Some Amazon Kindle Fires Brick Right Out of the Box

[exfileme]

Holiday shoppers who plan to gift Amazon's Kindle Fire may want to make sure the tablet survives the initial firmware upgrade before wrapping it up as a present.

Some Amazon Kindle Fires Brick Right Out of the Box : Read more

 

[QEFX]

During the initial update process with the first Kindle Fire unit, an investigative search through Amazon's Kindle forum revealed numerous complaints on the same scwenario, indicating that this is an ongoing problem

Spell checker bricked?

That said I think I'll wait till 6.3 before I get my fire, may have to anyway given the availability.

 

[crinkdude]

lol

 

[reincarnut]

Now add this problem to the fact that I am using my Kindle Fire in India after being gifted one bought in the US and you have one very, well, interesting situation.

After a couple of International calls and speaking with first the customer care rep, then the Kindle Expert and then the Returns person, I was told that I will be sent a replacement in India (the last person on the phone didn't seem to happy about it, I must add!). Now, apart from their standard call-centre reply of "I'd like to send you a replacement right away but...", I won't be sent an actual replacement, because of my registered address isn't in the US, my credit card isn't on file, and I didn't buy it myself. The device now doesn't show up on my registered devices in my Amazon account, and along with it has disappeared my cloud storage and a couple of files I had put there...

I now stare at "Kindle Fire" on the screen for long hours hoping that somehow, magically, it will set itself right while I reconcile myself to the fact that I will, eventually, have to send the unit all the way back to the US, get it replaced by the person who gifted it to me and then have it sent back here. And needless to say, all this will probably cost me more than the Kindle Fire itself.

So good luck to me!

 

[de5_Roy]

bricked kindle fire - meteor!

 

[subgum]

I have one sitting here I bought to give to my Mom as a Christmas present, and it's working just fine... Yay for me I guess.

I wonder why some are effected.

 

[ChaobSiroc]

Every electronic device has major issues such as this that X number of users experience, however this is not a widespread issue affecting an abnormally high number of users and is not even close to being a "newsworthy" article.

Go write something titled "Electronics sometimes fail for various reasons and people talk about it on product forums". Sigh

 

[reincarnut]

Welcome to the new world, Chaob. We mortals have very little to rejoice about these days

That said, it is good to remember that in they say in marketing that a satisfied customer is likely to tell one or two people about their great experience with a product, but a dissatisfied customer is likely to tell at least 8. Apparently, that is the statistical average. And I am telling 8 people, including you.

 

[jeraldjunkmail]

Anyone else here have it cross their mind that the reporter here is in the vast minority of users that bought this device? If you keep down this train of thought, the reporter is in a way abusing their PERSONAL power of the press. What is the frequency of this problem? It would only be newsworthy if it was affecting more than 2-3% of users.

 

[maddad]

Amazes me how there are people criticizing the article as if the writer has something against the Kindle Fire. Now if it was an Apple Ipad there would tons of people on here saying how the Ipad was a piece of crap and is bricking out of the box. If site like "Toms" buys a piece of hardware and it bricks out of the box "that is news". It would be the same no matter who made it.

 

[reincarnut]

Thanks for that maddad ~ I was starting to feel a little 'uh-oh' myself for adding my own comments here. Let's see if the author himself has anything to add.

As for me, every time I buy a product that just packs up on me, I'd like to do something about it than say that it is not important because I am only less than 2% of the users that have a problem with the product. That definitely isn't what people pay for when they have invested their faith in it.

To set the record straight, I asked for a Fire because I have been a very satisfied user of the Kindle Keyboard. That's my show of faith. When it did work, I loved what the Fire is and does. I still want one and will get mine replaced.

Now, I wonder what jeraldjunkmail above would do if he, let's say got a car that was faulty and he was the only one who had that problem... just wondering.

 

[belardo]

"scwenario"

Brian: What?
Stewie: scwenario
Brain: Why are you adding a w sound to that word?
Stewie: scwenario? No, I'm saying it right.
Brian: Say scenario.
Stewie: scwenario
Brian : sc-en-ario
Stewie: scw-en-ario
Brian : Forget it.

 

[Guest]

It may not be vast numbers of new kindle owners that experience this problem, but it is still a huge let down for those that are!

I have to say, to many time now have new products gone wrong for me, I now am most weary of any new purchase, and spend a much longer time re-searching the product and looking for faults before purchase.Over the last five years, the only brand of products that have not failed in any way is Panasonic! yes, 26" Panasonic HD TV now 6 Yrs old and running like the day it was bought, 42" Panasonic HD Plasma also in tip top shape and that is 5 Yrs old , Our 50" Panasonic 3d TV that is now 1 Yr old and not even a single moment of trouble, flawless performance, panasonic Home DECT Phones which are superb as well as various kitchen appliances.

