BlackBerry Customer Support

[NoBox]

Just hung up the phone from multiple hours with Blackberry. They are doing their best to drive off a customer who has been using their phones for years.

I have a problem with the PlayBook. Now, I know that device is an orphan so the key thing is how Blackberry handled the situation. In a word poorly.

The web site gave me an email address to send a support request. I received a reply email that said they couldn't help at that address and gave a "correct" email address. Guess what? It was the same as what I'd used.

So, I called. For a touch screen problem the first thing I was asked to do was backup the device and reload the software. That process took literally hours. Then, when it got stuck in a seemingly unending OS reload loop they escalated to Blackberry in Nova Scotia. Big help that was. He said I could send the device in, if they found a fault they would fix it, otherwise it would cost me for a new device($299).

Then, since I'm traveling, I asked if I could tell them when I sent the FedEx box back where to send the repaired device. Nope! Have to tell them right now. Can't be changed once the process is started. Not THAT is customer service.(sarcasm). Finally he relented and said as long as I called and gave them an address verbally before sending in for repair they could maybe change the return address.

At this point it has been 8 hours since the process started. Most of which has been spent hanging out waiting. And I still do not have a clear path to a functioning device.

In short, one of the reasons for buying a PlayBook was to see if Blackberry had indeed become more customer friendly. In two encounters so far I'd have to say the intent may be good but there is a large gap that leaves Blackberry way in the dust.

[dc/dc]

Have you shared this on their official forums? Also, did you consider putting this in our Rants & Raves section?

[NoBox]

>I have shared this directly with the RIM/Blackberry rep who ultimately took care of me. I will follow up with an email to him. He says he will share with his boss and up the line. So, this is in the official chain. Plus, I'm fairly sure their employees read this and other forums.

>Not a rant so should not go there. Rants are largely emotional reactions to events that are perceived as unsatisfactory. This is merely a recitation of poor service resulting from an outdated, at best, attitude toward customers.

From this and other incidents I've reported on Blackberry has not yet transitioned to being focused on retail customers. When I first encountered Blackberry they provided a unique product whose benefits outweighed their warts. Plus, I was getting paid to make sure the entire system worked correctly. Now, the environment has changed but their execution has not. Or, if it has, the change has been minimal.

All this has been shared with Blackberry complete with specific examples. Responses indicate the working troops think they are doing great things by being polite and explaining that they are too busy handling calls to do more. Time will tell whether the company can change its' culture.

[alicepattinson]

This is really the sad part of poor customer support. I think it's best if you go to BB personally. They will help you there on the spot. Just hope so.

[dc/dc]

I think it's best if you go to BB personally.

Reading is fundamental.

>I have shared this directly with the RIM/Blackberry rep who ultimately took care of me.

[linkexe]

Nice Post


Thank's

[NoBox]

Latest in the saga:
When return and repair box from Blackberry didn't arrive either last Thursday or Friday I emailed a query. Gee, we are so sorry, we apologize, but we sent it to the wrong address. We can't just resend to the correct address. We have to cancel that RMA, get a confirmation from the repair facility and the start over with a new RMA.

Blackberry rep said that by the time they got everything done it would be a week(next Friday) before they would have an R&R box to me. FedEx delivers late afternoon so it would be Monday before it can be returned to Blackberry. Then 5-7 business days(they say) for the repair facility.

In short, if every thing changes and Blackberry starts doing things with the customer in mind by the time this is finished it will be a month since this incident started. Totally unacceptable.

[NoBox]

UPDATE:

Well, this particular evolution is as complete as it is going to get. Here is the update. Again, nothing is here that has not been shared verbally and in writing with Blackberry Service Reps who tell me they have forwarded it to their supervisors. I'm posting here because everyone needs to know my experience just as I want to know other people's.

--Executive version: Blackberry has some really good employees who work hard for their company. As a customer I can't tell the difference between the others who are either poorly trained or duds who haven't been weeded out. Add to this a centralized rigid computerized management system and it adds up to very poor customer orientation and service. Add to this poor and erroneous operating instructions and the result is extreme frustration for the customer. That may have been tolerable when customers were IT departments that had a lock on decisions for their companies. Not now.
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-A customer service rep took pity on me and sent a new PB to the correct address and trusted me to return the old one. Seems BB policy is to get a credit card number for things like that. Then, when the returned PB is examined at the Repair Center if they say the problem is Operator Error they charge the customer $299. Both parties have one PB, no one cheated but if the customer just couldn't figure it out, or it is an intermittent problem they couldn't replicate they don't charge a reasonable fee; the charge for a complete PB. That's tough.

