Whenever I buy an electronic devices I always purchase insurance. Very rarely do I use them as my devices never really mess up. LOL! I still have an original PSP from when it came out, never used the warranty/insurance on that one.
Being as this is the second G Tablet I have bought(one for me and one as a gift), I did buy insurance for mine(2 years).
I asked the Sears cashier if I theoretically owned two and one had insurance, can I use the insurance for the one I have? He was puzzled at my question and responded with? "No because it is one insurance for one item" I asked him that when people return items, do they go by serial number or item number to verify an item? His response was "We go by stock number, but if something happens and the screen doesn't respond or it wont turn on anymore you can ship it to us for free and we'll exchange it for a new one if it is covered" So again I asked him my questions but a little bit differently this time and asked "So if I bring one and its messed up and have insurance on one of them, does it matter which one I bring?" He was perplexed and could not respond to that question and just said "Well try it, just make sure one of the items is not opened(sealed) and try and return it using your insurance. But if there isn't a problem we cannot exchange it for a new one, you can only get a refund.". I ended up topping my questions with the manufacturer's warranty and thats when he said "Well for those are when the serial number is required, but we don't handle that. Well if you are unsure or it turns out you cant use the insurance on both, bring the unopened within 30 days for a refund, they just rebuy it again with insurance"
IDK if the guy knew exactly what I was talking about because his smile turned upside down when I rejected the insurance and asked him about the loop hole. So gain, I would love some personal experience on this matter. Should I have bought the other insurance too? Or should I test and exploit this possible loophole. I am just saying because $57 is $57 and I have been duped lots of times for insurances that I never really used (except on my old G1 and Xbox 360-RRoD). I know that on the 360 they go by serial and that's probably because its Micro$oft.
Sorry for the wall O' text! and thanks for any answers!
I never, EVER buy insurance on electronic items. The way I see it, if the item lasts through the first 30 days without issue, it's likely to go a long, long time. I also use a credit card which automatically doubles the manufacturer's warranty at no charge.
If you had saved what you have likely spent on extended warranties for every item you have ever purchased, wouldn't you have plenty of money to replace any of those items by now? The reason why retailers push extended warranties so hard is because they are virtually pure profit. Heck, I usually get the itch to upgrade an item long before it quits working, so again, all of that money would have been wasted for me. To each his own.
I just bought my G Tablet at Office Depot for $369. Insurance would have been $119.
At that rate, I'll take my chances.
I like your chances of "splitting" the insurance as well. They'd never go by serial number to check.
Wow that's some pretty expensive insurance! Well I was looking over my insurance receipt and it looks like I was right! They only use the UPC number(item number) for exchanges and insurance. On the insurance policy it just ask for my receipt # and UPC# on their website. I saw no reference to the serial number anywhere. Win for me. I know I'll probably never damage or mess up my tablet, but the gift recipient might.
Thanks anyway, I might look up into those credit cards you guys mentioned.
I worked in both Tools and Electronics at Sears from 2000-2005. They changed registers since then, so I'm not sure how much has changed (based on the menu's I've seen, not much), but other than consoles (as mentioned) everything is strictly based on stock numbers, so in theory it should work.
Now, I think in part to combat this, and to combat construction workers from abusing this, you actually can only use the warranty once.
http://www.searspurchaseprotect.com/tnc/tnc_national.aspx
"This Plan will be fulfilled and the Term shall expire as to each Covered Product when a product reimbursement or product exchange is made for that Covered Product after the beginning of the Term"
Horray for lawyer speak. Honestly I would be surprised if many register jockey's knew anything of this. I only recall this coming up once in my 5 years there.
Related
If I buy a NEW phone on ebay (example HTC Touch Pro or Blackberry Storm), and it is defective, could I go to a Verizon store and return or exchange it without a receipt (assuming I still have the box).
Does anyone know if this is possible?
Hi. Keep in mind I'm sure they track serial #'s / ESN's & such so even if they are nice enough to exchange it (which I've never had the gonads to try) you run the risk that the phone was reported stolen, is under contact on someone else's account or who knows what, you're standing there with your pants down. Then again I suppose they wouldn't let you activate the phone on your account if those were true.. (Sorry I've been in the GSM world too long where you move your SIM as needed.) Anyway I'd say you're taking some big chances there since they surely link phones with accounts or service it was purchased with. I'd love to hear of anyone who has succeeded in this.. It's not like you're buying a toaster & returning it to Kmart for a merchandise credit or something. lol
Bill
by the phone being on someone else's account, does that mean for example they bought the phone at the 2yr contract price only to turn it around and sell it on ebay for profit?
