NSS: Live Cell Phone (WWYD?)

[WhiskeyPapa]

I bought a wholesale lot of returned items from a major national electronics retailer, and among the stuff was a Verizon cell phone that is still active. I can make calls, receive calls, surf the web, text, etc. This phone was one of the demo phones that people can play with in the store.

Now I'm assuming the retailer has a HUGE cell phone plan with hundreds of phones on it, and someone just forgot to deactivate this one. Either that, or Verizon provides a number of activated cell phones to the retailer for demo use, and this phone was not supposed to be liquidated.

Am I committing fraud by using this phone? Do I have a responsibility to call someone (who?) and tell them about it?

It gets stickier: Some of the other items in the lot were missing or misrepresented, and I'm having no luck with the retailer to make up for the problems. So part of me wants to "stick it to them" by keeping this phone active and just using it.

What would you do?

[cruelpupet]

Use it

[Nija]

Take it in to a Verizon store (the next time you are in town ) and let them know what the problem is. If they are indifferent, you've done your obligation. If they deactivate it, oh well.

Or you could send random bomb threats until someone shows up at your house.

Your call

[WhiskeyPapa]

I checked with the manager of the nearest Verizon store. She told me this is an "agent phone". Best Buy leases thousands of these for use in their stores and by their employees. They have a negotiated flat-rate contact. She went on to say that even if I wanted to have this deactivated and reactivated on a cell plan of my own, I could not do that without the contract owner (Best Buy) first deactivating it. She said it would be nigh impossible to find out who to talk to.

Basically she said I have two choices - pitch it in the garbage, or use it as-is. I guess this will be our "extra" phone the kid can use when they leave the house.