PRS 600 JUNK

farmersteve · 12-29-2009, 09:44 AM

My wife bought me a PRS 600 for Christmas and the promised 100 preloaded books she was assured were pre loaded by the kind Waterstone staff who obviously can spot a techno phobe at 100 paces. They also kindly sold her a charger which is entirely unneccessary for a further £20.
Well with great excitement I opened my gift and lo and behold the promised books amounted to just 11, 4 of which were in german, 3 in french and 3 of the rest were only part books and the fourth a cook book!
I have since tried downloading as instructed and have had absloutely no joy although spending at least 2 whole days trying. I have then spent a further whole hour on the phone to the tec support and nobody could be bothered to answer.
So this morning I took it back to Waterstones in Bury St Edmunds and was refused a credit or an exchange for it. The manager is obviously totally unaware of the sale of goods act as was the central office person she rung and put me on to. They did acknowlkedge that there was a prolbem but said it was nothing to do with them.They said I should post it back to sony, yes right registered parcel post say, £20 at my expense to sort out their problem rarely have I experienced such poor quality service and I fnd it difficult to believe in this day and age.
I must say I found the barclaycard complaints service a far nicer group of people to deal with and have promised a refund the trouble is now do Waterstones want this book back? will they come and pick it up?
In the past I have felt a pang of guilt when I have bought on- line as I think it must be damaging the local retailers, well with this sort of service I wont have this problem again. Amazon have never quibbled anything always picked up returned goods they will get more of my custom
! other point about this reader without a backlight it is often difficult to use probably not helped by todays low energy bulbs

terekkincaid · 12-29-2009, 09:47 AM

Um, it sounds like you have an issue with Waterstones, not the 600 - I got mine at Best Buy in the US and it came with 0 books installed.

As for the screen, that's the trade off you make with all e-ink readers - it has crisper text than a computer/phone screen, but you need light to read it.

HarryT · 12-29-2009, 09:50 AM

Unless it was faulty, you don't have a right to return it, and I don't believe it is faulty, is it? You do if you buy on-line, but not if you buy in person.

It's a pity you didn't ask here when you were having problems - we could have sorted them all out for you. The PRS-600 is an excellent eBook reader. If you change your mind and decide to keep it, please do ask for help with whatever problems you're having - we have an excellent "track record" in getting people up and running!

drcjsnider · 12-29-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terekkincaid

As for the screen, that's the trade off you make with all e-ink readers - it has crisper text than a computer/phone screen, but you need light to read it.

Do you need a light to read it in all lighting conditions? I thought I'd read that reading in normal/office/home light was possible on the 600 without a book light...

HarryT · 12-29-2009, 09:58 AM

If the light's good enough to read a normal paperback, it's good enough for the PRS-600 - that's certainly my experience.

Dr. Drib · 12-29-2009, 10:04 AM

Waterstones FAILED to put the books on the Reader - not Sony.

The new Sony Readers COME with the 11 (or so) books in different languages.

This is indeed NOT a problem with Sony, but with Waterstones.

If you need a light, then I'm afraid ebook Readers are really not for you at this particular point in their evolotion.

Don

MerLock · 12-29-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

The new Sony Readers COME with the 11 (or so) books in different languages.

This is indeed NOT a problem with Sony, but with Waterstones.
Don

Agreed, if Waterstones was selling the reader and promising 100 pre-loaded books on it, then I would put the fault with Waterstones. To me, it would be like buying a computer that states windows 7 installed and it turns out it doesn't have an OS installed. Or perhaps, in this case, windows 3.1.

amjbrown · 12-29-2009, 11:00 AM

The Waterstones staff sound confused with the old 505 which came with a CD (not pre-loaded) of 100 out of copyright eBooks.

The good news is, all those, and many thousand more, are available right here on mobileread. Plus, if you are happy registering and commenting on mobileread, the actual process of getting those books onto your shiny new PR 600 is a breeze. And there are 100s of people right here who would love to help you do it.

As to the light, you are right, you do need a reasonable light source. However, you might not have yet realised that the PRS 600 has five different font sizes - the biggest can be seen by the light of the dimmest of modern bulbs!

Finally, I like my charger (although I use an old PSP one, and £20 is daylight robbery). However, I prefer to use it rather than USB charging, which has drained my battery if the computer has gone to sleep.

I hope you give it another chance - you will find the people here extremely helpful if you do.

