BlackBerry® Curve™

[jingleby]

I have recently got a new Blackberry Curve device from the Vodafone store. They have attempted to link it to my hotmail email address but cannot do so as they are being asked for a Blackberry password and username which I do not have.

Can you assist?

[sdgardne]

Hi and Welcome to the Community!

It is quite sad that the seller of both your device and your services is so untrained as to be unable to do this. Very sad.

Please clarify exactly what credentials are being requested...there are several possibilities, and I cannot tell from what you've said which is correct for your situation. The choices, as I can see them, are:

• Device Lock Password -- user created password to secure the BB from use by anyone without the password
• BlackBerry ID -- user created credentials to link the BB to the users BB ID account, which provides access to a number of features and functions
• BIS credentials -- user and/or carrier created credentials to access your carrier-provided BIS system, which is what is required for email integration

So, with those, which exactly is being prompted for? Please be very explicit, with the complete and exact content of whatever is on the screen when these credentials are requested. Also, if you try to put something in the fields, the exact and complete result, error message, or whatever happens when you do that.

Thanks and let us know!

[jingleby]

It says Enterprise Activation - enter details provided by your system administrator in the fields below. Email and Activation Password.

I want to link up my hotmail address but when I enter my hotmail address and password and then press Activate it says Activation request failed.a service connection is unavailable.

[sdgardne]

Unless you are on corporate/BES, you should not be anywhere near the Enterprise settings. If all is correct, then you should also see on that initial screen Personal or Internet email, which is where you configure non-BES email accounts.

But, to use the proprietary BB services (including Push email capability, BBM, etc.), you must have an adequate data plan from your carrier. The carriers host BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) for their BB users. Typically, BIS is not available via generic data plans. Many carriers call what is necessary The Blackberry Data Plan. Whatever they call it, it is the carrier who delivers BIS to their BB users -- contact them for assistance. Once you have a Push-email enabled BIS-capable data plan on your BB (at whatever fees your carrier will charge, btw), your BB-proprietary services will function (e.g., you will have Personal/Internet Email added to the email setup wizard, your BBM will function, etc)

You need to talk to Vodafone again...but this time, find someone who actually understands how BBs work. They can do it, you just need to find the right person.

Good luck!

[jingleby]

Hi I have tried again at Vodafone and the problem is with the BlackBerry ID.  The phone is asking me for credentials to link the BB to the users BB ID account. As far as I know, I do not have a username and password for blackberry.  The guy in the shop attempted to reset the password and used by email address as ID and this did not work either.

Please can you assist? 

[sdgardne]

Well, if that is the case, then no one else can actually help...the BB ID is not created by your carrier nor anyone at RIM...it is created by the end user, and only they know their credentials.

Then again, if there are already BB ID credentials associated to the BB, then those must be used...otherwise, a device WIPE must be done in order to create a new BB ID account and associate it to the device. But, we'd know more about if that is the situation if we knew the error message you get when you attempt to enter BB ID credentials.

As for the poor inept guy at the shop...I fear he is not actually fully BB trained. He should have escalated to someone at Vodafone who is BB trained, because this is likely a very simple thing that they can (and, indeed MUST) fix.

Consider -- who do you pay for your services? You pay Vodafone. As part of that, they are responsible for delivering your services as well as all of your formal support. Indeed, if there is something wrong in their system, only they can look at that...no one here has any such access. All we can do is take the information you provide and give you our best guess as to what is going on...but we can't see anything official "behind the scenes". Further, they (Vodafone) can escalate cases to BlackBerry if further help is needed...but end users cannot bypass their carrier and directly seek any help from BlackBerry, as that would actually be violating the contracts to which all parties are bound.

My best advice, therefore, is that you seek out someone at Vodafone who is actually BB trained...I suspect that, for some reason, your BB is already associated to a BB ID, and you don't know those credentials, and the device WIPE will be needed so that you can create a brand new BB ID for your use. But, again, a properly trained Vodafone person would know this stuff in an instant. And, being able to actually "see" your device as well as "see" their system, they should be able to diagnose and fix this quite quickly. But, not that poor guy you've been dealing with...for he seems to not have the right training. After all...consider...he let you walk out of the shop without fixing anything, yet you still are paying them for your services...not the best level of support, IMHO.

Good luck!