Don't buy a Passport - Screen Lift = World of Hurt & No Warranty

Edit: I have since investigated the issue myself by disassembling my Passport - see page 4 for details. Overall, the Passport is well engineered and constructed, but it susceptible to screen lift and non-existent customer service in Australia.

Like so many others on these forums, I was enamoured by the Passport from the day it was released, and when I heard it was going to be available in Australia, I knew I had to have one. Since Optus were the exclusive Australian carrier, and I am a Telstra customer, the only option was to purchase it outright for more than $850.

That was in January. Three months later, I began to experience the dreaded "screen lift" that so many people have reported. "Not a problem," I thought, "I'm covered under warranty". How wrong I was.

After countless phone calls, emails, letters and visits to the store I purchased it from, combined with some of the most incompetent customer service I have ever experienced, Optus have refused to repair my phone. This is what the Optus Quality Assurance manager and RIM had to say on the matter:

RIM have responded as per below on this issue, this is not a known issue and should be treated as OOW (Out of warranty)

The LCD lifting as shown in the photo looks more of signs of "damage" rather than the screen lifting on it's own.

It isn't a known fault and our returns for such report is minimal.

I'm asking our repair agent to evaluate on the photo and let me know the possible charges but the best way is to send the device as physically damaged.

Unfortunately this will not be covered under warranty as LCD lifting is considered physical damage.

So there you have it - according to BlackBerry, the Passport screen lift issue so many people have been having isn't a known fault and it's not covered under warranty. Optus quoted me $350.00 to be issued a refurbished unit - almost the price of a new unit in other parts of the world.

In Australia, consumers are protected by the Australian Consumer Law and are entitled to a refund, replacement or repair (at their option) for any fault which, had a reasonable person been aware of it, would have affected their decision to purchase it. I think most people would agree that a screen peeling off after three months of use would probably dissuade the average person from buying such a product! It seems Optus and RIM don't agree, however.

BlackBerry don't have a customer service department nor service centre in Australia, and Optus have refused to move on the issue, stating that they are following RIM's warranty repair guidelines. So it looks like I'll need to pay to have the phone repair out of warranty by an unauthorised repair centre and hope they know what they're doing.

BlackBerry, I have long been one of your most ardent supporters, but I fear this may be the end of the line for us. When a loyal customer pays $850 for a phone which literally falls apart after a few months of normal use and you don't stand by them, I'm not sure what else you could possibly expect.

Sounds like Optus is same a Verizon here in the states. They probably didn't even contact BlackBerry for you. Go directly through BlackBerry instead. They are aware of screen lift and warranty the device if it was sold by an authorized retailer.

Care to post that picture they denied the claim on?

"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" from Adam Savage

Two Passport in the house with no issues.

The problem is that BlackBerry don't appear to have an office in Australia - there's literally no one to contact about it besides Optus. BlackBerry appear to have sub-contracted all of their repairs to the telco's repair centres.

I think BlackBerry Australia is basically one sales rep, judging from their presence here these days :(

Originally Posted by RoseBud68

Two Passport in the house with no issues.

I'm pleased that's the case -- hopefully it remains that way!

I only know one other person who purchased a Passport - his started doing the same thing just before mine. He cut his losses and sold it, rather than trying to deal with it.

Can you not contact BlackBerry in Waterloo Ontario Canada? I would at least try! Especially since its still under warranty! I would forward the responses you received as well. When I have a problem with an item and issue and a rep cant help me thru the normal channels, I specifically call the president of the company! Of course there is always someone there to intercept the call but that person is usually trained to put out the fire! My issues always get resolved in this manner! Luckily I do not have to do it often but it does work as they figure it must be serious if you are taking the time to try and contact the highest person in the company! You would be surprised on how quickly the issue gets resolved as well! Go for it! If you dont ask, you dont get!

Blackberry Passport running 10.3.2.2339

You must force them to repair it.
Direct them to BlackBerry north America if they want to know if this is a known issue
Even if it isn't, it's the glue that's not holding well, there's nothing they can say that can prove you did this unless you broke the warranty seal.

