[MADBRADNYC]

We do not need any hateful posts In this thread� This thread is for constructive thoughts�
Hopefully, if you do get the urge to post here with that mess, you will be ignored�
This thread, while pointing to negative possibilities, it is written to obtain some positive ideas for the prevention of those possibilities�
Other than the obvious�

So, I am concerned for RIM and any further opportunities there may be for the media or people who don�t like the platform to start up with the torches & pitchforks bit.

We are supposed to be receiving these apps within a period of 4 weeks starting October 19th, correct? So, by my calendar there are only a few more days (4) until that 4 week period is up on November 16th. I can be corrected if I am wrong. I would even venture to stretch that to the �week of� and say that date could be November 19th. These apps should continue to be downloadable until the end of this calendar year on December 31st.

I have been a staunch defender of RIM regarding this giveaway. They did not have to do it in my opinion in the first place. I think people should be very grateful. Even those who were never affected get the same deal. I have no sense of entitlement some people have. I defended the common sense reasoning why they could not simultaneously release these many apps all at once for the sake of their servers. I even tried to help others with their own fears by stating that the giveaway period has not come to an end yet, technically. I defended the fact that this should not be something high on their priority list right now. We all know there is some heavy lifting to be done currently. So with that said�

What will be the uproar if they do not achieve this goal? This goal that is clearly stated, and links to their site and blogs have been posted and re-posted. What will the response be if RIM states a delay for the rest? Even if done prior to December 31st? Do we really need another round of �RIM never keeps their promises� posts? More �60 days� posts? More �end of summer� posts? More �PlayBook 2.0� posts? More media blitzing? It�s a bit nauseating to me, and I hope RIM avoids this. I personally don't care if they never provide another free app. I am very happy as is. But, will those who feel entitled be crying out for more apps or anything free they can get if this plan does not work properly according to them?

What would you guys suggest RIM do other than the obvious of just releasing a floodgate of apps before the above dates to avoid this type of backlash? Am I wrong to be concerned about this?


EDIT: I probably would have put this in the apps forum, but I thought it was really about RIM and their condition in general if this does not pan out the way it was initially designed. MODS please relocate this thread if you feel it needs to be.

[Economist101]

We are supposed to be receiving these apps within a period of 4 weeks starting October 19th, correct?

Maybe they said the free apps were "scheduled" for within 4 weeks.

[MADBRADNYC]

From their press release on October 17th...

The complete selection of premium apps will become available to download at BlackBerry App World over a period of four weeks beginning Wednesday, October 19th.

Research In Motion Offers Free Premium Apps to Customers Following Service Interruptions

However, Now I see their FAQ page has been updated to now state "different dates" until November 30th.
This was not initially the case...

These premium apps will become available for free on BlackBerry App World on different dates between October 19 - November 30.

FAQs for Free Apps Gift - Questions, Get Answers for BlackBerry's Free Apps Gift

I guess they are already thinking about people who asked for a "daily app", and quietly provided an extension to the 4 week period they initially claimed.

What will the response be to this??? How do we/RIM avoid negativity???

[rrrebo]

I'm thinking they are staggering the rollout to avoid melting their servers and network. I'm patient; I can wait. I got Vlingo, the one I was really waiting for. They need to do everything they can to make this offer of reparation as smooth as possible. Timing is everything, and stable delivery is paramount. There would be more complaining if everyone rushed to download these apps all at once and weren't able to get them.

Nothing RIM does right now will satisfy everyone. We are all spoiled by RIM's near-perfect uptime and generally high standards. Unfortunately, many are champing at the bit to scream "FAIL!" At RIM's next slightest hiccup. BBX better knock our socks off, and soon, or there'll be h311 to pay.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[MADBRADNYC]

I'm thinking they are staggering the rollout to avoid melting their servers and network. I'm patient; I can wait. I got Vlingo, the one I was really waiting for. They need to do everything they can to make this offer of reparation as smooth as possible. Timing is everything, and stable delivery is paramount. There would be more complaining if everyone rushed to download these apps all at once and weren't able to get them.

