found lost phone. Verizon says to keep it...

[yamaha83]

so yesterday i was in my backyard and found a droid X with a cracked screen... i just tried to do the right thing and took it into Verizon to try and find the owner and they looked up the number and told me that the guy already got it replaced and that i can keep it! they tried to activate it but the phone was reported lost/stolen (im sure as part of him getting his replacement) so i cant activate it... a place in town said they can fix the screen for $120... but i dont wanna spend that if i cant do anything with the phone... what can i do with it besides hook onto wifi? is there an way to attach a new ESN number from a different phone?

and as you can see from my post count, i'm not just some random person trying to activate a stolen phone. i really did take it to Verizon and they told me to keep it. they said i could probably make some money off it but i would like to use it if possible.

or does anyone know a cheaper way to replace the screen or where to buy the replacement glass? i could do it on my own if i can find the parts.

 

[hookbill]

so yesterday i was in my backyard and found a droid X with a cracked screen... i just tried to do the right thing and took it into Verizon to try and find the owner and they looked up the number and told me that the guy already got it replaced and that i can keep it! they tried to activate it but the phone was reported lost/stolen (im sure as part of him getting his replacement) so i cant activate it... a place in town said they can fix the screen for $120... but i dont wanna spend that if i cant do anything with the phone... what can i do with it besides hook onto wifi? is there an way to attach a new ESN number from a different phone?

and as you can see from my post count, i'm not just some random person trying to activate a stolen phone. i really did take it to Verizon and they told me to keep it. they said i could probably make some money off it but i would like to use it if possible.

or does anyone know a cheaper way to replace the screen or where to buy the replacement glass? i could do it on my own if i can find the parts.

You're not the first person I''ve heard of who's tried to take back a lost/stolen phone and the Verizon store said keep it. I'd take it a step farther.

Call Verizon Customer Service and ask them what you should do with it. If they say keep it then go ahead. But here's what I don't understand: Why would they tell you to keep it, you could make some money off of it with a bad ESN. You can't put another ESN in there. Doesn't work that way.

Basically, you've got a phone that will work with wifi and that's about it. Of course you can't use it as a phone but you know what I'm saying.

That's why I say call customer service and see what they say. I'll bet they will tell you something different.

 

[yamaha83]

I actually just got the phone with them. I tried dialing 228 just to try and it connected me to them and they said they can't tell me who had the phone prior or give out any phone numbers...

 

[Martin030908]

I actually just got the phone with them. I tried dialing 228 just to try and it connected me to them and they said they can't tell me who had the phone prior or give out any phone numbers...

They wouldn't. They can't give away that personal information.

There's no way to take a bad ESN and make it good... You've got yourself a wi-fi only device, but there's no way to activate it.

It's like finding a gold covered turd... sure it's gold, but not much, and it's filled with poop. :icon_eek:

 

[belome]

I wonder if they would be willing to release the ESN if you got it fixed. If they honestly are telling you to keep it, and the guy has a new phone already... why would it be a big deal for them to free it so someone else could use it.

 

[dezymond]

I actually just got the phone with them. I tried dialing 228 just to try and it connected me to them and they said they can't tell me who had the phone prior or give out any phone numbers...

They wouldn't. They can't give away that personal information.

There's no way to take a bad ESN and make it good... You've got yourself a wi-fi only device, but there's no way to activate it.

It's like finding a gold covered turd... sure it's gold, but not much, and it's filled with poop. :icon_eek:

LOLOL!

Awesome comparison, but really you have a nice media player now.

 

[spider210]

Any phone that is claimed lost/stolen with the insurance company if ever found is property of the insurance company and is the reason they will not unlock it. If that was the case I could 'lose' 2 droid x's a year for $89 and resell them for atleast $400 . Sorry not going to happen

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[yamaha83]

thats what i was thinking! and thats what i had asked the verizon rep when he told me i could make some moeny off it... just sucks to see so much potential and not able to do anything with it! lol

 

[hookbill]

I wonder if they would be willing to release the ESN if you got it fixed. If they honestly are telling you to keep it, and the guy has a new phone already... why would it be a big deal for them to free it so someone else could use it.

Well, in my mind that's like saying, someone collected insurance on their car so it's ok to file down the serial numbers. It isn't, and you can't give it a new ESN.

 

[ClumsyNinja21]

Hook has the right idea. And I would say spider is dead on. As an automotive claims inspector, when someone files a stolen vehicle report, if the time elapses and we replace the vehicle, there is another form the customer must sign stating that if the recovered vehicle is found, the customer is responsible for either repaying the amount given to them to replace it, if they chose to not reclaim the vehicle(if it's with X amount of months) or upon accepting the pay off, the customer agrees that said vehicle now is property of the company if and when the vehicle is relocated. So i would suggest calling VZW also and if unsuccessful there, call Asurian. Also, check with local police to see if a report was filed.

 

[Dave12308]

Call Verizon Customer Service and ask them what you should do with it. If they say keep it then go ahead. But here's what I don't understand: Why would they tell you to keep it, you could make some money off of it with a bad ESN. You can't put another ESN in there. Doesn't work that way.

Because they probably didn't mean that he could make some money off of it by selling it as a complete, working phone. They likely meant that he could sell off certain parts (battery, etc.) and make money from it that way.

And i'm pretty sure that an ESN can theoretically be changed, it's a felony to do so though; IIRC.

The only reason they tell you to keep it is that at that point, it's just going to cost them money to dispose of it if it is returned. Because of the aforementioned ESN law, it's not like they can just refurb the screen, issue a new ESN, and resell it. Although I suppose if the motherboard was changed, a new ESN could be applied that way.

 

[spider210]

Just sell it on ebay look how much 'droid x bad esn' going for.

Sell it and call it a day.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[spider210]

Also I am surprised they gave it back to you. We will not give them back to the person if the esn shows up as lost/stolen

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[Sniper_5]

Try calling Asurion from a Verizon store. He may have retorted it stolen with them. Verizon should be able to tell the Asurion rep that the phone is present and they gave you permission to keep it. Maybe they will release the ESN.

Sent from my D1 on SS4.8 @ 1.2Ghz

 

[garrett]

while it wont work on verizon it will work on Metro PCS and Cricket Wireless.


the phone would just need to be flashed to work on either of those.