1. lostaggie's Avatar
    Before I start, this is a letting off of steam on my part so please take that into consideration...

    I really like the Playbook. The new OS is really nice and the UI is excellent. The app selection is very limited which is a little frustrating but nothing you can't work around if your needs are mostly business oriented.

    That said...

    RIM support is horrible. I had to send my playbook back a few weeks ago for some screen issues and have not seen it since. I find out today it has just been sitting for about 10 days with no one looking at it. Mind you, I called RIM during this stretch and they said it was just going through the repair process. After talking with multiple people the best they could do was send an email to the repair center and hope for a response. Ridiculous. I asked if they could just send me a replacement unit but they said they would have to send my unit back to me so I could reship it to them, then they could replace because that is how their system works. Give me a break...

    If you have an issue with an Apple product, you go into the store, they look it over, and hand you a replacement. DONE!!!

    I really like my BB 9930 and the Playbook is nice but this has tested my patience with this company.

    Anyone have ideas how to escalate further within RIM?
    03-15-12 02:10 AM
  2. Princepia's Avatar
    OK. Whew. I don't like getting involved in this stuff, but...thus should be titled. "Why RIMs customer support sucks?" There is no need to mention Apple in the title of this or content...*sigh* I understand you're upset. But if you preferred Apples customer support, perhaps you bought the wrong product?
    03-15-12 02:22 AM
  3. lostaggie's Avatar
    OK. Whew. I don't like getting involved in this stuff, but...thus should be titled. "Why RIMs customer support sucks?" There is no need to mention Apple in the title of this or content...*sigh* I understand you're upset. But if you preferred Apples customer support, perhaps you bought the wrong product?
    Actually I have both... iPad and Playbook. Playbook for work and iPad for personal. Just frustrated with RIM's support. But you can see where I am going. If people get better support from one company they tend to buy from them again... Even at a premium. RIM's support process is just not very good IMHO...
    03-15-12 02:37 AM
  4. varunsain's Avatar
    why dont u go and pay the rim store an extra 299$ and you might see the support change speeds..
    03-15-12 02:43 AM
  5. Superfly_FR's Avatar
    Before I start, this is a letting off of steam on my part so please take that into consideration...

    I really like the Playbook. The new OS is really nice and the UI is excellent. The app selection is very limited which is a little frustrating but nothing you can't work around if your needs are mostly business oriented.

    That said...

    RIM support is horrible. I had to send my playbook back a few weeks ago for some screen issues and have not seen it since. I find out today it has just been sitting for about 10 days with no one looking at it. Mind you, I called RIM during this stretch and they said it was just going through the repair process. After talking with multiple people the best they could do was send an email to the repair center and hope for a response. Ridiculous. I asked if they could just send me a replacement unit but they said they would have to send my unit back to me so I could reship it to them, then they could replace because that is how their system works. Give me a break...

    If you have an issue with an Apple product, you go into the store, they look it over, and hand you a replacement. DONE!!!

    I really like my BB 9930 and the Playbook is nice but this has tested my patience with this company.

    Anyone have ideas how to escalate further within RIM?
    Well, we don't now yet how you managed to get your PB replaced ... Did you ask for RMA ? is it the (crappy) Best Buy after sales service ?
    Many have reported RMA procedures (for several of them, twice or more) that were done within 4 days.
    Please sharpen your "question".
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 03:35 AM
  6. 13echo4's Avatar
    You've had better support out of apple than my wife and some of our friends have had. That's why I work on as many iphones that I do.
    Let's see you have to go online and make an appointment. Go to the store watch a tech brutely look over your device to find a reason to tell you the device has some damage so the repair will cost you $???.
    I see your point with apple its same day results. Just not as nice as you made it out.
    Willard814 and killa4luv like this.
    03-15-12 03:48 AM
  7. madman0141's Avatar
    Most support ducks because they outsource the jobs and cheap ignorant labor helps the short profit margin. I know it is the long definition of Best Buy
    03-15-12 05:00 AM
  8. Bluemoonjules's Avatar
    OK. Whew. I don't like getting involved in this stuff, but...thus should be titled. "Why RIMs customer support sucks?" There is no need to mention Apple in the title of this or content...*sigh* I understand you're upset. But if you preferred Apples customer support, perhaps you bought the wrong product?
    What he said....this is just another inflammatory thread title and pointless moaning. Really, how does this help anyone?
    Willard814 and Princepia like this.
    03-15-12 05:24 AM
  9. donnation's Avatar
    We took my child's iPod to the Apple store to see about a repair/replace? They rejected our warranty claim and suggested we buy a new one. We didn't fight it because the device was treated as a child treats most things. But to say they will replace it without question was not my experience.

