eBay

n.am.potosi · ‎06-13-2022

It seemed like the ideal combination to me after receiving word from PureTalk USA that my 3G flip phone was about to be shut down because of AT&T shutting down 3G service. So I bought the used but usable LG K20 Plus 32G and what appeared to be a compatible Tracfone plan that was offered on the same eBay seller's webpage.

I just clicked a box and paid the extra $49.99, and paid for both the phone and the 1yr, 1200 voice minute, 1200 text, 3gb data plan at the same time at eBay checkout. That was back in February, and I assumed that the Tracfone plan would activate without any problem even if I waited a while as I didn't see any time limit on activation. I received the phone in good condition promptly, and I received just a Tracfone sim card kit that I supposed would work with the Tracfone plan that I assumed had been created with Tracfone by the seller. All I got from the Tracfone source was a sim card package: "Keep Your Own Smartphone Sim Kit." There was no "pin" or other card besides the Verizon (CDMA) sim card (that I later found out didn't suit my LG T-Mobile locked phone).

AT&T didn't shut down my PureTalk USA service until the 3rd of June, but when they did, the shut down was absolute and complete. My flip phone went absolutely dead with no connectivity to any AT&T or other service. I kept using the PTUSA (actually AT&T) service right up until the shutdown thinking I could activate my LG phone with the Verizon sim card kit I had received.

When it came to activation at the Tracfone website, I bumped into trouble when I kept getting the response that the Verizon sim card wasn't compatible with the LG smartphone. I got to chat live with "Julie" at Tracfone, and she worked with me to the point that she chatted I would need a different sim card. I found that Tracfone sells a T-mobile compatible sim card kit ("Keep your own smartphone sim kit") that looked like it would be compatible with GSM smartphones. So I ordered that for 99 cents delivered directly from Tracfone. That arrived just today (Monday, June 13). Julie chatted previously that I should keep the Verizon sim card number and use that to access my account or to initiate activation. Julie never told me anything about not having a valid Tracfone plan, just that I needed a different sim card.

I tried to follow the directions again for activating my Tracfone plan today, but I guess I blew the system because I tried to activate using the newly arrived T-mobile sim card number, and I can't get any chat help like I had before at Tracfone. Now I just get a "will help you later" popup response when I try to activate--even with the Verizon sim card.

I wonder if anyone else has had this problem when they bought the used LG K20 plus 32G smartphone and the 1200 minute/text one-year Tracfone plan here at eBay offered on the same eBay sale page. If anyone got the Verizon sim card like I did at the same time they bought the smartphone (arriving from different sources), how did you get around it at the Tracfone website with the IMEI for your T-Mobile-locked smartphone that you got from the eBay seller? IOW: where did I go wrong?

n.am.potosi · ‎06-15-2022

Here's what the smartphone provider wrote when I last inquired why the Tracfone plan checkbox on his eBay sale page didn't link to a Tracfone plan compatible with the LG K20 plus smartphone he sells on that page:

"I am unable to answer any questions regarding the plan as we have nothing to do with that nor did we know that was even a option. My guess is that the plans are being sold by eBay. Thanks"

Judging by this, eBay is guilty of setting up the checkbox link to the CDMA Tracfone plan that is incompatible with the GSM LG smartphone advertised on that same page. The seller claims no knowledge how the checkbox link got inserted on his sale page. Hard to believe. I can't believe I'm the first one to be deceived by this totally incogruous mismatch. What appears to be essentially a bundle--a phone and a matching Tracfone plan turns out to be a totally incompatible mismatch where the CDMA plan being sold doesn't match the GSM device. What appears to be essentially a bundle just turns out to be $90 spent for nothing that works.

You get the CDMA sim card "Keep Your Own Smartphone Sim Kit" back from Tracfone and that sim card number is supposed to be compatible with the IMEI of the LG phone. Go to activate and learn that the Verizon CDMA sim won't fit the LG K20 plus T-Mobile GSM IMEI. You're stuck with a phone and a plan that have no relation to each other, so you can't activate and you can't use either the phone or the plan.

tobaccocardyahoo · ‎09-30-2023

Tracphone is owned by Verizon uses Verizon's Network and Verizon no longer supports 3G.

