STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

halleybird · Hermes

cell phone question

Lilykind · Hermes

do you have cell phone insuarance? if you do, you just have to pay a $50 fee and then they'll give you an equivalent phone to what you had and make every effort to accomodate you.

rocky · Coach

I would be careful about buying electronics off of ebay, my friend spent $300 on a laptop that doesn't work. Make sure the seller is reputable, or that you pay from paypal because they have buyer protection. I have Cingular, but usually I can just insert my SIM card into the phone and it will work, no "activation" needed, I am not sure about Verizon though.

Also, if you have been in your contract for more than 6 months you are eligible for an "upgrade" meaning you can get a discount off of a new phone by extending your contract further.

RyanJ · Coach

Make sure they are reputable, but other than that I say go for it.

My SIL sister works at Alltell. My bf has Verizon and whenever my SIL gets a new phone she gives the old phone to my BF. Verizon programs is so it will work for him. He has been doing that for about three years and there have never been any problems.

Vanessa · Kate Spade

Halleybird... First of all, make sure you get a phone that is compatible with your service. GSM phones (those with SIM cards) will only work if they're unlocked or locked to your network - so if you get a phone that's set up for AT&T per se, a T-Mobile sim card won't work in it, etc. etc.
Verizon is still on a CDMA network (at least here in Chicago) so you just need to make sure that your phone is a CDMA phone. To really make sure I'd pick a phone you like from the vendor's website (motorola, nokia, etc) or from the Verizon website and then find that phone on eBay. My ex bought a few cell phones on ebay and never had any problems.
That said, you should call Verizon and ask if you're eligible for an upgrade. Most cell phone companies allow you to upgrade phones after a year or so for a very low cost, or sometimes even free. Just don't tell them your phone stopped working. Tell them it's very old and you're having problems and if you have to hint that you've been thinking of switching providers. They'll often times do something to keep you as their customer. It's definitely worth a call. HTH!

halleybird · Hermes

Thanks, everyone, for your advice!

rocky & vanessa - Unfortunately, I am NOT eligible for an upgrade, which is part of the reason I hate Verizon. I have been with Verizon for 5 years. 1.5 years ago, I added my husband to MY account, after we bought our house. When I added him, they made HIM the primary accountholder. Because we have a joint account, HE is eligible for an upgrade when his two years are up in the fall.

I was SO mad when I found that out. I have argued with them forever, and their only reason is that he's the guy, and they make the guy the primary accountholder. I think Verizon is full of chauvenists (they won't let my mom make any changes to her account b/c my stepdad is the "accountholder", no matter what he tells them...and they have a joint plan too).

Anyhow, long story short: only men get new cell phones.

Vanessa, thanks for letting me know about the CDMA.

crystal · Kate Spade

halleybird wrote:

OK, so my phone officially died yesterday (erm, after I dropped it...but it was really old!). Has anyone ever bought a new one on ebay? My contract isn't up with Verizon and I don't feel like dropping $300 on a phone without contract. If I buy one on ebay, does it have to be new in box? How do I activate it? Any ideas? Thanks

ok, so i have verizon & i'm not sure what u mean by ur contract isn't up, but if u've been w/ verizon for two years u get a new phone worth up to $100 for free (the $100 is debatable, mine was more than that but still free). it's called "new every 2". u say ur phone was old so hopefully that means more than two years so i would call & see if u r eligible for new every 2. i think they add years to ur contract, but it doesn't matter where u r in ur current contract to get the new phone. good luck!

RyanJ · Coach

crystal wrote:

halleybird wrote:
OK, so my phone officially died yesterday (erm, after I dropped it...but it was really old!). Has anyone ever bought a new one on ebay? My contract isn't up with Verizon and I don't feel like dropping $300 on a phone without contract. If I buy one on ebay, does it have to be new in box? How do I activate it? Any ideas? Thanks
ok, so i have verizon & i'm not sure what u mean by ur contract isn't up, but if u've been w/ verizon for two years u get a new phone worth up to $100 for free (the $100 is debatable, mine was more than that but still free). it's called "new every 2". u say ur phone was old so hopefully that means more than two years so i would call & see if u r eligible for new every 2. i think they add years to ur contract, but it doesn't matter where u r in ur current contract to get the new phone. good luck!

She probably is in the middle of her two year contract and so she isn't eligalbe for the upgrade/new phone yet.

halleybird · Hermes

My HUSBAND is eligible for "new every 2" when HIS two years are up. (When I "added" him, they cancelled my contract and just put me on his.) I am a secondary accountholder, so I get nothing.

Tati · Chanel

halleybird wrote:

I am a secondary accountholder, so I get nothing.

are you sure? sometimes those people give out wrong info.

Our contract is under my husbands name and I got a new phone and then a month later he got one too.......

FashionPrincess · Hermes

My husband both buys and sells all of our cell phones on ebay, and trust me, it's frequently as he has to have the new coolest toy We've never had any problems. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I can ask him for ya.

Oh, and yeah, I second all that stuff Vanessa said about CDMA, GSM, locked and unlocked, etc.