ONYX BOOX Note Max: €700 device, broken E Ink screen, €454.50 repair quote, and warranty refusal
I want to share my very negative experience with an ONYX BOOX Note Max and the Dutch retailer e-readerweb.nl / e-mediaweb.nl.
The device was originally purchased new on 10 April 2025 for €699.99.
The E Ink display suddenly failed while the tablet was stationary indoors. It had not been dropped, hit, bent or subjected to unusual pressure. The back of the device was noticeably warm at the time.
I sent the retailer the invoice and several photos from different angles. The casing, corners and rear show no visible impact marks, dents or deformation.
Their initial response was that a broken E Ink panel is generally caused by pressure, impact, bending or another external mechanical factor. In practice, they appear to treat this type of screen damage as user damage by default, even though they had not physically inspected the device.
They also suggested claiming through my personal insurance. However, no accident occurred, and I am obviously not going to falsely report a drop or impact that never happened.
I specifically invoked the statutory legal guarantee of conformity, which is separate from the manufacturer’s voluntary commercial warranty. Their own Article 10.2 states that any commercial warranty offered by the seller, manufacturer or importer does not affect the consumer’s statutory rights.
Their exclusion clause concerns damage caused by external factors. The dispute is precisely about the cause: a photograph can show that the internal E Ink panel is broken, but it does not necessarily prove that the user caused it.
After I challenged their refusal, they agreed to inspect the tablet, but under the following conditions:
€60.50 inspection fee if they do not identify a manufacturing defect;
€394 repair cost;
€454.50 in total, almost two-thirds of the original €699.99 price.
They also told me that they had arranged similar inspections before and that none had concluded that this type of screen breakage was caused by a manufacturing defect. That does not exactly inspire confidence in the process.
A proper inspection should not be limited to searching for a narrowly defined manufacturing defect. It should also examine the battery, internal chassis, display assembly, possible internal pressure, thermal stress, material weakness or premature component failure.
This also raises a serious environmental issue. When repairing the main component of a €700 tablet costs almost as much as replacing the entire device, customers are effectively pushed towards buying another one. A working battery, motherboard, chassis and other components may all become electronic waste because one fragile, expensive display cannot be repaired economically.
For a premium device whose entire purpose depends on its screen, I find this warranty and repair policy unacceptable. Based on my experience, I will not buy another ONYX BOOX product, and I would strongly advise potential buyers to consider the fragility of the display, the exclusions applied by the retailer and the extremely high repair costs before purchasing one.