Chat with Kobo about the white dots to see what they said - love the "Have you tried any type of reset to your device?" question...
Kobo: Hi, my name is Marta M. How may I help you?
Me: Hi - I bought an new Aura. It has bright white spots on the screen - I think it's a fault.
Kobo: I apologize for any inconvenience caused. I will be more than glad to assist you with that.
Kobo: Can you please verify the email address for your Kobo account and what country are you chatting from?
Me: .......@....com UK
Kobo: Thank you.
Kobo: Have you tried any type of reset to your device?
Me: It's a problem with the coating on the surface of the screen letting light through. Resetting wont help.
Kobo: Can you please take a picture of the device?
Me: It's kind of hard to take a picture of it because the light spots are small - they are bright dots. Is this the first time you've heard of this problem?
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Me: The photo isn't great. It shows one white dot - but there are more.
Kobo: Where and when did you buy your device?
Me: I bought it today from WH Smith.
Kobo: In that case I would recommend you to go back to the store and ask them to replace the device for you.
At least I now have a registered case with Kobo I can refer to WHSmith with if I get any problems refunding.