505 stolen -- help with serial identification please!

[kurtoregon]

Hi,

My relatively new (3 months old) PRS-505 was stolen yesterday when my house was burgled. They only took a few things; I guess the burglars have good taste, since they grabbed the ereader.

I didn't write down my serial number, but I do have the box with some numbers on the back with bar codes. I suspect that one is the serial number. Will someone with both reader and box please tell me which one? One starts with P-14839 and the other starts with S01-144. I'm guessing it's the latter.

Thanks for any help. Hopefully I'll either get mine back soon, or get insurance to help with another one. And if anyone sees one for sale with a distinctive polka dot cover let me know.

- Kurt

[Katti's Cat]

Ohhh - so sorry to hear that. Hope you get it back or at least can claim it through insurance.

I haven't kept the box so can't unfortunately check which is the serialnumber but on the back is a barcode with a number starting with 148 ... 15 digits in total. And that's the only number on the reader.

[dhbailey]

Kurt -- I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. Isn't the serial number recorded at your Sony Connect account? That's at least a possibility to check.

The numbers on my box, relative to the numbers on my 505 are as follows:
The number which starts P-148... is the first part of your serial number, only without the P and the hyphen and without the hyphen and the J which ends it as listed on the box (the letters on yours might be different). The second part of the serial number is the next number down on the box -- mine starts S01- then it has 7 digits and -H -- my reader unit has only the 7 digits in between the hyphens. So my serial number has 8 digits, a space, and 7 digits.

I hope this helps -- you don't by any chance have a brother in New Hampshire named Brian, do you?

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by kurtoregon

I didn't write down my serial number, but I do have the box with some numbers on the back with bar codes. I suspect that one is the serial number. Will someone with both reader and box please tell me which one? One starts with P-14839 and the other starts with S01-144. I'm guessing it's the latter.

How to find your Sony product serial number:.

Check the box or packaging of your new Sony product.
Find the UPC barcode.
Serial number beginning with "S01-" can be found below the barcode.

[kurtoregon]

Thanks for the help! I updated the police report with the serial number.

And in related news... the dumb criminals came back today to try for more! I wasn't home, but a neighbor watched them pull into my driveway and look around, and he called me. The crooks got nervous and left, but I called the police who pulled them over nearby and got their information. The police didn't have probable cause to search them, but we're working on it. I may yet get my dear 505 back. Stay tuned...

[kurtoregon]

Originally Posted by dhbailey

Kurt -- I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. Isn't the serial number recorded at your Sony Connect account? That's at least a possibility to check.

Thanks, I tried that first thing and the serial number doesn't seem to be available through the ebook library software or store. Might be able to get it from Sony directly.

I hope this helps -- you don't by any chance have a brother in New Hampshire named Brian, do you?

Nope, say hello anyway

[MickeyC]

Wow, the cold criminal mind. Be sure and let us know what happens. Stealing an ebook reader ought to get you the max in the slam.

[DoctorOhh]

Not that it matters but I don't see a serial number on my device anywhere. Under settings - about there is a 16 digit device number that is registered with the Sony store. This number should be unique to the device and could most likely be obtained from Sony or the software.

Just some info about what I did. When I flashed my device with the customizer I placed my named, email and phone number on the about page just in case it got lost or stolen (then pawned). I also have my name and phone on the main menu page. It says "Owned by Xxxx Xxxxxxx if found call xxx-xxx-xxxx" Hopefully I'll never be in a situation where this info will help.

Any luck with your items that were stolen?

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Not that it matters but I don't see a serial number on my device anywhere.

You don't have a barcode and number on the reverse of the device?
Mine is towards the bottom, well below the reset hole.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Patricia

You don't have a barcode and number on the reverse of the device?
Mine is towards the bottom, well below the reset hole.

I do have a barcode and a number but it is on a sticker, not likely to be of any assist in identifying the device after it is peeled off.

[kurtoregon]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Not that it matters but I don't see a serial number on my device anywhere. Under settings - about there is a 16 digit device number that is registered with the Sony store. This number should be unique to the device and could most likely be obtained from Sony or the software.

Just some info about what I did. When I flashed my device with the customizer I placed my named, email and phone number on the about page just in case it got lost or stolen (then pawned). I also have my name and phone on the main menu page. It says "Owned by Xxxx Xxxxxxx if found call xxx-xxx-xxxx" Hopefully I'll never be in a situation where this info will help.

Any luck with your items that were stolen?

Well, I am still struggling to get the device registered as stolen with Sony so that they can track it if someone tries to authorize/deauthorize etc. At first this seemed like a routine thing to them: I provided the serial number, my ebookstore info, police contact info in case they got any leads, etc. Then they said I needed to fax a copy of my receipt to verify ownership. I tried, but it turned out that the number they gave me was not even a fax number. I called back, got a new fax number, tried it, and it worked (the fax was sent). I called back the next day to confirm receipt of said fax, only to be told that I had faxed my info to a repair facility and that they have nothing to do with stolen items. Four days and three phone calls later I finally got a third fax number, which I used today. I will call tomorrow to verify receipt.

BTW, according to Sony the serial number is a combination of the two numbers on the box sticker. Combine the digits after the P- and after the S01-, and leave out trailing letters. 505 serials start with 148 and are 15 numeric digits long.

My device also has custom firmware with my name and contact info in the About screen. That will help with honest finders of lost goods, but probably not with burglars! Might help me get it back if it shows up at a pawn shop, though.

Sadly, it seems that my solid lead (generated when a suspicious vehicle came back and parked in my driveway two days after the burglary) is not panning out. Looks like it was just a coincidence; the suspicious car was seen in my neighborhood (on a dead-end street) three days before the burglary, on the day of the burglary, then two days later when they pulled in my driveway, but the driver seems to have a reasonable explanation for his trips to my neighborhood. He has no police record, his parents and girlfriend vouched for his honesty (and lack of new gadgets suddenly appearing at his house!), etc. Back to square one. A kid living next door has a juvenile criminal history of possession of stolen goods, and he's known to have stolen a bike and other items from neighbors in past years. Time to start working on him...

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

I do have a barcode and a number but it is on a sticker, not likely to be of any assist in identifying the device after it is peeled off.

I think that you'll find that this is the serial number.

[itzmeigh]

right but her/his point is that once that sticker is removed from the unit there is nothing else on (or in) the unit that shows the serial number. So if the thief removes the sticker then what...

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by itzmeigh

right but her/his point is that once that sticker is removed from the unit there is nothing else on (or in) the unit that shows the serial number. So if the thief removes the sticker then what...

Then it still shows up as your device when connected to the Sony Ebook store. No one else can authorise the device until it has been de-authorised from your account. This requires either a de-authorisation from your authorised computer, or an email to Sony.
Hopefully, any email to Sony ought to cause them to pick up the fact that this is a stolen device. But they do seem to be making this difficult for the OP.

[itzmeigh]

Oh I see what you are saying.