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[daw840]

Rant ahead.

I am trying to replace my wife's phone with a used smart phone of mediocre quality. We have Sprint contracts and are waiting for them to run out, but her Lotus has shit the bed and she needs a replacement. I think, no problem I will just get a used phone on eBay and activate it. Should be pretty simple right? Fucking WRONG. First phone I get off eBay from Dealtree Auctions (which is a Best Buy company) is a Palm Pixi. I get it home, charge it up, then call to activate it. Apparently whoever owned the phone before never deactivated it and I cannot use this phone. So I call them up, they are extremely helpful and refund me all my expense. No biggie I think, a bit of an inconvenience but no harm no foul. I'll just get another. I find a used Palm Pre on eBay and end up winning it, but it has no phone charger included. Whatever, I got it for cheaper than the Pixi and the difference is about the price of a phone charger. Today, on my lunch break, I go into the Sprint store to get a charger. While I am there I figure I would just have them go ahead and activate the phone. First off, the guy couldn't get the back plate off to get the codes from inside the phone. Not really too worried, he has one of his techs work on it. Apparently the back of this phone is the one they use for the display models and is actually fucking glued onto the back. He gets it off successfully though. As soon as the guy scans the phone barcode, he then tells me that the fucker is reported stolen. Then he fucking confiscates the phone that I just got in the mail. No option to do anything. At this point I have emailed alltechwholesale, the people I bought the phone from, and they have not responded.

What can I do if this company refuses to do anything? I mean, I don't have the phone anymore since Sprint took it. What are my chances here. Also, should I just wait and get the new HTC that is coming out on Friday? We were originally waiting until our contract expires so that we can get iPhones through ATT. Would I be just as satisfied with the HTC? We are eligible for an upgrade, we would just have to extend our contracts.

 

[I NEED SCISSORS]

Buy new and sealed. If it's not sealed, take it up with eBay.

 

[Patryn]

You just always have to remember that eBay has become one of the largest fencing organizations in the world, especially when it comes to electronics.

There's a reason that Craig's List is threatening it. It's much better when you can meet a seller face to face and inspect merchandise.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I just sold a phone on eBay.

buy from someone who posts lots of picture of the actual product you're going to buy unless they're a "Power Seller" in which case, they can probably be trusted.

I had maybe 10 pictures in my listing so that people would know *exactly* what they were getting in my used iPhone.

If I had it to do over again, though, I might have listed it on Craigslist first. the Listing fees took $30 out of a $350 sale.

 

[daw840]

I just sold a phone on eBay.

buy from someone who posts lots of picture of the actual product you're going to buy unless they're a "Power Seller" in which case, they can probably be trusted.

I had maybe 10 pictures in my listing so that people would know *exactly* what they were getting in my used iPhone.

See, it was a power seller. They had like 25000+ positive ratings.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

See, it was a power seller. They had like 25000+ positive ratings.

wow. hope you didn't already leave positive feedback.

is it too late to get your money back. PayPal and eBay will have your back if its under 45 days and you can get some of these issues in writing from your local Sprint store.

 

[Sinistar]

I'm pretty sure they are not supose to take the phone from you, I had the same thing happen to me with a storm I bought off ebay, I just unlocked it and went on t-mobile network. I couldnt use it on verizon because it had been reported stolen. I went to the verizon store and they just refused to activate it but they did let me keep the phone....

 

[trinest]

Bah should of just bought from Expansys.

 

[Jill Sandwich]

I successfully sold my 8GB iPhone 3G on eBay for £250.

Then got raped with £70 of fees for doing so.

 

[dorkimoe]

I bought one, it broke a week later (but it was just a cheap phone)

Buy new, make sure there are REAL pictures. Make sure you read everything about it, make sure its got the right GSM frequency or whatnot.

make sure its not a refurb, they put that in small print

 

[threenote]

I bought my iPhone 3G last year back when the Microsoft Live Cashback promo was around. Turned out great.

 

[mooooose]

If you paid Paypal, you're safe. Take it up with them and just force yourself a refund.

 

[lunarworks]

My boss bought a Blackberry off eBay. NEVER buy a Blackberry off of eBay.

(It took a few weeks, and a $50 phone call to RIM, but we got it working with the network. We were lucky.)

 

[industrian]

I once bought a mobile phone from a dude online (Amazon.co.uk seller) and it turned out to be stolen and froze up (not being able to make/receive calls, no signal) pretty much as soon as I got it. I got a refund so it all worked out.