Verizon BlackBerry Storm Return Rate
Here’s the skinny on this situation… We had heard various return rates on the Verizon BlackBerry Storm from three (actually four, but we’ll discount the last one) extremely credible sources of ours. These ranged from 35-50% in some markets/regions. That is an absurdly high figure, folks. While we trust our sources, we wanted to continue to dig until we wrote up a post on it here. We let a publication quote us on that, because that is what we had heard. No harm, no foul. But we weren’t going to post on it here until we had 100% confirmed it.
Verizon Wireless hit us up and here’s what a Verizon Wireless official had to say: “The Storm has the lowest return rate of any of our PDAs and at this point in its life cycle, it has the lowest return rate of any PDA we currently sell.”
We’ll let you guys do all the talking. Own a Storm? Happy with it? Returned it? Know friends that are happy/returned theirs? Hit us up so we can get some good feedback and your thoughts on this.
I have been using The STORM since Launch. This is the best VZW I have ever owned. Most of the haters are Iphone Fanboys.
I now have used this phone for two weeks. I have not returned it, nor desire to return it. I have previously owned a Pearl, Curve, Nokia N95, Motorola Q. I love this phone. There are a few structuaral problems with the phone, but most of the problems are OS problems which can be fixed. Overall, this phone is pretty sound. I am sticking with mine.
@ Chris Taveras (#63)
“…the dam touchscreen moves around… I mean that is just plain poor QA, Yes the screen is suppose to move up and down butnot left right or wiggle around while im typing… Second the light bleeding thru the dam keys or sides of the touch screen…”
That’s what SurePress is you dimwit. It’s a glass screen. You can’t push glass. The screen has to be able to “float”. Hence the space.
“…Im no Ipone Fan but if apple, LG, HTC could figure that out why couldnt RIM…”.
Same thing. They don’t have a glass screen. Maybe iPhone does. But it’s not SurePress.
Just so you know, I’m a sprint 8330 curve user. Keeping my fingers crossed on a sprint iPhone. Or a different device with the blackberry application thing (can’t remember what it’s called).
Apple must have their PR people working overtime here!!!!
I have had no issues whatsoever with the Storm. It works great!
The update in software may have been the problem for most, but for build quality, its solid like a rock(oops!!! take that back, FORD sucks) solid like a diamond!!!!!!
I have a storm, not returning it. Mines not slow but 3 of my friends are and 2 are returning it. But i LOVE mine
I love my Blackberry Storm! Only one thing about it is that I wish I could tell it when I want to go landscape. When I turn it by accidental it goes back and forth.
I returned mine and went to an iphone 3G. I really hated leaving Verizon’s Network, but the storm definitely was not ready for primetime.
I had the Storm for 1 day…the end call button broke in half in during my third conversation, and got stuck between the screen and the buttons (what the ….!). I was looking forward to the phone, I am really disappointed, and have sent the rubbish back to Verizon. Re-ported my phone back to AT&T…and will keep using my pearl.
I am on my forth BB Storm. Love the device. I just have not had good hardware. Verizon has swapped them with no issues.
I owned the storm for 1 week and returned it. oh so many issues. First off I had a defective unit and the out rims of the screen were very hard. So I did the paper trick of course. My unit would constantly restart it self, for no reason , some times i would be texting and it would restart, viweing pics restart, just looking at the home screen restart it killed me. Then I updated it of course and guess what……… it didnt stop the frequency did lower it was doing it like once a day instead of two to three. lol. The speaker wasnt so good, and the sound quality through my sony head phones was horrible. Im back with my Curve 8310 with att, and the speaker on this on this phone is better than the storms.
That screen is great though, has much room for improvement, but they need to scrap that phone and try again. OH MAN! AND VERIZON PUSHING LINKS TO APPS ON THE PHONE, …… F**KING SUCKS. who wants verizon software, which is so expensive, its retarded. and why isnt visual voice mail free. Why is the iphone looking to good right now. Im a loyal crackberry addict, so I may just go for BOLD.
I returned mine <24 hours after getting it. Was coming from a LG Voyager.
“ted Said:
It’s awesome once you become antiquated.”
Sorry, that just struck me as funny. You have to become old and obsolete before you can enjoy this phone? Psst….Ted…I think it’s acquainted.
I got one on release date. I was one of about 50 at my local store that got it before they ran out. I Love it! Unless I got the only one that works, I don’t know what the hell all the complaints on this blog are about. I know 6 other people that have them and they all LOVE it. I’m not big on the conspiracy theories, but I think a lot of the bashing was coming from people that never owned one and made up lies that they had it and hate it. Probably people that kneel and pray to their iphones in the morning and they can’t bear to admit that any device is even close to as good as their deity! Get a life will ya.
Had it since launch… and love it. have not returned or exchanged and don’t plan to
returned mine after 3 days. this phone is crap if you are a heavy power user. Went back to my curve 8330, and ill never look back.
Storm is just another fanboy device like the iphone, with horrible functionality.
I was totally disappointed with the Storm. Very plastic cheap looking device. Keyboard absolutely sucks, camera sucked, missed WiFi while in my home and office, no decent apps, locked GPS (not paying $10 a month), music player sucked, video playback was nothing to get excited about with no video out! Browser is terrible. I returned it first week. The guy in the store did not look too surprised.
I was with Verizon for years. I bought an iPhone 3G and am very happy with the device and the AT&T network – NO DROPPED CALLS YET! Love the apps.
BB needs to go back to the drawing board and build a real touch screen phone. The Storm is nothing more than a phone with decent email. Smartphone? Give me a break! Junk Total JUNK!
My boss had his storm for about 24 hours before he promptly returned it for a curve, which was a good decision because the thing was horrible!
I picked one up on day one and its been fine. It keeps getting better and better everyday due to software companies releasing more Storm compatible products. It takes some getting used to but so does everything. I carry an iPhone 3G, HTC Touch Pro, and the Storm and depending on what I use most that day, the others seem to fall short and vice versa. I’m sure we’ll get more OS updates and it will get better and better. I don’t usually keep a phone more than six months (i’ve hit a record with the iPhone 3G) but I think I’ll stick with the Storm for a bit…now, where’s that Nokia N97…
@Paul. Great post! It really cracks me up when VZW launches a marketing campaign touting a device as an iPhone killer and then the VZW fanbois here get all bent when anyone compares it to the iPhone. I have the Storm because I am a curious and open minded when it comes to electronics. If this was going to be the iPhone killer you can be damned straight that I was going to own it. I want the best device, period. I live in a difference where AT&T and VZW are equally as strong so “the network” argument is moot for me. It’s all about the hardware.
With the Storm I can say that it has NO EVDO service in my house and the iPhone has full bars with 3G. This isn’t the case everywhere, but I don’t live everywhere so I don’t care what the coverage is in BFE. By the spec sheet alone, you’d think that Storm has it all. It actually has more in common with a Windows Mobile device. Lots of features that don’t work very well. It has a 3.2mp camera with flash, but the camera stinks. The flash only serves to wash out photos. Even a Kia looks good on a spec sheet feature wise but you can’t really compare the ride to that of a Lexus.
I would say that you need not even bother to compare this to an iPhone for a fail. Just put it up against any other RIM device for that. Typing out an email on this device is a chore. To do it accurately, if that’s even possible, is even more of a chore. This does NOT simulate pressing button. Pressing a series of smaller buttons, like on the Bold, is not the same as pushing a single big button.
And I wouldn’t take a few dozen positive reviews from the Storm fanbois as a favorable consensus on this device. Some of you seem to think that the posts in the forum is “proof in the puddin’” or something. The bottom line is the overwhelming response has been negative and the return rate has been through the roof. This was confirmed to me by a VZW corp store manager. She called the Storm disaster.
Anyway, this is just my opinion, which was point of the post, and an argument that can’t be won.
Seems as though by these comments the return rate to rentention rates are in favor of the latter (which includes me). I love the device and yea it takes some getting used to but what new technology doesn’t? People expected perfection out of the gate and that is what the issue was. If these numbers are any indication of actually user experiences then the Verizon guy is right.
I mean I came from a WM phone to the Storm (still think WM is a superior OS) but I love it, for now, until the next big thing comes out.
@ Marcus And if it isn’t VerizonTrolls posting on here then who would? What other carrier offers this phone? If you’re not on Verizon then it makes absolutely no sense for you to comment because you’re adding do the nonsense that a lot of people have returned the phone. Unless you have it or have had it (which would mean that you’re a VerizonTroll) then how can you comment? Makes no sense.
@ Bill – So because you have a very simplistic generic name does that mean that you are one of the names the Verizon heads are using to praise this phone? And I posted a positive comment, with a non-generic name so does that make me the exception??
Love it. I have the latest update and it still reboots randomly 2-3 times a day.
I’ve already had it replaced 2 time so I’m sure its a major OS issue
I got VZW to extend my return to March so I’ll tough it out I think/hope
My friend just returned his storm, because he “couldn’t type on it,” and I concur.
I own the Bold from AT&T.
I am VERY happy. The wait was worth it.
His phone didn’t turn out to be so exciting.
(Verizon really did have a sloppy launch)
I told him to update his firmware, and he said he did.
So I concluded that the firmware update didn’t help the overall UI.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to play with his phone after he did the update.
He randomly decided to go and return it.
I guess he got fed up and walked into the store.
Whatever the reason, he couldn’t get the storm to work.
BGR your report make sense.
Love my Storm! The launch was rough! You guys continue to forget the Iphone 3g dropped 10 calls a day the first two months it was out.. Talk about returns!!
I bought a Storm on Monday and like it much more than I thought I would. After making changes to the touch screen settings as recommended from some BlackBerry Forum tips (Key rate(fast), tap interval (100), hover period (100), swipe sensitivity (high, 6), it made a tremendous difference! I started loving the qwerty immediately. Even the gestures in the browser are easier for me. If you like Verizon network, it is well worth the effort to learn the tricks.