MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Help Me Return This Kindle Paperwhite to its Rightful Owner

HaggisMacJedi · 11-07-2012, 05:58 AM

End of the story:

I spoke with Amazon SEVERAL times trying to get it back to the original owner, and YES, it was an exercise in futility. The last 3 reps I spoke to said I could either keep it and use it via side-loading, but that it would NOT ever register (the last rep actually recommended I just keep it), recycle it, turn it in to the cops, or return it to the seller. I asked them if there was ANY way to get it back to the original owner, and they all said NO.

So I managed to get in touch with the seller from Craigslist, and he knew nothing about how Kindles/Amazon/etc work, so I scared him into giving me my money back by using the following terms: Blacklisted Kindle listed as lost/stolen, I've contacted my attorney for advice on the situation, I have friends in law enforcement, I've contacted Amazon about this Kindle with serial #_ _ _ _, have a copy of your Craigslist ad with your phone number, etc. So he gave me my money back, and I gave him the Kindle back.

Oh, and to whoever wanted to know how much I paid for it... $40, LOL! The ad said he wanted $100 OBO, but it was listed as a Kindle Fire that originally retailed for $159 (and the picture was of a Kindle Paperwhite), so I managed to talk him down to $50 when I called him on the carpet on that one and he realized I knew more about it than him. Then when we met in person the battery was dead as a doornail so I showed him $40 cash and said take it or leave it. I had a USB charger for my car so I saw that it was taking a charge and not dead.

As to how I knew it was blacklisted: when I tried to register it, the response from the unit was "Internal Error" every time I tried to register it. When I called Amazon about that, I was honest and up front about how I obtained the unit, gave them the serial number, and that's when they told me the situation. When it was all said and done, Amazon did give me a $10 credit for trying (which I thought was nice of them at least), which I used to buy the Lord of the Rings trilogy ebook for my Kindle Fire HD, I got my $40 cash back, and the seller got the device back.

When I left him he was scared to death he was going to get in trouble (he was visibly shaken) and he said he was DEFINITELY going to send it back to Amazon. I don't know if he really will or not, but I've been checking to see if it's gone back up on Craigslist and it hasn't. I feel like I did all I could to do the right thing, so I have a free conscience on the outcome.

While it was nice of Amazon to give me the $10 credit, I am VERY disappointed that Amazon didn't just say, "Send it back to us with a shipping label we'll send you, and we'll make sure it gets back to the original owner if a replacement hasn't already been supplied, or at least let them know it's been found." Whatever though. Obviously it isn't cost effective for Amazon to do that or they would have. I just hope the original owner got a replacement unit.

11-07-2012, 05:58 AM	#14
HaggisMacJedi Zealot Posts: 130 Karma: 1145527 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 4, iPhone 4	End of the story: I spoke with Amazon SEVERAL times trying to get it back to the original owner, and YES, it was an exercise in futility. The last 3 reps I spoke to said I could either keep it and use it via side-loading, but that it would NOT ever register (the last rep actually recommended I just keep it), recycle it, turn it in to the cops, or return it to the seller. I asked them if there was ANY way to get it back to the original owner, and they all said NO. So I managed to get in touch with the seller from Craigslist, and he knew nothing about how Kindles/Amazon/etc work, so I scared him into giving me my money back by using the following terms: Blacklisted Kindle listed as lost/stolen, I've contacted my attorney for advice on the situation, I have friends in law enforcement, I've contacted Amazon about this Kindle with serial #_ _ _ _, have a copy of your Craigslist ad with your phone number, etc. So he gave me my money back, and I gave him the Kindle back. Oh, and to whoever wanted to know how much I paid for it... $40, LOL! The ad said he wanted $100 OBO, but it was listed as a Kindle Fire that originally retailed for $159 (and the picture was of a Kindle Paperwhite), so I managed to talk him down to $50 when I called him on the carpet on that one and he realized I knew more about it than him. Then when we met in person the battery was dead as a doornail so I showed him $40 cash and said take it or leave it. I had a USB charger for my car so I saw that it was taking a charge and not dead. As to how I knew it was blacklisted: when I tried to register it, the response from the unit was "Internal Error" every time I tried to register it. When I called Amazon about that, I was honest and up front about how I obtained the unit, gave them the serial number, and that's when they told me the situation. When it was all said and done, Amazon did give me a $10 credit for trying (which I thought was nice of them at least), which I used to buy the Lord of the Rings trilogy ebook for my Kindle Fire HD, I got my $40 cash back, and the seller got the device back. When I left him he was scared to death he was going to get in trouble (he was visibly shaken) and he said he was DEFINITELY going to send it back to Amazon. I don't know if he really will or not, but I've been checking to see if it's gone back up on Craigslist and it hasn't. I feel like I did all I could to do the right thing, so I have a free conscience on the outcome. While it was nice of Amazon to give me the $10 credit, I am VERY disappointed that Amazon didn't just say, "Send it back to us with a shipping label we'll send you, and we'll make sure it gets back to the original owner if a replacement hasn't already been supplied, or at least let them know it's been found." Whatever though. Obviously it isn't cost effective for Amazon to do that or they would have. I just hope the original owner got a replacement unit.