Hi, my name is Wendy, and I worked as a small business consultant for years, helping people to improve their companies. Now that I have taken a step back from that role, I decided to start this blog as a creative and professional outlet. In this blog, I am going to focus on one aspect of running a business–the phones. I plan to take on all angles of phone services including concepts such as voice over internet provider (VoIP), different types of hardware, taking the phone to the cloud and much more. Every business needs a unique solution for their communications needs, and the advances in the phone services industry allow that to happen. I hope that you enjoy reading and that you learn a lot here!
Purchasing a used smartphone offers an opportunity to save a significant amount of money compared to buying a new one. However, a number of pitfalls can turn your exciting purchase into a useless paperweight. Here are three things to check before buying a used smartphone.
Verify Lost / Stolen Status
One of the major risks that comes with purchasing a used smartphone is the risk that it may turn out to be lost, or stolen. A good way to protect against this is to ask the seller to provide proof of purchase information in the form of a store receipt. However, many sellers have long thrown away the receipt, so the next best option is to check the phone's unique identifier -- called an IMEI, ESN, or MEID depending on the manufacturer -- against a robust database. Free databases are available online for you to check. It's best to see the phone in person and get the IMEI directly from the phone. Don't rely on the sticker inside the battery plate, as a dishonest seller can switch the sticker out with a different IMEI. To get the IMEI, the process is the same for Android and iPhone. Open the phone's dial pad and dial *#06# , the phone's IMEI will the appear. Check the IMEI number in the online lost or stolen database to make sure it's clear.
Check Payment History
Nowadays, phones are a pricey investment. Because of this, it's becoming less common for consumers to pay for the full price of a smartphone upfront. Instead, most cellular companies offer a variety of monthly payment plans. However, the customer doesn't own the phone until the terms of the payment agreement have been met. This means, if you purchase a phone that is currently under an installment plan and the owner stops making installments, the phone company will put the phone on a national block list, which will block it from accessing United States networks. So, regardless of which carrier you use, your phone will have no access to the network. That's why it's crucial that you make sure the smartphone you plan to purchase has been paid in full by requesting that the seller produce the original contract showing all of the installments have been made, or by going to the carrier store and verifying with an agent.
Check Functionality
Once you know the phone is paid in full and not listed as lost, or stolen, the next step is to check the functionality. Most sellers are honest, but you can't rely on seller honesty 100 percent of time. Check that the speakers work, the internet connects and you can browse without problems and that you can hear through the headpiece. Make a phone call and make sure the caller can hear you clearly and vice versa. Plug it in and make sure it charges properly. Take your accessories with you, such as bluetooth headset and make sure the bluetooth connection works as it should. In addition, perform a careful visual inspection. These steps will ensure that you make a solid purchase.
Contact a professional in used cell phone sales to avoid problems.
Share13 June 2017
