Screen fault, now Irex wants ME to pay for it!

jackbrown · 11-20-2007, 11:45 AM

About 11 months into owning my Iliad (which I really liked, despite the fact that newspaper subscriptions never materialized), the screen suddenly developed an odd fault: a single horizontal white line traversing the whole screen near the top. In other words an entire line of pixels stopped flipping white-black as they're supposed to.

I've attached a picture of the fault. (Iliad 00.16.7C.00.OB.E3 closeup.jpg )It was fairly clear to me that this was NOT a problem of the screen being bumped, since a) I've always been careful and b) since it traverses the whole screen in a perfect line, it looks like an electronics problem.

It was surprisingly annoying to read with it, so I returned the Iliad to Irex. Who now tell me that this is somehow the result of a break in the glass substrate due to pressure on the screen. Evidence for which they attach the following picture (bruch2).

Of course the most obvious thing is that the picture in question clearly differs from mine. I guess this is supposed to be the glass substrate underneath after they peel the front of the screen off? I still don't see how the damage shown could possibly have produced the symptom on my screen.

All of this would be sort of irrelevant if they weren't trying to charge me 275 euros for the repair. That's a lot of money. If it was half of that I'd probably just pay after complaining a bit. But instead I am stuck without my Iliad, wondering whether to pay basically the cost of a new reader (from anyone but Irex) to get the thing repaired, when I am kind of doubtful about what they are telling me...

What does the forum think? Does this look like a reasonable explanation on Irex's part? Doesn't 275E seem kind of steep?

tribble · 11-20-2007, 11:58 AM

The 275 Euros for replacing the screen is not to much, if it has been mishndled. The cost of the actual screen is not far from that price.

I do not know, wether your screen has been broken due to pressure or not. I aggree though, that your initial picture does not indicate a damaged screen, but i am not a technician, so its just my oppinion.

Tulkas · 11-20-2007, 12:15 PM

Personally, if the issue is just the one line across the screen, I'd keep my cash in my wallet. It seems to me a waste of money repairing an otherwise working device when new eInk products, with better screens (albeit most are 6"), are coming on the market all the time.

But thats from just an eBook-reader's perspective ~ if you use the iLiad's note-taking etc a lot more then perhaps you might have to. What exactly are the yellow arrows supposed to be highlighting?

rincewind · 11-20-2007, 01:46 PM

I would absolutely rather want a dead line on top of the screen than to shell out 275E for a screen update. I just saw a video presentation of the Amazon Kindle, and while it is no option for me (closed and just a reader), it does seem to be a very nice piece of hw. A somewhat broken display should hold up long enough for a competitor to the iLiad with an 8" vizplex display to get there.

/R

ashalan · 11-20-2007, 02:44 PM

For one, I have no idea what they are trying to tell you with those yellow arrows. Secondly I find this pretty poor sort of support. Yes, I understand that a company cannot replace devices that get damaged by improper use. And yes, I understand that iRex might not have the means to be as generous as one would wish.

Yet, if there is no apparent misuse of the device, if the technology used is so prone to being defective ... shouldn't some sort of 'in dubio pro reo' be the guideline for a company like iRex? I.e. they should simply replace it and take some pride in making a customer that was willing shell out so much money for the device happy.

To me, this is just another forum entry that keeps me from buying the Iliad. I have seen way to many people report similar things (that is, having hardware issues and / or iRex being not all too generous when it comes to support) both here and on iRex's own forums.

They might get the 275 Euroes from you (if at all), but they sure won't get my 649 Euroes if reports like this one keep popping up.

HarryT · 11-20-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashalan

Yet, if there is no apparent misuse of the device, if the technology used is so prone to being defective ... shouldn't some sort of 'in dubio pro reo' be the guideline for a company like iRex? I.e. they should simply replace it and take some pride in making a customer that was willing shell out so much money for the device happy.

I'm sorry for the original poster, but let's face it, iRex' technicians are the people best qualified to judge whether a screen fault is down to an electrical fault or a mechanical fracture, even if the damage was entirely inadvertent and the person may not have been aware of it. You say "in dubio pro reo" but perhaps in this case, to the technicians there was no "dubio".

Many peoples' house insurance allows them to make claims for accidental damage of this type.

I don't believe that the iLiad is any more prone to mechanical damage than other devices of this type. They do, however, have a glass substrate to the screen and need to be handled with a reasonable amount of delicacy.

DaleDe · 11-20-2007, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't believe that the iLiad is any more prone to mechanical damage than other devices of this type. They do, however, have a glass substrate to the screen and need to be handled with a reasonable amount of delicacy.

