[pwa]

I have been to the Eaton Centre in Toronto (Rogers and Bell stores) and neither one of them had any Passports. In fact the Bell representative said that they can't even get a demo unit and have been unable to get any phones for sale. This is the highest grossing Bell store in Canada. The Rogers store people said that they received 5 units a launch day and have not received any more units since. The same was true at the mall on King Street in Waterloo, the cradle of BlackBerry.

This just doesn't make any sense. As a shareholder I am upset that BlackBerry cannot even make this new flagship phone avalanche in its home market.

An explanation from BlackBerry would be warranted.

Posted via CB10

[pwa]

Of course it should say "available " and not avalanche in my last sentence of the posting . It sometimes happens with auto word selection.

Posted from the very efficient Z30

Posted via CB10

[Spawn12]

Would have thought by now that the Passport would be more readily available for sale.
Good thing is that the Passport seems to be selling as fast as it was a month ago.

Hope you get one soon OP, understand your frustration at not being able to get one.

Posted via CB10

[pwa]

Thanks for the feedback. I would have thought that BlackBerry would increase availability for the peak shopping season of the year.

I am not sure whether it is fear of over stocking based on their experience with the Z10, but if they want to produce on a "just in time " inventory basis that would mean that their production would have to be flexible enough so they could adjust it upward to meet demand.

Posted via CB10

[sparkaction]

The Passport is available on shop.blackberry.com (Canadian and USA sites) and purportedly through Rogers by calling in. I don't know about the other carriers' inventory situation. I'm getting the feeling that it is not a production issue but retailers unwilling to stock the device.

[Gatmyer]

Saw a passport on display at best buy. Telus plan only however.

Posted via CB10

[pwa]

Thanks for the feedback. The Bell representative indicated that he has been asking for it and he still couldn't get it. Of course it could have something to do with Bell procurement at a higher level. It makes one think though if the two main carriers in BlackBerry's home market don't carry the phone in their stores. It would be great to know where the issue is, with BlackBerry or with the carriers. All I know is that I don't purchase a phone unless I have a chance to get some hands on experience with it first in a store.

The issue should be solved one way or another.

Posted via CB10

[pwa]

Gatmyr: at which Telus store did you see the passport? Did they have inventory?

Posted via CB10

[pboud_01]

When I was shopping for my passport, I had several Bell stores reporting no stock. After pushing a bit i found out that the passport is special order only and won't be regularly stocked. This is in edmonton, so your mileage may vary.

Posted via CB10

[sandman10]

Just about every Telus mall store from Hamilton to burlington to Milton I've been to has working Passports on display.....

[pwa]

Pboud_01: thanks for the feedback. It sounds like this is company policy for the carriers then. It is hard to understand why they would do this if there is a demand from the consumer. Considering that BlackBerry is one of the few high tech companies remaining with its head office in Canada and has a loyal consumer following here, it is downright shameful for Rogers and Bell not having the phones available in their stores.

Posted via CB10

[ILUMINATIUNDEAD]

With Rogers in winnipeg it's same thing. I have to special order it ugh

[dbmalloy]

Bad for customers good for the company.... the perils of supply chain.... As Rogers obviously does not have much faith in BB...with Bell close behind..... not surprising there are not much stock as the carriers probably carried the bare minimum at launch due to concerns of bad sales.... As Telus seems to have worked out a exclusive early on... had more stock which shows why Telus still has some... As BB is really conservative about inventory... expect more of this in the future... As you are seeing in the States.... BB is moving away from the Carriers to direct sales... Shopcrackberry and Amazon.... Seeing how shoddily the carriers have treated BB in the past... not a terrible surprise.... as for consumer customers... welcome the new reality of BB in the consumer market... BB will focus on Enterprise and consumers will be an afterthought....

[bbjdog]

Consumers are not an afterthought! I am a consumer and have my Blackberry Passport. BlackBerry Smartphones & Accessories ? Buy Unlocked Phones, Cases, Chargers, Batteries, Bluetooth Accessories & More, has the passport and that's the place this consumer bought the device.
Now they have a special on the passport which you can save $100.00 dollars. The cost in Canadian dollar is $599.00 and the red version is available.

