[valiantdust]

So it's my first time starting a new thread, and I hope the mods will go easy on me if I have this in the wrong forum. The issue I'm pointing out seems to apply across carriers and models, and I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen it discussed here before. Maybe my search-fu is weak, or maybe people haven't noticed this problem because BIS consumers typically don't set up more than one BB in the span of a few days. Oh well, I'm sure someone with the power will teach me the error of my ways if I done wrong.

Here's the gist of it: I would recommend that new BB users who are setting up email their BB email accounts on BIS NOT use the Email Setup app, but instead wait and set it up using the carrier's BIS portal website.

I recently purchased my first BB (8130 Pearl on Sprint), and used the BB email setup application to create a sprint.blackberry.net email account for the phone. I also used it to set up email for my school email account and my GMail account.

Later on, when I tried to log on to the Sprint BIS portal, I couldn't log in as an existing user with the credentials I had established on my phone, (or any other credentials I could think of). So I tried to set up a new account, but when I entered my PIN and ESN I got a message saying that there already was an account tied to that PIN and ESN. So I called Sprint customer service, and they were able to reset my account credentials, and everything worked fine.

A week ago, one of my professors came to me for help setting up his VZW 8830 WE. So I used the Email Setup app to create a vzw.blackberry.net account for him -- and once again found that it was inaccessible via the VZW BIS portal.

This suggests to me that the phone app and the user accounts system at RIM aren't talking to each other in the way that they should be. What's more, RIM might not be aware of it, since it's the carrier's CSRs who wind up fixing the problem, AFAICT.

I didn't think it was a big deal, and I wouldn't have posted about it, but in the last two days I have encountered two users (one here on CB and I think one on Pinstack, but may have been here as well) who had this problem and couldn't figure it out. I'm guessing that if you do your initial BIS email setup on the portal website rather than on the phone app, this problem (and a call to your friendly neighborhood wireless provider CSR) might be avoided.

Any thoughts, CrackBerriers?

[Crucial_Xtreme]

No, you have to call the carrier and have them configure the account. Atleast, that is my experience.

[axel2078]

No, you have to call the carrier and have them configure the account. Atleast, that is my experience.

Why would you need to call your carrier to set up your email accounts? I didn't call anyone. I did it right from the device and had no problems.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Why would you need to call your carrier to set up your email accounts? I didn't call anyone. I did it right from the device and had no problems.

Did you read the first post at all?? Obviously you did not, because you would know that I was not referring to email accounts. I was talking about something completely different.

[Chrisy]

does anyone else have insight on the OP? because i am getting my curve today and i don't have a computer so i am planning on setting my email up via the BB.

i have a pc at work that i'll use if i need to.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[valiantdust]

No, you have to call the carrier and have them configure the account. Atleast, that is my experience.

Well, in practice I'd say you're right, since that's what I've had to do twice now.

But I'm more curious about what happens if you start at the BIS portal and try to configure your new BIS account from there. I'm guessing that it would work properly that way, and avoid the need to deal with the CS dept.

I'm willing to bet that very few BB users are in a position to verify this, however. When you gt your new BB, the first thing you want to do is run the setup wizard, and IIRC, that takes you right into the email setup app when it's done.

[valiantdust]

does anyone else have insight on the OP? because i am getting my curve today and i don't have a computer so i am planning on setting my email up via the BB.

i have a pc at work that i'll use if i need to.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Would you mind setting it up on the pc (requires enormous restraint, I know)? If nothing else, it could tell us if doing the setup via BIS portal is similarly farked....

[Chrisy]

yes, i can do that.

i'm really a newb....what does the bis on a pc provide? is it needed? what if someone just skipped the pc set up. What would happen?

will i be setting up just the @blackberry.net addy on the pc? Or can i do my gmail from there too?

as soon as i get it i'll hit a pc to set it up. should be here in a few hours!

[valiantdust]

yes, i can do that.

i'm really a newb....what does the bis on a pc provide? is it needed? what if someone just skipped the pc set up. What would happen?

will i be setting up just the @blackberry.net addy on the pc? Or can i do my gmail from there too?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

You can add new email accounts on BIS portal, so you should be able to setup gmail there no prob. But I'd ask that you setup your BB addy before you set up any others. After that one is set up n the PC, I'm guessing it won't matter whether you use the portal or the phone app to set up new addresses.

[valiantdust]

yes, i can do that.

i'm really a newb....what does the bis on a pc provide? is it needed? what if someone just skipped the pc set up. What would happen?

Missed this part, sorry. By going to the BIS portal and logging in, you can do everything that the "Email Settings" app does on your phone, plus you have a few extra options. AFAIK, it's the only way to get rid of that "sent from my fancy-shmancy BlackBerry" sig that gets tacked on your out going emails. Also you can set up filters to control which emails get forwarded to your phone.

If you never went to the portal, you wouldn't break anything, but you wouldn't be able to use those features, either.

I've found that I used the Email Settings phone app once, then never used it again -- but I do go to the BIS portal every so often to tweak my filters or disable an email account or whatever. It's just more useful than the phone app, which is why it's not a good thing if the phone app breaks your portal login.

[Chrisy]

ok, good info!

thanks.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Chrisy]

Ok. Got my curve and set up the blackberry mail online instead of the phone. Everything seems to be working ok!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[valiantdust]

Cool. I guess it's just an issue with the way the phone's app works then. Hopefully RIM will fix it so the process is more seamless...

Thanks for checking that out!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Chrisy]

Cool. I guess it's just an issue with the way the phone's app works then. Hopefully RIM will fix it so the process is more seamless...

Thanks for checking that out!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

actually thank you for bringing up the issue! i am glad that i didn't have any issues! so thanks!

[Brother_Jebadiah]

...I couldn't log in as an existing user with the credentials I had established on my phone, (or any other credentials I could think of). So I tried to set up a new account, but when I entered my PIN and ESN I got a message saying that there already was an account tied to that PIN and ESN...

It took me awhile to figure this out but if you go to the email setup there is an option to create a user name. If you click on that it lets you set up a user name and password that you can use to login to BIS.

Jason

[valiantdust]

It took me awhile to figure this out but if you go to the email setup there is an option to create a user name. If you click on that it lets you set up a user name and password that you can use to login to BIS.

Jason

I take it that you're referring to the email setup application on the phone? You're right, but the point I was making in my original post was that it doesn't actually work (at least it didn't for me on two different occasions in a row).

Each time, after I used the phone app to create the user name and password, I found that I couldn't use them to log in to BIS, nor could I create a new username. I had to call customer service and have them reset the account. That's why I recommend going to BIS first and creating the user name and password there instead.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Chrisy]

Yeah, i've read many posts on here stating that those who set up the email on the device had to call care to get it fully set up or activated.

i had no trouble setting it up with the computer. i think it's good advice you gave to start with the pc rather than on the bb.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[xtracrispy69]

I'm willing to bet its carrier dependent...in canada i've setup many friends and family members email accounts with both rogers and bell being easily setup on the phone. Absolutely no problems.