I suspect that the bigger the device the more likely it will get broken. At least that is the way it works for my windows.

Dale

juancarlosleo · 11-26-2007, 05:19 PM

¿Es que nadie ha visto el fondo horriblemente GRIS

juancarlosleo · 11-26-2007, 05:22 PM

Con ese fondo, que hace ilegible el texto, a riesgo de perder la vista en pocos meses, yo no entiendo cómo alguien puede preocuparse por unas simples líneas horizontales que no debían estar; es como tener cáncer de huesos y quejarse de un simple catarro.

Gogolo · 11-27-2007, 04:32 AM

@juancarlosleo: Please write in english. I suspect you are spamming your opinion in threats with different subject.

juancarlosleo · 11-27-2007, 12:40 PM

OK Gogolo, My english is ugly.
Have you seen the background color?
No further questions.

RWood · 11-27-2007, 01:09 PM

Since e-ink uses the same type of matrix under the e-ink that LCD screens use and the single line not working is a common problem with LCD screens, it seems that it is not damage caused by the user. What happens is that one of the row capacitors or transistors stops working and keeps the entire row at a constant color.

To my way of thinking it is a manufacturing defect.

jackbrown · 11-29-2007, 01:15 AM

RWood-that was exactly my thought, and was the reason when I sent it in, I was virtually certain I would not be paying for it. Nevertheless, it seems that Irex has me over a barrel here. I think I am going to pay for the repair even though I suspect they are screwing me.

JuanCarlos-I have to admit that the ridiculously bad contrast ratio between text and background was kind of a shock when I first turned the device on. [JC's analogy for my complaint was along the lines of: complaining about a single white line on a display with such blindingly crappy contrast is akin to complaining about an eye cataract when you've got bone cancer] In bright light though, (which is exactly when laptop screens are worthless) this thing is amazing to read on.

When EInk fixes the contrast and speeds up page flips, this will totally replace reading on computers, I can almost guarantee it.

Karel · 11-29-2007, 04:11 AM

Hello jackbrown

The first picture is a line out error (covered within warranty) the second picture looks indeed like there is a crack in the tft layer (not covered within the warranty). I suspect there is maybe a mix up - could you pm me your ticket number via the irex forum -> http://forum.irexnet.com

than i can have a look at it regards

Karel

jackbrown · 12-03-2007, 06:52 AM

Well, needless to say I'm very happy to have gotten a positive response from Karel at Irex; this is good customer relations. I will report back here on further developments.

11-20-2007, 11:45 AM	#1
jackbrown Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: San Francisco USA/North Africa	Screen fault, now Irex wants ME to pay for it! About 11 months into owning my Iliad (which I really liked, despite the fact that newspaper subscriptions never materialized), the screen suddenly developed an odd fault: a single horizontal white line traversing the whole screen near the top. In other words an entire line of pixels stopped flipping white-black as they're supposed to. I've attached a picture of the fault. (Iliad 00.16.7C.00.OB.E3 closeup.jpg )It was fairly clear to me that this was NOT a problem of the screen being bumped, since a) I've always been careful and b) since it traverses the whole screen in a perfect line, it looks like an electronics problem. It was surprisingly annoying to read with it, so I returned the Iliad to Irex. Who now tell me that this is somehow the result of a break in the glass substrate due to pressure on the screen. Evidence for which they attach the following picture (bruch2). Of course the most obvious thing is that the picture in question clearly differs from mine. I guess this is supposed to be the glass substrate underneath after they peel the front of the screen off? I still don't see how the damage shown could possibly have produced the symptom on my screen. All of this would be sort of irrelevant if they weren't trying to charge me 275 euros for the repair. That's a lot of money. If it was half of that I'd probably just pay after complaining a bit. But instead I am stuck without my Iliad, wondering whether to pay basically the cost of a new reader (from anyone but Irex) to get the thing repaired, when I am kind of doubtful about what they are telling me... What does the forum think? Does this look like a reasonable explanation on Irex's part? Doesn't 275E seem kind of steep? Attached Thumbnails

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11-20-2007, 11:58 AM	#2
tribble iLiad Maniac Posts: 1,382 Karma: 2369 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Device: Bookeen Opus (i love that thing) and iPad (what an irony)	The 275 Euros for replacing the screen is not to much, if it has been mishndled. The cost of the actual screen is not far from that price. I do not know, wether your screen has been broken due to pressure or not. I aggree though, that your initial picture does not indicate a damaged screen, but i am not a technician, so its just my oppinion.

