1. Bbnivende's Avatar
    I wish there was a CB forum dedicated to Third Party Repair Services - members share information on where to take your BB to get repaired in your own town.
    10-24-14 09:58 PM
  2. BCITMike's Avatar
    I cracked my Z10's screen. My carrier, ATT would do nothing since my phone was out of warranty. ATT transferred my call to BlackBerry support. BlackBerry support would not do anything, again because the phone was out of warranty. (my Z10 was 15 months old at the time). BlackBerry tech told me BlackBerry does not repair phones unless the phone is under / on warranty. They do not have repair centers nor do they have any recommendations as to where to get the phone repaired. I found a place on the Internet in New York City that replaced my Z10's screen with BlackBerry parts.

    Because BlackBerry does not care about nor support its hardware products, at the end of my contract with ATT I will switch most likely to Apple. At least Apple has stores and supports their hardware. Even though Apple products are not as secure as BlackBerry products.

    Why purchase a BlackBerry company product that has no repair strategy for their products and does not appear to care about their products at all! Or care about their customers either. They just sell the hardware as is where is unless the product is still covered by warranty!

    Posted via CB10
    It was out of warranty! Your expectations are not reasonable. Any warranty claim is an automatic loss. No company would take on out of warranty for free unless they knew that it was a known defect (apple has lots of those, for those that got exceptions).

    It's also not economical to repair them.

    Posted via CB10
    MobileMadness002 likes this.
    10-24-14 10:12 PM
  3. DaedalusIcarusHelios's Avatar
    I had good support on several PlayBooks that had problems. I really think BB should try to take the bull by the horns and offer direct customer support for phones. It's the best way to own the customer relationship and ensure that proper support is given and customers aren't discouraged by dealing with carriers who would rather you switch to an iPhone or Android anyway. I think if BB is able to absorb costs attributed to excellent direct customer service, it will pay off in the long run. Premium devices, with top-tier support. BB needs to reclaim that prestigious image, which I think the Passport is helping with.
    Bbnivende and AnimalPak200 like this.
    10-25-14 12:04 AM
  4. HACandtelecoil's Avatar
    Some answers remind me of a "head in sand ostrich"

    The days where you could answer "Questions about warranty and repairs" with a "For information on warranty or repairs, please contact your service provider or point of purchase retailer." are gone today.

    It would make sense if Blackberry would offer an international warranty and transmits the worldwide sales and after sale support to Amazon .

    This would also increase the resale value of their own devices significantly. If I buy today a good as new Passport from eg. England or Germany it can very quickly become an expensive piece of electronics scrap. That's no problem for me at an older 70.- Euro Bold 9900 but with a 500 Euro Passport, it is not really funny.

    BTW:
    In my Western European country the "provider BlackBerry time" ended with the Q10. No provider has the Z30 or even the Passport still on offer...
    10-25-14 06:55 AM
  5. Poirots Progeny's Avatar
    It's unfortunate the op has had issues.



    I live within the eu and the manufacturer is required to deal - though the point of sale carries the initial burden.



    I've had a double typing issue, with my Q10, and it was purchased off contract from carphonewarehouse (day one purchase, from Selfriges).



    The service, for me, was rubbish. The "geek squad" returned the device saying they couldn't replicate the problem - I didn't even get to the door, showed them the issue and they replicated it and escalated the issue.

    Q10, the first, was sent to BlackBerry and returned citing unable to replicate. The cpw people replicated it and the device sent back to BlackBerry. Blackberry replaced keyboard (the correct thing to do) and returned. Also faulty so I threatened a charge back on my credit card and cpw gave me a new device. One week in and this device began double typing. Back to blackberry who returned citing unable to replicate (even though their forums and crackberry was filling up with complaints). I threatened a charge back and cpw gave me a third device, stating BlackBerry is going broke and are terrible to deal with. Either way my current Q10 is a champ.



    Long story short, don't settle for rubbish service, always use your credit card and also pursue, if you're in warranty. That Q was new and presented issues within a week of ownership. Took three months to resolve.



