Customer Reviews

Motorola MD41 2.4 GHz Accessory Handset for Motorola MD400 Series (Silver)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Kellie is right on with the keypad repair. We have 4 handsets, for about 2 years now, and are very happy with the system. However, the most used phone started giving us fits with the '3' and the 'off' buttons not working. I washed and dried my iPod nano [in the laundry by accident], and was able to take that apart and get it working again so I thought what the heck-lets have a go at this larger Motorola phone handset. I actually did this before I saw Kellie's post, and after getting most of the phone apart, I decided to do a search for hints-when it felt I was about to crack something. After getting the phone apart, and cleaning it with a Q tip and rubbing alcohol it works perfectly. I considered calling Motorola and "demandimg" replacement handsets, but I am happy to be able to fix it myself. Here is what I did:
1] remove the clip- at first you'll think this thing is frickin glued or welded on, but you actually just need to spread the "wings" on the side of the phone outward, and you'll successfully remove tabs "A" from slots "B"
2] remove battery cover and remove battery-should unclip easily
3] remove 2 screws in battery compartment
4] remove the small plate on the back of the top of the phone just abouve the clip you removed. Use a thin screwdriver and pry from the bottom of the panel, as its like a door that will want to "swing up" and out
5] remove the 2 screws you have now exposed-they are the same size and type as the 2 screws you removed from the battery compartment
6] now your nerve will be tested. You need to seperate the phone into 2 halves- a front and back. As you do this, you will think you are gonna crack either the front or back plate in half. If you can trust us, and understand that the rubber "grips" on each side of the phone are the only thing really holding the front and back together you can win this struggle. Its hard to explain, but the rubber grips on each slide have a number of slots, and the front and back halves slide into these grooves snugly and at a 90 degree angle. You could just grab one end of the rubber grip and yank away like its a zipper, but I didn't do this because I didn't want to stretch or tear the rubber and have the phone look like hell after I put it back together. There are also 3 plastic "clips" one on one side and 2 on the other, but these are nothing. Defeat the rubber grips and these 3 little clip things you won't even notice. So take your time, and eventually you should get the front and back halves of the phone apart from each other and the rubber grips.
7] remove the 2 screws holding teh circuit board to the faceplate. The circuit board should come out easily-be careful with the soldered red and black wires to the speaker. When you take circuit board out it will still be tethered to the faceplate by the speaker wires.
8] take Q-tip and rubing alcohol and wipe all copper contacts and backs of rubber buttons like a wild man [wild woman]
9] let dry [a few minutes], put back together in reverse of way you took it apart- little stubby antenna will possibly fall out at some point, just set it back in when you put two halves back together, then enjoy Utopia as your phone will now work like it did when you first took it out of its stupid box !!!! Any questions? post a comment and I will try to answer them good luck, its really pretty easy ! If sexy Kellie can do it so can you !

This is a great phone despite the keypad issue. I have been using this system for about 2 years now with a total of 4 handsets, and the features I like the most are:

PROS
1. Just the right size - not too small, not too large. I can keep this phone sandwiched between my head and shoulder when my hands are full.

2. Private & shared phone directories. When you enter a number in the directory, you can either put it in the phone's private directory, or the shared one that all the other headsets can see as well.

3. Auto Answer Page. You can configure the headsets to auto-answer a page in speakerphone mode, so one headset user can page another headset and start talking without having to wait for someone to pick up.

CONS
Like many other reviewers, I too have had this phone for over a year only to experience the failed keypad problem on 2 out of 4 phones. However, I called Motorola customer support at 1-800-353-2729 for assistance. After providing them with the serial numbers of the bad phones, they mailed me replacement exchange headsets at no cost despite being out of warranty.

SUMMARY
I have tried a number of 2.4Ghz and 5.8GHz expandable phone systems and this model is my favorite.

I remain a satisified owner of these phones and recommend them to others. Not all companies are so willing to help the consumer after the product warranty has expired -- even if it's a well known defect that has affected many. Kudos to Motorola for standing behind their product and offering to replace my broken units at no cost.

