Kindle Fire: Amazon boasts 9-second response time for Chrismas Day ‘Mayday’ callers

By Trevor Mogg December 27, 2013

mayday amazon discontinued kindle fire hdx

[DT’s Kindle Fire HDX review]

When Amazon launched its new Kindle Fire HDX tablets a couple of months back, many were interested to see the company had included an on-device ‘Mayday’ customer support button.

With the e-commerce giant all too aware of how frustrating such services can be – with endless button pressing and long waits – it wanted to get its Mayday offering right, promising a caller would be connected with a tech advisor within seconds of tapping the button.

On Christmas Day, a time when many were switching on a Kindle Fire for the very first time and therefore possibly experiencing a few issues with its operation, Amazon said it took an average of just nine seconds to respond to Mayday calls, easily beating its usual target time.

“We set a goal for ourselves to have a response time of 15 seconds or less when a customer tapped the Mayday button – we’re proud to say that on Christmas Day we met this goal, with an average response time of just 9 seconds,” Amazon’s Dave Limp said in a release, adding, “We’re excited that millions of customers opened a Kindle Fire tablet this holiday season, and we’re glad so many customers tried out the Mayday button.”

Although it’s likely many members of Amazon’s tech support team would rather have been doing something more festive on Christmas Day, no doubt new Kindle Fire HDX owners were delighted to have had their queries dealt with in such a speedy fashion.

The free Mayday service is available to HDX users 24/7 and involves a video chat with an Amazon tech advisor. Whether you have an issue with the tablet’s functions, or want to learn more about its features, the advisor can help. If things get tricky, they can draw on your screen to help with their explanation, or even take control of the device if you give them permission.

According to Amazon, not all of the Christmas Day callers required tech support. A group of carolers contacted Amazon’s advisors to sing thanks for their work, while one young girl simply screamed when an advisor popped up on the screen, having apparently hit the Mayday button by accident.

[DT tips on ways to improve your Kindle Fire HDX]

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Amazon

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Deals

Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is under $100 for Prime Day 2021

amazon fire hd 10 vs plus 2021 shows 1

If a new tablet is top of your wishlist this Prime Day, we've got an amazing deal for you! Today, as part of Amazon's early Prime Day deals, you can nab the Amazon Fire HD 10 (32GB) for just $80. That's an eye-watering saving of $70, ensuring this is a fantastic deal for anybody looking for an Amazon Fire HD 10 for less. Don't miss out though -- this is sure to be one of the most popular offers around, so snap it up before stock becomes limited or runs out, for the fastest delivery.

The Amazon Fire HD 10 is one of Amazon's most popular tables and also lands on our roundup of the best tablets. At first glance, it's easy to see why. Its 10.1-inch 1080p Full HD screen is sharp and colors are vivid, although it's not the best in direct sunlight. Amazon Prime members can take advantage of Prime Video, Prime Music, and Prime Reading -- but there's plenty to recommend the tablet even if you're not currently a Prime member.

Mobile

Which Amazon Kindle should you buy on Prime Day?

A person holding the Kindle Oasis with one hand.

Prime Day deals mean the best time to buy a new Kindle e-reader is on Prime Day. The Amazon products are almost always offered at a lower price, so if you’ve been thinking about getting one, then Prime Day is the time to buy. Except there’s no longer one Kindle to choose from, there are three (plus one made especially for children), so which one is best? And what about those “special offers”?

Here’s our guide to demystifying the Kindle, and the best way to spend your money on Prime Day.
The basic Amazon Kindle is best for newcomers
The basic Amazon Kindle e-reader costs $90 but has dropped to around $60 in the past, so if it turns up at that price on Prime Day, it’s an excellent deal. Why choose this one? If the plan is to read ebooks at home, it does everything you need. It has a 6-inch screen with a 167 pixel-per-inch (PPI) resolution, and a front light so you can read in a dark room. The screen is designed to make reading comfortable, without any of the glare or blue light issues that come from a glass-covered LCD or AMOLED screen on a tablet.

Mobile

How to set parental controls on your Amazon Fire tablet

amazon fire hd 8 2017 review 10

Tablets can be great devices for kids since they can play games, watch movies, read books, and a whole lot more. But, you need to be able to protect them from questionable content. The best kids’ tablet you can buy right now is the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition. One of the reasons that it’s our top pick is that Amazon tablets have some of the most comprehensive parental controls around.

Amazon’s parental controls work on any Amazon Fire tablet, so whether you have one of the Kids Edition tablets, a Fire HD 10, or an older Fire tablet, you can still use these controls. In this guide, we’re going to run through how to set up parental controls on your Fire tablet and highlight some of the key features you’ll want to take advantage of.
How to set up parental controls on a Fire tablet
We’ll assume that you’ve created your own profile and signed into your Amazon account on the Fire tablet in question. If you haven’t, then go to Settings > My Account and do so. Now, there are two ways to restrict access on your tablet. This first method is easier and quicker, but we recommend you skip ahead to the second as it's more versatile.