Cell Phone/Network Question

[farmer4cy]

I lost my cell phone over the weekend and I will be getting a new one when my insurance claim is processed.

My question is: If i buy a used cell phone off of e-bay or craigslist can I activate it along with my new phone and have two phones with the same number?

My thought is that if I lose or damage one in the future, I wouldn't have to go without a phone while the insurance claim is being processed.

Thanks for your input.

 

[CycoCyclone]

Well, only one would actively ring per telephone number. If you lost or destroyed one, you'd go to your cell provider, give the new phone EIN and you'd have a new working phone.

 

[jumbopackage]

You cannot have two working phones at the same time.

It depends on your provider how the situation is handled, though.

If you are an AT&T or T-Mobile customer, you can switch SIM cards between them. Your service is tied to the card, not the phone.

If you lose your phone, you will need to have a new SIM card programmed by the AT&T or T-Mobile folks.

If you're on any other network, you will have to have them change the ESN number tied to your account. This number is unique for each phone, and you can usually find it in the battery compartment somewhere. There is generally a service charge (~20 bucks or so) that accompanies this change, but they might waive it depending on the situation.

Hope this helps.

 

[farmer4cy]

Thanks for the input.

Doesn't sound like it is worth the hassle.

I will be getting my new phone in a couple days.

 

[tim_redd]

Thanks for the input.

Doesn't sound like it is worth the hassle.

I will be getting my new phone in a couple days.

It's actually pretty easy and painless of verizon. I've done it a couple times.

 

[farmer4cy]

I'm not with Verizon. I am with U.S. Cellular and it seems to me that everytime I go in the store and they find out that I am not a "new" customer, they don't seem to care about what my problem is.

 

[ISUKyro]

I'm not with Verizon. I am with U.S. Cellular and it seems to me that everytime I go in the store and they find out that I am not a "new" customer, they don't seem to care about what my problem is.

You'll get that with ever company

Also be careful if buying a used phone. Often times they are locked or stolen... or at least that was the case 5 years ago when I used to sell them.

 

[jumbopackage]

I'm not with Verizon. I am with U.S. Cellular and it seems to me that everytime I go in the store and they find out that I am not a "new" customer, they don't seem to care about what my problem is.

You might be able to do it over the phone, or online.

It's actually not a very difficult process. Shouldn't take them more than 5 minutes or so to do.

You'll get that with ever company

Also be careful if buying a used phone. Often times they are locked or stolen... or at least that was the case 5 years ago when I used to sell them.

Being locked isn't a problem, so long as it's locked to the network you're trying to activate it on. Unless it's locked because the previous customer didn't pay their bill, in which case that's not such a good position to be in.

Being stolen is a whole different story though.

 

[Clonehomer]

I'm not with Verizon. I am with U.S. Cellular and it seems to me that everytime I go in the store and they find out that I am not a "new" customer, they don't seem to care about what my problem is.

Purchase online as often as you can. With Verizon at least, their website has better deals on it than the store offers. And they overnight the phones so you get them pretty quickly. If you are switching providers or are ready to renew, I've found that the cheapest place to get phones is through the phone manufacturer. I've got phones from LG and HTC that way and have ended up with better deals than Verizon. Once you get the phone all customer service is through your provider so it's no different from ordering from them.

 

[jumbopackage]

Yup, I've done that fairly easily and for free from Verizon's website when I was with them.

They started charging 25 bucks a pop about 3 years ago.

It was super easy when it was free and online, though. I did it a bunch of times.

 

[CyTom]

You can change for free online with Sprint. Bought a phone off of ebay to replace my wife's broken one last fall.