Regards
amjb

MerLock · 12-29-2009, 11:06 AM

Somtimes I feel that Sony should be paying the people here for the support they provide to people with Sony reader problems.

omk3 · 12-29-2009, 11:11 AM

The strange thing is, I don't remember the 600 ever being advertised by waterstones as coming preloaded with a 100 books. That was the 505, which was accompanied by a cd with 100 classics (not preloaded though, just on the cd). I suspect the op had to deal with a confused and poorly informed salesperson (not a rare occurrence unfortunately).

It is often the case that the stores and the salespeople in them have only a very vague idea of the products they're selling. I have often gone into stores to ask questions about some product, finding that I'm actually much better informed than the people selling them...

Anyway, the 600 is actually a very good reader, regardless of the waterstones customer service, and mobileread is a helpful and experienced community that can help new users to get on the right track, so please ask here whenever you are confused before giving up!

farmersteve · 12-29-2009, 12:38 PM

Thanks for the comments
I was so enraged by the staff at waterstones
The law is quite plain that if it does not do what they sell it as, it should be iether refunded or replaced.
The problem is probably actually at the Sony end selling a high tech product through a bookshop rather than a specialist electronics dealer and then not giving the back up
I can understand a bookshop not refunding a customers money when it is quite obvious the book has been openend but they obviously need to train ther staff about the different issue with electronics
As another poster said if we had bought it on the net the distant selling act comes into play and we would auromatically been due a refund whatever
I do wish I had come across this forum earlier though and preferably before my wife had decided that it would be ideal for me for christmas

defizr · 12-29-2009, 01:24 PM

I've just bought a PRS-300. I downloaded the library reader software and used it to register my reader on the Sony site. When I registered I was offered 125 free classic books in a batch of 100 and a batch of 25. Perhaps you could try the same?

desertgrandma · 12-29-2009, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

If you need a light, then I'm afraid ebook Readers are really not for you at this particular point in their evolotion.

Don

Unless he wants to read in the dark or in dim places with no lamp nearby........

I'm surprised no one explained why the 600 has no built in light.

Its an e-ink reader, which makes reading on it about as comfortable as reading a paper book....no glare that many (not all) people complain about with backlit products.

There are lots of tiny, clip on lights available to take care of this problem. They work well, are inexpensive, and non-intrusive. Try this one.....and be sure to watch the video at the bottom to see what I mean.

http://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Bright-...2&sr=8-1-fkmr0

daffy4u · 12-29-2009, 02:09 PM

Hey farmersteve,

MobileRead has about 1/4 bajillion ebook classics you can download for free which were lovingly hand crafted by MR members. Try them, you'll like them. You even have your choice of formats.

Forget about Waterstones mess up and enjoy your new 600!

Kiwimick · 12-29-2009, 02:09 PM

If you register your reader at Sony.co.uk then that entitles you to download 100 classic free ebooks Dickens/Jane Austen /Oscar Wilde/Shakespear which i think waterstones was on about

12-29-2009, 09:44 AM	#1
farmersteve Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS 600	PRS 600 JUNK My wife bought me a PRS 600 for Christmas and the promised 100 preloaded books she was assured were pre loaded by the kind Waterstone staff who obviously can spot a techno phobe at 100 paces. They also kindly sold her a charger which is entirely unneccessary for a further £20. Well with great excitement I opened my gift and lo and behold the promised books amounted to just 11, 4 of which were in german, 3 in french and 3 of the rest were only part books and the fourth a cook book! I have since tried downloading as instructed and have had absloutely no joy although spending at least 2 whole days trying. I have then spent a further whole hour on the phone to the tec support and nobody could be bothered to answer. So this morning I took it back to Waterstones in Bury St Edmunds and was refused a credit or an exchange for it. The manager is obviously totally unaware of the sale of goods act as was the central office person she rung and put me on to. They did acknowlkedge that there was a prolbem but said it was nothing to do with them.They said I should post it back to sony, yes right registered parcel post say, £20 at my expense to sort out their problem rarely have I experienced such poor quality service and I fnd it difficult to believe in this day and age. I must say I found the barclaycard complaints service a far nicer group of people to deal with and have promised a refund the trouble is now do Waterstones want this book back? will they come and pick it up? In the past I have felt a pang of guilt when I have bought on- line as I think it must be damaging the local retailers, well with this sort of service I wont have this problem again. Amazon have never quibbled anything always picked up returned goods they will get more of my custom ! other point about this reader without a backlight it is often difficult to use probably not helped by todays low energy bulbs

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12-29-2009, 09:47 AM	#2
terekkincaid Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 196 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: nook	Um, it sounds like you have an issue with Waterstones, not the 600 - I got mine at Best Buy in the US and it came with 0 books installed. As for the screen, that's the trade off you make with all e-ink readers - it has crisper text than a computer/phone screen, but you need light to read it.

