After 1 month and very happy with my reader, it's broken!

Switched it on today and all I get are black lines on the screen. Tried a soft and hard reset and its not working still :(

Tried charging it, no use.

Gutted.

Anyone know how good B&H Photo Video are for returns?

Ouch, that stinks, Tenkian. :sad3:

If it's under warranty with Sony, and not caused by mishandling it (such as breaking the screen with pressure), I'm sure you can send it straight to them for repairs.

Hmm.. How long is the Sony standard warranty on a Reader anway?

I hope for you that being in the UK won't be too much of a hasle. And that you can still use the warranty! That is my main concern about being an abroad posessor of the device. I'm happy I have a rigid box to store it into.

If it's under warranty with Sony, and not caused by mishandling it (such as breaking the screen with pressure), I'm sure you can send it straight to them for repairs.

Hmm.. How long is the Sony standard warranty on a Reader anway?

Hope this helps.
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/PRS500_Warranty.pdf

I've just added that link to the wiki -- ought to have been added a while ago (D'oh!). Thanks, Karen!

you're welcome. I was trying to just copy the stuff but I guess with .pdf stuff you can't so went back and retrieved the link. I don't like .pdf LOL.........

Anh, PDF has it's uses, but agree in that I don't like the way folks seem to think that PDF is the solution to everything. Probably a case of hammer syndrome: when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. :shrug:

And a hammer and nail is never the solution for an eink screen. :D

Very astutely put, RWood. Very astute indeed. :laugh4:

So, what is a solution for a situation like that?

Get more tools, of course! :grin:

To make space and reduce clutter, I have started giving away paper versions of ebooks I now have; since I got the reader.

I know the ILiad had a...(hate to say this) failure rate, and that the reader has one also, but things will get better. Objects can always be fixed.

Remembering that eink is in it's infancy keeps my hopes up. :smiley2:

I mean what is a solution for Tenkian's situation...

Repairs, obviously. Finding a good soul, friend, family or connection in the States and have him be a contact to Sony is the only possible way.
How did you purchase your reader Tenkian?

From B&H Photo Video, it would seem. I'd think contacting them would be a good first step, but if it has to go back to the big "S" then, yeah, an agent or proxy would probably be the best approach. :sad:

As this thread is still going and looks like people are still interested in my misfortune, i'll give a quick update.

I applied for an RMA from B&H Photo Direct via email, i'm not spending ages on hold on an international call! They told me to contact sony.

I spoke to a nice helpful woman using Sonys web-chat support feature, she ran me through a few things, which I know would not work as I had already tried them. She confimed the unit was defective and gave me the site for repairs.
I tried to fill in the details for repair but it requires a US address and phone number.

I replied to B&H Photo Video and said that I spoke to sony customer support and they confimed the unit needed replacement.

I got a reply today from B&H photo Video with an RMA number and shipping details.

So after a bit of "ping pong" between sony and B&H Photo Video it looks like I am getting somewhere.

Off to the post office today to send the parcel back.

Off to the post office today to send the parcel back.

How much did it cost you to ship it back to the USA?
What shipping method did you use?

How are they going to send it back to you? Will they pay for it, or you?
I wonder how you are going to explain to custom guys that you don't have to pay tax for it when you receive a new unit or repaired one.

I know that you don't have answers for most of the questions yet. I am just asking for the future reference.

Thanks a lot for keeping us updated. This might happen to any of us in the UK (or any other country outside the USA).

How much did it cost you to ship it back to the USA?
What shipping method did you use?

How are they going to send it back to you? Will they pay for it, or you?
I wonder how you are going to explain to custom guys that you don't have to pay tax for it when you receive a new unit or repaired one.

I know that you don't have answers for most of the questions yet. I am just asking for the future reference.

Thanks a lot for keeping us updated. This might happen to any of us in the UK (or any other country outside the USA).

It has just cost me £18 to send it back using "Airsure". I had to send it with this method as B&H Photo Video requre parcel tracking. It cost me a little extra for the £200 insurance.

I have no idea about getting a new one sent to me, i'm assuming they pay for it.
I'm also hoping they put a receipt of some kind to say the item is a warranty replacement, so I don't get stung for customs again!

I'll let you know more when i get any more info.

I'm glad that B&H were able to step up for you, it sounds promising. Hope it stays that way! :nice:

So, after a week of having my broken Reader, BHPhotoVideo kindly shipped out a new unit.
It's currently gone through customs and I have a call from UPS. They want me to pay AGAIN for import duty as it's a new item. I explained that it is a warranty replacement but are having none of it.

I'm supposedly to go to my local HM customs office to sort it. I only have the receipt from the origianl purchase and have no receipt from the last time I paid import duty.

It's looking like i'm screwed and have to pay the import duty TWICE....... and I'm really pissed about it.

To summarise, the reader cost me £204, import duty £120 in total.

NOT IMPRESSED :angry:

How did you pay the import duty last time? If it wasn't cash, your bank or credit card might provide a record for you ....

It's looking like i'm screwed and have to pay the import duty TWICE....... and I'm really pissed about it.

To summarise, the reader cost me £204, import duty £120 in total.

NOT IMPRESSED :angry:

I mean come on now anyway, they know you had to pay it go get the first one .....what BS.

Gosh I am sorry to hear this........
Be sure to save this next receipt for import duty..... Just in case.....

Karen, they may well agree that the first one was paid. What they do not know is that this is a replacement and not another new unit. Since it is from a business they seldom allow it to be declared a "gift." I shipped a lot of stuff to my cousin when he lived in the UK and customs was downright nasty at times.

They can be real "hard cases" on occasions. Eg, many years ago I had a large box of data CDs shipped to me by NASA (I was a professional astronomer at the time). Even though scientific data is specifically "duty free" they held the box in customs for a month before deigning to tell me that they actually had it, and would only let me have it when when I paid duty on the US$400 that I'd paid NASA to have the CDs duplicated, even though the box was clearly marked "Scientific Data - No commercial value", and that the money I'd paid was for the duplication service, not for the actual CDs I was sent. B*****ds :grin:

How did you pay the import duty last time? If it wasn't cash, your bank or credit card might provide a record for you ....

Thats a real bummer becasue I had to pay cash as the UPS guy came on a Saturday and couldn't take a card payment as the office was closed.

Surely customs should have a record of me paying last time for the item. I have all the correspondence from BHPhotoVideo with RMA numbrs and so forth.

I'll have a dig around the customs website and see if there is a way I can moan about it.

UPS also ought to have a record of it, since they apparently collected the tariff....

I emailed Customs Enquiries......

Thank you for your enquiry, we endeavour to respond within 15 working days.

Didn't take you 15 working days to take my cash again though did it! muppets! :rolleyes:

Good luck in this. I am sure it will be worked out. They have to have records.

Well at least I have my $50 voucher for activating my reader. I missed out on this before.
All I need no is for me to get my cash back from customs and i'll be better off than before :p

Well at least I have my $50 voucher for activating my reader. I missed out on this before.
All I need no is for me to get my cash back from customs and i'll be better off than before :p

Don't let the voucher expire.............

It's looking like i'm screwed and have to pay the import duty TWICE....... and I'm really pissed about it.

To summarise, the reader cost me £204, import duty £120 in total.



http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageImport_FAQs&propertyType=document&columns=1&id=HMCE_PROD_008654#P56_7087

"...If I send goods to a non-EC country for repair and return, and they are under guarantee do I have to pay duty and VAT?

No. If they are under guarantee then you will be exempt from charges, however you will need to produce proof of your guarantee..."

:huh: :huh: :huh: