Nook Simple Touch COMPLETELY Frozen

[lissatz]

I bought it on Saturday and when I went to read last night, it was stuck on the screensaver. NOTHING works! I press down on the power button for 20 seconds and nothing happens. I called the store and they said they may be able to fix it for me. However, I would rather them just replace it if I'm already having problems. They told me that if they had to replace it, I would have to wait for them to SHIP it to me, which could take a WEEK! They won't just replace it in store. You know why? Because they would rather keep selling more of their crappy product than replace the one you ALREADY BOUGHT and DOESN'T WORK! I am SO angry! Horrible customer service!!!!!!!!!!!

[SCIONTX]

If the battery is near dead, it will lock up like that. Try plugging it into a wall outlet. After 5 or so minutes you may get a message saying the battery level  is too low to power on. You'll need to let it charge for a bit.

[lissatz]

Well, it shouldn't be anywhere NEAR being dead, considering since Saturday, I've probably read a total of 4 or 5 hours. However, I did plug it in for about 10 minutes and nothing happened. I do appreciate you trying to help me, though!

[Josienjoe]

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lissatz wrote:

I bought it on Saturday and when I went to read last night, it was stuck on the screensaver. NOTHING works! I press down on the power button for 20 seconds and nothing happens. I called the store and they said they may be able to fix it for me. However, I would rather them just replace it if I'm already having problems. They told me that if they had to replace it, I would have to wait for them to SHIP it to me, which could take a WEEK! They won't just replace it in store. You know why? Because they would rather keep selling more of their crappy product than replace the one you ALREADY BOUGHT and DOESN'T WORK! I am SO angry! Horrible customer service!!!!!!!!!!!

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Yikes.  Did you buy it in the store?  If so, I can't believe they told you that.  You're well within your return period.  I'd take it back to the store and let them check it out.  If they can't get it going and won't replace it, I'd just return it.  

[lissatz]

I didn't make myself clear. Sorry! They WILL replace it, just not in-store. They will ship me a new one, which could take a week. I am frustrated because a) I've only had it 4 days and the thing is already having issues, and b) they SHOULD replace it in-store. If they have them there, why should I have to wait if the people in the store can SEE that it is not working? I contend it is because replacing it for me in-store doesn't make them any money. They LOSE money on that. They would much rather sell those new units to new customers instead of fixing my problem on the spot. Extremely disappointed.

[Josienjoe]

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lissatz wrote:

I didn't make myself clear. Sorry! They WILL replace it, just not in-store. They will ship me a new one, which could take a week. I am frustrated because a) I've only had it 4 days and the thing is already having issues, and b) they SHOULD replace it in-store. If they have them there, why should I have to wait if the people in the store can SEE that it is not working? I contend it is because replacing it for me in-store doesn't make them any money. They LOSE money on that. They would much rather sell those new units to new customers instead of fixing my problem on the spot. Extremely disappointed.

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Sounds like you bought it online rather than in the store.  They don't usually replace them at the store if it wasn't bought there.  That's one of the reasons I prefer to purchase at a B&N rather than online.  Still, doesn't hurt to go to the store and speak with the manager.

[lissatz]

No, I DID purchase it in the store. I even called a couple different stores and they all said this was a company-wide policy that they won't replace in-store.

[lissatz]

So NOW I have to take back most of what I said about B & N. Long story short, they plugged it in and it unfroze (meanwhile, I did that last night and nothing happened). However, it shouldn’t have been dead after only 4 days. Not connected to Wi-Fi, 2 months; connected, 2 weeks. Anyway, tech support told her I could exchange it at the store I bought it from, which is fine, but then she talked to her manager who said I could exchange it there on the spot. I now have a new one. YAAAAAY! Thankfully, they ended up doing the right thing without me having to be rude about it. HOWEVER, I do wish that all of their employees had the correct information. Employees from different stores told me I would have to wait for a new one to be shipped and that was apparently not necessarily the case.

[Haleakala_LKB]

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lissatz wrote:

No, I DID purchase it in the store. I even called a couple different stores and they all said this was a company-wide policy that they won't replace in-store.

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Then just return it. You're within the 14 days. ANd go buy a new one (if you still want one).

LisaB

Edit: Never mind, just saw your problem is solved. Glad to hear it!

