ESN checks accurate?
The last time I checked an ESN, they told me that the ESN was clear. However, when I tried to activate it, they told me that the ESN was bad. Why is that? I asked a friend and they told me that when Sprint customer service and reps do an ESN check, they don't really go through with a "trial activation" where they try to activate it to see if it's clear, instead they act on a list that isn't as up to date.
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When I check for an esn for customers we use our regular software that we sell and activate phones in that shows everything that has went on with the phone, when active, what number it had, etc. It is possible the rep just lied and never checked. I was never told that I should do a 'trial activation' when checking an esn but i've only been with sprint for 9 months...
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I also had a similar experience with this. I don't suppose that there's an automated alternative to checking ESN's is there? I know about www.CheckESN.com. However, I would like to check out other alternatives, especially the free and fast ones.
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Huh, the site seems pretty useful for people who deal with used cell phones.
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Honestly, it depends on who you talk to. I usually use a tool called "MSN Lookup" which will only tell us if the MSN/ESN has been reported as lost or stolen. If I show that a phone has not been reported as lost or stolen, I will also run it in our account look up system to see if it's still currently active on an account that is suspended for non-payment (as this would cause you to not be able to activate it).
So maybe your ESN wasn't reported as lost or stolen, but you got the phone from someone who had an account that was just suspended because they stopped paying their bill. Once that account has officially been canceled for non-payment or paid off, you would be able to activate the phone.
HTH
So maybe your ESN wasn't reported as lost or stolen, but you got the phone from someone who had an account that was just suspended because they stopped paying their bill. Once that account has officially been canceled for non-payment or paid off, you would be able to activate the phone.
HTH
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