Questions about purchasing a phone from Swappa

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I am considering purchasing a phone from Swappa and was looking for some first hand feedback from those who might have used Swappa in the past. I am grandfathered on an unlimited data plan from Verizon so the goal of the phone purchase is upgrade the phone without losing my current plan and not pay full retail for a new phone.

I also was curious to know if anyone had purchased a phone that has been a warranty replacement from Asurion. The phone I am looking at is described by the seller as
"Phone is a Verizon certified Asurion insurance replacement. Never used or opened. Perfect condition." I am not sure if being a warranty replacement phone would have any implications for the new owner of the phone.

I have called Verizon twice and have been told on both occasions that I can add an unlocked phone to my existing plan without any cost as long as the phone is a Verizon phone and that it is unlocked.

Thanks in advance for the guidance.
 
Man, I would avoid anything that was a warranty replacement. Those replacement devices they send are refurbished and don't carry the same warranty, and sometimes the original problem wasn't even fixed.

I would just pony up the full retail price, or figure out if the unlimited data plan really is that important to you and get the subsidized phone. I recently "lost" my unlimited data on Verizon but truthfully I was never even going over 2GB to begin with.
 
Thanks for the reply. I did not know the replacement devices were refurbished phones.
Keeping the unlimited plan is important for me at this point as it is unlimited everything and there are days when I am able to work from home so the phone gets higher than normal use on those days.

Thankfully time is on my side so I can wait for a new phone that is not a warranty replacement.
 
Verizon still offers plans with unlimited calling and texting -- they're called Share Everything. You buy data in 2GB increments.
 
I have a close in friend in a similar situation. He's also one of the lucky view who are grandfathered in with unlimited data on VZW; averages 12gb/mo with a bill of only $67/mo. Can't even port his number to Google Voice without VZW pwning his contract and knocking him out of unlimited data.

Though I am on T-Mobile, I have had positive experiences with Asurion, though they have fired me as a paying customer. 2012 was a bad year for me phones, in which time I burned through 3 Asuruion claims. First two were refurb replacements, third was a brand new unit that was better than what I had. Warranty replacements are fulfilled by either the manufacturer or carrier, and are typically refurb units as well, unless they are out of stock of the model.
 
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I never had any problems with the refurbs i got through warrant claims. The last one i had was just as good as new even though it was stickered a refurb.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Verizon still offers plans with unlimited calling and texting -- they're called Share Everything. You buy data in 2GB increments.


Aaah the Share Your Paycheck plans. Pay for [censored] you don't want (unlimited voice and texting) and pay our the rear for what you do (data).

I'm in the same boat with the unlimited data on Verizon and come June I know I'm going to want a new phone. I'm not sure if I'm going to pay full retail at Verizon and keep my unlimited or bail. The only nice thing about them is that through work we get a 19% discount so it's somewhat affordable.
 
Originally Posted By: PurpleT
I am considering purchasing a phone from Swappa and was looking for some first hand feedback from those who might have used Swappa in the past. I am grandfathered on an unlimited data plan from Verizon so the goal of the phone purchase is upgrade the phone without losing my current plan and not pay full retail for a new phone.

I also was curious to know if anyone had purchased a phone that has been a warranty replacement from Asurion. The phone I am looking at is described by the seller as
"Phone is a Verizon certified Asurion insurance replacement. Never used or opened. Perfect condition." I am not sure if being a warranty replacement phone would have any implications for the new owner of the phone.

I have called Verizon twice and have been told on both occasions that I can add an unlocked phone to my existing plan without any cost as long as the phone is a Verizon phone and that it is unlocked.

Thanks in advance for the guidance.


I was also in a grandfathered Verizon unlimited data plan. You do realize you are paying about $20 - $25 to subsidize the cost of a new phone and don't have one? While the "grandfathered" part sounds good I was no using anything close to what I would get for the basic data plan. In the end I left Verizon as they were just not good near my house.

