Dubai: Kashif Shafiq, an Abu Dhabi-based reader, has been using the BlackBerry service for over a year. He commented on gulfnews.com: "My BlackBerry battery [normally] lasts for more than two days. After installing the patch my phone switched off automatically and the battery drained out. Will etisalat provide us with a new battery, free of cost?"
Amal, a Dubai-based reader, faced problems with etisalat's customer care centre, as she was give different solutions each time she called.
She said: "I lost all the data on my phone and am still facing the same issue. I think etisalat should be honest with their customers ... and inform them if they don't have a solution. Would they replace the battery for free?"
Max, a Dubai-based reader, said he bought a new battery - and then a handset - as he didn't know the patch caused the problem.
He wrote: "I thought the problem was with my phone. I went to buy a new battery which didn't help. Then I bought a new phone which worked fine until the new patch arrived. Then it was the same story!" On calling etisalat, Max was told to back up his data and restore it after formatting the phone.
"This did work. But now I have a battery ... and a new phone which I didn't need. All out of my pocket? Of course!" he wrote.
Jameel Ahmad, a Dubai-based reader, criticised etisalat's customer support for not giving correct information.
"I bought a BlackBerry Curve 8900 recently and started facing the issue a week ago. This is why I had to buy another set, which cost me an additional Dh2,000. When I called etisalat's support desk, they said that there is no warranty on the battery."
Readers are wondering how etisalat plans to patch things up. Mohammad, an Abu Dhabi-based reader, added: "Don't you think this is etisalat's fault? Don't you think they should fix this issue and shouldn't we all be compensated for this?"
