Second hand iphone - no service and prev. owners apple account still signed in

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I just bought a second-hand iphone 4 off eBay for my mum. The listing stated it was in full working order and locked to Orange which I thought would not be a problem because I intended to unlock it and put it on an O2 pay monthly contract.

We received the phone today and there's a couple of issues. First of all, the previous owners apple account is still signed in and he still has some of his info on the phone such as contacts etc. I tried deleting the apple account but need the password. I googled and apparently I can reset the device but I read a few things which said this wouldn't fix the apple account issue so I'm reluctant to do this until I know how to solve it. I obviously don't have his password so is this something I can fix or is it unfixable without having his password?

Secondly, the phone is displaying "no service". As mentioned, the listing did say it was locked to Orange and the old Orange sim card was in the phone when it came this morning so I'm not sure if this means there's a fault or if it just means he's deactivated the sim? I've never bought a used mobile before so please excuse my ignorance regarding this

So basically, is the No Service message a fault or just a deactivated sim, and is there a way for me to delete the old apple account?

Thanks

[Cleoriff]

Then return it and report it would be the way forward....Too much trouble...too many problems...:smileysad:

[Anonymous]

I decided to pay the small fee to have it checked by CheckMEND since it was recommended twice and everything came back clear.

To the person who suggested we buy a new Orange sim to check, not sure if it makes a difference but I put my mum's current O2 card in and now it's saying "invalid SIM" - does that suggest anything about it's functionality or should I still buy a new Orange card and see what that says?

EDIT: Also, to be fair the listing didn't say that the phone had been unlinked from his apple account so not sure if I'd have grounds to return it for that reason?

[jonsie]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

Then return it and report it would be the way forward....Too much trouble...too many problems...:smileysad:

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My feelings too!

[MI5]

It could also be barred at any time in the future by the original owner - ebay phones are just too much of a risk.
Second hand phones (for safety) should only be bought from friends or reputable high street stores.

[MI5]

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@Anonymous wrote:

EDIT: Also, to be fair the listing didn't say that the phone had been unlinked from his apple account so not sure if I'd have grounds to return it for that reason?

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It is unusable to you unless they reset it, so it isn't fit for purpose and not as described.

[viridis]

That^^
His apple account protects everything on it from your use.
Not to mention the icloud.com features he controls...

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help guys. I've messaged the guy explaining the issue and asking for his address so I can return it for a refund. I'll see what he says.

[Cleoriff]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for the help guys. I've messaged the guy explaining the issue and asking for his address so I can return it for a refund. I'll see what he says.

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If he procrastinates or waffles threaten to report him to Ebay....and PayPal and a poor review. He will soon start to be accommodating ! (Speaking from experience here)

[jonsie]

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@MI5 wrote:
It could also be barred at any time in the future by the original owner - ebay phones are just too much of a risk.
Second hand phones (for safety) should only be bought from friends or reputable high street stores.

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That's for sure!

[Anonymous]

Update: His wife (I presume) replied. She apologied and said she thought it had been wiped. She said we can return it (gave her address) and said she can either refund or wipe it and resend.

My mum REALLY wants to keep it as it was cheap and she's worried she won't find another she can afford. What do you guys think? Return it to be wiped and sent back, or just straight up refund?