The ebay buyer did nothing wrong in that case, the ESN was clean and ebay purchased cells are easily activated.
thanks for responding.
Yeah that's what I meant but you are assuming best case scenario.. As I said who knows, the phones could have been stolen from a reseller or dealer (I do computer support for a sprint/nextel dealer & they've had many stolen even by employees who turn around & sell them on ebay. The store definitely figures it out eventually & they get reported as stolen & flagged. Maybe within days or weeks or months.) or who knows. That is one of biggest risks of buying off ebay. You may not know the history. Not trying to scare you just saying remember you'll be the one in the store holding stolen merchandise. Again, you risk the same trying to add the phone to your account so I guess they'll track you down either way. lol
As far as your original question, I wish I could say I knew but I don't. I assume there is virtually 0 chance of a return with refund and only a slight chance of an exchange assuming the phone is not flagged & you have a good story. Maybe someone else could chime in who has tried it. Again we are talking expensive phones normally bought with a contact linked to an account so easily traceable so don't be surprised if they scan it in & call you by the name of the guy who sold it to you. lol
Bill
It's just amazing that Verizon makes it so hard to upgrade your phone before your contract is up (even if you're willing to pay full price!!). The only way you can really do it is by buying a phone off of ebay and activating it yourself.
Yeah I'd imagine. That is one nice thing about GSM: Just move your SIM, assuming the phone isn't locked to another carrier which is usually pretty easy to get unlocked. I have bought about 50 phones off ebay (That would have been like 2 had I needed to call AT&T every time I wanted to switch! lol) & for the most part I've had pretty good luck with some duds. (Incompatible model missing 850 band, broken or more worn than expected) If you are in a pinch you might not have much choice but just make sure you buy from someone with high & good feedback & you should be OK. Better yet make sure they have a good return policy or even their own warranty. Not sure if the trick will work for you but I've bought 'Pay as you go' phones & put my SIM in when I needed a phone quickly. Maybe verizon has such a thing too but the prepaid phones are usually pretty awful. Of course there is a chance they'd refuse to add it to your account too. Buy yeah I wouldn't chance buying something on ebay hoping you can return to the local store if needed. I'd say buy new & hopefully sealed, not used (especially for expensive phones unless you want to risk it. Of course you can always try selling back on ebay if needed) from a good seller like I mentioned above & you should be fine. Btw the other thing to consider is go to an authorized Verizon dealer (vs a real Verizon store). You might find them much more likely to work with you on selling you a phone without a contact. I know they make big bucks signing up people but if you're willing to pay retail for a phone I'd imagine they won't turn you away especially if you suggest you'll be back when renewal time comes.
Bill
Ok, so believe it or not, I called Verizon and the rep told me that even if you don't have the original receipt, the verizon store uses the proof of purchase barcode to tell when the item was purchased. If your item is defective you can exchange it, and she even said in some cases they'll even let you put the money towards a new phone, although they prefer to have a receipt.
I'm shocked as I thought they would have a very strict return policy.
Also, any cell purchased in the last month is returnable until Jan 15, which means blackberry storms and htc touch pros and omnias bought on ebay can simply be returned to a verizon store if they are defective!
Wow! Did you get that in writing? lol Guess they have a very lenient return policy. Sounds like they do track them big time but instead of holding it against you they actually HELP you with the info. Geesh, if that really works I'd say they have some killer customer support policies! Makes me want to break a phone to try it & see. Then again I'm on ATT & they'd prolly laugh as they escorted me out the store. :|
Good luck with that, I'd love to hear follow up if you end up needing to try it but then again I'm sure you'd rather NOT have to try. Anyone else ever actually do this with any carrier?
Ok. So I was going to flash back to stock and it froze during the install. After I pulled the batterybi get nothing but a black screen. Not even a charging icon when plugged in. I have bricked it before but always had something come up on the screen and was able to unbrick. Long story short the home button was giving me issues anyway so I shipped it to samsung. What do you guys think? I a, sure they will be able to get into some sort of diagnostics mode and see I have been jacking with roms???? Do you think they will charge me for a new motherboard? Oh well just needed to share please don't flame. It should be at the repair center Friday. I will let you knownthe progress.