Many of us who get our service from resellers of Verizon's network have had to upgrade. In my case that was Xfinity.

krazzykats · ‎09-30-2023

And LG stopped making smartphones in 2021.

"LG says it plans to finish winding down its involvement with smartphones by July 31. (2021)

It's not hard to figure out why LG is exiting the smartphone business. The business was a money-loser for LG as it never could emerge from the shadow cast by leading players Apple and Samsung, nor could it stave off increased competition from Chinese phone makers like Huawei and Oppo. "

I had multiple LG phones that I have now switched to Motos, I liked the LG phones better, by the way.

KrazzyKats
Volunteer Community Mentor

solid_sales_store · ‎10-02-2023

You have given good information.

stephenmorgan · ‎10-02-2023

@n.am.potosi wrote:
Here's what the smartphone provider wrote when I last inquired why the Tracfone plan checkbox on his eBay sale page didn't link to a Tracfone plan compatible with the LG K20 plus smartphone he sells on that page:
"I am unable to answer any questions regarding the plan as we have nothing to do with that nor did we know that was even a option. My guess is that the plans are being sold by eBay. Thanks"

Judging by this, eBay is guilty of setting up the checkbox link to the CDMA Tracfone plan that is incompatible with the GSM LG smartphone advertised on that same page. The seller claims no knowledge how the checkbox link got inserted on his sale page. Hard to believe. I can't believe I'm the first one to be deceived by this totally incogruous mismatch. What appears to be essentially a bundle--a phone and a matching Tracfone plan turns out to be a totally incompatible mismatch where the CDMA plan being sold doesn't match the GSM device. What appears to be essentially a bundle just turns out to be $90 spent for nothing that works.

You get the CDMA sim card "Keep Your Own Smartphone Sim Kit" back from Tracfone and that sim card number is supposed to be compatible with the IMEI of the LG phone. Go to activate and learn that the Verizon CDMA sim won't fit the LG K20 plus T-Mobile GSM IMEI. You're stuck with a phone and a plan that have no relation to each other, so you can't activate and you can't use either the phone or the plan.

Whenever you show an interest in something on eBay they will advertise similar like items within the page of the item you are looking at. So it is very possible you purchased the Phone and the Tracfone Plan from two different people. I do not know if this is what happened or not, just that it is possible. You seem unsure of the details of the purchase.

See if this will take you to your Purchase History and you can see if the purchase was from one seller or from two sellers. https://www.ebay.com/mye/myebay/v2/purchase

If it was from two sellers then contact the one who sold you the Plan and maybe the can verify if the Plan is still valid.

The Tracfone Plan that you purchased "1200 voice minute, 1200 text, 3gb data and 1 Year Service for $49.99" is a very good bargain price, especially with the 3GB of data. How did you receive this? Is it a physical card that was mailed to you, was it a Activation Code sent to you thru eBay or was it supposed to be preloaded on the phone you purchased? If it was a Card mailed to you or a Activation Code sent thru eBay did you ask Tracfone to verify if the Codes are valid?

Often times when a "new" Tracfone comes preloaded with services at a bargain price there is a limited time that for the services to be activated and if not activated within this time period the services expire.

Does not matter if you have a CDMA compatible Tracfone, a GSM compatible Tracfone or a LTE compatible Tracfone any new Tracfone Plan will work with any Tracfone Phone that is not obsolete.

" Verizon CDMA sim won't fit the LG K20 plus T-Mobile GSM IMEI"

What is it that you are trying to do by expecting the card to fit both phones with different providers of services from Verizon and T-Mobile? Is it the SIM Cards are not the same size or are they incompatible?

I have never had a issue buying a Tracfone directly from Tracfone on eBay but once I waited to activate a phone for five months and I found out the preloaded services that came with the phone had expired. I asked about this and they just refunded without a reply or asking for phone back.