Unable to send email from BlackBerry – “Transaction error – failure at service”

Warning! Out of date content.

This part is about more serious problems regarding sending mail from the BlackBerry devices.

When a single user gets the “Transaction error - failure at service” when sending an email message from the BlackBerry it will probably be a case of double or outdated servicebooks. For instance: a recently re-activated BlackBerry that wasn’t wiped beforehand or a user account that was switched to a different BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) but the BlackBerry smartphone never fully received or processed the new servicebooks. Solutions are deleting the servicebooks containing references to the incorrect BES or just a re-activation of the BlackBerry smartphone.

Another possible cause for this error, on the user level, is an updated primary email address of the user mailbox while the BES has not processed this change yet.

If several users are receiving the “Transaction error - failure at service” you should suspect a more serious problem. Now you should be thinking along the lines of missing permissions of the service account on Exchange or issues regarding the SRP ID (the unique ID for the BES in the RIM network).

We recently used a license key/SRP ID on a BES which was already in use on an existing server, effectively knocking the already running server off the RIM network. In this case we had more problems than only sending mail (nothing really worked anymore) but one of the clear symptoms was the failure at service error when sending messages from the BlackBerry.

KB01655 article “Transaction error - failure at service” appears when an email message is sent from the BlackBerry smartphone describes all possible causes and solutions.