Which E-Reader has the Best Customer Service?

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I haven't mentioned Apple in my posts, but thanks for sharing your anecdote. It underscores a point I should have made more clear -- you can have extremely positive brand response (like Amazon and Apple) and mediocre customer service, and people who have negative service experiences will get shouted down by the raving fans of your products or businesses. Essentially, if someone reports poor or lackluster customer service the fans will come out swinging for your product, telling the person that they didn't do it right, they didn't go far enough, they didn't actually try -- essentially blaming the consumer for mistakes made by the company. You've probably told your Apple experience to friends that are big fans of their products and heard them excuse or try to explain how you could have gone about your issue differently -- or just dismiss it out of hand with a comment like "I've never heard of Apply having those problems before."
Now don't get me wrong -- having worked in retail, there are plenty of horrible customers out there. But the people working the call centers and forums are people too. And all it takes is a bad experience for one reviewer to end up with articles like these. But hey, Amazon is huge! It can ignore things like this because fans will defend it... until enough of these things happen, and eventually the fans get disillusioned running to breach each time.
@Andy UK: Up until the last year, the primary adopters of ereaders have been young male professionals (in the US, predominantly white). It hasn't been until the last half a year (give or take three months) that more women and the elderly have started accepting them as a rapidly growing demographic. I'd say check the sales data but most of these companies hold those cards close to their chest, but there's plenty of surveys illustrating this.

Bill of VA 5:08PM August 26, 2011

I have had Apple products since I have had a computer and then an iPod. Many years. Their customer service is just aweful. Yes, I can drive 15 miles one way to sit at a Genius bar, but in order to get the appointment I need to go online and find where to log on and hope they have an opening any time soon. And then I get to go sit and watch 100 other people with their idevices wait for their appointment. And the last time I bought a laptop and needed to return it, I had to wait 6 months for them to mail me a refund check because I paid in cash. And that was only after they completely insulted me at that wonderful genius bar. Me, a long term loyal customer who still spent hundreds of dollars a month on iTunes purchases.
Now lets contrast with Amazons customer service. I purchased a new K3 and had an issue with the screen several months after purchase. I called them and within 5 minutes they set up a replacement. It arrived the very next day. I then just shipped back to them the replacement. My credit card was never even hit for a soft charge. Within 3 weeks of purchasing my new iPad 2 the charge cord was fraying. I called Apple (because I was still mad at the poor treatment at our local Apple store) only to be told immediately "user error". I explained to them that I have had iPods and iPads for years and never had an issue with a charge cable and that it was obvious by the way it frayed that it was manufactured wrong. After they consulted with their superiors, I then had to give them my credit card and they charged me $40 to ship me a new one. I then shipped back the frayed one and it took an addition 3 weeks to clear the charge on my card.
Sorry, but Apples support is in no way better than Amazons. I have dealt with both for years and I adore Amazon for their great support and ease of use. Apples use to be great before the iPods and especially prior to the iPhones. They have gone down hill hard.

Kindlechickie of TX 4:17PM August 26, 2011

I didn't realise Kimberly or her husband was over 50.
In the UK, the Amazon Kindle Forum suggests a high number of the over 50s have bought the Kindle. Younger people seem more interested in TV and Film than in reading. From your argument younger people are more able to find the answers on the web than older people. That being the case, the reports of excellent Amazon Kindle Customer Service are more likely to come from older people.
In general, I agree with your comments on ignoring reports, but if someone is able to solve a problem on their own they will not be the ones contacting Customer services. One must also watch out for the malicious comments made by supporters of Amazon against Apple - and vice versa!
As to simplicity of devices, with the Kindle all you REALLY need to get reading is how to switch it on, that the buttons on either side take you backwards or forward a page, to press the centre of the 5-way to select and how to buy an ebook with one click of the button. If you want to do anything fancy try the help button or read the (included) manual. I don't see how it could get any simpler.

Andy of UK 4:30AM August 26, 2011

Keep in mind that as ereaders reach wider adoption phases, you're going to get less and less technically inclined users. People older then 25 have more issues correctly parsing good search terms compared to younger people. People over 50 find it more difficult to navigate a website or automated phone service by a significant margin. Baby boomers were still the most potent consumers as of 2010.
Just because it is "simple, just do x, y, z and it's two options into their web page" does not mean that someone who just got a reader from their grandkids because its easier then finding large print books now will be capable of it. Considering just how negatively a lot of people find phone tree or help lines in the 50+ category, you shouldn't act surprised if a senior citizen sees that they have to call about something and just drops the matter (Admittedly, you can probably blame some of the really infamous customer service mazes such as AOL for this, especially among late adopters as opposed to Amazon).
As to ignoring reports, all it takes it screwing up once to the wrong person to get a negative rating somewhere. If you're a five star restaurant 99% of the time except the one time you have Zagat sitting at your table, that will reflect on how they rate you, no matter how many fans you have (And I don't think Amazon would score anywhere near 99% on a customer satisfaction survey, voluntary or otherwise). Next time you hear something positive about Amazon's customer service line, think about who's talking about it and where their level of technical competence is. Chances are they're probably innovators or early adopters and generally able to figure things out on their own. Barnes and Noble's success so far with the Nook 2 speaks to how many of the early majority adopters respond to marketing a "simple" device.

