RIM starts offering trade-ups for BlackBerry owners
updated 01:45 pm EST, Fri February 4, 2011
RIM starts official BlackBerry trade-up program
RIM hoped to keep more customers loyal on Friday by kickstarting a new BlackBerry trade-up program. The offer lets users swap an existing BlackBerry for as much as $120 towards a newer model, such as a Style or Torch. As with sites like Gazelle, the value depends both on the individual phone and its working state.
Individual owners can exchange as many as five phones directly through RIM's website. Anyone trading in six or more phones has to get a quote from RIM itself.
The phone maker hasn't said why it's starting the program, but new trade-in plans from AT&T and Verizon's iPhone deal may have encouraged RIM to develop its own strategy to keep users loyal.