    I've been purchasing through amazon UK and they simply swap out the devices, if there are issues. I've swapped ssds, a canon camera, printers, Shredders, Samsung galaxy phones, a Lumia 1520 and a lawn mower. No hassle once.



    I want BlackBerry to do more. That'll require investment. Until I hear otherwise I'm on a list for my passport from amazon.

    Sent using tapatalk!
    10-25-14 07:28 AM
  6. Superfly_FR's Avatar
    BTW:
    In my Western European country the "provider BlackBerry time" ended with the Q10. No provider has the Z30 or even the Passport still on offer...
    You can get a passport at (France)
    Orange BlackBerry Passport noir-t�l�phone 4G-clavier tactile-�cran 4,5"-Apn 13 Mpxls-Orange (locked)
    Sosh Blackberry Passport noir-t�l�phone4G-�cran 4,5pouces tactile-clavier tactile-Apn 13 Mpxls-sosh - Sosh mobile (unlocked)
    10-25-14 07:33 AM
  7. robsteve's Avatar
    Okay, I just called BlackBerry for "support". Told me that the shot ear speaker could be hardware or software related. He could transfer me to technical support for steps on reloading my software but FOR A FEE. And then I asked if this was likely a software issue and he said more likely a hardware problem.
    He told me to take it to the point of purchase (rogers). Rogers won't do anything since its more than 12 months old.

    I asked if there are any authorized repair centers and he said no. He suggested I GOOGLE A PLACE TO FIX MY PHONE. He told me about a place he's heard of called fixmypod.ca
    He said BlackBerry doesn't recommend that though.

    So here I am, with a 15 month old phone, no official repair options. Awesome.


    Let's recap: I was told I can get technical phone support for a cost or I should GOOGLE somewhere to fix my phone.
    Rogers will fix your phone, you just may not like the price they quote.



    Posted via CB10
    10-25-14 08:13 AM
  8. MrGlenn's Avatar
    I got this email response within a day, after I asked BlackBerry how their Support worked:
    BlackBerry's outdated hardware support/warranty policies and processes need to change!-img_20141025_165038.png
    Listed below is a range of international telephone numbers and other ways to contact them.
    I did not provide any info other than "I would like to know how to contact you if anything should happen".

    Furthermore, local law, where applicable, forces third party resellers to contact BlackBerry on your behalf and provide an adequate solution within the first year at least. Especially for suspected factory defects, the reseller carries responsibility to help you.

    /end thread.

    EDIT: Oh, look what I received from Digital River CS a short while later, the exact same clear message with phone numbers and addresses.
    Attachment 309263

    BlackBerry Passport signed @ C0007CC89
    Last edited by MrGlenn; 10-25-14 at 10:08 AM.
    AnimalPak200 and Bbnivende like this.
    10-25-14 09:55 AM
  9. TGR1's Avatar
    I got this email response within a day, after I asked BlackBerry how their Support worked:
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_20141025_165038.png 
Views:	178 
Size:	214.6 KB 
ID:	309260
    Listed below is a range of international telephone numbers and other ways to contact them.
    I did not provide any info other than "I would like to know how to contact you if anything should happen".

    Furthermore, local law, where applicable, forces third party resellers to contact BlackBerry on your behalf and provide an adequate solution within the first year at least. Especially for suspected factory defects, the reseller carries responsibility to help you.

    /end thread.

    EDIT: Oh, look what I received from Digital River CS a short while later, the exact same clear message with phone numbers and addresses.
    Attachment 309263

    BlackBerry Passport signed @ C0007CC89
    Bold mine. That's completely ambiguous for an international community.

    Anyone can write a nice professional looking email. But what kind of support do you get after you make the phone call? For many people, that area seems deficient.
    10-25-14 11:29 AM
  10. MrGlenn's Avatar
    I don't know why you would criticise me for that line. I put it in specifically because this is an international community.
    Before you ask for support you should always check which rights you have and which responsibilities rest with a reseller. That just saves you both time, and ensures you have the right information to force them into action.

