Broken Creative Vision:M LCD Screen
Today I had the bad luck of getting off the subway and finding that my Vision:M screen had mysteriously imploded:
The iPod clone was wearing an invisiSHIELD cover, sitting in a leather case, and in a side pocket of my pants with nothing else in it. It wasn’t sat on, crushed, or banged to my knowledge, yet the LCD is totally kaput. I’ll be calling Creative to see if I can get an RMA for a new screen, exchange it up for a new Vision:M, or if I can just buy and install the LCD parts for myself.
Update: Buying an iPod (which I like better) was the solution…
This entry was posted on Friday, August 11th, 2006 at 12:29 am and is tagged with creative vision, new vision, leather case, bad luck, rma, invisishield, clone, subway, side pocket. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback.
on August 18th, 2006 at 10:01 am
How did your RMA process go. I broke my Zen Vision M this Tuesday in the same way. I also had my leather case on. Hopefully I can get a replacement.
on August 21st, 2006 at 2:26 pm
I Encounter The Same Thing With My Friends Creative Vision M The Screen Cracked For No Reason. Shouldn’t MP3 Players Be A Little More Durable.
on August 27th, 2006 at 10:22 am
Dude..I was scared out of my mind when this same thing happend to me (just yesterday). I googled (Creative Zen Vision: M Parts) and got this post and it helped me out a great deal. I will now attempt to contact Creative about replacing the LCD as well.I was thinking they wouldn’t help me out since it’s damaged due to “my lack of care” Thank God I found this post! W00!…
on September 4th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Ya ive gone though 2 of these already the first one i had had a hard drive problem the second one i had the screen ” imploded” as you said.. it was in a special ipod case in my backpack and i took it out and the screen was dead. These things are great in theory but arent realiable at all.
on September 7th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
This just happened to me the other day. half of it cracked so i can barely see what is playing. I called and the guy said it would be $122. I didnt have time to argue it so i hung up. I plan on arguing this a little bit or at lleast finding a replacement lcd and putting it in myself.
on September 11th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
If anyone finds out where someone can purchase a new replacement screen, please post the information here. I imagine buying the screen from its manufacturer would cost much less than the $122 that Creative is charging for the replacement.
Thanks.
Oliver
on September 11th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
This mornig the same thing happened to me. I woke up a want put some music and saw the screen the same way as tha picture up there (i start crying) even i only use the shuffle mode i cant put videos or see the menus please if you find some place to buy the screen you become a hero for all of us because i’m in central america and i think i throw the bill so i cant do the RMA.
thanx!!
Ch4ng0
PD. Creative has bad quality screens!!!!
If you have an email where to contact directly to creative please post too!!
on September 18th, 2006 at 9:18 am
Same thing happened to me just last night. To my knowledge nothing fell on it, and it didn’t drop. It just…..exploded.
I guess if I have to shell out 122 bucks I’ll have to.
on September 24th, 2006 at 8:42 am
If you do get a screen then here is how to get in to fix it! www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2006/02/how-to-disassemble-the-creative-zen-vision-m.php
on October 2nd, 2006 at 11:39 am
My vision M also mysteriously got its screen broken! I have no idea how!:S
Trying to find some store or something where i can buy a new screen
on October 10th, 2006 at 7:10 am
Ive had my vision M for just over two weeks and my screen has popped- much like the picture above. Has anyone else managed to get theirs replaced or sucessfully changed screens. I’d rather that than buy a new one or buy an Ipod. Seems there’s a fari number of us in the same boat. The only action ive taken so far is to mail the creative support address.
on October 16th, 2006 at 5:26 pm
I’ve also sendt a mail to creative, to see if i could buy a screen from them.
I sendt the mail on oct. the 6th and haven’t got an answer yet!
And i’m not buying a new one or ipod either!
on October 30th, 2006 at 6:48 am
I contacted creative (as I said in the mail above dated 10/10/06), explained the situation and they asked me how it broke and to send them a digital photo of it, then they sent me an RMA number, asked some questions about my player- serial number etc and I’m now sitting here, very pleased, with my brand new replacement. So its taken 20 days from sending my mail to creative, to me sitting here with a new one.
Next step- buy a case.
on November 1st, 2006 at 11:18 am
well, my screen broke, because of my carelessness. I was playing gym in my school and stuipedly left it in my pocket. When i was playing matt ball (it is like kick ball), i dived down to dodge the ball, and landed flat on my zen, and broke the the screen to hell and back. I was and still am very pissed off.
Oh, and p.s. i think the screen imploded (my opion) because it probably overheated or was really hot (internal), a it happens. Usually with a case covering it. But hey what do i know, i mean i just broke my screen by falling on mine, so i am not one to talk.
on November 4th, 2006 at 1:43 am
my LCD broke last week, 1 week after I got a new one off an RMA from the hard drive dying. And I had to take it back once before for a broken button… this is all in the span of three months.
I’m done with it. Not going to throw another $120 to creative just to fix a player that will probably bust 6 months down the road.
on November 10th, 2006 at 10:28 am
My screen broke this week too. It was in my pocket and while i was walking it hit against a desk. the outside cover is perfect but when i turn it on the screen inside is shattered. Seems like the outside should break before the insides break. Creative hasnt replied to me either. I couldn’t even call them without having to pay $13 to talk to someone so i sent them an email. Seems like if i bought their $300 mp3 player i could at least get a phone call…
on November 11th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
Does anyone here want to sell me there broken zen vision m email me at bruce_cheng@hotmail.com
on November 12th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
I have been searching the web for days trying to find a place that sells replacement screens for my vision m. Has anybody had any luck? Would hate to have to pay creative and wait days and days when I could replace myself. Anyways please email and let me know if anybody knows of a place. Thanks. hcir24@msn.com
on November 27th, 2006 at 7:51 pm
Broken LCD screen on Zen Vision M four months old - no trauma causd his to the best of my knowledge. Creative insist that the damage falls within remiot of accidenrtal and therfore NOT covered by warranty - charged me £99 to replace unit. One month later - same thing happens to new unit even though it was in a protective case and screen protector in situ. Once again I would insist that no trauma has caused this and in my view its a fault with the unit. Sounds like its happening to more people out there - come on Creative - surely this needs reviewing.
on November 28th, 2006 at 7:28 pm
i say we file a class action lawsuit…it worked for those guys who went against apple.
on December 2nd, 2006 at 9:17 pm
When i first read all those notes i thoguht “Well, HC, welcome to the club” Me and my wife felt in love with the device after a while enjoying a zen xtra which is by the way a lot better in terms of durability. This one (Zen M Vision) is too weak, particularly the lcd screen, which in my opinion too exposed to damage. My device’s screen is really distorted, same as the picture above, and it was all of the sudden. Count me in for anything you plan, whereas you are going to file a claim or find a liable solution. Please count me in!
on December 4th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
Hi, same thing happened to me, told today iwould have to buy a replacement for 90 quid, they said they didnt do repairs, well my mums a barrister (now law reporter) gonna see if theres anyway i can take this thing a step further i definatly have a case as i did everything i did to look after that thing. will keep u informed.
on December 4th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
I had the same thing happen to me about a week ago. It was in a backpack with clothes around it and I pull it out and the screen is cracked like that. There does seem to be some kind of problem with their screens. If anyone has found someplace to but them please post it.
on December 5th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
Hi, does anyone know where i can get a replacement screen (UK) from? I actually trod on mine, whoops, but can’t get any joy from creative. Searched google and found this!!
