Marc says Amazon’s Kindle covers cause the e-readers to freeze up, requiring owners to reboot or return them, only to see the problem recur with refurbished units.

Users on these forums echo Marc’s problem.

He writes:

Amazon.com is selling record numbers of Kindle 3’s this season. Amazon also sells a proprietary cover for the Kindle to protect it when it is carried, or used. But, there is a major issue with the Kindle/Cover combination that causes problems for users and renders the Kindle virtually unusable.

When this cover is used with the Kindle, it causes the Kindle to freeze up and/or reboot many times per day. This requires the user to:

Call Kindle support, and/or perform a hard reboot of the Kindle every time it freezes up

For the longest time, Amazon did not recognize the relationship between the Kindle and the cover. Their solution was to exchange each problem system for a refurbished Kindle unit. But as soon as the replacement Kindle was placed into the old cover, the problems would recur. I am now on my third Kindle, and some users have reported that they are now using their fourth Kindle.

When I first determined the relationship between the Kindle and the cover, I informed Amazon of my suspicions and they allowed me to return the cover for a full refund (even though I had owned it for longer than the allowed 30 day return period.) My Kindle has now been out of the problem cover for six weeks and I no longer have any problems with it.

But now Amazon does not appear to be offering easy refunds to newly affected users (of which there are many.) They are telling affected customers to stop using the covers and that a software update will be sent out that will solve the problems. No fix has yet been delivered to the purchasers of the cover.

If you own a Kindle, does your device freeze up with — or without — a cover?

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