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should I buy this thunderbolt for $100

This guy I know had an issue with billing and got into a fight with Verizon. I think it is unresolved and he told them to go F themselves and did not pay the bill and moved on to T-Mobile. He is now selling his Thunderbolt. He has switched the 32GB sd card with an 8GB card (using it in his Tmobile phone) but is throwing in a nice case.
My question is if It's worth $100 and can Verizon refuse to activate it since there is an issue with it? Wouldn't the SIM card be connected to his account and they would not unlock it due to all the problems?
TIA

It will have bad esn if he didn't pay for his bill
Sent from my SHIFTAO5P using xda premium

yeah theyll put a flag on his account/phone, similiar to if the phone had been stolen. until he resolves the issue with verizon youll most likely only be able to use it wifi.

Unless the guy pays the bill off and the ETF the phone will be no good to you unless your gna buy it to use as a dev phone. and you wont be able to turn it on thru another company either so i'd say pass on that one bro.

thanks people.

loveubuntu said:
thanks people.
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I would still get it and sell it on eBay. I saw a Thunderbolt in good condition go for $408 and it was stated that it had a bad ESN. This was about a month ago.

What if I put the sim card from a paid up phone in his phone? I've been looking fornan experimental tbolt that I can switch my sim card back and forth with.
If that doesn't work with his phone I wouldn't dare buy a phone from ebay which could easily have the same issue.

recDNA said:
What if I put the sim card from a paid up phone in his phone? I've been looking fornan experimental tbolt that I can switch my sim card back and forth with.
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Nope wont work bro. Its nothing like switching sim cards for a gsm network such as tmobile. If the esn is bad its pretty much no good unless you only use it with wifi.
Sent from my Thunderbolt using XDA App

jr313 said:
Nope wont work bro. Its nothing like switching sim cards for a gsm network such as tmobile. If the esn is bad its pretty much no good unless you only use it with wifi.
Sent from my Thunderbolt using XDA App
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There goes my whole experimental phone idea. Any phone that comes real cheap is likely to either have hardware problems or a bad esn. :-(

recDNA said:
There goes my whole experimental phone idea. Any phone that comes real cheap is likely to either have hardware problems or a bad esn. :-(
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There's ways to work around the bad esn, they're just not exactly legal or condoned on xda.

No!
Get a brand new one, with the 40 gig memory card from Amazon for a penny.
http://www.amazon.com/HTC-ThunderBo...HB6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314695691&sr=8-1

Hot Carl said:
Get a brand new one, with the 40 gig memory card from Amazon for a penny.
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Ya and a 2 year contract to go with it. Probably not what the OP had in mind...

Are you sure this wont work? I had a friend put his 4g sim in a stolen droid charge and it worked fine.....

yareally said:
There's ways to work around the bad esn, they're just not exactly legal or condoned on xda.
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Click to collapse
That would be beyond my technical skills but I wouldn't want to entangle myselfbin any legal difficulties either.

it will be a bad esn and the esn is tied to the phone not the sim if i remember correctly

Buying off of Craigslist

I was thinking of buying a Verizon Galaxy S3 off of craigslist. I know with tmobile and AT&T, all you have to do is put your SIM card into the phone, and it works fine. You don't need to call and activate the phone, you can just swap SIM cards. I know with Sprint, if the ESN is bad, Sprint will not activate the phone for you because of its past non-payment history. With Sprint, you cannot swap SIM's because they have none. Since Verizon uses SIM cards with the Galaxy S3, will this be an issue? If I get a SIM card from Verizon, can I just put it the phone I bought and have service?

