bvandrasik: I begin to come to grips that I cannot send my original, inoperable 8703e to Verizon unless I can confirm I have wiped and erased its contents. To return this device -- let alone any data populated, unwiped device -- to the vendor seems to leave me and my clients' private information far too vulnerable for someone's misuse or abuse.

The sledgehammer, as you suggest, or the parts shelf may remain the least worse option here. Sad.

I become quite interested to hear what Verizon will say about this conundrum. In particular, if I refuse to return the original broken 8703e, and opt to keep the second-hand FRU 8703e too, I wonder how they will respond.

If Verizon attempts to charge me for the FRU 8703e as an additional purchase, how much will they say I must pay? The same amount as a brand new 8703?

If that becomes the case, it would seem foolish to even consider keeping the second-hand FRU 8703e; I can turn around and buy an actual brand new 8703e, instead. I would wipe clean the FRU 8703e, since, with it, I actually can wipe it clean and feel confident none of my private information remains contained in it, and ship that back to them.

Yet, I would feel surprised if Verizon could charge me the same amount for the FRU 8703e as a new one. First of all, it's pre-used, second-hand. Second, the FRU phone arrives to a customer with NOTHING but the phone. It comes with:

* No accessories, holster, box, charger, etc.

* No CD-ROM software.

* No manuals. No instructions. No guides.

* No battery. (You must swap the one out of the broken phone and use it in the FRU phone. Gosh, sure better hope a faulty battery didn't contribute to your meltdown malfunction.)

* Not even a back cover to the phone! Again, Verizon expects you to use the one from your broken phone. (Does anyone else find this absurd?)

* But wait, it did come with one instruction. On the Customer Receipt that came within the box, it read, "Please refer to the yellow brochure titled 'Important Information Needed to Activate You Phone' for step-by-step instructions." However, no yellow sheet of instructions, let alone any sheet of instruction, came in the box. Instructions to no instructions?


So, to think that Verizon would attempt to charge the same retail amount for this would surprise me. Or rather, let me say it would strike me as unjustified.

How much might they attempt to charge me? Does anyone on the BBForums have a good guess as to what, if anything, Verizon could justify to charge me for this? A good guess of the value of a second-hand, FRU 8703e?

It makes wonder though, on the hypothetical chance that Verizon would attempt to charge me the full retail price of a new 8703e, what does that say about the value of it warrantee? Meaning, if your phone breaks with all your info still on it, and you refuse to risk compromising your privacy by sending it to them for repair or replacement, then that leaves you with no option but to eat the cost of buying a new device. Which suggests that the warrantee becomes worthless, to my eyes.

Or, have I missed something here?

Thanks for the feedback!
-Andrew