I've had this phone system for a couple of years, and I recently developed the dreaded button problem that everyone is talking about. However, when I called Moto tech support, they told me that they were aware of the problem and that the phones had been re-engineered. They asked me to provide them with the serial numbers of my handsets and told me they'd be sending me 4 new replacement phones (even though my phones are out of warranty). Now that's customer service! Feature-wise, I love the phones. And they have much better range than the 5.8 GHz phones I tried out and returned.

I am a loyal motorola customer and I bought this phone about 2 1/2 years ago. Within 9 months, the 5 on the keypad stopped working. Then, the on/flash and the off buttons stopped working. I was irritated, so I put the entire system away. I recently needed another phone, so I reopened this phone to see if I could fix it. I remembered that my old motorola cell phone that I had last year started doing the same things. The guy at the cell phone store told me that it was probably because oil, makeup, and dirt had gotten under the keypad and that the 5, call and end buttons are usually the ones that go out because they are usually the ones that we use the most, so they usually accumulate the most dirt, etc under them. He instructed me to take off the face plate of the cell phone and the keypad will come out. Then, swab under the key pad with rubbing alcohol. I decided to try the same thing with this phone. I took out the battery pack and removed 4 tiny silver screws. This allowed me to lift up the bottom of the front panel of the phone (the way that it's made won't allow for the entire thing to be taken all the way off w/o breaking it). I dipped a q-tip in some rubbing alcohol and swabbed under the pad and in between the keys and it was FILTHY!! I put the face plate back on and the phone worked perfectly. I completed the same procedure on my other 2 handsets and now they all work like brand new. It did take a little while (about 45 minutes), and it was a very tediuos process, but I'm cheap and the little bit of time that I spent cleaning under the faceplate saved me $175.

Other than the keypad issue these phones have worked really well for us. We have the maximum number (4) in our household and have never had a problem with range, clarity or features.

Unfortunately the keypad issue hit 3 phones. However, Motorola customer support (1-800-353-2729) took care of the issue promptly by sending replacement phones.

Less than 8 months after I purchased this phone, all of the number buttons stopped working and I already had to purchase a new battery. Luckily, the one year warranty was still in effect so I was able to return it to the company and they sent me a new one. We had the new one for about 4 months when all of the number buttons stopped working on it and the battery needed replaced once again!!!! This was a very expensive phone and the quality is terrible. Because of this experience, I will never purchase another motorola phone again, and I will advise others against purchasing motorola products.

We've had good luck with the sound quality and range on these phones, but the battery life is terrible (all three handsets have been this way since day one).

If the handset is off the charger for about 2 hours and then you have a call, chances are you'll start to get the annoying low-battery beeps within 10-20 minutes. Because of this, the handsets are generally kept on the chargers at all times, which sort of defeats the convenience of a cordless phone.

I purchased this phone system approx. 2 years ago. Just this past week, one of the cordless phones' touchpad started failing. We couldn't get the 3 or OFF button to work without pushing it several times-HARD! I came to Amazon to see if other people were having the same prob. Should I look for another phone or replace one of the handsets? With the help of the reviews, I was calling Motorola customer service and having BOTH cordless phones replaced on THEIR dime! What a wonderful customer service!! Motorola has a customer for LIFE!!!

Like many others, I'd had this phone for a while -maybe a year and a half - and experienced the keypad issue (where the keypad simply stops working, making the phone unusable). I had the base phone plus 2 extensions - and generally loved the system. Initially, I'd spent a couple of hundred bucks on all three units and so when the second of my three handsets became unusable this week I was annoyed at the thought of replacing the whole thing. I came here to Amazon, read some of the reviews and called Motorola customer service. They promised to send me 3 new handsets with instructions on how to reconfigure the system and postage paid packaging to send the defective handsets back to them. They estimated arrival of the new handsets in 5-7 business days. In fact, I recieved the new phones today - in just 3 days - and am happy as a clam. Thanks Amazon! Without this site, I'd have spent an irritated day at the local super electronics store and shelled out who-knows-how-much for new phones.

Motorola will replace the handset--no charge--as they
are aware of the problem with the buttons. I called
on 12/21/05 and told them about it...they took my info,
were very nice, and a free replacement handset is
headed my way.