All help appreciated
on December 5th, 2006 at 7:08 pm
The same thing that happend to all of you has happened to me, my screen was just magically broken one day and its mysteriously the one uncovered part according to futureshop. I dont really feel like coughing up all that much money to have creative replace it so if anyone know where to get replacement screens online PLEASE tell me
—-chrisgregoire_@hotmail.com
on December 11th, 2006 at 12:43 am
Ha! I thought that I was the only one with this problem - seems like there are more in the same situation.. Thing is, I got mine used without a warranty or anything, never expected this to happen to be honest. I’m afraid to even buy a replacement screen on the hunch that it might just implode again. Sadly, very very sadly, I am considering an Ipod at this point..
on December 14th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Hey guys, this was really strange. I had been on my class and was changing songs, after that i just put it back in my pocket. i had’nt even been sitting on the player! Before I started to walk home i noticed the display was doing strange things, i could see the songs beeing played, but the display is so bad atm. I reaaaally didn’t expect this to happend, such a nice player. I checked so many things before buying this player. and now what? the display is broke. and the dude on the creative supportphone wanted 1420 SEK (Swedish crownes) to fix it. its more than half the price i payed for it when i bought it. and thats the replacement player, since the player is not being fixed any more. i can buy a new player and still use this. maybe i could even change display in the future, or will i do it now? the player is less than 3 months old
hope u guys figure something out. sorry for my bad english, over and out.
on December 17th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Same thing happened to my son’s Vision M. Creative’s prices are a bit expensive. It’s hardly worth repairing if the cost of the LCD is as described above, which would put me off buying another. If the LCD was £50 max then I’d pay up. Because the case wasn’t damaged I would imagine that the cushioning around the LCD is poor making it susceptible to damage due to a minor knock.
Creative should investigate & sort this out because it will affect their sales once this problem starts to become well known.
Does anybody know where you can purchase the LCD online ?
on December 18th, 2006 at 1:15 am
My LCD SCREEN looks exactly like that after 3 months of buying the damn thing. We really should file a lawsuit, because it happened to a few people I know, plus Creative’s customer service sux…..
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!!!!!1
let’s do it.
on December 19th, 2006 at 6:35 am
Yeah, I am on it.But how are we suppose to do that? Make a E-mail list and really put time into this? Come on, somebody has to do this!!
And by the way, by the look of my players display, the LCD is blury, i cant find anything wich says the display has been pressed on really hard. It is just half white, half of the pixels seems to have died and there is a few dark stripes over the text. but funny thing, display is working except its very blury. not useful, not to show people and not to be using videos with.
IF WE ARE GOING TO ACTION LAWSUIT WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE, WHO TO MAIL FIRST?
on December 25th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Hey I have a Zen Vision M as well and I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I am in Iraq and as you can imagin it is rough out here. I am wondering if yall have figured out how to take apart the zen with out breaking it. My screen cover is warped and I am looking to replace it. (don’t ask how it got warped) I am also looking for part if anyone wants to sell me a parts Zen. Contact me at j_shaler@hotmail.com
Thanks
on December 29th, 2006 at 1:51 am
This site tells you how to open it.
I know it’s been asked several times, but I ask again… has anyone found anywhere online to buy a replacement screen? I bought mine from Creative as soon as they were released and had no problems at all (aside from a freezing problem that firmware updates still didn’t help), but I came home from shopping today to see my dog chowing down on the damn thing. However, everything but the screen is fine, just a few tooth marks on the case. I know Creative isn’t going to help me a bit, and I’d like to repair it myself if possible…
on January 4th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Same story apparently. Let me know about the class action lawsuit. I’ll see if I can’t ask a lawyer friend. This sucks. I couldn’t figure out what had happened to my screen. Like so many others, it was in a secure spot in my backpack.
Creative needs to get with the program.
on January 5th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
i have an Zen Vision which was working fine but after a couple of days the screen has broken. I was lying on the bed and lent on it with my elbow and now the screens screwed up. It’s not as bad as the unfortuneate guys in the picture but it does have tiny white horizontal lines running through the screen constantly. Have tried reseting it etc. and can’t get in touch with creative. It still works fine but the screen is annoyingly light and almost useless for watching videos on. Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to fix it?
Thanks very much
on January 7th, 2007 at 1:31 am
No trauma to my zen vison:m, just had it in my pocket - the screen got all fuzzy and had little horizontal lines running all through it. If I get to return it to Best Buy i’m getting an ipod.
on January 7th, 2007 at 4:24 am
I had the same imploded issue with this 3 months old zen. I can not believe all of you encounter this screen problems. We should make creative cover it under warranty or something. Now I’m gonna have to choose IPOD instead if all else fail.
on January 7th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Well, I guess that makes a many of us…
I sure don’t wanna pay $120 to fix it, I was wearing at work, I have the DLO Action Jacket… which is supposed to keep it so safe. well, I go home, turned it o, and what do you know…. It looks just like the one above… And how you ask, F*ck if I know….
on January 8th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Any word on the class action lawsuit, or did someone talk to their lawyer friend?
They can’t get away with charging $150 to fix a lcd screen.
Or did anyone find a site that sell replacement screens?
on January 8th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Same situation. I haven’t found an LCD replacement either. Maybe we could pressure Creative as a collective to make a better for repair. At least to offer the LCD so that we can repair it ourselves (the cost of manufacture only).
Has anyone forwarded this Website to a Creative representative?
on January 9th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
I wasn’t as unfortunate as some of you guys. But the same thing happened to my screen just like one of the other posts. I lost about half of my pixels that just turned white. About every other horizontal row is white. While it is still fully functional with music and all. It is a pain in the *** for photos and videos.
The really bad part about this is that ive only had it for about 2 DAMN DAYS!!!Brand new!!
Absolutely no trauma. Only used once!
Any one know if it will be covered by warranty!!
on January 10th, 2007 at 12:52 am
I have the same problem as quiet a few of the above: today i turned on my ZEN and the inside screen was completely shattered, u can’t see any damage when its turned off. it still plays music and all, but the screen looks just like a cracked window where a football flew threw or so…
i sure dont wanna pay the stupid $199 creative wants for that ****…
so, if anyone finds a solution to fix it or if you guys reach something with the lawsuit..let me know, please!
luc.hannover@gmx.de
aah jeah and: my ZEN was already the 2nd also, the first had a harddrive problem…
on January 12th, 2007 at 10:56 am
I work for creative and I have put many a player in warranty for the screen. The screen does not just shatter on its own, promise. Mind you the slightest bump can damge it because you know it is Liquid Crystal so it can break. My best suggestion is if you have a problem with the screen call tech support get an rma and send it in with your receipt. You never know you might have a case depending on how the unit looks and how bad the shatter is. By the way it is 102 to replace the LCD screen and most likely you are going to get a new unit because we don’t generally repair lcd screens.
on January 16th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Yeah, uhh .I was listening to my vision m and I put it in my pocket. A few minutes later, I went to get it out ,and the screen was cracked undreneath(the inside)> i guess i’m stuck listening to Bodom for the rest of my life.
on January 17th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Ok guys here’s the skinny. There are NO REPLACEMENT LCD’s for the ZEN. You have four choices:
Choice 1: You can still listen to it till you can afford a replacement.
Choice 2: Deal with Creative’s ****** *** tech support and pay however many dollars for for them to fix it.
Choice 3: Try your *** to get a class action lawsuit, only to have it thrown out cause Creative don’t cover random act’s of god "trust me I tried".
Choice 4: Buy an iPod and relish in the fact that you got to deal with iTunes, DRM, Apples ****** video quality, and so on and so forth.
If you expect to try and repair any damages to your Zen, be very cautious. I ripped the battery connector from the board by accident and had to solder he damn thing on. It wasn’t easy and it’s not worth the time cause Creative are a bunch of crackheads and don’t want there technology falling into the hands of Apple "don’t blame them". In the end, if you want the best of the MP3 players, Zen it is. Just be VERY CAUTIOUS and CAREFUL. Trust me I will from now on.
BTW I too killed my LCD. I accidentally stepped on it the night prior to this post and rest assured I’m pissed at Creative for the **** tech support, but I grew wiser and smarter.
