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Netherlands: Blackberry users should be financially compensated for RIM outage

Dutch consumer organisation and Consumers International member, Consumentenbond, wants Research in Motion (RIM) to give financial compensation to Blackberry mobile phone users affected by the network problems last week, a spokesperson said.

Financial compensation

The organisation said that financial compensation would be better than the package put together by RIM. According to Consumentenbond, not all affected consumers are waiting with baited breath for free applications. The consumer organisation feels there should be a legal obligation for consumers to be compensated in case of a network dropout for products such as telephony and electricity.

Compensation with apps

Messaging, internet and other services were unavailable on the RIM network for three days last week in North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The company behind the popular Blackberry smartphone is offering "free apps worth at least USD100" available on the app store from today, Wednesday 19 October.

In a press release, RIM stated that the apps were being offered to users as "an expression of appreciation for their patience" and said the apps that were being offered would include (but are not limited to) SIMS 3 and Shazam Encore.

Comsumentenbond are not satisfied with the compensation offered by RIM, which also include one month free service and maintenance for business users.

Shares in RIM tumbled more than six percent on the NASDAQ after the free apps offer was announced.

Legal standing

Dutch Labour Party MP Martijn van Dam wants the Minister of Economic Affairs Maxime Verhagen to clarify what the government can and will do in the aftermath of the RIM network problems for BlackBerry devices.

Van Dam especially wants to know how the government views compensation for the extra costs consumers incurred because of the network problems. Van Dam also asked whether BlackBerry users are legally entitled to get compensation because of the RIM network issues.