Detwiler Fenton analyst Jeff Johnston reported that that "key retail partners have seen a significant increase in Z10 returns to the point where, in several cases, returns are now exceeding sales, a phenomenon we have never seen before." BlackBerry is balking at those claims, and, to prove that it can walk the talk, the Canadian device-maker will ask regulators in both the United States and Canada to launch a formal investigation into the matter. Although it did not provide specific figures, BlackBerry also said sales are "meeting expectations", which would allay concerns that the Z10 had a weak launch in the U.S.
What Else You Need To Know
- BlackBerry asserts that the report on the Z10's unusually high return rates of the Z10 was "deliberately purveyed for the purpose of influencing the markets."
- The Z10 was released in the U.S. by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in March, two months after a solid launch in Europe and Canada.
- ITG analyst Joe Fersedi said that in the U.S. the Z10 "started poorly and weakened significantly as the days passed."
- Adding to the negative publicity, a survey by research house Raymond James claims that 71.4% of respondents agreed that "nothing would get them to buy a BlackBerry," compared to just 31.3% saying the same thing for Android, and just 19.7% for the iPhone.
Other sources
It's worth noting that analyst comments are unofficial and should be taken with a pinch of salt, though we think they help portray what's happening in the market.- Jake Smith, Pocket-lint
Marketing. I haven’t seen the type of media blitz on television or elsewhere that Samsung and Apple typically use to promote their products.- Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM
- Phone Arena
- BlackBerry is on top of users' “won’t buy” list, suggests survey
- iPhone Download Blog
- BlackBerry tops ‘don’t want’ poll ahead of iPhone and Android
- Other
- More US Customers Are Returning The New BlackBerry Phone Than Keeping It, Analyst Report Says
- BGR
- U.S. BlackBerry Z10 sales said to have ‘started poorly’ with ‘returns now exceeding sales’
- Other
- Analysts tell of gruesome BlackBerry Z10 launch, more returns than purchases in the US
- Berry Review
- Analysts Claim BlackBerry Z10 US Sales are Shrinking & Returns are High
- GigaOM
- With negative surveys, high return rates, BlackBerry 10 software improvements may be on the way
- Other
- BlackBerry phones least likely to be bought, Raymond James survey says
- Dialed In
- BlackBerry denies abnormally high return rate for Z10 phone
- Fierce Wireless
- Analysts: BlackBerry's U.S. Z10 sales off to a weak start
- More...