Extinguishing the desire for a Kindle...

[alexpgp]

Every time I start thinking that, hey, maybe I should get a Kindle, something else pops up to convince me not to.

A little while ago, it was Amazon's DMCA takedown of software that would let you read non-Amazon-supplied content on one's Kindle.

Yesterday, the 'net was abuzz with the tale of a Kindle owner whose Amazon account had been perfunctorily canceled by Amazon, whereupon... quoting the customer:

In effect, I now have a $359 brick, not covered under any warranty, not able to be used the way it was meant to be, not able to be returned (not that I even want to, I just want to keep reading!)

I called customer service several times today; the supervisors there explained that I cannot use the Kindle store but "I can get content onto the machine different ways."

I have emailed the proper address, but I'm not hopeful of a positive solution.

I know you all don't know me from Adam, but I'm a good guy and didn't deserve this at all -- and no, I'm not going to bash Amazon here -- instead, I'm just going to tell y'all I'm going to make every call and write every (professional) email I can to get this situation resolved.

But please let this be a lesson to all of us - when you buy a Kindle, you are really buying a service-

-and that service can be turned off at a whim.

This raises an interesting point that I do not currently have time to research: can one legally sell one's Kindle and all of whatever rights to the content bought for it to someone else?

I haven't the time to study this right now, though. I have a garage to dissect.

Cheers...

Comments

[sydb42.livejournal.com]

That's a good point to consider when buying a Kindle. I have no idea what the legal answer really is, but it would make sense that you could sell the Kindle and rights to the content you'd already bought, which means that probably the answer is no, you can't. Or am I being too cynical?

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

No, not really. :^)

As it turns out, you can sell the hardware, but the content is tied to the account, so the short answer is: you can buy a used Kindle whose former owner has "deregistered" the device from the account and reregister it under your own name, but you cannot resell the content.

(Of course, saying something like that immediately triggers the "how can one game the system" reflex in me: perhaps if you were willing to create a separate, special Amazon account just for the Kindle, a new owner could "take over" the account with a new password and new profile and credit card information?)

I don't think, in today's world, one can be too cynical. :^)

Cheers...