we were standing outside? Did they think we were there to pay our bill? Idiots!
Cool story bro
Every T-Mo store I called said they are not allowed to "hold" a phone at all, that it is company policy. They have to sell them "first come first serve"
They were messing with you man, you should go back and threaten to call corporate and tell them customer service told you it's company policy that they cannot hold the phones for ANYONE
Uncle Hungry said:
Cool story bro
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Troll in every forum these days.
Hope you get your phone dude.
ingenious247 said:
Every T-Mo store I called said they are not allowed to "hold" a phone at all, that it is company policy. They have to sell them "first come first serve"
They were messing with you man, you should go back and threaten to call corporate and tell them customer service told you it's company policy that they cannot hold the phones for ANYONE
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I tried calling CS and they said there was nothing they could do and that they couldn't override the stores policy. One guy was supposedly setting me up with another store close to me that he had already talked to them and they would sell me a phone today. Well the guy never came back on and instead it just rang straight to the store. So then of course, these guys have NO CLUE what I'm talking about! Just so frustrating. Seems like every time I have to deal with them it's more and more crap. They really don't care about anything. If I hear them say, "I understand," one more time I'm slappin someone.
anyone else have this problem today?
I got mine last week from T-Mobile...first come first serve (I was the first person to walk out of the store with it).
However, I did go to Wal-Mart to try and buy one and they said they would only sell it to new contracts.
Seems the stores are all doing something different....
are you dealing with a TMobile corporate store or a franchised location that is privately owned, but only is licensed to operate under the TMobile name? The reason I ask is because Verizon corporate stores have to follow a certain set of rules, but the privately owned locations seem to be able to do their own things. That would make sense if customer service told you they can't make the store do anything...because it may be a privately owned store. It could be there is no such thing as corporate owned stores and they are all franchised, in which case you may be wise to relax and become a welcome customer instead of "that guy" because they could hold out on you for quite some time for fun.
Something like that happened to me today, I called the tmobile store by home yesterday, the dude slip out and said the GS3 was there but he couldn't sell it, I call this morning like at 11am and asked if they had it, they asked me if I was a new customer or upgrade, I said upgrade and they put me on hold well she comes back and tell me sorry not available till Monday :/. Call again and talk to someone else, I lied and told them new customer and they got my name to get the phone, I go to the store to changed my one s for it and they act like they didn't have it, told them ok I just want to return the phone and closed account (you know I wasn't gonna closed it but I wanted to pushed them) manager comes out, we have one sorru for the inconvenience.... Yeah really the hard to get a phone, people is funny sometimes, and annoying too
much
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
B.S.
You should've called corporate right then and there! If they have 20 people on a list, they set aside 20 phones and sell the rest to walk in customers! I'm angry for you! Same with the B.S. some TMO stores are telling people the must upgrade to 5gb data plans.
I went in on the 21st to a tmobile corporate store, salesman said they got 50 in. He goes back and gets one and then starts up like I'm a new customer. I tell him I am an existing one and he says he wont sell it to me. That there only for new customers. I called him a couple names and walked out. I was pissed. Called another corporate store and they said they had 50 also. I explained the deal and they said no problem, come on in. Had to drive 30 miles more and got it. I was still PO'ed so I went back to the first store, with the nice GS3 sealed box in hand, walked in (around 10 salesman and 5 customers in the store) and shouted out "whos the one that wouldnt sell me a GS3 about an hour ago?" Then I held the box up while everyone was looking at me by this time and said " I went to a real tmobile store where they treat an existing customer like they should and look what I have". Man that felt good to put him in his place in front of everyone in the store
Tacjim said:
You should've called corporate right then and there! If they have 20 people on a list, they set aside 20 phones and sell the rest to walk in customers! I'm angry for you! Same with the B.S. some TMO stores are telling people the must upgrade to 5gb data plans.
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Well i was on the list just too far down. Said they only had 4 phones. Must have all been franchise stores I guess.
yzf750 said:
I went in on the 21st to a tmobile corporate store, salesman said they got 50 in. He goes back and gets one and then starts up like I'm a new customer. I tell him I am an existing one and he says he wont sell it to me. That there only for new customers. I called him a couple names and walked out. I was pissed. Called another corporate store and they said they had 50 also. I explained the deal and they said no problem, come on in. Had to drive 30 miles more and got it. I was still PO'ed so I went back to the first store, with the nice GS3 sealed box in hand, walked in (around 10 salesman and 5 customers in the store) and shouted out "whos the one that wouldnt sell me a GS3 about an hour ago?" Then I held the box up while everyone was looking at me by this time and said " I went to a real tmobile store where they treat an existing customer like they should and look what I have". Man that felt good to put him in his place in front of everyone in the store
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Hottest phone out people going to be nuts.
