Blackberry without a Data Plan

[6136000]

I recently contacted Verizon to use an old blackberry on one ofmy lines and they would not activate it without a data plan. initially theysaid it was a restriction from RIM but after contacting RIM, RIM said it wasnot them that had never restricted any phone. I therefore called back VZW andthey put me in touch with a senior Supervisor and they changed their story andsaid that it was VZW's own rules not to activate a blackberry without a dataplan. when I asked if they had something in writing , they said they did not.

anyone with an idea or perhaps the gusto to initiate a classaction please advise! 

[nmchileman]

No class action suit needed. There is a contract between VZW and RIM that all Blackberry devices must be activated with a data plan. There's no way to get around that. Period. End of story. Go to AT&T and you can activate a Blackberry without a data plan, though it's limited to just a couple models.

[HMH]

You can contact RIM directly at 877-255-2377 and verify for yourself that there is NO such contract or any restrictions on their end. After verifying this with RIM I had a conference call with RIM and Verizon together and I spoke with a senior supervisor over at Verizon and he initially apologized for the confusion and for some of the junior VZW who said it was a restriction from RIM. He then went ahead to explain that it is for my benefit for not allowing the Blackberry to work without a data plan for two reasons 1) so that I should not have any overages if I took a pay as you go plan , and to that I responded that it like Lexus selling me a car that does not drive on curvy roads so that I should not have an accident.and I explained to him that I do not want ANY data plan I just wanted to use it as a phone and contacts and 2) reason was they want to give me the best phone for my service and and a Blackberry without data is not a good idea. 

I asked him if I was wasting my time with him to understand if he was capable of any changes and he said that he is calling me just as a courtesy and there is nothing he can do.

BIG BAD RED! 

[SaNDman]

Do you have a name of the person you talked to at RIM? I don't know, but experts said all the carriers have an agreement with RIM to include a data plan with the Blackberry devices they sell. The agreements are secret and RIM will never reveal it. The GSM networks used to give subscibers the data option on the Blackberrys, but not any more. Doesn't bother me because I use data!!!

[SaNDman]

RIM requires all carriers that sells Blackberrys to include a data plan, even AT&T. The thing with AT&T is if you put your AT&T SIM card into a Blackberry that you got from a friend or on-line or somewhere other than directly from AT&T, your SIM card will work for voice services. If you don't have have a Blackberry data plan, it won't work for data. Since Verizon is CDMA and Verizon devices have to activated by Verizon, you can't just swap to another device without Verizon's knowledge or assistance. (Are you sure it was RIM you contacted?) Hope this helps.

[Protege]

Don't want to sound rude but if you don't want a data plan don't get a blackberry.  There is ovbiously something in the background that RIM/Wireless Carriers have that require some type of data plan.  Even newer smartphones/PDA's require it as well now.  The only PDA I'm aware of that doesn't require a data plan is a palm centro/treo.  Good luck, hope you find a phone solution

[XtremeBerry]

Ahh the ongoing debate. Its pretty simple you use to be able to get a VZ blackberry without a data plan but when little johnnys mom bought him a blackberry and decided that he wasnt going to use data. Little Johnnys mom gets next months bill of 300-500 or higher she throws a fit to Verizon on how can this happen. Its simple, Verizon does this so you make sure you are responsible enough to have one of these phones and it keeps the little johnny's using an Env instead.