T-Mobile advised Sidekick users not to let their phone battery run out or to turn off their phone, but even some customers who followed this advice lost data and contacts. Approximately 800,000 users lost data from their phones, but that number could reach 1 million before the final count is released by Microsoft and T-Mobile. The data lost was not simply contacts, unfortunately. Customers lost messages, calendar events, lists, and even photos.
T-Mobile and Microsoft are working together to try and recover data for Sidekick users. While it initially appeared that all data was lost, it seems now that some customers will have their information restored.
T-Mobile says it will compensate customers who suffered permanent data loss with a $100 "customer appreciation card" that can be used toward the customer's bill or for T-Mobile products and services. This card is in addition to the free month of data service being given to all Sidekick data users. The company is also suspending sales of the Sidekick phones. On their website, the product is listed as "out of stock."
The incident has been troubling for T-Mobile. Events like this raise doubts in the minds of customers who trusted that their data was safely stored, and not only tarnish the reputation of the product, but the company, as well.
Microsoft and T-Mobile are scrambling to correct the problem, and doing all they can to ensure it will not happen again.
For some, the loss of their data was enough to send them to different wireless phone service providers, while others were satisfied with T-Mobile's compensation or the recovery of their data.
There is still hope for the recovery of contacts for users who suffered permanent data lost. Sidekicks are able to import data stored in the vCard format. Users can send vCard contact information to their "@tmail.com" address. From there, they have the option to import the files into their Sidekick contacts.
Customers are also encouraged to check their e-mail for messages with vCards attached. While this will not put everything back the way it was, it will give Sidekick users a list of names to begin rebuilding their contact lists.
In the current digital age, many people trust their technology without a second thought, but this event shows that even the most trustworthy company is at risk to lose data. While customers expect companies to back up their information for just such an occasion, perhaps the incident is a lesson for customers to back up their own data, just in case.
It is unclear what kind of financial impact the event will have for Microsoft and T-Mobile.
Posted October 13th, 2009 by Nicole Palmby
