Buying used smartphone from Craigslist..Can I guarantee a clear-ESN?

Question

Assuming:

1.) I meet the seller at a Verizon store

2.) I successfully active the phone at time of purchase

Can I guarantee my ESN will remain clean ?

A few Verizon phone representatives encourage me to consider a used phone (to stay month-to-month).

However, I have found Internet horror stories indicating cases where an ESN can be blacklisted even after its on my account:

- Can the phone be reported lost/stolen after its on my account?

- If their ETF remains unpaid, can debt collections blacklist the phone that is now on my account?

- What about Edge..Will the ESN appear clean when someone still has remaining Edge payments?

Weth · Accepted Answer

- Can the phone be reported lost/stolen after its on my account? YES

- If their ETF remains unpaid, can debt collections blacklist the phone that is now on my account? VERIZON CAN BLACKLIST AND THEN PASS DEBT ONTO COLLECTOR

- What about Edge..Will the ESN appear clean when someone still has remaining Edge payments? YES AS LONG AS ACCOUNT IN GOOD STANDING

What happens is your phone remains active. But if it needs to be reactivated or you pass it on to someone else, it won't re-activate.