I might buy a "refurbished" phone from Amazon but I would think twice about these other places.

I was at Walmart last night. They have Verizon no contract phones for unlimited talk/text and 1 GB data for $50/month, and you buy the phone.

Whether you spend $100 or $500, I think its best to buy the phone outright and look for a no contract plan.
 
Also the phone companies are being pushed to verify if the phone is stolen before they allow it to be connected. Not sure how you can verify ahead of time if a phone from Swappa was stolen.

IPhones are stolen every day.
 
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Originally Posted By: PurpleT
I am considering purchasing a phone from Swappa and was looking for some first hand feedback from those who might have used Swappa in the past. I am grandfathered on an unlimited data plan from Verizon so the goal of the phone purchase is upgrade the phone without losing my current plan and not pay full retail for a new phone.

I also was curious to know if anyone had purchased a phone that has been a warranty replacement from Asurion. The phone I am looking at is described by the seller as
"Phone is a Verizon certified Asurion insurance replacement. Never used or opened. Perfect condition." I am not sure if being a warranty replacement phone would have any implications for the new owner of the phone.

I have called Verizon twice and have been told on both occasions that I can add an unlocked phone to my existing plan without any cost as long as the phone is a Verizon phone and that it is unlocked.

Thanks in advance for the guidance.


Assurion phones are GARBAGE. I had 2 , never again. Cheapest Refurbish possible with basically NO warranty. Used to be 1 year. May have changed .Try to get it covered without another $100 fee. Good luck!
https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/941046
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: dparm
Verizon still offers plans with unlimited calling and texting -- they're called Share Everything. You buy data in 2GB increments.


Aaah the Share Your Paycheck plans. Pay for [censored] you don't want (unlimited voice and texting) and pay our the rear for what you do (data).

I'm in the same boat with the unlimited data on Verizon and come June I know I'm going to want a new phone. I'm not sure if I'm going to pay full retail at Verizon and keep my unlimited or bail. The only nice thing about them is that through work we get a 19% discount so it's somewhat affordable.


Yes it's amazing what a rip off all these things are.

I'm just surprised that VZ is dumping people like that, forcing them to lower plans. ATT has allowed us to keep the unlimited plans even on upgrade to new and LTE devices.
 
I am also on a VZW unlimited plan and have purchased our last two phones (iPhone and a Droid) on eBay. Never had a problem and usually get new, sealed in the box phones; I just add them to the VZW network via the website. Just last week, I just purchased an iPad Air for about $150 cheaper than retail. Good luck.
 
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Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: dparm
Verizon still offers plans with unlimited calling and texting -- they're called Share Everything. You buy data in 2GB increments.


Aaah the Share Your Paycheck plans. Pay for [censored] you don't want (unlimited voice and texting) and pay our the rear for what you do (data).

I'm in the same boat with the unlimited data on Verizon and come June I know I'm going to want a new phone. I'm not sure if I'm going to pay full retail at Verizon and keep my unlimited or bail. The only nice thing about them is that through work we get a 19% discount so it's somewhat affordable.


Yes it's amazing what a rip off all these things are.

I'm just surprised that VZ is dumping people like that, forcing them to lower plans. ATT has allowed us to keep the unlimited plans even on upgrade to new and LTE devices.



Yes, but the problem is that the word "unlimited" is used misleadingly by AT&T. While you can in theory download 100GB, they throttle you at a certain point and make it almost unusable.

I don't think VZW is any more or less of a ripoff than the other companies. It's all about finding a plan and network that fits your usage pattern. For me, with all the traveling I do, Verizon's network is unmatched. That means I have to slightly overpay for things like minutes or texts I don't always use. Although I was disappointed to lose my unlimited data, I was barely hitting 2GB each month anyway so it really makes no difference.
 
Thanks everyone for the input and guidance. I will avoid the warranty replacement phones and for the time being stay with Verizon. It provides the best coverage for me at home and work and when the unlimited everything is added in at the price I pay no other deals are comparable.
 
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