I have a galaxy nexus and swapping the sim card between that and my s3 works with a problem. I also got a replacement for my wife's phone and when I picked it up, I just popped my sim card in it to check that everything was working. So in short the answer is yes (unless someone else knows something I don't know). You should be able to put your sim card in a new phone, power on and be online.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

True, VZW uses SIM cards, but be careful. I remember reading how one poor guy on here got his ESN blacklisted from the network because it was stolen.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

When I bought my Bionic, I called Verizon to clear the ESN with them. They let me know that it was actually deactivated from the line (and that it was clear).
SIM swap is eh but calling Verizon with the ESN is even better. Just trust your instinct first.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

nosit1 said:
When I bought my Bionic, I called Verizon to clear the ESN with them. They let me know that it was actually deactivated from the line (and that it was clear).
SIM swap is eh but calling Verizon with the ESN is even better. Just trust your instinct first.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely do this. I was warning you but this guy basically told you what I was leading into. 10 minute phone call that could save you $200+.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Heads up.. I've bought an incredible 2 from craigslist before and checked that the esn with Verizon was clean. After selling it on ebay, it was listed as stolen. Not a fun experience.
Sent from my jellin' |\|3xu5

Always check ESN's, and in fact why not meet in the store to make sure you can have it activated before you buy, while providing you with a safe place to meet without getting robbed. It only makes sense to protect your investment.
Also, be aware that TMobile and ATT can also block IMEI numbers due to unpaid bills on the account. I've just recently learned about this myself when my friend got burned when he purchased a t mobile HTC one s off craigslist. He was able to use it for about a month when it disconnected his service. I guess when he contacted TMobile they said the guy who bought it from used his upgrade to buy a new phone and then didn't pay his bill.
Just wanted to pass this info on.

I've bought a few vzw phones off craigslist and always meet in the store for the deal. Hand the phone over to them and once its cleared good I pay them. Never had any trouble. Vzw never gave me any grief for doing this in store either.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent ICS Blue Tapatalk 2

I'm swapping a Droid Charge(+money) for a Galaxy Nexus tonight. When I asked the guy at the store yesterday, he was saying I'd need a third phone (like an old one) to do this. Something about deactivated phone before it can be activated. Sounds legit? Note the charge has a SIM card and the Nexus uses a micro-SIM, or me and the other guy could presumably just swap SIMs and be on our way.
What if I just say I want a new SIM card, but I want it to be a microSIM--and I put it in my new nexus. The other guy does the opposite, and we're both good to go. Seems like a good idea.
Anyone have experience swapping phones with different size SIMs? Note that I don't have time to get adapters or cutters.
Thanks

taffer25 said:
I'm swapping a Droid Charge(+money) for a Galaxy Nexus tonight. When I asked the guy at the store yesterday, he was saying I'd need a third phone (like an old one) to do this. Something about deactivated phone before it can be activated. Sounds legit? Note the charge has a SIM card and the Nexus uses a micro-SIM, or me and the other guy could presumably just swap SIMs and be on our way.
What if I just say I want a new SIM card, but I want it to be a microSIM--and I put it in my new nexus. The other guy does the opposite, and we're both good to go. Seems like a good idea.
Anyone have experience swapping phones with different size SIMs? Note that I don't have time to get adapters or cutters.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a sim cutter...u don't need a third phone if u can put your sim right into the other phone...I swap all the time and went through the whole different size sim cards swap...I also have an adaptor for a micro sim to fit a regular slot...paid like $6 for both at a local cell shop..u don't even have to go into a store.....

ncwildcat said:
Get a sim cutter...u don't need a third phone if u can put your sim right into the other phone...I swap all the time and went through the whole different size sim cards swap...I also have an adaptor for a micro sim to fit a regular slot...paid like $6 for both at a local cell shop..u don't even have to go into a store.....
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Click to collapse
Note that I don't have time to get adapters or cutters.

husker_fan75 said:
I've bought a few vzw phones off craigslist and always meet in the store for the deal. Hand the phone over to them and once its cleared good I pay them. Never had any trouble. Vzw never gave me any grief for doing this in store either.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent ICS Blue Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Thats the way to do it, meet in the store and get it activated then pay the person! That would solve all your issues.

