AT&T and RIM: Alienate your repeat customers with "Early Upgrades" and overpriced devices
Summary: $399.00 PLUS an "Early Upgrade" charge? WTH?As some of you are aware, I am a BlackBerry user.
$399.00 PLUS an "Early Upgrade" charge? WTH?
As some of you are aware, I am a BlackBerry user. For the most part, this is not by choice -- I could certainly get by with another mobile device such as an iPhone 3G or T-Mobile G1 or any number of other competing units, if it wasn't for that fact that I use corporate email, specifically Lotus Notes, and the only way I can wirelessly sync a device with it is by using our BlackBerry Enterprise Server. In other words, if I want mobile corporate email, I can have any device in the world that I want as long as it's made by RIM.
Click on the "Read the rest of this entry" for more.
At the end of last week while traveling on business, I noticed that my AT&T BlackBerry 8820, which had been serving me for just over a year, was no longer taking a charge. Alas, the internal USB connector had become wobbly and dislodged from the PCB, as if it contracted a case of electronic rectal prolapse.
So the first thing I did when I got home was run to the local AT&T store and see if I could get it replaced at a reduced cost or repaired. No such luck -- the store clerk told me it was out of warranty, I would have to get a new unit.
"Okay, do you guys have the new Blackberry Bold? I need a full keyboard and I might as well upgrade to 3G".
"Yep."
"Great, let's go with it."
"Okay sir. But understand, you don't qualify for an upgrade at this time, so I'm going to have to charge you $75 as an early upgrade fee, you'll have to pay full retail on the unit, you'll need to renew with a 2-year contract, and the rebate on the Blackberry Bold is only $100"
"What the hell! I'm spending $75.00 more than I should be?"
"I'm sorry sir, but there's nothing we can do."
What a new AT&T Wireless customer pays for a Blackberry Bold (Source: ATTWireless.com)
"So what you're telling me is even though I am a repeat customer, you're going to charge me more than what you would charge a new customer, plus hit me with additional fees because my device died early."
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Goddamit. If I bought a freaking iPhone 3G you'd still be charging me that damn fee, but at least the stupid phone is half the price."
"Yeah, the new RIM devices are awfully expensive. Do you really need one?"
"Well, I don't see a point in getting an EDGE-based Blackberry now, and I'm stuck with it if I want corporate sync."
"Man, that bites for you, dude."
"Goddamit. Just wrap the thing up and give me the new holster. Here's my freaking Mastercard."
"You want the 8GB storage card with that too?"
"How much is it?"
"$65.00"
"Oh, what a bargain. Screw that, I'll buy it on Amazon."
Have you too been bitten by the dreaded "Early Upgrade" charge at your wireless carrier? Talk Back and Let Me Know.
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Talkback
Makes me glad I'm cheap....
RE: AT
Blackberry Connect for Windows Mobile:
Info: http://bit.ly/17NoP
Download: http://bit.ly/eOE8
(scroll down on the page to find the actual download link)
Dump that Blackberry!
Cell phone batteries, warranties, and lack of support
- Why did AT&T discontinue the "forever" warranty? (I paid $5 per month to keep my V60 under warranty for 8 years. I only switched phones when this policy was cancelled and needed to change from TDMA to GSM.)
- Why doesn't AT&T support the phone for the life of the plan?
My current phone is a LG CU500. I bought the phone the first month it was available. The original battery died at 10 months. The store did not stock batteries for a phone discontinued more than 6 months ago. The nearby AT&T Device Warranty center replaced the battery.
The second battery died at 10 months. AT&T would not replace the battery. The warranty center did not stock batteries for phones no longer in the one year warranty. Calling phone warranty support received the same message. Visiting the store received a sales pitch to buy a new phone -- apparently the two-year wait for the discount is not a full two years, but no current phones have the swivel camera of the cu500. Could not buy the battery online from AT&T. Bought the battery for ~$20 from Amazon.com; arrived in AT&T packaging. (Be careful. The OEM is 1100mAh. Many online retailers sell a 700mAh battery for $8-$50.)
I have been a AT&T customer for more than a decade, and currently am a "preferred" corporate customer. Why wouldn't AT&T spend $20 to keep me happy? My monthly AT&T bill is much higher. I disliked the hassle of not receiving support from AT&T.
--
About LG cu500:
GOOD: Camera swivels at top of phone for easy aiming from any position.
BAD: Maximum 1GB (microSD) storage for audio recording, music, pictures, and video.
BAD: Cannot access calendar during phone call.
RE: AT
You ripped yourself off
When you're a corporate customer
When you're a corporate customer
But don't blame RIM, blame AT&T.
UK is better
What you should have done...
Seriously though, your choices should have been:
1) Contact RIM, I'm sure you can send your device in for repair at a cost. In fact, after 2 minute search I found out that RIM charges $190 to repair any out of warranty phone. See here: http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/devices/warranty.jsp
2) If repair from your manufacturer was not available, try a third party shop-- there are hundreds out there (in the NY/NJ area).
3) Buy a used device. Dude, Craigslist, eBay, Amazon...how many places have these things used that can take your SIM card straightaway?
4) If AT&T wants to punish you, return the favor: reduce your service to the lowest level ($29 per month), leave the phone in the basement and sign up with someone else. You save money by not being locked into the 3rd year or higher service fees, they lose because the revenue is going elsewhere.
The only reason you paid up like a chump was because of the unwillingness to do your due diligence, for whatever your reasons (too busy, no time, LAZINESS, etc, etc.) it boils down to the fact that you just didn't try hard enough.
And that is the problem with people today. They'd rather post some whiney blog about price instead of DOING something about it.
Unlocked Nokia
You may spend a little more but you'll be happier in the long run.
Mine is an N95. Adrian? E71:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2672
RE: AT
Alienating repeat customers ...
And since you're still with them
Aye, therein lies the rub ...
Indeed
Alienate potential customers, also
Because of that fact they would not sell me a phone plan. I was told if the salesperson made a mistake and sold a plan to me that AT&T would send a notice of cancellation within a couple of months because my home zip code was not within their network.
Special service from the Constitution violators.
RE: AT&T and RIM: Alienate your repeat customers with early upgrades and overpriced devices
They lock you into 2 year contracts, but then only warranty the phone for a year.
They charge 45 cents a minute, once you go over your 'plan', but provide no mechanism to warn you when this happens.
Switching plans, even to one that costs more monthly, requires another 1 year commitment.
If you take your Blackberry device out of the country and turn it on, it will download your email, at the prevailing international roaming charge. You can get a $2000 charge for data, in an hour, and you have no idea it's even happening.
Etc. Etc.
RE: AT&T and RIM: Alienate your repeat customers with early upgrades and overpriced devices
Don't worry, they managed to come up with extra charges on the way out, even though it was renewal time.
Blackberry Connect - most devices
I learned recently you can use Blackberry connect on most devices(Nokia,Palm, HTC) to connect to your corporate blackberry enterprise server. That way you can choose the phone you want and at a cheaper prices that $400. Just a suggestion
It does have issue's though.
It stopped msn messenger working on my htc and on my diamond.
It even killed web browsing on my tytn 2 out side of the bis browser it installed.