Nothing RIM does right now will satisfy everyone. We are all spoiled by RIM's near-perfect uptime and generally high standards. Unfortunately, many are champing at the bit to scream "FAIL!" At RIM's next slightest hiccup. BBX better knock our socks off, and soon, or there'll be h311 to pay.

I agree with this statement. Thanks.
I have to admit that I am a bit concerned now that they have quietly extended the 4 week period to 6 weeks, without any notice. That doesn't look too good, IMO. I hope people are forgiving about even something like this.

[protomaxxx]

rimm should of given all existing and new users a $50 credit to be used till the end of the calendar year for the purchase of any app of their choice. this would potentially benefit all developers (not a select few), cost blackberry less money, and give consumers the freedom and flexibility to consciously decide which apps best appease their frustration toward the recent service interruptions.

[albee 1]

I read somewhere that the apps would be offered until the beginning of the new year. It would have been server suicide to offer them all at once and have everyone downloading all of them in one sitting. I don't see why anyone should get upset. I have never gotten a rebate from my power company when the power failed. It seems RIM has gotten more flack by trying to be gracious than if they had done nothing. Just my 2 bits.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Michelle Haag]

It's always been November 30th... Look at this post I wrote for the 1st app released DriveSafe.ly Pro the first app released free by RIM as part of the Thank You From BlackBerry Offer
Note the dates, which I took directly from the BlackBerry Facebook page FAQs about this offer.

[MADBRADNYC]

rimm should of given all existing and new users a $50 credit to be used till the end of the calendar year for the purchase of any app of their choice. this would potentially benefit all developers (not a select few), cost blackberry less money, and give consumers the freedom and flexibility to consciously decide which apps best appease their frustration toward the recent service interruptions.

I understand how you feel, but these are the type of thoughts that I'm trying to avoid here.

The points you mention have been discussed here at no end. Perfect example.
It may not even be a conscious decision to sound this way.
1) AppWorld does not have a credit/coupon system in place currently, so they can't offer this at this time. That knocks the whole approach out the box.
2) An application giveaway has to have some perceived value. Either monetary value or value of use on a device. You just can't give crap away. A developer has to have the infrastructure to be able to handle & support the possibility of 70 million new users of that application. Makes no sense to approach a smaller development team. Especially single man operations, which most are. How will a single developer even provide email support to that base. You need a team. That same application needs to function with the widest range of devices, OSs, countries, and carriers as possible. What's the use if it only works on OS5 in North America? There have to be financial terms agreed to with these developers. Who knows if terms placed on the table are acceptable to both parties? Also, I'm sure there are a lot of other factors as well, so I would not agree with the "select few" comment. RIM may have their hands tied to whom they can approach.
3) No one knows if it will save RIM money because we do not know the terms. I personally would think RIM would save by either bulk purchasing, or on a per download basis. It doesn't make sense to pay for applications people did not like or download.
4) Flexibility and choice of downloads would have been great, but as stated in point #1, there is no structure for applying credit/coupons currently, so it cannot be done. Period.
5) To say "give" or "appease their frustration toward the recent service interruptions", reflects the sense of entitlement some feel. I do not agree that they should have done anything, and what they are doing is commendable.

This is what I am trying to avoid. People seem to be still bothered by something that is provided to them for free. I hope that RIM can keep this type of mindset from occurring again.

[Laura Knotek]

I'm thinking they are staggering the rollout to avoid melting their servers and network. I'm patient; I can wait. I got Vlingo, the one I was really waiting for. They need to do everything they can to make this offer of reparation as smooth as possible. Timing is everything, and stable delivery is paramount. There would be more complaining if everyone rushed to download these apps all at once and weren't able to get them.

I agree. Vlingo was the only one I wanted so far.

If they were to release all of the apps simultaneously, their servers would probably crash, and that would result in even more bad press.

[EveryApp Mobile]

I agree. Vlingo was the only one I wanted so far.

