[san1701]

ok so i just got a new BB Bold off ebay. tried to change device from my carriers website and it gives a message - PIN suspended or deactivated!! What can I do to activate it again??? Thanks

[JSanders]

Nothing. It is a risk you bought with the device, being probably a pre-release device.

[penguin3107]

Originally Posted by san1701

ok so i just got a new BB Bold off ebay. tried to change device from my carriers website and it gives a message - PIN suspended or deactivated!! What can I do to activate it again??? Thanks

You're out of luck.
You could try to get your money back from the seller... but I suspect that will provide to be even more impossible than getting RIM to reactivate the PIN.

I suspect this is going to be the one of several of these types of threads.

[jsconyers]

Welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do as JSanders stated. Most likely the seller ran into the same issue and thus the reason for selling it. This is just speculation on my part.

[san1701]

but theres lots of unlock sites like unlockblackberry.org and others. if i get an unlock code, will it not activate my PIN also??

[juwaack68]

No, that's unlocking the device to work with a different carrier.

That has nothing to do with the PIN.

[dr_jared88]

The only other thing you can wait for is:

A: Hope its a actual production device and that the pin just isn't activated by RIM yet. I heard rumors of this before but I'm not sure if they are true.

or

B: Wait till they are released and open a ticket with RIM saying how you bought a device off eBay and it is not working. RIM was helpful with a buddy of mine when he bought a Pearl from eBay where the PIN was hacked and changed in the O/S. They gave him a new one and went after the seller.

Those are your only two chances I can think of.

[zkyevolved]

REALLY Bad luck :(. I'm sorry to hear that... But maybe when the device is sold legally here in the US, maybe you can call RIM and tell them that you bought a BBBold, and it has been deactivated it, and you would like to know why, and how you can reactivate it. Did you get a receipt or something . To prove that you had purchased it legitimately. I dunno... my 2 (or less) cents? haha.

[Sith_Apprentice]

The PIN is blocked on all pre-production devices eventually (or will be). If the device was also a carrier device (for their internal use/testing) that was stolen, it would be blocked. There is no way to get the device PIN working again. You have a very nice media player, organizer with phone/sms, and that is about it. If you are looking to sell ill give you $5 (too soon?)

[greggebhardt]

No one except the might RIM people can reactivate a PIN. I doubt you can talk them into it.

This could be the first of many we read about that get turned off but I have to admit that I have not seen this.

[Mark Rejhon]

Technically, one could use a PIN-locked device with generic third party data apps (i.e. GMAIL Mobile, Google Maps, Opera Mini) using the alternate APN configured in Options->Advanced->TCP->APN. Tethering as a modem for laptop would work. Phone and texting would still also work. The device would just however, simply never work with BlackBerry branded applications again (i.e. BlackBerry email)

However, as this is probably a leaked BlackBerry Bold, I'd suggest attempting to go after the seller.

[Sith_Apprentice]

Originally Posted by greggebhardt

No one except the might RIM people can reactivate a PIN. I doubt you can talk them into it.

This could be the first of many we read about that get turned off but I have to admit that I have not seen this.

Happened over at CB as well. The device that was purchased there was PIN blocked by RIM.

[rambo47]

This is going to happen to all the early buyers who got units that were never intended for sale. They paid big bucks for a "not for sale" device and now they get what they paid for: nothing. Symapthy: 0.

[Mark Rejhon]

To be fair, RIM should display an onscreen message at expiry, "This device is a pre-release beta phone. BlackBerry access has expired. Please upgrade to a retail phone." or similiar.

After release, there are already going to be situations where innocent buyers (not knowing they are prerelease phones) buy from pawn shops, used stores, or online, not knowing that they were pre-release phones. Even 1 months after RIM, these dead pre-release phones will still be floating about. Still fully functioning for texting and telephone calls, so still otherwise has some residual saleable value at these shady dealers, but not functioning for BlackBerry services, especially if the dealers are not saavy about BlackBerry services.

