[von_tenia]

The other solution is to buy used phone. Premium phones are outdated so quickly, you can easily find a good deal on swappa or similar websites. I'm on my third smartphone since I left my flip-phone in 2009 and I never paid more than $200.

[nadams]

> The other solution is to buy used phone.

This is a good idea if you can find a reputable service that will guarantee your money back.

I bought a used Note 3 off of ebay. I got it, popped my SIM card in and worked perfectly. Then one day I couldn't make calls, use data or register at all on the network. Turned out it was on a carrier payment plan and the original owner stopped making payments. So T-Mobile blocked/blacklisted the IMEI number. T-Mobile refused to talk to me about it or even let me pay it off. I sold it on ebay for about $350 - afterwards I realized that for $50 I could have had it "fixed".

And I'm sure I'm not the only one that has been scammed like this. The sad part is that it only scares people away from wanting to do business with honest people like me because of all the idiots out there.

[what_ever]

I have had good experience with swappa.com (Bought 2 devices from there). I am not sure if it would have helped in your case though.

[djloche]

Swappa has a 100% refund if you get burned by a bad ESN. I too bought a premium used phone through Swappa without any issue.

>" If you were to buy a device on Swappa that could not be activated due to a blacklisted ESN then you would be entitled to a refund no matter the seller's stated return policy."

[nadams]

I don't think would have helped me. When I got it - the phone worked perfectly. It wasn't until months later when the guy stopped paying the monthly fee and T-Mobile blacklisted the IMEI number.

[david]

Amazon is best place to buy used electronics IMO. I used to sell smartphones on Amazon and eBay. Amazon typically has better condition products and guarantees everything themselves at least 30 days, regardless of who you buy it from.

They don't allow selling blocked or less than good condition phones at all. You can usually get your money back from ebay from a deal like that if you fuck with ebay support for long enought though.

[nadams]

If the phone arrived with a blocked IMEI number - I would agree with you and gotten my money back. However, several months had passed before the IMEI number was blacklisted.