BlackBerry has a simple message for customers: Don't worry about us.
The struggling phone maker hopes to combat some of the dire headlines about its business by placing an open letter to customers in 30 newspapers around the world on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. The letter repeatedly assures customers that BlackBerry isn't going anywhere.
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"You’ve no doubt seen the headlines about BlackBerry. You’re probably wondering what they mean for you as one of the tens of millions of users who count on BlackBerry every single day," BlackBerry writes in the letter, according to a copy obtained by the blog CrackBerry.com. "We have one important message for you: You can continue to count on BlackBerry."
The letter lays out what the company considers to be its strengths, including its security system, BBM messaging network and perhaps most importantly, the fact that it has "substantial cash" on hand — more than $2 billion — and zero debt.
In recent weeks, BlackBerry has revealed disappointing sales for its line of BB10 devices as well as plans to lay off 4,500 people and a tentative agreement to be acquired by Fairfax Financial Holdings.
"Our customers read a lot about BlackBerry these days, as we make the headlines quite often — this has created a lot of noise and confusion," Frank Boulben, the company's chief marketing officer, told Reuters in an interview about the letter on Monday. "We want customers to know that they can continue to count on us — we are here to stay."
BlackBerry did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
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