Tacjim said:
You should've called corporate right then and there! If they have 20 people on a list, they set aside 20 phones and sell the rest to walk in customers! I'm angry for you! Same with the B.S. some TMO stores are telling people the must upgrade to 5gb data plans.
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Especially Non corporate stores will only make money on upgrades that have some type of plan change.
This is what happens to a hugely popular product. Look at the iPhone, it wasnt subsidized for how long? I could have swore att wasn't selling phone off contract either. Supply and demand my friend. Try a different store or different time.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
I got mine on the 27th. I called 6 or 8 different T-mobile stores, but no one had any. I finally found one in Atlanta. The woman I talked to there was real nice. They had one GSIII left, and when I asked her if she could hold it for me, she did. I think it's all in who you talk to. And how.
My local corporate TM store has white & the blue version!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium
I know that the T-Mobile's employee store already had the phones in stock a while ago before the retail stores actually had them. It's unfortunate some of the stores out there don't really want to sell a phone...
Seems to be a huge delay thou; apparently Canada had priority so shipments went there first.
I love that. I gotta do that someday lol.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
I used to work at T-Mobile and most stores did stock some before launch. Most stores won't sell to upgrades and will be reserved for new activations. That's most places, even your big box stores.
The Best Buy employee who sold me the Sprint S3 managed to convince me to drop Asurian, and go with BB coverage. He said it covers EVERYTHING the Asurian plan did, aside from being lost or stolen. I ran through a dozen scenarios, including what would happen if I dropped it puddle literally five minutes after leaving the store. I told him I was worried that since it was such a new phone, Best Buy would not be able to swap it out very quickly.
I was reassured by the salesman, two colleagues, and even the manager on duty, that if there was no stock, I'd simply get a brand-new replacement phone, instantly. In any scenario that required sending off the phone, (maximum of 2-3 days,) I'd have a similar/identical phone as a loaner.
ha-ha.
None of that is remotely true. 8 days after buying my Sprint S3, a friend spilled some water on my phone. When I took it in, they said it would take 30+ days to have it sent off for 'repair.' Since the phone was so new, I was SOL. (The exact scenario I laid out for the salesman, manager, and colleages.) To make things worse, they said that they only cover SOME water damage. If their "non-biased" repairman decides it experienced too much water damage, they simply deny the claim and send your useless phone back. Gee, I bet that Best Buy repair technician is really fighting for me, huh? :/
Now it has been two weeks, and I am still borrowing an old, water-damaged phone from a friend that only manages to squeak out 2-3 hours of stand-by per charge. I have called numerous times, and visited several stores, and I get the same thing. "I'm sorry that the salesman told you those things, but this is in fact our policy--if you read the fine print." YES, I have had a half-dozen people tell me about the fine print, of which I never saw any legal documentation before signing up. I suppose that is partially my fault, but they did not give me that opportunity. I feel that I should have recorded them.
One of my co-workers used to work for Geek Squad and says I just have to wait for them to deny my claim, which can take 30+ days, then I can go in and RAISE HELL, and eventually I will probably get some sort of replacement.
TLDR People DO NOT SIGN UP FOR BEST BUY INSURANCE!!! If I was still using Asurian, I would have had a BRAND-NEW phone at my house the following morning. No questions asked, done deal. Yes, there is a $199 deductible, but with the BB insurance, there's basically a $758 deductible, plus a 30-day waiting period.
Very annoyed at BB right now. I feel 100% conned, and l definitely wish I stuck to the Asurian coverage, which is what my gut feeling told me to do. Learn from my mistake and avoid BB coverage.
Thanks for that info... it makes me feel good about my decision to say no several times to the sales person who tried hard to sell me on it.
I have to say Sprint has done me no wrong in the insurance world. On average I go through two of each of my phones. Sprint replaces them with pretty much no questions asked, although the repair center knows who I am. They know that I hack phones, or whatever you want to call it, and they are cool with it.
