Tmobile Android phone w/o data plan?

[Vuitton]

Here is a quick summary of this situation:

-My Samsung Galaxy-S was stolen a few months ago.
-I paid my insurance $130 for a replacement.
-Two months later (today) a guy calls me saying he has found my old phone.
-I meet the guy at his work (he is a bartender) and he offers me $100 for the phone.
-I tell him yes. He gives me $35 cash from his tips, and says to come back at 8pm for the other $65 as that is when he gets off work, and he'll either have it in tips or we'll walk over to his place where he has cash. He lives a few blocks away.

He has never had a smart phone. He has a t-mobile SIM card, but he does not have a data plan. What is the situation? Can he utilize the phone with his SIM card, and just not have 3G access? He would still have WiFi. But, I guess if the network doesn't let him use it he'll be out of luck?

I'll feel guilty for taking this guy's $100 if he it turns out he can't use it without a data plan. He might be cool with getting one, but I don't know. I'll have to ask him. Will a warning that this may be an issue suffice?

He also said he he'll buy me a drink when meet him when he gets off the clock.

Do people who return lost items usually so nice? Giving me $100 and free alcohol for my lost/stolen phone...

I did format the device to factory settings when I met him earlier.

[Don Katsu]

No, He has to unlock the phone and he can't use it on T-Mobile. When you received your replacement T Mobile listed the IMEI serial number as Lost/Stolen. Therefore the device can no longer be used on their network. Every carrier does this to prevent customers from filing false claims and selling their phones for profit.

Also, every carrier requires a data plan activation with all smart phones, they will know this is a smart phone when it's activated for service, provided that it was even possible in the first place.

[Vuitton]

I finished the trade after he told me he put his sim card in and took calls and txts already. He is on the wifi too. So it looks legit so far.... Makes me worry though...

[Senji]

something something I've heard tmobile might charge for the data he uses on wifi

[DeathbySnoosnoo]

tmobiles wifi calls and texts do go thru your plan. unless your not using the tmobile network and using some internet texting program. but strait phone to phone texting and calls, even over wifi go to your bill

[Vuitton]

Well he has his own tmobile voice minutes/txts plan associated with his SIM card. So um, wut? They cant charge him for connecting to a wifi network to sync his email and watch youtube, its not their data..............

[DeathbySnoosnoo]

right anything normal internet-wise(not over 3/4g) over wifi, tmobile cant do shit, its not their property.