Section 92. Register Your Device with StuffBak


92. Register Your Device with StuffBak

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

87 About BlackBerry Security


SEE ALSO

90 Protect Your Content

91 Safely Store IDs and Passwords on Your Device


You're probably familiar with the concept of a lost and found, where lost items are accumulated in one place so people can return later and retrieve the items. Lost and found is a popular service in restaurants , schools , offices, and other settings in the physical world. There is also a global lost and found in the virtual world that is in many ways more powerful than its real-world counterparts. A service called StuffBak enables you to register items and then hopefully get them back if you ever lose them.

The idea behind StuffBak is that you register an item with the StuffBak online service and then put a special decal on the item. If you lose the item and someone finds it, the decal contains detailed information about how to go online and report the item found, as well as how to get a reward. To make things even easier for the finder of an item, he doesn't have to pack the item or pay any shipping charges; there are numerous StuffBak drop-off locations (including all UPS Stores), as well as a StuffBak courier service that will pick up items.

92. Register Your Device with StuffBak


On the other side of the equation, the person who loses an item pays a fixed $14.95 fee to StuffBak to claim the returned item, plus shipping and an optional reward to the finder. Think about it this way: Would you pay $14.95 or more (shipping plus reward) to get your BlackBerry device back if you lost it? I know I would! To get started with StuffBak, all you have to do is purchase a starter pack for as low as $9.95, which includes six labels in a variety of shapes and sizes. Thus, you can protect your BlackBerry device and five other items.

1.
Visit the StuffBak Website

Registering your BlackBerry device with StuffBak begins with a visit to the StuffBak website, which is located at http://www.stuffbak.com/. Although you can navigate through the StuffBak website directly in the BlackBerry web browser on your device, I recommend using your desktop browser to make things easier. Either way, on the main StuffBak web page, navigate to the StuffBak Store and then navigate to Variety Packs .

2.
Order StuffBak Labels

The Variety Packs area of the StuffBak store includes several variety packs of labels you can buy to get started with the StuffBak service. Unless you have some other ideas of things you might want to register with StuffBak, I recommend starting with the PDA/ Cell Phone Pack for $9.95, which provides a couple labels for handheld devices and a key label you can use on your car/house keys. The cheapest option for getting started with StuffBak is $9.95, although you might want to order a larger pack of labels if you decide the service is worth it.

TIP

Just in case you're suspicious about me recommending that you buy a product such as StuffBak labels, I have no affiliation with StuffBak whatsoever. It's a truly unique service that I've found particularly useful to users of mobile devices, myself included.

After deciding on a pack of StuffBak labels, you must go through the checkout process to purchase the labels and initiate the order. As part of this process, you create a StuffBak account, which means you'll have a username and password you can use to log in and keep track of your StuffBak "inventory" of registered devices.

TIP

Consider storing your new Stuffbak username and password on your device using the Password Keeper application; see 91 Safely Store IDs and Passwords on Your Device .

3.
Affix a Label to Your BlackBerry Device

When your StuffBak labels arrive in the mail, find a label suitable for your BlackBerry device and affix it to the side or back of the device. I found that the back of the device on the outside of the battery cover is a good spot because there is plenty of room. Now that the label is affixed to your device, all that's left to maximize the chances of recovering your device should it ever get lost is to activate the label on the StuffBak website.

4.
Activate the Label

Navigate back to the StuffBak website at http://www.stuffbak.com/, and follow the Activate link from the main page. Enter the unique label number from the label of your BlackBerry device in the Owner field on the StuffBak activation page, and click Submit . Continue with the instructions to finish activating the StuffBak label and include your device in the StuffBak global lost and found repository. According to StuffBak statistics, you now have a 90% chance of recovering your device should it get lost.

5.
Report Your Device As Lost (If Necessary)

In the unfortunate event that you actually lose your BlackBerry device, keep your fingers crossed that it will be found, reported to StuffBak, and returned to you. You can boost your chances that your device will be returned by reporting the device as lost on the StuffBak website. From the main StuffBak web page, follow the Report Lost/Found link, and then continue by navigating to report my lost item . You'll need to log in using your StuffBak username and password; then you can enter information about your lost item.

The key thing that reporting a lost item does is allow you to offer a reward for someone returning your item. You can enter any amount you want as a reward, just keep in mind that it will apply on top of the $14.95 StuffBak charge for returning the item, plus any shipping charges. Even so, the prospect of getting a device back that is worth several hundred dollars, plus your datawhich could feasibly be pricelessis tough to put a hard value on. I recommend offering a $10 or $20 reward as a minimum to help improve the odds of getting a lost device back.

NOTE

In addition to any reward you might offer, any person who returns an item to StuffBak is automatically given a reward from StuffBak in the form of $20 worth of StuffBak labels. It's a clever way to build the StuffBak community and promote the service.




BlackBerry in a Snap
BlackBerry in a Snap
ISBN: 0672326701
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 149

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