My parents need a new cell phone. They are elderly.They have a very small Samsung flip phone from Verizon that is hard to use with it's tiny buttons and poor speaker. i have the same phone, and I also hate it. I'm wondering if this would be a good choice for them. They need a phone with bigger buttons and a good speaker. Would I just take it to Verizon to activate it?? My parents need a new cell phone. They are elderly.They have a very small Samsung flip phone from Verizon that is hard to use with it's tiny buttons and poor speaker. i have the same phone,... » Read More My parents need a new cell phone. They are elderly.They have a very small Samsung flip phone from Verizon that is hard to use with it's tiny buttons and poor speaker. i have the same phone, and I also hate it. I'm wondering if this would be a good choice for them. They need a phone with bigger buttons and a good speaker. Would I just take it to Verizon to activate it?? « Show Less
216137
You don't even need to take it to Verizon. You can literally handle it all over the phone. My dad is 70 and I got him this phone. It's extremely durable and the speaker seems pretty loud. He texts me also using it so the keys are a decent size and they have a bit of a raise to them. Anyway hope that helps.
216138
I would definitely not recommend this phone to elderly persons or those with sight or dexterity issues. In addition the voice quality is not the best. Good luck.
216139
Its a simple phone to use ,I am not into texting, the keys might be small for that ,this phone is very tough ,I bought this one for work ,the company I work for provides my service but I have to buy my phone.The company I work for turned mine own through there computer.
2153457
Yes, that is what I did with this phone. My son had another older model LG that was acting up and rather than buying or getting new phone for free from Verizon and committing to another 2 year contract, I simply bought this LG and replaced his old LG. With Verizon, they allow you to switch phones easily from home without any service charge or penalties. You can visit Verizon's website and they have instructions on switching phones along with transferring your address book over to the new phone. As for the pictures, you'll have to buy an SD card to transfer the memory from your old old phone to the new phone. Good luck. Yes, that is what I did with this phone. My son had another older model LG that was acting up and rather than buying or getting new phone for free from Verizon and committing to another 2 year contract, I simply bought this LG and replaced his old LG. With Verizon, they allow you to switch phones easily from home without any service charge or penalties. You can visit Verizon's website and they have instructions on switching phones along with transferring your address book over to the new phone. As for the pictures, you'll have to buy an SD card to transfer the memory from your old old phone... » Read More Yes, that is what I did with this phone. My son had another older model LG that was acting up and rather than buying or getting new phone for free from Verizon and committing to another 2 year contract, I simply bought this LG and replaced his old LG. With Verizon, they allow you to switch phones easily from home without any service charge or penalties. You can visit Verizon's website and they have instructions on switching phones along with transferring your address book over to the new phone. As for the pictures, you'll have to buy an SD card to transfer the memory from your old old phone to the new phone. Good luck. « Show Less
55233
@Ken "I have found it will not allow me to dial up an automated voice message system" - this problem applied to flip phones when they were left shut. Newer phones do not have this problem. If you are still using a flip phone, leave it open!
1303335
We had to....wantes a phone as close to a smart phone as possible so chose this. It isn't bad just rhe key bad takes some getting used to. You may be able to get a Verizon pay as you go sim card though !!
1943625
It is the most incredable flip phone I have ever had .the nearest phone to a smart phone !Takes great pictures ,my 2nd one .also with att. good luck
2038126
Negative. This is as dumb a phone as they come. Go for a Verizon KINm or KIN2m. they have wifi and are great little phones with good battery life.
1505238
hey, they are not good phones because back in March I had to purchase a brand new Samsung transform ultra and I am already having problem with it. the phone charges on its on. and Samsung act like they don't want to replace the phone or battery. So my answer to your question is they suck times 9.......
1672662
No, my mother has straight talk and I tried to give her my old phone but they wouldn't activate it. Bummer!!
1344451
Yes, that's what we did. Phone was new and works great. Just make sure you don't buy one of those phones that u pay monthly. We made that mistake. Took it to Verizon and they couldn't hook it up.
1992266
I use my phone with my Verizon plan. I replaced my earlier cell phone when it wore out. You would need to check with Verizon to see if they will allow you to switch phones on your existing account without upgrading to a higher-priced plan. Depending on your plan It may require you to go to a supervisory level at Verizon for the approval. I ended up telling them I would cancel my plan and just buy a SIM card if I couldn't use the replacement phone on the cheap plan I have. They realized I wasn't bluffing and activated this phone in the account. I like the phone OK. The only down-side is the ringer is not really loud, so I keep it turned all of the way up and miss a few calls when I am in a noisy environment.
241363
I've read the other responses. My grandparents have been happy with the phone. The volume boost is nice. Numbers and display are easy to read. The only thing I don't like is the number of steps required to dial a memory number. Too many steps for my grandparents who are not tech savy.
334201
I don't think so. That being said, we have other phones that have used Verizon and other carriers for our children. My husband and I use the jitterbugs because they have always had service where the others did not and were in dead zones. Also, we needed the increased volume these phones provide. Their service is hands down better than Verizon.
2009536
Hi again--I guess that it's no longer offered because the going trend is all Smart phones & internet connection. I heard on TV commentaries that many people are returning to flip-phones because they are small (to carry in pockets), & dependable. Anyway, you'll soon feel very comfortable with your Octane. Also, don't hesitate to ask a Verizon dealer and/or your neighborhood children/teens for advice. Best to you Sylvia.
101520
Our experiences with this phone are not good. We are elderly and our hearing is not what used to be. It is difficult to hear. Putting it on speaker phone improves the clarity, somewhat. We do not recommend this phone, even with someone who has perfect hearing.
284045
Yes. This phone is awesome. My mom has had it for 5 months now with absolutely NO problems. The speaker is loud. I'm happy I made this purchase. I definitely recommend. You will not regret it.
2114749
As far as I am aware, from my experience with it, this phone is only for Verizon use. All I had to do when I owned one was to activate it by calling the number and putting in my Verizon info. It took no more than five mins!
1485960
Depends on how old the flip phone is. There are several different sizes of sim cards, they have gotten much smaller over the years. Large sims can be trimmed down in some cases.