    If you have a claim on a BlackBerry phone, you can take it to your wireless carrier store and get an immediate replacement if they accept your warranty/insurance claim and, if they have one in stock.
    What fantasy world are you living in? Verizon never replaces your phone on the spot. They send you another one if they deem the replacement necessary. I had 2 9930's who's keyboards both had buttons fall off and they tried to reject the warranty claim on it. Both phones were less than a week old and didn't have a scratch on them.

    And why would you think Apple would replace an obviously damaged iPod. If you break something (which it sounds like your child did) they don't just give you a brand new one. That would be insane. If there is a problem with it that isn't related to you dropping it or getting it wet they will replace it no questions asked. Say what you want about Apple, but their customer support is second to none.
    03-15-12 06:08 AM
  10. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    I found Direct RIM support with my PlayBook to be fantastic,
    I had to sent my PlayBook in because of a broken USB port, which was most likely my fault, the RGA box was at my house in 3 days, I forgot to send it in for 7 days, and they followed up with me asking me if I was planning to send it in, I sent it in the next day, and 7 days later I had a New PlayBook,


    now Rogers Wireless phone repair THAT is infuriating, they've had my broken screen 9900 for over a month with Zero contact,
    I do wish RIM had retail stores.
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 06:10 AM
  11. Ntario's Avatar
    RIM can only do so much to control the many third party approved repair centers. I would think had the device been shipped directly to rim it would be a very different experience.
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 06:17 AM
  12. alnamvet68's Avatar
    One point in the OP's post is that one can easily get a new replacement of a defective device after an Apple "Genius" gives it the once over...that was standard practice until about 2 years ago, and is now no more. What was discovered by Apple was that a lot of these employees were essentially doing favors for family, friends, and friends of friends, who were returning devices that really were abused and would never have been covered under warranty. What is the practice now is that after an Apple store tech determines that a device was not dropped in a liquid, and shows absolutely no signs of physical abuse/damage, AND if it has not been jailbroken or the device has not been opened, then, and only then, will an Apple store give you a new replacemnent; assuming of course, you are still under warranty. Apple leaves that decision to replace on the spot or send the unit off for warranty repair to the discretion of the tech. How do I know this, well, my neighbor's kid is an Apple Genius at the local mall.
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 06:19 AM
  13. Hgouck's Avatar
    Oh look, another Rimm vs. Apple thread. How useful can it be? I hope there is something new and useful to be found here. I know it want turn into "mine is better than yours". Rimm is so far behind and losing. Apple has no flash and Ipad is to big.
    Please either change the title to "Have a problem with RIM SUPPORT" or "Has anyone else had a problem with Rim support". That way your concerns will be addressed. With the existing title all you will get is another whole thread of useless information and options that cause raised tension.
    TinRobot, hpjrt, artie and 2 others like this.
    03-15-12 06:28 AM
  14. Sith_Apprentice's Avatar
    Well, we don't now yet how you managed to get your PB replaced ... Did you ask for RMA ? is it the (crappy) Best Buy after sales service ?
    Many have reported RMA procedures (for several of them, twice or more) that were done within 4 days.
    Please sharpen your "question".

