Brand new Oasis 3 just developed a vertical line across screen

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by bookyboy

I agree with you all about the thin aspect. I am one of these weirdos that would like a nice thick side that I could really get a good grip on.

Thin may look good but it is totally non-ergonomic for me.

100% and with this case, barring something unforseen, I am keeping my Oasis without a doubt. you made me so happy because it's a beautiful device, the screen is perfect and now it won't be sharp, as coooold, or as slippery. hugs!!!

[bookyboy]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

100% and with this case, barring something unforseen, I am keeping my Oasis without a doubt. you made me so happy because it's a beautiful device, the screen is perfect and now it won't be sharp, as coooold, or as slippery. hugs!!!

You're most welcome.

I honestly wouldn't have bought the O3 on Black Friday had I not found that case first. I'd been going to Best Buy a couple times a week to try out the O3 and I loved everything about it except the cold metal back and sharp edges -- which are totally deal breakers in my mind.

I have no clue what Amazon was thinking.
I hate to be this cynical...but were they actually *trying* to drive sales of cases maybe?

An Oasis 4 that has the back of the Paperwhite 4 = home run!

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by bookyboy

You're most welcome.

I honestly wouldn't have bought the O3 on Black Friday had I not found that case first. I'd been going to Best Buy a couple times a week to try out the O3 and I loved everything about it except the cold metal back and sharp edges -- which are totally deal breakers in my mind.

I have no clue what Amazon was thinking.
I hate to be this cynical...but were they actually *trying* to drive sales of cases maybe?

An Oasis 4 that has the back of the Paperwhite 4 = home run!

I'm with you on all points and especially "An Oasis 4 that has the back of the Paperwhite 4 = home run!" when I saw the deal on Thanksgiving I grabbed it hoping against hope that I could find something that would fit it and protect me from the cold and edges. wanted my eternal silicone - it's on all my devices where I could find it - but was willing to settle.

Once I got the Oasis and saw how beautiful it was, though completely lacking in ergonomics, I became possessed about finding a back cover and would have gone to almost any length to get what I needed, barring extreme cost.

[haydnfan]

Originally Posted by OtinG

But then the order showed up in my Amazon account with a big letter “R” following it. I’m going to call them tomorrow and see if that means “refurbished” and I think it does. I’m not accepting a refurbished unit for a 5 day old defective brand new unit.

I wish I saw this earlier since I went through the same thing and could tell you.

I bought the Oasis 3 on Black Friday. It arrived with two horizontal lines across the screen just like your vertical line. I had it replaced.

I also jumped to the same conclusion that you did with the replacement and spoke to CS.

It turns out that "R" stands for replacement which doesn't come with the original packaging. It is new and stands for refurbished. My replacement was free from any screen defects and was clearly new as well.

[OtinG]

@bookyboy's case choice looks really nice, but it is still too thin for me. It looks like it is not much thicker than the official Amazon case, which I have. I’m a rather big guy at 6'-2" and those thin cases coupled with my sixty-something age, arthritis, and carpel/cubital tunnel syndromes mean I need a thicker case. Otherwise my hand will start to hurt trying to hold something that thin. I’m thinking about trying this one in the Vintage Brown color:

CaseBot Stand Case for All-New Kindle Oasis (10th Generation, 2019 Release and 9th Generation, 2017 Release)

Also it is half the cost of the official Amazon case I bought, so if it works I’ll return the Amazon case. I realize my special needs don’t match up with most people, and thin is okay for them, but to hold something with as little pain as possible I need it to be thick like this case. Weight doesn’t bother me, especially since the Oasis 3 is so lightweight to begin with.

[bookyboy]

@OtinG

To be honest, I also always want a thicker case/grip, but I personally only want a back case (no front flap) since my reader basically stays at home.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by haydnfan

I wish I saw this earlier since I went through the same thing and could tell you.

I bought the Oasis 3 on Black Friday. It arrived with two horizontal lines across the screen just like your vertical line. I had it replaced.

I also jumped to the same conclusion that you did with the replacement and spoke to CS.

It turns out that "R" stands for replacement which doesn't come with the original packaging. It is new and stands for refurbished. My replacement was free from any screen defects and was clearly new as well.

Thank you! That is good to know. My replacement is listed as "out for delivery" so I should get it today. I’ll post the results when it comes. I still think it is strange that the line didn’t appear for 5 days though. Had I dropped it or been rough with it I would understand, but I was very careful with it. Hearing that yours arrived with lines makes me think these are being jostled about during shipping. I haven’t a clue where Kindles are manufactured, but I suspect it is China which would mean a long trip by ship in large containers that have to be packed and unpacked as well as loaded and unloaded onto cargo vessels, and that means more opportunity for damage. Even just shipping them across the USA could be rough on them.

ETA: Did you use the box the replacement came in to return the defective Oasis 3? Part of the issue might be that my defective one came in a thin box which was placed in a large manilla, padded envelop. That wouldn't provide much protection! I plan to ship it in return using the box the replacement came in. I’m not sure if I need to include the whole original packaging though, so I’ll have to read the instructions carefully.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Thank you! That is good to know. My replacement is listed as "out for delivery" so I should get it today. I’ll post the results when it comes. I still think it is strange that the line didn’t appear for 5 days though. Had I dropped it or been rough with it I would understand, but I was very careful with it. Hearing that yours arrived with lines makes me think these are being jostled about during shipping. I haven’t a clue where Kindles are manufactured, but I suspect it is China which would mean a long trip by ship in large containers that have to be packed and unpacked as well as loaded and unloaded onto cargo vessels, and that means more opportunity for damage. Even just shipping them across the USA could be rough on them.

glad to hear yours is almost to you. this is what I think every time one lands on my door step in a bubble mailer and a tiny, no-protection product box. these are not being shipped right.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by bookyboy

@OtinG

To be honest, I also always want a thicker case/grip, but I personally only want a back case (no front flap) since my reader basically stays at home.

