Blackberry Storm and Curve - be careful!!

I have the latest Blackberry Curve from Vodafone. It is a very
impressive telephone, everything (almost) works beautifully; the
camera, GPS navigation, email, wireless connection to internet (and
the 3G connection), voice dialling (even that works!), MP3 player
(although I can't get songs I purchased from the itunes store to
download to it). The telephone sound is nice and clear. The software
to transfer data and settings from my old Blackberry was simple and
effective. I have not checked the Blue-tooth connection nor the video
player.

The battery life with all the features on is very short (roughly a day
without many phone calls) so I have wireless and blue-tooth disabled.

However, where it is not working so well is that I have never been
able to receive any telephone calls nor receive nor send text
messages, and I have not now for 6 days since the phone was switched
on. Apparently, this is because the number port from t-mobile has
become stuck part way through, meaning neither this phone nor my old t-
mobile blackberry work.

Apparently, a very large number of people have been hit by this
problem (see one here with a different handset:
http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=11449). It does seem
to be unique to t-mobile and Vodafone, and I have been told that it is
just where numbers were previously ported from O2. Although I have
been told all sorts of interesting and inconsistent stories during
this process and have learned not to believe what either Vodafone or T-
mobile staff say.

Most can not post on the Vodafone forums as they can't get access
without a working handset

Interestingly, that post reported problems dating back to 16th
November. My port was started 21st November, so Vodafone, which knew
there was a problem at least as far back as 16th November, kept on
porting people, cutting off their telephones, regardless.

So I would ask the following:

1. what are t-mobile and Vodafone playing at?
2. why didn't Vodafone check the porting was working properly before
their huge Storm advertising campaign?
3. why did Vodafone continue porting numbers (instead of just leaving
people on their old service for a few days) when they knew there was a
problem?
4. what is Ofcom doing about this clear breach of their own
regulations?

And if you want one of these nice new Blackberry Storms, I suggest you
just wait until Vodafone have themselves sorted out.

hamish wrote on 27/11/2008 :
> I have the latest Blackberry Curve from Vodafone. It is a very
> impressive telephone, everything (almost) works beautifully; the
> camera, GPS navigation, email, wireless connection to internet (and
> the 3G connection), voice dialling (even that works!), MP3 player
> (although I can't get songs I purchased from the itunes store to
> download to it). The telephone sound is nice and clear. The software
> to transfer data and settings from my old Blackberry was simple and
> effective. I have not checked the Blue-tooth connection nor the video
> player.
>
> The battery life with all the features on is very short (roughly a day
> without many phone calls) so I have wireless and blue-tooth disabled.
>
> However, where it is not working so well is that I have never been
> able to receive any telephone calls nor receive nor send text
> messages, and I have not now for 6 days since the phone was switched
> on. Apparently, this is because the number port from t-mobile has
> become stuck part way through, meaning neither this phone nor my old t-
> mobile blackberry work.

So, nothing to do with the handset type, then.

>
> Apparently, a very large number of people have been hit by this
> problem (see one here with a different handset:
> http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=11449). It does seem
> to be unique to t-mobile and Vodafone, and I have been told that it is
> just where numbers were previously ported from O2. Although I have
> been told all sorts of interesting and inconsistent stories during
> this process and have learned not to believe what either Vodafone or T-
> mobile staff say.

Last week, on one day alone, T-Mobile had 1700 failed ports of this
nature.

>
> Most can not post on the Vodafone forums as they can't get access
> without a working handset
>
> Interestingly, that post reported problems dating back to 16th
> November. My port was started 21st November, so Vodafone, which knew
> there was a problem at least as far back as 16th November, kept on
> porting people, cutting off their telephones, regardless.

T-Mobile have cut off your phone, not Vodafone.
Almost EVERY day, porting issues from T-Mobile crop up, and 3....the
other networks manage fine, in the main.

>
> So I would ask the following:
>
> 1. what are t-mobile and Vodafone playing at?

You & Vodafone need to put pressure on T-Mobile.

> 2. why didn't Vodafone check the porting was working properly before
> their huge Storm advertising campaign?

It does work properly, however, they have very little control (none)
over how your previous service provider performs its duties.

> 3. why did Vodafone continue porting numbers (instead of just leaving
> people on their old service for a few days) when they knew there was a
> problem?

Erm, you might have noticed that you can dial out on your Vodafone SIM.
I repeat, it is T-Mobile that have stopped incoming calls working and
they are who you should direct this "why?" to.

> 4. what is Ofcom doing about this clear breach of their own
> regulations?

Dunno. What did they say when you asked?

>
> And if you want one of these nice new Blackberry Storms, I suggest you
> just wait until Vodafone have themselves sorted out.

You mean T-Mobile.

Those are very interesting comments. So it is nothing to do with the
handset, but a failure of T-Mobile's porting system.

I spoke to T-Mobile today, it is all numbers that were originally with
O2, they do not have a solution to the problem and they have no
forecast on when they will get a solution. They also refused to turn
on my old T-Mobile phone.

It seems to me that T-Mobile have a liability issue: using Jono's
number of 1700 phones cut off per day, and this has been going on for
at least 12 days, makes 20 000 people, more or less.

T-Mobile are in breach of their regulations so they have unlimited
liability for consequential damages. At an average of, say, £500/head
(because while there will be some people who have huge claims, for
many it is just an inconvenience) that makes £10 million in damages.
Plus whatever they have to compensate the other phone companies for
lost of revenue.

On Jono's other issues, Ofcom don't reply to individual complaints,
but if they don't address this issue I am sure that the Government is
more than capable of sorting them out.

And I don't think Vodafone come out of this looking very good:
thousands of people are having their phones cut off, and Vodafone says
and does nothing at all. Vodaphone kept on processing PAC codes
knowing that these people are going to have their phones cut off.
That is APPALLING.

hamish has brought this to us :
> Those are very interesting comments. So it is nothing to do with the
> handset, but a failure of T-Mobile's porting system.
>
> I spoke to T-Mobile today, it is all numbers that were originally with
> O2, they do not have a solution to the problem and they have no
> forecast on when they will get a solution. They also refused to turn
> on my old T-Mobile phone.
>
> It seems to me that T-Mobile have a liability issue: using Jono's
> number of 1700 phones cut off per day, and this has been going on for
> at least 12 days, makes 20 000 people, more or less.
>
> T-Mobile are in breach of their regulations so they have unlimited
> liability for consequential damages. At an average of, say, £500/head
> (because while there will be some people who have huge claims, for
> many it is just an inconvenience) that makes £10 million in damages.
> Plus whatever they have to compensate the other phone companies for
> lost of revenue.
>
> On Jono's other issues, Ofcom don't reply to individual complaints,
> but if they don't address this issue I am sure that the Government is
> more than capable of sorting them out.
>
> And I don't think Vodafone come out of this looking very good:
> thousands of people are having their phones cut off, and Vodafone says
> and does nothing at all. Vodaphone kept on processing PAC codes
> knowing that these people are going to have their phones cut off.
> That is APPALLING.

But it applies to all the networks, not just voda. It also doesn't
apply to all numbers. nor does it apply to all original O2 numbers.

They're hardly likely to say "hey, let's not do any ports until
t-mobile have their act together" are they?

Rest assured, it is very much in voda's interest to get the call
traffic on to their network, however, I will re-iterrate, they have no
control over t-mobile's ineptitude.