I just got a Kindle for Christmas, and the only thing I don't like is when the battery needs replaced you send it to Amazon and they replace it. That is fine, but they do not send you your Kindle back, but another refurbished Kindle. That is what I saw on the message boards. Why would they do this? I am a bit OCD when it comes to things like that, so I guess the only option for people like me is to buy a new Kindle when the battery dies, right?

Why would they do this? I am a bit OCD when it comes to things like that, so I guess the only option for people like me is to buy a new Kindle when the battery dies, right?

I've had various machines over the years to read books on, and frankly I've moved on to the 'next and best' thing before I had to worry about batteries much. Except for my Touch, which seemed to be losing some time on charge up after a year of constant use. DH inherited it and he's fine with the battery still.

I think they send out a refurbished unit because it'd take a lot of record keeping to keep them all seperate, and to speed up turn-around time. They can send you the next available unit, where you might have to wait quite a while before they can get to any one specific machine.

I really wouldn't worry about it until you get there. And you may be on another machine before that happens.

I'm not real worried about this. My first Kindle is nearly 3 years old and on the original battery. It works fine. For the first two years, I read at least 6 hours a day and   more than 16 hours a day. It still holds a charge very well and at its current use of 1-2 hours a day can easily go 2-3 weeks without being charged up. 

My K2i is a year old and still going strong. I read upwards of 12 hours a day, and during bouts of insomnia may read more than that. I think it likely that by the time this battery is starting to go south, I'll be wanting to buy the K4 or K5 or whatever they have then. 

If you Google, you can find directions on changing the battery in your K3, it can be done. It violates your warranty and possibly the TOS, but people do it and the instructions are out there. 

So of all the things I worry about, this is kind of down there on the list with cleaning out my Rolodex. :-) 

I wasn't aware the battery lasted that long, I just remember seeing a post about the battery only lasting 6 months before needing replaced. That must have been a defective battery though.  I only get to read a few hours a day at best, so I guess I really don't have to worry about like I orinally thought. Thanks!

You're most welcome. ETR personal information. 

ETA: You may find this thread with Kindle tips and tricks useful. http://www.paperbackswap.com/forum/topic.php?t=223787

I think amazon sends you the replacement kindle so you get it faster.  most people i see posting about a problem with a kindle say when support asks them to return a kindle they send a replacement immediately and tell them to return the problem kindle, they don't wait for the kindle to be returned before sending out the replacement.

Thanks guys! I am still trying to get used to not reading paper books, and I have a big stack of them to read yet. But every time I pick up one, my dh says you don't like your Kindle? Men! I just don't want to repay for the e books versions when I have  a perfectly good paperback version. I am looking forward to spiffing it up with a nice new skin though!

But every time I pick up one, my dh says you don't like your Kindle? Men! I just don't want to repay for the e books versions when I have  a perfectly good paperback version.

I totally get this!  My DH just this morning picked up my new Kindle and said "It's a week old and you aren't reading on it!".  Geesh, I have over 300 real books and I don't want to pay to put them on the Kindle.  Plus I'm a gamer here at PBS and have to read to mail for the games!  Men don't get it!

You're right.  Some men just don't get it.  If I read library books on my Sony for a few days, my husband asks me if I don't like the Kindle any more and vice versa.  Then the same thing happens if I read a couple of paper books from my TBR shelves. 

Oh wow you guys. I think mine is the opposite. He says " i know your never going to read all those other books now ".  lolol

I'll get to em. Eventually.