Alright, was all set on the MX-850 but a quick search turned up a few posts concerning premature wearing of the surface of the buttons.

I am just wondering if this was a fluke experienced by a small percentage of owner's or is it widespread issue?

For those who have experienced this problem, how was URC in handling the repair?

Ok, thanks for your time.

While not directly related to the 850, I think this experience might be worth noting:

I am an avid smartphone user, with my phone of choice being the Treo 650. It also has laser-etched buttons. I've had a couple of hard knocks with my phone, as because of that, I've been through three Treo 650's. On each one of them, I noticed significant wear on the 4-way control. My wife also has a Treo 650, and she's had the same one during the whole time I've gone through three of them. I noticed that on her Treo, the 4-way pad is not worn.

So I started checking around with other people I know who own the same phone. None of them were experiencing the problem I was.

This got me looking into how I use the phone verses how other people do things. After several months, I realized that I tend to press the 4-way pad with my thumbnail, not with the pad of my finger. That's what's been wearing down my buttons.

Given that, I ended up dismissing any thoughts I had about poor construction quality. While I don't consider my technique to be "abusive" to the Treo, I do understand that it's not the normal method in which the product was designed to be used. I've started retraining myself, and sure enough, the buttons aren't wearing down any further.

This isn't meant to promote or dissuade any point of view. I just thought the anecdote might be useful to people who, like me, don't realize that they are handling their gear in a way that promotes early wear.

Thanks,

Dale

I've owned an MX850 for about a year and a half. It's received very heavy use, but I also treat it like any other component. I don't throw it on the couch, or set it on the floor to be trod upon. But that being said, I still use it a lot, and I have witnessed no wear and tear on the buttons.

Same here.