    And aside from those rules, the emails clearly show BlackBerry offers up a year of hardware support, without me even mentioning where I was located or how I paid for the device.

    Any issues that arise during the actual support process can not be blamed solely on BlackBerry either. And you mention "many" users running into these issues, but all I see is a handful of the same users that keep these threads alive.

    NB: I am not saying their issues are not true, I am saying there are not so many complaints that you can just discredit BlackBerry and their Support process.

    BlackBerry Passport signed @ C0007CC89
    10-25-14 11:50 AM
  11. TGR1's Avatar
    Mr Glenn, because of the tone of your post and the firm "/thread". I don't think so. That's an insensitive dismissal of the real issues posters have shown are inconsistent with what you posted, particularly as you even acknowledge agreements may be different locally. That's why people here are commenting on wanting international and transferable warranties.

    I am not new to the forums. I have seen over time posts from various individuals about the sheer hassle and inconsistencies in dealing with BBRY/Digital River service. Of course one normally hears the bad and not the good but it still leaves an impression, particularly on a site that proclaims itself as the biggest BBRY fan site. That's a lot of visibility and I certain can criticize BBRY and state they better pay attention when common threads appear in these complaints. That's not random errors.

    And FWIW, 1 year support is ok. It's standard. But I do firmly believe an extended warranty, even if limited, to cover another year would be a good thing to have if BBRY wants to continue to be a premier brand. Because service is what premium brands pay attention to.
    Poirots Progeny likes this.
    10-25-14 12:26 PM
  12. SteveE99's Avatar
    It was out of warranty! Your expectations are not reasonable. Any warranty claim is an automatic loss. No company would take on out of warranty for free unless they knew that it was a known defect (apple has lots of those, for those that got exceptions).

    It's also not economical to repair them.

    Posted via CB10
    I did not have unreasonable expectations. The refrigerator you bought but is now out of warranty , don't you expect the manufacturer to have authorized repair centers when the refrigerator needs service or repair. Of course you do. The car you bought that is out of warranty but needs parts, you expect the manufacturer to have authorized repaired centers ( usually called dealers) to repair the car. And the Sony or other tv you have that is out of warranty , don't you expect the manufacturer to have authorized repair places. Of course you do. So why us it too high an expectation that cell phone manufacture to have authorized repair centers for their 500.00 dollar plus devices.

    Posted via CB10
    10-25-14 12:55 PM
  13. WWBlondieDo's Avatar
    I can't understand how everyone in this thread is acting as if BlackBerry and Apple are the only two phone manufacturers in the world. Apple is the ONLY phone manufacturer that I know of which offers support directly. Every other manufacturer has the carrier/retailer as their middle-man. I used to work for a carrier and we were the ones who handled warranty replacement for every phone, (including Apple for the first year, btw). Yes, we sent the phone directly to the manufacturer to handle the replacement but we were the point of contact for the customer. That is how it works in the U.S. BlackBerry is not being unreasonable when it tells you to contact the retailer.

    As far as extended warranties go - again with the exception of Apple - I don't know any phone manufacturers who offer that directly, and this is also something that is offered through your carrier. Furthermore, these other manufacturers don't offer their own "AppleCare" but your carrier offers insurance for a monthly fee, which is essentially the same thing - insurance will replace your phone for a deductible, no matter what damage you may have directly caused.

    BlackBerry is not alone in this area and it's ridiculous to treat them as if they are.

    Furthermore, the fact that BlackBerry is offering 30 days of support for free with every Passport, instead of directing you to the retailer as is THEIR ABSOLUTE RIGHT/NORMAL PROCEDURE for the industry, is totally them going above and beyond. And, as demonstrated a few posts above, they are completely up front with that process/how to contact them and to what their support extends.

