Ear Speaker Malfunctioning - covered by warranty?

[cs3]

Ive had my Droid 4 for about 4 months, purchased through Amazon Wireless with 2 yr contract extension. It is completely stock, and has never been rooted.
Yesterday I realized that the ear piece speaker on my Droid 4 is not working properly. For the past few days it has been going in and out.At first I just thought it was due to poor reception, perhaps a tower out. However today I tried making a few calls and for the most part i couldnt get any sound out of that speaker. When I switched to speakerphone the sound was perfect. Switch back to normal talk mode and sound cut out. I could hear maybe 30% of a conversation - the rest of the time it was completely silent.
The phone has never been dropped or mishandled. there are no scratches or blemishes on it.

So a few questions:
1) Is the ear speaker a known problem with this phone?
2) Is a defective speaker covered by any kind of manufacturer warranty?
3) If the answer to (2) is "no", then is this a good time to buy insurance? Best 3rd party company to go through, or just get it through Verizon? (Or Amazon?)

I have not spoken to anyone at Verizon yet, as I dont want any notations made on my account in the event I need to purchase insurance.

Thanks for your time!



edit - obviously warranty questions are for the inevitable future problems

 

[cs3]

one more question....

If this is NOT covered under warranty, is the speaker something that can be easily replaced myself?
Anyone have experience doing this themselves?
Really frustrating that I'm already having so many issues with this phone.

 

[94lt1]

An ear speaker would be covered by warranty unless you've gotten the device wet and it shows up on the stickers inside.

 

[94lt1]

It would be a CLNR device unless you're within your 14 days.

 

[cs3]

Thanks, it has definitely not been wet.
So best bet is to just take it in to a Verizon corporate store?

It would be a CLNR device unless you're within your 14 days.

what does "CLNR" device mean?

 

[audinutt]

clnr = certified like new refurbished

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cs3]

So they wont simply fix the broken part?
I would get a refurbished phone instead?
I dont really have a problem with a refurbished phone, but getting my apps, contacts, and all settings back how they are now is a huge pain that i would prefer not to deal with

 

[VTNomad]

Speaker

I just got mine replaced for the same issue. I got my Droid 4 the day it came out. The first phone they sent me was clearly used and I returned it. The second was also a refurb, but it was as good as new so far as I can tell.

They'll send you a couple of nasty texts saying you could be charged up to $500 if you do not return the old phone. Your replacement will not include a battery cover.

 

[R2D|2OID]

I had the same problem. I bought my D4 on release day and after about 3 months, the ear piece began to fail. Over a few weeks time it stopped working completely and I was forced to make all calls on speakerphone. I brought my phone to my local Verizon store and requested a warranty replacement. The replacement is CLNR and does not include a battery cover. You put the broken phone in the original packaging minus the original battery cover and send it back to Verizon. PITA.

 

[94lt1]

Contact motorola.. they'll fix it so you can Keep the same phone. . If that's an option for ya.

 

[R2D|2OID]

I originally called Motorola because I didn't have Verizon insurance, and they offered to repair the phone and provided a prepaid shipping label

 

[cs3]

Contact motorola.. they'll fix it so you can Keep the same phone. . If that's an option for ya.

Whats the best way to contact Motorala in regard to this issue? Through verizons store?
Or via their website? or is there a motorola customer service phone # to call specifically for mobile device issues?

 

[cs3]

I originally called Motorola because I didn't have Verizon insurance, and they offered to repair the phone and provided a prepaid shipping label

Oh, didnt see this post when i made that last reply.
How long were you out of a phone?
Im wondering if verizon would activate my OG droid 1 on this # while the repairs are being made... and then reactivate the droid 4 without charging me any kind of fee once i get it back?



EDIT:
I just emailed Motorala support via their website.
I tried to start a live chat but apparently the chat hours are already over for the day.

 

[cthunder]

Pls let us know how it goes thanks

 

[cs3]

My email to Motorola Support:

Customer By Web Form (Valued Customer) 08/14/2012 09:23 PM
I recently purchased a Droid 4. The phone is less than 4 months old and 2 days ago the speaker for the earpiece began to malfunction. It would cut in and out, making it difficult to have any kind of phone conversation.
Today it stopped working completely. I get no sound out of the ear speaker.
If I switch to "speaker" mode, it works fine. Switch back to normal earpiece mode and complete silence.
How do I go about having this fixed?

Their response:

Via Email (Denz) 08/15/2012 11:35 AM
Dear Valued Customer,

Thanks for reaching out to Motorola. I’ve reviewed your e-mail and I’m ready to help.

We are always gathering input from owners from our contact centers and I can't say for sure if this is known or common, but it will certainly be passed on. We do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. We open a record for all consumer contacts which are then routed to the proper department for any further research.

We recommend to do some troubleshooting:

1. Power the phone off and back on.
2. Try to check for software update: Press Menu from the homescreen, Settings, About phone, System updates.
3. If you get the same result, perform a factory data reset. We use Reset as troubleshooting for major phone issues. Media files such as video, photos and songs by default are stored in the SD card so they will not be affected.You can reinstall any downloaded items from Play Store (Android Market). All previously installed apps are listed and available for download. Please follow this link for factory reset instructions:

Droid 4 reset instructions:
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/76044

We want this issue to be resolved as soon as possible. If the issue is not resolved, please let us know. Contact us back so we can try other work around.

Here are the 3 ways on how to contact us:

1. You may respond to this email.
2. Contact us through our live chat support:

https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/chat/chat_launch/

Chat hours are listed below.
Monday - Friday: 09:00 AM - 08:00 PM CST
Saturday - Sunday: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM CST

3. Contact our Motorola Android Customer Service Department at 800-734-5870 during Monday to Friday 7am till 10pm and Saturday to Sunday 9am till 6pm CST.

Please refer to this case number: 120815-010357

We hope that you find this information useful and we look forward to assisting you in the future.

For information about Motorola products and services, please visit us at Motorola Home - Motorola USA

Thank you for contacting Motorola e-mail support.

Best Regards,

Denz

Do they really think powering on and off is going to fix a broken piece of hardware?
(FWIW i had already powered on/off multiple times prior to the email with no result. I am not going to do a factory reset. That just seems ridiculous)
Ugh Ill have to call tomorrow when the support line is available.