Zen Micro w/ Headphone Jack Problem: RMA or n

Hi everyone,
I have a silver Zen Micro, and am currently experiencing this very annoying headphone jack problem where sound gets distorted depending on how I move the headphone jack. Additionally, my player turns on by itself occasionally when it's in my pocket-- I'm not really sure what kind of problem that is, but it's very fraustrating nonetheless.
I bought my player in late November, and it's already past the three month full warranty period, so I've been told that if I send it back for RMA, I will need to pay a $40 admininistrati've fee. Thing is, I'm a student in college, and don't have the money to pay for both shipping and repairs. And I don't really want to open my player up and risk damaging it either.
What do you think is the best course of action? Should I just send it back and pay $40? How reliable is the RMA process-- and what would happen if the same problem occurs again? Pay for shipping & repairs another time?!
Thanks,
Mark

Yes I totally agree with you man the problem is VERY annoying. This is my second Micro I got from Creative and it is having the same problem as the original one I bought and had to send in for 'repairs'... I'm not sure if I am still under the warranty but i dont want to go through the whole annoying process of doing the RMA stuff and possibly paying for the repairs. I just might do it myself... But the Mini is looking very nice right now.... :smileyvery-happy: Just joking.

Similar Messages

ZEN MICRO: MY HEADPHONE JACK IS BROK

My headphone jack is broken. Does anyone know how to fix it's?When I stick my headphones into the jack, I can still hear sound, but it depends on how I'm holding my mp3 player. If i hold it in a certain position, only one headphone might work or one might be louder than the other one. I don't know what's wrong and this problem is really bugging me. Somebody HELPP!

It's faulty and must be replaced by Creative. Is your warranty still in effect? How long have you own your Micro? If you li've in the U.S, the first 90 days of your warranty will cover Parts & Labor, after 90 days you will have 9 months left of Parts only. Labor will cost you around $25 I think. And you have to pay for shipping and handling to Creative.
Or you can fix it yourself if you know you are going to void the warranty and know how to use a soldering iron or know someone that knows how to fix electronics. Creative isn't going to fix that headphone jack, they will only replace it. That doesn't mean you won't get a headphone jack problem again.
Not sure if this is a common problem throughout Zen Micros.
I own my Micro for almost a year now, no serious problems yet. I did have a small incident with the sound but hopefully it was just an accident and I didn't push my headphones all the way in.
Causes of the headphone jack could be Creative's fault in manufacturing it, normal wear and tear, forcefully plugging in/out the headphones, causing pressure to the headphone jack when your headphones are plugged in, and/or wrapping the headphones around the player.

Creative Zen Micro 4GB - Headphone jack & transferring probl

I haven't updated my firmware since I got the player in May (out of the box firmware update? Go away).
My headphone jack is loose. I'll often only have music in one ear, especially if I'm walking or sitting down and have the player in my pocket or bag. I've started carrying my discman because I don't like pulling out my $300 mp3 player every couple of minutes. Is that the infamous solder problem?
Also, my computer no longer recognizes the player. My sister had the problem a little while ago (same player, newer firmware because she got hers a month ago), and we reinstalled the drivers and everything is cool. Mine still doesn't work.

samaxnthah wrote:Is that the infamous solder problem?
Sounds like it.
Also, my computer no longer recognizes the player. My sister had the problem a little while ago (same player, newer firmware because she got hers a month ago), and we reinstalled the drivers and everything is cool. Mine still doesn't work.
What firmware do you have on your player?
Have you run a disk cleanup from rescue mode?
When you connect the player is it listed in Device Manager?

Headphone jack problems limited to the Zen Mic

My first generation Zen Micro's headphone jack recently crapped out and given that the 5G hard dri've is just about full I am looking to get a 20G Zen Sleek. Does anyone know if the headphone jack problem seen on the Zen Micro has been as issue with other Creative MP3 players or has Creative started beefing up the headphone jacks? It would be good to know before I spend $250 on a new player that will fail in less than a year.