My buddy dropped his evo 3d in water today and we went into bestbuy. They dont carry the evo 3d anymore so it was a pain in the ass from the start. They look up the repair info and say oh it could take 10 to 30 days to get your phone back. Then they offered him a loaner which has a $50 deductible. I stepped in and basically said thats bull****. You claim your insurance is better then sprints? If this was sprint hed only b a day without a phone. I understand hed have to pay a deductible but he needs his phone. I then said if this was sprint hed probally be getting a god damn s2 as a replacement. He acted as if he didnt care so as im sitting there i see this couple both buying a one x and i hear the rep ask if they want the insurance and they both talk it over so i walked over and said excuse me i hate to be nosie but i just want give you a heads up that what hes not telling you is you pay more a month then your cell provider probally charges but then when you have an accident like my friend hear just had and drop your phone in water when you come in they dont exchange in store like they make you believe they offer you a loaner which your insurance dose not cover and is $50 and ship your phone off to a service center with about a 3 week timeframe til when youll get it back. I then went back over to the geek squad ******* and said out of curiosity how much money did this store just lose because of me lol he thrn told my buddy to come fill out his insurance form and told me to wait somewhere else lol
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Different story for me,
I cracked my Evo 3D screen. I brought it and they took it no questions asked. They told me the new one would be ready in 3 days. It was, and the phone they gave me was basically new. (Used, but in a new housing).
This thread is making me nervous about keeping my bb insurance.
I was also thinking about dropping my sprint insurance, but a story like this makes me think twice! I have never had a problem with sprint and getting my phone fixed. I have had my screen crack and they would send me another phone with no deductible. Maybe it has changed, but I'm thinking just staying with sprint.
Sent from my White Gs3 using tapatalk 2
wow thanks for the heads up! i almost went with it too
Glad I read this
I have had some complaints with Sprint/Assurion over the last decade but once the dust cleared, they always came through. I was thinking of BB insurance but I am glad you cleared it up for me.
Maybe I will go in there and f* with them. Get them to pitch me their sales line, record it and write it down. Then I will present ti to them for a signature and if they say they never said that, I will play the recording.
I ALWAYS record my service calls to Sprint. Once I had a "senior" tech feed me some BS about the cause of my ongoing phone issues. (it was an issue that was the same on three identical phones yet they told me it was a "phone" issue) Finally I transcribed one of the conversations and sent it to corporate. I was sent a brand new White box EVO (with no request to return mine). I was then called by an "Elevated Issue" specialist from Kansas who resolved that my profile was corrupt on the Sprint server.
Problem solved and an extra unlocked EVO that I gave to my wife.
I'm a best buy mobile sales rep, whoever handled your case messed up. I've had two people come in with broken s3 and with both of them I pulled a brand new one off the shelf and gave it to them. I have the S3 my self so i made sure that would be the case.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I would like to point out that we don't normal pull phones off the shelf right away, most of the time we send out out and a replacement comes in 2 to 4 days. It's only cause it's so new that we give out new in box phones
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
All insurance is a scam....lol. tc
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda app-developers app
I bought a phone through Best Buy along with a protection plan/ESP plan. Never had to redeem the Plan with them, but after hearing stories from multiple former employees from Geek Squad and normal salesmen and women, I will never buy anything from Best Buy again, knowing how badly I am getting ripped off. Ive had good experiences with BBuy before, but lets just say Im not a fan by any means ^_^ I did, however buy the protection through Sprint. Being such an expensive device, i jumped on it when the Sprint rep offered it
Liquid_Cool said:
All insurance is a scam....lol. tc
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly....but on average all insurance is a losing proposition for the buyer. It has to be for the insurance company to make money. The rule that smart money people go by is to never buy more insurance than you need. If you can afford to absorb the loss, don't insure it. Over time you will pay more for the insurance than you will have paid for the loss.
Could also be hit or miss with replacements and such. Best Buy is in the mist of financial troubles also high up people stepping down.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-buy-chairman-steps-down-134928590.html
Sent from My Epic Ice Cream Sandwich With Sprinkles!!!
I've had nothing but good experiences with best buy insurance. I'm thinking the rep messed up.
BKinney said:
I would like to point out that we don't normal pull phones off the shelf right away, most of the time we send out out and a replacement comes in 2 to 4 days. It's only cause it's so new that we give out new in box phones
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying that best buy doesnt have Sprint GS3 refurbs to give out yet? I cracked my screen two weeks ago but haven't taken it in yet because i didn't want a refurb since i've only had the phone a few weeks..
