Hi all,
Until recently I was a very satisfied owner of a PRS-505 bought the day they were released in the UK last year.
I used the reader every day, mostly for news feeds but also for leisure and work-related reading so it was being used around 2 hours per day. Anyway, a couple of weeks back after a bit of bedtime reading I place the device on the bedside table as usual - all working fine then. However when I switched the device on in the morning the screen did not fully display the text. Looking through previous threads on here it seems others have had similar problems with theirs.
The unit is still under warranty so I contacted Sony in the UK to arrange what I thought would be a straightforward warranty claim, the guy I spoke to on the phone from Sony gave me no indication otherwise. Ten days after carefully packaging the unit in a 4" deep cardboard box protected inside by foam (the type of box used to transports computer hard disks) I receive a receipt from Sony Central Services on which they state the item was received in a Jiffy bag and the the left, right, front, bottom, back sides were scratched and the top casing was damaged. No I acknowledge that after nine months regular usage the device might not be pristine, but there were no obviously visible scratches and the devices has always been used in Sony's soft leather case.
This morning I receive a phone call from Sony Service saying because the unit was damaged the repair would be chargeable. I said I did not understand their condition report and the item was sent well packaged in a proper transport box, not a Jiffy bag as stated. The representative told me that the term 'padded Jiffy bag' was general term and she confirmed that the unit was received in a box which was undamaged. She said that the service department said the damage was symptomatic of the device being dropped - it never has been. I then advised that I had taken a couple of photographs of the device showing the screen problem and just before I sent it off for repair that I would be happy to forward onto them.She then said she would refer the matter back to the service department for consideration and she would call me back to let me know what their decision was.
My question is, has anyone else had similar problems with Sony Service Central in Pencoed, South Wales as if this repair is not resolved quickly and under warranty I shall be referring the matter to the local Consumer Protection department. To add to my annoyance the Service Centre at Pencoed is just three miles from my home, so had they allowed it I could have taken the unit to them personally.