x714x said:
Thats the way to do it, meet in the store and get it activated then pay the person! That would solve all your issues.
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Click to collapse
With sims they have to have a third phone if it is cross account and different size cards or u loose unlimited data...don't know why but that is the way it is setup

I bought my Verizon GS3 off of craigslist. I met with the person at a verizon store, bought a sim card (my droid charge sim needed to be cut and I didn't know about cutters), confirmed with the Verizon rep that the phone had a clean ESN, and then they swapped it onto my plan right there. I retained unlimited data, and I made sure my phone was activated while also having had the person sign a written document stating she had sold me the Verizon Galaxy S3 (and I listed the MEID # beneath the battery).
I'd recommend paying attention to the moisture sensors on the battery and beneath the battery on the phone to make sure that it hasn't been exposed to liquids. I forgot to do that Nevertheless, my phone runs wonderfully!
Know that by doing this through craigslist you void the Verizon and Samsung warranties, even though you can register the phone on Samsung's website if it's unregistered and get their 50% off 1 online accessory...

Agree with people above. Meet at the store and pay after they clear the phone. Dont forget to check for the sd card, people usually pull these. Bargain down if they pulled it. Here is a vzw site to check the esn.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/estore/certifieddevice/cd
Sim cards are free at verizon.
Also, they even continued the existing insurance from my old phone to the used s3 i bought.

maniac2k said:
Agree with people above. Meet at the store and pay after they clear the phone. Dont forget to check for the sd card, people usually pull these. Bargain down if they pulled it. Here is a vzw site to check the esn.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/estore/certifieddevice/cd
Sim cards are free at verizon.
Also, they even continued the existing insurance from my old phone to the used s3 i bought.
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Yea my insurance and warranty followed as well...even used the warranty already

Interesting... you referencing your Verizon warranty or Samsung's warranty?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

maniac2k said:
Agree with people above. Meet at the store and pay after they clear the phone. Dont forget to check for the sd card, people usually pull these. Bargain down if they pulled it. Here is a vzw site to check the esn.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/estore/certifieddevice/cd
Sim cards are free at verizon.
Also, they even continued the existing insurance from my old phone to the used s3 i bought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Side note, the S3 from Verizon didnt come with an SD card. At least the 10 people or so I know didnt get one when they bought the phone.

Sccrluk9 said:
Side note, the S3 from Verizon didnt come with an SD card. At least the 10 people or so I know didnt get one when they bought the phone.
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i didn't get one either.........i had bought a few phones from ppl off CL, had them meet me at the store, made him deactivate the phone off his line and cleared the esn with the reps at the store w/ me, but they wouldn't let me do the transaction in the store, i had to leave the store to do it because they said it was infringing on their business, so we went down the road to mcdonalds, did the transaction, and when i got home i swapped my lines out and everything was ok

Thanks for the response and ideas, guys. The swap went down great--it was a few days later than I thought it would be, so it gave me some time to research the issue and read your ideas.
There was a guy at the store who took both phones, swapped them, gave him a SIM card and me a microSIM. He mentioned putting the numbers on dummy accounts while he switched, so that may be a useful keyword. He didn't give me a problem and was awesome but YMMV, FYI. The first store I went to seemed a little iffy about the idea.
Anyway it was a Charge+money swapped for a GS3. My wife is very happy. I'm still happy with my GNex/CM10.

T-Mobile Plan

Hope this is the right place to post ..
I used their prepaid plan about three months ago to test out their service for a month but never saw that unlimited, 5 GB plan for $30. I signed on for the $50 plan. My contract with Verizon ends next month and I plan on switching.
I noticed it says new activations only, so I can't do that anymore?
I still have my sim card from them, I just haven't refilled it. Can I just deactivate my current account and buy another sim card from them? Or since my family are all deciding to switch, just give them my simcard + phone and buy a new one?