If they were to release all of the apps simultaneously, their servers would probably crash, and that would result in even more bad press.

That probably would happen lol

[MADBRADNYC]

It's always been November 30th... Look at this post I wrote for the 1st app released DriveSafe.ly Pro the first app released free by RIM as part of the Thank You From BlackBerry Offer
Note the dates, which I took directly from the BlackBerry Facebook page FAQs about this offer.

LoL. Thanks, I was hoping and asked to be corrected if I was wrong...
However, I can't explain it, and if I tried it wouldn't sound good. lol. But I believe the FAQ page may have been edited, as I don't recall that specific wording of "different dates", and I don't see that critical wording in your blog, but you state you took directly from the BlackBerry Facebook page FAQs. I don't think you would have missed that. Dfferent dates. This has been a hotbed here.

Also, from the original press release, it does state over a period of 4 weeks. The date of November 30th is 6 weeks. I think many here have pointed out that same 4 week period to those that wanted everything now. Now I wonder if we can't count properly or is there something to what I stated.

The complete selection of premium apps will become available to download at BlackBerry App World over a period of four weeks beginning Wednesday, October 19th.

Research In Motion Offers Free Premium Apps to Customers Following Service Interruptions
In any event, my purpose of this thread is to see what people thought about the type of reaction received if RIM does not follow through with the plan. And how to avoid that negativity. Even with the date of November 30th, that is just another 2 weeks away, and we have seen the rate of release for the past 3 weeks. I hope RIM does not just release everything at the last minute so their servers can crash. Then there will be complaints about that. It would be nice to see positive posts about the giveaway rather than more of the same stuff.

[sedalia066]

Ahhhhh, MADBRAD, like you said in the very beginning we recipients of free apps should be grateful for what is offered. For me the service interruption was small enough to be of no real concern. Others suffered a great deal more. If RIM takes any steps at all to appease the affected ones I appreciate the move. There is no requirement on their part to do any such thing.

If apps are being offered fo no cost it seems to me we are all winners in the end. The schedule is a moot point. Early is better but any time is better than not at all. Let the rollout come on its own schedule. So long as the giveaway continues we have not a lot about which to complain IMHO. If the promised offerings fail to appear that may be different.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[vbnmu]

Wrong thread probably : what happens after the promotional period, after having done a fresh install, does the free premium app link to our BB id and allow us to download it FOR FREE over and over?

[homer1475]

I'm all for the free apps even though I feel RIM simply did this to "save face" with their current customers and most certainly not needed. As someone above me posted, 'I don't get a refund from the power company when my power goers out".

RIM has a lot going on right now trying to be innovative and "keeping up" with the spec race that the many manufacturers who throw a open OS onto their devices are trying to one up each other since it is the only way to differentiate between the models. Adding a couple weeks for the rollout so their servers don't melt when everyone tries to download something for free(even if you feel you don't deserve the free apps, I'm sure you will download one or more) doesn't bother me in the slightest, and it certainly shouldn't bother anyone else, after all they are FREE.

[gregerator]

Unfortunately, the "power" anaology doesn't work. You don't pay for power when it goes out. On occasion, if it's a bad enough power outage, you lose food, or if you don't have a solid system you could lose data, but you are at fault on that one.

Some people rely heavily on BBs. I get that. The outage may well have hurt some bsuinesses. I get that. But there are other ways RIM could have attempted to make it up to those entities while leaving the "little man" out of it. (They may have individual extra reparations going for them we don't know about). But instead RIM catered to everyone with this selection of free apps.

***In my view- this is an excellent opportunity for RIM to set itself up for success. They set a date. They set a list of apps with an approx $ value. Easy to understand, solid goals to meet to show the world "We CAN and WILL meet our goals."

