[INeedHelp#CB]

I just found a perfectly brand new Blackberry 8830WE for Sprint yesterday in the garbage. (I work the night shift @ my College's dining hall) I have Sprint service already, I believe this phone should be reported lost by now, is there any way I could switch my plan over to this phone? I already have an internet plan and unlimited txt so this would be perfect..

Does anyone know a way where I can re-program the phone to my plan myself? I dont think Sprint will switch lost phones over..

Thanks..


-I Need Help

[chaz_cb]

If it's been reported as lost/stolen, I don't think there's anything you can do.

[Garz]

I'm not familiar with sprint so I cannot answer your question but if you decide to try and hook it up just becareful as that BB could be reported stolen.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Connert]

Why not post a sign or something to try returning it to the owner?

[chaz_cb]

I'm thinking it was stolen, the person couldn't do anything with it - password protected, BB illiterate, whatever - and then just tossed it. Someone's missing their BB.

[raylol16]

Yea I believe if it has been reported it's basically disabled. Either way you have to call Sprint up to switch your service onto that BB. I don't know if it's the same as Verizon but the ESN and what not of that phone is probably listed as stolen/missing. So if you call and try to switch they will try to see if you are the actual owner. You would have to get a BB plan anyway to use that not just a data plan I thought. Don't quote me on that one might be different on different carriers. I know on Verizon you cant have a BB without either a BES plan or the BIS plan.

[Apollo_Creed]

Call Sprint and have them change your info over. As far as they know, you purchased the phone from someone. All you'll have to do is give them the IMEI number so they can switch it over. That's how I would do it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[raylol16]

Call Sprint and have them change your info over. As far as they know, you purchased the phone from someone. All you'll have to do is give them the IMEI number so they can switch it over. That's how I would do it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

That's only if the original owner hasn't reported the phone stolen/missing yet.

[Apollo_Creed]

You will have to also get a blackberry plan if you don't have one now. You're looking at about a 120 bucks a month depending on what services you get. I don't know if you already have a Berry now but that's what you'll be looking at.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Adlen]

Thank you! you found my BlackBerry! now I'll just PM you my address so you can send it back to me...

[Adlen]

...That isn't going to work, is it?

[chaz_cb]

...That isn't going to work, is it?

Highly doubt it, bud

[garbagefairy1967]

LOL Adlen!!!

[raylol16]

LOL good effort though!

[Adlen]

It's always worth a try - my slip-up was saying "that isn't going to work" seconds later...

[Sniperet]

I can't believe some of these replies and that some of you think it is perfectly acceptable to try to use a phone that is probably stolen and thrown away by the theif. Also the bad advice of telling the OP to try to activate the phone which could very well cause them some legal hassles or real problems. If you find a phone it "CANNOT" be activated if it has been reported stolen or lost to the carrier, which I'm sure it has or will be I mean who is not going to report their Blackberry is gone.

Bottom line is that you should call the carrier and tell them you found the phone and ask them how to get it back to the owner, geeze the owner could be a member of this forum.

[mededitor]

ITA with Sniperet, above.

It's possible that the owner put the BB on his/her food tray and accidently threw it away himself, it may not be stolen. How about doing the right thing and like Sniperet said, contact the BB's carrier to see if it can be returned to its rightful owner.

If there's no carrier on the BB's case, the least you can do is put up some signs in the dining hall and around campus about finding a cell phone in the dining hall (give the name of the specific dining hall, if it has a name) on whatever date you found it and providing some way of contacting you. Obviously don't say that it's a BB, the supposed owner will have to provide you with all of that kind of information to make sure it's going back to its rightful owner.

If you lost or had stolen an expensive piece of equipment, would you want someone to find it and just "lol" or would you hope that the finder would do the right thing and try to get it back to you?

BTW, if the BB was reported stolen/missing and you try to activate it, you may have a hard time explaining to law enforcement that you didn't steal the phone yourself.

[JRSCCivic98]

I got a better idea. How about you look through the contact list on the phone. Call up someone close to the original owner or even his "home" number if it's in there and pretend you're holding the BB for ransom. Tell them stuff like you're going to scratch the screen if they don't pay up and if they don't belive you hold the phone up to the Blackberry so they can hear it beeep (*scream) as you push buttons on it in agony.

Oh yeah, make sure you give them a deadline... that's important, don't forget that.



But yeah, why are we even giveing this guy suggestions? It's the ever popular "Oh, I found a BB, how can I just start using it?" routine. Come on people! Does no one do the right thing anymore?

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Don't ask for chump change... ask for like 50 million dollars. :Chris Tucker:

[jcj1]

look in call log for persons # and have sprint have them call you

[dlgus]

Little confused--if you think the phone should be reported lost/stolen by now, why are you trying to keep it? Seems a little shady to me. I mean, these phones are not cheap, and if it were me, I'd want it back. Is there no way to post a "I found your phone" listing?

[Adlen]

/posting to view page 2/

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[KarlyT]

I'm with you, Sniperet.

There is obviously something wrong with the sound of this "in the garbage" BB, and step one would have been to notify Sprint IMMEDIATELY. I can only imagine that Sprint would be able to trace the owner in seconds.

As for finding it in the dining hall garbage, shouldn't your first thought have been that someone had it on their tray and accidentally threw it out? Or did the desire to have a free BB override what you knew was the logical reason for the BB being in the garbage?

The real owner must be absolutely sick inside. Just imagine for one second how losing our BB's would impact our lives... even temporarily. Not a pretty thought, is it?

Shame on all of you who tried to encourage and instruct this person into having the phone transferred over!!

[Tylerd]

So, what did you do about this situation? Just turn it in, and buy yourself a new BB.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jc34]

Proabably not going to hear from he/she any more. Sounded like they wanted to use the phone so went up to the phone store to switch their phone out where it was discovered lost/stolen. Probably spending a few days at the luxurious Gray Bar Hotel.

[dpg2103]

I am sick to my stomach just reading this thread. I do not know one person who purchases a BB to just use it as a "phone". I hope the person who lost this one backed up all the info and locked the device. jc34 is right, we will most likely never hear from this loser again.