Options for replacing broken Verizon phones?

C

Confused44

New member
My family includes a couple of teenagers, and each of them have had issues like dropping a phone in a creek, breaking it while skateboarding, and so on. As has my wife. Replacing phones before the contract is up is very expensive, more than I can afford. I recall hearing somewhere that prepaid phones can be purchased and then converted to use with existing plans, if the account is at least 6 months old? I could be wrong, and I couldn't find anything about this in the forums.

Bottom line, I need to find a way to replace broken phones that will cost a lot less than $200+ per phone - phones that I can use with the existing contracts. I am leery of purchasing from eBay or Craigs list as I have heard that the phones sold this way are sometimes stolen, and I don't want to purchase a stolen phone.

Does anyone have any information that could help me here? Many thanks!
 
Ebay is you best bet, unless you have an old phone laying around. I beleive prepaid phones have to used for 6 months before they can be converted to post paid. Check a store on ebay called MISTYELECTRONICS. I get phones from them all the time. They are the only ones I use. I just picked up 2 Pearls from them. They have a good selection of fairly recent phones too that teens would like to use. Good luck.
 
Have you considered the additional $4 to $5 per mo. for phone insurance thru Asurion? If you sign up for it, Verizon will tack it onto your monthly bill. Some people don't like the coverage because they may replace a broken or lost phone with a refurbished unit. The deductible per phone is $50, which is a lot better than paying $200 + for a new phone. Frankly, if they are so prone to breaking or losing their phones, this might be a good working alternative. :smart:
 
Yes, that should have been done; but once you have the phone for a while, you can't add insurance. The only way that I can add insurance to any of the phones now is to purchase a new one from Verizon and add the insurance when it is purchased.
 
If you have teens with a history of breaking phones, do not get them new phones unless they are free. It's just a waste. Buy them refurbished or used phones when they break. It is much more cost effective. It will also teach your kids to be more responsible.

If you buy cell phones on Ebay, make sure the seller has a good rating and a 30 day warranty (at least).
 
I buy and sell phones all the time on Ebay, you can get your best deals there.
Or buy new and add the Ins. make the kids help pay for it, maybe they will be more careful or they are out of luck until they can save some money for it.
 
Newbie here, and I'd appreciate your help. I did search this forum for answers before posting.

I have the same problem as the OP: my Verizon phone broke (my fault, so I can't take it back to Verizon), and I won't be able to upgrade for free until Nov 2010. From what I gathered from searching, I could buy (on eBay, Craigslist, etc) a used Verizon phone and set it up for use.

Here is my question: Once I've bought the phone, are these the correct steps to activate it?
- go to My Account Online,
- then click the Go button under "My Phone",
- then click on "Activate Phone". Here, I would enter the newly-bought phone's ESN. Would this override the old phone's ESN? (old phone= phone that broke).

I also have an old Verizon phone from 2003 or so. Any reason why it wouldn't work as a replacement phone, if the above procedure is correct? I'm trying to save as much as I can, as I just got laid off. Thanks much!
 
Your steps in activating the phone are correct; however, you may have other options.

You can all Verizon Wireless and activate it through them. This is the most reliable method, but they now charge $20 ($25 in some areas) for this. Ask them. If the rep is nice enough, they can waive the fee for you.

You can also try *228 option 3. If the phone you purchase is very similar (i.e. almost identical features) then this method should work nicely.Dial *228 and press option 3 from the phone you wish to activate. It will then ask you to enter various info from that phone. It then deactivates your old phone and your new one is ready for use. If this feature works, it is free. Also, if you try this feature but it fails...customer service will be able to help you and they'll waive the $20 or $25.

Hope I was of assistance. If you require further assistance, feel free to post a new thread or PM or email me!
 
Nick, thank you very much for your reply and advice.

I am leaning towards re-using one of my old Verizon phones, since this would be the most cost-effective way... That phone (bought in 2003) used to be for my "line 1". I have since added "line 2", and the phone for line 2 is the one that broke and that I need to replace. Can I reprogram the 2003 phone from "line 1" to "line 2", by going through the steps in your previous post?
I just want to make sure doing so wouldn't mess up my "line 1", which I need for job contacts and interviews, etc. Alas, I really can't afford any more expenses right now.

Thank you!
 
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