Arc Kobo Arc dead USB port leads to broken Arc?

[KoboArc-er]

I have just found out my USB port was busted, my USB cord cannot reach the port inside. My kobo arc has been dead for about a month. Are there any solutions?

[skloon]

The port is horribly designed, mine tore off the flexible circuit board and is pretty much scrap as that part is not available, I was quoted $125.00 to repair locally with no warranty- I did find some guy in the UK who said he may be able to fix for 15 pounds if I send him the part- mine is too far gone as my dog grabbed it by the cord

[GinRummy]

I dropped mine with the cord plugged in and it broke the poorly soldered female part from the board inside. After buying a set of tiny screwdrivers from Canadian Tire I was able to open the back, it needs a very small torx, and see the part that failed. I then proceeded to make a mess of resoldering the part back in and turned the unit into garbage. This CAN be fixed, and quite easily if you have any skill with a soldering iron. I am simply too new with one and overheated everything.

To avoid this happening to the THIRD Arc I have had to purchase I no longer handle it while it is plugged in.

[EricG]

I would suggest going to places that repair mobile phones first.

[stevov]

Originally Posted by EricG

I would suggest going to places that repair mobile phones first.

Where's the fun in that
A sensible answer but if we had any sense we would have bought something else.

[filmo]

Your circuit board is probably surface soldered which is a lot more difficult to solder. Must have correct soldering iron, not too many watts, with small tip well tinned and correct solder. The person doing repair can show you correct way to do the repair so you have chance for successful repair next time. Maybe give you junk board to practice on.

[Gernella]

Got the same problem, cat jumped out his cradle and caught the lead while I was charging so got a 3/4 charged Arc 7. If I hold the cable in a certain place it will start charging but that's no fun. I was considering moving up to the new Arc 10HD but given this mishap I've plunged for an Asoos T100, which so far is playing very nicely but left me a lot poorer at Christmas than I normally am.

[PeterT]

@Gernella:
It's worthwhile getting in touch with Kobo help and seeing what they have to say about this. My wife had dropped her Arc and damaged the USB connector as well. While yes, I did get a replacement Arc 7 HD, Kobo did replace her damaged Arc.

I can't promise you the same outcome but do get in touch with them.

[Gernella]

Regrettably it is now out of the guarantee as it was purchased early November 2012. Shame because it was perfect otherwise and never any trouble.

[shequest]

I have the same problem with my Kobo Arc. I didn't drop mine, the USB port just came loose and shook up into the tablet, rendering it unable to charge.

My tablet is only 6 months old.

I have been in touch with Kobo, have sent mega pictures of my Arc, sales slip scanned for them... Jumped through their hoops, and to date have not had a definitive reply as to what they are going to do to replace my Arc or not.

I also read on here, to back up the Kobo. Can someone tell how this is done without a port to transfer files to desktop computer? I am not worried about my books, they will be on my Desktop forever. It is all my other files and pictures.

[shequest]

Originally Posted by shequest

I have the same problem with my Kobo Arc. I didn't drop mine, the USB port just came loose and shook up into the tablet, rendering it unable to charge.

My tablet is only 6 months old.

I have been in touch with Kobo, have sent mega pictures of my Arc, sales slip scanned for them... Jumped through their hoops, and to date have not had a definitive reply as to what they are going to do to replace my Arc or not.

I also read on here, to back up the Kobo. Can someone tell how this is done without a port to transfer files to desktop computer? I am not worried about my books, they will be on my Desktop forever. It is all my other files and pictures.

I just received an email from Kobo. They are replacing my Arc.

[PeterT]

Excellent!

[idris_dragon]

Same issue with a Kobo glo. Very shoddy workmanship. Here is the reply from Kobo:

You contacted us today because your Kobo eReader Glo has a broken USB port.

Unfortunately we do not have a repair facility as we do not repair devices at Kobo.

You are currently out of the warranty period so we are unable to replace the device at this point.

We do apologize for the inconvenience and do appreciate your patience.

DOES this company deserve to be in existance and get new customers??????
THey make shoddy hardware as well as quirky and unreliable software. I am far from impressed. If you are new to ereaders DO NOT buy KOBO. They do not do a) good hardware b) good software and c) customer service.

They do not repair devices at Kobo because they would be too busy sorting out thousands of fault devices. How can this company continue to sell clearly shoddy product???

There are only a few words which would sum up their product and service. None of them would I wish to use on this forum. Useless is the most polite. Kobo needs a warning against waste of money and time, if you are gullable enough to buy one.

[EricG]

Originally Posted by idris_dragon

You contacted us today because your Kobo eReader Glo has a broken USB port.

Unfortunately we do not have a repair facility as we do not repair devices at Kobo.

You are currently out of the warranty period so we are unable to replace the device at this point.

Get real, it's not a $500 computer. Why should they have repair shops that would charge $100 to fix it?

The nearest city to me is merely 10K pop, yet it has a repair shop that fixes iStuff and tablets.

[geswht]

original ticket info 141202-000XXX
After discussions with a rep I find it impossible to satisfactorily continue any type of business in the future with KOBO when the product is un-repairable due to a weakness in the manufactured design. The USB even has a line under Hardware ie: USB Port Problem which would also indicate a known problem exists. I only wanted to purchase a ribbon which is not possible, therefore rendering my daughters ARC as garbage. The lesson that I can teach my children is this "If a company cannot provide proper support after purchase, then do not support that company in the future" . This I will post verbatim on any forum in reference to this exact problem. Cheers, and I will help you advertise your products.