They should be able to tell that you were flashing ROMs on the phone. I've read stories of phones being replaced under warranty for no-charge at first, and then customers getting like a $500 on their cell bill a few months later after Samsung figured out the phones bricked during a ROM flash.
500? Seriously? Or are you just screwing with the newb don't mind paying a 100 or so, but 500 is a bit steep.
MSRP/No commitment pricing is $500.
I find it pretty hard to believe that a stealth charge of $500 would show up months after the fact.
There should always be the option to decline the service due to a charge and it should be stated explicitly before a single dollar changes hands.
I'd like to see some sort of proof or reference to someone getting charged like that, otherwise......screenshot or it didn't happen.
evoic said:
I find it pretty hard to believe that a stealth charge of $500 would show up months after the fact.
There should always be the option to decline the service due to a charge and it should be stated explicitly before a single dollar changes hands.
I'd like to see some sort of proof or reference to someone getting charged like that, otherwise......screenshot or it didn't happen.
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I'll be damned if im going to search through the hundreds of "i bricked my captivate" threads for when I remember reading about that but i've seen it mentioned a few times.
Honestly though, i just pay the $5 a month for the insurance. I figure if I am jacking with flashing the phone and I brick it, $125 is a small price to pay to replace it. Not to mention, its my fault, not samsungs.
evoic said:
I find it pretty hard to believe that a stealth charge of $500 would show up months after the fact.
There should always be the option to decline the service due to a charge and it should be stated explicitly before a single dollar changes hands.
I'd like to see some sort of proof or reference to someone getting charged like that, otherwise......screenshot or it didn't happen.
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If I had time, I'd dig up those references for you. I guess my point is this, if you try to make a warranty claim on a bricked phone deliberately withholding some of the facts as to why it was bricked in the first place, you are potentially leaving the door open for ATT to stick you with the bill. By all means this isn't something that's going to happen every time, but I'd just like to share that the possibility is out there...that's all!
Never asked for a replacement, but your right I didn't tell all the truth Don't mind them billing me, I just want the flakey home button fixed. If it's excess of 150 I will probably just have them scrap it and ask them to bill me for the shipping cost they incurred I would gladly pay more if I knew I would have a working gps but still have my trusty backup iPhone 4. By the way I payed full unsubsidized price for the phone. They received it already I will let you know how it unfolds.
I returned my phone today and they gave me a new one. I just got the phone off ebay so there is no way they can bill me for 500 bucks. I told the guy this and he took it back saying it was under warranty.
They cant just stealth charge you 500 bucks. Especially when they dont ask you at the counter when you returned the phone.
Well its fixed and has been shipped. Hats off to samsung for the quick turnaround. Shipped it to them Wednesday and it was repaired and returned Saturday. I should have it Monday or Tuesday. Maybe the fixed the GPS
I purchased a warranty or insurance for my G tablet(2 years) from sears. My question for those that work or have experience with returns, say I have 2 G tablets; 1 with and 1 without insurance. Can I return either of the two incase something happens to Sears?
I'm asking because I had originally bought a Nook Color for my sister's birthday, but she didn't really like it so I returned it. She wants the same one I have and knowing how clumsy she is, can my insurance protect hers?
Thanks!
Depends on if they registered your serial number when they sold you the warranty. If so, you're probably not going to be able to do it.
wiredmonkey said:
Depends on if they registered your serial number when they sold you the warranty. If so, you're probably not going to be able to do it.
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I don't think they did, I went to return a gtab 3 days after purchase to get the $30 sale difference. When I asked if I was still able to purchase an insurance all they did was ask for my rewards card and receipt. I only paid the difference of $20 for the 2 year insurance. I would think that if you're covered, return one, then the serials would be different or change. I think they only go by item number/stock number. The only ones I know that go by serial is when you're going by manufacturer's warranty.
Any other help, or experience with this?
It's too late but I'd recommend using an American Express card for purchases since they will extend warranty to another year. Other credit cards do it also but Amex tends to have pretty good service for their extended warranty.
I bought a 3y warranty from squaretrade yester with accidental "handling" damage added for c. $65... there's a 30% off coupon which worked for me: FBPREVIEW
(I've never bought a warranty from squaretrade before, but I've only seen positive comments about them, and no negative(a good sign as negatives are usually more common than positive comments) comments... seemed like a good deal to me as I'm sure that I'll eventually drop the gTab or spill something on it...)
