[anon(4126017)]

Partially agree. I had to swap my 9900 3 times. Prob even now will spot something wrong but i cant be bothered hah seems like track-pad on all of them is a bit to the left (not straight) Well i applied my invisible shield already... so hope i wont find anything within next few days ;/ all of them made in Hungary 2 :>

[donnation]

It's just frustrating. I understand that with mass production that there are going to be some issues with quality. But these two were really bad. I mean not just inconsistencies like crooked trackpads, but major defects. Both phones were literally unusable. I am not picky and can deal with minor stuff that some others probably wouldn't. But to ship two phones out that were complete junk is terrible. Especially when the user is a new customer and wants a nice new device that is built properly.

[DangerMouseUK]

You are joking about RIM's Quality Control going down the pan aren't you ?

They don't have any Quality Control !

If you say QC to someone in RIM they probably think you're talking about Quebec.

[TheScionicMan]

That is a BS excuse. Mass production is fine, but these units should be inspected before they go out. THAT is where the problem lies. Either that or they don't care if the end user is receiving a POS phone that is unusable.

Do you really think any manufacturer tests and inspects each and every device they make? They test small samples at best. Besides, its not like they're being made in the RIM factory where they can just dispatch more inspectors. There's a large gap between your expectations and the reality of mass production in today's global economy.

[OniBerry]

That is probably why I hold and inspect what I am buying before I leave the store.

Defects happen. I mean, you hear that a carrier (Telus) seems to have QC issues with it's 9900s, and you exchange your defective device and ask them to send you another one. Then, surprised that it also does not work, you exchange it for another.....LoL

[br14]

Is everyone that had problems buying the device online? And if so, from where are you buying the device and at what price?

I normally buy in store from the carrier, which means generally they're activating etc for me while I wait. So any issues with keyboards are identified immediately.

Is it possible some online buyers are being supplied with sub-standard devices or inspection failures?

[anon(4113192)]

I worked at Bell Mobility for 3 years (2006->), and I have to agree, RIM has a terrible quality control record.

Trackpad and trackball issues are infamous to the point of expected.

Some of the corporate sales reps actually had RMA ratios close to 50%, mostly from bad trackball and battery batches.

The only other major smartphone manufacturer that rivalled RIM for warranty returns was HTC. But, that was only during the first couple years after purchasing Audiovox.

With that said, BlackBerry did have the best RMA policy (it was the only manufacturer at the time where the RMAs were done by the manufacturer instead of the carrier) and out of the 5 BB phones I've owned, 0 have had to be repaired.

Fun Note:
Best manufacturer for lowest RMA = Nokia CDMA, those things became legendary like the old BBs
Worst manufacturer for highest RMA = HP

[howarmat]

i wonder if this is how RIM pads their numbers for the quarter

[o4liberty]

Your going to get bad devices no matter what device you buy it not the intention of Rim to send out defective devices.

[southlander]

It's just frustrating. I understand that with mass production that there are going to be some issues with quality. But these two were really bad. I mean not just inconsistencies like crooked trackpads, but major defects. Both phones were literally unusable. I am not picky and can deal with minor stuff that some others probably wouldn't. But to ship two phones out that were complete junk is terrible. Especially when the user is a new customer and wants a nice new device that is built properly.

The best advice I have heard is to buy at a physical store and inspect before leaving. Maybe not possible in this case, but food for future thought. Good luck.

[donnation]

Do you really think any manufacturer tests and inspects each and every device they make? They test small samples at best. Besides, its not like they're being made in the RIM factory where they can just dispatch more inspectors. There's a large gap between your expectations and the reality of mass production in today's global economy.

Understood, but don't you think if RIM was sending me a replacement device someone would at least inspect it to make sure it's useable?

[renzokuken.tan]

Hi All,

Sorry if this seems out of topic. But do you guys saw the "trackpad" model on the rumors "9980" one? I think RIM aware of the issue with current trackpad and might consider changing it with the one on the 9980. Just an opinion.

