What's the reliability like, and what is the warranty?

[coleman]

I know some people will have problems, that's unavoidable. But as a general rule I expect things to work. What are people's feelings as far as the quality/reliability of the reader? I'm about ready to get one, but I'm trying to decide if I should get an extended warranty(after having gotten bitten by the Xbox 360 problems last year I'm more cautious with expensive stuff).


Also, what's the OOB warranty? I didn't find it anywhere, but maybe I just missed it...
Thanks!

[KlondikeGeoff]

The Sony warranty is 90 days for labor and one year for parts.

I've had mine for six months, and nothing has gone wrong at all. It seems pretty robust and well made.

From reading all the posts here, there have been a few problems, a few with the screen, a bad battery or so, but seemingly not too many things have gone wrong.

Those who have had to send the Reader in for warranty report, as far as I can recall, pretty hefty labor charges.

Extended warranties are a dilemma. I steer clear of them myself, and "Consumer Reports" has for years advised against them for most things. As the Reader is new however, and the labor warranty is so short, it might be wise to get one. Like any insurance, it's great if you need it but you may feel remorse if you never do.

I dropped mine from a table to a carpeted floor once, once it slid off my car seat to the floor in a sudden braking situation, and once I actually sat on the thing when it was in an easy chair. None of these things hurt it (knock on wood).

[coleman]

Yeah I normally steer clear of warranties as a scam, however I think twice when it's a little bit pricier of an item and the replacement/repair costs can hurt.

[HarryT]

I have a habit of falling asleep while reading in bed, hence my Reader has, innumerable times, fallen several feet onto the floor. Does it no harm at all.

[Roy White]

OoooH Harry. I wasn't going to admit that i've done the exact same thing...

Never hurt it a bit.

If your going to buy one you should get it now. Sony is doing a 49 dollar sale. (You read it right) Get the Sony card and you get 299 bucks off thereader. At that price you don't need an extended warranty. Just get two readers.

[Dr. Drib]

...but then, I try not to sit on it.

I agree that the Reader seems very robust (at least, with my experience).

I carry it with me to Border's (where I bought it), and I'm always reading from it.

I read it everywhere. However, I have yet to drop it.

I've had 3 spontaneous resets, but everything was exactly the same afterwards. I've charged it about 8 times (or maybe it was 7) since I bought it toward end of the December of last year.

I don't buy warranties as I, too, see them as somewhat overpriced.

I keep wondering if Sony built it too well. That strikes me as a design flaw, to build something to last. They do have control of the "battery situation," so maybe they'll burn us all Big Time when it comes time to change batteries.

Don

[RWood]

I too have dropped my Reader -- from ~5-1/2' onto cement. No damage to the Reader, a little to the stock cover. I ordered the Pouch for it the next week.

Like the good doctor I do not buy warranties.

As for the unit being overbuilt, yes, I believe it is by commercial electronics standards. Given that the original units were built in small numbers (for a Sony product) it was easier to over engineer than it would have been to field complaints that the product broke a lot. I would expect future versions to offer more plastic and less metal.

[Nate the great]

I have only bought extended warranties for my laptop and my Sony Reader.

My laptop extended warranty cost about $250. It was worth it when my screen suddenly died. Parts and labor would have been at least $500.

In spite of the other posters, I see the Reader as fragile. All it takes is one spilled drink or one misplaced heavy book to kill it.

I think you should get the warranty.

[royalkay]

I have went through one reader. I really don't know how the screen broke, but I was on vacation and had it sitting by the shifter in the car. I read it at a rest stop about an hour before the trip ended, and when I went to read it at my destination, the screen was cracked.

I liked it enough that I bought another. This time I bought the accidental damage warrenty. (I wish I had bought it for the first one).

[dhbailey]

Originally Posted by royalkay

I have went through one reader. I really don't know how the screen broke, but I was on vacation and had it sitting by the shifter in the car. I read it at a rest stop about an hour before the trip ended, and when I went to read it at my destination, the screen was cracked.

I liked it enough that I bought another. This time I bought the accidental damage warrenty. (I wish I had bought it for the first one).

The extended warranty is just like any sort of insurance, it's a waste of money until you need it, and then it's a great thing to have purchased. The problem is that we don't have the ability to know when or if we're going to break whatever it is that we're buying the extended warranty for.

One thing is certain -- extended warranties is a huge profit center for stores and corporations, which means one very important thing: they take in far more than they spend for repair/replacement. That means that for most consumers, they're simply an extra amount of money that the customer gives the corporation and doesn't think twice. Yet if the product were offered for sale at the same total price (actual price plus extended warranty) even if it included a three-year full replacement warranty, that same consumer wouldn't look twice at buying it, they'd simply walk away without buying because it would be too expensive.

Bailey's first rule of commerce -- if corporations offer something for sale, they're somehow making a profit from it.
First corollary to Bailey's first rule of commerce -- if what is being offered for sale is protection, the odds of you needing it are close to zero, otherwise the corporations wouldn't make a profit from it.

[scottcstoness]

Originally Posted by dhbailey

The extended warranty is just like any sort of insurance, it's a waste of money until you need it, and then it's a great thing to have purchased. The problem is that we don't have the ability to know when or if we're going to break whatever it is that we're buying the extended warranty for.

On the other hand, the $45 for the two-year accidental damage warranty may be worth the peace of mind. I didn't know how much I was going to use the reader when I bought it (lots!) but I was pretty sure I didn't want to not have the choice because it broke...

Between the $50 in free books, the 10% off I got with the Borders card, and some Borders rewards $$$, I saved a lot more on the reader than the accidental damage plan cost, so it was worth it for me.

Of course, at the "apply for a Sony card and get one for $49" price point, the $45 accidental damage warranty seems pointless -- except that you'd have the reader and a 2-year warranty for under $100!! (and replacement cost might not be $49 when it breaks).

Cheers,

ScS

[JSWolf]

Not when, if. The Sony is not going to break unless you break it. I've not heard of any cases of the reader breaking that wasn't user caused.