Dodgy BlackBerry- help needed!

GlamGemini

Hi

I'm new around here . But I often read the forums. Basically I need some help. Just recently I bought a refurb mobile phone, a BlackBerry 9780 from Entertainment Exchange in the Metro Centre.

I have never had so much bother with a mobile phone. It wouldn't work at all with any SIM card in, we are on GiffGaff goodybag with free texts etc, it kept charging for every text. If we try to ring out on it, we get weird foreign voice message. Even the whole family tried all their sims in with no joy at all.

So took the phone back in two weeks ago, basically four or five days after I bought it. Apparently you only have 2 days for a full refund, however nowhere does it state this at all in the shop on the receipt which I showed them. I pleaded for a refund, the phone is useless and I'm a hearing aid user and to be honest the in call volume was very low. The guy offered to take a look. After this he came back and said there wasn't a fault on the phone. I stated that clearly there was as I wouldn't be standing there had I had a perfectly decent phone that was working that I was happy with.

He wouldn't budge on giving my money back so I had to take the phone away again. When we got it home, it worked with my boyfriends SIM in, so we thought ok problem solved and he was going to have the phone. However, he has just taken the phone home with him, put his sim card in and all the same problems are happening again. The phone cost me £145 supposedly any network.

Now I don't know what to do, the phone is clearly not working. I'm thinking its dodgy, stolen, or ex contract or foreign phone or something. I don't know if I'll get any joy taking it back, clearly no refunds? Also I'm a quiet sort of person and find this sort of thing difficult.

Has anybody any advice as what to do? I only really bought a refurb phone because a couple of my family members have from purple gossip with no problems whatsoever.

Thank you. Any advice would be appreiciated.

grumbler

How much are you getting charged for a text? Can it be a MMS? If it's a normal text charge I don't see how it can be a handset's fault.

GlamGemini

grumbler wrote: »

How much are you get charged for a text? Can it be a MMS? If it's a normal text charge I don't see how it can be a handset's fault.

Well it is a normal simple SMS message, no smileys or anything that would make it an MMS message. We are on giffgaff and we have a goodybag as well entitling us to unlimited texts and free texts giffgaff to giffgaff. Being charged around 20p a text. When I mentioned this on GiffGaff forums and ask an agent, they were flabbergasted and had never heard of anything like it.

I cannot work out what on earth is wrong with the phone? If we try to ring anyone at all, we get a weird voice message in japanese or something.

chanz4

have you got the bb addon from giffgaff activated?

GlamGemini

chanz4 wrote: »

have you got the bb addon from giffgaff activated?

No we thought it was this at first and contacted Giffgaff and they said it should still actually work as a normal phone for calls and texts which it isn't. They said maybe it was a dodgy BlackBerry.

I also tried my Virgin SIM in and had exactly the same problems.

grumbler

GlamGemini wrote: »

...Being charged around 20p a text.

That's what I thought. A normal SMS costs 6p, not 20p.
However, a MMS doesn't cost 20p either. It's 16p.

The only 20p I see at http://giffgaff.com/index/pricing is mobile internet 20p per day.

Find out what giffgaff charge you for. If you are on £5 goodybag, then it's likely to be mobile internet and you are likely to be using the phone incorrectly (I am no expert in BBs).

GlamGemini

grumbler wrote: »

That's what I thought. A normal SMS costs 6p, not 20p.
However, a MMS doesn't cost 20p either. It's 16p.

The only 20p I see at mobile internet 20p per day.

Find out what giffgaff charge you for. If you are on £5 goodybag, then it's likely to be mobile internet and you are likely to be using the phone incorrectly (I am no expert in BBs).

With a BlackBerry you should just be able to use the phone as you would any other mobile, calling texting etc. You can add BlackBerry services, but you don't have to. I'm on the £15 goodybag, I have informed giffgaff on this and they had no idea what was going on at all. Its definitely not mobile internet as I have unlimited internet in my goodybag but I don't actually use it as I have sight problems and find a lot of fonts very difficult especially on a mobile phone.

I'm beginning to think its actually a dodgy phone that has been stolen or locked or blacklisted or something. I've never heard of anything like this at all. Like I say couple of my family members have blackberries, both refurb ones, with no problems at all, using the phones as you would any other, calling, texting etc.

I wonder if there's any way I can find out if the phone is blacklisted or something?as that would explain an awful lot.

GlamGemini

Has anyone had any joy from emailing this company? Apparently there is no phone number and nobody can contact head office and the only way is via email.

Also the guy said they could buy it back from me? He only offered about £75 I think it was, I was not amused with this as I had paid £145 for the phone and it was only four days later.

grumbler

Yes, email is the only way. Also, you can try their forum.

GlamGemini

grumbler wrote: »

Yes, email is the only way. Also, you can try their forum.

Oooh they have a forum? i didn't notice this!! Thank you for pointing this out.

Mind you, I feel another fob off coming if I email them. I feel its easier for them to fob off from the other end of a computer. Mind you, I got no joy at all out of the man in the shop. I am dreading taking it back again only to be fobbed off yet again.

I was half tempted just to sell it back to them for whatever, at least I would have some money and get rid of the useless phone.

PS. Edited to add: have looked for the forums, can't see anything, just the usual facebook, twitter stuff. Maybe they've removed them? Anyone got a link to the forums?

grumbler

http://community.giffgaff.com/
>> http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Help-Ask-the-community-got-stuck/bd-p/QA1