Next one I buy I’m getting from DELL again and I’m getting the damn replacement warranty they offer. Which does cover stupidity, late drunking nights and of course.. ACT’S OF GOD and is only a mere 50 bucks for a shitload of time "pretty much covers, from what I read, the lifespan of the Zens drives and LCD’s. That and buying from DELL is a HELLA LOT CHEAPER. After shipping, for a 30gig Zen your only paying 218.00 out the door (that’s 218 USD’s for our friends overseas). That and they got the 60 gig version for what the stores are charging for the 30 gig. So yeah I’ll save my nickelss and dimes and have my cable turned off just so I can buy another one. The tech support sucks, but like my old gateway, it’s worth every fricking dime.
on January 21st, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Yeeeep, the exact same thing happened to me this morning, I picked up my Zen Vision:M off my bedside table, and it looks fine. Then I turn it on and "….WHAAAT THE HELL", mine looks alot like the one at the top except the cracking is more focused in the middle, and it really has get me edgy because when I turned it off last night everythin was fine, I placed it on the table and what do you know eh. 4 months old, no real problems until now, looks like I will cool up tech support and see what the price deal is in australia, all I know is…..DAAAMNIT
Thats life I guess, well my life anyway
awell, let the dealings begin
on January 25th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
The law firm of Starr Austen Tribbett Myers & Miller is currently investigating various problems with the Creative Zen Vision:M. Consumers have reported numerous complaints with the screen (excessive scratching, internal failure, etc.) If you have experienced problems with your Creative Zen Vision: M, please contact us at (574) 722-6676. Please call collect and ask for Scott Starr, Andrew Miller or Joseph Williams. You may also contact us via email at one of the following addresses: starr@satmlaw.com; miller@satmlaw.com; or williams@satmlaw.com.
on January 29th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Funny thing, when i first called creative they told me they will not replace it since the display was f*cked. Anyway, I wrote them a letter and i made clear to them i DID NOT sit on the stupid player. when i sent it in via RMA, 3 days after reciveing it at Creative in Ireland, (today) they sent me a replacement, without making any troubles.
So actually I don’t hate Creative, coz the player had some other problems, it was scrambling when you shaked the player a bit, maybe a bit of plastic or screw broke from shaking the player too much. some scratches on the players outside. Allthough I was very careful for pressure, so the display got blury/foggy, horizontal white lines on the whole player display making the player almost useless for video. So anyway, it looked like a warranty problem. So I sent the player in almost 2weeks ago. Now the player is on its way back to me in Sweden.
A whole new player, feels really good honestly. No scratches and no scrambling. No, I don’t think I broke the display by my own fault, it looked like a production error. Anyway. New player
Good luck with you guys!
on February 1st, 2007 at 11:46 am
SOOOO same thing happened to me. I went for a walk with my Zen in my downvest pocket, and i took it out to change the song, and i saw something like that.. Now, the thing I am wondering about, sorry to be so dumb, is what is a RMA? How do I get ahold of Creative? I am VERY confused right now. Do I e-mail them? Because they have not given me a address on the Canada website. Can someone please help?
Thankyou:)
on February 3rd, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Have any luck getting a replacement?
on February 5th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Mine might not be a Vision M but yes about a month back now my Zen nomad Jukebox Xtra’s screen just demolished itself with nothing else in my pockets and no trauma whatsoever…. i cannot believe that Creatize allow their products to come of the line with this sh*te build quality.
After hearing now that its not possible to get replacement screens of the net/shop etc would anyone be able to tell me if its possible to go out and buy a generic 2.5" lcd screen and hope it works…. surely it’ll be same connections and not a lot of differance
email me back at brianbunting155@hotmail.com
….if there is….
then f**k Creative
on February 6th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
has anyone tried using a Ipod 2.5 LCD and wiring it to work with the zen? as long as it fit, couldn’t you just replace the wiring harnesses? you can buy a Ipod 2.5 screen anywhere for $30 US.
on February 9th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
=(
My creative zen vision m’s lcd is broken too. Dunno why or how btu when I took it out from the case the internal screen had cracks on it. at first It didnt have anything on screen, but after a while half of the screen showed up blurry and had white lines all over. half of the screen which had the cracks is no good. =(
bought this in the US (am here in the Philippines), dunno how I can get a replacement for the unit or at least the screen. not even sure if creative has support people here.
anyone in the Phils who had the same prob?
on February 16th, 2007 at 11:07 am
I was inlove with this unit until the screen cracked like many other people i have no idea how it happened one day is fine next day is craked . Creative wont even reply to my emails. I think we can sue this people whos with me on this??
on February 16th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
I’m so glad I found these posts. I really thought this only happened to me! My MP3 player was 5 months old and the same thing happened to the screen. I really don’t know what to do.
on February 16th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
This post was really helpful but I am really confused. What is the best thing to do? Paying about 100 dollars for a repair, or buying an extra LCD screen and repairing it yourself? And exactly how did it go for you guys that got a free replacement from Creative? What do they ask you and what do you need to tell them in order for them to send it for free?
on February 19th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Creative it the worst company for customer servive I have ever work with. I’ve been trying since 1/07 to get my screen fixed. The sad this is that I was not even using it. Came back fron vacation got it from where I left it and yes the screen looks just like the one at the top. No one was even home. They do not even reply to email and now I can even send them anymore.
Message could not be delivered for 5 days
Message will be deleted from queue
I have forwarded parts of this blog and my emails to channel 12 news in Phoenix,AZ. I hoping they can do something and let everybody now that CREATIVE S*cks
Best of luck to all
Evan
on February 20th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Hi, i posted AAAAAGES ago about my broken zen, however, after about 3 months of hassle, i managed to get a full refund, No No not from those rats at creative, but from the nice people at play.com, which is where i bought it from, and although they didnt have to take mine back and give me a replacement they did, whic i am very grateful. If you boought your zen from amazon or play etc, i recommend that you put your energy into getting their help, not creative, SO I BEAT CREATIVE AHAHA, got myself a nice little mp3 player for 100quid, im happy with that.
on February 22nd, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Well hate to say it but I’m now a member of this unfortunate club.
Was on my hands and knees pickup up some wood from the floor when it slipped out of my pocket and fell just over 1 foot onto the kitchen floor.
Broken lcd just like the picture above.
Glad to find this site, will follow up with Creative and if they jack me I will contact Lawyer Dude in this thread.
What a disappointment I only had it a week.
on February 22nd, 2007 at 5:54 pm
MINE JUST BROKE TOO
best buy is being a jerk and blaming the company
the company is being a jerk and blaming me
i don’t know what could have happened. it was charging and when i came back the screen looked crazy.
i would love a new one or my money back but in reality i think im just screwed
on February 25th, 2007 at 4:45 am
Mine broke as well, such a waste of money. And there is no way in hell i’m paying that amount of money for something that shouldn’t happen. I would understand stepping on ity, dropping it or banging it. But I was only walking home form town, with it in my trousers pocket along with my mobile. Then when i got home to turn it off it had a blood stain and a 3rd of the screen not showing up.
on February 25th, 2007 at 7:01 am
OMG! wow! its not just me! i was listening to my creative after getting it for christmas, i put it in my draw so i could go to sleep and i woke up the next morning with a HUGE crack rite down the middle of the screen! it still plays music i just dont know what its playing! the worst thing is, its got a small chip out of the back of it when i dropped it, not from a high place or anything, so i cant send it back and get a new one as theyl send it back saying ive dropped it and thats why the screens gone, WHEN ITS NOT AT ALL!!! if anyone finds where i can get a preplacement screen, email me? please? it would be much appriciated! ( nick_merry@hotmail.com ) thanks guys, creative zen need stopping!
on February 27th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
[…] One issue I’d like to talk about is the durability of the Creative Vision M’s LCD which is not exactly to die for. I’ve never had it happen to mine (but mine is pretty new.)  I’ve had friends who had this happen to theirs and response from technical support have greatly varied. […]
on February 27th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Ugh. Same thing happened with my screen. Was doing a ride-along with the Union Star P.D., with Zen in my coat pocket. I get out of the car, pull the Zen out, and lo and behold, the screen has imploded.