I do think that RIM needs to at least partially respect these innocent unknowing buyers during their next beta with at least an informative explanatory pop-up messages -- based on leaks happening too often. Otherwise people might ask "why is my BlackBerry not working?" when they bought a used BlackBerry one month after the official Bold release, not knowing it's an orphaned preview device that's been pawned off. The pop up message may even discourage resale of partially-functioning BlackBerries, since these would prompt customers to quickly figure out what's wrong and demand refunds quickly...

[JSanders]

Not a bad idea, Mark, should the buyer/user/pilpherer not see the big label on the reverse: "Property of Research in Motion... not for sale, etc."

[Mark Rejhon]

Originally Posted by JSanders

Not a bad idea, Mark, should the buyer/user/pilpherer not see the big label on the reverse: "Property of Research in Motion... not for sale, etc."

Indeed. But as all to happens often, photographs of these advertisements appear to show that the sticker has been removed from many units -- sometimes with no trace of a sticker in these photos. My concern is that these become somewhat "laundered" and sold through at least one or two layers of semi-innocent parties before it gets pawned to the final owner. The downstream parties won't know these units were actually pre-release units, and thus my suggestion for a courtesy pop-up mesage that cannot be removed. It'd just be upon trying to connect to BlackBerry infrastructure, finding that the PIN has been blocked due to pre-release device, and then popping up the message sent by the server explaining why the PIN is blocked.

[JSanders]

I would also think that the old "caveat emptor" comes into play, when purchasing such a pre-release device. If a user is smart enough, clever enough, and flushed with cash-enough to purchase pre-release devices, he is also aware enough to know he/she is purchasing a device that may be crippled, with or without a sticker, or a flashing message.

The buyer has recourse from their seller.

[Mark Rejhon]

Originally Posted by JSanders

I would also think that the old "caveat emptor" comes into play, when purchasing such a pre-release device. If a user is smart enough, clever enough, and flushed with cash-enough to purchase pre-release devices, he is also aware enough to know he/she is purchasing a device that may be crippled, with or without a sticker, or a flashing message.

True -- this does not absolve the original poster - although these units will still physically exist after Bold release. What happens to these units that do not get returned to RIM? These preview units will still exist in 2009.

Let's say shady guy removes sticker, sells the unit to a used electronics store, one that doesnt normally specialize in BlackBerry devices. Store tests SIM card and phone works (never tests BlackBerry services). Store doesn't know it's an illegal unit. Store sells the unit to the customer who doesn't know either. Customer gets burned, tries to figure out why it doesn't work. One and a half month later, customer finally gets an explanation (through the callcenter mazes) from the carrier why it doesn't work. Customer, not forum-saavy does some google searches but find them more confusing than calling the cellphone company. Customer tries to get a refund 1.5 months later, gets refused because it's 1.5 months later. It's a story that still happens sometimes with BES-locked units... They get turned off BlackBerry forever from this sour experience.

I think RIM needs to make their leaks a little more airtight, but they should also watch user-friendliness aspect of things for semi brain-dead units that happen to flow out in the open one way or another (BES locked unit, illegal leak of preview unit, etc) as RIM expands consumer friendliness. The risks of buying a BlackBerry online should be made similiar to risks of buying any cellphone model online, as it stands now the increased risks give a slight bad rep (witnessing the people being turned off by BlackBerry because they accidentally got a former BES-locked unit and not knowing why BlackBerry services never worked for them, etc - people who's never heard of BlackBerryForums or HowardForums, people falling through the cracks), and RIM can do more work to eventually level that "risk" field to risk parity with other devices, through such means such as this courtesy message suggestion.

Message solution: In 2009, someone walks into the used store. Pops up when used store tries to test. Used store refuses to buy the illegal Bold. Downstream customer never sold a bad Bold. And even so, customer will see the message immediately and return quickly for bigger chances of a refund or exchange. Risks now similiar to buying any other used phone. Whether it's BES locking or preview unit, or similiar.

[warpdryv]

so if RIM can deactivate a PIN, why won't they deactivate a PIN if you report your blackberry stolen? or better yet, help you get it back?

[John Clark]

Because it doesn't benefit them.