I for one do not feel entitled to these apps as I simply wasn't affected. That said, I have DLd a few of the currently available. I'm not a fool. But, this is about RIM setting, sticking to, and achieving what should be considered a small goal. If they do not meet their own stated deadlines, I'm afraid the media will eat them alive like zombies on warm flesh. It is RIM's chance to show us they can produce what they say, when they say, how they say... Step up RIM. Show us why to keep faith. Show you can meet your own stated deadlines. Keep us updated. Use your new PR man, Mr Saunders, to tell us what is transpiring and how it is playing out. We love you RIM, but fool me once shame on me; fool me 4 times? 5? 6? 10? Then I'm probably going to find someone else to play with.

With all the hope I have, I want RIM to live up to their statements. They could have a bright future still. Here's to an amazing 2012 and BBX leapfrogging the competition! Cheers!

-Greg Wesson

Full disclosure -I own no RIM stock; a 9780; an 8900; a PlayBook; no pets; a favorite sweatshirt; and some Halloween candy still.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rrrebo]

One of the keys to good customer service is to under-promise and over-deliver, where appropriate. That way, you are always meeting or exceeding customer expectations. It's a tight balance. The promise has to set appropriate customer expectations to an acceptable level that satisfies the customer while giving you some wiggle room to make sure you can meet delivery. RIM maybe did not anticipate enough in this case the demand for free apps, and it might come back to bite them. Extending the deadline is smart. I think it should be demand-dependent. Keep the apps free until demand drops to a certain level, then announce a cut-off date. That way they have no deadline to meet, and they can stagger the rollout at a pace to keep their servers non-melty.

I'd also like to point out that RIM has always promised a very standard of performance for their infrastructure. Their customers, therefore, expect it to always be like that. This makes the slightest hiccup unacceptable in the customers' eyes, and a major one that much worse. Remember the great Sidekick debacle where everyone lost all their stored data. Whoopsy! Nothing like that has ever happened to RIM (mostly because their infrastructure isn't set up that way, and for good reason). Give them some credit, and give them a chance to recover from their recent mishaps.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[MADBRADNYC]

Ahhhhh, MADBRAD, like you said...
There is no requirement on their part to do any such thing...
Early is better but any time is better than not at all.
Let the rollout come on its own schedule.
So long as the giveaway continues we have not a lot about which to complain IMHO.

I wish most would express these feelings. It is not the clear thinking users like yourself that I am concerned about. It is the droves of users that look for every opportunity to constantly have negative things to say. A search of the forums easily proves this. I am just wondering if RIM will accomplish this goal to avoid this in the first place. If they don't, what kind of backlash can be expected?

Some who dislike the platform, and even those who use the platform would still complain that the $100 bill you just gave them has smudges on it...

[MADBRADNYC]

Adding a couple weeks for the rollout so their servers don't melt when everyone tries to download something for free(even if you feel you don't deserve the free apps, I'm sure you will download one or more) doesn't bother me in the slightest, and it certainly shouldn't bother anyone else, after all they are FREE.

Exactly! I remember that when the outage happened, everyone and their mother was complaining about RIMs lack of communication. Even though IMO, RIM actually did a good job at it with the concrete information they could obtain in that time frame. When I noticed the additional weeks, I immediately got a sinking feeling. Here comes another round about broken promises. Yada yada, yada. I don't want this to happen, and hope RIM ties it off with a string and kills it.

Someone posted earlier that maybe RIM should not have even started this giveaway as it would have avoided the constant complaining about something free. I kinda agree.

[MADBRADNYC]

***In my view- this is an excellent opportunity for RIM to set itself up for success. They set a date. They set a list of apps with an approx $ value. Easy to understand, solid goals to meet to show the world "We CAN and WILL meet our goals."

^^THIS^^

But, this is about RIM setting, sticking to, and achieving what should be considered a small goal. If they do not meet their own stated deadlines, I'm afraid the media will eat them alive like zombies on warm flesh. It is RIM's chance to show us they can produce what they say, when they say, how they say... Step up RIM. Show us why to keep faith. Show you can meet your own stated deadlines. Keep us updated. Use your new PR man, Mr Saunders, to tell us what is transpiring and how it is playing out. We love you RIM, but fool me once shame on me; fool me 4 times? 5? 6? 10? Then I'm probably going to find someone else to play with.

