# My Kindle screen was broken.



## megan12345 (May 10, 2009)

The Kindle 2 was sitting on the and I turned to look up as my friend knelt down and I heard a crack. I looked and the screen has a small circle and jagged lines with triangles across the screen. Only half works now. I'm devestated and I have no idea what to do. I've had it for a few months so I can't buy the two year warranty and exchange it. What should I do?


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Buy yourself a new one.  Maybe ask your friend to chip in if she's the one who actually stepped on it.  (I didn't understand quite what happened.)


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm not sure exactly what happened. Was it on the floor? I think that Amazon will let you buy a new one for $200 if it is broken. So sorry about your K2.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Let us know what happens.  You can buy a replacement, I believe, for $200, as others have said.

Betsy


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## Bren S. (May 10, 2009)

Oh Megan so sorry to read about your Kindle  
Maybe your friend could help out with the cost of a replacement.
Good luck


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

Oh that's sucks to hear it broke. As most have said, not really much you can do about this case.


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

megan12345 said:


> The Kindle 2 was sitting on the and I turned to look up as my friend knelt down and I heard a crack. I looked and the screen has a small circle and jagged lines with triangles across the screen. Only half works now. I'm devestated and I have no idea what to do. I've had it for a few months so I can't buy the two year warranty and exchange it. What should I do?


Was it on the floor, on the couch?? I'm confused because you don't complete the phrase, "The Kindle 2 was sitting on the..."

I guess it doesn't really matter. The sad thing is the Kindle is broken and I feel sad for you. If I were you, I would use the $200 offer from Amazon as others have mentioned.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

DD said:


> Was it on the floor, on the couch?? I'm confused because you don't complete the phrase, "The Kindle 2 was sitting on the..."
> 
> I guess it doesn't really matter. The sad thing is the Kindle is broken and I feel sad for you. If I were you, I would use the $200 offer from Amazon as others have mentioned.


I'm a bit confused too. And why oh why was the kindle some place where it could be knelt on? I am sorry for your loss.


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## ghum (Feb 13, 2009)

Your kindle 2 is still covered by the factory warranty ( good for 1 year) but unfortunately I don't think Amazon will replace your kindle under the warranty.  Using past experiences as a guide, kindle 1 owners have often complained that Amazon will refuse to honor warranties if their is any physical damage to the kindle.  Amazon has repeatedly stated that this is evidence of the kindle being abused.  If you look at the warranty it does state that abuse of the kindle invalidates the warranty.  Some have argued to Amazon that damage to the kindle was accidental and it was not intentional abuse however Amazon has turned a deaf ear to this explanation.  If you had purchased Amazon's extended warranty this still would not help in that it is essentially a extended (2 yr) equivalent of a manufacturer's warranty that also invalidates the warranty under the "abuse clause".

The only warranty that would of helped is SquareTrade.com warranty with the "Accidental Handling Insurance" rider.  This does cover accidents like what you described ( someone unintentionally cracking the screen or spilling coffee on the device).  SquareTrade sells  a second type of insurance which is essentially an equivalent of an extended (3yr) manufacturer's warranty that does not cover accidents but covers events where the kindle just stops working or the battery no longer holds a charge.  The accidental handling insurance is obviously more expensive ( but not by much)  and is well worth it.  All in all the rates are very reasonable.  Hopefully this is info that is helpful if you choose to get another kindle.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

ghum said:


> ... If you had purchased Amazon's extended warranty this still would not help in that it is essentially a extended (2 yr) equivalent of a manufacturer's warranty that also invalidates the warranty under the "abuse clause".


ghum,
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see why you say this, since the Amazon extended warranty includes one accident within the period covered by the basic and extended warranties. You have to get that within 30 days of buying the Kindle though.

