Blackberry Phones and Services in India

[Berj79]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Is this plan available to all ? Its almost half the price !

Any annual plans for the 299 thing?

I'm sure people have tried 299 + 99 work arounds by fidling with the APN etc, any luck this?

any info about this will be awesome, is the annual plan only for corporates? or is it for the consumer too?

[faithless_1984]

any info about this will be awesome, is the annual plan only for corporates? or is it for the consumer too?

I was told by the vodafone people that the 899 plan is only for corporate clients.
I got the rs 299 plan activated (Email and chatting) and wanted to use Vodafone live for my browsing needs but even after sending the activation request/sms 2-3 times the service has still not been activated.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Is it 1099 or 899? Rs.899/month plan if paid annually is Rs.6999 including all taxes. It works out to Rs.588 or something per month.

Originally Posted by bhp

7K including taxes..

you can pay annually on vodafone for blackberry? can you confirm this?


btw guys just got back from the us and the best way for unlimited blackberry usage is tmobile. buy a flexpay card with some 600 free minutes and unlimited texts + the unlimited blackberry plan, it all adds up to $80. after 2 weeks i cancelled my account and got $40 back.

[RuffRyder]

Guys,

I guess Airtel has a loooong way to go, before they provide services what the customers reallly need. Their service is really super bad when it comes to pre-paid connections.

Did anyone also experience horrible customer service from Airtel lately?

[Ardy]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

you can pay annually on vodafone for blackberry? can you confirm this?


btw guys just got back from the us and the best way for unlimited blackberry usage is tmobile. buy a flexpay card with some 600 free minutes and unlimited texts + the unlimited blackberry plan, it all adds up to $80. after 2 weeks i cancelled my account and got $40 back.

I had called up Vodafone to inquire about the 6999 annual plan. First the associate had refused to divulge any information stating that he does not have the details on his system and that I would have to visit a store to know more. On insisting on speaking with someone superior, he came back to me stating that the plan exists with the features as that of 1099; however I would have to visit a store to get more details and activation.

I may visit a store if I come across one on my way and inquire more accurate details. Will update accordingly.

Cheers.

[anilkalvani]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Got the code for unlocking the 'EightFiveTwoZero'.

Thanks, will try it tonight on mom's 'EightFiveTwoZero'

Originally Posted by RuffRyder

Guys,

I guess Airtel has a loooong way to go, before they provide services what the customers reallly need. Their service is really super bad when it comes to pre-paid connections.

Did anyone also experience horrible customer service from Airtel lately?

Yes, i had a harrowing time to get the 299 Personal Plan installed on Mom's 8520. Their help line is pathetic to say the least & after innumerous visits to their Relationship Center's, emails and helpline conference calls, they activated the plan.

OT
But Vodafone is no better. Had a long time dispute with them, they had overcharged me by Rs. 2,711/-, threatening me by emails and calls that they will go to court. They charged me wrongfully for data while roaming when i was in Singapore a year back & i had switched off the phone for the two days i was there and was using a local Singtel card. Finally today they settled the case, through their recovery agent, i paid Rs. 500 cash to their representative, swallowing my ego to close the case as they were just mentally harassing me & i do not have the time to go to court.

In a nutshell, all of them are the same, some may know more or less, but they're all out to shortchange you & to make money.

[pulsar56]

Originally Posted by anilkalvani

Thanks, will try it tonight on mom's 'EightFiveTwoZero'

Just a word of caution, if you had bought the BB from Airtel (locked), unlocking would void your warranty. If not, there is no need to worry.

Also, Forgot to mention in my previous post - An active Airtel (working) SIM is needed for the process.

[anilkalvani]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Just a word of caution, if you had bought the BB from Airtel (locked), unlocking would void your warranty.

Shucks, thanks for telling me, it is under warranty. But it will work even after a year right?

[pulsar56]

Originally Posted by anilkalvani

Shucks, thanks for telling me, it is under warranty. But it will work even after a year right?

Even the BB which was unlocked with that code is under warranty from the Mobile Store. The warranty gets void (as per Airtel t&c) only if you buy directly from Airtel and unlock it within a year.

Unlocked ones are available in the market easily and the warranty is covered by the respective dealers. (This code is used by these dealers who unlock the phone before selling)

@One Year - No idea! That's too long to say!


BTW, is there any way to remove the Airtel Logo which splashes on the screen during boot-up?

[mohit]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Got the code for unlocking the 'EightFiveTwoZero'.

Go to - Options -> Advanced Options -> SIM
Once the SIM Options is open, type 'MMM' 'EEE' 'PPP' 'DEE'
The options displayed on the screen will change now.
Now HOLD ALT and type 'MMM' 'EEE' 'PPP' '222'.

A small popup will appear where you have to enter the below code(numbers) and press ok (trackpad) :
Two Three Five Nine Five one Zero Three Nine Two Zero Six Nine Seven two Three

Since this code is only known to the operator, I am not using the exact letters so as to finding this post will be difficult! . (Use only the underlined characters)

The first sequence is standard for unlocking any BB but the second (number) sequence could be phone specific. Maybe someone can try and confirm.

[nisarg86]

Originally Posted by Ardy

I had called up Vodafone to inquire about the 6999 annual plan. First the associate had refused to divulge any information stating that he does not have the details on his system and that I would have to visit a store to know more. On insisting on speaking with someone superior, he came back to me stating that the plan exists with the features as that of 1099; however I would have to visit a store to get more details and activation.

I may visit a store if I come across one on my way and inquire more accurate details. Will update accordingly.

Cheers.

They do have 3999 and 6999 Advance Rental BB Plan for 6 months and 12 months respectively.
I have activated 3999/- and it is working smooth on my tour. speed is better than normal GPRS Plan.

[Ardy]

Originally Posted by nisarg86

They do have 3999 and 6999 Advance Rental BB Plan for 6 months and 12 months respectively.
I have activated 3999/- and it is working smooth on my tour. speed is better than normal GPRS Plan.

@nisarg86, Thanks very much for the confirmation.

I think I will also get my advance plan activated, though currently I am using my unlimited mobile office (Rs 99/month) in tandem with BB299 plan.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Ardy

I think I will also get my advance plan activated, though currently I am using my unlimited mobile office (Rs 99/month) in tandem with BB299 plan.

Thats what I am trying to figure out. How did you get it to work?

So you can browse and use 3rd party apps in addition to using bbm etc?

If so then why would you want to pay more for the annual pack?

[bhp]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Is this plan available to all ? Its almost half the price !

yes available to all...

Originally Posted by Berj79

any info about this will be awesome, is the annual plan only for corporates? or is it for the consumer too?

it is for consumer too...

Originally Posted by akshay1234

you can pay annually on vodafone for blackberry? can you confirm this?

yes on vodafone...

my friend recently activated this annual unlimited package from vodafone but he also paid 1k as activation charges...dont undertand why did they charge that...

btw i am a loop mobile customer and sadly they dont have such annual packages and i pay around 1.1k per month for unlimited usage..

[Ardy]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Thats what I am trying to figure out. How did you get it to work?

So you can browse and use 3rd party apps in addition to using bbm etc?

If so then why would you want to pay more for the annual pack?

@Sahil, you will have to set-up the APN in the advance options for the mobile office. However, the standard BB browser can not be used. You will have to installed Opera for browsing. With respect to the 3rd party applications, I do not think all of them work. I had FB1.6 initially which worked perfectly, but since I upgraded to FB1.7 I am unable to connect.

Also, in my case, I have both Vodafone Live as well as Vodafone Mobile Connect (VMC). I have put in the details of VMC in the APN setting. Its just been 10 days since I have got my BB299 plan activated which was around the corner of my billing period. I have noticed some charges against data in my bill post BB activation. I am not sure if it relates to Vodafone Live or VMC. I think it relates to Vodafone Live. I am going to watch for a month or two more before concluding.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.