Talked with Creative, was told I’d have to shell out $130, for the screen, and a ‘diagnostic’ fee.
If someone can’t find any replacement LCDs, I’ll have to just got with the Zune.
on February 27th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
yeah mine broke at school after 5 days of use…looks almost exactly like that photo
i love the thing to death because of how easy it is to add media but damn dude idk about this whole screen thing
on March 1st, 2007 at 11:22 am
Our law firm continues to investigate various problems with the Creative Zen Vision:M. Consumers have reported numerous complaints with the screen (excessive scratching, internal failure, etc.) We have heard from many of you. Please note that the name of our firm has changed, as well as our e-mail and website address. If you have experienced problems with your Creative Zen Vision:M, please contact us at (574) 722-6676. Please call collect and ask for Scott Starr, Andrew Miller, or Joseph Williams. You may also contact us via email at one of the following addresses: starr@starrausten.com; miller@starrausten.com; or williams@starrausten.com.
on March 2nd, 2007 at 11:46 am
Me and my friend had very similar problems with the screen;
mine became illegible thanks to white lines covering the display, my friends did the same followed by the now infamous "imploding" trick.
We cant get RMA’s because we moved house and lost the reciepts in the ensuing chaos. This happened AFTER I swapped the player because the first players battery wouldn’t charge. I was dead against going to iPod, but I dont have much choice; If Creative wont fix the problem Im going to have to swap the player for one of equal value, as the shop doesn’t stock them anymore (probably due to the ammount of returns).
on March 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Same problem here! I was at a track meet today, I was watching a Colbert Report on my Zen, I put it in my sweatshirt pocket for a little while, took it out, turned it on, and the screen was ruined.
I won’t stop harassing Amazon.com and Creative until I have a refund or a replacement. There is a 90 day warranty, and its been about 88 days, so I hope that if I cannot get into contact with them in the next 2 days that they don’t screw me over.
on March 5th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
My Zen Vision:M now has white stripes across the screen. While Creative’s support team did contact me… I pretty much got the big boot. Cost is $103 minimum to replace the screen. Tell you the truth, this player isn’t worth much more than $103. I bought a Cowon A2, and now I have a working Vision:M with permanent white stripes and a bad taste for Creative and Creative’s support… and a VERY nice Cowon A2 which is everything the Vision:M is and a WHOLE lot more. Bye, bye Creative.
on March 6th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
my screen did not implode like the picture but is much like what happened to the owner of the last post. before i went to sleep my zen was workin perfectly crisp display everything i wake up turn it on and, it has white stripes all over it and white pixels. it is like a white transparent layer over what would usually be displayed. my zen is plotected by a glove and had no way of contact with anything at all. is this a technical problem and if so can it be resolved with outh the purchase of a new screen? thnkz
on March 8th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
This BS happened to me tonight. i took my zen out of my bag, it was fine and worked perfectly so i put it on to charge, and when i was gonna do my homework i took it off the chrage, and there is a massive black splodge on it on one side with white behind it, and on the other side the display is a lot paler and harder to read. its damn annoying having to take a few tries guessing at what songs your putting on for a few times.
on March 8th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Happened to me tonight, I had it in my coat with no trauma and I got it out and suddenly it was white on the left with white lines covering the screen, what a poorly built product, I really liked the player, will I have to keep buying a new one every few months?
on March 13th, 2007 at 1:01 am
I guess I’m not alone. Have the same broken LCD screen as what everyone here is describing. And for me I have no clue why. It was perfect when I turned it off and placed on shelf and when I went to retrieve it, it was broke. Went to Creative. Read about the Repair, followed the link for repairs, and got a self help page instead! Ultimately after answering no to several questions, I was privlaged enough to eb able to send an email to Creative asking how to get Repair service. Now after seeing other people with the same issue, I emailed that law firm instead. I just thought something must of happened I didn’t and I didn’t relaize it, now I know better.
on March 14th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Sigh, same problem with me. I got off the subway and found the same problem. This sucks big time, and I only had it for 2 weeks!! What kind of lame *** product is this? I’m pissed.
on March 16th, 2007 at 9:49 am
As we continue to investigate the problems with the Creative Zen Vision: M, we are interested in purchasing broken Vision M players. Please contact me at greiner@starrausten.com or call collect and ask for Terri Greiner to discuss the details.
on March 16th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Guess what I have white stripes across my screen as well slightly more than 3 months old and I lost the receipt
on March 19th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Same thing happened here last night, i was watching a video and i had it in my hands, when all of the sudden the screen just cracked and slowly seeped into what it looks like now, which is minimal visibility. White stripes everywhere, and half the screen solid white, with a huge diagonal split of black in the middle. I havent tried contacting customer service yet, but when i do i am going to be demanding and show that the consumer is in charge, i will refer to this blog and tell them about the lawsuit if nessecary
on March 21st, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Yikes!! I guess I’ve joined this club. My daughter just came to me in tears because she turned on her Zen only to find her screen looking very similar to the one pictured above. Her Zen is only 3 months old and it has not been mishandled. I’ve contacted Creative, but I’ve not heard back as yet. Ours is still under warranty. I’ll try contacting Amazon as well. I’m not quite ready to join a class action suit. I guess that depends on what kind of resolution I’m offered from Creative and/or Amazon.
on March 22nd, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Well here’s an update to my post of 3/21. Both Creative and Amazon responded to my emails. Creative will fix the problem, but I have to pay a non-refundable $25 diagnostic fee plus any labor charges (it’s 20 days past their cheapo labor warranty). Amazon.com will refund the entire purchase price because they agree the product is defective (even though I purchased it more than 30 days ago). Way to go Amazon! That’s how you get repeat customers. I’m returning it to Amazon for a refund. I’m not sure if I’ll get a new Zen.
on March 23rd, 2007 at 12:37 am
My screen also cracked. I lightly bumped it against a table and it was damaged so bad that I can just barely see some of the menus. I had my Zen in a protective silicone case and took out just for a short time before bumping it.
TAKE MY ADVICE - DO NOT REMOVE YOUR ZEN FROM A PROTECTIVE CASE EVER!
I am now looking for an alternative to the Zen as I do not want to repeat this scenario with another one!
Any suggestions?
on March 27th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Hey, I’m looking for a broken Creative Zen. If anybody wants to get rid of theirs, I will pay for shipping to my house. I just really need one for some spare parts, etc. Please email me if anyone is willing to help me with this at cliffkasper@hotmail.com
Thanks
on March 28th, 2007 at 3:33 am
Hey anyone know where to get new screens from?
Mines stuffed as well. I had the earphones wrapped around the player and i lent on it and heared a crack. Didn’t think anything of it. Went to use it again and the screen looks like the picture. The earphone dug into the screen. There didn’t appear to be any damage until i turned it on.
Please could you let me know if anyone has any luck. wart-23@hotmail.com
Thanks.
on March 29th, 2007 at 8:52 am
Hi my vision m screen is broken as well so i did a google and found this site.
hope it will help you!
Tobias
on March 30th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I am in the same boat as everyone else with a broken screen. I laid my player on my dresser for the night after shutting it off, and got up the next morning only to find that my screen was cracked. I have contacted two different law firms, one actually in my area code (Starr, Austen, Myers and Miller), and another in California. Also, I have a support/replacement query submitted to Creative hoping that they will realize that they suck and need to stop turning the other cheek to their mess ups.
on April 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 am
guys. buy a iPod screen off ebay…
there £9.99 GBP.
buy it now^
but this site sells the ZVM screens for $110 and the iPod ones for the same price, and they have the same pic and everything, bassically if u get a iPod LCD, its the same as the ZVM LCD…
Hope this helps.
