T-Mobile offers $100 credit to BlackBerry users for upgrade
In an open letter to BlackBerry fans, CEO John Legere says he is disappointed with the breakup with BlackBerry.
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The spat between T-Mobile and BlackBerry -- which resulted in BlackBerry parting ways with the carrier -- was capped off on Thursday with an open letter by T-Mobile CEO John Legere and an offer for a $100 credit.
Legere expressed his disappointment in the breakup in a blog post Thursday, and reiterated his support for the BlackBerry fans.
"We hear you and stand with you," he said. "We always have and always will. So, obviously, we were disappointed in BlackBerry's decision this week to end their agreement with us."
In the blog post, Legere included an offer of a $100 credit toward a new phone for BlackBerry customers. That includes the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10, and doesn't require customers to trade in their phone. The offer lasts through the end of the year.
It's unclear whether the BlackBerry faithful will accept Legere's peace offering. The dispute began when an e-mail campaign to get BlackBerry users to switch to iPhones was made public, angering the small, but fiercely loyal BlackBerry base. It was enough of a ruckus that BlackBerry CEO John Chen expressed his own disappointment in the move.
After a botched attempt by T-Mobile to make nice -- in which T-Mobile offered a $200 credit for customers trading in their old BlackBerrys -- BlackBerry decided to cut ties with the carrier, noting that their strategies were no longer complementary.
Legere teased another promotion, and ended with an affirmation of his support of BlackBerry users.
"Stay tuned for another Un-carrier offer that gives you more value and even more reasons to stay with America's fastest growing wireless company."
BlackBerry declined to comment.