I just took my AT&T GS3 in to BB last week with a cracked screen. I was told it would be sent out for a 2-3 day "rapid exchange". I was also told that the fact that the device was rooted and running a non-official JB ROM would not be an issue with BB or GS.
I returned the next day with my GS1 to have the service switched over and to send the GS3 back. When the GS guy was processing the return he said it was odd. I asked him what. He said that instead of the exchange, my phone was being sent to Samsung for repair and it would take 10+ days...
Are you saying that they could just give me a new one off the shelf instead of making me wait? Also, do you think the rooted and non Samsung software will cause an issue with the Samsung repair center?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium
I would think that rooting your device is going to be a problem with Samsung. I've never heard of geek squad refusing to cover a rooted phone but that is up to the manager.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
ScrapMaker said:
The Best Buy employee who sold me the Sprint S3 managed to convince me to drop Asurian, and go with BB coverage. He said it covers EVERYTHING the Asurian plan did, aside from being lost or stolen. I ran through a dozen scenarios, including what would happen if I dropped it puddle literally five minutes after leaving the store. I told him I was worried that since it was such a new phone, Best Buy would not be able to swap it out very quickly.
I was reassured by the salesman, two colleagues, and even the manager on duty, that if there was no stock, I'd simply get a brand-new replacement phone, instantly. In any scenario that required sending off the phone, (maximum of 2-3 days,) I'd have a similar/identical phone as a loaner.
ha-ha.
None of that is remotely true. 8 days after buying my Sprint S3, a friend spilled some water on my phone. When I took it in, they said it would take 30+ days to have it sent off for 'repair.' Since the phone was so new, I was SOL. (The exact scenario I laid out for the salesman, manager, and colleages.) To make things worse, they said that they only cover SOME water damage. If their "non-biased" repairman decides it experienced too much water damage, they simply deny the claim and send your useless phone back. Gee, I bet that Best Buy repair technician is really fighting for me, huh? :/
Now it has been two weeks, and I am still borrowing an old, water-damaged phone from a friend that only manages to squeak out 2-3 hours of stand-by per charge. I have called numerous times, and visited several stores, and I get the same thing. "I'm sorry that the salesman told you those things, but this is in fact our policy--if you read the fine print." YES, I have had a half-dozen people tell me about the fine print, of which I never saw any legal documentation before signing up. I suppose that is partially my fault, but they did not give me that opportunity. I feel that I should have recorded them.
One of my co-workers used to work for Geek Squad and says I just have to wait for them to deny my claim, which can take 30+ days, then I can go in and RAISE HELL, and eventually I will probably get some sort of replacement.
TLDR People DO NOT SIGN UP FOR BEST BUY INSURANCE!!! If I was still using Asurian, I would have had a BRAND-NEW phone at my house the following morning. No questions asked, done deal. Yes, there is a $199 deductible, but with the BB insurance, there's basically a $758 deductible, plus a 30-day waiting period.
Very annoyed at BB right now. I feel 100% conned, and l definitely wish I stuck to the Asurian coverage, which is what my gut feeling told me to do. Learn from my mistake and avoid BB coverage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call 1800 best buy .. or look for the best buy price match thread, there an email for the presidential escalation department. They will be able to help you. They helped me with a similar situation. It contact an attorney, they love class action law suits. The reps told me it's at most a five day turn around. Even if there is fine print since its an oral sale they can be held legally responsible
Sent from my SPH-L710...if some one helps you press the thanks button
Anyone ever have just... an Incredibly (no pun intended) bad time with hardware?
Here I am on my 4th device in 13 months.
It started when I allowed a best buy mobile rep talk me into the moto x2.
Phone #1 had a bum USB dock that wouldn't transfer data.
X2 numero dos had a proclivity to stutter all the time...root fixed that but then the headphone jack comes loose and all is broken.
X2 #3 same as #2 for headphone jack issues.
I fought long and hard and vzw offered me a slew of 4g devices which I chose a droid charge from.
But oops, cannot change a 3g device for a 4g device on warranty so now I get to choose from a myriad of garbage moto phones (wow a droid 3 or original x!) Or an incredible 2.
Now here I am with an incredible 2.
This came after I was offered and early upgrade over Christmas which I said no to, because I was five months invested in my current phone, why should I spend another $200 five months in??
Instead I called retentions and complained loudly and I got a pre owned incredible 2.
This phone has been an absolute dream. Even stock it is faster than than the x2s dual core CPU.
