[Mickrick]

We got 3 64gb Playbooks in our house at Christmas. I have just tried to register them for the "90-Day Support" and received the message:

Unfortunately, your BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet does not qualify for Complimentary Support. You can, however, get assistance using incident based support from Research In Motion.

BlackBerry Incident Based Support

With BlackBerry® Incident Based Support, you can receive support from the BlackBerry Technical Support team by providing your credit card information before your support issue is addressed.

So rather than getting the "90-Day" Direct Support advertised, RIM want payment for Incident Based Support. All of the Playbooks were purchased new. Unless the Dixons Group (Dixons, Currys, PC World, Pixmania) have been selling "refurbished" Playbooks which do not qualify? They certainly weren't advertised as "refurbs".

[BigwhiteUK]

I bought mine end of September from Currys, had no problem registering for the free 90 day support! Wouldnt have thought they are selling refurbs as new? i would contact RIM and ask why.

[Chaddface]

Got the same message in the US when I bought mine a year ago. I wouldn't bother with the register. If you have a problem, give them a call and register, the 90 days will start then.

[Broxster]

I bought my two 64s from Currys around september,one online and one instore.....both qualified for the 90 day support after registering.

Have a look at the build dates on the bar code label on the black box it came in.......i set 2 up for a friend a couple of weeks ago....built 12/october/2012.....i doubt they were refurbs.

[der_mit]

This happens (I believe) because at the point of purchase the store is meant to inform RIM that that particular serial number has been sold, There is some sor of mis-match going on, I have a couple of friends that this happened to, they got it sorted in the end. I would take it up with the shop.
Best of luck

[CairnsRock]

Just go ahead and call them. They will support you. Forget about the 90 day thing.

[JeepBB]

Just go ahead and call them. They will support you. Forget about the 90 day thing.

^ This.

Playbook support from RIM is really some of the best I've experienced.

The battery on my PB died a while back, well after the PB's 1st birthday. I contacted RIM, they registered it (again I believe?) to "start" the 90-day support while I was still on the phone (LOL), and eventually RMA'ed the PB to/from the German repair facility - by FedEx and all at RIM's expense.

I ended up receiving a replacement PB within a couple of days as RIM judged the original I sent them uneconomic to repair.

Excellent service!

P.S. Don't be tempted to take out Curry's expensive extended warranty. If the PB breaks within the first 6-months, take it back and Curry's has to prove that an underlying manufacturing fault wasn't there when you bought it. Demand a replacement. You do not have to accept a repair. That's UK consumer law, courtesy of Which magazine.

P.P.S. FWIW, there was a discussion about the dates on the boxes a while back. I believe the consensus view was that they were the date the PB was boxed-up in retail packaging rather than a manufacturing date.

[Mickrick]

It may be a case that Currys hasn't informed them of the serial #s then. There is no way to tell whether the packaging is new as there are no security stickers on there (apart from the accessories boxes).

[JeepBB]

It may be a case that Currys hasn't informed them of the serial #s then. There is no way to tell whether the packaging is new as there are no security stickers on there (apart from the accessories boxes).

I do reckon that's the most likely explanation. It's been a bit "busy" recently in retail-land , and I'd guess some back-office processes might have slipped.

Curry's are certainly "sharp operators" (IMHO), but I'd be very surprised if they'd have crossed the line into outright illegality by passing off 2nd-hand as new.

[daglesj]

Yeah when I picked my Playbook up from PC World they were throwing them out of a cage to customers like you see bags of grain being given out in famine areas.

I don't think they were that bothered about correct warranty/registering at the time.

[BigAl_BB9900]

UK Shoppers have far more Consumer Rights than most are aware of

Suggest you look at the SOGA (Sales of Goods Act) website (provided by the UK Government 'Office of Fair Trading') -
Sale of Goods Act For customers

If an item you have bought is faulty you may be legally entitled to a refund or a repair or replacement... for up to six years (in England, only 5 years in Scotland) - if it is reasonable that the product should have lasted longer than it has
Example: I bought a microwave oven for my home, after 13 months it died on me, even though it had only been used approximately once a week. The merchant was therefore responsible for having it repaired. In the end they just gave me a replacement microwave....
[initially the merchant refused to repair the microwave, citing that I had had the product more than one year so it was past it's guarantee date; a quick telephone call to Consumer Direct (whilst I was in the shop, on speaker phone!), made the merchant comply with the law]

Under SOGA if an item is faulty, it means that it is
• not of satisfactory quality
• not fit for purpose
• does not match the retailer’s description.

If an item you have bought is faulty you may be legally entitled to a refund or a repair or replacement. What you are entitled to will depend on a number of factors; contact Consumer Direct for more information. You do not have a legal right to receive a refund, repair or replacement for any of the reasons listed opposite
• fair wear and tear
• accidental damage or misuse of the item
• if you don’t want the item any more, for example it is the wrong size or colour
• if you knew the item was faulty when you bought it
• if you misused the item and caused a fault
• if you tried to repair the item or had someone else try to repair it, which damaged the item
• if it is over six years since you purchased the item, or for goods purchased in Scotland, if it is over five years since you discovered the fault.