09 February 2009

Ironically I was selected to take a survey on RIMM support ...

... and seemingly looking for places where BlackBerry support services can be priced:

Here is your answer: I'll pay almost anything for a fix of a non-functioning product that is 'almost there', and won't continue to pay for a product that cannot be fixed (I'll switch away from the vendor, if the doco is incomplete, the support bad, or the offering bogus; I'll eat my loss and move on).

The survey design NEVER asked if the support received from RIMM worked or had value; what my opinion of the existing RIMM web offerings was; how the responsiveness of support modes were; how RIMM is handling its external interactions doing support.

I assume I was contacted to take a satisfaction survey in light of interactions with RIMM support -- recent ones have been about getting sync through the PocketMac program [not recommended] to work in an OS/X environment. Never could get it to work.

(URL was: http://www.blackberry.com/redirect/rdr?sap-client=110& ... etc )

header was:
**********************************
Happy with your BlackBerry solution?
Please help us serve you better.
**********************************

and what looks like the contact data I enter when using the BB website.

Executive summary:

No -- I am not happy.


I have found RIMM support for the PocketMac backup of the BB device to be incredibly frustrating and 'live' support useless [on line doco is clearly incomplete, and email requests seeking clarification have gone ignored]

Ticket handling techs using canned replies, with absolutely NO interest in follow through, or ACTUALLY FIXING and confirming a fix for the issue. The RIMM emphasis seems to be on closing the ticket, seemingly within three days, without a confirmation that the issue is fixed.

This leaves a very bad taste behind -- ticket numbers on request.

And the product Pocket Mac so bad that I have abandoned it for third party vendors' approaches (MarkSpace, and Google Sync)

Still not right, but at least partially usable -- and what do you know -- MarkSpace is running a beta [of its upcoming update to its BB synchronization tool], and opening and following bugs I file.

ps -- The blackberry.com website very safely and skillfully hides email addresses, so that all contact can come in only through avenues (webform inserts into databases) likely to be able to 'close and ignore' issues. I assume there is no post-close QA review, as I have seen no sign of it.

Sad -- I thought the 'killer app' that lead to the BB was
pervasive contact capabilities.

I sent copies of this to each of the co-CEO's seeming email addresses for the exec suite pulled from a bit of google searching -- Please share or redirect as needed. Call if you want to talk; I'll answer any email as well. [I received a phone call from 'customer retention' and a 'follow the call email' with a 'role account' email address, and no telephone number for me to use. RIMM just does NOT want communication to be initiated to it except on its terms.]

For what it is worth, prior live support by RIMM, gated through T-Mobile (where I have the ability at the end of the transaction to say: 'We both see that it just does not work -- cancel the service as you cannot deliver that you have sold me') had been fine.

There's a message there, I think.