BBM saved the day for my son visiting China

OP, your wife showed some really good problem solving skills in that situation. Glad it got settled.

@aleij barb: Am I? I only reference the internet in general, not specifically Crackberry. So, yes, I am saying the INTERNET is a thug house ran by a teenage street gang. Does Android Kool-Aid taste like diesel?

Originally Posted by laserx

My son went to China for a visit and to see the sights. He told his bank who said they'd take care of things. Well, he went to use his ATM card and it was refused, then the same with his credit cards. He BBM'd us and we called the bank to explain his problem. They refused to talk to us, they would only talk to him, they gave us a number and told him to call collect so they could straighten out the mess. Well, he could not get the number to connect so he messaged us again. So the Bank said give us his number, they tried to call him in China and even with the operators help they couldn't get it to go through. It seemed we were at a stand off and my son with no money and in China. My wife then said wait a minute, she did a BBM video call to my son, no problem at all, she then put it on speaker and held the phone with the bank on it to her Q10 and they had the conversation with my son that they needed to have and BINGO all was well once again. BBM saved the day!!!

I travel the world for work. Rules to live by: always have your BB, passport, tell credit card companies where you are and always carry CASH. Enough to carry a night or two at a hotel, food and taxi to an airport if you have to get out.



STL100-3 | Rogers | 10.3.0.xxxx

Imo,, BBM voice quality is superior over any other IM service and even the telephone calls....

Posted via CB10

Video was not needed, but Mother's use every chance they get to "see" their children, specially under these circumstances. Our family travels the world a lot and we like to keep in touch. We use our Blackberry's and BBM because it always works to perfection for us, from anywhere in the world, via wifi or cell network.

Originally Posted by Aleij Barb

I'm not comparing video quality between BBM and Skype. The bank couldn't care less even if you talk to them on a hologram. I read the OP again, all he needed was his sons voice so the bank can authenticate him. So why aren't Skype audio or Google voice audio just as effective? The best quality becomes pointless when both parties are talking to each other on a speakerphone.




You're saying as if Crackberry is some thug house ran by a teenage street gang. I drank the Android Kool-aid, it's obvious BlackBerry flavour is just as strong.

Posted via CB10

Try reading it again.....work on that comprehension....it states clearly that she made a BBM video call to her son. Gums a flapping as usual.

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by VR6

Good thinking but was video needed or BBM voice would have done it

Video would have allowed him to communicate with his parents too, like a "SMH they are so stupid to be asking me this," or more seriously "move the phone closer, I can't hear them."

But my guess is, the OP is more used to the video call feature than voice call, so went for that first out of habit. Nothing wrong with that, as long as bandwidth/latency can support it on both ends.

Originally Posted by Aleij Barb

Pardon me and correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't any IM app be able to handle this task just fine? that includes WhatsApp, Google voice and Skype

Google Voice? You mean Google Hangouts. And that's not available on a Q10, plus it requires a Google account.

Skype requires an account. BBM video/voice doesn't, beyond the BBID.

WhatsApp does not do voice/video calls. You stand corrected.

Originally Posted by raino

Video would have allowed him to communicate with his parents too, like a "SMH they are so stupid to be asking me this," or more seriously "move the phone closer, I can't hear them."

Hahaha I guess you don't much faith in banking customer service!

Posted via CB10

With Google Hangouts (and its dialer app) he could have just called the bank himself with an android phone #justsaying

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by 3Dee

With Google Hangouts (and its dialer app) he could have just called the bank himself with an android phone #justsaying

1. Is Google Hangouts (and its dialer app) available for BB10? Keep in mind, the son has a BB10 phone, and he's in China.
2. Can either be used if you don't have a Google account (your post makes the underlying assumption that the son has a Google account, which he may or may not.)

Originally Posted by raino

1. Is Google Hangouts (and its dialer app) available for BB10? Keep in mind, the son has a BB10 phone, and he's in China.
2. Can either be used if you don't have a Google account (your post makes the underlying assumption that the son has a Google account, which he may or may not.)

Err, no and no (hence the need for an android...)

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by 3Dee

Err, no and no (hence the need for an android...)

And you know for a fact that Hangouts/dialer app works in China?