Kindle abroad - angst with Amazon

[Myng]

Hi there,

I am a brand new Kindle owner from Asia and already need advice due to Amazon putting my account on hold while attempting to purchase Gift Cards using a non-US credit card.

Here's the chronological order of the events:

1. I successfully purchased a Kindle 2 (using my non-US credit card and a US address) from my Amazon account.

2. Kindle is registered to this same account.

3. In order to obtain Kindle content, I, as with other non-US Kindle users, attempted to use the Gift Card route with Amazon. The problem is, my Gift Card purchase did NOT go through - Amazon wants to verify my (the same non-US credit card I used previously for my Kindle) by asking me to fax my statement over to them.

4. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to/can fax my statement over to the US just for the sake of the Gift Card. (Long story, but the gist is the credit card is supplementary card of my dad's and I don't have access to his statements!) I should have just gotten US friends to purchase Gift Cards for me.

5. The problem now is this: My Amazon account is on hold but my Kindle is still registered to it!

This brings me to my questions here...

Is it possible for me to DEREGISTER my Kindle without accessing my 1) Amazon account nor having 2) Whispernet (as I am not in the US)? Say, by using the factory reset button?

If using the factory reset button works to deregister my Kindle, would I still be able to register my Kindle to a NEW AMAZON ACCOUNT (which I can set up subsequently), considering that my OLD (and ON HOLD) Amazon Account still has my Kindle information registered on it?

Am I making sense?

Can someone help me before I break down and cry? I have only had my Kindle for 1 week!

Thanks in advance.

Myn

[rcuadro]

While you can tell your Kindle to deregister itself in the settings menu Amazon will not know since it cannot send the info to them since you do not have Wispernet. If you cannot access your account I think that your Kindle will be locked to that account for the time being.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Myng

Hi there,

I am a brand new Kindle owner from Asia and already need advice due to Amazon putting my account on hold while attempting to purchase Gift Cards using a non-US credit card.

Here's the chronological order of the events:

1. I successfully purchased a Kindle 2 (using my non-US credit card and a US address) from my Amazon account.

2. Kindle is registered to this same account.

3. In order to obtain Kindle content, I, as with other non-US Kindle users, attempted to use the Gift Card route with Amazon. The problem is, my Gift Card purchase did NOT go through - Amazon wants to verify my (the same non-US credit card I used previously for my Kindle) by asking me to fax my statement over to them.

4. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to/can fax my statement over to the US just for the sake of the Gift Card. (Long story, but the gist is the credit card is supplementary card of my dad's and I don't have access to his statements!) I should have just gotten US friends to purchase Gift Cards for me.

5. The problem now is this: My Amazon account is on hold but my Kindle is still registered to it!

This brings me to my questions here...

Is it possible for me to DEREGISTER my Kindle without accessing my 1) Amazon account nor having 2) Whispernet (as I am not in the US)? Say, by using the factory reset button?

If using the factory reset button works to deregister my Kindle, would I still be able to register my Kindle to a NEW AMAZON ACCOUNT (which I can set up subsequently), considering that my OLD (and ON HOLD) Amazon Account still has my Kindle information registered on it?

Am I making sense?

Can someone help me before I break down and cry? I have only had my Kindle for 1 week!

Thanks in advance.

Myn

Did you have 2 Amazon accounts set up? My understanding is that the Kindle is registered to one account (using a U.S. address) and the other (using your real credit card address) is used to purchase the gift cards and send them to the account with the Kindle (I'm in the U.S. so I haven't had to try this).

You need to find out why the gift card purchase didn't go through because you don't want to run into this problem again if you get access to your Kindle.

This may not work but maybe you can get a friend in the U.S. to try and register the Kindle to their account temporarily (you just need to send them the serial number). You may have to contact Amazon to let them know you've transferred ownership and can't access your account to deregister it (have them do it for you).

If it does work, set up your second account with a U.S. address. *Before* you register the Kindle, try to send a gift card to the account. If that works, then have your friend deregister so that you can register the Kindle to the new account.

If none of this works, you have to send the Kindle to someone in the U.S. and let them get you set up or return the Kindle.

Good luck!

[Myng]

Thanks for your replies. I've emailed Amazon to request them to cancel my Gift Card order and unlock my account. Will see what happens.

Has anyone successfully asked Amazon to de-register their Kindle for them as a result of a locked account? I am just afraid the more I email them, the more they flag my account and risk my never getting this solved amicably.

