1. MollyMorton's Avatar
    This is an honest question. There has been a lot of complaint recently about loyal BlackBerry owners having to pay for features like timed messages when we've put up with the lack of big name apps for years, and the abuse we get from friends for not wanting to use Whatsapp, etc. I've just purchased the timed messages/retraction subscription, but I have to say it leaves a sour taste. I just do not think it's right that BlackBerry are charging me for this after years of sticking with them when there was really no obvious reason for doing so.

    How do others feel? Of course, I could just not pay for it and shut up etc, but that sort of misses the point. Do you guys think BlackBerry care about their hardcore base, or are we simply reliable fools to them? Or something in between? I'd love to know the breakdown of subscribers by device. What percentage of non-blackberry device owners are paying for these subscriptions?

    My guess would be that it's mainly us (BlackBerry owners) tossing our coins in the fountain...after putting up with the Z10 launch and no apps, then spending the last two years being loyal to BlackBerry and personally promoting BBM to friends that didn't care and didn't want to care. Just doesn't sit right with me. I'd love to know how others feel about it.

    Posted via CB10
    BACK-2-BLACK likes this.
    05-18-15 05:37 PM
  2. theyrebackberry's Avatar
    How do others feel? Personally I couldn't care less but then the first thing I always do on a new BlackBerry is either remove or cripple BBM; it's surplus to requirements.

    Posted via CB10
    05-18-15 05:41 PM
  3. cbvinh's Avatar
    I doubt it's only the US sales keeping BlackBerry devices afloat. There's been many sales to entice US users!

    As for subscription features, BlackBerry has been trying to figure out ways to make money. They have to do it. It would be nice if /new/ features were included with BlackBerry's and "for pay" on other platforms, but it's probably only the existing BlackBerry users paying for such features. So, basically, they're only charging people who are willing to pay for those features and that userbase is BlackBerry users.
    05-18-15 05:51 PM
  4. Stomps01's Avatar
    Mine still work.....

    Posted via CB10
    05-18-15 11:08 PM
  5. Trauma Surgeon's Avatar
    How do others feel? Personally I couldn't care less but then the first thing I always do on a new BlackBerry is either remove or cripple BBM; it's surplus to requirements.

    Posted via CB10
    I've stopped using Whatsapp as I need secure communications. Most of us do, we just haven't realised what FB is doing with our whatsapp messages yet. Happily, BBM is finally cross-platform, 5 years too late for most customers.

    Posted via CB10
    05-19-15 12:51 AM
  6. theyrebackberry's Avatar
    I've stopped using Whatsapp as I need secure communications. Most of us do, we just haven't realised what FB is doing with our whatsapp messages yet. Happily, BBM is finally cross-platform, 5 years too late for most customers.

    Posted via CB10
    Heh I'm with you on that one, removed all trace of Whatsapp from my phone the day its sale to Arsebook was announced and never looked back. Also from what I hear BBM's faux-encryption didn't stop messages sent over it being used to identify and prosecute those taking part in the London Plasma Sneaker Riots a couple of summers back.

    Posted via CB10
    Trauma Surgeon likes this.
    05-19-15 02:21 AM
  7. Croberry1989's Avatar
    BlackBerry customer support is the real proof how much they "care" about us. It's impossible to contact them and they only refer you to the seller. What if I bought my phone abroad and in my country there is no BlackBerry service?? What then??

    Posted via CB10
    05-19-15 03:37 AM
  8. theyrebackberry's Avatar
    BlackBerry customer support is the real proof how much they "care" about us. It's impossible to contact them and they only refer you to the seller. What if I bought my phone abroad and in my country there is no BlackBerry service?? What then??

    Posted via CB10
    Then as in every other instance you contact the vendor since that's who your contract of sale is with. What's the problem with that? You're not a BlackBerry customer; your vendor is.

    Posted via CB10
    05-19-15 03:51 AM
  9. johnny_bravo72's Avatar
    Then as in every other instance you contact the vendor since that's who your contract of sale is with. What's the problem with that? You're not a BlackBerry customer; your vendor is.

    Posted via CB10
    And this is one of the reasons why BlackBerry keeps losing customers. Crappy after-sales service and support.

    Posted from an ME173X
    05-19-15 03:57 AM
  10. theyrebackberry's Avatar
    And this is one of the reasons why BlackBerry keeps losing customers. Crappy after-sales service and support.