With all the hope I have, I want RIM to live up to their statements.

Exactly... You get what I'm saying... Just what we need around here. Another round of "fool me 4 times? 5? 6? 10? Then I'm probably going to find someone else to play with.". This is the sentiment that can be avoided by just getting this done right. Simple.

Full disclosure -I own no RIM stock; a 9780; an 8900; a PlayBook; no pets; a favorite sweatshirt; and some Halloween candy still.

Hilarious! You still have more left over Halloween candy? I'm PMing you my shipping address.

[MADBRADNYC]

I'd also like to point out that RIM has always promised a very standard of performance for their infrastructure. Their customers, therefore, expect it to always be like that. This makes the slightest hiccup unacceptable in the customers' eyes, and a major one that much worse. Give them some credit, and give them a chance to recover from their recent mishaps.

Yes! I think BB users who complain about the services actually show just how reliable RIM has been. Without RIM, it is as if their right arm has been suddenly severed. Some people actually believe they could not perform and continue with life without them. This shows me how strong RIMs foothold in the mobile arena is. So all the naysayers need to look at how good RIM has actually been to us...

Some say the glass is half full. Others say the glass is half empty...
I say... I'm thirsty, and drink the contents of the glass...

Be grateful, not critical.

[albee 1]

Unfortunately, the "power" anaology doesn't work. You don't pay for power when it goes out. On occasion, if it's a bad enough power outage, you lose food, or if you don't have a solid system you could lose data, but you are at fault on that one.

Some people rely heavily on BBs. I get that. The outage may well have hurt some bsuinesses. I get that. But there are other ways RIM could have attempted to make it up to those entities while leaving the "little man" out of it. (They may have individual extra reparations going for them we don't know about). But instead RIM catered to everyone with this selection of free apps.

***In my view- this is an excellent opportunity for RIM to set itself up for success. They set a date. They set a list of apps with an approx $ value. Easy to understand, solid goals to meet to show the world "We CAN and WILL meet our goals."

I for one do not feel entitled to these apps as I simply wasn't affected. That said, I have DLd a few of the currently available. I'm not a fool. But, this is about RIM setting, sticking to, and achieving what should be considered a small goal. If they do not meet their own stated deadlines, I'm afraid the media will eat them alive like zombies on warm flesh. It is RIM's chance to show us they can produce what they say, when they say, how they say... Step up RIM. Show us why to keep faith. Show you can meet your own stated deadlines. Keep us updated. Use your new PR man, Mr Saunders, to tell us what is transpiring and how it is playing out. We love you RIM, but fool me once shame on me; fool me 4 times? 5? 6? 10? Then I'm probably going to find someone else to play with.

With all the hope I have, I want RIM to live up to their statements. They could have a bright future still. Here's to an amazing 2012 and BBX leapfrogging the competition! Cheers!

-Greg Wesson

Full disclosure -I own no RIM stock; a 9780; an 8900; a PlayBook; no pets; a favorite sweatshirt; and some Halloween candy still.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

My point was there wasn't any legal obligation to do anything. Less than half of all bb users were affected. It is doubtful that the majority of whiners lost any service at all!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rmgman]

For those who haven't found them yet- PHOTO EDITOR ULTIMATE and NOBEX RADIO PREMIUM were released. If you don't see them under the "Thank you gift" section, search using "compliments" and you will find them all.
Released so far:
DriveSafe.ly Pro
Bubble Bash 2
Bejeweled
Shazam Encore
Vlingo
The Sims 3
SimCity Deluxe
Photo Editor Ultimate
Nobex radio premium
Happy Thanksgiving

[rmgman]

... and NO, Happy Thanksgiving isn't an App... but Happy Thanksgiving anyways.

[MADBRADNYC]

Well, I'm kinda proud of RIM right about now... *adjusts belt and snaps suspenders*
Looks like they are on the right track to keep the promised schedule.
A nice little thanksgiving gift I would venture to say.
Keep it up...

Thank You Rim!

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!