I am on my second BlackBerry Tour 9630. The trackball stopped working on the first one and was replaced by Verizon because it was still under warranty. Yesterday the x/8 key fell out of my second Tour. I don't abuse my phone. I keep it in the case.
I went to the Verizon store this afternoon and they can do nothing, other than selling me a new phone, since it's no longer under warranty. They gave me the card for a phone repair store, and I went there. It would cost $85 to fix the phone. I could get a new phone for less than that.
I have never had a phone break--ever--which is why I do not purchase the insurance. I should not have to use insurance to fix a defective design anyway.
There is no way to contact the BlackBerry department of RIM by email. I tried to send an email RIM and I got a response saying they would not even accept the email.
If you are thinking about purchasing a BlackBerry, think twice.