    A little anecdote:
    A couple years ago, I dropped my out-of-the-warranty-period HTC Evo and completely shattered the screen. I called my carrier to see if there was anything they could do or if they had any recommended repair shops. I was clearly told that they can't recommend shops, for liability reasons, but that I could just GOOGLE it and should be able to find something in my area. THAT IS NORMAL PROCEDURE. Wonder of wonders, a local retailer was actually able to fix it for $30.

    Now I'll let you in on a little secret - as a CSR/Tech Support Rep, when I didn't know the answer to a customer's question, and couldn't find it in my resources, I googled it. CSR/Tech reps are trained to do so and also told to advise the customer to do so themselves if the issue they are having is outside of our scope.

    I'm not even going to address comparing the cell phone industry's warranty procedures to that of the auto or home appliances industries, I mean COME ON.

    TL;DR: In the U.S., BlackBerry is operating the same as every other cell phone manufacturer, with the *sometimes* exception of Apple.

    Posted via CB10 on my VZW STL100-4 running 10.3.1.821/800 hybrid

    Edited to clarify...
    Last edited by WWBlondieDo; 10-26-14 at 12:33 AM.
    10-25-14 01:59 PM
  14. HACandtelecoil's Avatar
    BlackBerry is operating the same as every other cell phone manufacturer, with the *sometimes* exception of Apple.
    Are you really sure?

    I think that some users really believe what they post because it corresponds to their local reality. The only problem is that the world is bigger than this reality and elsewhere things look then quickly quite different.

    When I navigate in the web pages from BlackBerry, Samsung, Nokia or Motorola to "support/contact" recognize my reality distinct differences...
    10-25-14 02:36 PM
  15. MrGlenn's Avatar
    @ TGR: I can see where you are coming from. I did not mean to dismiss all the legitimate complaints. Unfortunately as you must know the big flaw on this forum is that people tend to exaggerate a lot.
    So while there are sure to be complaints, and BlackBerry is sure to handle some of those badly, people here claiming this is common practice are blowing this out of proportion.
    The way I see it, as has been said before: BlackBerry is handling this much like any other company would.

    Let's wait until the end of the year: if there are still complaints of this nature the product and support is indeed flawed and BlackBerry will be once again portrayed poorly in the media.
    Or, maybe these issues will turn out to be the exceptions, and all will be well.

    BlackBerry Passport signed @ C0007CC89
    10-25-14 02:36 PM
  16. TGR1's Avatar
    @ TGR: I can see where you are coming from. I did not mean to dismiss all the legitimate complaints. Unfortunately as you must know the big flaw on this forum is that people tend to exaggerate a lot.
    So while there are sure to be complaints, and BlackBerry is sure to handle some of those badly, people here claiming this is common practice are blowing this out of proportion.
    The way I see it, as has been said before: BlackBerry is handling this much like any other company would.

    Let's wait until the end of the year: if there are still complaints of this nature the product and support is indeed flawed and BlackBerry will be once again portrayed poorly in the media.
    Or, maybe these issues will turn out to be the exceptions, and all will be well.

    BlackBerry Passport signed @ C0007CC89
    I agree they aren't really worse than others but that is faint praise. BBRY needs to distinguish themselves. This would be a great area to shine in. And I am definitely not referring to anything about the handset quality; just about customer service.

    Hopefully their revenue stream will soon become dependable enough that they can start considering some of these "soft" areas. I should also clarify that I am talking the consumer side — for all I know enterprise support might include limos and dancing dolls serving mimosas.
    Bbnivende and MrGlenn like this.
    10-25-14 06:42 PM
  17. WWBlondieDo's Avatar
    Are you really sure?

    I think that some users really believe what they post because it corresponds to their local reality. The only problem is that the world is bigger than this reality and elsewhere things look then quickly quite different.

    When I navigate in the web pages from BlackBerry, Samsung, Nokia or Motorola to "support/contact" recognize my reality distinct differences...
    Post now edited - I was speaking for the U.S side of things, which I mentioned in the longer rant but originally not in that summary.

