[pkosian]

I bought a Curve on eBay that had supposedly been used for only a few weeks, and the seller is said to be canceling his contract with Verizon due to poor network coverage in his area. I received the phone on Tuesday night and have been unable to activate it thus far. I have been on the phone with Verizon customer service reps multiple times and keep being told that the phone is on the lost/stolen list, and that the original owner is the only one who has the ability to release the ESN so I can activate the phone. After e-mailing back and forth with the seller quite a bit, he is telling me that when a customer removes a phone from their account, Verizon automatically puts it on the lost/stolen list for 30 days in case the customer changes his/her mind about using the phone. I wanted to know from people who have either sold or bought used phones before if this sounds like accurate information. I'm so frustrated that the seller will not just contact Verizon and do what he needs to do as I have already paid and don't want to be stuck with a phone with a bad ESN anymore.

[cjharley]

That doesn't make sense to me. Why doesn't the seller just give you the ESN? If he still refuses to give you the information you might want to contact EBay and make a complaint against him.

[AbeFrohman]

Sounds incredibly suspicious to me. A seller who won't cooperate in releasing the ESN so you can use the phone? Doesn't sound legit to me. Hope you don't end up getting screwed, but... *cringe*

[sarfrazfamily]

Welcome to world of crooks!! It's sad but true people do this. I would contact ebay they will make him give you your money back. It will not happen over night though. be sure and keep all the emails even the ones you send to him. you can also get his phone number to call him, if you like!
Do you know how to do that?
In the future you need to get the ESN before you bid if they refuse to give it too you don't buy. Because you can't do anything with the ESN they will say you can but you can't. it's a lie!! sorry this happened to you, but the reason he doesn't want to call is becuase then he will have to pay because he lied and said it waslost/stolen. did you call CS they would tell you if it's been more than the 30 days on the lost list! wow! people never amaze me. let us know if you need help getting his phone number!

[dolphinguy]

Sounds like you got burned Report this person to EBay Now!

[pkosian]

I don't know if the phone has been on the list for more than 30 days and I haven't asked for his phone number yet, but the number that was attached to the phone before is still stored as the "My Number" even though there is nothing else in the phone. I have told the seller twice that if I could not activate the phone by today I would be sending it back for a refund so I think that is what I'm going to end up doing. I'm usually pretty savvy with stuff like this so I feel like a total ***** since it seems like I got scammed

Thanks to everyone for the info and for offering help!

[csierra72#CB]

Did you use Paypal to pay for it?

[PedroTheGoat#CB]

Ergh. I wish this wasn't happening to you. I had a good experience on eBay with my 8830. Then again, the phone was new when. I received it. Used phones just seem too scary to me.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[sarfrazfamily]

Here's how to request the phone number:

1. Click the "Advanced Search" link at the top of any eBay page.
2. Click the "Find Contact Information" link in the box on the left.
3. Enter the seller's user ID and the item number.
4. Click the "Search" button.

If the seller does not respond, then you may also want to contact PayPal and seek their advise regarding PayPal Purchase Protection



You can contact them via phone or email.

For PayPal phone support, go to:

https://www.paypal.com/row/cgi-bin/w..._contact-phone

For PayPal email support, go to:

Contact Us - PayPal
if they have Paypal protection it's good as well because
it helps protect buyers and may also help them with the refund process. However, I am not too sure as to how it works on their end.
It would be great if you get in touch with customer support.
Also, you may want to report it to their local law enforcement agency.

[csierra72#CB]

If they are unresponsive you can also file a claim on Paypal to get your money back. they will put a hold on the sellers account and they wont be able to do anything until the complaint is resolved.

[doktrgroove]

The more I see posts like this, the more obvious it appears that buying new phones from the carriers is the best way to go.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[csierra72#CB]

The more I see posts like this, the more obvious it appears that buying new phones from the carriers is the best way to go.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

My overall experiences have been good. I've been buying and selling on ebay since 2003. I bought a phone once that was on the lost/stolen list and the seller was far from being responsive. I got it resolved the old fashion way. The seller just happened to live near my old neighborhood so I had a buddy of mine go ring his bell.