From what I remember there was one post about a broken jack on a Sleek, but hard to know if this was a troublemaker or not. I've not seen any others, but it is early days yet. Equally I hope Creative have learned from a failed design on two players now...

Headphone jack problem with Zen Micro

Hi.
I bought my zen micro on April 4 and everything was fine until a few weeks ago
when I got the headphone jack problem. When I touch the plug that is connected
with the player, it makes a weird noise and the volume decreases and goes back to normal
and it keeps doing it.
Can I get a/s for no charge since it's a yr hardware warranty?
P.S.) I can see there are some ppl who are getting upset by this same problem here.
Message Edited by locomocoto on 08-9-2005 2:57 AM

locomocoto,
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Cat

Zen Micro Headphone Jack problems-are the new ones

Gonna buy a Zen Micro Photo 8GB player-had one of the 5gb ones a year and a half ago and the headphone jack went on that-have the problems with the headphone jack been sorted out in the new ones?

I have not seen any reports of problems with the Zen MicroPhoto's headphone jack.
Cat

The Zen Micro Headphone Jack Problem Thr

First of all please don't post comments only and only post if you have a problem. Treat this thread like the "Experience with your Creative Player." I want to see how far this thread can go and to see if this is a big problem. Please be respectful and honest about this issue. This is only for the Zen Micro right now since it's the one player that most of users here have issues with. Who knows that someday Creative might look into this or to really see if there really is a problem or not.
If you have friends or anyone else you know who owns a Zen Micro and has this problem, tell them to join the forums and post here, try not to post for them unless they are part of your family. Like if you were trying to do this for your son or daughter.
If you own more than one Zen Micro and that they have the same problem, try to list them seperately. If you just got your player fixed or RMA'ed, made a post here in the past, then all of sudden it breaks again. Please post again with the same format. I want to make sure that each post is for one Zen Micro. Though the moderators are the only exceptions to this.
If any of you think that this thread needs to be edited in any way, please send me a Private Message so I can make the changes.
The format
) Capacity
2) New, Used, Refurbished, Replacement? And where?
3) How long you owned the player?
4) Explain exactly what happened when the problem occured?
5) Did you fix or solve the problem? If not, say so. If yes did you RMA by warranty? Fix it yourself?
6) If you did get a replacement from Creative, is this your second player? Third? Fourth? Fifth?
7) Your own comments/opinions to the whole issue and anything else you want to add. Like RMA service was bad or it was great.
This is my example and only an example.
) 5GB
2) Bought New at Buy.com
3) Since March '05 or about 0 months
4) I was just listening to some music then all of a sudden, the right side of my headphones just had no sound coming out. I tried other headphones and it had the same issue. This happened at around November of '05.5) Yes. Got an RMA from Creative. Took about two weeks and I ended up getting a replacement. Cost me $25 not including shipping
6) Happened on my first player. The replacement will be my second one.7) I think Creative did an awesome job in taking in my player even though I couldn't prove that my warranty was valid. Customer service was excellent. Thanks Creative!

) 5 gig
2) New from www.ecost.com
3) I got it for Christmas
4) Eventually the sound started to get kinda messed up, and only come out of one ear. i was able to fix it by moving the plug, but that only worked for a week or so.
5) I RMAed the player, although I still have not gotten a replacement, Creative recieved my player 7 days ago.
6) No replacement recieved as of now
7) I think Creative needs to address this problem not just by having people RMA their players, but rather by changing the way the micro is designed. I am also disappointed by the whole RMA process. The status page is rarely updated, my RMA has taken 2 days longer than it should have, and there is a lack of information as to whom I need to contact about this. I'm a big fan of Creative's mp3 players, but this may be my last purchase from them. their costumer service is really lacking it seems. If my replacement Micro (if I ever get it) breaks, I most likely will try another brand.

