I called Amazon and when asked if I received the Kindle
in damaged condition....I wussed out. I said, "Ummmm...well...not exactly. I'm not really sure what happened." So the nice Amazon lady pulls up my account, and without me even asking she says "What we'll do is ship you a brand spanking new one and you can return the broken one to us". Uhhhh...sweet! And 2 days later I had a new Kindle. That stuff never happens to me. Kudos to Amazon for a hassle-free replacement.
Oh, and if you do decide to buy your wife (or yourself) a Kindle, invest in one of the covers shown below. You'll be glad you did.