    Posted via CB10 on my VZW STL100-4 running 10.3.1.821/800 hybrid
    10-26-14 12:33 AM
  18. BCITMike's Avatar
    I did not have unreasonable expectations. The refrigerator you bought but is now out of warranty , don't you expect the manufacturer to have authorized repair centers when the refrigerator needs service or repair. Of course you do. The car you bought that is out of warranty but needs parts, you expect the manufacturer to have authorized repaired centers ( usually called dealers) to repair the car. And the Sony or other tv you have that is out of warranty , don't you expect the manufacturer to have authorized repair places. Of course you do. So why us it too high an expectation that cell phone manufacture to have authorized repair centers for their 500.00 dollar plus devices.

    Posted via CB10
    There has been an industry of refrigerator repair for almost 100 years. They cost a lot more and they break down far less often. They have longer warranties. They have parts that are rare, expensive, and costly to dispose of. I've never dropped my fridge.

    How many cell phone repair companies come to your home and repair it? If you could mail the fridge, do you think there would be a need for a repair center in nearly every town?

    How many years are fridges owned vs a cell phone? In all my life, I've never personally lived through a fridge replacement, so at least 8 years each fridge has operated without replacing. When something has a much longer shelf life, you can stock and store parts, train technicians to repair them, and have a common part for many models in the same family. For cell phones, every body is unique. Screen is unique.

    The manufacturer of the fridge doesn't have ongoing software and server/resources to support through the life of the fridge like BlackBerry does. They can set aside a good portion of their profit into warranty services. Because these companies have in-warranty service capabilities, its easy to maintain after warranty service.

    A fridge will a manual for troubleshooting and diagnostics. You can replace single parts and modules. BlackBerry diagnostics would be internal proprietary tools for checking flash/ram/ID's, etc.

    For nearly 100 years, there has been a fridge in nearly every home in North America. There has been a cell phone in that level of penetration for how long? Less than a decade.

    Like I said. Your expectations are unreasonable to apply to a cell phone.
    WWBlondieDo likes this.
    10-26-14 01:18 AM
  19. HACandtelecoil's Avatar
    I was speaking for the U.S side of things...
    No problem! It was of course not my intention to attack you personally and I also do not compare a phone with a refrigerator

    What I wish is that I can easily use my warranty with a new device in the first 6 months after purchase. I do not expect a BlackBerry-shop in every major city and no free repairs for older devices.

    In the EU the possibility to contact the manufacturer directly a minimum standard which is possible with any better manufacturers like Samsung, Nokia or Motorola. Just when BlackBerry loses the support from the European provider more and more would be an international warranty and a European central point of contact for warranty issues IMHO very important.

    My relatively wealthy country has become an "iPhone country" and BlackBerry will hardly have 1% market share. As a fan I can still live well with defective hardware or lack of apps. But here in the EU is a lack of customer service the fastest way if a manufacturer of high-priced products want to disappear from the market completely
    10-26-14 03:57 AM
  20. HACandtelecoil's Avatar
    In Europe, the manufacturer is responsible for defects, at least for the legal warranty period (from 6 months to 2 years depending of the good), wherever you've bought your "object". That's how we can buy Sony TVs in non official distribution channel and still have a valid warranty.
    Same should apply for BlackBerry and - while not tested, no lemon here (over 10 PB/BB10 devices) - I'm pretty sure it is (here:Europe).
    Just as it is

    In my country occurs after 6 months a "reverse proof" and the purchaser must then prove that the defect existed already since purchase. At least in the first 6 months warranty cases should be simple to solve for the buyer.

    The problem is IMHO not the existing laws which in the EU are very customer friendly. The problem is rather that fewer and fewer providers have the phones from BlackBerry on offer and if you bought yourself a free device the straightforward RMA service depends on the availability/goodwill/competence of the dealer.

    If warranty would be very important to me I would not buy any as good as new BlackBerry from a private seller. Likewise any purchase of a "non official distribution channel" can then be quickly a time grave when you have a warranty claim.

