[boomhower]

Try and find out if the account is bad or if the guy just never took the phone off. If is possible that he added a line to a family plan and just never took the phone off the account and intends to replace it at a later date. If that is the case you would still have to get up with the guy and have him call Sprint and have the phone taken off his account before your buyer can activate. I hate to say it but you are likely going to have to refund your buyer. In all likelyhood the craigslist guy let his account go bad. Did you pay cash or use paypal? This is why I always buy phones on either ebay or forums and use payapl. You may not have a ton of leverage but more so than paying in cash.

Also from the sounds of things it's not really Sprint's fault either. When you called to check the ESN it likely was clean but just still attached to his account. Once deactivated he would activate just fine. The rep should have let you know that fact but the ESN was "clean", i.e. not blacklisted for a bill or being stolen.