Purchasing a used 9900

**jechow** · 05-11-2012, 01:00 PM

I am looking into purchasing a used 9900 from Craigslist. I was wondering what I should be looking for in terms of issues with this phone and the possible reason the seller maybe trying to dump it.

How to you check for water damage?

Thanks

**blueyestm** · 05-11-2012, 01:16 PM

Check the ESN to make sure it is clear above anything because if it is not clear then you won't be able to use the functions of the phone -

**papped** · 05-11-2012, 01:21 PM

You have to check the stickers to see if there's water damage.

The other thing is to make sure the PIN itself is not blocked, but there's no real way to verify that unless it already has BIS service up and running...

**Ben1232** · 05-11-2012, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by jechow

I am looking into purchasing a used 9900 from Craigslist. I was wondering what I should be looking for in terms of issues with this phone and the possible reason the seller maybe trying to dump it.

How to you check for water damage?

Thanks

In the back cover (battery door) there are two water damage stickers. One on the phone itself next to the terminals and the second is on the bottom of the battery. When not liquid damaged they are white, when the device has seen liquid these turn red / pink.

**jechow** · 05-11-2012, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by blueyestm

Check the ESN to make sure it is clear above anything because if it is not clear then you won't be able to use the functions of the phone -

I'm not really sure what "check the ESN" means? And how do you check this?

Originally Posted by papped

The other thing is to make sure the PIN itself is not blocked, but there's no real way to verify that unless it already has BIS service up and running...

I guess I could put my own SIM into the phone with my data plan which includes BIS and then make a BBM authorization request to a friend. OR can I just turn off wifi and then try to access the internet to see if BIS service is up and running?

Originally Posted by Ben1232

In the back cover (battery door) there are two water damage stickers. One on the phone itself next to the terminals and the second is on the bottom of the battery. When not liquid damaged they are white, when the device has seen liquid these turn red / pink.

Thanks! I totally did not know this.

**ibcop** · 05-11-2012, 01:58 PM

When someone says to check the "ESN" (Electronic Serial Number), that is usually done with a CDMA device, such as the 9930 for Verizon. Your post shows you are getting a 9900, which is a GSM device. If it were me, I'd agree to meet at the carrier store to ensure it will activate and work properly. If the seller is genuine, he/she won't have any problems doing this.

**ibcop** · 05-11-2012, 02:00 PM

Also, you can go to options>device>device and status information, then type "buyr" (without the quotations). That will show you the total talk time and data usage.

**robsteve** · 05-11-2012, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by ibcop

When someone says to check the "ESN" (Electronic Serial Number), that is usually done with a CDMA device, such as the 9930 for Verizon. Your post shows you are getting a 9900, which is a GSM device. If it were me, I'd agree to meet at the carrier store to ensure it will activate and work properly. If the seller is genuine, he/she won't have any problems doing this.

That is the best suggestion; meet at the carrier store. I think in Europe they have an imei checking service to ensure it is not a blocked phone. Even though GSM phones use sim cards, the imei is also part of the process for registering on the network. If possible get a 9900 branded for your carrier because having the imei already in their system can help with advanced features and even warranty repair.

In regards to putting your sim in, it is not that simple with OS7 phones because they need to be logged back into BlackBerryID after a sim change. If the phone was recently used, I guess the seller could log it into his BBID and you can then test the BlackBerry Specific issues. You would then do a security wipe to remove his BBID off the phone.

If the phone has already been wiped and you put your BBID into it your BBM messages will begin going to that phone's pin, so make sure you security wipe it if you do not buy it. You could put your sim in your old phone, but if it is not using BBID, it may not trnasfer the PIN of your BBID back to that phone.

**mssca** · 05-11-2012, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by jechow

I'm not really sure what "check the ESN" means? And how do you check this?

I guess I could put my own SIM into the phone with my data plan which includes BIS and then make a BBM authorization request to a friend. OR can I just turn off wifi and then try to access the internet to see if BIS service is up and running?

Thanks! I totally did not know this.

Yes you can place the SIM and check if it is working(the phone has to be unlocked). Also, try doing several reboots because sometimes you can catch JVM errors this way. While most Java errors are related to OS and can be fixed, it is good to know what's the current state of the phone.

Also go to Options -> Device -> device and status information(BUYR ) and check if the IP Policy is on under Buyer's Remorse. It will also show how long the phone has been in use.

**palomartian** · 05-11-2012, 02:09 PM

...is a bad idea. Too high a fail rate to chance it without warranty.

**jechow** · 05-11-2012, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by robsteve

In regards to putting your sim in, it is not that simple with OS7 phones because they need to be logged back into BlackBerryID after a sim change. If the phone was recently used, I guess the seller could log it into his BBID and you can then test the BlackBerry Specific issues. You would then do a security wipe to remove his BBID off the phone.

If the phone has already been wiped and you put your BBID into it your BBM messages will begin going to that phone's pin, so make sure you security wipe it if you do not buy it. You could put your sim in your old phone, but if it is not using BBID, it may not trnasfer the PIN of your BBID back to that phone.

OK. So I will go and wipe the phone, stick in my SIM, then BBM should work without any additional configuration? My old BBM friends will automatically have my updated PIN?

Originally Posted by mss-ca

Yes you can place the SIM and check if it is working(the phone has to be unlocked). Also, try doing several reboots because sometimes you can catch JVM errors this way. While most Java errors are related to OS and can be fixed, it is good to know what's the current state of the phone.

Also go to Options -> Device -> device and status information(BUYR ) and check if the IP Policy is on under Buyer's Remorse. It will also show how long the phone has been in use.

What does Buyer's Remorse mean/imply? Is this a joke I am not getting? My current phone says disabled.

**robsteve** · 05-11-2012, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by jechow

OK. So I will go and wipe the phone, stick in my SIM, then BBM should work without any additional configuration? My old BBM friends will automatically have my updated PIN?
.

You will need to put your BlackBerryID into the new phone. If your old phone was not using BlackBerryID, it may not do the transfer automatically. You may be able to enable BlackBerryID on the old phone before the switch to make your pin transfer with the switch. It is not instantaneous either. It can take a few hours some times.

You will not need to wipe your old phone for the transfer to happen, so you can keep it as a backup. Depending on the OS it may require the BBID login again when you insert the sim into it. Make sure you have the wifi on and a valid wifi profile in the old phone enabled and you will be able to turn it on without a SIM and when it asks for the BBID login, it can verify it over wifi. This may only be an OS 7 thing, as I haven't tried it with my older phones.

This whole BlackBerryID thing is relatively new and constantly changing, so it is hard to get a clear answer on what to do to make sure the contacts get your new PIN.