Since accidents are so much reported and other people will be using my Kindle to try it out etc.,
I did finally opt for the extended warranty, which specifically refers to 'accident' as covered even if it covers only one incident.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

Sorry to hear of this. If the friend broke it and it WAS in a safe place I would definitely ask for some type of reimbursement. If it wasn't in a safe place I would not expect any. Hopefully you get a replacement soon.   I treat my Kindle as if it were my child, I am overly protective.


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## happyblob (Feb 21, 2009)

Oh my, it was horrible just to read about. Your next kindle will go to the safest place in the world.


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## MarthaT (Mar 3, 2009)

thats awful


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

ugh...my worst fear!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I don't mean to be a wet blanket.
But......
With items that cost a lot, like our cell phones (most of us get them for very little but it costs a lot to replace one) and our laptops and our kindles we take extra care. 
I don't take my laptop anywhere I don't have to.  And I remain aware that a simple thing like the electricity supply cable connector can bend the connection in the laptop causing me to have to replace the motherboard.  Big Bucks.  So I am extra careful.
I take my K2 everywhere with me.  But I am paranoid about where it is at all times.
Just sayin.....


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## ghum (Feb 13, 2009)

To Artsandhistoryfan:

I realize that the advertisement of the extended warranty offered by Amazon states that it covers one accident but if you click on the advertisement icon for "terms of the agreement" you can actually see the contract.  In the contract under the section "What is not covered"  I would draw your attention to item "E".

9.  LIMITATIONS OF COVERAGE This Contract Does Not Cover: 
A. Any equipment located outside the United States.
B. Service or replacement required as a result of any alteration of the equipment, or repairs
made by anyone other than a participating servicing dealer, an authorized service provider,
its agents, distributors, contractors or licensees, or the use of supplies other than those
recommended by the manufacturer.
C. Damage or other equipment failure due to the failure to maintain the equipment according
to the owner’s manual instructions (except accidental damage from handling claims), abuse,
vandalism, theft, fire, flood, wind, freezing, power failure, inadequate power supply, unusual
atmospheric conditions, acts of war, acts of God or other force majeure events.
D. Service or replacement necessary because of improper storage, improper ventilation,
reconfiguration of equipment, or the failure to place the equipment in an area that complies
with the manufacturer’s published space or environmental requirements.
E. Any utilization of equipment that is inconsistent with either the design of the equipment or
the way the manufacturer intended the equipment to be used. Any and all cases in which the
manufacturer of the equipment would not honor any warranty regarding the equipment.

As you can see item "E" above states: "This contract does not cover" :  "Any and all cases in which the manufacturer of the equipment would not honor any warranty regarding equipment".

When I asked the customer rep about this she re-iterated that if the damage to the kindle is not covered by the factory warranty then it is also not covered by this extended warranty.   I specifically mentioned to her that previous owners of the Kindle 1 have complained that their kindles were broken by accidents (dropping kindle ect) and that Amazon had stated that this invalidated the manufacturer's warranty because of "abuse" .  I also brought up the point that the advertisement (and the wording of the extended contract) stated that the extended warranty covers one accident.  I wanted to know from her how these two seemingly conflicting terms of the contract are reconciled.  She said she can only tell me that what ever is not covered in the manufacturer's warranty is not covered in this extended warranty. Putting it in differnt words I said "since in the past Amazon has repeatedly refused to honor accidents when there is 'physical damage' to the unit I am taking this as you are not really being covered."  I asked again: "Is my intrepretation correct?" and she again just stated "if the manufacturer will not cover it,  then will not be covered in this warranty."

Hopefully this rep is incorrect but as you can see it does state that in the terms of the contract.  On the other hand I posed the same question to SquareTrade pointing out that the manufacturer's warranty does not cover physical damage to the kindle.  SquareTrade stated that if you buy the standard 3 yr extended warranty then "whatever is covered in the manufacturer's warranty is covered by us, but what is not covered by the manufacturer is also not covered by us...however should you purchase the accidental handling insurance it will cover even accidents that has physical damage to the kindle as long as it  not intentional".   Furthermore the cost of the SquareTrade warranty for 3 yrs (not 2) was cheaper.  The 3y extended warranty with accidental handling insurance I purchased for $56.  This was a discounted rate (normally $75) but there is almost monthly discounts at SquareTrade.  Sorry so wordy but hope this is helpful.