Don't let them get their way
Escalate the issue
Show them all the forums posts here
This isn't BlackBerry, this is your horrible service provider.

I don't have any photos of the screen issue as I didn't take any prior to sending it away and Optus still have my phone. Like others, it's a lift of the screen in the bottom-right corner of about 1-2mm above the bezel.

I have contacted BlackBerry Canada and they referred me to my carrier and were unwilling to help.

I have showed Optus the threads here and elsewhere, and they refuse to listen citing that my warranty is void. That being said, Optus have generally provided some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced. Their incompetence knows no bounds: from telling me that I must have purchased the phone from Telstra because they never sold it, to having to tell their complaints department how to find my repair details via Google after they insisted the reference number I gave them was incorrect.

BlackBerry seems to have completely abandoned the Australian market, and when issues arrive there is no one to take responsibility.

Two comments. I'm not sure how common this issue is. I now have 7 passports in my small business, not issues.

I did come across an article advising on a simple fix using super glue that seemed to permanently fix the issue.

Posted via CB10

It may very well affect only a set of batches. I believe mine was from one of the first production runs. But there's enough threads on the Internet about it to suggest that it's affecting a reasonable number of units.

The cynic in me also wonders if the release of the Silver Edition Passport less than twelve months after the release of the original Passport, with its redesigned chassis was released in response to the chassis in the original Passport not being sufficiently strong.

Originally Posted by herbersh

Two comments. I'm not sure how common this issue is. I now have 7 passports in my small business, not issues.

I did come across an article advising on a simple fix using super glue that seemed to permanently fix the issue.

Posted via CB10

People without the issue are a bit too willing to dismiss it. I had my PP for 9 months before the problem appeared. The claim is NOT that EVERY Passport has the issue. Rather, it is that there is a design problem that fosters the lifting in a noticeable percentage of the phones. How large is the percentage? I don't know. But a casual perusing of the forums shows that it is not a concoction. For more information, read the following:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/black...t-487264.shtml

Posted via CB10

Hi try email [email protected]


PassportSQW100-1/10.3.2.2339

Sorry to hear about your frustrations.

I highly doubt your carrier contacted BlackBerry especially since they referred to the company as RIM. The response they provided seems like a generic copy and paste.

As mentioned I would contact BlackBerry directly whether it's reaching out via phone, social media or email. They seem to react very well when it comes to customer and technical service.

Keep us posted.

I will try contacting BlackBerry again directly, though in the past they've simply referred me back to the place of purchase.

To think of being extolling the virtues of BlackBerry, when any of my iPhone owning friends can walk into one of the dozens of Apple stores in the country and have it fixed or replaced on the spot... At least my anecdote provides them with a source of ridicule and much amusement!

Originally Posted by int19

It may very well affect only a set of batches. I believe mine was from one of the first production runs. But there's enough threads on the Internet about it to suggest that it's affecting a reasonable number of units.

The cynic in me also wonders if the release of the Silver Edition Passport less than twelve months after the release of the original Passport, with its redesigned chassis was released in response to the chassis in the original Passport not being sufficiently strong.

And a browsing of the forums will show that this problem still exists in the new SE PP's

#CB10 #workwide #Silver

That's a shame: if the Silver Edition exhibits the same flaw, there's probably not much point in upgrading -- and it further highlights that BlackBerry either really aren't aware of the issue or they're wilfully ignoring it.

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by herbersh

Two comments. I'm not sure how common this issue is. I now have 7 passports in my small business, not issues.

I did come across an article advising on a simple fix using super glue that seemed to permanently fix the issue.

Posted via CB10

And why should the buyer fix this issue on a $499 phone? why doesn't Blackberry builds them better?

