Warranties for Kindles

Kindles comes with a standard warranty from Amazon. It lasts a year and is a limited warranty. Details of what is covered can be found here (link).

In the past years, before Kindle was a household name, Amazon were extremely generous with their policy. They would cover Kindles that you sat on or dropped, that you put through the washing machine or that were damaged months after the warranty had expired.

Of course, they couldn't sustain that for long. Once Kindles took off in success, Amazon got more realistic and inline with other companies, enforcing their terms of warranty. And we had to look elsewhere to cover our clumsiness.

Typically, I don't bother with accident plans. I take my chances. Especially as Kindle prices are so much lower now than 5 years ago!  However, after one of my teens dropped and severely damaged the screen on a device, I decided to add an accident coverage plan to our other new devices as we bought them - if they were products that were a bit more at risk. Oh, not the ones we just sit and read on the couch. I am talking about the ones that are read when floating on the pool or on the sandy beach, the ones that are carried around outside by boisterous kids, or cameras carried up rocky cliffs by adventurous husbands. Those kinds of devices.

We use Square Trade, a company that I first knew through the auction site ebay, but now I buy it through Amazon.  You simply purchase the relevant policy and add it to a device (purchased anywhere) within 30 days of purchase. You can buy 2 or 3 year policy, prices is based on the value of the product.

My experience has been excellent. In the 2 years of having a policy on one item, I have used it 3 times - once when the device had water spilled on it. Second, after a severe drop destroyed the screen. And the 3rd, when it was left in temps of -10° Fahrenheit for a few days and needed a lot of repair.

All of these experiences went like this:
Out of regular warranty terms
I filled out an online claim request (5 mins)
Square Trade sent me an email with pre-paid FedEx label. I boxed up the item and mailed it in.
A week later, an email told me it was repaired and on the way back.
Complete repair, excellent condition.No additional cost to me.

Now, there are all sorts of policies. Accidental damage. Equipment failure. Peripheral items. Really it depends on the products and how you use them. I give the company and all of my experiences 5 stars.