What to do with "lost, then found" phone?

[tjumper78]

I use Samsung SCH-A990, the one with 3.2 megapixel camera (it's not that great btw), and the provider is Verizon Wireless.
I paid $400 for this phone, and I've been paying something like 5 bucks a month for insurance.
About 2 months ago, I lost the phone so I got a new one from the insurance company. They said I needed to return the original phone if it was found. Well, I found it in my garage last night.
My question is...
If I do not return it to the insurance company, what can I do with it? I don't want to waste money and time packaging and shipping the phone to the insurance company. I don't think I can use it in the future because it's been reported lost/stolen. Is there any way to tweak/unlock the phone so I can possibly use it in the future or sell it?

 

[laxx]

Unlocking and selling is basically the same as stealing. Go return the phone.

 

[nismo96]

Ditto. Return the phone.

 

[tjumper78]

just shipped it out.
feeling better. =)

 

[Aimless1]

Good move. Nothing to lose sleep over.

 

[OverlordXenu]

Just a note: CDMA phones are unlocked. The thing is, the carriers in the US are closed.

You can go take take that phone that you said you lost and activate it on a carrier, in say, China.

But Verizon would have put the ESN of the phone on some kind-of block list, so using it or selling it to someone for use in the US would be a no-go.

 

[IPodPJ]

Tell you what. I'll give you the okay to keep it if you give me the okay to keep this power cord that VD loaned me.

 

[OverlordXenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tell you what. I'll give you the okay to keep it if you give me the okay to keep this power cord that VD loaned me.

He wouldn't have been able to use it...

Edit: Oh, and to OP, you should now get your $50 insurance deductable back, if the phone is in working order. I always do.

 

[soul05]

for americans...technically you cant unlock a verizon phone. since verizon is on a us network, it is probably only dual band. it is not gsm compatible, meaning you cant put in a sim card of any carrier because it doesnt accept sim cards. verizon phones i believe use the cdma network, which doesnt use sim cards, which i think is stupid cuz if you spend 400 bucks on a phone, you should be able to still use the phone if you switch carriers. either way....the phone you found is useless to you and anyone else because verizon has the serial number of the phone. might as well return it.

 

[OverlordXenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soul05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif for americans...technically you cant unlock a verizon phone. since verizon is on a us network, it is probably only dual band. it is not gsm compatible, meaning you cant put in a sim card of any carrier because it doesnt accept sim cards. verizon phones i believe use the cdma network, which doesnt use sim cards, which i think is stupid cuz if you spend 400 bucks on a phone, you should be able to still use the phone if you switch carriers. either way....the phone you found is useless to you and anyone else because verizon has the serial number of the phone. might as well return it.

There is so much wrong with this entire statement...

Yes, Verizon is a CDMA network. You can't unlock a Verizon phone because they are already unlocked. You can take your Verizon phone to China, Korea (I think), many African countries, and even more countries, even if it is only CDMA.

And CDMA can use a sim-type card, it's called R-UIM. US networks choose not to use it because they suck.

And it's not stupid to use a CDMA phone, because CDMA is technologically superior to GSM (newer, soft hand-offs, more signal penetration in walls, better call quality, etc.).

The phone is useless to anyone in the US, but he could attempt to sell it to someone who lives in another country where they have CDMA carriers who will put in any phone's ESN. The phone is only blacklisted on Verizon's network.

 

[krmathis]

Return one of them to the insurance company.
You will sleep much better that way.