Nawzlew said:
I still have my sim card from them, I just haven't refilled it. Can I just deactivate my current account and buy another sim card from them? Or since my family are all deciding to switch, just give them my simcard + phone and buy a new one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

[Q] Swap phones via SIM

Could I for instance take the SIM card out of my Verizon HTC One M8 and put it in my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 and have it work 100% with calling, texting, data plans & etc without the $25 activation fee? Like would it consider itself activated and I could technically swap phones whenever I wanted and use them to the fullest extent? & If not is there any simple ways or ways to do this or something similar to this?
Reason I'm asking is I like the change that comes with switching phones every now and then & I'm considering buying another phone just so I can do this and or just to tinker around with it.

Yes, switch the sim from one phone to the other and you're up and running. I do it on a somewhat regular basis.

yes, amazon even sells sim card adapters for like $6 that lets you take your nano sim and put it in a phone that takes micro sim. no charge from VZ to switch, i do this all the time.

Hahaha funny, the cocky girl at the Verizon store was all like "Now you know that if you switch the SIM card and put it in another phone it could possibly break it and it will also cost you $25 blah blah blah" Smh. Hate Verizon.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Tethering VZW

If you go through the set-up process BEFORE you put in a VZW sim, then tethering works out of the box. :good:

ShaunWinSC said:
If you go through the set-up process BEFORE you put in a VZW sim, then tethering works out of the box. Per MrBobrowitz:good:
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Click to collapse
Worked just fine for me, setting it up, AFTER I put in my VZW sim.

With unlimited data??? If so, I'll be ordering mine immediately. I've been waiting to hear root was obtained for this very reason.

d_freshmaker said:
With unlimited data??? If so, I'll be ordering mine immediately. I've been waiting to hear root was obtained for this very reason.
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Click to collapse
I see no reason it wouldn't work with unlimited data.

d_freshmaker said:
With unlimited data??? If so, I'll be ordering mine immediately. I've been waiting to hear root was obtained for this very reason.
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Click to collapse
Yes, unlimited data. Works right out of the box.

If I am understanding you right, then you guys didn't have to put a sim in from another phone before activating your phone with the new sim you received from Verizon. If that is the case, that's great. I didn't want to have to cut my micro sim down from my LG G2.

Wow, so the phone has no subscription check right out of the box. That is really good news. Thanks for the info!

Oaklands said:
If I am understanding you right, then you guys didn't have to put a sim in from another phone before activating your phone with the new sim you received from Verizon. If that is the case, that's great. I didn't want to have to cut my micro sim down from my LG G2.
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Click to collapse
No, I had to cut the SIM from my G4. I went to a Verizon store and the little arrogant greeter f***, told me that the phone wasn't authorized for use on Verizon, and they couldn't activate it.

If people are receiving these already, why has no one posted a system dump for devs to start modding?
A sim cutter is only a few bucks on eBay. I have a standard to micro, and a micro to nano, as well as sim adapters to go back up if needed. OR just log into your Verizon account, find a phone that you used previously that took a nano sim, call 611 and tell them you want to go back to it. They'll 2nd day a new nano sim.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

I guess I will buy the cutter. I'm just going to tell Verizon I am buying a phone from a friend that requires a nano sim and have them send me one. Kind of hacks me off that Verizon wants people to buy a phone off contract but wants you buy it from them with their bloat. Of course, I can't really say I am surprised.

spotmark said:
No, I had to cut the SIM from my G4. I went to a Verizon store and the little arrogant greeter f***, told me that the phone wasn't authorized for use on Verizon, and they couldn't activate it.
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Click to collapse
But what about this?
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/09/09/verizon-will-allow-you-to-activate-the-moto-x-pure-edition/
Droid life is wrong? Verizon is still messing with us? Blasphemy. Red is even getting rid of 2 year contracts and they're still pulling this BS?