Daniel
on April 7th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
I hate this so much, mine did the exact same thing, it was sitting on the desk in front of me for like 30 min without being touched, then I turned it on and almost cried, I spent 250$ freaking dollars that I saved up for at least a year to have it break within the first 3 months.
on April 9th, 2007 at 11:34 am
My daughter’s screen is cracked too! We just assumed that it had probably been stepped on, as she had it in a bag at a slumber party; however, by coming across this website, I am starting to believe it may have cracked on its own. I have written to Creative (as they have no “FREE” phone number for me to utilize to reach customer service regarding an RMA), and I am awaiting a reply. But I am certain they will tell me the same thing: over $100 to repair. I am a single mom and this was the ONLY gift I purchased for my 12-year-old daughter for Christmas. Now I will have to shell out another $100 to make it functional? That doesn’t sound right to me. Come on, Creative!!! Support your customers!
on April 11th, 2007 at 2:00 am
Guess I’m joining the club. Honestly, does any company make decent players? First a crappy experience with apple, and now a cracked/imploded screen from creative. I don’t know what to do next. I don’t, well didn’t use the player much, usually kept it in my school bag that has plenty of free space. I don’t know if it’s worth all the hassle, I only used the shuffle anyways. Still, I am pretty pissed.
on April 11th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Hey Daniel! I have both a Zen Vision M and an Ipod Video here. I’ve taken apart both and have both screens here. The connections are not the same. I tried to connect but it hasn’t worked. Did you have any luck? I also looked at the website that was posted here and see that they are advertising a pic of an Ipod screen as a ZVM screen.
on April 11th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Sent mine last tuesday got word back today they have shipped replacement not bad considering they only got it yesterday due to easter holidays
Eugene
on April 12th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I purchased my Vision M in February. Last night I was scrolling through photos and all of a sudden there are white lines across the whole screen distorting the picture. The reason I bought the Vision M was specifically for the video capabilities and pictures (no duh). I bought a warranty. We’ll see what happens. If they don’t fix it or replace it I definitely won’t purchase another Creative product ever. It’s too much money to waste on defective merchandise if they won’t stand behind their products.
on April 14th, 2007 at 11:11 am
It appears that Microsoft is having a similar problem with there zune screens cracking without any know trauma caused by the owner link
on April 16th, 2007 at 3:16 am
Haha jesus and her I thought I was alone. If you guys click on my name it’ll link you to my blog where I wrote about this exact same thing happening to me. Creative in the Philippines i damn near useless, and they say to ship it to Singapore it’ll cost me 8000 pesos (roughly $150). At that price, i’d be better off buying a new DAP.
You carlos if you come back to this site holler back. I had my folks buy mine in circuitcity cause they were on sale for $199 over christmas, and I absolutely loved the player until…well this happened. I guess I’ll try emailing creative or circuitcity but I don’t know how that’ll pan out since I’m in another country.
on April 17th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I had this happen to me randomly. I got mine from amazon last may 2006 and i even got the warranty plan from amazon. They refuse to fix it even though there is no visible damage to the outside of the MP3 player. I am so pissed off.
on April 17th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
DO NOT BUY AN IPOD SCREEN!!!
I just wasted about 20 bucks for an ipod screen from ebay and contrary to daniel’s (previous poster) assertion, it is not the same. The only thing I can say is that it has the same number of pins, but I don’t even know if they match up. The zen screen connector is significantly larger than the ipod’s. I still refuse to buy a new one or pay over $100 for repair, so I’m going to try to find a way to make an adapter…stay posted. Otherwise, I’ll just buy someone else’s broken one off of ebay and eat the extra $60.
Also, I spoke with a manager at creative customer service and he was very friendly and helpful, but lamented that he has no way to even sell me a screen as they are all manufactured in asia by creative and shipped already assembled.
on April 18th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
bobby plz try to find a way to make an adaptor, ive just bought an ipod screen off ebay for £10 and hav now just realised it wont work
on April 18th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Adapter? New Screen?
I will not pay over $100 for a replacement screen. I’ve basically been using the mp3 player in my car since the screen broke like 5 months ago. I used the transfer plug to hook it up to my TV via a rca cable to set up my playlist, or to put it on random. You have to buy a cable that will be one side male (looks like a stereo plug) and one side male Yellow Video ( like the red, for right audio, white, for left audio, and yellow for video.) Hope I didn’t confuse anyone. I’m just not turned on by Creative, and will not pay that amount for an lcd screen. $50 maybe
on April 18th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
So i had contacted AMAZON and they are accepting my item as a return even after 9 months of using it. This is GREAT. I am just gonna go the ipod route. My friends have cracked their screens and applecare has them covered. Bye bye creative.
on April 19th, 2007 at 12:29 am
My 9 year old saved her Christmas and Birthday money for this Creeative Zen M we just got it last week when it was on sale for $199 from $249…6 days later after I connected it to charge i diconnected it, turnined it on and found a crack down the near middle of the screen. How is this possible when it is sitting on the counter of a closed computer cabinet in a leather case? Very bizarre! I went back to bestbuy at day 8 and the guy took one look at it and laughed in my face and my daughter burst into tears. What the heck???? Any suggections please let me know…I can;t get through to anyone at creative….
on April 20th, 2007 at 4:20 am
My sons Zen M, 3 months old, screen just stopped working at all. Because it has a green mark on the screen the oik from Currys says is it not warranty and they will not replace it or send it to Creative to repair. Redaing these comments it seems most others have a cracked screen, and some of you have had FOC replacements. Anybody had any better success with Currys?
on April 20th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
I am experiencing the same thing: Broken Zen and poor Customer Service. I plan on taking legal action. I’ll keep you posted.
on April 21st, 2007 at 1:46 am
In regards to my statement the other day. I went to the creative website and emailed them the problem. They got right back to me within a couple hours then I responded to them and again they responded to me right away. They “said” they will send me a brand new one ( they even asked which color my daughter wanted) and I am to return the damaged one to them in the postage paid bubble pack bag that will come with the new one. I will keep you posted if they keep their word.
on April 21st, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Update:
Just got back from radio shack and they had no clue as to how to even go about adapting the ipod screen to the zen. The only thing I can think of is to solder the ribbon wires from the old screen to the contacts from the new screen, but the contacts are so close together (closer on the ipod screen) that I need a soldering black belt to get all 32 connected correctly. And even then there is no guarantee that they are compatible. It could be different voltage, amperage, wires could be configured differently…oh, man…by the time I am done trying cheap fixes, I will probably have spent the $120. Well, I can keep bugging J & R music world…
on April 21st, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Update II: Just got an answer from my post on the creative forms and the poster says that since the screens have different colors and resolutions, they are completely incompatible. Oh, well, there goes $20. Now, on to finding out what kind of customer service J & R music world has…
on April 23rd, 2007 at 11:07 am
well that sucks! Why would you(Daniel) bother posting stupid advice if you weren’t sure about it. Seems like some peeps have now wasted more money on ipod screens.
on April 25th, 2007 at 4:41 am
Yep, same problem with my Zen Vision:M. I take mine to school but to avoid the thing getting stolen i put it in a seperate pocket in my pencil case. I can admit my method was a bit stupid and i deserve my screen to brake, but look at other peoples stories? Creative really has something to answer for right? I researched on all mp3’s and found this to be the best option and only had it for about 4 months and now the screen brakes like this? Not a happy customer.Please conitibue posting, i really want to get this thing fixed and not buy something else. If so ive then bought an mp3 for roughly $100 a month??
