How long should a Sony e-reader last?

[auwilli44]

I bought an e-reader from Sony (PRS600) about 15 months ago. I went to take it on holiday after it had sat in its protective cover on a shelf for a fair few months and I discovered that half the screen was blank.

So I reached for the paperback book and off I went on holiday.

Although no longer under warranty (and having been used only a few times) I sent it back to see if Sony would fix it any way

They sent me a message asking for £28.00 to look at it and would not indicate how much they might charge to fix what they found wrong... So I refused to pay (looking at the forum a good decision) and told them to bin it - I think they are now sending it back ! 

OK so no e-reader. BUT I have several books more than 150 years old and the e-reader lasted less than 18 months and was sitting on a shelf for most of that.

My money is on the paperback being around for many many years if that is the quality of these devices.

I certainly won't be buying an e-book or e-Pad from Sony in a hurry !  Not impressed !

[vaprudh37]

I agree with you re quality.

I am on my third one.  Granted the first breakage was my fault - it got wet on holiday.  The second simply stopped working and as it was 4 days out of warranty I too refused to pay to get it fixed.  Stupidly I then bought the latest one (PTS650) and after 2 months took it on holiday where it refused to charge.  I sent it to sony who repaired it within 5 days and it has worked for all of 2 weeks and the problem is back.

The annoying thing is I love the concept.  I have saved a fortune on exces baggage by not packing books but have just ordered a Kindle.  They can't be any worse.

Sony website isn't helpful if you want to find out how to make a complaint - I can't find a contact email to have a rant!

[SteveF48]

If you bought your ereader in the UK you should take it back to the retailer. I did some research and the law says that all goods should be fit for purpose and anything that you buy should last 'a reasonable length of time'. The manufacturers warranty only guarantees that they will fix it if a manufacturing fault appears within the guarantee period.

The one year guarantee on an ereader is not 'a reasonable length of time' for an electronic device to work. I expect my computers to work for at least 5 years. It is not unreasonable to expect an ereader to last at least that long.

I'm not an expert on consumer law, but there are lots of sources of information. Try http://www.oft.gov.uk/ for example.