Kindle Joins Slew of E-Book Reader Makers Chided by Chinese Consumer Group
Liao Shumin
DATE:  Jun 06 2019
/ SOURCE:  yicai
Kindle Joins Slew of E-Book Reader Makers Chided by Chinese Consumer Group Kindle Joins Slew of E-Book Reader Makers Chided by Chinese Consumer Group

(Yicai Global) June 5 -- The Jiangsu Consumers Association has called in Amazon's Kindle label for failing to meet national after-sales service standards after holding similar discussions with five other e-book reader manufacturers.

Kindle warranties state that the Seattle-based firm will use new or refurbished components to repair faulty devices or replace them with new or refurbished digital readers, the association said in a statement today. But Chinese law dictates that companies must use only new parts or models for repairs and replacements, its complaints director Fu Zheng said.

The watchdog has also spoken with Japan's Sony Digital Paper and four Chinese manufacturers: Tencent's QQ E-Book, JD.Com's JDRead, Dangdang and Zhangyue iReader. These firms have never published their warranty standards and do not inform consumers of their after-sales rights, the association said. But they do offer post-warranty paid repairs, something Kindle does not, it found.

Kindle also states that its warranty runs only from when the original device is purchased, despite local regulations stipulating that if a device is replaced, the warranty must start afresh. The firm also does not cover software defects but should repair these free of charge under warranty, the association continued, saying that if an item still malfunctions after repair then consumers should be able to return the items and get a full refund, without having to pay any fees.

The association is not afraid to protect consumers' rights through litigation, it said.

Editor: James Boynton

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Keywords:   Kindle,Amazon