I would too except for one issue--cats! Nosey little creatures who think they are supposed to lay down on all things as well as walk on top of them! They don’t have front claws as they are indoor kitties only, but they have their back ones, and those can and do scratch things up on occasion.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

glad to hear yours is almost to you. this is what I think every time one lands on my door step in a bubble mailer and a tiny, no-protection product box. these are not being shipped right.

No they are not being shipped with the correct protection. I occasionally buy a new iPhone or iPad, and those come in a fortified box and that box is packed securely inside of a second box. Of course those cost much more than an Oasis, but I think if Amazon spent a little more on shipping fragile items they would save money in the long run by having way fewer returns.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by OtinG

I would too except for one issue--cats! Nosey little creatures who think they are supposed to lay down on all things as well as walk on top of them! They don’t have front claws as they are indoor kitties only, but they have their back ones, and those can and do scratch things up on occasion.

Eh, I've long since developed a reflex not to leave fragile things lying about, where cats can get at them. I've got three kitties at present and even though they're indoor only, they have their claws (removing claws is forbidden in EU). I do clip them, but still. So far I've been lucky and not lost an ereader to my cats (I did lose a network drive to one of them earlier this year). Cats... it's a life in bedlam with them, but can't do without them. Of course dogs, birds, rabbits etc. aren't probably any better.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Eh, I've long since developed a reflex not to leave fragile things lying about, where cats can get at them. I've got three kitties at present and even though they're indoor only, they have their claws (removing claws is forbidden in EU). I do clip them, but still. So far I've been lucky and not lost an ereader to my cats (I did lose a network drive to one of them earlier this year). Cats... it's a life in bedlam with them, but can't do without them. Of course dogs, birds, rabbits etc. aren't probably any better.

I wished it was forbidden to declaw cats here too. Both of mine were declawed before I adopted them. I would never have it done myself. A few states here have now forbidden it too. Pets in general will wreak havoc on our stuff from time to time, but probably not as bad as toddlers and kids in general! No kids here, and the cats can’t destroy are break my Kindle as it is in a case and they simply are not big enough to damage it by walking on or lying on it, and they are definitely to little to carry it around and hide it like any small items they find. I’ve had a few items like BT earpieces disappear only to be found later in a stash of goodies one or both cats has squirreled away like packrats. But if the Kindle wasn’t in a case that covers the screen, they might be able to scratch it.

[OtinG]

I just received and set up my replacement Oasis 3. It looks new, but know of no way to verify without knowing the serial number schemes. It looks really good and the screen seems to be as nice as the defect unit, but no lines! To get the same contrast in text I have to set it with the "warmth" level a little lower than on the defect unit, but that is likely due to the differences with the LEDs used. I doubt they are always the exact same. But I can get the screen to the same look as I had with the defect unit by fiddling with the settings a bit, so all is good. Thankfully I still have three weeks to test it before the 30 day return window slams shut. As long as no other defects arise, I’ll keep it. I’ve actually been reading a few hours each day on the defect unit and the single line wasn’t too distracting. I think if multiple lines appeared though it would have been way too distracting. But of course zero lines is MUCH better!

I think the replacement has less reddish hue too, which is good because I prefer the purer cream color of the replacement.

The replacement was sent in much better packaging with the unit tightly secured to an impact resisting piece of cardboard inside an inner box, and of course there was an outer box with padding for extra measure. This is how the original one should have come, but it came inside a thin market box within a padded envelope.

......

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by OtinG

I think if Amazon spent a little more on shipping fragile items they would save money in the long run by having way fewer returns.

Doubt it. Been buying from Amazon since 2004. They used better packaging back then. Heck, the product packaging of the PW2s and PW3s was much more resilient than the ultra-thin packaging for the latest PW4 and KT4 (don't have the Oasis).

They probably figured they save a lot more money cheaping out on packaging (labor, packaging material, shipping weight) compared to how much they spend on returns for damaged items due to improper packaging.

I've bought ~5 Kindles from Amazon this past year (stocked up during sales while they were still jailbreakable). As cringe-inducing as the packaging was (flattened Airpacs and all), none of the Kindles were damaged.

Originally Posted by OtinG

I just received and set up my replacement Oasis 3. It looks new, but know of no way to verify without knowing the serial number schemes.

S/N: xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Characters 1-8 for model and revision

Characters 9-12 for manufacture date (x: year, xx: week, x: day)

Characters 13-16 for unique identification

From experience though, refurbs don't get assigned new serial numbers so the manufacture date might be a good gauge for new vs refurb.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Doubt it. Been buying from Amazon since 2004. They used better packaging back then. Heck, the product packaging of the PW2s and PW3s was much more resilient than the ultra-thin packaging for the latest PW4 and KT4 (don't have the Oasis).

They probably figured they save a lot more money cheaping out on packaging (labor, packaging material, shipping weight) compared to how much they spend on returns for damaged items due to improper packaging.

I've bought ~5 Kindles from Amazon this past year (stocked up during sales while they were still jailbreakable). As cringe-inducing as the packaging was (flattened Airpacs and all), none of the Kindles were damaged.


S/N: xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Characters 1-8 for model and revision

Characters 9-12 for manufacture date (x: year, xx: week, x: day)

Characters 13-16 for unique identification

From experience though, refurbs don't get assigned new serial numbers so the manufacture date might be a good gauge for new vs refurb.

this is great info. thank you!