Today, while running with my son on a nature trail, a freak accident happened. The stroller hit a rock in such a way it launched my phone from a holding pouch into the air and onto the ground shattering the screen. (i run over 75 miles a month for the last two years, so never dreamed of this happening) I was devastated, especially since it's a month old and since i'm one NEXT i can't really afford an extra 200 bucks. I went onto the phoneclaim website and tried to file a claim, initially telling me my deductible was 199.99 but my g3 wasn't listed and it told me to call to file the claim.
So, I call the number, speak to someone. She asked me about the damage, and what accessories if any i was claiming. I told her just the phone, no accessories or sim card - since that stuff was in tact. After putting me on hold, she asked me about the color of the phone, repeated the LG G3, asked me to verify identity questions (which amounted to my street address) and said that my deductible was 50.00 which would be applied to my bill. Now, i said
"not that i'm complaining, but this is the 32gb white LG G3 we're talking about, correct? "
"she replies yes sir"
"I said not only did the at&t rep tell me 199.99 when i signed up for the insurance, but the website also told me 199.99 when i entered in my number"
"she said I wouldn't complain either sir, it states 50.00 here with 1-2 business days shipping"
So, what are the odds something bad is going to happen here?
Ie: the wrong phone replacement, not a phone at all, but like a battery or something... i dunno.
Just can't wrap my mind around everyone saying 199.99, then being told 50.00 for 600 phone. ....
should I be worried?
Did they send you a confirmation email? If not, call back with the case # and get them to email that to you.
Storm T said:
Did they send you a confirmation email? If not, call back with the case # and get them to email that to you.
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They did, but all it states is that the claim is been received and being processed and a tracking number will be provided once it ships.
I'd imagine you're good to go at $50 since she told you that.
Storm T said:
I'd imagine you're good to go at $50 since she told you that.
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It's a good thing I went back to the site.
They had me for a replacement of the G3 VIGOR, not the G3 D850. When I called back, they asked me a ton more questions plus i have to sign an affidavit and send in a copy of my license. Then she told me an adjuster would call me and let me know if it would be replaced or not. She also said had i not called back i wouldn't have even gotten a new phone because the last person screwed up.
But, seriously... what am I paying insurance for if they will let me know about the replacement... i'm pretty sure we pay insurance for this exact issue.
I dunno, what a headache.
That sucks! I've replaced one that way before and I never had to give them a copy of my license? I'd sure be *****ing. Good luck!
Unfortunately this happened to me a week after I had my phone. The deductible was 165$ & they tried to give me an lg g2. Luckily I called back and had it fixed. It was a quick yet expensive lesson. And yes, I had to do the same with my license and an affidavit. Hope it goes well for you.
Sent from my LG-D850 using XDA Free mobile app
petros855 said:
Unfortunately this happened to me a week after I had my phone. The deductible was 165$ & they tried to give me an lg g2. Luckily I called back and had it fixed. It was a quick yet expensive lesson. And yes, I had to do the same with my license and an affidavit. Hope it goes well for you.
Sent from my LG-D850 using XDA Free mobile app
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No such luck for me. I've had my claim denied twice now. I've filled out three affidavits, sent in various pics of the phone and barcodes, license etc. I've mad a trip to the AT&T store all to no avail.
The reasoning is all very vague, like telling me my time of occurrence and date of last usage don't match, or that they've even tried telling me i don't own a G3 lol.
Worst experience ever...
I'll end up trying to contact LG and see if i can just get them to replace the screen for the 200 bucks it will cost or whatever.
sigh.
st0nez0r said:
No such luck for me. I've had my claim denied twice now. I've filled out three affidavits, sent in various pics of the phone and barcodes, license etc. I've mad a trip to the AT&T store all to no avail.
The reasoning is all very vague, like telling me my time of occurrence and date of last usage don't match, or that they've even tried telling me i don't own a G3 lol.
Worst experience ever...
I'll end up trying to contact LG and see if i can just get them to replace the screen for the 200 bucks it will cost or whatever.
sigh.
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That's weird that they say your " time of occurrence and date of last usage don't match"
Are you rooted and did you remove lots of apps like carrierIQ?
Do you think they are just BSing you?
Lol this makes me want to cancel my insurance...
Sent from my LG G3
Craleb said:
That's weird that they say your " time of occurrence and date of last usage don't match"
Are you rooted and did you remove lots of apps like carrierIQ?
Do you think they are just BSing you?
