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This seems like the kind of thread that will pop up easily whenever a user searches the forum for info, so I'll hijack the conversation a bit (sorry, everyone) to point out something.
The "contact the customer service and they will remove the ads for free!!!" thing is something can happen in the US, possibly in the UK as well from the reports I've seen, but does not necessarily apply if you come from other countries. It is not Amazon's "general" policy. For example, you cannot remove the special offers on Kindles that are bought in Japan: there is no option in the Devices menu, and contacting the customer service does not work either. I had to deregister it, re-register it to my Italian account, and then contact the customer service who did not offer to remove them for free but simply guided me through the steps to pay the required fee. I've never heard of any Kindle user from my country getting the ads removed for free either.
Mobileread as a forum has a vast majority of US users, and US users are obviously not going to be aware of Amazon's policies outside their own country (not a complaint, just a statement). So if you come from another country, ask and make sure what you read applies to yours too. Another misconception I've often seen is that 'books on Amazon are cheaper!' and that is an advantage to be considered when buying Kindles, but this, too, depends on US laws and does not apply everywhere. In some countries -- like mine -- the publishing houses set the price and the discounts, not the retailer; so books will cost the same and will be discounted at the same time on all platforms, Amazon included.
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