After collecting the phone today, they've also claimed that even if it wasn't due to physical damage, the unit is unwarrantable due to liquid ingress around the USB port. This is the photo they've included as evidence:

Attachment 367604

According to them, if there's any evidence of liquid ingress, the phone is unwarrantable - even if there's no evidence the liquid ingress is related to the fault being sought to have rectified under warranty. In this case, the USB port works fine, I can't see any evidence of liquid ingress from their photo, and I can't work out how it's related to the screen defect. But to Optus, it's an automatic "get out of jail free" card.

Originally Posted by int19

That's a shame: if the Silver Edition exhibits the same flaw, there's probably not much point in upgrading -- and it further highlights that BlackBerry either really aren't aware of the issue or they're wilfully ignoring it.

Posted via CB10

BlackBerry never did anything about the double type issue on the Q10's and they have known about it for a few years now.

Blackberry Passport running 10.3.2.2339

Yeah, sounds like Optus is screwing you over at the cost of BlackBerry.
Skip them, and explain to BlackBerry that the provider is refusing support.

That looks like a good picture of pocket lint in the USB port.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" from Adam Savage

Originally Posted by int19

After collecting the phone today, they've also claimed that even if it wasn't due to physical damage, the unit is unwarrantable due to liquid ingress around the USB port. This is the photo they've included as evidence:

Attachment 367604

According to them, if there's any evidence of liquid ingress, the phone is unwarrantable - even if there's no evidence the liquid ingress is related to the fault being sought to have rectified under warranty. In this case, the USB port works fine, I can't see any evidence of liquid ingress from their photo, and I can't work out how it's related to the screen defect. But to Optus, it's an automatic "get out of jail free" card.

Day 48: still trying to find signs of "liquid ingress." Not sure anymore if that's even a thing.

Attachment 367616

i know that blackberry should take care of it and i agree that your experience is a shame for them... but theres a do it yourself way to fix it, just use a hair dryer around the screen lifting and once its hot just push the screen down and hold it like that for a few minutes

Originally Posted by shawnreum

Yeah, sounds like Optus is screwing you over at the cost of BlackBerry.
Skip them, and explain to BlackBerry that the provider is refusing support.

Easier said than done. If BlackBerry support in Australia is the same as it is in Germany, you are out of luck. BlackBerry itself has no and I repeat no contact options for consumers. No phone numbers, no E-Mail, nothing. You have to reach out to your retailer or your carrier so they contact BlackBerry regarding any warranty issues.

I mentioned it already elsewhere, but I am trying since January to simply get a working BlackBerry Classic, yesterday I had to send in my third unit. Prior doing so, I contacted BBHelp via Twitter. They seemed helpful at first until I mentioned I am located in Germany and have bought the phone via an online shop. They said they have nothing to do with this matter any further and I need to contact my retailer. They also stopped replying to furthet requests. I simply complained every single RMA process takes five to six weeks at least, just to swap out that bloody phone with a refurbished unit and send it back. With my third RMA ticket, the time without even being able to use the phone will grow up to a total of more than 15 weeks. Thats almost four months in total since January that I can't use a BlackBerry product I got from a certified BlackBerry dealer. BlackBerry basically told me they don't care at all and it is not of their business giving me support as a consumer.

The next time I will purchase a phone I will think at least twice if it will be a BlackBerry. I am not the only one (from Germany) by the way who gets turned away from BB due to the poor service. I am not even sad that BB hardware sales keep to decline, with that kind if poor service, I am not surprised people will switch to other brands.

I wouldn't be surprised if they use the same kind of reseller service over there down under :(

What are you saying ?
I has been thinking to buy in near future.

I want to some testing on this device as I belong to mobile app testing company with the name of salvus app solutions.

Thanks all for your suggestions.

There are absolutely no contacts for BlackBerry in Australia. There are no authorised service centres other than the ones provided by the Telcos. I've had the same experience: BlackBerryHelp et al have acted contrary to their name ;)

I've tried the whole hairdryer thing to try and reset the glue, to no avail.

I think court will be the next step. I'm tired of manufacturers charging a premium for their product and providing no support. $860 is not an insignificant amount of money.

Posted via CB10