Dead cell phone - cheap fix?

[Bo Loo]

Hi all,



I was recently assigned a cell phone from my company; the carrier is with AT&T and the model is a Samsung Rugby II.



Like a moron, I left it outside and it was rained on and now won't power up. I've left it in a bag of rice for a couple of days and it still won't power up.



My company is going to make me pay to replace it - understandable. The replacement cost for a new one is over $250.



I see several on eBay for around $100. (see link for example).



My question is, could I purchase one of these, put my current SIM card in the new/used phone and have the new/used phone work like the old/dead phone - keeping the same number, etc.?

 

[Bud Williams]

yes, as long as it is a unlocked gsm phone. if your sim card is dead also, you can go to a att store and get a replacement programmed....

 

[Brandon Poorman]

Yes,

I would try and get an ATT phone though. I have purchased the cheap Go-Phones before and popped my regular sim card in them to take hunting or 4 wheeling, to not destroy my BlackBerry. The phone has all your numbers transfer over from the sim.

 

[Tom Schindler]

If you are NOT required to have a phone JUST like the one they gave you, buy an "ATT Pay as you go" phone and swap the SIM card.



Used to do it all the time when I needed a new phone, but none were available without a camera.





Tom

 

[Richard L]

You might be able to buy a cheap phone to use, however eventually the company will want their original phone back??? So that would mean in the long run, you bought two phones to replace one that you damaged?



Also, depending upon how many cellphones your company uses, they often get them at huge discounts because the cell phone providers make all their money on the minutes/data charges.



I retired last July, but my company made a purchase of 360 new AT&T cell phones for our employees. We paid 99 cents per phone and we did not have to pay any monthly charges until the phone was activated.



If you have to reimburse the company for the cost of the damaged cell phone, it might not be as expensive as you may think. Also, many companies tell employees that they have to pay for any cell phones or computers lost or damaged while in their care. In reality, they often just say that to insure the employees use care with the company's equipment, but rarely charge for accidents. My company had people loose phones, drop laptop computers, etc and we never charged anyone. Even the President of our region has his company laptop stolen out of his pickup truck when he stopped to eat lunch. It's often considered the cost of doing business.



I would talk to someone at work and findout what they would charge you for the phone? Also, most companies reuse phones when people leave so your phone may have been used by many other employees over several years and the cost to replace it might be very low?

You may also find out that they company may not charge you anything. Actually, I am not aware of many companies who threaten to charge employees for accidental damage to equipment actually follow through, assuming the employee did not steal it. And it might not be legal to charge in some states in certain situations??



....Rich

 

[Bo Loo]

Thanks for all your input. Here's an update.



My company has not specified that they want the phone back. They have indicated that I can replace it with any phone as long as it is compatible with our voice plan.



"... if you find another cell phone (voice plan only) you are welcome to use that."



I went to an AT&T store today and asked them to veriphy the phone was dead, and it wasn't the battery/SIM card causing the problem. The battery and SIM are fine. The sales rep told me I could buy a cheap AT&T Go phone and replace the SIM card from my dead phone and viola...working phone with the old number (and voice plan? - I forgot to ask about that).



So, if I buy a less expensive Go Phone (pay as you go) and replace the SIM, all is good? Same phone number and voice plan where the company gets the bill?



A link to an example phone is below.

 

[Richard L]

bo,

Sounds like you have found an inexpensive workable solution.



My company gave me 4 BlackBerry phones while I worked there and upgraded each year. I had to have a smart phone because I needed to send and receive emails and text messages, as well as use the browser. Our corporate HQ had a BlackBerry server to manage all the security. Most other employees had the small Motorola flip phones.



It sounds like your company was being straight with you by allowing you to just buy any compatible phone....You might want to look into buying a waterproof phone..:grin:



...Rich