'One in five' considers leaving Blackberry

One in five BlackBerry phone users is considering switching to another supplier because of the service problems which hit millions of people this week, according to a study today.

A survey of more than 1,000 BlackBerry customers by shopping comparison website Kelkoo found that 19% are thinking about moving to another manufacturer, 42% will consider changing later and 8% said they have bought a new mobile phone already.

Kelkoo said that 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".

Research among another 3,000 people found that seven out of 10 who were planning to get a BlackBerry in the future admitted they would need some reassurance from the manufacturer as they would be put off by the recent problems.

Four out of five consumers said they were put off choosing a handset from a manufacturer that has experienced major service problems.

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."

PA