“Verizon has extended its return policy through Jan. 15, 2009 for all phones purchased since Nov. 16 — before [RIM’s BlackBerry] Storm went on sale. But we’ve heard anecdotally — and seen more evidence on Twitter — that many people are already taking their Storms back,” Dan Frommer reports for Silicon Alley Insider.
• davematson: Returned my blackberry storm. A counter-assault against a rare consumerist impulse purchase on my part. And a crappy product, too.
• nessenj: Returned the BB Storm last night to VZW. They can have their piece of junk back.
• dquail: Returned my crappy Blackberry storm. what a piece of junk. Guy at verizon wasn’t surprised
Frommer reports, “This is not a scientific sample… [but] it suggests that one stat we’ve heard from mobile blogger ‘Boy Genius’ isn’t crazy: That 40% to 50% of Storms are being returned. If that’s true — we don’t know — it’s astonishingly high.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Ken” for the heads up.]
@ ID Argyll
Isn’t the Black Berry Storm just lipstick on a pig? Oink!
Hey Leave Sarah Palin out of this!
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Where are all the people complaining that the Storm is currently only available on Verizon?
Our company got 5 units after waiting for months on this revolutionary product… We all returned them within a week. VZW rep said a large corp. just returned 150 they hated them so much. We thusly switched to AT&T;and got iPhones and everyone is VERY happy. RIM and Verizon just lost a customer because of the crap Storm…
“people need to be patience and give BB the chance to fix the software with updates… Just like Apple did.”
At least the iPhone wasn’t a total P.O.S. right out of the box. It’s features were somewhat limited in the beginning, but it actually worked just fine starting with version 1.0…
Aaaah, the arrival of the ‘big ass button’!
Get one now and sync it to your ‘big ass table’.
The Big Ass World of useless and clueless stuff, just in time for Xmas.
The Storm screen button will clog up just like the Mighty Mouse ball. Apple has done some great things, but the Mighty Mouse design is not one of them. I also tend to inadvertently click the side buttons.
My brother works for Verizon in AZ (tech support and the occasional customer care call) and he confirms that the Storm in its first release form (software) is a piece of cr*p. Verizon just sent 500k back to RIM to be reflashed for “software” issues. His explanation.
I have one of these “turds” and while it’s not nearly as bad as a lot of you seem to think it is (but what does one expect of any non-Apple product here?), it does need work. It was clearly rushed out the door. Having said that, it may be a turd, but it’s a turd that is on a much better network than AT&T;. I have no reception in my house (large Sourther California suburb) at all with AT&T;so while the iPhone looks like a great phone, no reception kind of defeats the purpose. So I compromised and got the Storm and a Touch.
Number of people I know who have a BB Storm : 2
Number of people I know returning their BB Storm: 2
@,@Bride of Zune Tang-
It’s a Simpsons reference and joke about the Newton
Wow, I’m slow. I just realized that the graphic is a Tempest in a Teacup.
@ KingMel
The first thing I do when I hook up a new Mighty Mouse is look for a normal two-button mouse. If I can’t find one, then I go straight to System Preferences and turn off those God-forsaken side buttons. They make normal drag-and-drop operations nearly impossible.
Mighty Mouse is the lightest full size mouse and you hardly need to work to scroll far. IMHO it requires the least work to operate of any mouse. It doesn’t give me “mouse finger” and I gave away a $70 mouse when I got the MM. If they would only make the ball removable for cleaning….or not GLUE the thing together!
I find that hard to believe… RIM just came out with Sept to November sales… 6.7 million units sold… 67% spike in sales compared to last year.
let this be a lesson to you all… the blackberry storm is what happens when you let a cell phone carrier cross the line and interfere with software, marketing, etc.
AT&T;maybe isn’t that good, but I don’t think verizon is any better.
More MDN propaganda. It seems there are the same 15 people on here who have to validate how great their iPhone / Mac is.
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/12/verizon-blackberry-storm-return-rates-lowest-of-any-smartphone
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/12/blackberry-storm-selling-well-as-expected
Wait for the guidance on Dec sales and you’ll soon see how iPhone is last years thing and Storm is getting traction.