11-20-2007, 12:15 PM	#3
Tulkas Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: London, UK Device: iLiad, CyBook Gen3, iPod Touch, PB 360	Personally, if the issue is just the one line across the screen, I'd keep my cash in my wallet. It seems to me a waste of money repairing an otherwise working device when new eInk products, with better screens (albeit most are 6"), are coming on the market all the time. But thats from just an eBook-reader's perspective ~ if you use the iLiad's note-taking etc a lot more then perhaps you might have to. What exactly are the yellow arrows supposed to be highlighting?

11-20-2007, 01:46 PM	#4
rincewind Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 479 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: iLiad	I would absolutely rather want a dead line on top of the screen than to shell out 275E for a screen update. I just saw a video presentation of the Amazon Kindle, and while it is no option for me (closed and just a reader), it does seem to be a very nice piece of hw. A somewhat broken display should hold up long enough for a competitor to the iLiad with an 8" vizplex display to get there. /R

11-20-2007, 02:44 PM	#5
ashalan Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 405 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Berne, Switzerland Device: Cybook Gen3	For one, I have no idea what they are trying to tell you with those yellow arrows. Secondly I find this pretty poor sort of support. Yes, I understand that a company cannot replace devices that get damaged by improper use. And yes, I understand that iRex might not have the means to be as generous as one would wish. Yet, if there is no apparent misuse of the device, if the technology used is so prone to being defective ... shouldn't some sort of 'in dubio pro reo' be the guideline for a company like iRex? I.e. they should simply replace it and take some pride in making a customer that was willing shell out so much money for the device happy. To me, this is just another forum entry that keeps me from buying the Iliad. I have seen way to many people report similar things (that is, having hardware issues and / or iRex being not all too generous when it comes to support) both here and on iRex's own forums. They might get the 275 Euroes from you (if at all), but they sure won't get my 649 Euroes if reports like this one keep popping up.

11-26-2007, 05:19 PM	#8
juancarlosleo Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Iliad	¿Es que nadie ha visto el fondo horriblemente GRIS

11-26-2007, 05:22 PM	#9
juancarlosleo Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Iliad	Con ese fondo, que hace ilegible el texto, a riesgo de perder la vista en pocos meses, yo no entiendo cómo alguien puede preocuparse por unas simples líneas horizontales que no debían estar; es como tener cáncer de huesos y quejarse de un simple catarro.

11-27-2007, 04:32 AM	#10
Gogolo Addict Posts: 353 Karma: 92 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: DR1000S, Nook ST (rooted), Kobo Aura one (ksm)	@juancarlosleo: Please write in english. I suspect you are spamming your opinion in threats with different subject.

11-27-2007, 12:40 PM	#11
juancarlosleo Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Iliad	OK Gogolo, My english is ugly. Have you seen the background color? No further questions.

11-27-2007, 01:09 PM	#12
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	Since e-ink uses the same type of matrix under the e-ink that LCD screens use and the single line not working is a common problem with LCD screens, it seems that it is not damage caused by the user. What happens is that one of the row capacitors or transistors stops working and keeps the entire row at a constant color. To my way of thinking it is a manufacturing defect.

11-29-2007, 01:15 AM	#13
jackbrown Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: San Francisco USA/North Africa	RWood-that was exactly my thought, and was the reason when I sent it in, I was virtually certain I would not be paying for it. Nevertheless, it seems that Irex has me over a barrel here. I think I am going to pay for the repair even though I suspect they are screwing me. JuanCarlos-I have to admit that the ridiculously bad contrast ratio between text and background was kind of a shock when I first turned the device on. [JC's analogy for my complaint was along the lines of: complaining about a single white line on a display with such blindingly crappy contrast is akin to complaining about an eye cataract when you've got bone cancer] In bright light though, (which is exactly when laptop screens are worthless) this thing is amazing to read on. When EInk fixes the contrast and speeds up page flips, this will totally replace reading on computers, I can almost guarantee it.

11-29-2007, 04:11 AM	#14
Karel iRex Community Manager Posts: 30 Karma: 223 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Eindhoven Device: iRex iLiad	Hello jackbrown The first picture is a line out error (covered within warranty) the second picture looks indeed like there is a crack in the tft layer (not covered within the warranty). I suspect there is maybe a mix up - could you pm me your ticket number via the irex forum -> http://forum.irexnet.com than i can have a look at it regards Karel

12-03-2007, 06:52 AM	#15
jackbrown Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: San Francisco USA/North Africa	Well, needless to say I'm very happy to have gotten a positive response from Karel at Irex; this is good customer relations. I will report back here on further developments.