Can I sell my used Blackberry? No longer have service, owe AT&T past due+Early term.

jivetrky · Nov 14, 2008

Can I sell my used Blackberry? No longer have service, owe AT&T past due+Early term.

So I had A blackberry curve 8310 for a while with AT&T. I unfortunately got to the point where I couldn't pay the bill and it was shut off. So they tacked on the early term fee and all that and I now owe them a fair bit for it and the past due bill.

My question is this: Can I sell this phone and someone else will be able to use it? Or would they not be able to activate it until the bill for it was paid?

Also, if I sell it, should I remove the SIM card? (Is there personal info on there?)

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this kind of stuff?

Thanks guys!

Mediocre_man · Nov 14, 2008

I can only answer the sim card question. The sim card carries the programing for you cell phone and can also carry your contacts to (all though less likely with a BB because or the palm OS). So I would remove the sim.

As for being able to resell the phone I dont know if the carrier keeps track of the ESN with the past due account. I know all carriers watch for ESN's of reported stolen phones. But I have no idea about closed accounts. I would simply call them and see if the ESN was completly released from the account and if the phone can be resold. They will probably answer that for you with no problem.

Niku-Sama · Nov 14, 2008

jivetrky said:
So I had A blackberry curve 8310 for a while with AT&T. I unfortunately got to the point where I couldn't pay the bill and it was shut off. So they tacked on the early term fee and all that and I now owe them a fair bit for it and the past due bill.

My question is this: Can I sell this phone and someone else will be able to use it? Or would they not be able to activate it until the bill for it was paid?

Also, if I sell it, should I remove the SIM card? (Is there personal info on there?)

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this kind of stuff?

Thanks guys!

you should take the simcard, but like the guy above me said not all personal info is on it from there, there should be something in the settings to erase all the memory or do a factory reset that gets rid of everything.

good luck with AT&T, they can be real ******* about this sort of thing

jivetrky · Nov 15, 2008

Ok, I'll definitely keep the SIM and wipe the phone. I guess I'll just have to call AT&T and ask them if the buyer can activate it even though I owe money. I sure hope so. If they want me to be able to pay the $175 early term fee they better let me sell the darned thing

jivetrky · Nov 15, 2008

Just to update for anyone curious: I called AT&T and they said that noone could use the phone until the bill is paid. So that is that.

Shelnutt2 · Nov 15, 2008

jivetrky said:
Just to update for anyone curious: I called AT&T and they said that noone could use the phone until the bill is paid. So that is that.

Hmmm, seems sort of fishy. I don't exactly know if a blackberry differs from other phones but with Nextel the phone isn't what the use, it's the sim card. We've experimented and swapped sim cards around the family phones and then when you called phone number A, phone B rang. Etc. So if the person who buys your phone has his own simcard, that he's paying service for I don't see why it wouldn't work?

Again though this is a limited knowledge based on Nextel.

jivetrky · Nov 15, 2008

Shelnutt2 said:
Hmmm, seems sort of fishy. I don't exactly know if a blackberry differs from other phones but with Nextel the phone isn't what the use, it's the sim card. We've experimented and swapped sim cards around the family phones and then when you called phone number A, phone B rang. Etc. So if the person who buys your phone has his own simcard, that he's paying service for I don't see why it wouldn't work?

Again though this is a limited knowledge based on Nextel.

The guy said that when they would call to activate that AT&T would lookup the IMEI and see that it was on an account that had a balance and then the person wouldn't be able to use it. Kinda sucks if you ask me.

deRusett · Nov 15, 2008

jivetrky said:
Just to update for anyone curious: I called AT&T and they said that noone could use the phone until the bill is paid. So that is that.

IF At&t uses sim cards they are full of it, all someone has to do is move there sim card over to the new black berry then it will get activated easily.

jivetrky · Nov 15, 2008

Hmmm. Perhaps I'll have to call again and ask someone else

SteveLord · Nov 15, 2008

It might not be just a matter of changing a SIM card (at least for TMobile.) I bought my blackberry used from a guy and he actually had to call his carrier to "release the device or some number" from his account since it wouldn't activate for me. Luckily, I had his ph number as he was pretty friendly about it.

Kevin007 · Nov 15, 2008

The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI (pronounced /aɪˈmiː/) is a number unique to every GSM and UMTS and iDEN mobile phone as well as some satellite phones. It is usually found printed on the phone underneath the battery.
The IMEI number is used by the GSM network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used to stop a stolen phone from accessing the network. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call his or her network provider and instruct them to "ban" the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless, regardless of whether the phone's SIM is changed.

greyharte · Nov 17, 2008

jivetrky said:
So I had A blackberry curve 8310 for a while with AT&T. I unfortunately got to the point where I couldn't pay the bill and it was shut off. So they tacked on the early term fee and all that and I now owe them a fair bit for it and the past due bill.

My question is this: Can I sell this phone and someone else will be able to use it? Or would they not be able to activate it until the bill for it was paid?

Also, if I sell it, should I remove the SIM card? (Is there personal info on there?),

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this kind of stuff?

Thanks guys!

for what its worth ... that statement is not true ... you CAN sell it ... the purchaser just needs to obtain a new sim for 25.00 and activate thier service (thats the official policy, 1st hand), dont know who told you otherwise

now the real question ... how much

jivetrky · Nov 17, 2008

greyharte said:
for what its worth ... that statement is not true ... you CAN sell it ... the purchaser just needs to obtain a new sim for 25.00 and activate thier service (thats the official policy, 1st hand), dont know who told you otherwise

now the real question ... how much

Wow. OK This is good to know. I never got around to calling and talking to someone else. But I'll take some 1st hand info anytime

Thanks a lot for the info. This is really great news because I definitely need cashes. And to answer your question, watch the classies most likely tonight

greyharte · Nov 17, 2008

jivetrky said:
Wow. OK This is good to know. I never got around to calling and talking to someone else. But I'll take some 1st hand info anytime

Thanks a lot for the info. This is really great news because I definitely need cashes. And to answer your question, watch the classies most likely tonight

lol

Can I sell my used Blackberry? No longer have service, owe AT&T past due+Early term.

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