Blackberry Storm 9500 customers slam the hand set and Vodafone UK customer service - 15th Dec 2008

Further to our article about Blackberry Storm 9500 published on 18th November 2008, we have been contacted by a number of unhappy Vodafone customers who are either having the same problems, new problems or they cannot get in touch with Vodafone to either resolve these issues or to return the handset. We did, however received one abusive e mail from a “very happy” storm user.
 

Click here to read advice from the Trading Standards

Broken Buttons

Several people have reported that the buttons (green and red) at the bottom of the phone have either broken in half or have come off. Some people have reported that the buttons have come off whilst using the “holster” provided with the handset. A number of customers have complained about the “poor quality” of the pouch that is provided with the phone. If the buttons break or come off after the fourteen days (Vodafone’s self imposed cooling off period for distant or shop purchases), the customer is either stuck with the device for the remainder of the contract unless they  take the company to small claims court to get the contract cancelled. 

Signal Problems

Signal problem is another big issue where the signal fluctuates between one bar and “SOS” (emergency calls only) without warning and without the phone being moved to a different location. This is despite other phones, in the same location having full signal.

Battery Life

Blackberries are sold primarily as a business device. The Storm has a limited battery life according to people who have contacted us and the battery goes flat within 4 to 9 hours after moderate use. This is in stark contrast to the advertised several hours of talk time and 15 days standby time.

Virtual Keyboard

The virtual keyboard, according to some customers, has different size letters and digits. Some customers have reported that if they use the phone to access something where they have to press the digits to access the menu, i.e. press one for faults, press two for cancelation etc, the numbers pressed on the keyboard are not recognised. The same thing happens if the keyboard is used to enter a password.

Other Issues

BB Storm users have reported other issues like distorted sound from the microphone, poor quality camera, BB software slowing Vista computers down and without any warning, removing software like Roxio from the computers, device being set up wrongly so they are unable to receive e mails, waiting for weeks on end to get the delivery of the handset and then  two handsets are delivered.

No “Official Response”

Despite the customer feedback, RIM or Vodafone has not officially recognised any of these issues and are still selling the phone. When we contacted Vodafone regarding our last article, they said, “The overwhelming feedback in store, in telesales and on other forums is that most people love the BlackBerry Storm - which is great news. However, we have received feedback on a handful of specific points. We always try to test the phones as much as we can ourselves before we launch them, but it is only when a large number of customers start to use the phone do we get feedback that can really inform how we develop the software. Today we have given your comments to our device management team and they are now looking into these and where they can, are working with RIM on solving as many of them as possible. Some may take longer than others and as and when we can update customers on improvements we have made we will."

Although a software update has been released, it has not made much of a difference according to people who contacted us. One Vodafone customer said, “How are they going to fix the hardware problems? Are they going use Paul Daniels or some other magician to rectify the faults with this cheap build quality”?

Getting through to Vodafone Customer Services

The only way customers can get in touch with Vodafone is through the eforum and we have looked at the official Vodafone responses on there. They consist of , “I / We cannot replicate this issue”, “cannot say when we will be able to resolve this issue”, “it has been reported”, “we are aware of this issue”, “we / RIM are investigating it”, “this is a software issue and we are waiting on RIM to get back to us”, take the battery out and do a hard reset”, “delete everything and re-install the software”, “we will e mail you for details to get this issue resolved”.

All the people who contacted us were unanimous in complaining about the issue of getting through to Vodafone Customer Services. People have reported being on hold for up to five hours before being either passed on to a different department and being put on hold or being cut off. Although the calls to 191 are free from a Vodafone handset, if you have no signal or if you are ring for a pre delivery  check up or a post sale enquiry from another phone, the numbers to call are either an 0870 or a mobile number. One customer’s phone bill showed the costs of calls to Vodafone in two weeks to be £31.72 plus VAT. Even when people do get through, they are either given misleading or wrong information. This manifests in customers being told one thing during a call, but when they ring back, the next operator tells them that there is no record of the previous action or solution on their account.

Out of Stock, but still on sale

Although customers are being told that Blackberry Storm 9500 is out of stock, Vodafone website is still allowing people to order this handset, without warning them that the handset is out of stock. These orders results in people not receiving their phone, ringing the customer services and being put on hold for hours.

A frontline member of Vodafone staff who did not want to be named said, “They put this phone out without properly testing it and now we are getting daily abuse from customers. I would love the decision makers to face the customers to explain why things are going wrong. I bet they will have big Christmas do and pat each other on the back for such a successful product”.
Whilst reading the entries from contributors on the Vodafone eforums, some appears to be at best appealing, and at worst begging the moderators of the site to resolve certain issues. These are the people who are paying minimum of £35 per month for eighteen to twenty four months. There appears to be a small number of members who believe that anyone who buys a new handset should expect problems and must NOT expect the device to work as advertised. There are people on the forum who state that their handsets are working perfectly and that they have no problems whatsoever, but these are a small minority.

Vodafone allows its customers to return the phone within fourteen days to get the contract cancelled but we have spoken to several people who were unable to do so because they were unable to get in touch with Vodafone to arrange the return.

The Blackberry Storm, according to its labels under the battery is manufactured in Canada, Hungary or Mexico.  Apart from the normal signal and battery issues, there are certain other issues that are specific to the country of manufacture.

Research in Motion did not reply to our request to clarify the build issues regarding the handset.

In a statement Vodafone UK said, 'Vodafone takes all customer feedback seriously and we are looking into the concerns raised'
 
On 11 November 2008, Vodafone Group PLC announced that its net profit fell 35 percent during the first half of the financial year. The company said net profit for the six months through Sept. 30 was 2.14 billion pounds ($3.33 billion), down from 3.29 billion a year earlier, as consumer spending fell in developed markets amid the global economic downturn.
However, shares rallied as the company announced 1 billion pounds ($1.56 billion) in cost cuts and stuck to its full-year profit forecast despite the global economic downturn.

Research in Motion (RIM) last week slashed its profit outlook because of slowing sales, narrower margins, and a stronger U.S. dollar. In a surprise announcement Tuesday 9th December 2008, RIM warned it made less money and sold fewer Black Berries than it had expected during the quarter that ended Nov. 29, based on preliminary figures.
RIM's already battered shares fell 5 percent to $35.47 on the Nasdaq shortly after market opened on 12th December 2008  as investors digested the news. The stock’s highest price was $148.13, set in June.
 

Click here to read the Blackberry Storm article published on 18 November 2008.

© 2008 MK Financial Solutions. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, re-written or redistributed.