I’ve been having a few email issues lately. Mostly related to my Blackberry.

Sometimes, when I forward an email, random words (and even whole sentences) get cut up, deleted and garbled (or as one email said, rbld). It’s as if I’m writing in a bizarre IM-ish shorthand code.

So after checking with my office tech support, I finally called Rogers, knowing I’d have to commit a fair amount of time on the phone. But I was determined to weather the situation, accept my fate and not get riled up. And sure enough over the next couple of days, I had four calls and spent three hours attempting to upload, download, reload and resolve things.

And, I have to say the people at the other end were pleasant, funny and helpful. They concluded the issue was with my BB itself and not their network and they said I qualified for an upgrade – e.g. a new device at a discount. (A backhanded sales ploy or what?)

But a chatty rep from Sudbury rejigged my plan to save me money and offered me such a good deal that I couldn’t pass up the idea of getting a new BB Bold. She gave me the option of having it couriered to me (3 to 5 days) or, if I didn’t want to wait, I could pick it up directly from a Rogers store.

Being in Toronto and excited about a new toy, I opted for the latter. I went to a store near my office and discovered they hadn’t received their stock yet. No worries. Another Rogers outlet was a few blocks away. They, too, didn’t get their shipment and weren’t sure when they were going to arrive. Try back later, was all they could muster by way of help.

I was starting to lose my state of zen, but I didn’t give up…

An hour later, and completely un-Boldened, I returned to my office, frustrated and hot under the collar yet again.

I wondered if the bare shelves was a Rogers ploy to increase demand (a la iPhone). But there were no line-ups at the stores. Then I thought it’s more likely a logistical screw-up (so what else is new).

Either way, Rogers missed yet another opportunity to truly connect with their customers (rather than holding us hostage). And all they had to do was provide a simple update; communicate with their retail front-line.

I’m still waiting for my Bold but I’ll let you know what it’s like when I get it.

About Martin Waxman


Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, teaches digital strategy and social media at McMaster University, the Schulich School of Business, University of Toronto SCS and Seneca College. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.