General BlackBerry® Functions and Features

[Djarn]

I was in South Africa April this year, I got a vodacom sim card, registered for RIM services and all was good.

When I left SA and went back to UK, I had issues trying to get my RIM services to work on the UK network. I was worried this was because the phone was damaged.

However I've really needed this functionality so I called tesco and they said vodacom SA has not released my Blackberry PIN from their RIM services.

I contacted vodacom sa and now they want stuff like the exact dayI last recharged ( how the hell am I supposed to remember that? )

There's some other silly questions they are asking that I have no idea about, they want a username and password, something i never got anyhow.

The thing is when I was in the UK, before I visited SA, I had my RIM services working on that phone via Tesco mobile, I didn't have to do any of this when I went from UK to SA.

When I spoke to Tesco customer care they informed me that vodacom sa should have automatically released me from their network, so why should I resort to have to do all of this?

I bought this phone from Carphone Warehouse in the UK, I can go in there and prove I bought it from them if I have to, however I'm in the British Army and based in Cyprus currently, so I'd have to wait till I'm in the UK again.

This is very frustrating, I have this smartphone that has been reduced to the functionality of a normal phone, all I can do on it at the moment is call and text!

Please help with any advice.

[sdgardne]

Hi and Welcome to the Community!

Unfortunately, no one here in this user-to-user community can do anything "behind the scenes" to help your situation. What you have been told is accurate. One BB PIN can exist in only one carrier BIS system anywhere in the world at any given moment. When folks do as you did (switch carriers), there indeed is supposed to be automatic release/reinstatement of the BIS account on the carrier systems.

But, sometimes things go wonky...and this seems to be the case for you. Until the Vodacom SA system releases your BB PIN, no other carrier can create a BIS account for you. And, only the Vodacom SA folks can make that happen...so you must continue to work with them, providing what you must in order to convince them to release your BB PIN from their system.

Sorry, but there just is no other way. Even formal escalation to RIM (which either carrier could do for you) I think would not help as it's the Vodacom SA system that holds your BB PIN hostage.

As the most secure mobile devices available, there are various restrictions on the use of BBs, especially when it comes to cross-carrier activities. Sadly, the automatic processes for you failed, and you now need to convince a human at Vodacom SA to accede to your request.

Good luck!