[The_Imperfect]

I can't kniw for sure, but maybe when you were first calling stores, they atually didn't have stock available to exchange. In our area, the only available units have been special orders, basically, that are on hold the minute they arrive. I'm glad you found a store that had available stock to do an exchange for you. I hope it goes better this time!

[lissatz]

The store I went to was one of the ones I called. But, yes, I do know that they are pretty limited on stock. I have a friend who used to work at this particular store and she said she's a great manager who always tries to go the extra mile for her customers in-store, so I am thankful the manager got involved and gave the okay. Yes, I hope it goes better this time, too! I really do love the Nook - when it's working! Ha, ha!

[Alan_Houston]

The "freeze" problem is mentioned in the detailed owner's manual that is in the Nook library.  It is a software problem, not a hardware problem.  B & N plans to do a Wi-Fi update to the software by the end of July designed to reduce how often the touchscreen freezes up.

In the meantime, you can "unfreeze" the touchscreen by restarting the power.  Press and holddown the power button on the BACK of the Nook for 30 seconds.  Release the BACK power button for 10 seconds.  Press and hold the BACK power button  again for about 10 seconds...by now you should see the screen indicating that the Nook is rebooting.  You will get a message to swipe the bottom of the screen to restart the Nook.

My freezes have occurred when I press on a word.  The Nook seems to get confused as to WHY I am pressing on that word.  The problem has not occurred when I lightly tap on the right border of the screen to advance to the next page or when I am using the physical advance button to move to the next page.

Because this is a software problem, exchanging your Nook is unlikely to solve the problem.  Instead, go on-line once a week to the B & N website by selecting the "Shop" option in the menu.  By the end of July, during one of your visits to the B & N shop, you will be provided a software update.  Do NOT turn off your Nook during a software update.  After the update is completed, use the BACK power button to turn off all of the power to your Nook.  When you press the BACK power button again to turn the Nook on, your new software will be installed.

It is likely that there will be a number of software updates between now and December 2011.  I would not be surprised if a November update installs a high quality web browser that will be it easy to use the Nook to check your e-mail or go to Google News to read the headlines.

[Alan_Houston]

I should have made it clear, my post on unfreezing the screen refers to the new Nook Simple Touch that came out in June 2010.  I am not referring to the original Nook from 2009 or to the Color Nook.

[ivonneroche]

The same thing happen to me.  The person on the customer support didn't have a clue.  I contact the store near my house and they told me I can bring the device and exchange it right away.  I decided to get my money back.  I also contacted customer support again and complain about the first person that help me....

[ivonneroche]

This solution didn't fix my problem.  The screen was frozen and restarting the power didn't work.  I returned the product.  Do you know if this problem has been fixed?  I was waiting to buy the product after a fix.

[sharno22]

Had the same problem with my N2e.  Completely frozen, plugged it in and saw that the battery was dead.  I had already charged it two times the first week.  Plugged it in and waited until the charge light turned green.  Haven't had a problem since.  Have been reading for over 2 wks and battery at 84%.

[RCLewis]

"In the meantime, you can "unfreeze" the touchscreen by restarting the power. Press and holddown the power button on the BACK of the Nook for 30 seconds...by now you should see the screen indicating that the Nook is rebooting."

I just ran into the screen freezing, and having had the Nook since it's release (>14 days from purchase) I went searching and found this thread. Holding the back button for ~25 sec (I was counting in my head) the Simple Touch Nook started a reboot. When it finished I was able to access as normal. Thanks for the information.

[AlanNJ Inspired Bibliophile]

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Alan_Houston wrote:

It is likely that there will be a number of software updates between now and December 2011.  I would not be surprised if a November update installs a high quality web browser that will be it easy to use the Nook to check your e-mail or go to Google News to read the headlines.

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Now WHY would they install a browser on a device that's marketed specifically for ONLY reading books and providing minimal communication features?

[Ya_Ya]

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AlanNJ wrote:

Now WHY would they install a browser on a device that's marketed specifically for ONLY reading books and providing minimal communication features?

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Especially after they went to considerable effort to hide/remove said browser in the first place.

[grouchie]

probably because having a web browser encourages wifi use which eats battery life.  In order to get the initial battery life reviews to come out the way they want they disabled most of the features that utilize wifi.  They even could put in code to only actually turn on wifi when you entered the shop feature (since no other feature utilizes it).  This would help them win the 'battery life' wars...