    As you already wrote - this work with a Sony TV or in a "small mobile phone shop with migration background" purchased *cough, cough* UK-iPad/iPhone but could quickly become a problem with a BlackBerry.
    Poirots Progeny likes this.
    10-26-14 05:18 AM
  21. HACandtelecoil's Avatar
    You can get a passport at (France)
    Thanks for your support!
    I like France and Paris is beautiful as Vienna...only slightly larger

    Money makes many things possible and the purchase is not a real problem for me. For warranty service I would still prefer a local dealer or a direct contact with BlackBerry. My English is already terrible and my French is much, much worse
    10-26-14 05:38 AM
  22. SteveE99's Avatar
    There has been an industry of refrigerator repair for almost 100 years. They cost a lot more and they break down far less often. They have longer warranties. They have parts that are rare, expensive, and costly to dispose of. I've never dropped my fridge.

    How many cell phone repair companies come to your home and repair it? If you could mail the fridge, do you think there would be a need for a repair center in nearly every town?

    How many years are fridges owned vs a cell phone? In all my life, I've never personally lived through a fridge replacement, so at least 8 years each fridge has operated without replacing. When something has a much longer shelf life, you can stock and store parts, train technicians to repair them, and have a common part for many models in the same family. For cell phones, every body is unique. Screen is unique.

    The manufacturer of the fridge doesn't have ongoing software and server/resources to support through the life of the fridge like BlackBerry does. They can set aside a good portion of their profit into warranty services. Because these companies have in-warranty service capabilities, its easy to maintain after warranty service.

    A fridge will a manual for troubleshooting and diagnostics. You can replace single parts and modules. BlackBerry diagnostics would be internal proprietary tools for checking flash/ram/ID's, etc.

    For nearly 100 years, there has been a fridge in nearly every home in North America. There has been a cell phone in that level of penetration for how long? Less than a decade.

    Like I said. Your expectations are unreasonable to apply to a cell phone.
    I think your expectations are extremely unreasonable and low. You seen to accept the " throwaway and replace" mentality electronic manufactures have instilled in you. I'm glad you apparently are wealthy enough to afford 500.00 to 700.00 to but a new device any time the device fails. Most of us, I think, would rather spend 125.00 , the cost of the repair to my device. I would also like to be able to get a list of authorized repair centers from a manufacture instead of a hit or miss Internet search that may have one select an inferior or unscrupulous repair place that may use third party parts. And make the device worse.

    In sorry you think my expectations are so high. I'm disappointed your expectations are so low!

    Posted via CB10
    TGR1 and Poirots Progeny like this.
    10-26-14 07:29 AM
  23. TGR1's Avatar
    Recall how absolutely hideous after sales support of dumb and feature phones were. We were lucky to get a firmware update. I still remember laughing with my friend over her little Samsung that wouldn't allow a text to be sent unless it was something like full length (128 character). So she would type in "Ok" to answer a text and fill in a bunch of periods or commas. It was a known bug but we knew it wouldn't ever get fixed.

    That sort of attitude carried over to smartphones, which I personally find unacceptable.

    Can anyone tell me how MS supports their Lumia phones?
    WWBlondieDo likes this.
    10-26-14 08:33 AM
73 123

Similar Threads

  1. Is there a Dropbox for the BlackBerry Playbook?
    By CrackBerry Question in forum Ask a Question
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10-24-14, 07:14 AM
  2. AVG android for blackberry
    By Blue Hef in forum BlackBerry 10 OS
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 10-23-14, 06:47 PM
  3. Need Help with a Friends z10 i think its dead
    By krypticos in forum BlackBerry Z10
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 10-23-14, 10:02 AM
  4. blackberry passport battery issue + unknown memory usage
    By terry0850 in forum Ask a Question
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-23-14, 09:46 AM
  5. How do I install 10. 3 update on Q10?
    By CrackBerry Question in forum Ask a Question
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-23-14, 09:06 AM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD