[PHughes]

According to people in posts that bought 3rd party their only option is mail in for repair. Now if you bought from a carrier sure they will mail or you can walk into their store and receive a brand new one. With a carrier mail in you physically have your phone until the new one arrives ( in my experience 1 to 3 days then you mail the broken one back in the same box. For the rest you're without your phone until it's mailed back, so weeks. As long as you buy a backup phone with the same Sim and keep it updated with what's on your keyone, your golden. Can BBM/TCL do the same thing? Sure but then they would lose money from having to ship it both ways. There are many ways they could ease the burden and inconvenience on the customer but they're not and that's the issue.

Yeah, the third party route does suck when it comes to warranty issues. That holds true with any Blackberry. Of course in the case of the OP, they didn't even try that route, so we will never know. All we know, is the OP had a real issue, not denying that, and they got angry, said Blackberry and TCL has done nothing, and returned the phone.

Of course, Best Buy has a pretty good reputation when it comes to customer service, so my guess is they may have actually simply taken the bad phone, and given the OP a new one. We will never know.

[mtdyson]

BB left the phone hardware business to someone else. BBMo has the risk and responsibility now. That is why I've said earlier on here, what did people expect? I'm not (for the umpteenth time, excusing or validating their behavior) sure why people think a NEW company, BBMo, would deliver a great experience first time out the door with their first hardware device.

Even BBMo seems to have expected there would be various issues because they definitely had a soft opening/rollout of their first device.

TCL owns BBMo and obviously shares cultural DNA with their new subsidiary but, they are separate companies and should be looked as such. They're attempting to setup a Western style division with Western style management and infrastructure. Look at their competition that's been here 4-5 years ahead. There have been 5-6 same nation competitors that have more or less failed to make any significant advance in marketshare.

If TCL had bought Blackberry I would agree with you. Since they did not and are marketing the phone as a Blackberry then it would irresponsible in the least and insane at the most to just set another free to do whatever they wanted. I don't know of any companies that would give up complete control of their branded name with no oversight... Just sayin'

[mtdyson]

Yeah, the third party route does suck when it comes to warranty issues. That holds true with any Blackberry. Of course in the case of the OP, they didn't even try that route, so we will never know. All we know, is the OP had a real issue, not denying that, and they got angry, said Blackberry and TCL has done nothing, and returned the phone.

Of course, Best Buy has a pretty good reputation when it comes to customer service, so my guess is they may have actually simply taken the bad phone, and given the OP a new one. We will never know.

I just think it's a growing frustration with Blackberry in general, you can only drop the ball so many times and I've owned a Blackberry since the Bold 9000 and since I've read up on what's been been going on in the forums and I'm probably going to wait a couple models and see what happens with the complete uncertainty that comes with a Blackberry phone. When every phone model but one is considered a legacy phone that puts a lot of trust up in the air.

[PHughes]

I just think it's a growing frustration with Blackberry in general, you can only drop the ball so many times and I've owned a Blackberry since the Bold 9000 and since I've read up on what's been been going on in the forums and I'm probably going to wait a couple models and see what happens with the complete uncertainty that comes with a Blackberry phone. When every phone model but one is considered a legacy phone that puts a lot of trust up in the air.

I can agree with that. They have a lot of ground to regain. I hope they can, since I do like what they do.

Cheers

[mtdyson]

I can agree with that. They have a lot of ground to regain. I hope they can, since I do like what they do.

Cheers

Same here, have a good evening.

[craig428]

'If you want me to take a dump in a box & mark it guaranteed, I can. I got spare time.'

-Tommy Callahan

[ray689]

BB left the phone hardware business to someone else. BBMo has the risk and responsibility now. That is why I've said earlier on here, what did people expect? I'm not (for the umpteenth time, excusing or validating their behavior) sure why people think a NEW company, BBMo, would deliver a great experience first time out the door with their first hardware device.

.

But that's just it. By saying that people shouldn't have expected a device that doesn't fall apart is actually excusing it. You act like this is some start up company. It's not. TCL has been in the hardware game for some time. All this is, is a new company on paper. It's not any different then if say Adidas licensed out the Nike brand and called their new shell company "the new Nike" . People wouldnt expect their first shoe to fall apart at the seams and chalk it up to it being a "new company". It's a new company is name only.

[ray689]

'If you want me to take a dump in a box & mark it guaranteed, I can. I got spare time.'

-Tommy Callahan

Lol nice.

[Barbareren]

I used to be one of those people defending BBMo/TCL thinking the screen failure only applied to a tiny amount of the devices made. However, more than 100 reports now here on CB alone shows that the issue is bigger than I first thought. I find myself checking my K1 daily to see if the screen is still intact. I have more important things to care about, but since I don't live in the US and the K1 isn't officially available in the country where I reside, it has become a concern of mine. I did buy mine with international insurance, but thinking about how long it would take me to make an insurance claim and actually get a replacement unit or a full refund doesn't really provide me with much comfort.

I feel bad for everyone buying the K1 from the UK experiencing such poor customer service. My K1 is still going strong and I love the device. After all, thinking about it, our phones are now such a major part of our lives. Who or what do we actually spend more time with now than our phones? It's with us from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. And the guy bringing his K1 on a two month family vacation only for it to break down at the beginning... that has to be so frustrating.

I don't accept the apologists saying that it's to be expected because BlackBerry Mobile is a new company and TCL makes cheap phones for the Chinese market. Nobody should accept the screen just falling out on a $550 device (I paid $650 due to import fees), no matter what.

Like most other people I bought the K1 for the physical keyboard, and it has been a great device for me because I haven't experienced any serious problems with it. However, I sympathise with those who have. Since I'm such a pkb fan I won't switch to a slab even if my screen fails. I'd most likely buy the tape from Amazon and fix it myself (no warranty help here in good ol' México).

I do, however, understand the whole early adopter point as I've been an early adopter for so many years and had issues with several devices, but I've never experienced something as serious as the screen falling out... It's quite unbelievable that BlackBerry would allow for their brand name to be dragged even further down into the mud. With this kind of publicity I fear the K1 will be the last pkb device made At least they are remedying the problem now with improved screens. Hopefully it's not too late, and hopefully a successor is in the planning stage... and hopefully they will improve their customer service.

[crackberry_geek]

If TCL had bought Blackberry I would agree with you. Since they did not and are marketing the phone as a Blackberry then it would irresponsible in the least and insane at the most to just set another free to do whatever they wanted. I don't know of any companies that would give up complete control of their branded name with no oversight... Just sayin'

They didn't give up complete control. Any excuse to the contrary is just gibberish.

The irony is this -> It's almost as if BBRY have complete control... as TCL are now making the same mistakes that BlackBerry made over and over and over and over again.

[mtdyson]

They didn't give up complete control. Any excuse to the contrary is just gibberish.

The irony is this -> It's almost as if BBRY have complete control... as TCL are now making the same mistakes that BlackBerry made over and over and over and over again.

And that just makes more sense than anything.

[Chuck Finley69]

But that's just it. By saying that people shouldn't have expected a device that doesn't fall apart is actually excusing it. You act like this is some start up company. It's not. TCL has been in the hardware game for some time. All this is, is a new company on paper. It's not any different then if say Adidas licensed out the Nike brand and called their new shell company "the new Nike" . People wouldnt expect their first shoe to fall apart at the seams and chalk it up to it being a "new company". It's a new company is name only.

BBMo is a startup company owned by TCL a non-startup in the same business. They specifically licensed a well-known brand name to get past the hurdles of developing their own brand. This is third attempt at licensing or resurrecting a former brand for the company. They're using this strategy to overcome negative perceptions of various lines of hardware manufactured in their country. This also extends to other types of merchandise that is manufactured in their country by other companies.

When you go to stores that sell TV's, you see a similar effect. TCL is still considered an off brand. Many companies use licensing of brand names to get around this. Several years ago, some TCL competitors manufactured TVs under the Zenith and Magnavox brand names while TCL manufactured under the RCA licensed brand name. This got TCL brand into the largest retailer and RCA brand was dropped in favor of TCL own brand since retailer and their consumer is more concerned with price than brand at that point.

The fact that people bought the KEYone because of the BB name just goes to show why TCL licensed the name. But that's all licensing a name is, permission to use the name. That's why companies that exit a business or go under completely will license or sell their brand. It's turning your pockets inside out looking for the loose change when you're broke.

BB themselves may have decided that brand was/is beyond repair in the phone hardware space. TCL may decide to leverage the brand and build it back up if possible or it's a short term entry into the Canadian and US carriers like the Alcatel brand.

I grew up in a family business that retails and wholesales leather goods. I've seen this business model for my entire life in that industry. The old American brands; Rolf's, Amity, Buxton and Prince Gardner; of the 20th century were bought and brought from bankruptcy. You can find them in the stores that Boomers shop in because they recognize the brands, however the quality is different. Sometimes better in some merchandise, usually not in most of the merchandise because of profit motive and cultural shifts. We're a far more disposable society and the retailers would rather you buy more frequently so they slowly lower your expectations. This is now being done in my GEN X segment in the leather business. Tumi is now owned by Samsonite who themselves are different than old company Samsonite. Hartmann and Bosca are no longer the same as when they manufactured here in the US. Some of these brands are bought when they have a better reputation and the strategy is to maintain and improve them.

All this is just to explain why I asked, what's the surprise? TCL licensed the BB name because it was/is the cheapest way to legally use the brand name. They didn't buy the hardware division or set up a true joint venture. They chose the cheapest way to gain access while BB is happy to get some loose pocket change. The point is that if you (plural) didn't have cautious apprehension with BBMo first product rollout, I've got some buildings and bridges for sale. They're quiet and staggered rollout with limited carriers suggest that BBMo and US carriers anticipated problems.

[conite]

They didn't give up complete control. Any excuse to the contrary is just gibberish.

The irony is this -> It's almost as if BBRY have complete control... as TCL are now making the same mistakes that BlackBerry made over and over and over and over again.

I met the BlackBerry Mobile team. Only a couple were hired from BlackBerry - the rest come from TCL/TCT.

BlackBerry has nothing to do with BlackBerry Mobile. BlackBerry has run away from devices and doesn't want to spend another penny on them. They have a BlackBerry Android software crew, and that's it. There is not a soul left in device design, distribution, marketing, sales, or project management.

It's up to TCL, PT BB Merah Putih, and Optiemus Infracom to make or break the BlackBerry device brand.

[mtdyson]

I met the BlackBerry Mobile team. Only a couple were hired from BlackBerry - the rest come from TCL/TCT.

BlackBerry has nothing to do with BlackBerry Mobile. BlackBerry has run away from devices and don't want to spend another penny on them. They have a BlackBerry Android software crew, and that's it. There is not a soul left in device design, distribution, marketing, sales, or project management.

It's up to TCL, PT BB Merah Putih, and Optiemus Infracom to make or break the BlackBerry device brand.

Somehow that truly makes me feel better about the whole situation. Almost like there is hope for improvement.

[ray689]

BBMo is a startup company owned by TCL a non-startup in the same business. They specifically licensed a well-known brand name to get past the hurdles of developing their own brand. This is third attempt at licensing or resurrecting a former brand for the company. They're using this strategy to overcome negative perceptions of various lines of hardware manufactured in their country. This also extends to other types of merchandise that is manufactured in their country by other companies.

When you go to stores that sell TV's, you see a similar effect. TCL is still considered an off brand. Many companies use licensing of brand names to get around this. Several years ago, some TCL competitors manufactured TVs under the Zenith and Magnavox brand names while TCL manufactured under the RCA licensed brand name. This got TCL brand into the largest retailer and RCA brand was dropped in favor of TCL own brand since retailer and their consumer is more concerned with price than brand at that point.

The fact that people bought the KEYone because of the BB name just goes to show why TCL licensed the name. But that's all licensing a name is, permission to use the name. That's why companies that exit a business or go under completely will license or sell their brand. It's turning your pockets inside out looking for the loose change when you're broke.

BB themselves may have decided that brand was/is beyond repair in the phone hardware space. TCL may decide to leverage the brand and build it back up if possible or it's a short term entry into the Canadian and US carriers like the Alcatel brand.

I grew up in a family business that retails and wholesales leather goods. I've seen this business model for my entire life in that industry. The old American brands; Rolf's, Amity, Buxton and Prince Gardner; of the 20th century were bought and brought from bankruptcy. You can find them in the stores that Boomers shop in because they recognize the brands, however the quality is different. Sometimes better in some merchandise, usually not in most of the merchandise because of profit motive and cultural shifts. We're a far more disposable society and the retailers would rather you buy more frequently so they slowly lower your expectations. This is now being done in my GEN X segment in the leather business. Tumi is now owned by Samsonite who themselves are different than old company Samsonite. Hartmann and Bosca are no longer the same as when they manufactured here in the US. Some of these brands are bought when they have a better reputation and the strategy is to maintain and improve them.

All this is just to explain why I asked, what's the surprise? TCL licensed the BB name because it was/is the cheapest way to legally use the brand name. They didn't buy the hardware division or set up a true joint venture. They chose the cheapest way to gain access while BB is happy to get some loose pocket change. The point is that if you (plural) didn't have cautious apprehension with BBMo first product rollout, I've got some buildings and bridges for sale. They're quiet and staggered rollout with limited carriers suggest that BBMo and US carriers anticipated problems.

Regardless of how you want to spin it, not one person on the planet should have expected screens to just fall out whether they are a true start up (which they aren't) or a company that has been in the device game for years even if they make the cheapest, lowest budget phones ever. But since you aren't surprised and fully expected that, you really should have let people know. I think a few here would have been grateful for that info.

