Cell phone problems...

[MaggieTheCat]

So, here's my story. I have a cell phone plan with AT&T. My contract is up at the end of the year. The phone I got from them when I got my plan broke when I accidentally dropped it off the deck of my parents' house and it landed in the driveway and shattered into many little pieces. Not wanting to get a brand-new phone at that point, my husband gave me his old phone, which is a RAZR (we think it's a V3) by Motorolla. He had it for a couple years before passing it on to me and I've had it since around January.

Now, the phone has stopped charging. We have determined that it isn't the charger cable since we have a couple of different cables that can charge it, and none of them work. It seems to be the phone itself. I will either get a "Cannot charge" message on the display, or it simply will just stay black and not do anything at all (my battery is dead at this point since I haven't been able to charge it.) Since my contract with AT&T is up at the end of the year, I still don't want to get a new phone, as I will probably try to get on a plan with my husband and he's with a different provider.

So, my question is, 1) is there a way to repair the phone so it can charge normally again, or 2) how can I get a "new" (different) phone (for a reasonable price) that I can use for the next couple months until I get a new plan? I would rather not have to get a different phone if I don't have to, since I'm so close to being able to get a new one anyway.

[Shpepper]

Try freecycle in your area... When you are done with the phone and get a new one with a different provider.. You can offer the phone back to someone else. I see cell phones on my free cycle all the time.

[Lyse]

One of the guys that I work with bought a cheap prepay phone that was able to use a sim card and just stuck his card in there. Worked fine.

[1756GR2]

Try dry-cleaning the charger contacts in the phone with something like a toothbrush, eyebrow brush (clean one) or the sort. Sometimes they just get crud-laden and the charger doesn't make good contact.

[TheSHAD0W]

Call around, there are usually small local stores that have used phones for sale.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

One of the guys that I work with bought a cheap prepay phone that was able to use a sim card and just stuck his card in there. Worked fine.

That's what my Dad did a few months ago with his phone. His old phone started dropping calls constantly so he decided it was time for a new phone (he'd had this one for around 5 years or so.)

He didn't like the phones his provider (he has AT&T) offered at the time, as he only wanted a BASIC phone and not one that has web browser/camera/videorecorder/mp3/touchscreen or all that jazz . . . so my stepmom bought a GoPhone at WM for around $20.

Works just fine. All Dad did was take his SIM card out of his old phone and pop it in the back of the new one. Voila . . . new phone.

He's like me . . . he only uses a cellphone to make calls.