When good Kindles go bad
Amazon.com's Kindle
I have a good friend who lusted for a Kindle as soon as it was announced.
Now he has one – and in some ways might be regretting it.
I think I’ll let him tell you his tale of woe in his own words:
I had wanted a Kindle from day one.
My wife rolled her eyes.
The kids went to her and said “Daddy wants a Kindle”
“It’s a waste of money. He’ll never use it. Forget about it.”
So I got a sweater.
I still wanted a Kindle.
But they gave me a shirt and tie.
A Kindle would have been nice.
Then Father’s Day rolled around and guess what?
I got a Kindle.
Life was grand.
I ordered books.
Dickens. Tolstoy. Powers.
I clicked through Furst and Armstrong and Brown and Larsson.
I read about Google and Wiki Government and a Girl with a Dragon Tattoo.
My wife was “impressed”, she told the kids.
And then, just before Christmas, my Kindle screen went dark.
It looked like a rogue Etch-a-sketch.
If I held it a certain way and read under a spotlight I could just barely make out the words.
I was despondent.
So I called the Kindle people.
They had me push this button and slide that one.
Plug it in, unplug it.
“It’s dead,” the guy said.
“What do I do now?”
“Send it in. We’ll send you a new one.”
“Really?”
“Sure”.
So a couple of days later, the new Kindle arrived.
It looked exactly like the old one.
Felt just like the old one.
Even had the same screen savers as the old one.
Funny thing about computers… they all look alike.
Anyway… I found all my old content, got tech support to help me re-activate my NY Times subscription, changed e-mails and Kindle names and I was good to go.
For a week.
And then the Times didn’t come for 3 days in a row and I was on the phone again.
“Your Wi-fi is dead.”
“What do I do now?”
“Send it in. We’ll send you a new one.”
“Really?”
“Sure”
So, a couple of days later, the new Kindle arrived.
It’s charged and loaded.
But I needed help getting the NY Times again.
So I called tech support and the guy got me back my NY Times.
Then I had a notion.
“Hey, before you hang up. Can I get MP3s on my Kindle?”
“Sure.”
“You mean I can read Tolstoy and listen to Tchaikovsky at the same time?
(You must think I’m a loser…)”
“No, not at all.
I’m an English major and that sounds great.
Sure, you can do that… just transfer the MP3 from your computer to the Kindle using the USB cord.
You can find the tunes on Amazon.”
“Great”.
So I went on Amazon and ordered up a Bach unaccompanied cello suite as a test.
99 cents!
But, I had trouble getting my computer to accept it.
So I called tech support and found myself talking to someone who sounded as if he may have been sitting on the opposite end of the planet.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Robert, but you can not put MP3 content on your Kindle.
I don’t know who told you this, but it is not possible.
You cannot put MP3 on a Kindle it’s not possible.
May I help you with something else?”
“I talked to some guy at Kindle support who told me I can definitely listen to MP3 files on my Kindle”
“I’m so sorry Mr.. Robert, but he is definitely mistaken.
You cannot put MP3 on a Kindle”.
“Thanks.” I said.
And then I said some things I probably should not have.
CLICK was the next sound I heard.
So here’s something I found on the Kindle website:
Transferring, Downloading, and Sending Files to Kindle
If you already own a Kindle and Kindle content, you can download content to your new Kindle DX. Download your books directly from your new Kindle DX wirelessly and transfer subscriptions from the Manage Your Kindle page.
Transfer personal document, MP3, or Audible files from your computer to your new Kindle DX via USB.
I feel bad for my friend.
Unfortunately this is how modern-day companies deal with modern-day technology problems and modern-day customers.
What I worry about is the future. When Father’s Day 2010 rolls around what happens when my friend’s e-book reader warranty runs out and his third Kindle is DOA?
Will Amazon.com continue to back a year+-old product – or will my friend’s Kindle become another non-working electronic doorstop and dust collector?
I hope that his third Kindle continues to work and he never has to find out.
We’ll let you know what happens.