                              gary


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

ghum said:


> To Artsandhistoryfan:
> 
> I realize that the advertisement of the extended warranty offered by Amazon states that it covers one accident but if you click on the advertisement icon for "terms of the agreement" you can actually see the contract. In the contract under the section "What is not covered" I would draw your attention to item "E".
> 
> ...


 Gary, thanks.

Someone accidentally sitting on a Kindle is not what any sane staffer woud call "utilization" of the
equipment against the intended 'use' of that equipment. But they cover only one accidental
event in the two years. They cover defects that occur without limiting it to one defect. But
nothing intentional that goes against how it should be used - maybe with another charger,
or someone hacking it internally (that does not mean the workarounds we use that are merely
run on it)...

Do call and get another customer rep and then get a supervisor if a customer rep is that idiotic
to say that an accident is not covered considering there is specific coverage for one accident.

The problem with square trade is the hassle and paperwork and time-out w/o the Kindle and how
the replacemen takes place, with Amazon in agreement etc.

If you use your Kindle in ways not intended (normal phraseology) that can cover a lot that we don't
even want to think about.

They used to use that against customized screensavers and finally put out an official statement
this wouldn't void the warranty.

Anyway, for a determination of this type, don't depend on one customer rep who is so literal
she can't even see the exception specifically covered by that extended warranty.

You reasoned with someone who doesn't reason but talked rote to you.


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## ghum (Feb 13, 2009)

Trekker,
  That is correct with respect to SquareTrade.  If the kindle cannot be fixed ( a given since there is no repair facilty), then SquareTrade will re-imburse you for the full cost of a new Kindle.  The benifit of this is that if there is any up-graded kindle models that have since become available you can simply buy that model if you so choose.  In the worst case scenairo you buy the same model and now you get a brand new kindle with a "re-start of the factory warranty".


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## Gimpy04 (Jul 7, 2009)

-

Call Service Net if you have any questions on this.


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## brianm (May 11, 2009)

Gimpy04........... glad you introduced yourself into the discussion. Nice to know that amazon has folks who use the board. I have to say
that so far it looks like Amazon Customer Service is getting high marks........ congrats. and keep up the good work.

                Brian


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Hi Gimpy, welcome. Glad to have you here. Our own CS rep? Wow...LOL

As for breaking the screen....I was at the Free Clinic last night and one of the nurses was looking at my Kindle. The next thing I knew, she had her elbow on the screen! I snatched it away so fast that she looked a little surprised -- almost like I was rude. I said that the screen can break and I didn't want her to put unnecessary pressure on it with her elbow. Well, it turns out, one of the doctors there -- his wife has a Kindle and she did break the screen. One of their children pressed down on it with the heel of his hand. He said it cost $189 to replace it but he did buy her a new one instantly because she loved it so much.

Maybe he could've gotten it replaced for free (I think this was the first broken screen) but he said he just called, explained what happened, they quoted the price, and he paid it.

L


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## Gimpy04 (Jul 7, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Hi Gimpy, welcome. Glad to have you here. Our own CS rep? Wow...LOL
> 
> As for breaking the screen....I was at the Free Clinic last night and one of the nurses was looking at my Kindle. The next thing I knew, she had her elbow on the screen! I snatched it away so fast that she looked a little surprised -- almost like I was rude. I said that the screen can break and I didn't want her to put unnecessary pressure on it with her elbow. Well, it turns out, one of the doctors there -- his wife has a Kindle and she did break the screen. One of their children pressed down on it with the heel of his hand. He said it cost $189 to replace it but he did buy her a new one instantly because she loved it so much.
> 
> ...


