Broken - Page 4

ch1co · 12-07-2007, 03:53 AM

aleandre

I'm from Utrecht myself and have similar problem as well. I've contacted SONY a while ago, and they agreed to service my unit, on the condition I send it to them and pay the parts&labour charge, which is flat rate of 85 USD. On top of that add the shipping cost and whatever else they will charge for the "unexpected" repairs. But the major problem is, that SONY can send the repaired unit only to an address in US. They advised me to contact SONY Nederland and attempt to persuade them to take care of the shipping/receiving process. I've already called 4 times to SONY Nederland, and all they could offer, was to bring the reader in person, so they could have a look and decide what could be done. I intend to give another call, since every time I called, i heard another story

. So I'd suggest to try yourself, maybe the Fortuna will be more inclined to help you than me

But please, feel free to share.

aleandre · 12-07-2007, 04:47 AM

Hi ch1co,

Thank you for sharing the info. Well, I'll try to call again to call Sony in the US for that problem, but since I have friends in Minneapolis, I think I'll ask them to receive the repaired Reader and send it back to me. My experience with this kind of situation is just what you say : a lot of time lost on phone conversations, with little chance for success. Maybe this will change when they finally release some sort of Reader in Europe...

I'll keep you posted on Sony's reply. Calling the US isn't possible from work, so I'll give it a try over the week-end.

jeffoest · 12-07-2007, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aleandre

Thank you DrMoze, but I had tried that as well, not to avail. What gets me is that I can't see anything on the outside of the screen, so what made this must have damaged something inside, which, for me, would tend to raise the question of the reliability of the device. Or maybe I just got a weaker unit ?

Anyway, I'll see what Sony says about the case. I attach a few pictures for those of you who might see the disaster currently sitting on my desk ! It's when it's gone that you realise that you had become quite fond of the thing !!!

A question : What do you think the screen I would get back after repair could be ? Any chance to get Vizplex ?

I must be dreaming...

Yep - that's exactly what mine looks like!

aleandre · 12-09-2007, 06:21 AM

Hello All,

I called Sony US, and I now have a work order for the repair, although I'll know for sure they take it under warranty after their confirmation.

This was all possible because I have friends in Minneapolis, since the person I was speaking to was keen early on in the conversation to refer me to Sony International ! I had to stop him in mid-sentence and remind him that, as I had said, I had friends in Minneapolis, that I was OK to send the Reader across the Atlantic and that they would only have to send it back to Minneapolis. A mention of the fact that other people had their Reader fixed that way (citing MobileRead and this very thread as a proof for good measure

) finished convincing my interlocutor that he could help me !

As a rule : Cite Mobileread if you want to avoid being bounced back between several Sony Customer Services around the globe.

Patricia · 12-10-2007, 07:11 AM

How useful to know.
thanks for telling us, Aleandre.

spooky69 · 12-10-2007, 04:40 PM

Since it seems like nobody else has flat-out said this, those are definitely cracked screens. Aleandre, even you weren't using it at the time, you must have accidentally put some pressure on the screen while it was off and cracked it. I'm a little surprised that the screen cracked so easily simply by being dropped, though. I'm getting a PRS-505 for Christmas this year and it seems like I'll have to plan on treating it like a fragile egg.

urseus · 12-10-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spooky69

I'm getting a PRS-505 for Christmas this year and it seems like I'll have to plan on treating it like a fragile egg.

I would have thought that would be standard practise. People these days treat things like cheap toys, like ipods and mobiles. They are pretty complex machines, the ebooks especially.

spooky69 · 12-10-2007, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urseus

I would have thought that would be standard practise. People these days treat things like cheap toys, like ipods and mobiles. They are pretty complex machines, the ebooks especially.

Don't get me wrong, I don't drive Tonka trucks around over my electronics, but something without moving parts shouldn't be as fragile as this (and I'm aware of the mechanics of why it actually is). Ideally, I'd like to be able to throw this thing in a backpack with the cover on and not have to worry about the screen cracking, but as it is it looks I'll probably have to try and get one of those special pouches that others on here have ordered, and even then I'd still be hesitant to take it with my in any situation where it might have any sort of pressure placed on it. There's a difference between having to be careful with a piece of electronic equipment and having to worry every second about it be becoming unusable because of any slight mishap. Even that wouldn't be so bad if breaking the screen didn't basically mean having to buy a replacement at full price. I know that's partially due to the high price of the screen itself, but Sony also deserves some of the blame for not offering a better warranty. Do they offer any sort of replacement plan at all that will fix/replace a unit with a broken screen at a reasonable cost?