Regards,

[TheScionicMan]

Understood, but don't you think if RIM was sending me a replacement device someone would at least inspect it to make sure it's useable?

Then you would question why the seal has been broken on the box and did they send you someone else's reject?

There is an assumption that a brand new device sealed in its box is a working unit. The various components were QCed, the parts checked to be within tolerances and some poor schlub is sitting there putting who knows how many of these together each day. Is every one going to be a flawless work of art? No, but most will fall into the acceptable range. The unacceptable ones will find their way back through warranty replacement and get sent somewhere to become a refurb.

[sportline]

aside from trackpad (slightly off center) the other common problem is the button pad is not flush with screen. so when you move your finger down, can feel sharp edge of the button-pad.maybe it will go down and stay level after few weeks of use, so it's designed to be slightly higher than the screen?
other than that the device feel solid, expensive, and as convenient as ever.

[Aomar7]

aside from trackpad (slightly off center) the other common problem is the button pad is not flush with screen. so when you move your finger down, can feel sharp edge of the button-pad.maybe it will go down and stay level after few weeks of use, so it's designed to be slightly higher than the screen?
other than that the device feel solid, expensive, and as convenient as ever.

Noooo, that's not the case, my current torch is like that and the screen hasn't "leveled" yet. ( had my phone for 6 months). Also many people are having this problem.

[YourMobileGuru]

Reporting a problem to a FAN FORUM achieves nothing.

Sure it does... he gets our sympathy (or that's what is supposed to happen) and a safe (well not so safe in this case) place to vent.

To the OP: Did they (I assume Verizon) make you send back the bad unity before sending a new one? If so that totally sucks. I've never had one of the phones I ordered directly through VZW be defective before.

My Bold 9930 was made in Mexico 5 and I inspected it thoroughly and found no defects whatsoever. My Bold 9650 was also made in that plant and was just fine. My Tour came from Canada and that one had to be replaced because of an issue with the memory so the Canada = Good, Mexico = Bad theory does not always hold water

[Frosty_Power]

I can just image how many complaints there would be if that lock button wasn't flush. I've had so many blackberry's and none of them were ever returned. Maybe I'm lucky or maybe I'm just not picky. My trackpad is slightly turned, my wife's is not, but they work great a do the job. Works for me, no issues.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[tedzone]

I love my 9900 and it happens to be flawless but I agree with the OP because I seriously believe I coulda just as easily got a sh!tty one.
Rim QC is shameful and getting worse.
I've said this before here in the forum-- I can open 100 iPhone boxes and every single unit is the same.
I love Rim but seriously guys..... wtf??

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[tedzone]

You are joking about RIM's Quality Control going down the pan aren't you ?

They don't have any Quality Control !

If you say QC to someone in RIM they probably think you're talking about Quebec.

I just went back and read your comment.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA.
Thanks man!!!! My abbs hurt from the laughter!! thanks. :-).

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Mhatham]

I can undrstand were the OP is coming from. I had the 9810, first one had a loose battery door. I used my exchange and the second one was worse, the screen had a lot of movement, you could feel it move when you typed.

I decided to go with 9900, so did my wife. One was good, the other had a bad sunken trackpad and the right side of the button strip is sticking up that you can actually see the edge protruding; I am waiting for the exchange. I order through Telus and had it shipped because I didn't want to pay $35 activation for each phone; also if you order through customer service you are allowed 30 days for exchange to a different model, in the store its only 14 days. Work for me as I had the 9810 for three weeks.

Could the QC issues also be a result of the phones design? I mean there are more moving parts on this phone than most touch screen "slab" phones. You really don't see track pads on other phones. The HTC Desire had a track like pad / sensor, but it wasn't a button.

[mhw100]

I worked at Bell Mobility for 3 years (2006->), and I have to agree, RIM has a terrible quality control record.