No, if it was $189, they had the Kindle 1, which didn't have a 1-time accidental coverage replacement clause. Good call on pulling that Kindle away from her quickly! It breaks my heart some of the stories we get on how customer's manage to break their Kindles. Some of the ways Kindles get broken are quit hilarious too.


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

Gimpy04 said:


> Some of the ways Kindles get broken are quit hilarious too.


I can only imagine........... 

It's very nice to have you here, so welcome!


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Hi Gimpy, welcome. Glad to have you here. Our own CS rep? Wow...LOL
> 
> As for breaking the screen....I was at the Free Clinic last night and one of the nurses was looking at my Kindle. The next thing I knew, she had her elbow on the screen! I snatched it away so fast that she looked a little surprised -- almost like I was rude. I said that the screen can break and I didn't want her to put unnecessary pressure on it with her elbow. Well, it turns out, one of the doctors there -- his wife has a Kindle and she did break the screen. One of their children pressed down on it with the heel of his hand. He said it cost $189 to replace it but he did buy her a new one instantly because she loved it so much.
> 
> ...


That's a scary story, Leslie. I'm trying to imagine how and why someone would come to have their elbow on your Kindle screen It just doesn't seem to be a natural thing to do. Was she running a quality control test?


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

Didn't read the whole thread but somebody else just broke their screen as well. They had insurance from ST


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Gimpy04 said:


> No, if it was $189, they had the Kindle 1, which didn't have a 1-time accidental coverage replacement clause. Good call on pulling that Kindle away from her quickly! It breaks my heart some of the stories we get on how customer's manage to break their Kindles. Some of the ways Kindles get broken are quite hilarious too.


Ah, okay...yes, it was a K1. She was a very early adopter and the screen broke months before the K2 even came out.

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

DD said:


> That's a scary story, Leslie. I'm trying to imagine how and why someone would come to have their elbow on your Kindle screen It just doesn't seem to be a natural thing to do. Was she running a quality control test?


It just goes to show, these things happen before you realize it. The nurse was looking at my Kindle (actually reading a story on it) and then she got interrupted from her leisure reading to actually WORK...LOL. She had to write something in a chart. So she was standing there with her chin in her hand, thinking about what she was going to write, and her elbow was on the screen of my kindle. Like I said, I snatched it so quickly she seemed a little taken aback...but when I told her why and then the doctor told his story of the broken screen, everything was fine.

L


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Leslie said:


> It just goes to show, these things happen before you realize it. The nurse was looking at my Kindle (actually reading a story on it) and then she got interrupted from her leisure reading to actually WORK...LOL. She had to write something in a chart. So she was standing there with her chin in her hand, thinking about what she was going to write, and her elbow was on the screen of my kindle. Like I said, I snatched it so quickly she seemed a little taken aback...but when I told her why and then the doctor told his story of the broken screen, everything was fine.
> 
> L


YOu should have slapped her for more effect


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

Wait. Make sure you move the kindle before slapping her. Wouldn't want to push her elbow right down into the screen.

Melissa


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## foolstwist (Aug 5, 2009)

I bought my kindle for about $400 one year and one month ago. I loved it. I told everyone with ears that it was the best thing i ever bought, demo'd it for strangers, encouraged people to buy it. I carried it with me everywhere.

About two days after the one-year warranty expired, the screen began to fail. Just a line here and there on the screen. Then a few more. Then a few more. Yesterday, when I turned it on - just one little square of text showed in the upper corner.

I contacted Amazon. Sure enough, the answer is "too bad. your warranty expired. give us $180 if you want your kindle to work."

Then I got online - and saw just how many people had the same experience.

I think that Amazon should sell this as a really awesome one-year product. Like a subscription.

It's funny, I knew it felt cheaply made but I really didn't think it WAS cheap. Turns out, I was wrong.

I'm more sad than angry. I believed in this product. I don't anymore. And now that sony has announced that their ebook is $199, it's hard to justify giving Amazon more money. I just don't trust them anymore.


