Previous owner will not take time to remove device from his acct. I have his name, number, address, serial number, imei of the device. I added it to my Verizon plan. I can't activate it! Apple won't help me but him?

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Level 1

9 points

Previous owner will not take time to remove device from his acct. I have his name, number, address, serial number, imei of the device. I added it to my Verizon plan. I can't activate it! Apple won't help me but him?

Previous owner will not take time to remove device from his account. I have his name, number, address, serial number, and imei of the iphone. I've always had OS cell phones but, my daughter IOS. I made sure the imei was clean and it was not blacklisted before adding it to my Verizon account . Now I learned about icloud. Verizon ported her number to the iphone and now she has no phone to use. I called apple but was told they could not help me but they could help the original owner. They original owner is older and maybe confused after I tried explaining what I've learned. What can I do when the original owner is/was/still confused about how the system works? I'm still lost in this apple world.

iPhone 6, iOS 9.3.1

Posted on Sep 9, 2016 4:28 PM

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Answer 1

sberman

Level 10

274,080 points

Sep 12, 2016 5:57 AM in response to criddybug

It sounds as if this iPhone is Activation Locked. Here is the full description of Activation Lock:

Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support

Assuming the previous owner is willing (but just not capable) to help you, perhaps if you contact the owner and walk her/him through the directions above, you'll be all set.

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Answer 2

Sep 12, 2016 5:58 AM in response to criddybug

Send the previous owner this link and ask them to remove the device from their iCloud account online - Turn off Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support They don't need to divulge any information to you.

If they will not cooperate, there is nothing you can do. Apple will not help you to defeat activation lock imposed by the previous device owner. It is up to that previous owner to remove activation lock on their property when they dispose of it.

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Answer 3

Sep 10, 2016 5:03 PM in response to criddybug

Tell the previous owner to refund your money or you will take him to court for the money.

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Answer 4

criddybug Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 12, 2016 6:06 AM in response to Michael Black

This was very helpful. Thank you for your time. I contacted the owner once more and learned that there is a story that comes with the phone. It seems it belonged to someone who is no longer around. After learning this I felt bad. Best thing about mistakes is you learn from them, and I gotta tell you, I learned a lot. Many thanks and blessings.

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Answer 5

criddybug Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 12, 2016 6:07 AM in response to Michael Black

Many thanks and blessings. This explained a lot!

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Answer 6

criddybug Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 12, 2016 6:09 AM in response to Michael Black

This was very helpful. Thank you for your time. I contacted the owner once more and learned that there is a story that comes with the phone. It seems it belonged to someone who is no longer around. After learning this I felt bad. Best thing about mistakes is you learn from them, and I gotta tell you, I learned a lot. Many thanks and blessings.

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Answer 7

sberman

Level 10

274,080 points

Sep 12, 2016 2:06 PM in response to criddybug

Yes, you may have learned a lot but unfortunately it may have cost you quite a bit of money to do so. I hope your lesson wasn't too costly.

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