Clearing out data before donating?
What exactly does one have to do to remove personal data or account data from a cellphone one wishes to donate? E.g., remove the SIM card if a SIM-card-based phone; or wipe/shred data if a PDA-cum-phone?
You would definitely want to remove the sim and you would want to perform a master reset. You would also want to delete out the VM number.
Like phonescoopjunkie and eric Lin both said. It is extremely important to clear off the data. Don't want personal information for your friends and family to get out.
At our store, we give the SIM cards back to our iDEN customers and then do a Mas...
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Buyback Programs
Mr. Lin, I need to correct you. Nextel is not the only carrier to have a handset buyback program. SprintPCS launched theirs in October. You can get up to, if I recall correctly, $75 credit when returning your old handset and buying a new one.
Unfortunately, I don't have access to the details anymore. If you call Sprint and the representative you speak to doesn't know about it, either, ask them to look up "Handset Buyback" in Wizard.
Slander, i'm looking into this. there's no information on the program on sprint pcs's public website. in fact, they state they might offer a buyback program in the future. however after you raised this issue, i did find this information on Sprint PCS ...
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Cingular also has a buyback program for certain phones. When switching for AT&T to Cingular. It's about $75 on phones like the V600, Nokia 6800, etc. It offers a nice incentive for switching over to Cingular.
There are also better places to sell old nextel. Try www.betterbuyback.com
They buy old nextel phones and claim to pay more than Nextel.
Amazing Article
I have been working in the wireless department of a major retailer for about 2 years now, and people always ask me what they can do with old phones. they usually want to trade in the phones and get a store credit, but we do not offer that. What i always tell them to do is to donate it directly to a battered women's shelter. The idea is just brilliant. It definately helps out the customer b/c it means they don't have old phones sitting in their basement, collecting dust; and it helps women who are in a situation in which they need help. As a friend to a woman who has been in that situation, I know that it is tough. In fact, when i found out she did not have a cell phone, I found an old phone in my basement that had not been activated in...
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There is an even deadlier reason why it is critical that old phones don't get tossed away- people are literally dying for them. The legacy of "blood diamonds" is well known, however the fact that a similar arrangement exists to mine coltan (Columbium ...
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I think im going to do it!
Thanks Rich for telling me, i have many old phones that i was going to throuw away in a couple of days, i never knew that you could do this, i actually went to staples and saw these cell phone recycling bins, thanks for the tip Rich! I feel good about what i did now! 😁