14 DAY TRIAL // If you’ve already pre-ordered the BlackBerry Priv, the chances are that it won’t arrive at your door at the promised date because the Canadian phone manufacturer is experiencing problems with the device.
While some people have already received the Priv and everything is reportedly working fine, there might be a different batch of devices that aren’t running exactly as expected.
Sources close to the matter tell us that shipments of BlackBerry Priv are being delayed by up to 14 days because of “some internal technical issue.” While specifics aren’t currently available, we’re being told that BlackBerry cannot ship factory-unlocked Priv units, but will instead offer carrier-locked devices with unlock codes generated by BlackBerry.
There is no difference in terms of hardware between these devices, so they’re only tied to one carrier, but using the unlock code printed on the box should make it possible to connect to any mobile operator.
Customers are given the option to purchase the Priv with this unlock code printed on the box or wait for a few more days until factory-unlocked units are ready.
“Due to demand”
Interestingly, BlackBerry is sending out emails to impacted customers who aren’t getting the pre-ordered Priv model in time to tell them that the delay is being caused because of the high demand.
“This is a follow-up to the email we sent you on Friday to keep you updated on ShopBlackBerry PRIV pre-order deliveries. Due to demand, there has been a delay in shipping PRIV smartphones to some customers who pre-ordered,” the Canadian phone manufacturer adds.
What’s more, the company promises to ship all pre-ordered units no later than November 24, which more or less matches the delay that our source claims is being caused by internal technical issues.
Additionally, some of the users who have already received the Priv have reported all kinds of problems, in some cases the device getting broken down completely and failing to work at all. It’s not yet clear if these problems are in any way related to the announced delays, but they could be a sign that something’s indeed not going well with the BlackBerry Priv behind closed doors.
Update: we've received a statement from BlackBerry, who says that the delay occurred only because of the high demand. Here's the statement in full:
"Due to demand, there has been a delay in shipping PRIV smartphones to some customers who pre-ordered PRIV on ShopBlackBerry.com. We continue to ship orders and we expect all remaining pre-ordered devices to arrive to our customers no later than November 24. Customers will receive an email notification when their device has shipped. We apologize for any inconvenience. PRIV is also available for purchase through our carrier and channel partners in the U.S., Canada and UK."
