1. pdej's Avatar
    Misrepresentation Act 1967
    The PlayBook when discounted was good value for the hardware, but by comparison with others its platform was substandard. I bought the device last autumn in good faith believing the promises of BB10 coming to the Playbook and in so doing supported the company through their difficulties. While the PlayBook was available for sale there was the promise of the update, but the announcement of not putting BB10 on the PlayBook coincided with it no longer being on sale in the UK - see links from Blackberry website. Consequently it is difficult to have confidence in the honesty of the claim that BB10 would not run on the PlayBook or even that there were ever any attempts to port it and by such token the integrity of the company.

    The UK Misrepresentation Act 1967 exists to protect consumers from false or fraudulent claims that induce you into buying something, or entering into a contract and allows you to claim damages in the case of fraudulent misrepresentation. I would like Kevin to ask how the company proposes to address this, will they endeavor to put BB10 on the PlayBook or do they propose to compensate their customers offering full refunds not only for the product but also for all purchases associated with the product including those from third parties?
    07-08-13 06:09 AM
  2. WeAreNotAlone's Avatar
    Posted this in another thread in which they think all of this is a big joke, or they want the threads to disappear on what has transpired.

    To all of you that think all this is silly, it's a big joke or whatever I bought $4,000 US worth of PlayBooks and accessories @retail based upon the CEO of BlackBerry, not the janitor or some low ranking Blackberry stating a BB10 OS update would be rolled out after the BB10 phones were released.

    Oh, in another thread they're saying BlackBerry is sitting on 3.1 billion in cash and is debit free? If that is the case if they are not going to roll out a BB10OS update or variation thereof which would allow the PlayBook to run BB10 apps, update the Android runtime to 4.xxxx and fix core issues that have be plaguing the PB since it's released they need to do a BUY-BACK PROGRAM.

    I send them all the PlayBooks, etc along with the receipts and they cut me a check in that amount. (Within 14-days)

    Oh, for you fanboys- Don't worry this won't hurt BlackBerry as everyone and their brother is happy with the PlayBook as-is.

    Additionally- BlackBerry can slap a "Limited Edition" or "Re-loaded", "Hey these things are collectables", they're "rare no longer made sticker" on the things and the BB fanboys will snatch them up.

    Attachment 180539
    07-09-13 12:10 AM
  3. Wasp14's Avatar
    I bought the device last autumn in good faith believing the promises of BB10 coming to the Playbook and in so doing supported the company through their difficulties.
    Sorry to burst your bubble, but Blackberry was losing money on each Playbook sold (and this was in 2012 before the major firesale). They wrote off $500 million because of them.
    07-09-13 01:07 AM
  4. oilgeo10's Avatar
    Maybe Thorsten will stun shareholders like he did with the PlayBook, and announce a last minute change to the company name just before the official vote ... from BlackBerry to Black&BlueBerry.
    New stock symbol BBB, not BB !
    Tim1131 likes this.
    07-09-13 02:34 AM
  5. pdej's Avatar
    ....and if we hadn't been duped into buying these PlayBooks with false promises then they would have had to have written off even more!
    07-09-13 03:42 AM
  6. njblackberry's Avatar
    ....and if we hadn't been duped into buying these PlayBooks with false promises then they would have had to have written off even more!
    They had written them off completely already. The Playbook was a financial disaster from day one.
    07-09-13 05:20 AM
  7. FF22's Avatar
    Sorry to burst your bubble, but Blackberry was losing money on each Playbook sold (and this was in 2012 before the major firesale). They wrote off $500 million because of them.
    I will admit I am not a Business Major. What does that really mean? They "wrote" them off. But then managed to sell them at some price? Was that sale-price already calculated into the "loss"? Or did they then recoup some of that loss by say $100 or $150? At least they did not have to pay landfill costs!
    Synerworks likes this.
    07-09-13 08:33 AM
  8. bambinoitaliano's Avatar
    I will admit I am not a Business Major. What does that really mean? They "wrote" them off. But then managed to sell them at some price? Was that sale-price already calculated into the "loss"? Or did they then recoup some of that loss by say $100 or $150? At least they did not have to pay landfill costs!
    I 'm not sure if the company wrote the entire inventory pb off. If so, what ever they sell after that should consider as revenue. Though, it would not amount to anything significance to the balance sheet.
    07-09-13 08:50 AM
  9. njblackberry's Avatar
    As an example, suppose they priced at PlayBook at $499.
    It cost them $150 to build it and then some for marketing (that should add like $2 onto the cost) and other admin, warehouse and fixed costs.

    They were not able to sell at that price. But it is being held on the books (inventory, work in progress, whatever) at some cost.

    So they write off the cost (say $100 * 50,000 units) and decrease their inventory. The money is gone. It vanished.

    So they could have some revenue for the Playbooks subsequently sold, but it was likely all wiped out by the inventory write off.

    Happens whenever you make more than you can sell, and is made worse when you price the item too high in the first place.
    07-09-13 08:55 AM
  10. victorshikhman's Avatar
    Writing off $500mil is one thing.

    Writing off 2.5mil of your most loyal customers who would have spent thousands on your products and ecosystem in the months and years to come, and would have marketed your products to dozens of their friends... that's something else entirely.
    07-09-13 08:58 AM
  11. njblackberry's Avatar
    You think the Playbook actually sold that many?
    07-09-13 09:02 AM
  12. victorshikhman's Avatar
    The question should be, would BlackBerry be better off spending a few million out of their $3.1bil warchest to keep 2.5mil customers happy, or hoarding those few million to pay for some 30 second commercial that does almost nothing for the brand?

