Broken Xoom, terrible moto support

**st0nez0r** · 08-08-2011, 12:39 PM

So...

Last night while at work the male end of a headphone jack snapped off inside the Xoom. So now I have no sound, no way of using the headphone jack as the male end is stuck in there. I decided to contact Motorola to see how much it would cost to have them repair the problem.

They want to charge me 370.00 to fix it. I can get a new tablet for a little bit more money. So what am I supposed to do? let a perfectly good Xoom go to waste? Try to disassemble it myself? I'm just so angry right now.

Even the support from moto was poor. Online chat was a series of canned replies. Even when I explained my problem, and asked for a price on repair I got an apology, but no answer... I had to ask the same question twice before they gave me an answer.

Sad, sad day...

**tntdroid** · 08-08-2011, 12:41 PM

I'd take it apart. Worst case you break it more and buy a new one best case you fix it and don't spend anything. That's a lot of money just to fix the Jack. I believe there are videos of how to take the Xoom apart that could help.

sent by CyanogenMod X

**Carlesious** · 08-08-2011, 12:55 PM

It's not hard at all to take apart, I say go for it. Sounds like an easy fix.

**st0nez0r** · 08-08-2011, 01:00 PM

Ha!

I fixed it. I took a power drill with a drywall screw. Screwed it into the headphone jack slowly with moderate pressure until I felt it grab. And low and behold - It removed the broken end of the jack and everything still works

**88 FLUX** · 08-08-2011, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by st0nez0r

Ha!

I fixed it. I took a power drill with a drywall screw. Screwed it into the headphone jack slowly with moderate pressure until I felt it grab. And low and behold - It removed the broken end of the jack and everything still works

Nice! Very good solution. Glad to hear that it worked.

**xzigraz** · 08-08-2011, 02:43 PM

now post your story on consumerist and give moto hell.

**lobobuzz** · 08-08-2011, 04:04 PM

Wow, cool solution! Nice work!

**d1c1ple** · 08-08-2011, 04:19 PM

Nice Fix!

**PensHockey** · 08-08-2011, 07:07 PM

Very nice!

**Jonno** · 08-08-2011, 07:34 PM

Resourceful solution. And you didn't have to take the Xoom apart.

**tntdroid** · 08-08-2011, 08:23 PM

Well done!

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

**freeky1** · 08-08-2011, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by st0nez0r

They want to charge me 370.00 to fix it.

That's really high, considering you could have bought a new wifi Xoom at Staples for $399 until last week. Regardless, you have to understand that the damage you had caused was not a defect. It was customer caused damage, and Motorola is in business to sell electronic devices, not repair them. You can't expect them to repair these things for free every time some monkey **** decides to break one.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

**dhendriksen** · 08-09-2011, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by st0nez0r

Ha!

I fixed it. I took a power drill with a drywall screw. Screwed it into the headphone jack slowly with moderate pressure until I felt it grab. And low and behold - It removed the broken end of the jack and everything still works

Nice! I'm glad it worked...you're brave. I would have taken it apart before running a screw into it with a power drill. That's awesome! Like I said, I'm glass it worked out for you.

**dekcufi** · 08-13-2011, 01:11 AM

Just don't buy moto. That is how I solved my problems with them. Kind of sad I had been a loyal moto customer for about 15 years. They just don't stand behind their products like they used to.

**Mastertech** · 08-13-2011, 09:46 AM

What exactly are they not standing behind?
It's not like it was their fault the OP broke the jack.

**st0nez0r** · 08-13-2011, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by Mastertech

What exactly are they not standing behind?
It's not like it was their fault the OP broke the jack.

Lets be clear about something:

1. I didn't break the jack. It was a faulty plug. Plugged it in, and it literally snapped inside when I was setting up the xoom to watch a movie.

2. I didn't expect Moto to take care of the issue as if it were something caused by them. I understood calling them, asking for help was for an issue that was caused on my end, not because of the xoom.

That said, It's absolutely ridiculous they want nearly 400.00 to fix an issue. There isn't a "scale" on the severity of the problem? Part of the jack was stuck in the port, it's not like the screen was cracked, or the thing was dropped in water.

I think the bigger point is the fact they really didn't care if I were to move onto another product. When it's time for me to get a new tab, it won't be a motorola product.