Trackpad and trackball issues are infamous to the point of expected.

Some of the corporate sales reps actually had RMA ratios close to 50%, mostly from bad trackball and battery batches.

The only other major smartphone manufacturer that rivalled RIM for warranty returns was HTC. But, that was only during the first couple years after purchasing Audiovox.

With that said, BlackBerry did have the best RMA policy (it was the only manufacturer at the time where the RMAs were done by the manufacturer instead of the carrier) and out of the 5 BB phones I've owned, 0 have had to be repaired.

Fun Note:
Best manufacturer for lowest RMA = Nokia CDMA, those things became legendary like the old BBs
Worst manufacturer for highest RMA = HP

This is the experience with Rogers too. RIM has the highest number of returns per units sold by Rogers than any other product they sell....and that number is quite a bit higher than the other competitors. The 9900 is another good example unfortunately.

I'm close to having inspected 30-35 9900s now and the amount of variation between units is staggering. You almost wonder if they are being hand built since it is hard to imagine any type of modern assembly facility producing devices that vary so widely in quality. My guess is that the design flaws coupled with substandard quality control measures have contributed to RIM's failure relative to other manufacturers.

Having said that, most of the issues I've seen are mainly cosmetic. If you can overlook those, which the public for the most part will, then its probably a good phone. I'm on my 3rd replacement and likely will get a 4th but that is because, like most of us here, I'm an aficionados of the brand.

[BeestieHalls]

This is pretty much the number one thing keeping me away from this phone right now. I had the Tour on Sprint and I probably went through 3 or 4 before they gave me one without a defective trackball. Each one was messed up worse than the last until they finally fixed the problem in production. Even the one I kept had problems: The screen brightness would never decrease, the headphone jack was messed up...

I don't want to do that again. I honestly think thats why Sprint has been out of stock, I think they're dealing with quality issues. Every store I ask you can "special order" one, but I think I'll wait until theres a regular flow of devices.

All I want is a solid phone I like to use and isn't annoying to use. Everything I've read about it seems fairly glowing, but I'm not getting involved with another device that's doomed from the start

[Villain]

I went from excited from the point I first heard/seen the 9900 leaked to the point I think it's the mosrt faulty POS released.

seriously device number 4? all defective harware/build... this device may top the xbox 360's launch.

my 9900 now (#4) has the trackpad completely level with the menu plastic which cause the sqeak... I'm at the point now I realise if I take it back to the place of purchase I'm just going to get another DOA swap it's just going to be junk. nooo idea what to do

[YourMobileGuru]

This is pretty much the number one thing keeping me away from this phone right now. I had the Tour on Sprint and I probably went through 3 or 4 before they gave me one without a defective trackball. Each one was messed up worse than the last until they finally fixed the problem in production. Even the one I kept had problems: The screen brightness would never decrease, the headphone jack was messed up...

That's the key though EVERY one had problems because that particular trackball (and the same one on the 8900) had a design flaw. There were no "good" ones just ones that were not as bad as others. This is a physical moving part which no longer exists on modern Blackberries and does have an equivalent on a modern BB so it has little bearing here.

I went through two of them and early upgraded to a Bold just after they came out (took an upgrade from a different line) before I found out they were warranty replacing Tours with Bold's (wasted an upgrade for nothing) because I was so frustrated with it.

[YourMobileGuru]

I went from excited from the point I first heard/seen the 9900 leaked to the point I think it's the mosrt faulty POS released.

seriously device number 4? all defective harware/build... this device may top the xbox 360's launch.

my 9900 now (#4) has the trackpad completely level with the menu plastic which cause the sqeak... I'm at the point now I realise if I take it back to the place of purchase I'm just going to get another DOA swap it's just going to be junk. nooo idea what to do

We saw people replacing the Storm 1 at least as many if not more times. The record I can remember was 7x before they let the poor guy get something else.