[paf0]

I have had my blackberry 8800 for two weeks and it now has a dead usb port. It will no longer talk to my computer and it won't charge off the wall charger or the car charger. USB = DEAD, no?

I bought this unlocked off EBay. I am a TMobile customer and it is Cingular branded. I called RIM first, they said that I had to talk to my provider. So I called TMobile. They said that they didn't sell it so they don't have to support it. I called RIM back, they said they will fix it for $190 as an "out of warranty" repair.

I have not called ATT/Cingular. I'm assuming they won't fix it because I'm not a customer. Is that not the case? I don't care if they give me a locked phone back because it's likely I can pay someone to unlock it.

Has anyone dealt with this sort of thing before?

[JSanders]

paf0, sorry for your troubles, no fun at all.

Your retailer is the seller on Ebay. That is your first line of defense. Cingy and TMo really aren't responsible as they didn't sell you the device, and RIM doesn't retail them, only to the carriers.

[takeshi]

That is the downside to unlocked devices being used like this. Getting warranty covered work can be really tricky.

[paf0]

Originally Posted by takeshi

That is the downside to unlocked devices being used like this. Getting warranty covered work can be really tricky.

yeah, looks like it's going to be tricky. haven't heard back from the ebay guy and doubt that i will...

i love the RIM warranty:
---
All BlackBerry® smartphones purchased from Research In Motion (RIM), or an authorized RIM dealer, come with a one (1) year limited warranty.
---
It means that they can ship defective hardware and then decide not to fix it if someone resells it. I just want to point out that when my unlocked Treo broke, Palm fixed it for free. They even shipped me a new one overnight and I simply shipped the broken one back.

I write software for cellphones for a living. I like having unlocked phones so I can test data service response on different carriers. BB data plans make my other phone's data not work when I move the sim and now the BB itself doesn't even work. I will probably get this fixed and once again be able to test my stuff outside of the emulator. However, I am extremely soured on the blackberry experience and wouldn't consider buying another if not for all the suits that have them. [/vent]

[JSanders]

You may just want to get it repaired... such as:
http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...lp-please.html

Since you work in the cell phone industry, then, you understand that you made the gamble to purchase from Ebay, and from a seller who is obviously not trustworthy or reputable. Caveat Emptor.

It is not an issue with RIM, regardless how much you want to make it such.

[rsnadel]

This is really no different than any other merchandise...especially in the technology field. Canon only provides warranty service to the original purchaser (assuming that the camera was purchased from an authorized dealer). And by the way-- how would RIM have any way of knowing how their device was treated by the person/company you bought it on Ebay from (particularly if that seller isn't an authorized dealer)? For all RIM knows, it could have been stolen.

[RoC1909]

While I have no idea about RIM's policy, I would make sure to look and see if the warranty is transferable. Also, did the person you bought the phone from give you the ORIGINAL receipt from when they purchased it?