Xenophon · 12-11-2007, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spooky69

Don't get me wrong, I don't drive Tonka trucks around over my electronics, but something without moving parts shouldn't be as fragile as this (and I'm aware of the mechanics of why it actually is). Ideally, I'd like to be able to throw this thing in a backpack with the cover on and not have to worry about the screen cracking, but as it is it looks I'll probably have to try and get one of those special pouches that others on here have ordered, and even then I'd still be hesitant to take it with my in any situation where it might have any sort of pressure placed on it. There's a difference between having to be careful with a piece of electronic equipment and having to worry every second about it be becoming unusable because of any slight mishap. Even that wouldn't be so bad if breaking the screen didn't basically mean having to buy a replacement at full price. I know that's partially due to the high price of the screen itself, but Sony also deserves some of the blame for not offering a better warranty. Do they offer any sort of replacement plan at all that will fix/replace a unit with a broken screen at a reasonable cost?

Sony does offer an "all hazards" extended warranty that's good for three years or one replacement, whichever comes first.

As for pouches, I use a DVD security case purchased from brodart.com for well under $10. It's a polycarbonate case that provides hard-sided protection for the reader in its case. The idea is not original with me -- I got the idea from another post here on MobileRead. It's easy and cheap: I made cases for my wife's reader and my reader for under $20 (plus about 10 minutes work).

Xenophon

spooky69 · 12-11-2007, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenophon

As for pouches, I use a DVD security case purchased from brodart.com for well under $10. It's a polycarbonate case that provides hard-sided protection for the reader in its case. The idea is not original with me -- I got the idea from another post here on MobileRead. It's easy and cheap: I made cases for my wife's reader and my reader for under $20 (plus about 10 minutes work).

I read about that, but wasn't sure if it would provide enough protection. How much give is there on the face of the DVD case? I suppose it would always be possible to reinforce one side with extra layers of a stiff material.
How much is the warranty you mentioned? Do you have to get that at the time of ordering or could it be purchased later on? I'm getting the PRS-505 as a Christmas gift, so I'll have to ask what kind of warranty is coming with it right now.

spooky69 · 12-11-2007, 12:59 AM

Edit: found the thread. The discussion I had read before was about the tin DVD case, and this looks a lot more sturdy. I'll probably still reinforce the front, but this looks like exactly what I wanted.
I also read up on the Sony warranties on the website. I don't see the all hazards one, just the ones for accidental damage, which, from what I understand, doesn't cover the screen. Hopefully that won't be an issue with a good case and some proper care.

aleandre · 12-11-2007, 01:16 PM

Hello All,

Disregarding the general comments about how electronic devices should be handled, which I agree with BTW, I must say that a device that can get this kind of damage without any obvious wrong-doing on the part of the user isn't, in my view, fulfilling the requirements for mass-market consumption. And that is just what these companies (Sony, Amazon, Irex, Bookeen...) are aiming at.

So yes, I may have damaged it without realising it, if it is indeed the only way for this to happen (I'd like to recall here that there is simply NO crack visible on the glass itself, it's inside the screen that something's wrong). But the comments about the need for more robustness and/or improved warranty conditions seem to me very sound. If I would have realised how fragile the thing could be (and no, just to be clear, I also don't have for an habit to smash my electronics...), I would have certainly gone for the extended warranty. But I imagine it is too late now.

Let's see what kind of bill Sony will decide to send me in the new year ! It left today from the NL, and the Dutch Post said it would take 2 weeks for it to arrive in California, where Sony has its Service Centre (they must fly the thing with pidgeons...) !

gwynevans · 12-11-2007, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aleandre

I would have certainly gone for the extended warranty. But I imagine it is too late now.

Even if within time, the very first exclusion on the Portable Electronics Service Plan on the SonyStyle web site is "LIMITATIONS OF COVERAGE. THIS CONTRACT DOES NOT COVER: A. Any equipment located outside of the United States of America or Puerto Rico."