[pkosian]

So I just heard back and the seller says that Verizon says it is 30 days until the phone can be activated no matter what, and he also claims that he "can't believe that." He says that he will refund me $50 next week if I don't mind waiting the 30 days, or that he will issue a full refund if i don't want to wait. He then suggests to call Verizon and ask to speak with a supervisor to hurry the process along. What do you guys think? For the price i paid, I want a refund a lot more significant than $50 to have to wait a month to activate so I think I'll end up sending it back but I will probably call Verizon first just in case there's anything they can do.

[dolphinguy]

Send it back and get your money back and if seller refuses report him to Ebay!

[kpxstar9]

sounds like you got burned. verizon does NOT add any phone to the national lost/stolen phone list WITHOUT the end consumers request. that being said, the person selling the phone called in to our tech support and had that phone added on to the list. i'd file a complaint with ebay asap and try to get your money back

[fonebrkr]

Do everything above, hopefully you used paypal, he's stalling with the 30 day deal, it gets very hard to claim fraud after 30 days. Vzw doesn't put any hold on legit phones.
I'd also direct him to this link.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[cipherdias]

My suggestion, contact the seller and get a refund pronto!

[bunky1971]

So I just heard back and the seller says that Verizon says it is 30 days until the phone can be activated no matter what, and he also claims that he "can't believe that." He says that he will refund me $50 next week if I don't mind waiting the 30 days, or that he will issue a full refund if i don't want to wait. He then suggests to call Verizon and ask to speak with a supervisor to hurry the process along. What do you guys think? For the price i paid, I want a refund a lot more significant than $50 to have to wait a month to activate so I think I'll end up sending it back but I will probably call Verizon first just in case there's anything they can do.

DONT WAIT FOR THE SELLERS REFUNDS - FILE YOUR CLAIM IMMEDIATELY. If you don't act in x number of days, PayPal can hold up your refund or the guy can withdraw $$$$ from PayPal and try to get it then. Sorry to hear your bad experience.

[kfrey]

Tell the seller to do a 3-way call with Verizon to get everything cleared up

[kfrey]

Also try looking for a phone on Craigslist.

[Smurfy71]

Start the dispute process with ebay and paypal, this will freeze his accounts. Likely he has already removed the money, but this will stop him from dealling on ebay until the dispute is settled. If you and he settle you can cancel the dispute. I recently had to do this, and I got my money back eventually. Don't wait, act fast.

[seipmoney]

yeah if its over thirty days, make a paypal claim, they are pretty good at getting things resolved or getting your money back. I do a ton of stuff on ebay and paypal has helped me out with crooks on five different occasions. Good luck to you.

[jwolfe99]

Stupid question but are you even sure that this person owned this phone, or maybe he is the one who stole it or ended up with it and is trying to pawn it off on someone. Sorry this happened to you, there are some pretty good sellers on Ebay and yes, I have purchased a phone or two in the past with no problems. I would send it back for a full refund, and I suggest you keep good records and call Ebay and PayPal and have this guy put out of business. Even if he is the rightful owner of the phone, he had no business selling it on Ebay or anywhere else if it could not be activated or used. It is his responsibility to make sure that what he is selling is as listed on Ebay.. I am assuming here that he did not post the 30day activation thing.. I am not a betting man but looks to me like he is Bull Shi!!ng you .. Good luck Hope you get this fixed soon and a new phone that you can actually use..

Julian

[ShortStop51001]

i sold my VZW blackberry pearl a few weeks ago on EBay. I had no problem selling it. The only problem i did run into was that i should have released the pin before selling it, and the girl who bought it had trouble setting up email. We talked over the phone and to verizon and they said since she already activated it(which she had no problem doing) she could have the pin released herself she would just have to pay her bill(i guess she must have been behind) then VZW would release the pin so that she could setup her email.

Had i known this prior, i would have released it prior to selling it, but it was a simple fix. I feel bad that you got scammed, but i wonder once you do get the phone if you will have to release the pin as well??

[flchick75]

I used to work in the fraud dept at Sprint. I do not think he's telling you the truth. See if Verizon will accept your ebay receipt as proof of payment. That might work for you. But unfortunately, they do not have ESNs on the receipt but it's worth a try.

Good luck!!