Bill of VA 10:43PM August 25, 2011

Could it be that the few people who have had "bad" experiences of Amazon Customer services are those who DEMAND something be done and are rude in the process? I know that there are such people because I have met them. Also, in any organisation you will get bad apples (should that be bad kindles?), or someone on CS who has been up all night with a teething baby etc. So a few negatives are to be expected. What the overwhelming number of Amazon Customers who've used Amazon Customer Services say is that it is excellent. And notice that they DON'T need to be asked - they will just tell you. OK, when Amazon has wiped out the opposition no doubt that will change. In the meantime, enjoy it while it lasts!

Andy of UK 8:05PM August 25, 2011

To me the funniest thing about this article is that a frozen Kindle screen nearly always either needs a hard reset - or it has a book file on there that is stuck in the indexing process and needs to be deleted. If the author had actually bothered to contact Kindle Customer Support, they would have probably gotten her fixed. And just like a previous commenter suggested, I bet Barnes and Noble staff could have even told her that because it is a fairly common problem. I do agree that the Amazon Customer Support number can be a couple clicks of searching but once you have it Amazon is tops in helpfulness. But, you do have to let them know you are having a problem before they can fix it. Not contacting them and then claiming "they wouldn't do anything so I give them a C-" is very low level thinking imho.
I've been involved in the "eReader" world for years as a product tester, reader, consumer, and advocate. It is rare that I hear anything negative in regards to Amazon Customer Service. Barnes and Noble was a disaster when they first released the original nook, but they have improved greatly over the past year as their store staff has become trained. Barnes is also betting heavily on the nook product line and they put resources and effort into it. Their efforts have shown over the past year. Apple is Apple. I also found it confusing that the author doesn't even mention the appointment process in regards to taking your problem to the Genius Bar .... or the infamous long wait times should you choose to call. But then again, since she never actually tested any of those retailers with an actual customer service call or problem, yet still felt qualified to grade them on their supposed superiority, I guess facts and specifics really aren't that relevant to this discussion.
I have little experience with Sony but in the tradition of this article that probably doesn't matter. I'm going to grade them as a .... oh a B-! Just because that's what I think they are and fact aren't all that relevant.

Janet of IL 2:14PM August 25, 2011

I haven't actually read this article but I'm giving it a "C-". I'm also giving Time a "B" and Newsweek a "B+". I haven't read their articles in years, but I know they used to be good. See, I too could be a reporter for U.S. News.
BTW, I have had nothing but EXCELLENT Customer Support from Amazon. I dropped my first Kindle and broke the screen. They didn't have to do anything for me, but they gave me a replacement for half price. I also had to return a poorly formatted ebook, and I had to redownload a corrupted music file. I sent them an email for each of these problems and they took care of the issues without any hassle whatsoever.

Daithi of RI 1:04PM August 25, 2011

I am sorry that you had a bad experience. I did not say that Amazon was perfect. I did say that Kim was ignorning reports from people here and at other sites where her article was posted that reported calling Kindle Support and having Amazon replace their out of warrenty Kindles that had a problem.
She reported that she looked at the web site and did not even bother calling Kindle Support. Based on that, she gave Kindle a C for sutomer support. Until she has actually talked to Kindle support it is hard to give any credence to her experience.
I have had limited experience with Kindle Support. I called to report my Mothers lost DXG and they were very helpful. They asked me some questions to verify that I had purchased the DXG and that I owned the account that the DXG was on and then bricked the DXG so no one else could use it. My MIL had a faulty screen on her K2 and Amazon replaced it very quickly and with no hassle.
It took me no time to find the button that you push for Amazon to call you and about a minute later they called me. I found it pretty easy.

ra of VA 12:22PM August 25, 2011

I must have dealt with tens or even hundreds of US companies, and I can definitely say that Amazon.com's customer service is by far THE best -- none of the companies I've dealt with can beat Amazon.com. Enough said...

Ray of HI 12:21PM August 25, 2011

Sorry if you feel otherwise, but Amazon's customer support isn't really that good, and calling disinterested people on their phone support line who care less about helping you and more about whatever metric their call center is measuring for the chance at them making an exception isn't really "good customer support." After the second bricked Kindle that "couldn't" be replaced-- both from manufacturer defects -- I left Amazon behind. Combine that with the utterly useless assistance that you get from Clerks at Best Buy or Staples about the device, and it's frustrating as hell.
The funny part is? From anecdotes I've heard you can get better Kindle assistance from Barnes and Noble employees because half the people behind their information desk know ereaders well enough to help -- and can't hide behind a call center when they don't feel like helping a customer.

Bill of VA 11:38AM August 25, 2011