AboutDebiN Expertise I can answer questions on cellular phones, the physical device, the network, what to look for when purchasing cell phones. I am located in the United States. I am an expert on BlackBerrys, Treos, HTC devices and iPhones as well as cellphones and aircards. I have over 15 years of experience in both the wireless and wireline world with the carriers. I have a lot of knowledge regarding the wireless providers - their services, prices and policies, both GSM (AT&T (formerly Cingular) and T-Mobile) and CDMA (Verizon, Sprint/Nextel (iDEN)). I am very familiar with the individual devices and their specifications. I can also answer questions regarding BlackBerrys, iPhones and other PDAs, both Palm-based and Windows-based. I can troubleshoot most any problem someone is having with their cellular device or with the provider.
Experience Over 15 years in the telecommunications field in the United States.
Question QUESTION: ok, if i buy a phone off ebay, an unopened unactivated phone can i use it for my phone on my verizon account? if so, can i still bring it into verizon if it breaks or what not, and also pay for the asurion insurance on it? Also, if it is a verizon phone that they used to sell, but do not anymore, can it be activated and used? please get back to me asap. thank you
ANSWER: Hi Jenna -
I'm afraid that if you buy any phone on eBay that is not Verizon branded, you can't use it on the Verizon network. You also cannot get insurance on it or bring it to a Verizon store. If you have Verizon as your provider, I would suggest that you buy a new phone only from Verizon. If you try to buy it any other way, the chances of getting it activated are very slim, it won't be under warranty and you can't get insurance on it. People who have AT&T or T-Mobile as a provider can buy unlocked GSM devices, but those who have Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular, Alltel, Cricket or MetroPCS or any other CDMA provider really need to understand that they have to buy their phones only from their providers or an authorized reseller, not from third parties or on eBay. I hope this helps. Thanks. DebiN
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QUESTION: these are verizon phones only able to be used on the verizon network. for
example the blackberry curve for verizon unactivated. I am not talkoing about
a phone they dont sell.
Answer Okay, thanks for the clarification. Then, if they truly have never been activated, Verizon will activate them for you. However, you cannot get insurance on them or any type of warranty. You can only get this if you buy the phone directly from Verizon. You can have Verizon repair the phones if they break, but they will charge you for any repairs. And yes, they will activate a phone for you that they no longer sell, as long as it is Verizon branded, as you said that it was. Hope this helps and thanks. DebiN