9 month old Zen Micro with the headphone jack problem

So, I've been putting up with the headphone jack problem for a few months now, and i've finally decided to get it repaired or fixed. I emailed Creative a few months back and they told me to send it in. My question is, since I am out of warranty, will they repair the unit or send me a whole new one all together?
thanks,
mike

Actually, I just sent in my 7-month old Micro in b/c of the headphone jack problem and they sent me a brand new shrink-wrapped one. They didn't charge me for anything. All I had to do was wait 2 weeks for them to send it back to me (grueling but doable) and pay about 2.44 for shipping the micro to them. So now I'd have three batteries if it weren't for the fact that one of them swelled up; I have NO IDEA how that happened. So yeah I guess the point of the post is that you don't get charged anything even if you're out of the 90-day labor warranty.

Headphone jack problem with the zen mi

Not even 2 months after sending it in to be fixed, and I can't move my head without the sound getting distorted. Why don't they fix the problem not just make it work for a month in a half. Is there anyway to fix this withut sending it in?

I gathered that a lot of people have experienced headphone jack problems with their players, but I thought that was with the Micros only. I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one. Or maybe I'm not. I dunno.
Anyway, I sent an e-mail to customer support. My wife bought the unit for me for a Christmas present last year, so it's only a couple of months out of warranty. If nothing else, hopefully Creative will tell me how to ship it back for repairs at my own expense (it's gotta be cheaper than buying a new one).

Headphone jack problem with Creative Zen Nomad XTra 3

My warranty expired a couple of months ago, so, naturally, all problems are showing up now.
Last night I noticed that my player is no longer deli'vering sound out of the right headphone. I've tried with several different headphones and a pair of external speakers so I've confirmed it's with the device and not the headphones. Since the device is not under warranty anymore, I can't find any information on getting repairs or support.
Any help out there?

I gathered that a lot of people have experienced headphone jack problems with their players, but I thought that was with the Micros only. I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one. Or maybe I'm not. I dunno.
Anyway, I sent an e-mail to customer support. My wife bought the unit for me for a Christmas present last year, so it's only a couple of months out of warranty. If nothing else, hopefully Creative will tell me how to ship it back for repairs at my own expense (it's gotta be cheaper than buying a new one).

Different headphone jack problem: zen mi

Hello,?I have read the topics about the headphone jack problem. And i followed the fix. It did not work. The topics describe thwt one half of the headphone doesnot work: left or right. This is not my problem. The headphone gives a very low volume, and bad quality sound,? untill i twist the headphone long enough... its not the headphone thats broke, i tried different ones. Anyone had this before, or knows what could be wrong?Thanks.

I've got the same problem, it developed about 4 months after I purchased the player. At first I just ignored it and proped it against something to keep some pressure on the jack, but now its way to bothersome. The warrenty is void and the tech support people only say that they can fix it for me or help me fix it if I pay a butt-load of money.....
So the question is, what to do about it's

