Did you receive a defective Kindle 2?

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

On my K1 I kept my *entire* library consisting of over 4000 books. I like being able to access any of my books at will. Why? Because I can. On the K2 I'm limited to internal memory so I can't carry even half my library.

That's a little deceptive. Those 4000 books weren't all on your K1; most were on memory cards. The same way, my 4000 books aren't all on my K2; most are on my computer.

[gbruno]

My Kindle2 arrived with a misaligned USB/power port. The central "tab" was not centered, but rather way too close to the metal base. This made it impossible to plug in the USB/power cord. Amazon is replacing it. Pictures here: http://www.rahul.net/abe/home/defect...dle/index.html

[pboss]

On my K1 I kept my *entire* library consisting of over 4000 books. I like being able to access any of my books at will. Why? Because I can. On the K2 I'm limited to internal memory so I can't carry even half my library.

Hehe, I'd say it's ok if you don't try to read all of them. For me, reading requires more commitment and focus.

[TallMomof2]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

That's a little deceptive. Those 4000 books weren't all on your K1; most were on memory cards. The same way, my 4000 books aren't all on my K2; most are on my computer.

The actual books resided on a memory card, however they were all listed and indexed in the Kindle's internal memory. Being able to search all that content was pretty neat.

[TellyH]

Hi all,
I am now on my third fourth Kindle (which I have not yet opened because I'm so discouraged by the entire process.) The first Kindle developed a faulty screen (text partially obliterated) after three months of usage. The second never did connect successfully to the Wispernet, and the third would not allow me to use the button to navigate (the "silver line" was totally missing.) After the third go-round, I actually asked for a refund. I am so tired of packing up the faulty Kindles and heading of to the UPS store, which isn't that close to where I live; however, they said that it isn't an option and that even though it isn't my fault that I keep receiving one defective Kindle after another, that's what I have to do either until one actually works or the year warranty runs out. I'm pretty disillusioned.

[kevindorsey]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

If 1 out of 100 Kindle 2s are defective, then it's expected that 1 out of 10,000 customers get 2 defective Kindle 2s. If they sold 100,000 - 500,000 Kindle 2s so far, it's not surprising that a small population of customers with multiple defective Kindle 2s exist.

The number is way beyond 1%. That would be an acceptable number for most product launches. The K2 launch had a very high defect rate, and its most likely in the double digits.

[sirbruce]

From evidence I've gathered since then, I agree. The sunlight fading problem seems to be the *most* common, and it stands to reason that many customers who have it aren't even aware of it. I suspect the defect rate on sun fading is as high as 20%.

[e2c]

I'm new here, and haven't yet picked an answer for the poll, due to the fact that I'm experiencing a lot of problems and also having difficulty with Amazon CS.

3 days ago, i called them about the following problems on my new K2:

1. Extremely short battery life
2. page turns hanging, sometime for 3-5 minutes at a time, or else unit freezing when attempting to use page turn functions (of all kinds)
3. Same for: bookmarking, highlighting and all other functions

In short, unless the Kindle's charger is plugged into a wall outlet and is actively charging, I have constant problems and the unit shuts down. It can't be re-activated until it's plugged in - sometimes for 20 minutes or more at a time. (This is *without* the wireless being on, BTW.)

3 days ago, i explained all this and was told that the developers needed to examine my device's logs; also that they would probably replace the K2 and that I would hear back within a little over 48 hours. I did hear back, but was told that the developers hadn't yet gotten to look at the logs.

Today I called and asked if I could get a replacement, because the device doesn't really work unless it's powering up via a wall outlet. The CS rep kept telling me that I had to wait at least 7-10 days for the developers to look at the logs, and that maybe then they would decided to replace it.

I more or less lost my cool after 10 minutes - not because the CS rep was bad, but because this really is terrible service and I couldn't (it seemed) either get transferred to the CS rep's supervisor *or* get any answer other than the one I'd already been given about the logs.

They are shipping a new unit to me, but (I think) only because I did get impatient with the excuses. I hate to sound unkind; I used to work in retail and have had my share of weird customer service calls and requests - the last thing I wanted to do was act like some of the people I've dealt with in the past.

But the excuses got to me - I mean, the device simply is not working properly and is pretty expensive. I would think that the developers would need to physically examine the unit to make absolutely sure that there was nothing wrong with it.

I wonder if others here have had an experience like mine?

[sirbruce]

I've never heard them say they need days to "look at the logs" first. If it's an esoteric problem, I can see that, but in your particular case, it's pretty clear the unit is defective and needs replacement. They're usually *very* quick to send a replacement if you have a physical problem with the unit. I don't think you should be upset; I just think you got off on the wrong foot initially with your desires.

[daffy4u]

e2c, it sounds like you still have the defective Kindle. Have you tried to reset it? Slide the power switch to the left for 15-20 seconds. That might clear up the problems you're having. If it doesn't, you still have a new one on the way.

[e2c]

If a reset was all that was needed, I'd never have called them.

I can't stress enough that I had a *lot* of difficulty in getting any response other than "it will take 7-10 days for the developers to look at the logs." Not sure why that happened, but it wasn't a good response...

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by e2c

If a reset was all that was needed, I'd never have called them.

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see any mention of a reset in your post. Sometimes it really does work.

[e2c]

It's a Kindle 2... I wish it was possible to do either true hard resets and/or reflashing at home, rather than having to return the unit to Amazon.

The built-in "soft" reset function simply didn't do anything for me, which I did explain to all of the CS people I've spoken with over the past week. When the unit locks up and shuts down, the only way to revive it has been via plugging it into the charger via the wall outlet. That's clearly not what should be happening. (it *does* work if all I want to do is clear the unit's screen and reset, but not when the unit starts malfunctioning.)

[sirbruce]

The reset function is a true hard reset. If you want to reflash, Reset to Factory Defaults should do the trick.

But none of those would solve what seems to be an electrical problem with your Kindle 2.

[e2c]

Agreed!