Amazon Replaced my Broken Kindle

Wondering what a broken Kindle screen looks like? I wasn't. Not until I dug my Kindle out of my suitcase on Monday and discovered the "save" screen had these weird lines through the screen. And they didn't go away. Not when I turned it off and on (thanks for nothing, magic IT solution to all things). Not when I closed the cover and calmly placed it back on its bookshelf to give it a chance to think about whether or not it wanted to start playing nice. Not when I turned it upside down and shook it like an Etch-a-Sketch. Not even when I did a hard reset (slide power button and hold for either exactly 15 seconds or over 20 seconds, as suggested by many "broken Kindle formus").

Of all the forums and message boards I read, I spotted a glimmer of hope when someone suggested customer service might be able to help me out.  I called them at the U.S. Kindle Customer Service Number 1-866-321-8851 and after a menu or two I had a live agent. She asked for my Amazon account information, I described the problem with my screen, and she said they would replace my Kindle at no charge!! Yay!  She gave me simple instructions to check my email where a free shipping label was waiting for me to print, then when I received the new Kindle, to pack up my old one in the box and send it back with the shipping label. I was not charged anything-not even postage.  They do need a credit card number to keep on file in case you don't send the old one back.

The entire phone call was less than 5 minutes and the process was completely smooth. My new Kindle was literally on my doorstep two days later, and all the books I had purchased were accessible through the archived items. I gave them a shout-out on facebook because it's always nice to hear the good customer service stories instead of the bad (I'm talking about you, Countrywide Mortgage/Bank America).

I wanted to post this in case you or someone you know ever has the same situation where your Kindle screen breaks--make sure you call customer service before you go out and buy a new one! I'm not sure what I need to do differently to prevent another break. I had stored it in a nice case and didn't drop it or anything, but I guess I'll be careful how I pack it in a suitcase.

Thanks again, Kindle, for the great customer service! Can't wait to get back to reading! I don't think it's coincidence that I'm currently reading The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk on my Kindle at the same time I received exactly the kind of service he promotes.

Kudos, Kindle (even though you broke)
You're Amazing, Amazon (even if you make me go broke with your irresistible free shipping threshold)