But getting this device in January I was warned that I am still in the moto x2 warranty period ending July 5th.
July 6th my phone started overheating and my screen will not light up with any images,just a dull black which I can still unlock answer etc.
Yeah. Freaking July 6th.
Now it happens just having it in my pocket.when it cools down all is good again...
As a last resort today being out of warranty anyhow I took the phone apart entirely, I took the motherboard assembly off and used compressed air to blow as much as I could behind the heat sync but this is just a broken phone I suppose because after reassembly it still isn't working.
So..long story longer, I went to a corporate store and they tell me I have two options, pay $500+ for a new device or get a second line and change to share everything for $50 more per month...
Or call 611.. which I do.
They tell me that I can pay $500+ or add a line (it'd be an extra $600/year I remind him) and he says sorry.
He can offer me an early upgrade that I'm asking for in March.
I said to him gee thanks, you are not really helping me, the website tells me exactly the same thing. Derrrrr. Dumb.
Basically, i was offered an early upgrade in December by a lackwitted tier 2 tech support agent and now because I didn't have $200 for a phone I knew would be severely updated I am being shaken down for a new handset.
I'm pretty upset to be honest, as I spend over $130/month with these guys and they just won't work with me.
So the conversation ends with me saying that since att has their own 4g where I live and that makes them an option for me, let's do math:
See, previously Verizon was the only service here that worked well. now I hear that att 4g covers here quite well...
$230 to cancel Verizon early
$200 for a brand new phone on att
------
$430
Vs the $569.00 for a galaxy nexus I wanted to get for $99 early upgrade.
Actually less after I get $50-$100 for spare parts on eBay for this incredible 2...
Assinine and no way to do business at all.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
So I bought this on August 7th and have had no issues with it. I plan to use it until its dead (2 or 3 more years). I love my dinc 2.
I don't see a good reason to upgrade, even if I could. The newer phones are just faster, and have better displays, NTM the short battery life and that they break in 6 months.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
stevenjcampbell said:
Anyone ever have just... an Incredibly (no pun intended) bad time with hardware?
Here I am on my 4th device in 13 months.
It started when I allowed a best buy mobile rep talk me into the moto x2.
Phone #1 had a bum USB dock that wouldn't transfer data.
X2 numero dos had a proclivity to stutter all the time...root fixed that but then the headphone jack comes loose and all is broken.
X2 #3 same as #2 for headphone jack issues.
I fought long and hard and vzw offered me a slew of 4g devices which I chose a droid charge from.
But oops, cannot change a 3g device for a 4g device on warranty so now I get to choose from a myriad of garbage moto phones (wow a droid 3 or original x!) Or an incredible 2.
Now here I am with an incredible 2.
This came after I was offered and early upgrade over Christmas which I said no to, because I was five months invested in my current phone, why should I spend another $200 five months in??
Instead I called retentions and complained loudly and I got a pre owned incredible 2.
This phone has been an absolute dream. Even stock it is faster than than the x2s dual core CPU.
But getting this device in January I was warned that I am still in the moto x2 warranty period ending July 5th.
July 6th my phone started overheating and my screen will not light up with any images,just a dull black which I can still unlock answer etc.
Yeah. Freaking July 6th.
Now it happens just having it in my pocket.when it cools down all is good again...
As a last resort today being out of warranty anyhow I took the phone apart entirely, I took the motherboard assembly off and used compressed air to blow as much as I could behind the heat sync but this is just a broken phone I suppose because after reassembly it still isn't working.
So..long story longer, I went to a corporate store and they tell me I have two options, pay $500+ for a new device or get a second line and change to share everything for $50 more per month...
Or call 611.. which I do.
They tell me that I can pay $500+ or add a line (it'd be an extra $600/year I remind him) and he says sorry.
He can offer me an early upgrade that I'm asking for in March.
I said to him gee thanks, you are not really helping me, the website tells me exactly the same thing. Derrrrr. Dumb.
Basically, i was offered an early upgrade in December by a lackwitted tier 2 tech support agent and now because I didn't have $200 for a phone I knew would be severely updated I am being shaken down for a new handset.
I'm pretty upset to be honest, as I spend over $130/month with these guys and they just won't work with me.
So the conversation ends with me saying that since att has their own 4g where I live and that makes them an option for me, let's do math:
See, previously Verizon was the only service here that worked well. now I hear that att 4g covers here quite well...
