[ChopSticks]

Originally Posted by LunkHead

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry 8700g: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Ok, I've had the 8700 for about a week now. I removed the battery cover to do a hard reboot and 2 of the little plastic clips on the battery cover broke off. Now the cover will not stay on the phone. I called T-Mo and sat on hold after 3 transfers for 45 min. Hung up and called back, this time speaking with a rep. I was told they would not send me a new battery cover because it was physical damage. After 20 min of trying to explain to the rep I asked for a supervisor and was transfered.

I got the same story from the supervisor as he kept going on about it was physical damage and not a defect because it was not damaged when I 1st took it out the box. He said they will not exchange the BB and will not send a new battery cover. He said I can return it under the 14 day return policy but I would get charged for the phone because of the damage! I tried and tried to explain to these idiots that the little clips broke off as I was removing the cover and that the phone was in mint condition. What a waste of time!

I have always been happy with T-Mo but this takes the cake! Sad, sad, sad!

Any ideas on where I can get a battery cover for the 8700G?

Thanks in advance!

Again I'm sorry to hear this.. This issue seems to be a controversal one! If all else fails, buy an extended battery! It comes with the back piece also. Check this thread out http://www.blackberryforums.com/showthread.php?t=28929.

[digital/blasphemy]

Originally Posted by wingdo

Not sure how they do it. I can confirm that my original service was BIS and when I finally convinced some people we should install a BES here and buy some BBs, I was unable to connect to my BES until I called T-Mo and moved to the more expensive service.

They block something, I am not sure what, but they do prevent it from working.

It's not that they block anything, it's that your SIM card needs to be provisioned to add on Enterprise Service

[frank_m]

I worked in the cellular industry for a few years, and still have friends in the business.

I sympathize with everyone's individual issues, and no doubt, 'lunk head' you were given a defective battery door.

My suggestion is, do not give up, but remember that you each person you are speaking to follows rules that were given to them by somebody else writing a 'how to' manual on customer service issues... try to contact the person that sold you the phone, if you cancel, they will probabally get a charge back for your sale, that might motiviate them to assist you.

Also, remember that what ever carrier you have, be it T-mobile, cingular, nextel, etc.. is truly in the business of providing network services, they want to sell you bandwith, miniuites, etc.

If you have a land-line phone at home, ask yourself this.... If you broke your home phone (say smashed it, or dropped it in the toilet) would you call Verizon (or some other land-line based carrier) to replace the phone. or would you go to a store and buy a new phone?

If you television is broken, does your cable company stop billing you until you get it fixed or replaced?

the 8700 is a new phone, so they probabally don't have a bunch of 'spare parts' laying around yet... so they are probabally running interference with you, trying to blame you because they can't procure the replacement and get it to you.

good luck, hope you get it fixed to your satisfaction.

[CBR900RR]

The store sold you the tv make by the manufacture, and the cable company provide the service. That invovle three different parties.

Tmobile sold you the phone make by the manufacture and also provide you with the service. That invovle two different parties.

Who should be respondsible if any thing break??
This is getting interesting.

[frank_m]

I am just trying to illustrate a point or process, I'm sure you can pick apart my analogy
knowlege is power in some cases, so you can get what you want, knowing how the system works can help in resolving an issue


sometimes individuals fall thru the cracks in the system, and if the carrier wants to keep them, they need to step up and eat the cost.
the person that sold the phone originally has to hope that the carrier's customer support will do everything to keep the customer, but somtimes that's not the case, (you can catch a total moron on the line at customer service, all cariers have them, and all carriers have awesome reps.... luck of the draw) and if the customer cancels in the 14 day trial period, the customer service rep doesn't get charged back, the sales person does... that is why I suggest contating the original sales person, even if it was someone over the phone, I get a rep ID and their name.

ALSO in some cases, we buy our phone from an 'authorized retailer', they buy the phone from a distribution center or the carriers hardware department and in turn get a commission for an activated phone number... so if that is the case, go back to the store or authorized retailer and tell them you are going to cancel in the 14 day trial period.. and they'll do something.. or they will have their commission taken back from the carrier.

most carriers use these various models, and in some instances a customer will fall thru the cracks

[CBR900RR]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

I am not trying to pick on anybody or pick apart your analogy, I just logically lay out the facts so the orginal poster know what he get if he decide to get on the phone with RIMS.

[luckman212]

Originally Posted by El Blackberry

I'm about to e-mail RIM and ask about the battery covers etc. You can e-mail them and let them know what's up! it's

lotta good that did. I sent in an email and got an automated response back:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting BlackBerry. We have determined that your BlackBerry was purchased through T-Mobile. T-Mobile fields general queries and provides technical support for all BlackBerry-related issues. T-Mobile can be contacted directly by telephone at 1-800-937-8997, or found on the Web at:

http://www.t-mobile.com

If your organization has subscribed to TSupport, blah blah blah

OK, I said to myself, maybe they have an automated script that looks for keywords like "t-mobile" or "8700g", so I removed any wording from my email that could identify my carrier and re-sent the email. A few minutes later, another automated reply:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting BlackBerry.