Petition: Make the headphone jack problem's status publ

Dear CEO of Creative Labs [I still have to find out how to contact the CEO]:
I was very excited about buying your product, the Creative Nomad Zen Micro, as an alternati've to competitors such as Apple's iPod mini and the Rio Carbon. I was impressed by the numerous features, the looks, and the size of the player, which could fit into the palm of your hand.
Unfortunately, I came across a serious problem with the player that could have serious consuquences on my (and many other people's) buying descisions. There seems to be a defect in the headphone jack of the player, causing it to pop loose and make the sound intermittently come through only one of the headphones, in a few months or even a matter of days, making the player unusable.
Countless members of the Creative community in the forums on your website have gone through three to four Micros with this problem, as well as people commenting on the player at review websites such as Cnet. There have been numerous messages sent to customer support about this problem, but it has all been attributed to user error.
If you just take a look at the Creative forum, there are so many people with this problem that it can't possibly be a rare manufacturing defect, especially considering the fact that quite a few people have gone through 2 or 3 micros already, all with the same problem. We are not asking you to immediately fix the problem, we understand that it would probably entail a large and costly effort to do so. What we do want to know is that we want a public announcement of the problem, whether Creative has confirmed it or not, and what is being done/not being done about it, and perhaps customer tips about how to avoid it. There have been rumors that the headphone jack as been supposedly reinforced by a metal plate, and others... Many potential creative customers like such as me are left in the dark about what most forum users refer to as the "dreaded" headphone jack problem. We would like to know about it, what to do to avoid it, and whether or not something is being done/has been done to new products to prevent this problem from happening. Again, contacting support has not answered our questions.
If I, (and countless other potential customers), are uncertian about this problem, we might as well give up a few features like the FM tuner and buy and iPod mini or another competing product free of such a problem. We would very much appreciate it if you would publicly release information about this problem.
Please contact me at the address shown. [Yes, this IS a snail-mail letter] We are all looking forward to a reply. For more information, please refer to the petition here:
[http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=dap&message.id=34476]
Sincerely,
The Creative Forum Community
Any suggestions/comments/corrections? (This is just a quick first draft) Please sign here for the petition. Also, you could post "testimonials" about your opinion on the headphone jack problem. I'm not expecting a reply from the CEO him/herself but I hope to get a better response than just an email to support.Message Edited by CreativeHead on 03-7-2005 02:03 PM

There are threads ongoing on similar topics. This is not a suitable topic for this forum.
I will pass on any comments from the other threads and original post in this one, but I'm closing this topic and any further petitions like this as it will just result in "Creative-bashing" and unproducti've comments.
Cat

Headphone Jack Problem X's

Just thought I'd put my two cents in. I have just started experiencing the infamous headphone jack problems on a Zen Micro I bought less than 6 months ago where it cuts in and out, etc., etc. Funny thing? is that I had the same thing happen with a Zen Muvo I purchaed before that. I thought it was a fluke. Apparently not. Wish I would have visited the discussion groups earlier... Think I can still get it replaced?

It's very rare for a MuVo to have this, so it sounds like you've been doubly unlucky unfortunately.

Headphone jack- problem co

instead of everyone saying how many people have problems with the headphone jack issue on the micro,
why don't we actually count,
then we can actually give a figure to creative
just put down:
when you first got your micro,
how many times the jack has broken
thanks

I have a problem with my headphone jack too... although right now it's the least of my problems.
I wanted to know if my headphone jack problem is something to do with usage.. i.e. did I wear it out through over usage? (connecting to speakers, headphones, other headphones, speakers...) or it it's a default problem.
Either way, would this be covered in the guarantee?
The other thing that's on my mind more however is the fact I ran a disk cleanup half an hour ago and it says it's on 64% and counting. (248% now..)
Apart from recovery mode it won't do anything. It won't turn on whatever I do and the computer doesn't acknowledge it's existence anymore.
I'm actually hating my Zen Micro with a passion at this point. All this was triggered because I pressed ">>|" on the touch pad. So... AAAH.
Is the firmware update meant to fix that last problem? I didn't want to have the update because the last time I updated something (Siemens mobile C65) my computer crashed half way though and my mobile didn't turn on again.

Headphone jack problem! Please hel

My brother bought me a Zen Micro 5gb for my birthday last May 2005. a couple of months ago my micro became victim of the headphone jack problem! I can't find the receipt anywhere, can I still send it away to be fixed?
Message Edited by sjt_07 on 06-0-2006 08:5 AM
Message Edited by sjt_07 on 06-0-2006 08:5 AM

My brother bought me a Zen Micro 5gb for my birthday last May 2005. a couple of months ago my micro became victim of the headphone jack problem! I can't find the receipt anywhere, can I still send it away to be fixed?
Message Edited by sjt_07 on 06-0-2006 08:5 AM
Message Edited by sjt_07 on 06-0-2006 08:5 AM

Zen Micro w/ Headphone Jack Problem: RMA or n

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