**TPadden** · 08-14-2011, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by freeky1

You can't expect them to repair these things for free every time some monkey **** decides to break one.

Spoken like a true card carrying member of the disposable generation. First and most important rule: Blame the customer then sell them a new one! There's a whole lot of REASONABLE distance between free and replacement cost. This wasn't close to reasonable.

**freeky1** · 08-14-2011, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by TPadden

Spoken like a true card carrying member of the disposable generation. First and most important rule: Blame the customer then sell them a new one! There's a whole lot of REASONABLE distance between free and replacement cost. This wasn't close to reasonable.

OK, so riddle me this. You wreck your car and take it back to the dealer and ask them to fix it for free. They laugh at you and tell you how much it the repairs will cost. Are they jerks for not fixing the car for free? How is this any different? How does my saying that the repair should not be free make me any more a part of the disposable generation than you. I fail to see the connection. I'm all for fixing things when the cost of the repair does not exceed the value of the repaired item. Most electronics made since ROHS are disposable anyway, since tin in electronics have all kinds of issues that lead never had.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

**dhendriksen** · 08-14-2011, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by freeky1

OK, so riddle me this. You wreck your car and take it back to the dealer and ask them to fix it for free. They laugh at you and tell you how much it the repairs will cost. Are they jerks for not fixing the car for free? How is this any different? How does my saying that the repair should not be free make me any more a part of the disposable generation than you. I fail to see the connection. I'm all for fixing things when the cost of the repair does not exceed the value of the repaired item. Most electronics made since ROHS are disposable anyway, since tin in electronics have all kinds of issues that lead never had.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

That's a terrible analogy.

**gitit20** · 08-15-2011, 02:14 AM

Nice Jon...

**st0nez0r** · 08-15-2011, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by DanH

That's a terrible analogy.

It is indeed.
freeky, you wouldn't pay 8,000 USD for a dented bumper, correct?

Also, I'm not quite sure why the word "free" is being thrown around here so much. It's not like I asked, or even expected it to be fixed for free. I just expected there to be a scale. A price quoted on the severity of the problem - It wasn't dropped off of a building, run over by a truck, cracked, or submerged in water. So, starting out your repair cost a hundred dollars under the cost of a brand new one for such a small issue is a bit unreasonable.

**freeky1** · 08-16-2011, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by st0nez0r

It is indeed.
freeky, you wouldn't pay 8,000 USD for a dented bumper, correct?

Also, I'm not quite sure why the word "free" is being thrown around here so much. It's not like I asked, or even expected it to be fixed for free. I just expected there to be a scale. A price quoted on the severity of the problem - It wasn't dropped off of a building, run over by a truck, cracked, or submerged in water. So, starting out your repair cost a hundred dollars under the cost of a brand new one for such a small issue is a bit unreasonable.

That's why you have a choice of who you choose to repair things. Motorola is in business to BUILD and MARKET and SELL consumer electronics. They are not, however in the repair business. In fact, if you send your Xoom to Motorola, the repair depot that you send it to probably isn't even owned or run by Motorola. If that's the case, then Motorola is only giving the price that the third party repair firm has quoted. Regardless, your complaint that Motorola gave you terrible support just isn't valid.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

**TPadden** · 08-16-2011, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by freeky1

Regardless, your complaint that Motorola gave you terrible support just isn't valid.

Is this the Apple forum????? Pass the Kool-Aid

.........

Honestly you are correct they gave NO support which begs the question: Why do they have a consumer support department at all?

**darkshade** · 08-16-2011, 10:59 PM

Replacing audio jacks is really pretty expensive for most laptops and mobile devices. Generally it's soldered directly onto the motherboard and can't be replaced without replacing the entire motherboard, and for a tablet that's a good chunk of the cost. Factor in shipping and labor, and $400 isn't very unreasonable.

Kudos on having the ingenuity of coming up with a novel way of fixing it yourself though!

**TPadden** · 08-16-2011, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by darkshade

....Factor in shipping and labor, and $400 isn't very unreasonable.

Kudos on having the ingenuity of coming up with a novel way of fixing it yourself though!

Yeah sure: PC Express Xoom factory refurb w/ free shipping $399 or Brand new $450 - but yeah for the disposable generation $400 is reasonable for something that ISN'T REALLY broken in the first place

!