We have determined that your device was purchased through a carrier partner of BlackBerry. Your service provider fields general queries and provides technical support for all BlackBerry-related issues, and is your first point of contact in these matters.

If your organization has subscribed to TSupport, blah blah!!

so unless someone is reading these (unlikely) then I guess these are falling on deaf ears.

[nosidam]

Originally Posted by luckman212

so unless someone is reading these (unlikely) then I guess these are falling on deaf ears.

Maybe. RIM may ultimately read the e-mails and put a "tick" mark in the "there might be a design issue with the back cover" column, and they will look at that when they design the next version of either the 8700 or the 870x. There are at least two design revisions of the 8700c.

BTW, this is not just RIM. Any cell phone you purchase through your carrier is supposed to be serviced by that carrier. You may be able to call the maker directly and slip a support call or two through, but the first question they should ask you is who you purchased it from and direct you to them.

The correct analogy would be Windows. If you buy a computer that comes with Windows, you have to call the computer manufacturer for support with Windows issues. You can only get support from MS if you buy a retail copy of Windows, or if you pay MS for the support call (unless they determine the issue to be a bug -- in which case they will refund the cost of the call).

This type of third-party support is included in just about every contract between OEMs and vendors and is the main reason that the vendors get good pricing from the OEM. If the OEM had to support the items, then the price break to the vendor would be miniscule because the OEM would have to have hundreds more support personnel than they do now to handle phone calls, RMAs, etc.

BTW, you can purchase a phone from the phone company, and they will support it, but most people do not since you can go to Radio Shack and buy a $5 phone these days.

[Sith_Apprentice]

Originally Posted by El Blackberry

I agree joginder. The quality of my 7290/7230 is so superior compared to the 8700, as much as I love my 8700 it feels plastic-like and kinda cheap. I also carry my 7230 in my bag just in case, mainly because my EDGE has been having problems around here.

Long time no post here..

I have had my 8700g since 2 days before the official release, and today was the first time i dropped it, and, i can say for a fact, that a typical 2-3ft fall was enough to kill the phone completely. It now has a short and will not power up. I love the device but it is not nearly as sturdy as even the 7100 series. Luckily i had one lying around and restored my contacts/data to it and just called T-mo to get my first replaced. good luck to everyone else out there

[LunkHead]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry 8700g: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

I have decided to stick with T-Mobile for now. I have been with then for years and have always been pleased with the service and the customer service they provide. One bonehead rep and one @$$ of a supervisor does not make the company. I will stick with them for now and see if I have any future problems.

[backbeat]

For a replacement OEM battery door that retails for $4 and change, the time escalating this as an issue is likely a wasted act. I understand the principle of the thing, but, this could be a production issue that RIM has determined they're willing to hold their nose and look the other way until they redesign the next gen.

It's not exactly acceptable that the production tolerences on these doors, or equally possible, the section of the plastic casing that receives the door, is less than ideal that allows for door movement, but the options to attempt to correct this are readily available from a consumer standpoint.

[yunone]

is there a door design difference between the C and G models? I just got a C model about three weeks ago and removed the battery door a dozen times for testing and sim swaps...very strudy and nothing has broken on it... just curious why the T MO stuff isnt as strong .

[DuckWingDuck]

Having owned both the -c and -g, for me, they seem to be about the same cheesoid plastic.

[yunone]

gotcha..i find my BB to be very solid. It definately feels way different in my hand than the previous, 7780,7290,7280,7100,6280 i have had in the past... i dont think it feels cheap thoug

[billy hutchison]

I mentioned this in another thread, but I have to say that I'm a little disappointed in RIM for using thinner, weaker plastics. The 7290 was built like a tank - I really expected the 8700g to be similar. It's *still* more durable than an MDA/2125 unit, but it's a tad flimsy. I am guessing they did this to save weight, but if it's at a significant cost in durability, I'm not so sure it was a wise trade-off.

I'm going to look around and see if there is a feedback forum that RIM monitors somewhere, or an email address or something for someone at RIM that we can contact. I really think they should be made aware of this.

More importantly, I'm curious as to what the delta is for them making a design change - is it 100 users? 500? 1000?

Changing plastics is no trivial matter to a manufacturer. (My company manufactures telephones) Although the per unit cost is quite low, that's only in the context of volume. RIM would have to have a whole new unit molded, sculpted, etc - and that could run as much as a quarter million just in design costs.

Inevitably, there would also be backlash from the existing users who are going to want the heavier-grade model if that were to happen.

So. The more I think about it, the more I think RIM ain't gonna change the plastics. What they *might* do is pay attention, and do a heavier-grade casing next time around on the next model...just one man's observation, though...