12-11-2007, 12:59 AM	#56
spooky69 Stats: Posts: 233 Karma: 1189 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Sony PRS-505	Edit: found the thread. The discussion I had read before was about the tin DVD case, and this looks a lot more sturdy. I'll probably still reinforce the front, but this looks like exactly what I wanted. I also read up on the Sony warranties on the website. I don't see the all hazards one, just the ones for accidental damage, which, from what I understand, doesn't cover the screen. Hopefully that won't be an issue with a good case and some proper care. Last edited by spooky69; 12-11-2007 at 01:16 AM.

12-11-2007, 01:16 PM	#57
aleandre Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rijswijk ZH, Netherlands Device: Sony PRS-500, Cybook Opus, iPad	Hello All, Disregarding the general comments about how electronic devices should be handled, which I agree with BTW, I must say that a device that can get this kind of damage without any obvious wrong-doing on the part of the user isn't, in my view, fulfilling the requirements for mass-market consumption. And that is just what these companies (Sony, Amazon, Irex, Bookeen...) are aiming at. So yes, I may have damaged it without realising it, if it is indeed the only way for this to happen (I'd like to recall here that there is simply NO crack visible on the glass itself, it's inside the screen that something's wrong). But the comments about the need for more robustness and/or improved warranty conditions seem to me very sound. If I would have realised how fragile the thing could be (and no, just to be clear, I also don't have for an habit to smash my electronics...), I would have certainly gone for the extended warranty. But I imagine it is too late now. Let's see what kind of bill Sony will decide to send me in the new year ! It left today from the NL, and the Dutch Post said it would take 2 weeks for it to arrive in California, where Sony has its Service Centre (they must fly the thing with pidgeons...) ! Last edited by aleandre; 12-11-2007 at 01:24 PM.

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12-07-2007, 03:53 AM	#46
ch1co Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: PRS-500	aleandre I'm from Utrecht myself and have similar problem as well. I've contacted SONY a while ago, and they agreed to service my unit, on the condition I send it to them and pay the parts&labour charge, which is flat rate of 85 USD. On top of that add the shipping cost and whatever else they will charge for the "unexpected" repairs. But the major problem is, that SONY can send the repaired unit only to an address in US. They advised me to contact SONY Nederland and attempt to persuade them to take care of the shipping/receiving process. I've already called 4 times to SONY Nederland, and all they could offer, was to bring the reader in person, so they could have a look and decide what could be done. I intend to give another call, since every time I called, i heard another story . So I'd suggest to try yourself, maybe the Fortuna will be more inclined to help you than me But please, feel free to share.

12-07-2007, 04:47 AM	#47
aleandre Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rijswijk ZH, Netherlands Device: Sony PRS-500, Cybook Opus, iPad	Hi ch1co, Thank you for sharing the info. Well, I'll try to call again to call Sony in the US for that problem, but since I have friends in Minneapolis, I think I'll ask them to receive the repaired Reader and send it back to me. My experience with this kind of situation is just what you say : a lot of time lost on phone conversations, with little chance for success. Maybe this will change when they finally release some sort of Reader in Europe... I'll keep you posted on Sony's reply. Calling the US isn't possible from work, so I'll give it a try over the week-end.

12-09-2007, 06:21 AM	#49
aleandre Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rijswijk ZH, Netherlands Device: Sony PRS-500, Cybook Opus, iPad	Hello All, I called Sony US, and I now have a work order for the repair, although I'll know for sure they take it under warranty after their confirmation. This was all possible because I have friends in Minneapolis, since the person I was speaking to was keen early on in the conversation to refer me to Sony International ! I had to stop him in mid-sentence and remind him that, as I had said, I had friends in Minneapolis, that I was OK to send the Reader across the Atlantic and that they would only have to send it back to Minneapolis. A mention of the fact that other people had their Reader fixed that way (citing MobileRead and this very thread as a proof for good measure ) finished convincing my interlocutor that he could help me ! As a rule : Cite Mobileread if you want to avoid being bounced back between several Sony Customer Services around the globe.

12-10-2007, 07:11 AM	#50
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	How useful to know. thanks for telling us, Aleandre.

12-10-2007, 04:40 PM	#51
spooky69 Stats: Posts: 233 Karma: 1189 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Sony PRS-505	Since it seems like nobody else has flat-out said this, those are definitely cracked screens. Aleandre, even you weren't using it at the time, you must have accidentally put some pressure on the screen while it was off and cracked it. I'm a little surprised that the screen cracked so easily simply by being dropped, though. I'm getting a PRS-505 for Christmas this year and it seems like I'll have to plan on treating it like a fragile egg.

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