I hear they are doing Smartphones now as well, I will be looking at them in interest.

Like those poor kindle owners - i know the feeling well of let-down!

Brand New KIA CEED - 4 MAJOR Faults from the factory, from seat belts that are completely broken to Brakes that Fail! (Never Again)

WD My Book Life 1TB - Faulty Firmware, cannot create shares, customer support provide firmware update (When all I wanted was a replacement unit as this one was brand new) and it simply bricked the unit! Took ages to get that resolved

I have had 4 Samsung HDD fail on me all less than a year old, that is my own, never mind the dozen or so I sold in Computers to customers. Faulty samsung OMNIA, started playing up 2 months into the contract, after repeated support help, the only option left was to destroy it and claim on insurance, 2 Broken Samsung Monitors, Broken Samsung DVD player, NEVER again to I touch Samsung!

Onkyo Receiver, started switching off randomly after 7 months use, got repaired and started all over two weeks later, took 2 months to resolve, and I have no faith in the unit I now have

Corsair 750tx PSU failed (Yes I know, Corsair) only redeeming point here is the absolutely amazing speed of three replacement and level of customer service.

Corsair Force 90 SSD, still to this date, no correct firmware to resolve random SDD not recognised during boot problem (1 in 5/6 boots) (Not so good)

Failed OCZ Agility ssd, complete brick, gave up with them and got money back, went for Crucial m4.

Failed Asus Crosshairs IV, the sent back a replacement in a brown box when we sent it complete in original packaging with everything included. Got only a Dirty Dusty Board back, not included kit, and the board was FAULTY!

New Sofas from DFS, Missing Legs on the Chairs on delivery, what a mess getting that sorted!

I could continue this list with Seagate, Mazda, SpecSavers, High Power, Sapphire, and various other manufacturers all letting me down on new purchases, but I wont.

Simply put, almost all the new Items we have bought have gone wrong in two years, as well as the failed insurance companies, telephone and broadband providers and even our stupid banks that have failed us personally. I simply dread spending money on anything that is not Panasonic!

 

[belardo]

@ moricon
Everything can fail... including Panasonic. YOu are just unlucky. I've had failed Seagates, WD, maxtor (when they were maxtor), Sony, Samsung, etc etc.... but also years of use from OLD Sony, Samsung, Seagates, etc.

Its the luck of the draw... to these companies, the quality stuff does have a lower failure rate as warranty failures cost them MONEY in time / man-hours / replacements. A failed TV could suck the profit out of the sales from 12 TVs.

Speaking of TVs, todays flatscreens have a failure rates higher than old-fashioned tube/CRTs. They are also not very repairable. There's the screen, PSU, tuner, display controller, computer, I/O pack, speakers and bezel/buttons. So unlike repairing a failed capacitor or a circuit trace - repair centers replace WHOLE parts or the whole TV. The skills of yesterdays TV repair man are gone.

By all means, I'd take a 62" 240hz 3D Samsung LED HDTV over an old-fashioned SD TV. But I still own and use a 1992 SONY 27" TV (great picture - works 99% good as new) and a 2000 32" Samsung, good as day 1.

 

[jamie_1318]

You know what kind of TV is fantastically reliable and user-repairable? DLP TV. They don't tend to have any problems at all, and you can always order the parts and fix them yourself. If you get one with an LED bulb or Lasers than you NEVER have to worry about replacing those either.

 

[Lyden]

I have a Kindle Fire and it did not brick right out of the box. The logo stayed on the screen for quite some time and it kinda bothered me but it finally went through. Just some positive feedback for users thinking about getting one.

 

[eddieroolz]

Well for something this mass-produced, you'd have to expect the possibility of duds.

 

[Guest]

You just cant get quality work when you pay children in 3rd world countries 35 cents a day. They should all be fired and be put to bed without their supper. j/k

 

[Guest]

I purchased two, had to return one - exchange only @ toysrus - that one is also bricked after update - wtf?

 

[yovi1972]

I bought one for my boyfriend and it was working fine and then it froze showing us the logo Kindle fire??? i was so disappointed! he was so excited and it got me so upset to then see it freeze on us! I am returning it tomorrow , bought mine at bj,s. I bought my daughter the blackberry playbook and it works magnificently! we are actually sitting here starring into the frozen screen hoping something happens and it just starts working all of a sudden. what a disappointment. Amazon what a let down!