$230 to cancel Verizon early
$200 for a brand new phone on att
------
$430
Vs the $569.00 for a galaxy nexus I wanted to get for $99 early upgrade.
Actually less after I get $50-$100 for spare parts on eBay for this incredible 2...
Assinine and no way to do business at all.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to Verizon my friend, I had to literally swear at a Verizon rep to replace my 3rd Droid X2 with the Inc2 and this was after they said they didn't have any available and I called them out because they had started a promo on their website THAT SAME DAY for inc2's. I swear they train their employees to not help customers at all.
Thanks so much for the replies guys.
honestly I love the phone...I wanted a galaxy nexus, and am offering to start my co tract over again on their new terms where it isn't unlimited.
These people should be happy that they get me on another two years of my life and now get to charge me more money for service.
You all would love how I ended the call;
(After pointing out they encouraged me to cancel vs helping me)
" Well I honestly hope that for quality reasons this call was recorded and you made notes so tomorrow when I call back they can know exactly why I'm cancelling service. Thanks for having me be a part of Verizon wireless and have a great day!"
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
Was the X2 really that bad of a phone?
I had to choose from the dinc 2 or the X2. I made a great choice
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
i had an almost identical experience with a past phone. this is my last vzw phone. their network is ok, but i resent having to root my phone to get rid of their garbage apps, their prices are absurd, and their customer service is a nightmare. im switching to a gsm iphone and going prepaid.
joefrog1996 said:
Was the X2 really that bad of a phone?
I had to choose from the dinc 2 or the X2. I made a great choice
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The x2 had major memory management issues for all of the 2.2 releases. It would not stream music, or play any music for that matter without skips, crackles, hiccups and pops.
The tegra 2 had NOTHING to do with it, aside from some pretty looking games (that always get ported to other devices) it would not use the second core anyhow as android 2.2 and 2.3 as far as i know do not use multi core cpus efficiently.
the hardware issues killed me. The headphone jack coming unsoldered TWICE is a poor build quality.
I've no idea if Google intends to put their name on a product that Moto makes after purchasing the mobility department but they should think twice because the ONLY phone i have read good reviews on is the Aria HD and thats one phone out of what... four years worth of handsets?
funky_snowman
i had an almost identical experience with a past phone. this is my last vzw phone. its ok, but i resent having to root my phone to get rid of their garbage apps, their prices are absurd, and their customer service is a nightmare. im switching to a gsm iphone and going prepaid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My problem is that I live in a largely rural area, but a town of around 20,000 that is covered by whatever Reno has.
If reno NV has LTE, we have it. If they have 3g, we have it.
But in lake tahoe you cannot build a new cellular tower due to environmental concerns, therefore you work with what you have.
Verizon has a great deal with the casinos in the area and therefore has coverage EVERYWHERE.
Like i said, i was TOLD that att and their LTE is much better than their 3g was, but i know for a fact people around here on ATT hate it.
Tmobile is a joke and works only on main drags of streets, and sprint is about as bad as Tmobile.
So as all the new networks come online they cannot build new towers here, just work with what they got. The broader spectrum of LTE seems to help the signal for ATT, and the coverage VZW has due to being the first provider gives them the best network over all.
Sucks... but yea.
Had 4 Droid x2s before my incredible2. Music always popped and phone would reboot randomly all the time. So glad I pushed Verizon until they gave me this phone. The problems it has are very little when compared to x2.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium
Yea the X2 had amazing potential but in the end it failed, locked boot loader, couldn't play music for sh*t, the 2nd core wasn't utilized very well, low graphic memory, etc, etc
That sucks man. I would look more into ATT if I were you. If it seems like the people you know have just as bad of experiences with them then i would just keep calling VZW until they offer you something better. I usually use a line like "I've been dealing with this issue for x amount of time and nobody that I have spoken with has even acknowledged the problems that I have already gone through! What can you do to make me feel like I should stay with your company?" Don't waste your breath on the regular care reps, the can't do much for you. Talk to loyalty/retentions. That line got me $400 worth of free products and movie channels when dish network lost amc and has worked on many other occasions. Shift the focus to all of the problems you have had with your phones and the fact that you don't feel like a valued customer instead of focussing just on the phone you have now.
Best of luck man. I hope this helps!
Sent from my ICS Dinc2
I don't think you have bad luck...I have replaced quite a few devices myself and never abuse them.
I do buy the insurance though thru vzw because I live in Vegas. It gets hot here and puts stress on the phones. I also change my synthetic oil every 5k instead of 8k because of the weather.
