Hello,
I bought a used 8330 off ebay, and tried doing a memory wipe in Security Setting panel, and everything is wiped clean but the phone still retains the old phone number from the previous owner. When I try to activate the phone, I get an error that activation failed, and its leading me to suspect that it is trying to activate the phone on the old number that is stored in memory.

I already paid a $39 activation fee, which apparently is non-refundable if the activation fails. My provider says they cannot guarantee that the activation will be successful. They say sometimes Blackberry's have difficulty activating, and since I didn't buy through them. But I am wondering if its just a simple solution of clearing this old phone number from memory to get a successful activation.

Any ideas?

First, Verizon will only activate a Verizon-branded phone. If it was originally sold by anyone but Verizon they simply won't do it. Sprint is the same way.

Also, if the PIN is still active on the previous owner's account you won't be able to activate it until that original owner has it removed from that account. No way to get it activated without the original owner removing it.

From our FAQ. This outlines issues with buying a used BB. maybe it will help.

Buying a BlackBerry off eBay - BlackBerryFAQ

I agree with Rambo on releasing the PIN. You need to contact the seller.

Great thank you. This is helpful. The phone was advertised as a Verizon phone, and my carrier requires Verizon. So it seems that the only other answer to this is the seller has not yet released the PIN from their account. I have sent a message to the seller and am awaiting a response.

Dubdub,
Regarding the FAQ page that you posted, I cannot find any of the settings it directs me to. For example, there is no "SIM Card" selection in Advanced Options. There is also no "IT Policy" under General Settings, nor is there "services".

I have an 8330. Perhaps the menus are different on this one?

The 8330 is NOT a "world phone" so there is not SIM. The IT policy only shows up if there is one in effect - which would only occur if the phone was used on a BES server. And the other missing "services" will not appear until your get the BlackBerry "registered" with Verizon's network... which requires first that it be activated on your account and properly provisioned.

maybe its because IT policy from the previous BES server, you must set IT blank policy

It's always a gamble buying on ebay.

The seller spoke with Verizon and the rep said that the PIN was in fact released and should be able to be activated with a new service, which brings me back to square one. However, I did with a rep at my carrier who mentioned another possibility of the problem originating with Blackbbery's BIS. She wasn't sure, but I thought I'd run this by you all to see what you think. If the BIS web account has not been closed for this Blackberry, could it be the cause for the activation failures?

Many thanks.

Ok, we finally figured out the solution to this mess. All I had to do was go into the Blackberry phone settings by pressing "##000000", [Send];

The settings I had to change were the following;

1. Mobile Directory Number (my cell phone number)
2. IMSI_S
3. Home SID
4. Blackberry Registration ID

After saving, the device resets itself. I was then able to immediately receive and make phone calls.