used ipad, verizon wont activate

[acbaldwi]

Hey guys....

So i bought a used ipad 2 off of CL a couple months ago....

Guy who sold it to me said it had a pre-paid data plan on it that was "good" for a month or so...

I didnt think much about it and i didnt check the story (i should have called verizon)

Anyways i went to activate a pay as you go plan on it today and Verizon told me they couldnt activate it as it is still associated on the other account... and may be under a contract.....

Of course they wouldnt give me any info without a password ont he account...

What are my options?

If i were to get the ipad rep[laced at the apple store ( somehow) would it be placed back on the verizon acct or would it have a new meid # that i would then have to call verizon to setup?

I called the guy and he claims he will fix it this afternoon... but at this point i am not sure i can trust him....

not sure what else to o....

 

[K1W1]

I calle dthe guy and he claims he will fix it this afternoon... butat this point i am not sure i can trust him....

Why?
You have to at least give him the opportunity to correct the issue.

 

[acbaldwi]

Well you know how it is.... i gathered fromt he verizon rep that there was a large balance on the account... so yeah I would love for the guy to make things right, but i was wondering about a backup plan to get me back to where i need to be....

 

[richsadams]

If the original owner sold the iPad to you with a bad ESN (without telling you), he should either pay his bill to clear it or refund your money. That he's talking to you is a good sign. I agree with K1W1, I'd give him a short time to resolve the problem but I can understand being nervous. I'd certainly stay on top of it.

If it were me I'd ask him to meet you at a nearby Verizon store and have it activated in your name...or at least make sure that they can.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

[david rodriguez]

If it has the sim card like AT&T, can you just replace the sim card.

 

[skimonkey]

"If it were me I'd ask him to meet you at a nearby Verizon store and have it activated in your name...or at least make sure that they can."

-- Good thinking, Rich. I would not have thought about that one.

 

[richsadams]

If it has the sim card like AT&T, can you just replace the sim card.

AT&T is a GSM carrier and employs SIM cards. Verizon is a CDMA carrier, so no SIM card.

 

[jsh1120]

Well you know how it is.... i gathered fromt he verizon rep that there was a large balance on the account... so yeah I would love for the guy to make things right, but i was wondering about a backup plan to get me back to where i need to be....

Not an unusual story, unfortunately. It's not uncommon for someone to fail to pay their bill with a carrier and then sell the device. Verizon's only recourse in this case is to hold the device "hostage" to the bill. What you could do if the guy fails to clear his bill and Verizon won't help you to re-register the device is to purchase a mobile hotspot with a separate data plan (from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, etc.) and use the iPad's wifi with the mobile hotspot device. That's obviously not an ideal solution but other than relying on CL to manage the situation for you, (yeah, right), it may be your only alternative other than to (a) pay the guy's bill or (b) determine how long Verizon will refuse to activate the device with another data plan. They may eventually enable you to activate the device if they've turned the original account over to a credit agency.

Next time? Remember the advice to complete transactions like these at a carrier store where the issue can be resolved at the same time that the purchase is completed.