Last week, I accidentally cracked the eInk display of my beloved Sony Reader PRS-505 and I am crushed. While I am devoted, if the repair cost of swapping/replacing the screen is much more than USD $99 I will abandon the Sony Reader platform for the $299 Amazon Kindle, which has Internet access and WhisperNet access. So, I am selfishly writing this post, hoping that Sony’s social media team might be willing and able to help me out. While they do have a replacement program for $90, it does not include screen breakages. I am very sad as I was halfway through reading Journal of a Novel, a lovely book by John Steinbeck, recommended to me by Minh Le and purchased for money on the Sony Reader online book store. I hope Sony is generous, at the end of the day — to me and to everyone.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
“the replair cost of ..”
should read
“the repair cost of ..”
Assuming something smacked the screen and this isn’t a software error, if they won’t work on it for you, price the LCD component from Sony. I’ll bet I can swap it out in less than an hour.
Why should Sony subsidize your mistake? Go buy a Kindle. Oh yeah, and good luck w/that Kindle when Amazon deletes books from it without your permission.
So tired of whiners expecting corporations to pay for their clumsiness. That’s no different than wrecking your new car off the lot and going back and crying to the mfr to fix it or you’ll cry on your blog.
Be responsible.
@Ereader: Because it was a mistake, for one; secondly, for customer-retention. Thirdly, the cost of keeping my device working will keep me, a blogger, blogging about Sony Reader as opposed to the Amazon Kindle. Finally, the cost of replacing my broken screen and keeping me happy would generally end up, over the course of the device, with my spending more money on books and services offered on their eBook store, money that will soon go to Amazon instead. Does that make any sense to you?
@Ereader: Well, it looks like Sony is going to replace my broken screen for $99 instead of the full price. I am much obliged to their exceptional customer service! Thanks very much, Sony Reader executive service team!
Hi Chris,
Depending on the size of your following, seems Sony would pay YOU to have one so you will use one and talk about it on your blog.
I generally don’t give anonymous comments a second thought, but in this case, I’m going to have to agree with Ereader.
Your comments on Twitter about how they should replace the screen, regardless of it being against their terms simply because you blog and will buy a Kindle just reeks of arrogance. So you blog, so what? I blog. Ereader probably blogs. The douchebag who corrected your grammar in the first post probably blogs too.
Yes, there is a certain amount of influence that goes along with being active in social media, but I have this crazy idea it should be used for things other than one’s own personal gain.
Well, that is surely noble, Suburban Oblivion, to be sure, but there are no rules as to WHY or HOW to blog or what to do with the blog or how to USE the blog, right? That is the powerful beauty of the blog. And, at least I am not sneaking around, right? Isn’t it better than a saunter around, all big and arrogant, and share my entire process with you? Is that better or worse, just because it is so arrogant?
That depends on how you want to present yourself to the world doesn’t it? If you think arrogance will get you further with your audience, then hey, keep on truckin. :)
Well, if I were anybody besides you, I might think that maybe I am having a little bit of a laugh and making a bit of a point. Based on generous humorlessness, I would daresay that I learned quite a lot from this — none of us good but all of it amusing, surely!
Clearly humor is a subjective thing ;)
That’s for sure! ;)
And why did the screen break? What? Sony, THE best electronics maker, can’t make Reader that’s tough? I doubt you used it to pound some nails into the wall. Oh, and of course the replacement program doesn’t cover screen breakages…how typical.
I wish I had been born in the days when things were made to last.
Maybe if it was a German product — Supposedly, German products are made to last 100 years!
Work it!
Workin’ it, yo!
I hope they replace it for you if it costs more then $50-$100, get a Kindle. What happens to all of the books you’ve already purchased?
I have only purchased like 5 of them — and I can read all those books on the Sony Reader XP application if I really need to. So, I can still read them on my laptop, which isn’t ideal but at least I wouldn’t lose any.
Here’s my strategy: with the product return, enclose a letter–a fan letter, telling how much you love the product, how much you use it, and how it was broken while you were using it exactly as they advertised it to be used. Demonstrate that you are a poster child customer, the ultimate die-hard fanatic that they want. I have gotten free … Read Morereplacements/repairs from Ray Ban, Henri Lloyd, and Patagonia doing this, and I’m not even an influential blogger. Granted, these are all stand up companies that have quality products–but isn’t Sony in that category? Shouldn’t they want to stay in that category? Back to brand favorites: http://visionsmc.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/brandfaves/
This just inspired me to do my own post on getting what you deserve from the companies you do business with: http://visionsmc.wordpress.com/
Amen, sister — I will totally follow your path!
As a reformed Arrogant, I can say with all my heart, that arrogance (self worship) drys up the soul and makes life very difficult. And in the end, arrogance never delivers what it promises. Humility produces rich gratitude and satisfaction and does not care what others think. Humility is concerned with worshiping God and serving others; the desire to serve springs out of gratitude for all the blessings humility steadly reaps from God.
Arrogance is it’s won punishment.
Humility is it’s own reward.
Being arrogant generally will get you what you want. People believe what they are told and if you tell them that you are the greatest thing since the toaster oven, they will eventually start to believe it.
Be arrogant. Tell people that you are fantastic and deserving. If you don’t, chances are no one else will either.
hey Chris.
if you’re interested in selling your broken device I’ll buy it for $30 dollars if you can ship in USA. (I buy broken readers and hack them for spare parts with an axe.)
email me if you’re interested.
it’s halolunar55@gmail.com btw
Well well I did like my sony PRS-505 READER…I was reading a book at lunch…and left it in the car…and bamm the screen cracked…only have 3/5 of the screen working..it was a hot day out side…I am assuming the heat was the reason it cracked…and am looking for a replacement screen..It Sax to be me