Ps. I used to also have a MicroPhoto, yes, it has broken as well.
on April 26th, 2007 at 3:57 am
Count me in on (2) Vision M units both with cracked screens from puting in my pocket. Waht a nice unit but a bad design they make it small and portable and pocket size but dont dare put in your pocket as it will crack for sure..:( Very Sad to have such a great product and such a lousy design..
on April 26th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
zen’s suckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…. i went through 3 micro’s and now about to need a replacement on my vision:m. Dont know why the hell i bought another zen…theyre so unreliable. I guess the reason I did was because Creative replaced my product 2 times without even charging me, after my warranty was up. But if I could make the choice again, I would have chosen an Ipod over the Vision:M.
piece of ****.
on April 26th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
I got my Zen Vision:M a few months ago and today, when going on a class field trip, I decided to put it in my pocket to get on the bus. After I get on and take it out to listen to my music, i notice a black ink-like blob on the screen. I’ve seen LCDs crack before but I powered it on to see what the damage really was. I found that I could only see about 1/3 of my screen and that that part was really dim. The rest of the screen is just white and I can see the cracks. I’ve e-mailed Creative about the problem and I haven’t gotten a reply quite yet other than the automated one saying they’ve received my message and that I can go to their knowledge base for help. I didn’t do anything to the player at all, I just simply put it in my pocket and when I take it out, the screen has just exploded! I don’t know what the problem is but I’m seriously hoping I can talk tech support into sending me a replacement… I don’t care if it is refurbished or not, as long as the screen looks ok and it doesn’t have more scratches than mine already did (Zen=scratch magnet) then I’d be happy with it. If anyone knows how to get creative to give you this response, please post it. Thank you. I see that a lot of people have had this same problem… last Creative I had had really weird problem where the screen would display Firmware Problem every time I powered on and the PC wouldn’t detect it because it couldn’t get booted so I couldn’t reload firmware and eventually it got where these gray static things flew across the screen and it went to the recovery menu. If I can’t get this one fixed I doubt my next player will be a Creative… (even though I like their players so much.) I specified this in my first e-mail which might have been a good or bad idea… Hopefully everything will work out though because I’m really upset about it. All I did was stick it in my pocket for like 1 min…
on April 28th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
I got my creative 4 days ago and i went to sleep and it was fine and I left it on topof my jeans. I woke p the next morning and picked it up from my jeans and turned it on and there wa a big black inky spot on the right ssurounded by white. And the other half is dim. They are sending a replacement though.
on April 29th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Dude, i srsly thnk i need to git a ipod-30 gbs are on ebay now for like $80 new
i had a vision and the screen imploded, and since im a loyal ******, i bot another 1- gess wat hapnd, the piece o **** bustd on me agn-
iv spent 350 on visions and now they want me to pay thm 12.99 to talk on the phone, HEL NO- im haf tempted to go git a f$&* record playr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!tisk-tisk
BODOM ROKS
on April 30th, 2007 at 11:28 am
I’ve had the exact same problem, but out of boredom have dismantled my sen to look at the probability of fixing it
In addition the th numbers already found on the LCD casing (GA060913 AO, LTV250QV & V250QVF02S6904N32 USP5280371) i found that if you take the front of the screen casing off, it reveals another number on the actual screen, 2P5(0 or O, i can’t quite tell)QV
If that helps anyone, good, please share it, we all need the help
on April 30th, 2007 at 11:30 am
also, did anyone have any luck with the website provided in one of these comments? is it worth it?
on April 30th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
The same thing happened to me. I sent creative an email…let’s see what they tell me.
on May 1st, 2007 at 7:35 pm
James. I checked out the website and found a pic of an ipod screen saying it was a creative screen. You can’t use the ipod screen with your vision. Also took apart mine and tried the swap but they don’t match up. Maybe they send u a zen screen if asked but still quite a bit of coin.
on May 2nd, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I now have two Zen Vision M’s. The first screen cracked after warranty ran out. I bought a replacement unit (used) but now that screen has cracked. I didn’t even get to use that one, only turned it on to make sure it worked, now it doesn’t.
on May 3rd, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Joe. Have you actually boutght the screen? I’m kinda living in hope that they were too lazy to put up a pic of the correct screen, and at least it’s cheaper than buying a new zen (or getting it fixed by creative if i’ve heard the european prices correctly)
on May 4th, 2007 at 11:40 am
I bought a Zen 30GB for my daughter in Dec’06 and she just called to say that she had left the Zen on the charger last night, turned it on, and Voila, imploded LCD. I am in Canada and Creative just got back to me and wants $117 for repair, thats 40% of the damn cost of the thing, I’m all for starting a class action suit since I am involved with the law community, All Canadians that have a problem and wish to support this should contact me at bwolters@iuoe115.com with ZEN in the Subject line.
You will need to forward a affvidavit that may need to be notorized or a commisioner for oaths to verify your signature. Lastly there may be start up cost if this doesn’t move to a contigency basis (which it must, because 200-1000 of us can’t afford to throw another 100$ into the pot, although, I would on principal)
It is obvious from this thread that Creative has put out a less than durable product. Vámonos Muchachos!
on May 4th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
They had the balls to send me an email asking about there customer service.
The CS was polite, etc., etc., but they didn’t solve my problem. I urge everyone to bombard them with letters about the imploding screen. I live in the US and I’m also all for a class action suit but I don’t know how to go about it. Thoughts?
on May 11th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
hey i just my lcd screen just imploded to i was listening to my mp3 walking home from school i go in my pocket to change the song and my screen is messed up. its not even on the outside either all on the inside total bull i got my mp3 like a month ago and since i got it was in the leather case not one scratch on the thing total bull anyone know if they actually reaplce ur mp3 cause im a bit upset by the whole deal being 14 and totally broke i need my music
on May 11th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
okay i just emailed creative im hoping that my letter to them was good enough to get a new one if not im gonna be sorta pissed My Letter:
Dear Zen Support Staff
Today as I was walking home from school a song started playing on my MP3 that I did not care to listen for. So, I took the MP3 out of my right pocket where it was encased in the leather case specially made for the Creative Zen Vision M. To my dismay I saw the screen in a blurry of colors, and what appeared to be a crack on my screen. At first I thought I acquired this scratch from the outside of my MP3 and that it was my fault. However, then I took my Zen out of the leather case (something I haven’t done since I first got the MP3), and felt the screen. I felt nothing but smoothness. I realized then that the problem was from the inside and for some strange reason unknown to me, my screen was cracked. I quickly panicked and went home to see if there was anything that could be done. I went online and searched my problem hoping to find out if my MP3 could be replaced. To my surprise I found out that I was not the first person with this problem. There seemed to be a bunch of people who had their LCD screen also broke for seemingly no reason. However, most were unlucky and their warranty expired. Though some people did get theirs replaced just in time. I’m writing in the hopes of getting the same treatment. I shall look forward to hearing from you.
Your Loyal customer,
Eliot
Ill keep u guys poseted
on May 12th, 2007 at 8:54 am
ballin
Dear Eliot,
Thank you for contacting Creative Technical Support Services.
I understand that the screen of your Zen Vision: M appears to be cracked
and it shows blurry colors.
All apologies for any inconvenience caused. I know how frustrating this
is. However, let me try my best to help you out. We appreciate your
patience in cooperating with us to get the issue/s resolved.
The problem you described indicates your unit may require repair or
replacement. If possible, try exchanging the product for another from
the vendor, for this may be much quicker and easier than having an RMA
(Return Merchandise Authorization) issued. If this is not possible, an
RMA will need to be arranged to have your product tested for
repair/replacement.
If the product has exceeded its three month labor warranty period, a
non-refundable US $25.00 diagnostics and handling fee will be required.