Spike96 said:
But what about this?
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/09/09/verizon-will-allow-you-to-activate-the-moto-x-pure-edition/
Droid life is wrong? Verizon is still messing with us? Blasphemy. Red is even getting rid of 2 year contracts and they're still pulling this BS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could have just been one employee that didn't know better/didnt care. For best results call 611 and if the 1st level tech can't do it, go to the 2nd level.
I had issues with my first N6 deactivating my sim every time I swapped phones (which I do often). It was a Sprint model and this was before Verizon released their model (so the N6 wasn't in the system). They eventually activated it for me...each time it happened.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

joshw0000 said:
If people are receiving these already, why has no one posted a system dump for devs to start modding?
A sim cutter is only a few bucks on eBay. I have a standard to micro, and a micro to nano, as well as sim adapters to go back up if needed. OR just log into your Verizon account, find a phone that you used previously that took a nano sim, call 611 and tell them you want to go back to it. They'll 2nd day a new nano sim.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I capture a system dump?
I am willing to post one to get the development of this phone going.

ronj1986 said:
How do I capture a system dump?
I am willing to post one to get the development of this phone going.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad. I think you'll need root or a custom recovery to pull it. Just sit tight...or try every known root method until one works (maybe)
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

jphillips.hd88 said:
Wow, so the phone has no subscription check right out of the box. That is really good news. Thanks for the info!
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Click to collapse
seriously....i can't believe the big red allowed this to happen...:good::good::good:

Another confirmed. Works for me, still on grandfathered unlimited plan.
Sent from my P01MA using Tapatalk

ronj1986 said:
How do I capture a system dump?
I am willing to post one to get the development of this phone going.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adb pull /system
No need for root to pull system
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Verizon does not have the moto x pure on their white list yet.
So those without a nano sim and do not want to try cutting their sim card, this is what I did.
If your account has a device (not apple) with a nano sim, have them use that devices imei to issue you a nano sim. Then when you put that sim into your MXP, will immediately be activated and have LTE.
Was annoying but is one method of activating device.

Tier 2 support at Verizon can manually enter your imei and activate the phone as long as you have a sim. It took me nearly 2 hours to argue my way there, but once I was transferred to a guy who was willing to at least try, he got it working.
For what it's worth, I'm also a prepaid customer who came from an old Moto X 3g phone without a sim. I had ordered a sim from Amazon and it arrived with my phone. I literally cut it to size with my pocket knife, and a template, while sitting on hold.
My prepaid account was zeroed and my plan was changed to the 4g version of my old plan. I then had to pay for the new plan right away, but I was like 2 days from renewal anyway so I didn't care.
My advice to anyone else trying to activate with Verizon right now. Demand tier 2 or a supervisor. Tell them you have purchased an unlocked phone directly from the manufacturer and Tier 2 is the only people who can activate it. Tier 2 will need your imei and sim card numbers then they can do it. My tier 2 guy didn't believe it himself when he got it working, just ask them to try. Also, the phone shows up in myVerizon for me now as a grey box with a model number over it. The phone is in the system, they just have not received the imei numbers beforehand for verification like they do with iphones. So when Tier 1, or the store, tries to enter it in the number comes up invalid. Tier 2 just needs to over ride it.

spotmark said:
No, I had to cut the SIM from my G4. I went to a Verizon store and the little arrogant greeter f***, told me that the phone wasn't authorized for use on Verizon, and they couldn't activate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is why all big 4 companies are pushing e-Sim technology. The sim is BUILT in and you HAVE to contact your phone provider to activate it. Who can be a c**k tease and say. "Hmmm....you're unlimited?.....you want that phone activated? ehhhhhmmmmmm no. I can "process your request" if you change your plan to a current one that is offered. Do you have any other questions? No? have a nice day.
e-Sim offers NO benefit to the consumer other than taking control away from the consumer.
luckily we won't be seeing it until about the iPhone 7 but samsung is going to use it too..