As the iPhone 4S launches today, Kelkoo’s research reveals the iconic brand is set to benefit from Blackberry’s problems this week 

• Following Blackberry’s service issues this week, nearly one in five (19%) existing users are thinking of moving manufacturer in the not too distant future, and 42% will think about it when they next change their handset. 32% stand loyal claiming Blackberry is the only manufacturer to offer the services they need^[1]
   
• Of those who are thinking about getting a Blackberry in the future, 29% would still go ahead and purchase one but 71% admit they could now be put off following the recent problems
   
• Nearly one in five (19%) existing business Blackberry users claim they lost potential new business as a direct result of the disruption and 9% will have to work over the weekend to catch up on missed work. 16% claim they were not impacted
   
• Of the 4,000 consumers surveyed, four out of five (79%) would be put off choosing a mobile manufacturer if they had experienced major service issues in the past
   
• In the event of major mobile service issues, over half (54%) would expect some form of compensation following the disruption, 65% would like to be informed immediately and 67% want regular updates  

Friday 14^th October 2011. With today’s launch of the iPhone 4S already boasting pre-orders of over one million, this week’s service issues could not have come at a worse time for Blackberry, giving users a tempting ship to jump to. In fact, in a survey conducted by shopping comparison website Kelkoo, 62% of consumers claim they would now opt for an iPhone above all other brands as a direct result of Blackberry’s service problems earlier this week. The issues left around half of Blackberry’s 70 million worldwide users without reliable access email, internet browsing and messaging services. 

Amongst the 1,075 existing Blackberry users surveyed, almost one fifth (19%) are thinking about moving to another manufacturer and 42% will think about changing when they next change their handset. 8% claim they have bought a new mobile phone already. 

Unfortunately seven in ten (71%) who were planning to get a Blackberry in the future admit they would need some reassurance from the manufacturer as they would now be put off following the recent problems. On the flip side three in ten (29%) respondents would still go ahead and purchase one. However, 21% of all consumers surveyed would still choose a mobile provider even if the manufacturer had experienced major service problems. 

The survey^[1] highlights that 79% of all consumers admit they are put off choosing a handset from a manufacturer that has experienced major service problems in the past. However, the good news for Blackberry is that because of RIM’s secure propriety email service, a third (32%) of Blackberry owners stand loyal claiming it is the only provider to offer the service they need. 

When it comes to dealing with customers on service issues, clear and regular communication is absolutely vital from manufacturers. 65% of all consumers state that they would like to be informed of a problem as soon as it happens and 67% would appreciate the reassurance of regular updates on what the provider is doing to resolve the problem. Just over half (54%) would expect to receive compensation, whilst 40% would like reassurance that the problems will not happen again. 

With a significant number of customers using their Blackberry for work, one in five (19%) confirm that they lost potential new business and nearly one quarter (23%) missed important meetings as a direct result of the service problems. Whilst nearly one in five (19%) admit that they felt completely lost without access to all the functions on their handset, 16% were fortunate enough not to be impacted by the issues at all. It will be a weekend of work for one in ten (9%) Blackberry owners who will have to spend their time catching up on missed work. A quarter (24%) of all respondents admit that the issues faced by Blackberry this week has highlighted that they are too reliant on their mobile phone for emails and access to the internet. 

Chris Simpson, Chief Marketing Officer at Kelkoo, said: “This week has been incredibly difficult for Blackberry users worldwide, however, Blackberry offers a market-leading product with a unique service, which nearly a third of consumers admit they will not find with any other manufacturer. As such, it has a loyal following and this will stand it in good stead to retain customers. Whilst our research highlights that some consumers intend to jump the Blackberry ship, it could be a very different picture in the coming months when this week’s issues become a distant memory.”

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Notes to Editors:

1. All figures taken from a survey of 4,000 consumers, 1,075 of which are existing Blackberry users. The survey was commissioned by Kelkoo and was undertaken by One Poll on Thursday 13^th October 2011.