Finally, I put back the battery, plugged it in and VOILA! It's now charging! Hope it works for everyone who's suffering this maddening problem. I didn't actually "bend" it, but merely moved it down very slightly toward the center of the port opening and let it spring back to it's original position. I couldn't use the plastic dental pick for this, as it was not strong enough to budge the metal tine. Perhaps a needle would work just as well, I don't know. Finally, I very carefully bent that thin little metal strip tine thingie down toward the center of the port opening with a metal dental pic (again, dipped in alcohol). Then I folded a paper towel into a small point and dipped it in alcohol and pushed it around inside the port to remove any oxidation on the interior metal within. Then I used a plastic dental pick to remove any dirt, fuzz or debris. Did some research and rather than buy a new battery or attempt to change the usb port completely, I simply tried to CLEAN the port. I thought I had over-charged my battery several times previously and assumed my battery was shot. Then it stopped functioning even with it being plugged in and would not take a charge. When I unplugged it, the battery would drop to 0%. My Blu stopped taking a charge and the only way I could use it was to have it plugged into it's charger, which would only sustain a 2% or 3% charge.