CNN: How many Kindle Fires are being returned to Amazon?

[mewmartigan]

Originally Posted by afv011

Valid points; I would say that amazon is somewhat at fault by having a side by side comparison with the ipad. If you read blogs and reviews you know the differences, but not all folks will spend the time to do so and assume the fire is a valid ipad replacement - which for some uses it certainly is.

I agree, and Amazon never releases actual numbers which means everyone has to guess one way or another.

[Phogg]

The important question is not: "How many Kindle Fires are being returned to Amazon?."
The important question is: "How cheap will refurbished Kindle Fires be?"

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Phogg

The important question is not: "How many Kindle Fires are being returned to Amazon?."
The important question is: "How cheap will refurbished Kindle Fires be?"

I like the cut of your jib.

[SeaKing]

I have returned in the last year 3 items to Amazon. This is a list.

1) A gel seat pad wasn't thick enough for my satisfaction. - Returned. No review
2) An item was defective and could be dangerous. - 1 star review and a scathing comment.
3) An item was defective and it should have been noticed before shipping. - 1 star review and a comment which chided their lack of inspection and said I probably would reorder. I did reorder and the second item was good and I still have it.

I seldom give a good review. Just not worth my time. Occasionally I do give a good review for excellent service from one of Amazon's third party providers.

No problem returning the items or being credited.

Amazon is excellent.

[SeaKing]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phogg View Post
The important question is not: "How many Kindle Fires are being returned to Amazon?."
The important question is: "How cheap will refurbished Kindle Fires be?"

Quote: by diapdealer.
I like the cut of your jib.

Best question yet. At $100 or so, one will be mine. I can be bought.
__________________

[SCION]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

...

Amazon is excellent.

Indeed! No one else is quick to give you a refund on eBook purchases. Their customer service should be a business case study. They have a bond with their customers that's hard to break. That's powerful.

[Daithi]

The vast majority of the Kindle Fire's ratings are 5 and 4 stars with 4 stars as an overall average, which is the exact same rating as the original Kindle and the Kindle DX. So, I don't think Amazon has too much to worry about.

I also have a feeling that some of the negative reviews are from iPad fans looking to slam the other "team".

[CHunter_Author]

I have nothing against the Fire but still chose the IPad. I suspect that Amazon will need another generation or two to really work out whatever kinks.

[Barty]

I don't know why reviews insist on comparing 7" tablets to the iPad. It's like the first populat car in the world happens to be an SUV, so even compacts that cost less than half must be compared to the SUV. Duh.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Barty

I don't know why reviews insist on comparing 7" tablets to the iPad.

Because Amazon compare the Fire to the iPad.

[Andrew H.]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Fire had a slightly higher return rate than typical. For one, I get the impression that a lot of people who were on the fence about one pre-ordered anyway - because that's the best way to see if it's something that works for you, *and* because it avoids the risk of it selling out so close to Xmas.

But I also think that - based on the reviews - the device wasn't as polished as it could have been. I mean, yeah, it's unrealistic to expect that you can get a $200 iPad. But it's not unrealistic to expect a non-laggy user interface or things like an external volume button. (I don't know whether the software issues may have been improved by the latest patch). And I think these problems did disappoint some people, particularly based on their experiences with the e-ink Kindles, which, while far less capable than an iPad, are very well made for their use cases.

Having said all of that, though, CNN's attempt to divine the return rate by looking at reviews is ludicrously bad.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Because Amazon compare the Fire to the iPad.

Well, in that case, totally fair

I think people know amazon's rep for easy return and probably pre-ordered one even if they were on the fence.

[TechnoCat]

Originally Posted by Zoshka

I didn't expect an ipad with the Fire, just the things I take for granted with the ipad--easy access to volume and brightness control, arrows that work when I click them, a polished email program... <snip> I picked up a Nook Tablet, though, which I'm loving so far--it feels like a second-generation product, instead of rushed out the door, as the Fire <snip>

I've played with and beta tested many many phones and tablets. The Fire feels second-gen to me; your gripes fall firmly into the category of misses the Kindle concept to me. I do have a problem with the inaccurate touch sensor on the Fire, but having to put a 3rd-party email on it was not a problem, and the other controls are sufficient for the purpose for me.

The iPad is far superior, but then again, my rather pricey Audi S4 Prestige is far superior to a Honda Fit... at three times the price.

[SteveEisenberg]

I just did a web search to find out what the normal return percentage is in retail. I didn't find anything really authoritative, but, according to this, between 8 and 11 percent is normal:

http://www.quora.com/What-percentage...-store-credits

If you believe the CNN method of estimating returns makes sense, the Kindle Fire is perhaps at the high end of this range. Or it could even be in the middle.

But I still think they have an interesting metric.

5 Star to 1 Star Ratio:

Fire: 1,800 - 513 (3.5 to 1)

Touch: 284 - 76 (3.7 to 1)

K4 Non-Touch: 1,091 - 84 (13 to 1)

K3: 24,840 - 1,308 (19 to 1)

K2: 11,518 - 1,397 (8.2 to 1)

Original Kindle: 4,739 - 558 (8.5 to 1)

While there are other ways to run the numbers, it does look like touch screen owners are, on average, less happy.

I'm sitting here very happy besides the most loved Kindle of all, the K3. Not least of all because I just found some good ammo for the next touch vs. keyboard thread

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by TechnoCat

The iPad is far superior, but then again, my rather pricey Audi S4 Prestige is far superior to a Honda Fit... at three times the price.

You're risking a thread hi-jack, my friend.

Our 2010 base model Fit has yours beat on frequency of repair, ability to parallel park in small spots, and a whole lot more we could get into over at FitFreak.net (if you first don an asbestos suit).