Andrew Savory: Kindle Case Chaos

The Kindle is great, but one of the things you really want from an electronic book is rock-solid stability. Since getting the Kindle, I've noticed quite frequently upon opening it that it was back to the home screen and had lost my place in the current book I was reading. This seemed to be typically during my commutes, so I'd typically lose 30 minutes or more and have to page through until I found where I'd got to. Not a nice experience.

I spent quite a lot of time googling and trawling the Amazon support forums for "kindle crash", "kindle reset", but could never find a conclusive solution. Some people advised upgrading to the latest firmware, but that didn't help.

Then I started seeing reports about problems with the covers, for example Kindle Giving You Trouble? Amazon Has You Covered, How a Leather Cover Crashes the Kindle, and Amazon offers refunds or replacements for problem-causing Kindle covers. I had the Burgundy Red Kindle Leather Cover so it seemed entirely possible this could be the cause - and in fact I take the case off when at home and haven't noticed a single crash without it.

So today I got in touch with Amazon and reported the problem, and an hour or so after emailing them they called me back. They were polite and helpful and confirmed there's a problem with the case. They gave me a full refund as well as a £21 promotional gift certificate to put toward buying a new case. That was a nice touch.

I've used the refund and certificate to pay for a Timbuk2 Plush Sleeve. I really wanted the Black, Red and Gunmetal Timbuk2 Envelope Sleeve but this is out of stock and I didn't want to put up with more crashes while I wait for it to be back in stock.

One thing surprises me though: Amazon clearly acknowledge this is a critical defect in their case. They are prepared to offer refunds. It's a defect that materially damages the reputation of the Kindle ("yeah, I've got a kindle but it keeps crashing!"). So why on earth didn't they email all owners of the case to say "hey, if you're experiencing crashes, get in touch"? It seems a bit daft to rely on word-of-mouth to let people know about this. It's a real shame - it nearly turned a delightful device into a frustrating paperweight.

I'm looking forward to the new case and a crash-free reading experience.

Previously: Books.