The good news is that if you want to stay on vzw you can buy on Craigslist to save a bit of money. Eventually when I feel there is a more solid phone I will do this (the latest phone has never been important to me)
Verizon has been terrible as of late. Another one of my family lines also has insurance and I don't even want to begin with the last issue i had with that claim.
In Vegas we have shops that can actually fix phones for you...have you considered this route?
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
I've been pretty fortunate, going from a D1 (that is still working - gave it to a friend in need) to the Inc2, and (knock on wood) have had no issues.
tincbtrar said:
I don't think you have bad luck...I have replaced quite a few devices myself and never abuse them.
I do buy the insurance though thru vzw because I live in Vegas. It gets hot here and puts stress on the phones. I also change my synthetic oil every 5k instead of 8k because of the weather.
The good news is that if you want to stay on vzw you can buy on Craigslist to save a bit of money. Eventually when I feel there is a more solid phone I will do this (the latest phone has never been important to me)
Verizon has been terrible as of late. Another one of my family lines also has insurance and I don't even want to begin with the last issue i had with that claim.
In Vegas we have shops that can actually fix phones for you...have you considered this route?
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and no... I can't be without the handset and have no other phone.
I remember Vegas. Cellular depot on sahara was great for fixing phones.
Yeah, I'm in lake Tahoe now. There aren't any repair shops here so sending out is what happens.
If this was an att phone popping a sim out would be easy.
Perhaps a trip to reno would find me a repair person... in the past I'd spend hours with the company arguing my point. Now I don't have time between work and family.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app
if anyone is still looking
So here are the end results.
1. Verizon did offer me an early upgrade last november or december.
-- And now because they "lost too much money" they have decided to stop early upgrades for users. So basically I am screwed in this regard. I found it laughable and even told the rep how Verizon posted over a BILLION DOLLAR PROFIT recently, she seemed like she had no idea what that even meant.
2. Even retentions is not willing to work with me on this. The circumstances are not allowing for it, according to the rep I spoke to (pretty much his exact wording)
3. They are offering this:
OPTION #1 - Get a certified pre owned device for $329 (this would be a motorola razr or less money would give me a bunch of garbage options)
OPTION #2 - Add a line, and this will give me the ability to get a new phone as a new contract phone. But of course adds about $600/year to my contract
OPTION #3 - Buy a new device off the internet, beware of stolen phones, apparently verizon keeps a blacklist of stolen devices.
OPTION #4 - Spend the $500+ on a new device from VZW new retail in box.
I am so frustrated. Guess that i am screwed. They dont care.
id probably leave verizon in your situation. though, id leave anyway, so maybe that suggestion is a little bit slanted.
if you aren't going to leave, id try to find something on ebay.
stevenjcampbell said:
OPTION #3 - Buy a new device off the internet, beware of stolen phones, apparently verizon keeps a blacklist of stolen devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah anytime a phone is reported lost or stolen the esn is blacklisted. If you buy one local (like Craigslist) make the person meet you at a VZW store so you can have them check the esn before you pay for it. If you buy one online make sure the place you buy it from is reputable and has some buyer protection built in.
Sent from my ICS Dinc2
cstone1991 said:
Yeah anytime a phone is reported lost or stolen the esn is blacklisted. If you buy one local (like Craigslist) make the person meet you at a VZW store so you can have them check the esn before you pay for it. If you buy one online make sure the place you buy it from is reputable and has some buyer protection built in.
Sent from my ICS Dinc2
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Click to collapse
I didn't know this. I'm glad I haven't bought one off eBay yet. That's got the potential for bad day.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk 2
SuFuS01dier said:
I didn't know this. I'm glad I haven't bought one off eBay yet. That's got the potential for bad day.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do buy from eBay just make sure that you buy it from someone with a lot of good feedback and ask lots of questions.
Sent from my ICS Dinc2
cstone1991 said:
If you do buy from eBay just make sure that you buy it from someone with a lot of good feedback and ask lots of questions.
Sent from my ICS Dinc2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll definitely be wary, but I'm satisfied with my phone for now. That might change by tomorrow though as I often feel the need for change
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk 2
SuFuS01dier said:
I'll definitely be wary, but I'm satisfied with my phone for now. That might change by tomorrow though as I often feel the need for change
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't buy a phone that doesn't list the status of the esn. Just leaving that out is grounds for suspicion.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda app-developers app