A new problem emerged yesterday at the Kindle Classroom Project. I was charging up some Kindles to get them ready for students, and more than a few of them didn’t work. Either an empty battery icon remained on the screen, or the Kindle wouldn’t wake from its screensaver.
This is a big problem. I haven’t counted yet, but this problem may affect up to 15 Kindles. Confirmed so far: 8 Kindles.
Here’s what’s particularly not good: Kindle batteries don’t last long, and when you call Amazon Customer Support for help, representatives say there’s nothing they can do except offer you refurbished models for $50.
I don’t like this. Everyone knows that batteries don’t last forever. When the batteries on my Walkman died, back in the ’80s, I put in new batteries, and then my Walkman worked again. The same thing just happened with my Samsung phone. A new battery means the device is as good as new.
Why can’t the same thing be true for the Kindle? Is it because Amazon wants to force us to buy new shiny products when the old ones work just fine? It doesn’t make sense, particularly because I’m sure Amazon makes much more profit on its e-books than it does on its e-readers.
Or maybe Amazon doesn’t want its customers to hand down their Kindles to family members or donate them to students.
Instead of just venting, I need to figure out what to do next. There are many batteries online that I can buy, and there are many videos on YouTube that demonstrate how I can change a Kindle battery. But if you ask Amazon representatives, all of them say that it can’t and shouldn’t be done.
I’d like to do things the responsible way, and Amazon has helped make the entire Kindle Classroom Project a reality. But something just doesn’t feel right here.
Please let me know your thoughts!
This is not good- was any amazon rep sympathetic to the fact you are doing this for students?
Hey Heidi! No luck with the Amazon reps. They’re trained well not to budge. But I can see where they’re coming from. Still, I might have to write another letter. Beware! 🙂