12-29-2009, 09:50 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Unless it was faulty, you don't have a right to return it, and I don't believe it is faulty, is it? You do if you buy on-line, but not if you buy in person. It's a pity you didn't ask here when you were having problems - we could have sorted them all out for you. The PRS-600 is an excellent eBook reader. If you change your mind and decide to keep it, please do ask for help with whatever problems you're having - we have an excellent "track record" in getting people up and running!

12-29-2009, 09:58 AM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	If the light's good enough to read a normal paperback, it's good enough for the PRS-600 - that's certainly my experience.

12-29-2009, 10:04 AM	#6
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,344 Karma: 59447733 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	Waterstones FAILED to put the books on the Reader - not Sony. The new Sony Readers COME with the 11 (or so) books in different languages. This is indeed NOT a problem with Sony, but with Waterstones. If you need a light, then I'm afraid ebook Readers are really not for you at this particular point in their evolotion. Don

12-29-2009, 11:00 AM	#8
amjbrown Addict Posts: 322 Karma: 1231044 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: London, UK Device: Kindle Oasis 3, Kindle app on the iPhone	The Waterstones staff sound confused with the old 505 which came with a CD (not pre-loaded) of 100 out of copyright eBooks. The good news is, all those, and many thousand more, are available right here on mobileread. Plus, if you are happy registering and commenting on mobileread, the actual process of getting those books onto your shiny new PR 600 is a breeze. And there are 100s of people right here who would love to help you do it. As to the light, you are right, you do need a reasonable light source. However, you might not have yet realised that the PRS 600 has five different font sizes - the biggest can be seen by the light of the dimmest of modern bulbs! Finally, I like my charger (although I use an old PSP one, and £20 is daylight robbery). However, I prefer to use it rather than USB charging, which has drained my battery if the computer has gone to sleep. I hope you give it another chance - you will find the people here extremely helpful if you do. Regards amjb

12-29-2009, 11:06 AM	#9
MerLock Evangelist Posts: 411 Karma: 1034889 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: none	Somtimes I feel that Sony should be paying the people here for the support they provide to people with Sony reader problems.

12-29-2009, 11:11 AM	#10
omk3 Wizard Posts: 1,454 Karma: 37243 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Device: pocketbook 360, kindle 4	The strange thing is, I don't remember the 600 ever being advertised by waterstones as coming preloaded with a 100 books. That was the 505, which was accompanied by a cd with 100 classics (not preloaded though, just on the cd). I suspect the op had to deal with a confused and poorly informed salesperson (not a rare occurrence unfortunately). It is often the case that the stores and the salespeople in them have only a very vague idea of the products they're selling. I have often gone into stores to ask questions about some product, finding that I'm actually much better informed than the people selling them... Anyway, the 600 is actually a very good reader, regardless of the waterstones customer service, and mobileread is a helpful and experienced community that can help new users to get on the right track, so please ask here whenever you are confused before giving up!

12-29-2009, 12:38 PM	#11
farmersteve Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS 600	Thanks for the comments I was so enraged by the staff at waterstones The law is quite plain that if it does not do what they sell it as, it should be iether refunded or replaced. The problem is probably actually at the Sony end selling a high tech product through a bookshop rather than a specialist electronics dealer and then not giving the back up I can understand a bookshop not refunding a customers money when it is quite obvious the book has been openend but they obviously need to train ther staff about the different issue with electronics As another poster said if we had bought it on the net the distant selling act comes into play and we would auromatically been due a refund whatever I do wish I had come across this forum earlier though and preferably before my wife had decided that it would be ideal for me for christmas

12-29-2009, 01:24 PM	#12
defizr Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS-300	I've just bought a PRS-300. I downloaded the library reader software and used it to register my reader on the Sony site. When I registered I was offered 125 free classic books in a batch of 100 and a batch of 25. Perhaps you could try the same?

12-29-2009, 02:09 PM	#14
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	Hey farmersteve, MobileRead has about 1/4 bajillion ebook classics you can download for free which were lovingly hand crafted by MR members. Try them, you'll like them. You even have your choice of formats. Forget about Waterstones mess up and enjoy your new 600!

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12-29-2009, 02:09 PM	#15
Kiwimick Addict Posts: 211 Karma: 37308 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: London UK Device: Sony PRS650	If you register your reader at Sony.co.uk then that entitles you to download 100 classic free ebooks Dickens/Jane Austen /Oscar Wilde/Shakespear which i think waterstones was on about