    I paid for the Best Buy service (1 year warranty for 190$). I have walked into a store twice to get the device replaced. Once the camera cracked, the second the battery stopped working. Both times I walked out with a new 64GB device in less than 5 minutes. To me this is very much worth it. I carry my PB with me everywhere and use it constantly.
    Willard814 and mdmullis like this.
    03-15-12 07:42 AM
  15. Chinookman's Avatar
    "why dont u go and pay the rim store an extra 299$ and you might see the support change speeds.."

    Are you KIDDING US??? That has got to be the lamest response coming from an alleged salesman!
    Apply that logic across the consumer spectrum and businesses would crater.
    There is no excuse for sorry customer service in any business which is why many rise and fall. Guess which direction RIMM is heading.
    03-15-12 09:04 AM
  16. RicThot's Avatar
    "why dont u go and pay the rim store an extra 299$ and you might see the support change speeds.."

    Are you KIDDING US??? That has got to be the lamest response coming from an alleged salesman!
    Apply that logic across the consumer spectrum and businesses would crater.
    There is no excuse for sorry customer service in any business which is why many rise and fall. Guess which direction RIMM is heading.
    Right.

    On the other hand, bad customer service is a reality for every single company on the planet. RIM has their issues, so does Apple and everything else.
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 09:19 AM
  17. ky77's Avatar
    I have never had to use RIM support yet but if what the op stated is true (have no reason not to believe him) that is completely unacceptable. I have had a few apple products that I have taken to the local store get replaced on the spot no questions asked and have had nothing but good customer service from them. One of the reasons a lot of people come back to apple products is because of the support. Hopefully RIM will do what in my opinion is right and just replace your device right away especially since its just been sitting with no progress to it getting fixed. Good luck
    03-15-12 09:47 AM
  18. mdmullis's Avatar
    I also have the BestBuy insurance on all three of my family PB's and have replaced only one so far and it took 20 minutes and I left with a new 32gig unit due to a known issue with charging pins..... you get what you pay for so I knew with debuting device to expect some issues mechanical or otherwiese and I sprang for the extra safety umbrella of the BestBuy no haggle insurance plan.

    If you can't stand the heat then spring for the coin.....
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 10:21 AM
  19. PineappleUnderTheSea's Avatar
    One point in the OP's post is that one can easily get a new replacement of a defective device after an Apple "Genius" gives it the once over...that was standard practice until about 2 years ago, and is now no more.
    If there are "known" problems, then they will replace on the spot; I had my iPod replaced last week (Home button issue), and last year I had my iPad replaced (light leakage issue). While waiting at the Genius Bar I also saw people getting stuff replaced, but many times they will say it's a "one-time" replacement, i.e. they won't replace it again for that issue (that's what they told me for the iPad). So that's my personal experience.

    When my Bold 9700 starting acting up--the screen would garble up and eventually went blank, which I believe is a known issue--I had to go through AT&T and wait about a week to get a new one. So it's not instant, but I guess a week isn't bad. But it sure would be nice to have a RIM store, too bad they never thought of it...
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 10:34 AM
  20. RicThot's Avatar
    If you want to bash RIM's customer service, we can start adding our Apple horror stories:

    Stolen iTune account, multiple transactions made on my account, thank god all I had was a gift card balance and no CC linked to my account.
    Problem reported to Apple customer service. After multiple requests for support and 7 weeks waiting, I'm finally contacted by a friendly scripted customer service rep from India.

    After much struggling with the friendly scripted offshore CSR, they tell me:

    "We confirm transactions have been made on your account from an unauthorized device. We will unlock your account and credit you the transactions made on your account from the unauthorized device, but for this time only. Our terms of service clearly specifies that we do not offer refund on iTune store transaction.".


    Impressive!
    03-15-12 10:55 AM
  21. mud314's Avatar
    I currently have an iPhone and have had no issues with any of my current apple devices. The issue that I did have with Apple years ago, when I had my iBook was nowhere near as pleasant as the OP describes on this thread.

    My iBook encountered issues with it's logic board, the logic board went bad on that puppy went bad twice. The first time it was only gone for approximately a week, however when I got my ibook it was completely scratched on the front and back, remember the white plastic they had? I am talking DEEP scratches, not superficial ones. Apple would not do anything about it because, it was not listed on the order that my iBook was in perfect condition??????