    Judging from their quarterly results, it seems to me that their focus should be on retaining customers, not watching the loose change in their wallet. How much could it have possibly cost to have hired a team of 10 programmers to finish porting a workable version of BB10 to playbook? Most of the work had already been done. $5mil? $10mil? $15mil? These are peanuts for BB.
    Synerworks and WeAreNotAlone like this.
    07-09-13 09:09 AM
  13. bambinoitaliano's Avatar
    Writing off $500mil is one thing.

    Writing off 2.5mil of your most loyal customers who would have spent thousands on your products and ecosystem in the months and years to come, and would have marketed your products to dozens of their friends... that's something else entirely.
    Realistically speaking the number would not be 2.5 million. Not everyone will be **** off and persistent about their complain. Also it's regional, most countries did not have any pb owners, if any it's far and few in between. Having said that, even with 500 thousand **** off customers, there's going to be a lot of bad mouthing. We have no idea how dire situation is BB in at this point. They cannot afford more negative public relationship but they might not be in a position to extend the good will financially speaking.
    07-09-13 09:11 AM
  14. victorshikhman's Avatar
    You think the Playbook actually sold that many?
    Yes. 15% of that in the last six months alone.

    BlackBerry PlayBook - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    07-09-13 09:11 AM
  15. njblackberry's Avatar
    Did they even report detailed Playbook sales (NOT SHIPMENTS)?
    07-09-13 09:21 AM
  16. victorshikhman's Avatar
    Did they even report detailed Playbook sales (NOT SHIPMENTS)?
    Inventory gets cleared, one way or another. It's not still sitting there on store shelves, nor is it in landfills. Sites like 1saleaday.com purchase at discount in volume and sell off thousands of units at once. 2.5mil playbooks is that many potential customers (although corporate deployments and multiple purchases will mean it's fewer customers total).
    07-09-13 09:29 AM
  17. victorshikhman's Avatar
    I'm following the AGM livestream on CB. T.H. is speaking, here's what Kevin just reported him as saying:

    "Delivered on Our Commitments in the Areas We Said We Would" Heins making that point crystal clear...
    "Delivered on Our Commitments in the Areas We Said... | Liveblog live blogging

    I believe the kids now call that #FAIL
    07-09-13 09:51 AM
  18. njblackberry's Avatar
    I left the AGM dial in at 1130.
    Did Kevin get a chance to speak?
    07-09-13 02:20 PM
  19. Gooseberry Falls's Avatar
    I left the AGM dial in at 1130.
    Did Kevin get a chance to speak?
    He already said that he would not speak at the meeting but do so privately. Troublesome that TH thinks he delivered everything that was important. Still out of touch.
    07-09-13 02:38 PM
  20. kraschute's Avatar
    I'm following the AGM livestream on CB. T.H. is speaking, here's what Kevin just reported him as saying:



    "Delivered on Our Commitments in the Areas We Said... | Liveblog live blogging

    I believe the kids now call that #FAIL
    I'm really getting angry at this PISSNELKE Thorsten! It's so obvious what **** he gives on their customers!
    07-09-13 03:21 PM
  21. Bdot-1's Avatar
    I'm really getting angry at this PISSNELKE Thorsten! It's so obvious what **** he gives on their customers!
    Lol, and I thought I was the upset one around here the last week. Umm what's a pissnelke?

    Posted via CB10
    07-09-13 07:10 PM
  22. Gooseberry Falls's Avatar
    Lol, and I thought I was the upset one around here the last week. Umm what's a pissnelke?

    Posted via CB10
    Haha. I don't think you want to know. I looked it up:
    Pissnelke
    You have to translate the German...
    07-09-13 07:46 PM
  23. joeytino's Avatar
    Wow! And I though us WebOS fans felt screwed over. (We were by the way.)
    In regards to those out there wishing BB would just get bought up and be done with it, be careful what you wish for.
    Remember HP announced last week they are planning to return to the smartphone arena...
    Could history repeat itself?
    I'm just saying...
    07-09-13 10:49 PM
  24. WeAreNotAlone's Avatar
    You think the Playbook actually sold that many?
    Upon hearing from the CEO of BlackBerry stating a upgrade to BB10 OS would be coming to the PlayBook I bought $4,000 worth of PlayBooks and accessories that were otherwise DEAD inventory.

    Thorsten Heins's plan worked, suckered me in.
    07-09-13 11:52 PM
  25. WeAreNotAlone's Avatar
    They had written them off completely already. The Playbook was a financial disaster from day one.
    From the limited research I've done the PlayBook was a financial disaster due to being shipped with a incomplete OS, missing core apps customers expect, BB dragging their feet on updates and a poor app eco-system... that and it and the accessories are sort of pricey. (@ retail price a 64gb PlayBook with a case and a desktop charger with tax- comes in right around $1,000 US)

    *Regarding the poor app eco system- I my quest to obtain the units I have:
    Retailers were saying, Great hardware/ build quality but just about every one they sold got returned due a poor app eco-system.

    Regardless to the reasons, BlackBerry sitting on 3.1 BILLION in cash and going back on their word after stating the device would get a update to BB10OS is not very forward thinking and is downright shameful, additionally the way they released the info was pretty unprofessional.

    BTW: Thorsten Heins the CEO mentioned "Plan B"as it relates to what would BlackBerry do if the new BB10 phones with the new wiz bang BB10 OS didn't sell well.
    (You should always have a Plan B.)
    What was their plan B for the PlayBook if they couldn't get BB10 on it?

    Plan B should be along the lines, Hey we can't get ALL of the BB10 OS in, but we can update the Android runtime to 4.xxx, Adobe Air, slip a decent browser in, enable the microUSB port so you can plug a flashdrive in... and enable it to run BB10 apps.

    Call it PB OS v3.xxx or BB10 lite.

    .
    07-10-13 12:38 AM
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