

Broken Kindles and Amazon's support responses - evan0202
http://www.brokenkindle.com/

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newhouseb
Back before I was an iPad convert I went through not one, but two, Kindles
that had broken screens (they used to be really flimsy if you didn't have a
bulletproof case) and Amazon dealt with it perfectly. Amazon never asked any
questions and always immediate shipped off a new kindle and return packaging
in both cases. I was completely stunned.

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Andrenid
Same here. I went through 3 Kindle 3Gs and each was replaced within a day or
2, including them covering all shipping etc (I'm in Australia), and each
without any fuss at all. Call them, explain that the screen broke, get a new
one a few days later.

Amazon's customer support is what turned me into such a huge fan of them. Even
if it's just a quick question I've always found them fast, knowledgable, and
friendly. A nice surprise compared to the "customer service" we're used to
here.

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binarysolo
I think that given the millions of Kindles sold, the one meager blog page of
complaints that dates from '09 is pretty much testament to how good a job
Amazon has done with their product and service.

*Disclaimer: I've had 2 broken Kindles (of 5 in the extended family) to date, both replaced without question.

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muyuu
Mine was replaced as well. Had serious physical screen damage which probably
would void the warranty of most products, but they took it anyway. I actually
called asking if they had special offers for former users and they offered to
replace it. And I had 0 book purchases to my name at that point, all I had
were downloads of my own.

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Tyrannosaurs
Kind of an aside but the post relates to a UK purchase and in the UK there's a
reasonable chance that Amazon are actually liable for a replacement under the
Sale of Goods Act.

Part of the SoGA states that things must be "fit for purpose" and it's not
uncommon to deem something that costs £150 and only lasts 13 months without
ill treatment as not "fit for purpose", regardless of what the warranty says.

The trick tends to be to read up on this and make it clear that you understand
your rights and that your claim is under the Sale of Goods act rather than
against the warranty or whatever. It's astonishing how many previously
intractable companies change their view when you calmly and politely explain
that you understand your legal rights and are willing to hold them to them
(which you can do very cheaply without legal representation through the small
claims court).

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meiji
Some of those seem to be people who damaged their kindles then got upset that
Amazon wouldn't replace them for free? Do they have the same approach if they
crash their cars I wonder...

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iletina
And the entire site has 6 complaints. Since 2009. And two of those got free
replacements.

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Tichy
The first post complains about Amazon asking for 50 bucks to replace a Kindle
outside the warranty. People will just complain, no matter what you do.

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k4st
My first DX fell off the bed and the screen broke. I called them up the next
day and my current DX arrived shortly after that. The most surprising thing
was the lack of any sort of return label for sending back my broken DX. Over
the years, I have been served well by Amazon so I have come to expect (and am
always relieved by) their good service (to me).

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ZeroGravitas
I wonder if Amazon's back-end is clever enough to flag big spenders and know
whether it's cost effective to send a replacement kindle.

It's a clever idea, but then if the information leaks onto the web people may
get pissed at the double-standard which to them may seem arbitrary.

