lost cell phone- Verizon

[palpluto]

My son decided to go on a roller coaster with his cell phone and camera in his pocket. Neither survived.
We have a family plan and I want him to have a phone for select times, so he does not need one all the time but does need one for certain situations. We switched to Verizon a few months ago and got the phones w/ 2 yr contract. So, now he does not have a phone, won't be due for upgrade for a LONG time, and we are in a contract.
Any ideas on best budget way to get a simple/cheap phone?

 

[a1tinkfans]

why not craigs list or ebay??

BUT, be sure you can do that with Verizon as I now think that they are LOCKED form accepting other phones, something like they do not use a SIM card.....
I am sure others will chime in....
Good Luck!!!

 

[rockundergirl]

try lostmyphone.com they have verizon phones.. and ask around to friends and family , most people upgrade cell phones a lot! you would be amazed about how many phones are floating around,, and don't let him be picky about what phone he gets ( thats prob going to be the hardest part?

 

[PrincessGracie]

just sent you a PM

 

[Iluvjiminy]

Not sure about Verizon but with US Cellular you can go and buy used phones from them and just transfer your number to that phone. Both my DD's (thankfully at different times) dropped their phones in water. I went to the US Cellular store and asked what I could do because we were in the contract as well but not close enough to be abled to purchase a new phone and they suggested we buy used phones they had refurbished. Worked out grat and I think we paid half of the new price for them.

Hope this helps
Becky

 

[amberlynnhawkins]

If it uses a SIM card, try switching the card from the old phone to a (cheaper) pre-paid one. I have AT&T and was able to solve a similar problem this way!

 

[NYCDiane]

You can buy a used Verizon cell phone on ebay but BEFORE buying the phone, send the seller an email asking if the phone is unlocked and can be activated. The reason I say this is because my huband's Verizon cell phone was stolen. I immediately called Verizon and they listed the phone as being stolen and turned the phone off and it is now locked and can never be used or activated again.

I ended up getting him another verizon phone from someone on Freecycle and was able to activate it from home (calling verizon wireless customer service and being walked through the steps to activate the phone).

 

[MagiKitty]

I just got a new phone from Verizon last week and while making chat, the customer representative told me that in the event that I lose or damage my phone, to contact my insurance carrier, either home or car. Some policies consider a cell phone covered in part of their packages. She said that in her case, her insurance reimbursed her the full price of the phone. It may be worth looking into and inquiring.

 

[JerJan]

We have Verizon and my DD9 needed a phone for using to contact me from time to time. Go to you closest Verizon store and tell them you want the 9.99 phone in the back. I just told them I wanted to cheapest phone they had and that's what they brought out. They will activate it with the old number for you. They also did NOT charge me anything except for the cost of the phone.

 

[palpluto]

try lostmyphone.com they have verizon phones.. and ask around to friends and family , most people upgrade cell phones a lot! you would be amazed about how many phones are floating around,, and don't let him be picky about what phone he gets ( thats prob going to be the hardest part?

Oh, don't worry- he won't be being picky!
Thanks.

 

[pixiewings71]

Verizon just required you to have another Verizon phone, so find someone with a Verizon plan and an extra phone and you're good to go. You just take the other phone down and let them know you need to activate it with his number and they will do it on the spot. We always have at least 1 old phone laying around, you just never know when you might need to replace a broken one.