    Second time the logicboard failed I took it back to them and this time I requested that they replace the covers, no go. Even if I was willing to pay for it. ????? Then the iBook was "ready", picked it up, not even an hour after having it home, the issue resurfaced. Note that the iBook at this time had a life of maybe 7 months. So there I go back, this time, requesting a replacement, not going to happen I was told. Well eventually after many many trips back and calls to apple, I got it replaced. My data though, lost forever. Months of porn lost!

    So Apple is not always the best at customer support.
    Willard814 likes this.
    03-15-12 11:03 AM
  22. tabletfanatic's Avatar
    Yes, Apple provides excellent customer service but like any manufacturer, product replacement is really at the discretion of the tech. But techs are human beings too and they usually don't follow a script. Despite what Apple have tried doing, incidents of water damaged or urine damaged iphones were replaced free of charge under warranty at 1 Apple Store and yet rejected at another and is happening in my part of town. I live in Canada btw. Overall though, the Apple experience is by far the best. And that's what they built upon; it is the experience. Their products are expensive for a reason!

    There are some misconception about customer service and their roll in providing excellent customer service. The satisfaction of customer service is always related to the sales side and how well they do. Most companies' customer service funding come from the sales side. While revenue from out of warranty repairs fund part of the overall operations of service, warranty repairs are funded solely from sales. With Apple being able to charge a high premium on all their products, this is a no brainer for Apple service to give goodwill repairs (repairs that are damaged but covered by warranty anyhow are considered "goodwill"). Goodwill repairs are not free and are considered expense towards sales cost, so it is obvious to manage these goodwill repairs as much as they can and it is always at the discretion of the service supervisor or the service manager. The reason customer service have been going down the hill for many manufacturer is due to the fact that the electronics business is cut throat and it seems Mr.Thorsen knew what he was talking about when I listened to his interviews with financial people. You can only use goodwill so much to buy goodwill vs how much future sales you are going to get, especially when your inherit product has an image problem. The problem with RIM now is that, they DO NOT HAVE a product that they can charge a premium. With the adoption of Active Sync on the Playbook, how does BES and BBM play into their overall business plan and revenue stream moving forward into the future? This is reflected in their stock price too -- there is a big contrast between AAPL and RIMM. Apple does not have these issues. When RIM introduce the BB10, however, is when I believe RIM will have to step up to the plate and deliver both a great device and better customer service in order to wow back those who had gone Apple.
    Last edited by pkcable; 03-15-12 at 01:59 PM. Reason: content edit
    03-15-12 11:12 AM
  23. Chrysalis1156's Avatar
    Truly sad that when someone has an issue with RIM it so often disintegrates into threads like this one. Apple has nothing to do with this. You weren't satisfied with your treatment by RIM...period.
    03-15-12 11:36 AM
  24. BlackBerry Guy's Avatar
    Customer serivce/support, I find generally is all over the map depending on who you ask.

    You will find people who will swear by the experience they had. And you will find others who will swear at the experience they had. All with the same company. There's too many variables in play - the situation, the rep the person is dealing with, and also the person's own expectations, be they reasonable or totally way off base.
    Willard814 and undone like this.
    03-15-12 11:52 AM
  25. undone's Avatar
    I had a problem when I got my new 9930 with setting up email accounts. I believe I started with Verizon, but ended up with a RIM help desk person and he helped/worked with me through my issue.

    Dell server side issues, quick as a rabbit to help, pc side, depends on the service you bought...only use the web queue, I dont want to 'talk' to a tech.

    Telco - on a good day the problem just resolves it self, bad day, your supplier isnt the local so you have to wait for the local to get involved to fix the loop or at least clear it...Want to really see good and bad, work on line installs for data connections with the various suppliers.

    If you find the right person, you can ALWAYS get a good shake. Doesnt matter the vendor. Be a moron and you'll usually get the shaft.
    Hgouck likes this.
    03-15-12 01:29 PM
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