# Does Taking Back Off Void Warranty? **UPDATE**



## Boldilocks (Apr 26, 2010)

Hi there!

My Kindle 2 went belly up on Saturday. The screen just went blank and I assumed it needed to be charged (even though there had been plenty of battery life left and I know that it lasts forever on a charge).

Plugged it in to charge - orange light came on for a few seconds then went off again. The thing will not switch on, plugged in or unplugged.

I was so depressed about it that DH took the rubber/plastic back off to see if there was anything amiss inside. He said there was some misting or condensation inside (though I never knowingly got it wet) - but he didn't take out the screws to get to the battery. Instead he just put the cover back on. He thinks there must have been a short.

Now he was very careful, but if you hold the device at an angle you can see some lines where he used a butter knife to get the back off (not scratches or indents, just a different colour). So it's obvious that the back was off - does that void the warranty? I have had the Kindle since Feb 11th 2010 - but i can;t very well call them and say the back wasn't off.

If it doesn't void the warranty, when I call CS should I mention that it was wet inside, or just say nothing as that might void the warranty? I really want them to be able to fix or repair my Kindle without having to buy a new one!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Since it's only a couple of months old, you should call Kindle CS and see what they say.  But you should be honest and say that you took the back off to look inside when it stopped working.  They may very well say that has voided the warranty.  Even if they won't replace it free, they may be willing to offer you a discounted price -- they've done that before.  You might explain that it stopped working and that's why DH took the back off. . .he was just trying to be helpful.  It is possible they will give you the benefit of the doubt and you'll get lucky.

My usual rule:  never take apart a device that's still under warranty!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> My usual rule: never take apart a device that's still under warranty!


Yeah, it wasn't a great idea to take the back off, especially since it left marks. It gives Amazon a reason not to honor the warranty.

Mike


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I'm with Ann - never, ever, ever try any undocumented maintenance on a device under warranty.  The good news, though, is that Amazon is pretty generous with warranty returns, so definitely give them a call.  Be sure that you call Kindle CS, not just Amazon CS.


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## Boldilocks (Apr 26, 2010)

Hi there - just wanted to update on what happened when I called Amazon CS yesterday.

Taking the back off *in no way* voids the warranty I was told. he said you would have to take it off yourself to do something simple like replacing the battery - and DH didn't even get as far as that (he slid of the grey plastic cover then put it back on).

He went through different fixes with me and nothing worked, so they sent me a new one and emailed me a shipping label to sent the old one back for free. Luckily I had kept the original box so it was easy to pack it up and send it off.

They sent my new one overnight and it'll be here this afternoon - great customer service job by Amazon!

I might take out the extended warranty on the new one just in case, though. It occurred to me that these devices are still so new (I think the K1 was introduced at the end of 2007, right?) that there isn't really any hard info on how long the lifespan is. The alacrity with which they decided to send me a new one (no questions asked about damage or treatment of it - he just went through how to do a hard reset) suggests they really aren't sure themselves. But I'm a Kindler for life now - I hope they always continue to treat their customers so well.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

We keep on hearing this about Kindle CS - they're very quick to send new ones out. After all, without your Kindle, you can't keep on buying their books can you? It makes sense for them and it's very good news for all us Kindlers.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

That is good news, Boldilocks. FWIW, I've had my Kindle since July of 2008 and it's still going strong. <knocking on every wooden thing in site> There are folks here who've had 'em even longer. . . . I personally didn't bother with the extended warranty, but a lot of folks do. I gather there are third party ones available as well that are longer. One thing about the extended warranty that a lot of folks find attractive is that it includes one "oops". . . .normally if you sit on it or drop it or something, that wouldn't be covered. But with the extended they'll replace it once for that sort of goof.

Enjoy!


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## Discus49 (May 6, 2010)

I've heard that you can't take out an Extended Warranty on a replacement kindle.  Worth asking CS, I suppose, but I doubt that they'll let you.


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

The Square Trade warranty is a great deal. It is cheaper than Amazon and covers 2 years. You might try that, if they won't let you buy the extended coverage.


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## Boldilocks (Apr 26, 2010)

Well since this all went down, my SECOND Kindle went bad! Left it to charge, and when I went to read it the screen was frozen with the screensaver on it. It wouldn't reset or even turn off.

I was really worried about calling CS this time - but after getting me to plug it into the wall and then the computer, doing a reset (that didn't work), again, they just said they were sending a new one! No questions asked (either the first or second time) about damage, dropping, splashing, etc. It arrived yesterday, and I sent the old one back today.

CS continues to bend over backwards it seems - looks like the ipad might be good for Kindle customers!

Let's hope my third one in 4 months is the charm!


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I went through 3 in less than a month before getting my good one and had no issues with CS. They are just great.


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