replacement stylus

[cam6278]

Hi,

I have the pink PRS350. I have managed to break the top of my stylus and was wondering if i can get a replacment anywhere or if a Nintendo DS stylus will fit

Any suggestions ??

[cam6278]

Well ive got a new stylus, a kind person sent me one free of charge.

for information i did try using a DS stylus, to fat to fit in but turned the page ok

[carpetmojo]

I quite liked a pencil with eraser top as temporary substitute !

[carpetmojo]

I don't have shares in them (!) but, on my latest visit to Poundland, I came away with an "iPad accessory kit" (mmmm....)  consisting of :

3 white plastic styli (?)

3     "        "  "finger" styli !!    (extraordinary things, look vaguely like something an exotic dancer might use in her outfit ! )

An ipad scratch clear screen cover

3 little clear boxes, ideal for memory cards

And something else I think, bvut can't remember.

The stylusssssss... are too fat to fit 650 or 350 , but they work, they look like DS type things.

Bit classier than the pencil.........................

[mawhite7056]

I too have a broken stylus on my PRS-350. It's only about the 4th or 5th time I've even used the stylus! I went to higlight something I wanted to refer to later and the top of the stylus just came right off, leaving the rest of the stylus stuck in the reader.

I also experienced the same lack of customer service - I explained the problem and basically got told "send it in and if we decide it wasn't your fault, we might send you a new stylus."

As it was a Christmas present, I don't even know if my uncle still has the receipt, which they also demanded to see when I send the stylus back.

It's a shame really - the Sony Reader is a lovely bit of kit but not having a working stylus negates half the reason I wanted to upgrade from my PRS-505. Previously I recommended the Sony Reader to people over the Kindle but, experiencing this and seeing a colleague getting an immediate replacement for her Kindle Christmas present when the screen cracked a couple of weeks ago, I doubt I'll recommend the Sony one again.

[rodonne77]

Hi All.

yes another complaint about a broken stylus and Sony's apparent lack of understanding of what customer service means i am the owner of a prs reader the one before the current prs 350 ,never had a problem with this so thought when my daughter asked for a reader for Christmas that I would get her a Sony reader by this time the end of November 2010 Sony had brought  out the 350 with a small stylus to use as well as being now touch screen now the story starts when she tried to extract the stylus for the first time 2 weeks ago guess what yes the top came right off in her hand leaving the rest inside the reader thought I would have no problem getting a replacement from Sony no chance there though, when you contact them their response is send it back and we will assess it and see what the problem is received a receipt from them stating no damage apart from some scratches to rear of reader. then next day received another Estimate from Sony cost of repair to reader £56.00. if not accepting repair estimate then cost of £28.00 to get reader returned. have now contacted Trading standards and retailer who is trying to help as far as Sony go they should consider changing Name to (Sorry dont understand customer service)

[carpetmojo]

Your contract is with the retailer, and your claim is against them, via the Sale of goods act - you shouldn't have to wait till Sony tell you this nonsense, the shop are the ones liable to you, whatever they say.

They should sort your problem out, and it should not cost you anything - aspecially with the history of this problem.

Sony are just an organisation that seem to think they are so big they don't need to worry after they've sold the unit.

Any money should be paid by the retailer, if that's the only answer, but a replacement would be their easiest solution.

And quickest for you...............

[wolfe0809]

I see I'm one of a growing community.  So far, this is the extent of the customer service I've received from Sony regarding this Reader PRS 350 broken stylus issue:

"Thank you for contacting Sony Parts.

The information you requested is below:

Part Number(s) and Pricing Information

A1786740A    STYLUS ASSY (Silver)   US$62.91

You can order any available items through our website, or call us at (800) 488-7669.

   http://servicesales.sel.sony.com

TIP: Shipping charges and local taxes will be added at checkout.

NOTE: Parts do not include installation instructions.

Thank you for choosing Sony.

The Sony Parts and Accessory Team"

This was my response to them, and it generated exactly the same reply, albeit from a different individual:

"Are you serious?  $62.91 ++ for a tiny piece that was clearly poorly  designed anyway?  I've checked several forums and have found the exact  same complaint from other users of the PRS-350.  I have used the stylus  once or twice since purchasing the device and the stylus had been stowed  in its sleeve when the grip-top just fell off. Please tell me this  price is a mistake or that there is some product quality guarantee from  Sony that will stand behind their product."

I hope someone at Sony will step up and demonstrate some responsibility for this design flaw and make things right for us, but I'm not holding my breath.

[wjjpardo]

Despair not all you cheesed off Sony customers, do you really want the electronics giant to replace your rubbishy stylus with another rubbishy stylus that they can't be bothered to modify or design properly in the first place - not me. Mine broke in the reader without having been used at all for 3 months, i picked up my reader and the top of the stylus just dropped out onto the floor. No misuse here - just appalling design and a lack of will to think again.

I saw a youtube video about drilling out the barrel and using a cotton bud insert instead of the original top and it inspired me to try a bit of d.i.y. Could i do a worse job with this than the Japanese giant, i think not !!

Drill out the top and the barrel with a 2.5mm drill bit. Take care to avoid stripping the original screw thread in the barrel and be ultra careful when drilling out the top - you only get one chance. Now screw a suitable screw into the top, i laid the top on a work surface to keep it rigid while i inserted the screw ( i have a collection of screws from a former electronics hobbyist/ try Maplins/ Radioshack type shops). Now insert a toothpick into the barrel to test depth and cut the head off the screw at a suitable length to allow the head and barrel to come together.

Screw the two bits together and "voila". A permanent fix. I hope never to have to deal with Sony customer services again although unhappily i just bought a prs-350 for my daughter the day before my stylus bust so i may be passing this way again some time soon.

It's not rocket science as they say - Seems to be a bit too demanding for Sony though.

Good Luck

[mmsi62]

My stylus broke a couple of days ago.  I repaired it as follows

• used a 1mm diameter drill bit to drill a hole in the plastic core in the metal part - about 1 cm deep
• did the same in the centre of the broken end of the stylus head
• cut off the metal rod of a pop rivet to a  length of about 2.0 cm (was about 1.5 to 2.0 mm diameter (a plain pin with the round end cut off would probable do instead
• used a gas lighter flame to heat one end of the rod and holding it in pliers pushed in to the hole in the plastic core in the metal part of the stylus - it melted the plastic core and when cool it was firmly sealed in place
• heated the approx 1cm long exposed part of the rod as above and again using pliers pushed it into the hole in the head of the of the stylus - the melting, cooling and sealing occured

The end result was a working stylus which fitted exactly into the stylus socket of the reader.

If the stylus of  our second readershould break I will repeat the above but will use a drop of 'super glue' as well

[carpetmojo]

I may have some good news here - an enthusiastic 650/350 user, and serial stylus loser/breaker from the MobileRead Forum,  with some relevant expertise, has taken matters in his own hands and made a batch with exactly the same dimensions as the original.

I've ordered one to check out & try, (only charges cost + postage, we're talking enthusiast here ), and if they're the goods, I'll give more info - or you can go see yourself on MobileReadm, a good book and info source for your bookmarks anyway.