--The new PB works just fine, I think. This one has Setup on it. Plus, now I know that several setup instructions are wrong so I went through it pretty quickly.

--Had a question about the 30 Day Email Synch. What happens to the emails that are dropped from the PB after 30 days, especially from Live.com accounts. Customer service sent me a KB about how to get emails to display. Exact opposite of what I asked. I told them that. Then I got a response that was on point. Finally. Training? Poor Management?

--Now that I have a reasonable functioning PB I can look at it. Bridging with a Torch it transfers WiFi(other post) but not Contacts or Calendar. That kind of thoughtless inconsistencies are through out the device. Make one very cautious about whether BB is capable of focusing on the customer in their design and operation.

At the same time the PlayBook itself is a pretty good device. I've used 4 different Playbooks now. Image quality is outstanding. Sound, whether by earphone or the built-in speakers is superb. Battery life is good. The browser works just fine so there is no need for the security risk of Apps. Radio sensitivity is great. So: If nothing breaks and you have someone to coach you through the bad setup stuff it is a pretty good device.

[tsac]

Unfortunately the experience your are having is becoming more and more common with a lot of company's. The only thing people can do is not accept the statements they receive from the call centers and escalate to a supervisor or even higher. A lot of company's do want to hear from customers and are usually responsive when you get to a higher level. Commenting on the good as well as the bad is always good so you don’t sound like a totally negative person just one that is really trying to get support but are running into an unacceptable situation. Sadly more and more company’s are outsourcing support and that's where the problem starts.

[NoBox]

tsac; thanks for the reminder. I did not post here but did include in my comments to BB my compliments for the service rep that cut through the system and got me what I needed.

In this case though the system under which the customer service folks work tells a big story about corporate mindset. In other situations it is pretty obvious the problem is people. In this case I believe the problem is corporation management.

[Bacchus15]

Despite your problems, putting the blame on "corporate management" is a bit to far fetch for me.

I work in a BigBox store and frankly it's hard to deal with clients who rather stay in the comfort of their home instead of passing by the store to get help. I'm not saying it's the case with you but instead of dealing with them on the phone or by email. Was there no other possibilities? ie the store where you bought that product? (if possible)

In any case this is indeed a sad story and very frustrating. Working/dealing with customer services on the phone is never easy.

Question, the way you "talk" it seems that you used to work for Blackberry(RIM), correct?

[NoBox]

Despite your problems, putting the blame on "corporate management" is a bit to far fetch for me.

I work in a BigBox store and frankly it's hard to deal with clients who rather stay in the comfort of their home instead of passing by the store to get help. I'm not saying it's the case with you but instead of dealing with them on the phone or by email. Was there no other possibilities? ie the store where you bought that product? (if possible)

In any case this is indeed a sad story and very frustrating. Working/dealing with customer services on the phone is never easy.

Question, the way you "talk" it seems that you used to work for Blackberry(RIM), correct?

Not a stretch at all to point the finger at Corporate Management when that is clearly the root cause. In this case the initial reps were not well trained. Then, it was explained to me that once the BB rep made an error it took days to flush the error out of the system before the correction could be initiated. Then, the information on the web site and given by the reps, at both initial call and from BB itself, was often wrong. When, not wrong the initial response was either wrong or irrelevant. Charging full price for a device when they examined it and could find no fault instead of a reasonable service charge is silly. I could go on. But, I think you get the idea that the fundamental problem lies the feet of corporate management.

Good customer service begins with the design of the product. It continues with the operating instructions included with the product and with information on the web site. What is there is a direct reflection of corporate commitment to its' customers. From my experience a lot of good employees are going to be jobless unless corporate mindset changes.

I have no idea where you got the idea I used to work for RIM/BlackBerry. But, to dispel any doubts, the answer is: No.


Oh yes, Why didn't I go back to where I purchased the device? One of the key selling points was that BlackBerry offered 90 days special service to demonstrate their new commitment to customers. I'm in the market to change out our phones. Here was a golden opportunity to see if BB really meant what they advertised.

[dc/dc]

Would someone please move this thread to the correct section?