Moto Droid Headphone Jack issue & Asurion Ins.

[tangent88]

I know there are similar threads that discuss both of these things, but from what i've seen the conversation quickly becomes off topic and doesn't address my specific concerns.

I have a Moto Droid and have had it since it released, i have never had a problem and have only loved this phone and been the envy of most everyone i knew (including my apple fan boy buddies, until they were soothed by the I4). problem is my head phone jack recently has started to have a crappy connection and either creates a somewhat demonic distortion of what i'm listening to or cuts off completely when barely touched. I have tested this with multiple head phones, and speaker outputs through headphone jack. It doesn't always occur but when it does it doesn't take much to screw it up.

anyways, with the new announcement from the insurance provider i am a little concerned about trying to address this issue. I love this phone, i would absolutely refuse to get a Eris or any likewise step down simply to fix my headphones. However, i wouldn't mind getting the X, the incredible would be ok i guess but i don't have any real want for one of those either.

My question is, with the current selection and the probability of getting an X due to "limited supplies" and obvious insurance fraud by people looking to get a free upgrade, is it even worth the effort to try to start my insurance claim?

 

[z96Cobra]

It's a known issue and you should go to Verizon for a warranty claim instead of Asurion for an insurance claim.

 

[tangent88]

thanks for the advice, i'm glad that a Verizon rep can take care of this rather than messing with the insurance provider and paying the deductible. I assume most Verizon stores will still have a stock of Gen 1 droids, but if not would i be facing the same kind of not so appealing selection? Anyone else had a replacement since the discontinued notice?

 

[hookbill]

thanks for the advice, i'm glad that a Verizon rep can take care of this rather than messing with the insurance provider and paying the deductible. I assume most Verizon stores will still have a stock of Gen 1 droids, but if not would i be facing the same kind of not so appealing selection? Anyone else had a replacement since the discontinued notice?

I wouldn't assume that Verizon store is going to give you a replacement. They will probably tell you in a couple of days, unless they have a refurb on hand.

From what I'm hearing lately Verizon is running out of Droids too. I don't know if this is fact or not, but I'm seeing in the forums that this is happening.

 

[tangent88]

I don't know if that was so much as an assumption as it was a revaluation knowing that this issue can be addressed in store based on the warranty and not an insurance claim.

I imagined that they might be running out too, which i guess leaves us in the same spot as the insurance provider would put us in. Lesser models or a crap shoot for a X (that some view as a downgrade too). I will probably try both routes soon, either way if i have to take an Eris i'll just deal with my broken jack. No offense Eris users, but i bought a Moto droid for a reason.

 

[Xerozix]

Wait, I could be possibly "downgraded" to a Droid X if I made a claim for my phone?

I would take the Droid X any day over the Droid for the OMAP3630!

 

[Dave12308]

Wait, I could be possibly "downgraded" to a Droid X if I made a claim for my phone?

I would take the Droid X any day over the Droid for the Snapdragon!

Wow, you'd have the FIRST Droid X on earth with a Snapdragon......

X has OMAP3630. DROID had OMAP3430 - even the DROID's 3430 is a stronger chipset in some ways than the Snapdragon (GPU is MUCH better)

OMAP3630, there's not even any competition. The 3630 smokes the Snapdragon.

 

[tangent88]

apparently that is the case, although i did not say i personally believe its a "downgrade" but aside from technical specs. a lot of users enjoy their physical keyboards. (i won't argue one way or another between the two sets)

and my point all in all was that as you stated its a "possibility" but it would seem that the greater possibility is that you'll end up with a much less desirable trade if your droid goes belly up. luckily mine is only a head phone issue at the moment and the issue is bearable at best, so i would opt out unless an X was on the table.

 

[Xerozix]

Ahh, curse the caffeine fed brain.

Now, would this work by going into the store and explaining your problem? Or would Asurion have to ship it..

I would NOT like to get an Eris, I hate that phone with a passion, mostly because it's so underpowered and the sales person tried selling me one of his "many fast phones" which in reality wasn't even that good.

