Troubleshooting How to increase the probability getting a good unit after a bad one was received.

[sirmaru]

It appears that, as of now on the Amazon page for the Paperwhite, there are 356 five star reviews and only 102 one star reviews indicating that a request for a brand new PW will result in a good unit by odds of 3.49 to 1.

However, it appears from reading all these posts here of PW's received with bad screens that at least twice as many folks are receiving bad replacements in exchange for their initial units with bad screens as receive good ones.

Thus, the best approach may be NOT to call CS for a replacement. Just go to the Order page, claim a defect, and then return it for a full refund including shipping both ways.

Then order a brand new Paperwhite and gamble on those great odds of 3.49 to 1 of getting a good unit. However, this way one will probably have to wait up to 4 weeks for the new unit.

I've included a poll to see how this all works out in the future.

I did not vote since I received a good unit the first time.

[ultimatejimmy]

If you do it that way you are out of a kindle for a while due to delays/demand. It may work, but you might have to sacrifice...

[Skydog]

I have received bad replacements for the original pre-order (wifi) and recently received a new, second pre-order (3G) that also was bad. So that blows that theory.

[JoHunt]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

It appears that, as of now on the Amazon page for the Paperwhite, there are 356 five star reviews and only 102 one star reviews indicating that a request for a brand new PW will result in a good unit by odds of 3.49 to 1.

Your odds are incorrect. Some 1 star reviews are for the PW not having audio, slow shipping, "ads" in cover view, etc.

Plus it's been rumored that Amazon has shipped close to 1 million PWs so far. Random reviews by 837 purchasers can in no way be used to set odds as to whether you'll get a "good" replacement.

You get what you get, and that is the only certainty here. No way to predict your odds, especially based on polls and reviews which are subjective, unscientific, and often passionate and inaccurate.

Some of us have received multiple bad units while others have received a good unit on their first try.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by joehunt

Your odds are incorrect. Some 1 star reviews are for the PW not having audio, slow shipping, "ads" in cover view, etc.

Plus it's been rumored that Amazon has shipped close to 1 million PWs so far. Random reviews by 837 purchasers can in no way be used to set odds as to whether you'll get a "good" replacement.

You are correct. All the posters to this forum combined are just a drop in the bucket of total Amazon Paperwhite sales so far. Star voters on the PW page are also a drop in the bucket.

I have purchased hundreds, if not thousands, of products from Amazon and only posted my star view a very few times.

Even if products are defective in one way or the other, I rarely return any. Most are still functionable with defects and others cost so little that I do not want to waste any of my time returning them. I simply give them as "gifts" to others or just throw them out.

Also, another person posted he received two defective PW's. That is not the same as returning one for a refund and then ordering a new one and waiting for it. Those ordered at the exact same time may have all been from the same production line having a QC problem that week.

This poll is really just for our little group here and is trying to see what happens in the future for those who return the PW for a refund and then order a new one. We will know the outcome in about 6 weeks.

There may have been a few who already did that. They can vote here and tell the rest of us.

[sparklemotion]

You also have to take into account the users that are happy with their PW, gave it a good review, think the screen is great, but the unit still has defects that would be easily detectable to a lot of us.

[weatherman]

Correlation does not imply causation. People are much more likely to complain than they are to compliment, and those most aggrieved complain exponentially more. I can't imagine there's any difference between the way that CS orders a replacement and the way it's handled on the web.