Fun With Kindle

Late last week, I dropped my Kindle. The screen broke. *sigh*

I called up Amazon, just to see what my options were. I was told that I could get it replaced for $89, but that the price of a new, latest generation model wouldn't be that much more. (And if I held on to the current one, there was a good chance that a year or two down the road I'd be eligible for an upgrade program that would get me a discount on a yet newer one.)

So... I took the plunge and ordered a new one. And a case for it. And stuff.

Today, I remembered something. My credit card has this neat feature. If you buy something with a relatively short warranty, they'll actually match the terms of that warranty for an extra 12 months.

I looked up my old credit card statements, and... I didn't buy it with that card. Dang. (The Kindle was really a birthday gift from Mom and Dad, so it was bought with their card.)

I mentioned it to Mom. She told me to check and see if their card had something similar, because she thought they had pretty good terms. I looked into it. Sure enough, they did.

I called them up. The rep told me I'd need to mail in some documentation, including proof that the damage would have been covered (since drops usually aren't covered), a receipt for the original purchase, and an official repair estimate.

Crap. The official Kindle warranty says accidental damage isn't covered (even though everyone keeps insisting that short drops are covered). And the email account I used for the original purchase is gone (the entire webmail service closed last year). And Amazon's repair program, as mentioned, is for $89, not the original $370 I'd paid.

I called up Amazon. The rep was kind of lost, but promised he'd email me with an official statement that the damage would have been covered.

His email came in... and said no such thing. Crap.

I called Amazon back. Got a new rep. Who said... "Wait, did you say there were lines on the screen?" "Yes..." "Well, that's a special exception. Even if you're out of warranty, that's covered. I'll mail you out a replacement right away! (And I'm sorry the previous rep didn't tell you that.)"

Upshot, then, is good news and... other news.

Good news: I don't have to deal with credit card paperwork! My Kindle is being replaced for free! Yay! Amazon rocks!

News which is in some ways good, in some ways not good: My new, latest-generation Kindle has already shipped. And I already ordered accessories from another site. Including a custom cover that I don't think can be canceled and definitely can't be returned. (And which will be rather awesome. If they don't balk at one little potential stumbling block...)

What do I do now? I kind of want the upgrade. Latest generation is smaller, lighter, faster, and has some minor software improvements. And I like the cases and accessories. But I don't need two Kindles.

(Also, I'm a tad worried that the damage won't quite qualify as "lines on the screen." But hopefully they won't be picky. The screen is busted, no question, and there are things which I think should qualify as "lines.")

Suggestions on what to do with a brand-new old-model (second generation) Kindle?

One thought is that my library has a Nook they loan out, pre-loaded with books. But I'm not sure that would work with Kindle's software, and I don't know how the library would feel about it. Even if not, I'm sure there are good places to donate it, if that's the route I want to go. I'm not really sure. And my head's all fuzzy from sleeping pill side effects (Mayo Clinic should be calling me back on Monday).

What say you, o mighty flist?