# Amazon - YAY!!!! Decal Girl - BOO!!!! - Update with Response from DG



## Deb G (Jan 18, 2009)

I can't believe it ... and I'll never ever put a skin on my Kindle again.  I was successfully able to sell my Kindle 2 (while waiting impatiently for my Kindle 3) and in getting ready to give it to the new buyer, I removed the MATTE Decal Girl skin I had on my Kindle.  

And, HERE'S THE TERRIBLE PART!!!!  In removing the skin, it pulled the case away from the keyboard letters.  So now I have gaps in between the letters (5,6,7, r, t, y, u, g, h, j, b, n, m) in the middle of the Kindle and the actual Kindle body.

But HOORAY for Amazon Customer Service, I called them and told them the problem and they're shipping me out another Kindle 2!!!!  Woo Hoo!!!  Thank you, Mike at Amazon Kindle Customer Support!!!!!

To be fair, I've emailed the folks at Decal Girl to see what they have to say and it's too late to hear back from them tonight but I'll be anxiously waiting to see what they have to say about their product and what happened when I removed it from my Kindle.

I haven't seen where anyone else has experienced this behavior from their skin and their Kindle but just wanted everyone to know to be extra, extra careful when removing a skin! 

Updated:
I just got a response from Decal Girl and here's what they told me:

> Thank you for contacting us.
>
> I am so sorry to hear that.  I hope that you were able to click it back into 
> place.  Our skins will definitely bond to the surface of all of the devices 
> that we currently make skins for. We usually recommend holding down the areas 
> around where you are removing the skin.  
>  
> Thank you so much for letting us know about this, we will be sure to add more 
> descriptive removal instructions on the website.    
> 
> Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions. 

A few people have asked for pictures, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to attach them from my Mac.  Thanks everyone for your support.  I appreciate it.


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## vermontcathy (Feb 18, 2009)

You mean parts of the plastic case stuck to the decal and were broken off?? It's hard to imagine... I'd love to see a photo just out of curiosity.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

How long had the skin been on?

Betsy


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## Deb G (Jan 18, 2009)

No nothing broke off but there's gaps so it looks like the letters now sit below the rest of the case. 

I can't remember exactly when I put the skin on but I thin it was Feb of this year.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

Deb I would love to see a picture of what it looks like.  and I imiagine decalgirl would want to see such a picture too.  it is hard to imagine and almost makes me wonder if the problem is with the kindle construction, which would explain why Amazon was quick to offer you a replacement kindle.  Seems like if they thought it was the skin, it wouldn't be covered.

But it is a great response on Amazon's part, no matter what.

I can only go by reports of many people removing their skins with no problem, but personally have never removed a skin, yet.

Thanks for posting this warning and, again, please capture this with a pciture before you send the Kindle back to Amazon!!


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I changed from one matte skin to another a few weeks ago and noticed that it was very difficult to pull the old one off of the back of the K2.  There was no damage to any part of it.  I'm having trouble visualizing what happened to the keys of the OP's kindle.  It doesn't make sense to me.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Sounds to me like the case just lifted up a bit when you pulled off the skin and caught on one of the buttons.  I'd bet if you figured out where it was caught you could take a small tool and shift it so the buttons would pop back into place.

Vicki


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## Deb G (Jan 18, 2009)

Victoria. Thanks for the advice. I double checked but that's not the issue, but it was a good idea.  

I'll try to take a pic of what it looks like because a few of you have requested it and because Decal Girl may want to see it.  

I've removed other skins with no problem but this was my first matte skin so I have to wonder if that could be it. It was just so hard to remove, stuck on very firmly and I really had to pull to get off.

I just want people to know and to be careful.


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

I think the skins will pull off easier if you heat them briefly with a hair dryer before pulling them off. Shouldn't have to do that, but if it seems difficult to pull off then it's probably a good thing to try.


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## cc1013 (Jul 31, 2009)

The same thing happened to me with my first K2 and DecalGirl skin (Amy's Flower, glossy finish).  I thought it was a defect in the Kindle and figured the adhesive holding the case to the unit was incredibly weak.  Amazon shipped me a new K2 quickly.  Whenever I change skins now, I am very careful as I take them off and work on small portions at a time.  Sorry to hear this happened to you!  Please let us know how DG responds.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks for sharing, Deb.  It's little things like this that helps all Kindle owners and the new purchasers.  I'm eagerly awaiting mine.  And I'm proud of Amazon customer service for being so quick to respond to your problem in a way that makes you proud of businesses not sorry you did business with them.


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## Deb G (Jan 18, 2009)

Updated:
I just got a response from Decal Girl and here's what they told me:
 
> Thank you for contacting us.
>
> I am so sorry to hear that.  I hope that you were able to click it back into 
> place.  Our skins will definitely bond to the surface of all of the devices 
> that we currently make skins for. We usually recommend holding down the areas 
> around where you are removing the skin.  
>   
> Thank you so much for letting us know about this, we will be sure to add more 
> descriptive removal instructions on the website.    
> 
> Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions. 

A few people have asked for pictures, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to attach them from my Mac.  Thanks everyone for your support.  I appreciate it.


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## Joan Marie (Sep 3, 2009)

I can't even remotely visualize what the OP is talking about. I've removed DG skins from my K2 with zero problems. Often this stuff is the result of human error.


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## Deb G (Jan 18, 2009)

I've had numerous skins from Decal Girl, always in glossy, this was the first skin I've had in matte finish.  

I too understand operator error but that wasn't the circumstance, this was just terrifically difficult to remove, stretching and tearing, at least with my other skins I felt I could use them over.  No way this time.  

And, given the lackadasical response from Decal Girl, I thought it was important to tell everyone to be especially careful.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

What an awful experience. Thank you for warning us about this. As far as I can tell, the adhesive backing on DG skins are the same, regardless of whether it has a matte or glossy finish. The skins definitely do bond very well with device surfaces. If there is a weakness in a device, the force of pulling it off could cause damage. I removed my DG skin from my K2 after 9 months, but the area around the buttons came off very easily. I'm so glad I know about this problem now, I'll be extra careful in future. Using a hair dryer to loosen the adhesive bond is a very good idea.

To post images, you need to host them on a photo hosting site, such as Photobucket. Create a free account, upload the pictures and save them. On each image there will be a list of options; to post images on this forum, you're going to need to copy the code with the tags on it and paste the link into your posts. It will look like this: [IMG]Photobucket.url.numbers[ /IMG] (without the space).

I am also very curious to see the damage.


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## clawdia (Jul 6, 2010)

I think it's a safe bet that I'll never put a skin on a Kindle - even were I so inclined, this thread would convince it not to do it!


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## stargazer0725 (Feb 10, 2009)

...and also be sure (when removing your skin), not to pull up and away from the Kindle.  Pull down...and slowly.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I have removed several skins in the past off of K1s and not had any problem at all.  I decided to remove the back skin on my K2 the other day and it was extremely difficult to remove.  I thought maybe it was because of the metal surface but maybe not.  I haven't attempted the front skin yet. I wonder if they are using a different type of adhesive.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

sebat said:


> I decided to remove the back skin on my K2 the other day and it was extremely difficult to remove. I thought maybe it was because of the metal surface but maybe not.


I had exactly the same experience with the back. I am certain it's the metal surface. I was out of breath from trying to wrestle it off. The front came off very easily, though.


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