Are you SOL when a software update bricks your hardware?

Software updates are great until they are not. In a series of posts I will look into what a consumer can do when this happens to them.

My worst fears came true. A software update from Amazon “bricked” my 7th generation Kindle Paperwhite (S/N G090G10580320LUC). I did not request this software update which Amazon pushed without my permission. I am sure the high-priced attorneys that Amazon keeps on payroll have this covered in their undecipherable EULA. All my eBooks are now in digital limbo as I try to get Amazon Customer Service to make amends. I tried the chat line, which is a comedic experience in its own right. I get the same suggestion: “Please reset the Kindle by holding the power button down for 40 seconds and then update the software”. What is infuriating is that I get this suggestion after I painstakingly explain to them that I have tried all of the suggested steps unsuccessfully. One customer service agent went as far as creating a ticket to escalate the matter, or at least that’s what he/she/they/them told me. Which I find hard to believe after I followed up unsuccessfully on this “ticket,” which no one can seem to find.

In all, I spent at least 45 minutes of my time and Amazon’s time on this matter. All Amazon had to do was acknowledge that the problem was on their end (It is a known problem and documented on many online forums) and sent me a refurbished Kindle or at least offered a substantial discount towards the purchase of a new one. The Kindle is a great product, but this experience has left a sour taste in my mouth.

This experience does raise an important question, though. What, if any, is the manufacturer’s responsibility when an update pushed by it makes the device unusable? What are my rights as a consumer when this happens? I am going to dig into this question in the next few posts.