I’ve been a faithful Mac user for years and I wouldn’t trade my iMac for anything (unless it was for another iMac)! I’ve been an avid reader of MacDailyNews for a long time and I visit the site 2 to 3 times daily. I’m also a Blackberry owner and a Verizon Wireless customer. For the record, I’m not associated with Apple Inc., Research In Motion, or Verizon Wireless.
Over the past nine years, I have used different phones including a few Blackberry models and have been an AT&T;(Cingular), T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless customer at some point. I’m no fan of Verizon’s practice of crippling its phones in order to nickel and dime its customers (for music, ringtones, etc.) but I’ve found their network to be the most reliable. I may not have the resources/contacts as the analysts who track Apple’s, RIM’s or Verizon’s inventory, but I have five friends who work for Verizon Wireless. For those of you who are wondering, NO I do not receive any “special deals”.
As a Blackberry Storm user, I’ve gotta tell ya, it’s a great phone! Regardless of some high-profile reviews, the screen is beautiful, the phone is well-built and feels solid, and the clickable screen/virtual keyboard is actually a plus. Again, reported quirks have been firmware related and have since been corrected by a simple firmware update. I admit RIM should’ve never shipped a product with these problems in the first place. I believe if RIM had actually delayed the launch of the Storm for the same two weeks it took them to release a fix, they could’ve avoided the deluge of bad press. Yes, RIM would’ve been excoriated by MDN for the delay and would’ve most certainly taken a beating from Wall Street but it would’ve been a more prudent decision. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. I have a feeling Verizon Wireless was mostly to blame for the rush. Speaking of Verizon, I’d like to note my disappointment (my disgust really) with Verizon’s decision to shun Apple a few years ago when approached about carrying the iPhone. What a dumb decision on Verizon’s part! What a HUGE HUGE HUGE miscalculation!!!
But I digress. Let’s face it, the iPhone has had its own “issues” and complaints. No QWERTY keyboard in landscape mode (unless using the browser or by installing additional 3rd-party software), no native copy/cut/paste functions, (in the beginning) no ability to install 3rd-party software and other complaints were made. Apple screwed up the recent MobileMe launch and was understandably lambasted for it. Like RIM, Apple has released several iPhone updates (firmware updates) since its inception. Let’s not forget that AT&T;has had their share of complaints about service reliability, coverage, and network speed. Also, I admit it took a couple of days to become completely comfortable with the clickable screen (and have since become a huge fan) but there were a lot of people who complained about the iPhone’s virtual keyboard when the iPhone was released. Yes folks, there were plenty of “issues” and complaints about the iPhone.
For the most part, MDN nails it on the head. 97% of the time I agree with MDN. However, this Blackberry bashing has become an obsession. I certainly think the 40-50% return rate reported in the above article is overly exaggerated if not blatantly false. I’m not suggesting MDN made that claim but they are quick to post these types of articles as supposed proof of the Storm’s supposed failure. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those Verizon friends I mentioned earlier have told me that the Storm has been a huge success, is flying off the shelves (for those stores that actually have the phone in stock), and is still in high demand (and back ordered). My friends admit some Blackberry die-hards have returned the Storm (because they couldn’t live without the traditional Blackberry keyboard) but they’ve not seen anywhere near the return rate quoted in the article above.
After using my Storm for a couple of weeks, I’m still happy. I agree the Storm doesn’t have the same charm as the iPhone but the Storm is a beautiful phone, works extremely well and its clickable screen is actually a plus. I’m happy with my purchase and I have no plans to exchange my Storm for another phone. Is the Blackberry Storm an iPhone “killer”? Probably not but I think it could potentially challenge the iPhone in a way that no other touchscreen device has. I’d love to have an opportunity to own an iPhone someday but until AT&T;improves its service and reaches the same level of reliability as Verizon’s or until Verizon enters a deal with Apple to carry the iPhone on its network, I’m sticking with Verizon and my Blackberry Storm.
Oh, and my sticking with my iMac too!!
:o)
How many people will be developing for the Storm?
Will you have apps like the following on your Storm?
Pandora
Briefcase
Fake-A-Call
Joost
Cameraman
TapDefense
Shazam
Remote
Flixster
SitOrSquat
AroundMe
oneConnect
RjDj Single
or the iFart
Is CoEngles a RIMM/BB plant?