Very frustrating. But thanks again for the help.

ps: The "CC verification-account-on-hold" problem is apparently common enough for certain purchases using non-US credit cards (google told me so). For others with this problem, it is as easy as doing what Amazon requests - fax them the statement. It' just a hassle for me in this case.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Myng

Has anyone successfully asked Amazon to de-register their Kindle for them as a result of a locked account? I am just afraid the more I email them, the more they flag my account and risk my never getting this solved amicably.

I don't know. It's worth a try only if you feel comfortable doing it.

ps: The "CC verification-account-on-hold" problem is apparently common enough for certain purchases using non-US credit cards (google told me so). For others with this problem, it is as easy as doing what Amazon requests - fax them the statement. It' just a hassle for me in this case.

I'll do some googling and check this out. If you're authorized to use your father's credit card, maybe having him fax the statement with a note would help.

[Myng]

A lady from Australia over at the nerdgirl kindle tutorial page has had this same verification process slapped on her and she solved it by faxing a statement over.

In my case, I am definitely authorised to use the card (it is a supplementary card under my name, only the statement is sent to the principal card holder). It is more a matter of privacy as my dad would not want all HIS transactions on the same statement faxed to Amazon as well. I suppose I will get him to do that as a last resort, but I don't feel good exposing my entire family's monthly expenditure and purchases to Amazon.

Oh well, I'll just have to see if Amazon allows me to cancel the purchase and unlocks my account later. No replies yet.

Thanks for listening though!

[daffy4u]

What if you block out the information you don't want Amazon to see? Amazon probably just needs the address, name, credit card company and partial number for confirmation. If they need more, they can tell you and you can adjust accordingly.

[Myng]

Yes I probably would have to do that. Will wait for Amazon to reply my email first just in case they really did cancel my order as requested.

Honestly, it's not that big a deal - nothing life and death, but I was very frustrated and upset because the Kindle is definitely not a trivial purchase in terms of cost for me.

The lesson learnt though is that if I get my account back, I'll deregister my Kindle immediately and only register as and when I purchase books for it. Otherwise, it's as good as being held hostage.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by Myng

ps: The "CC verification-account-on-hold" problem is apparently common enough for certain purchases using non-US credit cards (google told me so). For others with this problem, it is as easy as doing what Amazon requests - fax them the statement. It' just a hassle for me in this case.

I don't understand it. I've bought books, DVDs and gift cards with a Spanish card, and no problem.

[Myng]

Well, I don't understand either. I bought the Kindle ITSELF with the same card. Maybe just a random check thing.

Anyway, if this doesn't get solved, I'll just give or sell the Kindle away to an American friend.

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I don't understand it. I've bought books, DVDs and gift cards with a Spanish card, and no problem.

[Mike L]

Myng,

Just to add to the advice other folk here have given you ...

First, I think you'll find that it's not your Amazon account that's on hold -- it's just the payment method. As far as I know, Amazon don't "hold" the entire account, but they can reject as specific payment for one reason or another.

The usual way to deal with the situation is to use an entirely different account and credit card to purchase the gift certificates.

If you haven't already done so, create a new Amazon account, with a different email address. Use that account to purchase a gift certificate, using a different credit card. The credit card does not have to have a US address (but make sure it has a genuine address).

On purchasing the gift card, choose the "Email a gift card" option, and enter the name and email address associated with your Kindle account.

Once you receive the gift card at the recipient's email address, pay it into your Kindle / Amazon account in the usual way.

This system has worked for me and many others, but you do need to be careful to keep your two Amazon persona completely separate.

Note that you can't use this system to pay for magazine subscriptions. If you try, your credit card (the one associated with your Kindle account) will be checked, and if the address you registered is not the one associated with the credit card, it will be rejected. But even so, that shouldn't affect other purchases.

[Mike L]

Just one further point ...

Even if you can't get the system to work, that's no reason to get shot of the Kindle. You can still use it with public domain books, including Mobi format books from the likes of Facebook, plus the whole of Guthenberg.

[JSWolf]

Why purchase a Kindle for use outside the US? Seems to me that all the hoops you have to jump through are not worth the hassle.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why purchase a Kindle for use outside the US? Seems to me that all the hoops you have to jump through are not worth the hassle.

Sure seems that way.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why purchase a Kindle for use outside the US? Seems to me that all the hoops you have to jump through are not worth the hassle.

Jon, as I recall you (and others) helped folks outside the U.S. who bought Sony Readers (when it wasn't officially available to them) jump through some hoops by purchasing gift cards for the U.S. Sony store for them.

You're being hypocritical.