The fee is applied toward the complete cost of repair/replacement. If
the cost of the repair/replacement exceeds the initial diagnostic fee,
the RMA department will contact you to obtain your authorization for
finance of the remaining fee. If the product is still within the 1 year
hardware warranty, as long as there is no physical damage, all hardware
component replacement costs will be covered by the hardware warranty. If
the product is not outside its three month labor warranty, no diagnostic
fee is required.
on May 14th, 2007 at 6:49 am
sorry james. No i havent bought the screen. I just used one from a friends iopd and realized it didnt work. The price on the zen screen is too pricey for me as I have already paid to replace the zen with an 80g ipod.
on May 14th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
I had the same problem like 3 months ago. Did nothing and screen magically broken when I check it later. 100 bucks to replace the screen because I had it 5 months, pfft. 20 bucks I can see, 30 maybe, 100 is just stupid.
on May 17th, 2007 at 2:10 am
i found this website they deliver round the world but i cant tell if this screen is compatible with the Vision M ~
on May 23rd, 2007 at 9:44 pm
My screen died on me today at work..Nothing hit it, etc, etc. I’m just gonna write it off because i refuse to pay $100 to replace it.(I really should’ve bought that buyer protection plan from Circuit City) I didn’t watch that many video’s on it plus it still plays music..Funny how people called I-Pods ****..Yet my Ipod is 2 years old still going strong.
on May 27th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Well just another sucker who bought a product thinking a company would stand behind there product .My screen broke also (Zen 20GB) , was in my backpack took it out and lucky me it looked like spin art. Reading all the comments sent in by other consumers it is quite obvious I am scrwed , why its only money I only had to bust my arse to save to buy one hey but why complain I dont matter to them there are a million more people out there behind me waiting to put there money down , isnt this the way things are done today ; no class no pride but they are there waiting behind your screen to take the money and run . Thanks creative labs (not) for nothing.
on May 31st, 2007 at 3:31 pm
My Lcd broke a few weeks ago and creative are basically blaming me even tho nothing hit my creative it wasnt dropped and was in my loose work pockets theyve put up this whole front that ive dropped it and basically calling me a liar. What sort of customer service is that? I think im gonna repair my ipod cause that was a million times better id only had my creative a month
on May 31st, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I am a soldier in the US Army, I am currently serving in Iraq. Well I just had a 4 day pass, I boarded the military aircraft with my Zen playing and in perfect condition! Well after I landed I turned of my Zen and put it back in my pocket (in a foam sleeve) I did not hit anything, I did not crush my pocket with anything, and I did not drop my Zen! Yet the screen was the exact same as the above pic! WTF Creative? I am sure they know this will happen and that is why the parts warranty is so damn short! I think I am buying a Zune for my next Mp3 player!!
on June 1st, 2007 at 1:08 pm
There is a website to purchase just the screens, but they are charging 118.00 without installation and another 30 for installation. I think that is a little bit much
Does anyone know if i can even e-mail CREATIVE for free if my player isn’t under warranty? im not going to pay 13 dollars just for them to tell me that i need to spend 120 dollars on a new screen.
on June 2nd, 2007 at 9:43 am
Got mine from Currys. Went in and explained what happend and he gave me a “whateverHappens” plan and told me to wait a month to claim it. After 3 weeks i went in and claimed a brand new Vision M. Very nice man =]
on June 6th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
My sons Zen M screen just crapped out today. White lines in the LCD and washed out, hard to see now. I know this was not dropped or abused, the case is in good condition with no scratches or dents. Now I cant find the receipt, am I out of luck?
on June 8th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
My daughter just got hers…has had it for 7 days exactly and found it today with the screen looking like it was shattered…bought from NEWEGG.COM i am going to contact them first thing monday morning and see if they can help if not i am going to go to CREATIVE and also the BBB….will keep u informed
on June 9th, 2007 at 2:13 am
Attempted to turn my player on today after I had woken up on Saturday morning, as soon as it turned on I could see the screen had somehow imploded and had a massive crack and/or bullet hole look to the LCD screen.
Damn, I had the thing for no more than 3 - 5 months and this happens, no trauma, it was in a silicone case, pisses me off.
on June 10th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
it’s happened to me too… my idiot friend tripped me up, i fell over, i broke it.
never been more angry in my life.
Creative were no help. lost every ounce of faith in them i had.
this website does actually repair and install it cheaper than Creative, though sadly they’re based in america, so shipping is expensive.
www.portatronics.com/index.php?cat=c13_Creative-Zen-Vision-M.html&XTCsid=b002c3fcf16a13a23ceada10d1b84ed4
on June 13th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Hello. My Vision M is working but plastic chase is damaged, because of my carelessness. Where I can buy a new one? I am from Croatia. simbamef@gmail.com
on June 14th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
My only choice was to buy a new zen vison m, take it apart , take my old zen vision m apart an switched the insides out ,
then i returned it back to the store and said it was like that when i bought it and got a refund. in this case the store doesnt lose money , creative does , if creative gets alot of returns from its blood line(the stores) it will fix this problem
so everyone with a cracked screen please do this
on June 14th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I am manufacturing aluminum cases for the zen vision m 30 gig , these cases are made from aircraft grade 6061 T6 billet aluminium . they are made on high precision CNC machines
if any one wants to order one please email me at mesaazguy00@gmil.com
price goes for 34.99 plus s+h
there is currently no hard case for the creative zen vision m
on June 15th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Hey all,
just my comments for what it’s worth. I had the same problem as most of you whereby I suddenly discovered that the screen of my lovingly cared for Zen Vision M had cracked on the inside (ie no external scratches or cracks) for no reason what-so-ever.
I immediately emailed Creative and have not heard anything (this was only yesterday, so I should give them a chance). Having discovered this page, I realised that it definitely wasn’t something I did and is obviously a fault with these models. Such a shame because it is simply the best MP3 player I have come across!
Anyway, in desperation, I also emailed Amazon (.co.uk) about this explaining what happened and asking them whether there was anything they could do to help (I even said I expected to have to pay for repair, despite it not being my fault). Less than 2 hours later I received an email back from Amazon to tell me they have despatched me a replacement device which will be with me tomorrow, along with packaging to return the original!
Now that is what I call service!
If Creative do ever reply to my email, I shall let them know what Amazon have done, maybe, just maybe, they will learn something.
Good luck to all of you out there, regardless of the **** customer service, I beg each and every one of you to keep the faith, stay original and DO NOT BUY AN APPLE iPOD (or i-anything for that matter!), they really are such a waste of money!
Cheers!!
Icy
on June 18th, 2007 at 12:12 am
My first post was Thurs June 8 . I waited till Mon to contact Newegg.com about my inploded screen and told them bout this web site and within 5 min i had a new one being sent to me . no questions asked no problems at all !!!!! i didnt even have to deal with the JACK-***’s at creative.
on June 18th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I had this same problem a while back, but didn’t want to shell out a bunch of money to repair the screen if it is just going to break again anyway. I have been battling Creative email tech support for a while. I actually received the number for one of the customer service supervisors and am going to call him shortly. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
In response to the posts by visionm sucks…I would not recommend dismantling a store bought vision and returning it with the broken screen, as this does in fact constitute fraud, which can carry some pretty hefty penalties.
on June 21st, 2007 at 1:07 am
i had mine in my bag, looked like that when i got home. Now i have a 400 dollar 30gb hard drive. Right on, i would have been fine if it was my fault, but this is a creative issue????what a waste of money, and after all the bragging up i did for them!!
on June 21st, 2007 at 8:53 am
I guess I can join the club. The same thing happened to my Zen about 2 weeks ago. I stepped out of my friend’s truck, pulled it out of my pocket and the screen look just like that one in the pic. I actually wrote a letter to Creative and I meantioned that I found so many people online with the same problem. I also sent a letter to Amazon because I bought it through them. Hopfully one of them can help me out and cut me a deal. I’ll let you know what happens. I’d be really nice if one of them replaces the Zen for free. Lets hope.
on June 24th, 2007 at 7:10 am
I did think its a bit odd that my screen should break by itself on the side table. But i see from all these comments that its obviously a fault with the Zen Vision M , can not believe i mocked my friend for buying a I-Pod
Least his player still work’ s.
