A poll about warranty

[Yar-PocketBooker]

We here at PocketBook-USA are thinking now about what warranty would be better for our customers: the one which is now - Limited Warranty for two years that covers basically except ADH (accidental damage from handling, i.e. - broken screens and water/vodka/beer damaged sunken devices) or a Full Warranty for, say, 90 days, which would cover everything during this period, but after that - all repairs/exchanges would not be free (or you'd need to purchase a separate additional warranty).
In the first case you'd need to pay about $150 to change the screen, in the second you can play football with your PB or your home pet-elephant may stomp on it before 90 days expire - you'll get a new or repaired device...
Or, maybe, your variant?

[fjtorres]

The PB360 is plenty sturdy; if I broke the screen it would be my fault. And I'd have to be seriously abusing the thing to do that. I would not expect you to cover abuse or physical accident.
On the other hand, eink tech is relatively new so a longer warranty on manufacturing defects or performance issues (say the contrast degrades over time) would be more comforting.
Fair?

[thersites]

Why not keep the longer warranty, but sell a screen insurance package for those who feel they prefer it? This is sort of like when buying a computer, you can choose the standard warranty or purchase different upgraded levels of service (like next day on site repair) & length of warranty.

Dave

[kacir]

You could make a deal with a specialized company that provides "accidental handling damage" warranty and make it an option.

[HarryT]

I'd stick with the 2 year limited warranty. 90 days is a ludicrously short warranty period, and you shouldn't be paying for people who break the device themselves. If people want accidental damage cover, it's generally available as an option on their home contents insurance.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'd stick with the 2 year limited warranty. 90 days is a ludicrously short warranty period, and you shouldn't be paying for people who break the device themselves. If people want accidental damage cover, it's generally available as an option on their home contents insurance.

Originally Posted by kacir

You could make a deal with a specialized company that provides "accidental handling damage" warranty and make it an option.

Too tired to think for myself so...what they said!! I would perhaps suggest considering a flip over the top cover to protect the panel on larger readers but then again as you move to plastic substrate, and I assume most devices are going to head in that direction, a broken panel will really be from a major accident or temper tantrum by the user...so, sell the accidental damage policy which includes a limited number of panels because there is the possibility the user could abuse the coverage...maybe a replacement fee schedule that increases after the first damaged panel...?? I mean you have to protect against intentional damage as well as willful neglect.

[Dulin's Books]

i like the way you think^^ my vision for larger devices has always included a flip over the top cover that also acted as teh switch for turning the device on or off.

I used to work at sharper image once upon a life. we sold extra replacement guarantees. They cost SI a huge amount of money because they allowed for an upgrade to a newer product if the same as your broken unit wasn't available. So there were a constant stream of the same people whose gadget suddenly cease working just before the guarantee ran out and then would pay the small difference between their original price and the new thing.

i remember and Archos customer who basically kept upgrading his archos to the newer model for $50

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

i like the way you think^^ my vision for larger devices has always included a flip over the top cover that also acted as the switch for turning the device on or off.

Very neat idea to get dual duty from the flip-over cover.

I used to work at sharper image once upon a life. we sold extra replacement guarantees. They cost SI a huge amount of money because they allowed for an upgrade to a newer product if the same as your broken unit wasn't available. So there were a constant stream of the same people whose gadget suddenly cease working just before the guarantee ran out and then would pay the small difference between their original price and the new thing.

i remember and Archos customer who basically kept upgrading his archos to the newer model for $50

Interesting because the better half likes to shop at Nordstrom and where they once had a lifetime no questions asked return policy, I mean, geeze at those prices it sort of made sense, but even they had to scale that way back for exactly the reasons you mention...CostCo had to make the same sort of change on items in electronics/computers and something else I cannot recall. All because some customers would abuse the program. It only takes a few when the margins are thin to make the whole program a negative revenue center. Heck, I felt guilty retuning a display unit laptop to CostCo about 36hrs after buying it because it really was not very sturdy. The person working the returns counter even ask if I really even opened the thing...she explained the usual condition was so abused it wasn't funny, seriously not funny. I felt better but sad at the same time.

Nice to see many want the longer warranty over other options. I would have voted that way as well, except I think Pocketbook is really on to something with the cover on the PB360...

You know, on LCD based and non-Wacom touch devices, a flip over cover could maybe be rigged to function as a sun shield to help control reflections a bit.

[Yar-PocketBooker]

Breck, you're right, as always..., with plastic screens users would want longer 'regular' warranty.