In USA you can get it for Black Friday sale at $499.00 and you have the option of using PayPal for payment options.
BlackBerry Smartphones & Accessories ? Buy Unlocked Phones, Cases, Chargers, Batteries, Bluetooth Accessories & More

[ILUMINATIUNDEAD]

It's so sad the average customer isn't gonna buy it now seeing they have to go through extra steps to order it in. Even me as a BB lover I'm kind of put off by it.

[Legal Eagle]

It's so sad the average customer isn't gonna buy it now seeing they have to go through extra steps to order it in. Even me as a BB lover I'm kind of put off by it.

Hey, long time no hear !

I think that BB's philosophy for the Passport was that it wasn't intended for the average customer. Given this, and BB's well documented lack of marketing and poor liaison with carriers I'm not surprised that folks are finding it difficult to buy on the High Street.

Don't be put off by having to go out of your way to get your hands on one though, it's well worth the effort.

[Kody Holt]

extra steps as in you go to your computer and then it arrives in two days?

[pwa]

Thank you all for your replies. One thing that irritates me is that we should pay $100 more in Canada with the phone on sale. That is more than double the exchange rate differential. It seems for this to be the case on all things we buy in Canada.

Other than that maybe the carriers will wake up once they have a whole bunch of Passports being activated on their system without them having sold the devices.

BlackBerry should have mini stores in the malls and direct sell their devices there. That way as a customer you get exposure to the new products and get to play with them. This would also allow BlackBerry to control the message and have trained staff on site to demonstrate the capabilities and to answer questions about the device. If they are worried about the associated financial commitment make it a traveling road show that goes from mall to mall and advertise it in advance.

Posted via CB10

[anon(870071)]

I have been to the Eaton Centre in Toronto (Rogers and Bell stores) and neither one of them had any Passports. In fact the Bell representative said that they can't even get a demo unit and have been unable to get any phones for sale. This is the highest grossing Bell store in Canada. The Rogers store people said that they received 5 units a launch day and have not received any more units since. The same was true at the mall on King Street in Waterloo, the cradle of BlackBerry.

This just doesn't make any sense. As a shareholder I am upset that BlackBerry cannot even make this new flagship phone avalanche in its home market.

An explanation from BlackBerry would be warranted.

Posted via CB10

They can order one for you on their sales systems!

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android side installed on the Passport!

[GeoK]

Go and shop online dude...
BlackBerry unveils Black Friday deals and new device financing offers | CrackBerry.com
great price right now...Passport for $499.00

[mfurman]

Rogers store in London, Ontario has Passports not only as display (as in Best Buy) but has someone who actually knows it and can demo it quite nicely. By the way, all unlocked phones in Canada are $100 more expensive than in the US. This is not the case for Apple iPads though ( I bought Air 2 64GB for $619)

[The Aficionado]

If you call bell and order a passport you can still get one that way. That's how I got mine

Posted via CB10

[pwa]

I know that I can get it online, but this was actually not my point. I just think it is sad, that we don't have carrier commitment to highlight a great designed in Canada product.

I still like to handle and try out a smartphone before I buy it. I realize this might be old school but that is why I suggested the BlackBerry mini stores in the malls to get customers to try the products. It might expose BlackBerry phones again to a broader audience.

Thanks for all the feedback, it is much appreciated

Posted via CB10

[Canuck671]

The bell stores in bc. Well the one's I have talked to will not sell me one off contract due to short supply. I waited for six weeks for mine. Worth the wait

Posted via CB10

[bungaboy]

I have been to the Eaton Centre in Toronto (Rogers and Bell stores) and neither one of them had any Passports. In fact the Bell representative said that they can't even get a demo unit and have been unable to get any phones for sale. This is the highest grossing Bell store in Canada. The Rogers store people said that they received 5 units a launch day and have not received any more units since. The same was true at the mall on King Street in Waterloo, the cradle of BlackBerry.

This just doesn't make any sense. As a shareholder I am upset that BlackBerry cannot even make this new flagship phone avalanche in its home market.

An explanation from BlackBerry would be warranted.

Posted via CB10

If you just wanted to try it out before you bought it why wouldn't just go to one of the 2 dozen Future Shops in the Toronto area and try one?

https://www-ssl.futureshop.ca/store-...uctId=10320764