If you pay insurance every month on your phone also, I would suggest being very careful with Verizon and their insurance provider, Asurion. I'm on my fourth Blackberry in as many weeks, all due to the inept bungling of Asurion following the malfunction of my first phone.
I got the Blackberry Curve back in October as part of some Verizon deal because I "qualified" for "VIP Service," and the Curve was being offered at one third the normal price. Having started a new job as a producer, I figured being able to check my email on the move would be invaluable. So I did it.
Blackberries are designed to automatically 'lock' their keyboards once there's moisture damage. (There's a little sticker under the trackball that turns red if moisture damage occurs). What this does is essentially allow you to receive calls, texts, emails, etc. however prevents you from answering or retrieving any. My first Blackberry worked just fine for about three months. On the very last day of shooting our show, it crapped out on me. The next day I went to Verizon to figure out what was wrong. Moisture damage had caused the phone to cease operation.
Described as a "preventative measure" to me, the keyboard had 'locked.' I was instructed to pay a $50 deductible to Asurion and wait three days for my replacement to be shipped to me. This, despite there being at least a dozen brand new models of the same phone in the store that night. When confronted with this immutable fact, I was told that they had 'sale models,' not 'warranty models.' I was also told that basically I had three options:
1) Pay the insurance deductible ($50),
2) Purchase a brand new phone at full retail cost ($160) or
3) Cancel my plan with Verizon Wireless at a cost of $160 plus my outstanding balance (here's a hint, its not zero)
I paid the deductible. Three days later, the phone arrived. After that, it was another 12 hours (to charge the phone prior to activation) before I was with a working cell phone again. A
The first phone Asurion sent me was a refurbished phone, with dead keys (the "N" key refused to work), a faulty "SEND" key (I had to either press it repeatedly or hold it down in order for it to function) and a microphone which refused to transmit whatever I was saying. I had to use my hands-free headset in order to use the phone at all. Upon complaining about this, and insisting they send me a brand new phone, I waited another three days for the phone to arrive, another 12 hours for the phone to charge and was again with a brand new, (non-refurbished) working cell phone.
However, because Blackberries do not use SIM cards I had to re-enter all my phone numbers manually, myself. I was also expected to return both faulty phones to Asurion within fifteen days or be charged full retail price for both. Fun!
I mailed the phones back on Christmas day on my way to the airport. Within three days, phone number 3 was malfunctioning. I was told because of Asurion's policy, they would not be able to ship me a replacement until they'd not only received the first two phones (which, were still en route due to holiday delay with the US Post Office) AND once I'd sent the current phone (#3) to them via UPS so they could track it, effectively leaving me phone-less.
After much ballyhooing about how none of this was my fault, that I was in a precarious position being out of town and quite frustrated with how poorly the insurance company was handling the situation, and about how I definitely was expecting another new phone, I was emailed a label to take to UPS to mail phone #3 with.
The next day (per my request) a new phone arrived. 12 hours later, it was charged and activated. With only my family, my girlfriend, and my uncles' phone numbers on me, I hoped that the phone would at least hold out until I returned to L.A. so I could get my numbers from my old Razr or at worst, switch my number back to the Razr, which, ironically never gave me ANY trouble like this before.
My advice: Be very careful about the Blackberry. Check out the insurance plan for both phones and see what the company will do for you in case of emergency. Apple's Genius Bar would have solved this problem for me in one day had I been having this issue with an iPhone. Instead, I've been beyond stressed and out of touch with just about everyone I know, at a time when I'm job-hunting and traveling.