And it appears Zen is only gonna screw me over, so insurance fraud may be the only option
Interested to hear if that guy that returned the store brought one got any problems.
on June 25th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Ok, so i brought a microphoto from argos, it had a software fault and it completly screwed it up.
Got the vision M and the screen just randomyl did what everyone else’s has done.
Took it to argos and they replaced it. Good service
After having this for like 4 months, its done the exact same thing today, I always take very good care of my zen, yet it randomly does that. Something is realy up.
So tomorrow im taking this on to argos, hopefully i can get a replacement or a refund,if i get a refund, I-pod it is.
If they refuse to take it back, ill try to get an RMA.
Theres no chance I am paying like $118 for an LCD screen when ipod ones are like £10 on ebay. And especially as i didnt even break it.
Ill Let you know what argos say tomorrow afterschool
on June 26th, 2007 at 2:35 am
Hi all,
Same thing happened to me. I took it out of my bag, turned it on and boom, screens broken. I was gutted!
Sent an email to Creative, swift reply saying send a picture. I did and now they’ve just sent one back saying its not covered by warranty and so they can’t do anything!!
I can’t believe it was anything that I did as it has happened to sooooooo many other people on here.
Anyway, just sent one back with a link to this forum, hopefully they can do something as I really can’t afford another £140!!
Thanks, Martin.
on June 26th, 2007 at 5:06 am
Ok guys, heres what happend, went to argos, and told them, they looked, got the manager and he tried to give me the number to the helpline.I refused to sort it through creative, and told them about this and the amount of people.
Got a brand new one =]
Thanks argos.
By the way, for all the people that are looking for a new screen, go on ebay and search the mp3 player, theres faultyones for like £1, and its a software fault mostly, so you can just take the screen out and fit it yourself.
Tom
on June 26th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
The same thing happened to my Zen when i went to south carolina last week. I put it down for the night, picked it up the next morning and the inside was f’ed up. Not at bad as the picture above, but cracked under the screen none the less. After seeing all these comments, selling my soul to the devil himself (steve jobs) and getting an ipod doesn’t seem so bad after all. Hell, I might even go back to a CD player, at least those dont explode in your pocket or install a dozen crappy programs on your computer.
on June 28th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
OK so I got a response back from Amazon after sending them a letter and they said they can’t replace my Zen since it’s been well over 30 days. So that upsets me. All I got back from Creative after sending them a letter as well was a response from tech support apologizing and they said they have sent my letter to upper management. Well it’s been several days now and I haven’t heard anything else from Creative so I sent them a second letter stating how upset I am with how they treat their customers and how my letter seemingly went ignored by “upper management.” So lets see what happens now. All I know is that I will never buy anything from Creative again. I hate to say it but it looks like I’ll be buying an iPod.
Does anybody know if the Zune is any good?
on July 1st, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Yet another Vision M implosion, with no apparent trauma to the player.
I had bought an extended warranty and called that company first and they said a screen can onlycrack by something hitting it or some kind of accident , well I know it was stored in a safe place and used a firm case while using it. So after that I went back to Staples where I bought it from and they replaced it, although with a different player because they carry the Zune now and not the Vision M. They told me if I have any troubles to just come to the store and they would take care of it. Well I was very pleased with the way they treated me in the store. Thanks again Staples.
on July 7th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Hi, Not an imploded screen, but I have the white lines going through my screen. I have had my vision:m for 5 months, Was working fine one day, turned it on the next (after it had been sitting on a table overnight) and I have a broken screen. Its like others have said, seems like every other line of pixels has broken giving the overall look of a cloudy screen.
Contacted Creative, but as i bought it from ebay (brand new, sealed box, i registered the serial number) they wont do anything. What a waste of money, why cant the see there’s a problem, and start making these players more longlasting! £150 for 5 months low usage is rather steep!
Wont be buying another, i was considering getting one from a actual retail store so i have the warranty back up, but doesnt even seem like thats worth it!
Dissapointed!
on July 10th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Happened to me today. When I was on the bus home from work I pulled it out of my pocket like every other day before it. Turned it on to see the screen that way. Going to call creative even though they making finding the numbers a *****.
on July 14th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Creative didn’t solve my problem. I love the Zen. I think it’s way better than the Ipod. (Itunes likes to make duplicates of your music, it’s also a ****). But unfortunately they need to seriously improve their quality control.
on July 21st, 2007 at 2:15 pm
My screen imploded after being in my pocket, but only because somebody sat directly upon it while on my lap. I therefore find it hard to believe that there are so many screens that seem to magically mess up on their own.
on July 24th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Wow! I purchased one for my son’s 16th 10/3/2006. Shortly after receiving he complained it kept on freezing up. We did all the troubleshooting. It kept on freezing. On Novebmer 17, his father passed away unexpectedly. Needless to say, I forgot about the problems with the Zen when it would have still be under warrant. I sent it back a week ago. I get an email back from claiming $82 charge to replace broken LCD. They claim it was cracked. It was fine when it left here. I have bought and shipped more items than I can remember and have never ever had this problem on my end or the other. Of course, Creative suggests I might file an insurance claim (of course - so they don’t have to honor), but I doubt that will be fruitful if they can’t show a damaged package. Hey, what gives with all the different prices quoted for replacements. I can understand different prices outside the US, but ???
on July 27th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
The touch pad on my Zen M 60Gb player has become loose on the left hand side of the unit (less than 6 months old) - never mishandled. Creative would not accept that this was not mis-use - went to trading standrards in the UK and at present am negotiating with Amazon (seller) for a free repair or replacement although creative confirmed that they had no spare parts and did not know when they would have even for a non warranty repair. As the unit is less than 6 months old it is up to the supplier to prove mis-use or repair / supply free of charge trading standards cover you for fit for intended purpose and durable for intended service. Creative after sales service sucks big time Amazon are at present looking into this with a view to repair or replace free of charge!
GaryD
on July 28th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Just an update Amazon have confirmed that they will replace free of charge without even looking at the device and will send to me within 2 to 3 days then all I have to do is return the faulty one within 30 days - full credit to Amazon - Creative still sucks - will I ever buy another Creative item - I think not!
GaryD
on July 29th, 2007 at 3:46 am
Same thing happened to me. Three months old, big black hole left from the cracked LCD that imploded spontaniously. Retarded. They say you can’t buy a replacement screen anywhere and I need to send it back with a check for $82.50! Rediculous! NOTHING happened to it! Didn’t drop it, sit on it or anything!
on July 30th, 2007 at 3:59 am
I sent mine in to Creative with a $25 money order for a “Diagnostic Fee” Then a week later I get an email telling me…
Dear Thomas
We have received your unit and after inspection of your unit it has been placed out of warranty due to physical damage. The cost to replace/repair your unit will be $57.50.
To contact us concerning this matter or to pay by Credit Card by calling 405-742-2372, M-F 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. Please be prepared with your RMA reference number 7MAR47292, when you call.
Thanks,
Creative Labs Rma
(405) 742-6600
I paid over the phone with my credit card. Three weeks later I get the same one back and you can see the marks where they pryed the thing open, and now it freezes up all the time.
on July 30th, 2007 at 11:59 am
I’ve the same problem with my screen!
on July 31st, 2007 at 10:52 am
Same thing too me as well. after getting cas, etc. from future shop, ended up spending about $480 CND. Am REALLY mad about Creative Labs “support services”. I couldn’t even FIND their email or phone number.
Would someone please tell me!
My email is shimmer_lynx@yahoo.ca
P.S. Wall charger is a piece of ****. does NOT work