I resent ... and the difference between a "satisfied" and an "engaged" customer

[Rooster99]

I resent that I bought a Storm due to RIM's promo for the device, and went through 6 months of h3ll before the operating system was stable enough that I could get my wife the same device.

I resent that it was still so bad that when she "dropped" her Storm she refused to get another - and went back to a Razor.

I resent had I had to upgrade to the next version of the same device (the Storm 2) to stop my device from deleting Calendar entries at random. I resent that troubleshooting that issue took weeks of my time and multiple calls to both RIM and Telus tech support, thought after reviewing the RIM user forums at blackberry.com I discovered it's been a known issues for years. I resent that getting that upgrade took a letter written to the CEO's of both Telus and RIM.

I resent the problem still happens - just far less frequently.

I resent that the device I was told was "the" mobile device for business has such poorly written Task capabilities that it's unusable, even on my "upgraded" Storm 2.

I resent that I've had to do a battery pull on my Storm 2 8 times in the last 2 days because at random it stops ignoring certain screen presses - like when I ask it to "Save" a change to a Calendar entry.

I resent that my device is less than 2 years old and can't run the new version of the OS - even slowly.

I resent that it's going to cost me $400 to get the new version of the OS simply to get a stable device running the new version of the OS (a Torch with OS6). Although even that one still requires the occasional battery pull.

I resent that my new $400 device was shipped right out of the gate with poor specs compared to other devices costing the same. And while it's only a couple of months old, it's already believed to be unable to run the "new, new" OS that is supposed to save RIM and is widely expected to be delivered within the next 8-12 months (possibly a lot sooner).

I resent that not once has RIM publicly acknowledged the pain it's put its users through. Nor has it offered any kind of gesture to make up for that pain.

I won't go Apple - yet - because of Antennagate and poor Task management capabilities. But I resent that RIM has done such a pi22 poor job of product development and customer service in the last 2 1/2 years that I would even consider it.

And before everyone jumps on me and says "No one cares, go away", let me share with you the difference between a "satisfied" customer and an "engaged" one, as defined by the VP People and Culture, WestJet (one of Canada's leading international arilines) in a presentation Monday.

A "satisfied" customer is passive and "ok" with what is. They don't really add anything to the corporation beyond the value of their purchases. They are also easily lost to the competition. But they don't cause any flack.

An "engaged" customer is active, and may or may not be "ok" with what is. But they are vocal about what could be, and care enough to express it. They can be instrumental to helping the coroporation innovate and improve - if the corporation is strong enough to listen.

I'm definitely not happy. But this post - and many of my other posts - demonstrate I'm engaged.

Now let's see what RIM does with me and the rest of their "engaged" customers.

- R.

[Qbnkelt]

Interesting approach.
Personally, I let my cash do the talking. If I find that a device doesn't meet my needs, I return it. I may write to the company to express my dissatisfaction. I find that loss of revenue speaks quite eloquently.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Username00089]

I'm not trying to be critical of you and your approach, but I can't believe you have
put so much time into a product such as this. Whether you're an "engaged" customer
or not, after a certain period of time you just have to realize RIM nor Telus give a
damn if you're even a satisfied customer. But all in all, I respect that you're at least
vocal about what a sh*tty product they advertised as being so great out there. I
have much respect for Storm users who have actually used any Storm for more
than a month. Having fiddled around with a friend's Storm a few times, I became
frustrated to no end. I salute you.

[K Bear]

To the OP, this is why people are leaving RIM en mass for other more reliable devices. Subpar quality does not cut it.

[lssanjose]

I gave mine the amount of time I did, hoping new OS releases would help things, and boy was I wrong. My S2 was a solid performer, but it did have episodic lag; when it lagged, it lagged badly. My sister doesn't like her storm that much, often telling me she might as well go back to a razr. I can deal with the refresh issues on my Droid, because if I need to reboot the thing, it boots back in seconds.

[i7guy]

I gave my S2 a certain amount of time to get used to. I've had it since April and while I can't say it's been flawless, it does what I need it to do.

One issue cropped up that really annoys me since I updated to VZNAV 6.2, the bluetooth dialer doesn't work flawlessly anymore. It's a hit or miss making a phone call through bluetooth when I'm listening to directions through the BT headset.

I consider myself to be a "satisfied" customer with electronic appliances, cars and airlines. I use what is best for me until it no longer suits me and may or may not purchase again from the same manufacturer.

I do like the S2 for the most part it just goes. I get a lot of emails every day and email management is important, which the BB does very well.

Edit I also know a number of people still satisified with their original Storm and S2. Reading these forums where posters are blasting RIM, is not really what I see on a day to day basis.

[lssanjose]

Originally Posted by i7guy

I gave my S2 a certain amount of time to get used to. I've had it since April and while I can't say it's been flawless, it does what I need it to do.

I do like the S2 for the most part it just goes. I get a lot of emails every day and email management is important, which the BB does very well.

Edit I also know a number of people still satisified with their original Storm and S2. Reading these forums where posters are blasting RIM, is not really what I see on a day to day basis.

That's the same way I felt about the storm 2 when I had it. I came from an 8330, not really fond of touch screens initially. Somehow, the cumbersome nature of the trackball did catch up to me. I had to give the S2 its due amount of time before making a judgment call on the device.

It does come down to needs, and whether a device fulfills them sufficiently.

[Blacklatino]

Originally Posted by Rooster99

I resent that I bought a Storm due to RIM's promo for the device, and went through 6 months of h3ll before the operating system was stable enough that I could get my wife the same device.