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

foolstwist said:


> Then I got online - and saw just how many people had the same experience.
> 
> I think that Amazon should sell this as a really awesome one-year product. Like a subscription.
> 
> ...


 Very distressing. I don't trust new technology so I've taken out extended warranties on both the K2 and DX but there was none available for the K1. They should last more than a year, but electronic warranties are seldom more than 1 year, almost never.

In the meantime, if you're looking at the Sony 300 that's due out any day?
It has only about 380~M of file storage and no SD slot. No whispernet of course. It's really
barebones, with few of the study tools we're used to.

They should at least give you a K2 for the $180 (which would be worth it, in my view) with the option to replace any bad screens.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I too have a K1, my year will be up in October.  However, I got a Square Trade 3 year warranty with accident protection.

I'm curious, we have some early adopters on this forum.  Anyone still have their K1s who've had them longer than a year?  Or know who has the K1?  I'd love to hear some additional feedback on how the original K1s are working.

Betsy


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

Betsy I had the same question here http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=10892.0


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I too have a K1, my year will be up in October. However, I got a Square Trade 3 year warranty with accident protection.
> 
> I'm curious, we have some early adopters on this forum. Anyone still have their K1s who've had them longer than a year? Or know who has the K1? I'd love to hear some additional feedback on how the original K1s are working.
> 
> Betsy


I received mine on August 2. HOWEVER, I haven't used it much since February 27, when I got the K2...
But I try it out every now and then and it's still working well.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Radar has been with me since July 9, 2008.  I read a minimum of 3 hours/day, he has a 41 page Content Manager, still on the original battery which continues to hold a 4-5 day charge with WN off, hasn't had a freeze since I quit using an SD card, no screen issues, etc.  He still works perfectly.  If, God Forbid, he became terminally ill, I would consider I have already received more than my initial investment's worth in money saved between what Kindle books cost and the DTBs I would have purchased over the same amount of time and order another Kindle overnight in a heartbeat.

I prefer my K1 over DH's K2 and might look for another K1 before getting a K2 (besides, what would I do with my beautiful Oberon?), but either way I would not go long without a Kindle.


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## xtalmarie (Mar 6, 2010)

My Kindle's screen just broke a couple of days ago.   The only things that could have possibly damaged it are a very light fall from my vehicle's seat to its carpeted floorboard (while encased in the protective cover), and, my wallet may have fallen on top of it during that same incident. Neither seems (in my estimation) to have been enough to damage the screen so badly, but either way the screen is, indeed, now "cracked" internally. The upper half (roughly) is stuck on the last page I was reading, while the bottom half still responds to powering on and off, turning pages, menu commands, etc. 

After reading this thread I was worried that I would have to just suck it up and buy a new one, but I called the Customer Service number in the user guide (866-321-8851) and talked to a very helpful CS rep who is shipping me a new Kindle on Monday.   

I am disappointed with how delicate the Kindle seems to be (including others' experiences here in that generalization), but nonetheless I do adore mine and will take greater care to avoid ANY such mishaps in the future.


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## MAGreen (Jan 5, 2009)

I have had my Kindle 1 for well over a year now and it still works perfectly. I love it as much, if not more than I did the day I got it. I haven't even been as carful with it as I should and yet it is still in perfect shape. If it does break, heaven forbid, I will immediately replace it. I have been through several covers for it but I have finally settled on the Oberon. It was my first choice, but since it costs so much and has no use, or at least not that I could come up with, other than to cover the kindle, I didn't feel I could justify buying one (then I got a second hand one that's just wonderful!). I tried the journal with the Amazon cover combo, but didn't like it. It has the first skin I put on it about a year ago, although I have been debating a change. I really love it! The whole thing is just wonderful. I have hundreds of books that I will have forever without worrying about having to pack them all. 
Anyway, I guess I got lucky with mine, but I don't see getting a new one unless there is significant impovement with the next generation or if something happens to mine.


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