 

[buymagicfish]

This issue is a mechanical one inherent in the design of the phone. The headphone unit sits on a board with copper legs. As time goes on, the legs bend, or otherwise run out of spring and no longer consistently keep a good connection to the board. Its really a design flaw.

The Zune, iPhone, etc connect the unit with a ribbon, so you dont have the same problem.

Here's the kicker though:

The DroidX has the same design!!

See the attached picture.

I still love my droid, but I hate that issue, and I'm sad the Droid X has the same design fault. Motorola didn't take into consideration that this phone would replace peoples' ipods as a primary daily music listening device.

I have a basic DIY fix though. I cut a very small round (.5-1mm) off a drinking straw that was the same size around as the headphone jack and put it in the gap between the headphone jack and the body of the phone. It keeps the headphone jack from moving around and keeps the music from cutting out.

I returned my first two droids because of this issue and I just got tired of it. My 'straw fix' works fine.

 

[dragozoid]

This issue is a mechanical one inherent in the design of the phone. The headphone unit sits on a board with copper legs. As time goes on, the legs bend, or otherwise run out of spring and no longer consistently keep a good connection to the board. Its really a design flaw.

The Zune, iPhone, etc connect the unit with a ribbon, so you dont have the same problem.

Here's the kicker though:

The DroidX has the same design!!

See the attached picture.

I still love my droid, but I hate that issue, and I'm sad the Droid X has the same design fault. Motorola didn't take into consideration that this phone would replace peoples' ipods as a primary daily music listening device.

I have a basic DIY fix though. I cut a very small round (.5-1mm) off a drinking straw that was the same size around as the headphone jack and put it in the gap between the headphone jack and the body of the phone. It keeps the headphone jack from moving around and keeps the music from cutting out.

I returned my first two droids because of this issue and I just got tired of it. My 'straw fix' works fine.

I have this issue on my D1 but not on my DX. And I didn't experience this issue on my D1 until five months after owning it.

 

[buymagicfish]

This issue is a mechanical one inherent in the design of the phone. The headphone unit sits on a board with copper legs. As time goes on, the legs bend, or otherwise run out of spring and no longer consistently keep a good connection to the board. Its really a design flaw.

The Zune, iPhone, etc connect the unit with a ribbon, so you dont have the same problem.

Here's the kicker though:

The DroidX has the same design!!

See the attached picture.

I still love my droid, but I hate that issue, and I'm sad the Droid X has the same design fault. Motorola didn't take into consideration that this phone would replace peoples' ipods as a primary daily music listening device.

I have a basic DIY fix though. I cut a very small round (.5-1mm) off a drinking straw that was the same size around as the headphone jack and put it in the gap between the headphone jack and the body of the phone. It keeps the headphone jack from moving around and keeps the music from cutting out.

I returned my first two droids because of this issue and I just got tired of it. My 'straw fix' works fine.

I have this issue on my D1 but not on my DX. And I didn't experience this issue on my D1 until five months after owning it.

Yeah its a matter of those connectors losing their spring, or maybe dust getting in there. Now it is possible that the tolerances are lower in the Droid X, that the jack has a lot less room to move around, that its set better in the phone, that the chance of it happening is a lot lower. All I'm saying is that the basic design, the way the jack is connected to the logic board, is the same, and different from other popular mp3 players/phones where the headphone jack is physically attached (nexus one/incredible) or on a ribbon (iPhone/zune).

 

[brando56894]

I had this problem also, the first time I tried the "straw fix" it worked for a few weeks than it would cut out again, I did it again and left a little piece sticking out which I cut off than melted down so it wouldnt stick out/move around. It works perfectly now.

 

[dezymond]

I have the same issue, except this is my second droid.

I don't use it at all, to be honest, so i have no reason to replace, especially since i rooted this one.

 

[aldaudio]

call verizon support with your issue. they'll send you a refurbished replacement within a few days, for free. im pretty sure you always have to pay thru asurion.