Lol this makes me want to cancel my insurance...
Sent from my LG G3
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Now that you mention it. I am rooted, i removed the bloat and carrierIQ the day I got the phone.
I might just have to send my phone to LG for a screen repair and call it a day. I'll keep you all updated when they deny my claim again tomorrow lol.
Insurance on anything that depreciates like a smart phone is a scam. I would never and have never gotten phone insurance. I keep one old phone at all times just in case this happens.
t1n0m3n said:
Insurance on anything that depreciates like a smart phone is a scam. I would never and have never gotten phone insurance. I keep one old phone at all times just in case this happens.
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I would normally agree. I've only ever gotten insurance once, and it was for this phone. I also kept my galaxy s3 just in case this very thing happened. But, since i'm on the next program, i'll be damned if i'm paying 600.00+ for a phone that i can't use, even if it means i have to fork out extra for a replacement.
All that said, they actually approved my claim after several denials - nothing ever changed with the paperwork.
Now i just have to keep my fingers crossed that i get a new g3 replacement (or damn near like new referb). I hope it's not a heap of junk replacement like i've read in other stories about asurion.
Now, i've actually heard great first hand things about square trade insurance, cheaper payments, cheaper deductible, and no questions asked claims. some folks my wife and I work with use it and had nothing but good things to say about them, which is where i'll be headed to after my replacement.
*Shrug* Whatever floats your boat. Cracked screen repair for the G3 is about $150 direct from LG. They are going to send the phone to LG to repair it. Probably at a volume discount. They probably make a ~$100 profit on the G3 every time someone uses their warranty. Every phone claim is a profit for the company. If it is not, then they deny the claim. This is why I call it a scam. You are paying them monthly for the privilege of maybe having to let them profit off of you.
---------- Post added at 04:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:08 PM ----------
st0nez0r said:
Now, i've actually heard great first hand things about square trade insurance, cheaper payments, cheaper deductible, and no questions asked claims. some folks my wife and I work with use it and had nothing but good things to say about them, which is where i'll be headed to after my replacement.
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Haven't heard of this before, this looks like much less of a scam than the Assurian BS scam.
Interesting! Thanks for mentioning it.
I just get a rubber tpu bumper case and a screen protector and forget the insurance
Hi st0nez0r,
We’re glad to hear that ultimately we were able to get this resolved and a replacement device is on its way to you! This is not a typical experience and we’d hate to lose a valued customer. While we understand that paperwork is never fun we have the affidavit process in place for your protection. This helps prevent fraudulent claims against your account and helps keep premiums from rising. We recognize the cost associated with replacing a device which is why it’s our goal to help our customers save money while also getting them reconnected quickly should they experience a covered loss. In addition to covering physical damage, we also cover liquid damage, loss and theft; where most do not.
While we do use both new and certified-like new devices, keep in mind, all replacements come with a 12 month limited warranty. Should you experience any warranty failure, we’ll replace the phone at no additional cost.
We appreciate you sharing your experience, as it helps us to improve the services that we offer. Please let us know if you have any other questions or if we can be of further assistance.
Thanks,
Asurion Social Media Team @AsurionCares
www.phoneclaim.com
AsurionCares said:
Hi st0nez0r,
We’re glad to hear that ultimately we were able to get this resolved and a replacement device is on its way to you! This is not a typical experience and we’d hate to lose a valued customer. While we understand that paperwork is never fun we have the affidavit process in place for your protection. This helps prevent fraudulent claims against your account and helps keep premiums from rising. We recognize the cost associated with replacing a device which is why it’s our goal to help our customers save money while also getting them reconnected quickly should they experience a covered loss. In addition to covering physical damage, we also cover liquid damage, loss and theft; where most do not.
While we do use both new and certified-like new devices, keep in mind, all replacements come with a 12 month limited warranty. Should you experience any warranty failure, we’ll replace the phone at no additional cost.
We appreciate you sharing your experience, as it helps us to improve the services that we offer. Please let us know if you have any other questions or if we can be of further assistance.
Thanks,
Asurion Social Media Team @AsurionCares
www.phoneclaim.com
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This was quite unexpected but appreciated.
Honestly, In terms of cellphones, dealing with Asurion was one of the worse experience I've ever had in the history of owning a cell phone. While I understand the need for paperwork and whatever various methods you use to combat insurance fraud,
beyond those measures is where I had the real problems:
Dealing with rude/obnoxious customer support representatives (just one, but one too many.)