    Posted from an ME173X
    Except you're expecting them to provide you with support for a product you bought from somebody else.

    If you go out to an Italian restaurant and the food is poor, do you complain to the farm where the wheat that went into the pasta was grown? Maybe to the Italian prime minister? No of course not, you complain to the vendor who sold it to you, with whom you have a contract of sale. Why is this so difficult to understand?

    Posted via CB10
    anon9347040 likes this.
    05-19-15 04:43 AM
  11. Croberry1989's Avatar
    Except you're expecting them to provide you with support for a product you bought from somebody else.

    If you go out to an Italian restaurant and the food is poor, do you complain to the farm where the wheat that went into the pasta was grown? Maybe to the Italian prime minister? No of course not, you complain to the vendor who sold it to you, with whom you have a contract of sale. Why is this so difficult to understand?

    Posted via CB10
    That's not the same. If they find some toxic compound in baby food do you sue the supermarket or the one who made that product?
    Blackberry should at least have some costumer call phone where you can get info on your device, and not to have a crappy web site which avoids having any contact with customers. That is appalling!

    Posted via CB10
    05-19-15 06:44 AM
  12. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    Except you're expecting them to provide you with support for a product you bought from somebody else.

    If you go out to an Italian restaurant and the food is poor, do you complain to the farm where the wheat that went into the pasta was grown? Maybe to the Italian prime minister? No of course not, you complain to the vendor who sold it to you, with whom you have a contract of sale. Why is this so difficult to understand?

    Posted via CB10
    Sweet mercies...
    05-19-15 06:51 AM
  13. TrvlngDrew's Avatar
    Well carriers in the US are generally awful and very expensive. The best support I've seen is Apple, Android vendors are awful for support as well at least in my humble experience outside the US.
    Thanks to all of you, here on CB, has made it at least easier and more of a fun experience!

    Posted via CB10
    05-19-15 07:02 AM
  14. johnny_bravo72's Avatar
    Except you're expecting them to provide you with support for a product you bought from somebody else.

    If you go out to an Italian restaurant and the food is poor, do you complain to the farm where the wheat that went into the pasta was grown? Maybe to the Italian prime minister? No of course not, you complain to the vendor who sold it to you, with whom you have a contract of sale. Why is this so difficult to understand?

    Posted via CB10
    Where I'm from, yes, that's what's expected.

    Apple, Samsung, LG, Sony, Asus, Lenovo, BlackBerry, and other major smartphone companies here have their own authorized service centers. When a phone is malfunctioning and needs repair/parts replacement, that's where we bring it to.

    It's also possible to bring the phone to the store where you bought it from but they'll do the same thing and bring it to those same service centers for repairs.
    05-19-15 07:22 AM
  15. anon(9188202)'s Avatar
    That's not the same. If they find some toxic compound in baby food do you sue the supermarket or the one who made that product?

    Posted via CB10
    In the U.S. where it is considered impolite to leave anyone out, you would sue the supermarket, the manufacturer of the product, anyone who provided an ingredient for the product, the manufacturer of the container the product was in, the person who stocked the supermarket shelves, their manager, the freight company that delivered the product, the government that contracted the company that built the road the freight company used, the company contracted by government to build the road, the manufacturer of the vehicle the freight company used, etc., etc., etc.
    05-19-15 07:41 AM
  16. MobileMadness002's Avatar
    In the U.S. where it is considered impolite to leave anyone out, you would sue the supermarket, the manufacturer of the product, anyone who provided an ingredient for the product, the manufacturer of the container the product was in, the person who stocked the supermarket shelves, their manager, the freight company that delivered the product, the government that contracted the company that built the road the freight company used, the company contracted by government to build the road, the manufacturer of the vehicle the freight company used, etc., etc., etc.
    Don't forget the company that manufactured the Ink used to print the labels, and everyone involved in that process.
    05-19-15 08:03 AM
  17. anon(6038817)'s Avatar
    BBM has to be monetized somehow. BlackBerry are losing BIS revenue as legacy device usage declines. Their strategy has been to grow their software business and make it more profitable. They can't keep dumping money into BBM and getting nothing back out of it.

