Activating cell phones from verizon

[kizzo]

So i won a new cell phone on ebay and i wanna activate it to replace my old phone, anyone know how its done?

[exsailor]

You can call them or I think that you can do it on line as well.

From their web site:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/dispatcher?action=DISPLAY&item=_FAQ_TOPIC&topicID=243#1439

How do I activate my phone?
Your phone may be activated online through My Account.

Login to My Account
Not registered? Register for My Account

Select "Account Maintenance" from the top menu bar
Click "Activate Phone"
Follow the online directions to activate new equipment or existing equipment

[BlackElantraGT]

It might be possible that Verizon has a different policy, but usually this type of activation would require you to go into a physical store. They generally don't do it over the phone because

A) It requires a credit check and chances are customers who wish to activate their phones in this manner are frauds

B) The dept. that generally activates your phone deals with authorized agents, not actual customers.

C) The dept. that deals with new or potential customers is the Sales dept. They make commission by selling you your phone and service. If you already have a phone, they'll just refer you to a store or most just hang up on you. They're pretty cut throat. There's always that chance of fraud, but at least they can cut down on it because they're actually sending the phone out to a physical location, which the address can be verified on your credit report.

If you're already an existing Verizon customer who just wishes to change the phone on the account, call up Customer Service and ask if they can do that for you. They'll ask you for the ESN on the back of your phone and if your phone is new, the activation signal is sent to your phone almost instantaneously. If it's a used phone, they'll probably walk you through some manual phone programming.

[hyunelan2]

I just got a Verizon phone (switched from Cingular, that was a mistake, but anyway...) there was a sign on the counter saying that they charged $10 to activate "customer equipment." Not a huge expense, but be prepared to pay something if you walk into the Verizon store.

[punkrocker3_00]

My Dad lost his phone, but still had his old one. He called Verizon up and got the old phone activated right away. He did have to pay an activation fee. And of course 2 days later he found his newer phone.

[OPZ]

If you had a contract with them for a while, and go into the store, they should activate it for free. That is if your up for that "free phone trade-in" or somehting like that, like having them for a year or so. At least thats what they told me...

[Leviathant]

Have you searched Google on the topic yet?