The run around game. Sending me to an AT&T store to obtain info, then to be belittled by another rep for doing what I was initially asked to do. (referring to the same rep as above)
Lack of information and communication during the process. In some cases I didn't get a call or email explaining why my claims were initially canceled. I had to call back for that info.
The website is not all that great either. one example would be filling in your first/last name, phone number, email, and social just for an update. How about a tracking number process or something.
No option to contact/talk to support after paperwork is submitted for review. If you have questions/problems you can't speak to anyone during that process. You're greeted with a phone message stating your stuff is under review and that you'll be contacted. then hangs up on you. I guess this is in place so work can actually get accomplished without being overwhelmed by calls, but still...
In the end I did receive a brand new replacement device. The return process was also a snap.
I've learned my lesson at any rate. I invested the extra money in a spigen slim armor case and tempered glass protector.
Thanks for replying to this post.
I almost had a similar experience with Asurion, but ultimately a good one. It all started with initiating my claim over the phone, just to discover no record of my claim upon following-up. The follow-up rep offered to resubmit or direct me to the website, where I'd be able to print documents required and receive confirmation/ updates upon successful submission.
After downloading, printing and competing the affidavit, I was able to scan and upload, along with my ID. This took less than 15 minutes.
I had a brand new phone, shipped from AT&T within a couple days. I've been a wireless dealer, and the Asurion representative's explanation about hurdles preventing fraud are entirely valid. The $200 deductible + my first monthly premium is not a scam- they ate maximum money on my claim, particularly as my replacement was NOT refurbished. I'm still only paying AT&T for one phone. Asurion bought the majority of the other. My deductible will be used to minimize the loss, likely through repair and reuse for a future claim. Loss/theft is an even bigger loser. Their money is made from premium revenue that exceeds claims expenses.
While it sounds like they could tighten up their call centers, if Asurion has replaced your $600 phone, they've certainly not robbed you.
Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk
This is why I never use the carrier insurance it sucks and the more the customer service... All my devices I always go with SquareTrade, only $5.00 a month and $75.00 deductible.
tl;dr Phones sold by Gazelle can still be blacklisted.
I purchased two iphone 5's from Gazelle last December 2013, for a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law and one for my wife.
A few days ago, my mother-in-law contacted me to tell me the phone was no longer receiving service.
After trying everything I could find about fixing it, I finally contacted T-Mobile, and discovered that the phone's IMEI has just been blocked due to non-payment by the original owner(!)
Just to clarify, this phone has been in daily use since Xmas Day 2013 (~11 mos)!
The T-Mobile rep told me that the original owner had been making payments all this time, but recently closed their account, and were sent a final bill. The bill was 10 days past due and at that time T-Mobile automatically blacklists the IMEI.
I bought these phones specifically from gazelle and paid more for them as a result, as I believed they were essentially guaranteed against this sort of thing.
I even contacted them before my purchase asking them if their phones were checked:
"Thank you for your interest! We do test all items to confirm availability for activation by you upon receipt. Unless otherwise noted in the listing, this item has been tested and is clear."
It turns out, this doesn't mean the device will remain that way after you receive it. An important fact that they continue to omit in their eBay listings.
I contacted their support yesterday and was told that the unit is outside of their 30-day return window and they can not help me further.
As far as I'm concerned, they didn't actually sell me anything. They sold a device that still had a lien against it, and now that it is blacklisted, I basically paid $400+ to rent it for the past 11 months. Technically, this iPhone is still the property of T-Mobile...Gazelle basically sold me stolen merchandise.
I've since opened a complaint with the BBB and am hopeful they will come to a resolution on this issue.
Moral of the story is: Don't think that just because you're buying from a bigger operation, that your phone is free and clear and ownership has been legally transferred to YOU.
As a matter of fact, you can even read Swappa's TOS and you will find a very loose policy on blacklisted IMEI/ESN's. They basically say you're only recourse is PayPal's 45-day dispute window.
Buying from these sites is really not any different than craigslist or a random seller on eBay.
The only way to really guarantee your device is free and clear forever is to buy a new one.
Resolved!
Just to follow up, I received the exchange iPhone yesterday and my issue is now resolved to my relief and satisfaction.
I am happy to say that Gazelle came through and made things right for me in the end. They also told me they are working with carriers on new ways to determine if devices are still under contract and/or still financed, to avoid issues like mine down the road.
Be careful out there!