Kindle 3 keyboard crack in plastic: AMAZON UNRESPONSIVE TO ANY SOLUTION

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Haven't come across that one before, but I agree that it's the kind of thing that shouldn't occur in normal usage.

Harry: I went back and edited my post when you may have been composing yours.




Don

[pdurrant]

A photo of the crack might be of interest to people following this thread, for comparison with other Kindles with the same or similar problem.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

STRIKE THAT: It's on the bottom left of the screen bezel and radiates out and down toward the keyboard.

Now that IS the known fault . The sharp corner of the bezel is a stress point. On later models they've rounded the corners of the bezel to relieve the stress.

At the end of the day it's a purely cosmetic defect. It won't get any worse, and it won't affect the performance of the Kindle. But it's disappointing that Amazon won't acknowledge that it's a known design defect in the K3 (which it assuredly is). Might be worth going back to them and describing the fault in more detail to stress that it is the "bezel corner defect". They certainly should be aware of it.

[Barbara1955]

Tell them the replacement model you want & ask if they would give you a discount. You didnt say how old it was tho.... & Since they changed the design to fix the problem I thinking its OLD!

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

A photo of the crack might be of interest to people following this thread, for comparison with other Kindles with the same or similar problem.

It's currently at my father's house (15 minutes away), but the roads are blocked by snow.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to post a photo.




Don

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Katie1

Tell them the replacement model you want & ask if they would give you a discount. You didnt say how old it was tho.... & Since they changed the design to fix the problem I thinking its OLD!

I bought it shortly after they became available.

I was NOT aware, however, that they had changed the design because of this problem.



Don

[ApK]

Originally Posted by HarryT

They certainly should be aware of it.

I've noticed with large consumer companies that there is a huge gap between "being aware of an issue" and "telling callers that they are aware of an issue."

Whether it's a usability issue (like the USB ports on the Fire, or the keyboard marking issue on the eary graphites) which they may provide a replacement for, or a cosmetic issue like the crack, which apparently they addressed by changing the design in later model, it's unlikely that they will acknowledge it to a customer calling in.

DirecTV has been particularly bad about this in my personal experience. I'd call several times about an issue, be told by several people that they have never heard of it and there is nothing they can do, and the next day, the company issues a public statement or a patch to address the issue.

I can't decide if it's a deliberate policy for various liability and marketing reasons, or an utter lack of communication between departments.

(I'm dismissing the possibility that they had indeed never heard of my issue, but right after I called, the rep ran the ticket up to the president, who ordered an immediate investigation. Like the "stop the presses" moments in the old movies. Perhaps that's it and I'm being unfair.)

[Atunah]

I have a crack on the bottom right, from the bezel down in a south/east direction.

I have had that crack since, let me think, spring of 2011 or so. I just stuck a matte black skin on it. Out of sight, out of mind. Never had any issues with it.
I was still under warranty at the time, but I just didn't want to go to all that trouble loading another unit. I had to go through 4 of the K3 when they first came out in August 2010.

But I have to say that conversation comes across rude. Not from the CS though. I mean I get you want something, but the tone, oy the tone. For something that is way out of warranty and they still offer something. Try that with another company, good luck
But then I always cringe when folks present themself of being something special for various reason. As in, boards, influence, etc. These CS guys go through a script. I doubt they care about any of that.

[Dr. Drib]

A follow-up email from the representative I talked to and to summarize the content:

He indicated that they will offer to me a refurbished Kindle 3g (WITH advertisements) for $104 (which is a savings of $35 off of a new unit). I will have to pay the shipping charges.

HOWEVER, my Kindle 3g does NOT have advertisements.

Again, this was a very courteous person, but I think the 'offer' (let me emphasize that word) is ultimately not satisfactory. I think that if the offer included NO special offers (read NO advertisements), then I would probably take him up on the offer.



Don

[Barbara1955]

I think there is Nothing wrong with the Offer for an Out of warrenty replacement.. Not a thing wrong with having ads. I have gotten quite a few deals thru Amazon with them.

[jweek]

is this what we are talking about?

Spoiler:

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Katie1

I think there is Nothing wrong with the Offer for an Out of warrenty replacement.. Not a thing wrong with having ads. I have gotten quite a few deals thru Amazon with them.

There is nothing wrong with having ads - if you like them.

I don't like them.

Liking ads or not liking ads is a personal preference - in my opinion.




Don

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by jweek

is this what we are talking about?

Spoiler:

That is it EXACTLY! (Thanks for the photo.)

Did you decide to keep yours?


Don

[sparklemotion]

Sorry yours developed a crack, Dr. Drib. Does anyone have a pic of the new bezel compared to the old? I wasn't aware they changed it.

[Apollofortynine]

They gave you a 25/35% discount on the kindle 3g with special offers (35$ off) and its only $20 to remove ads, not really something I would complain about after the product I own out of warranty broke (and it doesn't affect operation).

I also believe Amazon wouldn't require you to send back your old kindle, so basically your getting a new kindle 3g for 35% off, when yours was out of warranty, and you still have your old one. What to do next? Sell your kindle 3g NIB on Ebay, get about 115 for it, and deal with the tiny crack that you will never notice accept for once a month when you use the keyboard.

I could be wrong though, you might need to send it back.

Also, you went about this all wrong. Take this from someone with experience on trying to get deals from customer service reps, telling them you know something they don't and then threatening them (herr derr I'm from mobileread and will give you a bad review) NEVER works. The best thing to do is play it stupid, act upset, and chances are Amazon will go above and beyond what they are expected to do to make you happy. Once I shipped $60 of protein to the wrong address (in college, sent it home instead of to the dorm). Totally my fault, but I contacted the rep and asked if I could return it. She informed me that I couldn't return it because its a food product, but said she would refund me the $60 and asked me to double check the address next time

Amazon has the best support if you don't piss them off. The only reason you got any discount at all is because it seems to be their official policy now, I'm surprised he didn't quote the actual prices for the products.