Was I sold a used phone and not told?

[CynS]

I bought a Samsung Galaxy 3 phone about a year ago(?); yesterday took a bunch of pictures at a store cause I was texting them to someone who was looking for a specific item. Came home, started deleting the pictures and saw something about backup pictures + so went looking.  There must be 20 or so pictures saved on my phone that I never took, never saw the people before in my life (nor would I want to).  So what's up with that?  Did Verizon sell me a used phone?  I am furious.  I have a 4G phone that basically never works in my house (and all our other cell phones did!) and now I find pictures I never took of people I do not know.  I thought I bought a NEW phone, not someone else's used phone.  I started deleting the pictures, but then have saved a few if I need proof........

[SuzyQ]

You've had the phone for a year, and just now discovered pictures on it you didn't take? 

[CynS]

see my answer below. Guess I was not totally clear...............

[SuzyQ]

I was not being sarcastic, just amazed that you didn't discover this the day you got the phone or very soon after - one of the first things I do with a new phone is play with the camera and get familiar with where the pics go so I can find them easily - and you can bet I would have noticed THEN if there were 20 pics I had never taken already on the phone.

[CynS]

<Duplicate post deleted for cross posting violations per the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service.>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

[budone]

In a year, you have NEVER taken a picture or if you have, you have NEVER looked at the gallery?  Okayyyyyy

[CynS]

This may come as a shock, but the village idiot I am not...........see my answer below.

[rall_g4]

I have NEVER taken a picture with my phone. That is such a bad thing?

Message was edited by: << Verizon Moderator >>

[#9]

Probably not a bad thing, just surprising.

[rall_g4]

I guess I'm just not a picture type of person.

<< Personal comments removed to comply with >>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

[budone]

<< Personal comments removed to comply with Verizon Wireless Terms of Service >>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

[CynS]

Let's not get sarcastic here, Of course I have taken pictures, probably hundreds but NO, until yesterday I never went all the way back into the archived pictures from this phone, other phones.  Not sure why I did, but then started scrolling through, laughing over some that I had forgotten and then at the very end were all these ones I have never seen before.  Maybe you should do the same...............

[#13]

It is possible there were pictures stored in some obscure folder where you never looked, but not likely.  Maybe they were accidently downloaded from somewhere or as breezex said, on the SD card.  Of course, it is possible the phone was previously used, but not very likely.  If so, I doubt it was intentionally sold to you, but that might depend on where you bought it.  At this point, I wouldn't worry about it.

[breezex]

What are the dates on the "mystery" pictures?  Gallery will show you the dates. Are the dates prior to you buying the phone?  Are the pictures actually on the phone or on the SD card?  Maybe you have a used SD card.  Where is this archive that you speak of?

[CynS]

Another thought I had is that when I first got the phone, I "shared" pictures with someone else with the same phone just to see if it really worked the way the ad showed.  I thought we just shared pictures taken on a vacation, but possible I got some others that were on the other phone.  Good thoughts though.

[NuDroidUsrr]

  Maybe a used / replaced SD card? Do you know the location of them, are the on the internal storage or the SD card?

[japetty]

Did you buy this phone from a corporate Verizonwireless Store or a Verizonwireless Premium Retailer Store?  These can and do look very similar.  I ask this as when I purchased my SIII from a Verizonwireless Corporate Store it did not come with an SD card.  I purchase one elsewhere.  The Premium retail stores can do things differently than Verizonwireless Corporate Stores.  Verizonwireless Corporate Stores when a phone is returned by a customer prior to the end of the 14 day trial period will send the phone back for refurb channels.  I don't know what the Premium Retailer Stores do with those phones.  Just a thought.

[CynS]

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and comments.  I think I got the answer I was looking for and am not going to lose any sleep over this.  I appreciate those of you who honestly tried to offer good ideas and suggestions.  Thanks again.