I resent that it was still so bad that when she "dropped" her Storm she refused to get another - and went back to a Razor.

I resent had I had to upgrade to the next version of the same device (the Storm 2) to stop my device from deleting Calendar entries at random. I resent that troubleshooting that issue took weeks of my time and multiple calls to both RIM and Telus tech support, thought after reviewing the RIM user forums at blackberry.com I discovered it's been a known issues for years. I resent that getting that upgrade took a letter written to the CEO's of both Telus and RIM.

I resent the problem still happens - just far less frequently.

I resent that the device I was told was "the" mobile device for business has such poorly written Task capabilities that it's unusable, even on my "upgraded" Storm 2.

I resent that I've had to do a battery pull on my Storm 2 8 times in the last 2 days because at random it stops ignoring certain screen presses - like when I ask it to "Save" a change to a Calendar entry.

I resent that my device is less than 2 years old and can't run the new version of the OS - even slowly.

I resent that it's going to cost me $400 to get the new version of the OS simply to get a stable device running the new version of the OS (a Torch with OS6). Although even that one still requires the occasional battery pull.

I resent that my new $400 device was shipped right out of the gate with poor specs compared to other devices costing the same. And while it's only a couple of months old, it's already believed to be unable to run the "new, new" OS that is supposed to save RIM and is widely expected to be delivered within the next 8-12 months (possibly a lot sooner).

I resent that not once has RIM publicly acknowledged the pain it's put its users through. Nor has it offered any kind of gesture to make up for that pain.

I won't go Apple - yet - because of Antennagate and poor Task management capabilities. But I resent that RIM has done such a pi22 poor job of product development and customer service in the last 2 1/2 years that I would even consider it.

And before everyone jumps on me and says "No one cares, go away", let me share with you the difference between a "satisfied" customer and an "engaged" one, as defined by the VP People and Culture, WestJet (one of Canada's leading international arilines) in a presentation Monday.

A "satisfied" customer is passive and "ok" with what is. They don't really add anything to the corporation beyond the value of their purchases. They are also easily lost to the competition. But they don't cause any flack.

An "engaged" customer is active, and may or may not be "ok" with what is. But they are vocal about what could be, and care enough to express it. They can be instrumental to helping the coroporation innovate and improve - if the corporation is strong enough to listen.

I'm definitely not happy. But this post - and many of my other posts - demonstrate I'm engaged.

Now let's see what RIM does with me and the rest of their "engaged" customers.

- R.

I see nothing wrong with stating how you feel about a device- especially after you've paid for it. Yours is one of many that have complained about it. I have a family member that returned to Kuwait and loves his Storm while his brother was POed when he threw his Storm out of a car on the Freeway after several days of consecutive issues. Also, I do agree that loss of revenue demands attention for any company. Good Luck.

[lssanjose]

I wonder how that brother felt, the moment he tossed the Storm he disliked, liberated? , ha ha!

[i7guy]

Originally Posted by lssanjose

I wonder how that brother felt, the moment he tossed the Storm he disliked, liberated? , ha ha!

Maybe some anger management is in order?

[lssanjose]

Possibly, i7guy. Like I say nowadays, Bold, but stupid. Then again, if he can foot the bill for a new phone, more power to him, I guess.

[sleepngbear]

Sorry to hear your experience with BB has been less than satisfactory. Unfortunately, all makers of all types of goods have dissatisfied customers - it's just a fact of business. There's no such thing as 100%-perfect quality control, and there's no such thing as a product that is perfect at what it does in all ways for everybody.

That being said, I'm on my 3rd BB phone. First was a Curve 8310 which was good enough to get me hooked on the brand. Next was a Bold 9000 which was significantly better. Now I've got a Torch that I absolutely love (no battery pulls needed, BTW). There are a lot of us who have had great luck with BB's and stay loyal to the brand. I can only hope you find something to restore your faith and satisfaction with it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[lssanjose]

i remember trying to explain to customers the possibility of bad batches. They don't want to accept it, and that's understandable. However, it's a fact of mass production.

Luckily, I haven't come across a bad batch model for every device I've owned, or I couldn't tell. I did come across two hard drives that were bad lemons: one DOA, the other died in a few days - and that was brand new.

[GlitchZero]

Originally Posted by i7guy

Edit I also know a number of people still satisified with their original Storm and S2. Reading these forums where posters are blasting RIM, is not really what I see on a day to day basis.

To be fair, I bet 90% of the people you see on a day to day basis couldn't tell you 2 differences between the iPhone, a Droid, and a Storm2 if their life depended on it too. The outrage on these forums is because the people here know the difference, have used the difference, and can actually see that devices as new as the Torch belong back in 2005 where the technology it uses was "new", and that it falls on RIM to actually COMPETE with competitors, not pass another dated device like a large kidney stone.

I used the Storm for 6 months, then the Storm2 for six months, thinking that was as good as it got. Once I changed to a device that could handle more than 3 simple tasks at once, and didn't take the length of a cigarette and a small meal to restart, it was like drinking fresh water for the first time, and I'm sure a lot of these consumers that are under the impression that BlackBerrys ARE as good as it gets would feel the same way if they took the chance to try something else.

[Blacklatino]

Originally Posted by lssanjose

I wonder how that brother felt, the moment he tossed the Storm he disliked, liberated? , ha ha!

He was "full' at the time and pissed about a device that had multiple issues. Honestly, I doubt if he even gave a sh*t....at the time.