    Also, I think BlackBerry have done a lot to keep the loyal supporters happy. The Classic is the result of listening to those loyalists. Selling phones directly on ShopBlackBerry and Amazon is also a great option that hasn't always existed, allowing you to bypass the carriers altogether. Improving the Android runtime and including the Amazon Appstore to offset the poor native app selection is also an attempt to keep their loyal fans happy. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a solution.

    You have to also keep in mind that their focus is still primarily on business/enterprise customers right now, where there is easier market growth to be had. Are they happy and grateful for individuals like you and me who are not business users but buy their phones anyway? Of course they are. But their attention and resources are just not focused on us right now.

    This is something BlackBerry fans must be aware of and willing to live with. I have hope things will one day improve, but this is the reality of the situation right now.
    05-19-15 08:14 AM
  18. dwane31's Avatar
    If there were true diehard.  fans then  wouldn't have 4% market share....all the millions that defected to Apple and Android years ago...
    05-19-15 08:17 AM
  19. anon(6038817)'s Avatar
    If there were true diehard.  fans then  wouldn't have 4% market share....all the millions that defected to Apple and Android years ago...
    Something to keep in mind when comparing BlackBerry in its "glory days" to today's market:

    One must realize, back in BlackBerry’s “glory days” there was roughly 237 million smartphone users in the world. Basic and feature phones dominated the market at that time. Sure, BlackBerry commanded more than half the smartphone market in the United States but the market itself only had 14.5% penetration overall, according to the Nielson Company. That’s roughly 20% worldwide. According to eMarketer, there will be 2 billion smartphone users in the world by the end of this year alone. Comparing 237 million users from 2008 to 2 billion users in 2015 should put things into a proper perspective.

    BlackBerry no longer releases the numbers of its active, worldwide, users but the last statistics reported by GuruFocus at the end of 2013 in their “Year-over-Year Growth” press release stated it was roughly 79 million users. What their exact number is today we can only speculate. What we can be sure of is that the classic story of BlackBerry “dominating” the smartphone market in 2008 and losing the market to competitors over the following years is not accurate, considering the inflation of numbers. The smartphone market has grown by nearly 9 times over since 2008 and dwarfs what BlackBerry commanded back when it had the majority of the US market.
    Source: Believe In BlackBerry
    James Nieves likes this.
    05-20-15 05:12 PM
  20. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    Something to keep in mind when comparing BlackBerry in its "glory days" to today's market:



    Source: Believe In BlackBerry
    It is an interesting perspective, and one that can't be completely discounted IMHO.

    Still, it's not a stretch to wonder how BlackBerry, which had a huge head start (and all but defined the sector) lost said lead to upstarts.
    05-20-15 06:35 PM
  21. Dirtymike14's Avatar
    This is an honest question. There has been a lot of complaint recently about loyal BlackBerry owners having to pay for features like timed messages when we've put up with the lack of big name apps for years, and the abuse we get from friends for not wanting to use Whatsapp, etc. I've just purchased the timed messages/retraction subscription, but I have to say it leaves a sour taste. I just do not think it's right that BlackBerry are charging me for this after years of sticking with them when there was really no obvious reason for doing so.

    How do others feel? Of course, I could just not pay for it and shut up etc, but that sort of misses the point. Do you guys think BlackBerry care about their hardcore base, or are we simply reliable fools to them? Or something in between? I'd love to know the breakdown of subscribers by device. What percentage of non-blackberry device owners are paying for these subscriptions?

    My guess would be that it's mainly us (BlackBerry owners) tossing our coins in the fountain...after putting up with the Z10 launch and no apps, then spending the last two years being loyal to BlackBerry and personally promoting BBM to friends that didn't care and didn't want to care. Just doesn't sit right with me. I'd love to know how others feel about it.

    Posted via CB10
    Well let me ask you this, how do we distinguish a loyal blackberry user from a non loyal?

    Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android
    05-20-15 06:39 PM
  22. anon(6038817)'s Avatar
    It is an interesting perspective, and one that can't be completely discounted IMHO.

    Still, it's not a stretch to wonder how BlackBerry, which had a huge head start (and all but defined the sector) lost said lead to upstarts.
    I like to think of it this way:

    BlackBerry defined the smartphone, Apple redefined it.

    Typed with much precision and clicky-ness on my BlackBerry Bold 9930
    05-20-15 09:20 PM

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