[crackbb10]

I don't think there's such a thing as a new and improved K1.

[crackberry_geek]

I met the BlackBerry Mobile team.

And now I am truly beginning to understand.

It can be a quite "heady" experience to meet and be treated like a VIP... and knowing they will see what you post...

It makes perfect sense now.

Sadly... it's not going to last long...

[Chuck Finley69]

Regardless of how you want to spin it, not one person on the planet should have expected screens to just fall out whether they are a true start up (which they aren't) or a company that has been in the device game for years even if they make the cheapest, lowest budget phones ever. But since you aren't surprised and fully expected that, you really should have let people know. I think a few here would have been grateful for that info.

Everytime I say this, you reply how "not one person should expect this" and I'm wondering, do you mean you expected a perfect device. I was surprised last year with exploding batteries on an $800 device from the largest Android phone OEM in the history of mankind. Before that, Bendgate and IOS hardware/software issues happened. Because of what happened with Tier 1 OEM before this and the BlackBerry PRIV initially, I wasn't surprised with another PKB issue. I mean if BB has issues rolling out PRIV, a separate BBMo OEM wouldn't be perfect building their first PKB either. I mean, they've had like 6 months to ramp up. I figured I saw enough red flags to wait. I jumped in to buy the DTEK models instead. TCL got the hardware right on those, but then again, I thought, VKB, let's wait awhile to see what issues crop up?

First PKB from a first licensed BB vendor not done with BB themselves assuming risk with no US carrier signed up initially... Sprint probably has fewer or less screen issues.

[conite]

And now I am truly beginning to understand.

It can be a quite "heady" experience to meet and be treated like a VIP... and knowing they will see what you post...

It makes perfect sense now.

Sadly... it's not going to last long...

Me along with countless others at a launch event in Toronto.

Doesn't change the information I related with respect to the makeup of the company.

[Chuck Finley69]

Regardless of how you want to spin it, not one person on the planet should have expected screens to just fall out whether they are a true start up (which they aren't) or a company that has been in the device game for years even if they make the cheapest, lowest budget phones ever. But since you aren't surprised and fully expected that, you really should have let people know. I think a few here would have been grateful for that info.

I have let people know that I never buy any phone not just KEYone until it's been out. It's the early adopter risk that's been written about in marketing classes for at least 30 years as one specific target demographic.

[ray689]

Everytime I say this, you reply how "not one person should expect this" and I'm wondering, do you mean you expected a perfect device. I was surprised last year with exploding batteries on an $800 device from the largest Android phone OEM in the history of mankind. Before that, Bendgate and IOS hardware/software issues happened. Because of what happened with Tier 1 OEM before this and the BlackBerry PRIV initially, I wasn't surprised with another PKB issue. I mean if BB has issues rolling out PRIV, a separate BBMo OEM wouldn't be perfect building their first PKB either. I mean, they've had like 6 months to ramp up. I figured I saw enough red flags to wait. I jumped in to buy the DTEK models instead. TCL got the hardware right on those, but then again, I thought, VKB, let's wait awhile to see what issues crop up?

First PKB from a first licensed BB vendor not done with BB themselves assuming risk with no US carrier signed up initially... Sprint probably has fewer or less screen issues.

So I ask you again, you expected the screen to fall out randomly without force as many here have stated happened to them?

[Chuck Finley69]

I expected issues, problems and glitches with new devices. Screen lift as with the Passport appears to be similar. There were also some PKB and slide complaints (plus overheating) with the PRIV that appeared with initial devices. PKB and sliders have very little marketshare partly because OEM companies don't want to build them because of all the extra moving parts that can fail.

[mister2d]

I expected issues, problems and glitches with new devices. Screen lift as with the Passport appears to be similar. ...

But the screen falling out though? Not screen lifts. The two are separate to me.

[Chuck Finley69]

But the screen falling out though? Not screen lifts. The two are separate to me.

Faulty device is a faulty device. 6-9 months down the road, things will be settled down with manufacturing and distribution and BBMo will decide to renew license or walk away quietly like some of their competitors have done recently.

[mister2d]

Faulty device is a faulty device. 6-9 months down the road, things will be settled down with manufacturing and distribution and BBMo will decide to renew license or walk away quietly like some of their competitors have done recently.

Yes I get it. Faulty is faulty. But I'm used to seeing faulty being along the lines of volume rocker not working, flash not responding, home button stops working, etc. where the device is still somewhat useable and able to backup/erase your data before sending it in for service.

In the case of the KEYone, your screen falls out (eventually) and probably ripping the ribbon cable along with it. In this case you have to be ok with data still on the phone without the ability to erase it with your data in some muppet's hands.