Its unfortunate, because the other areas of the shoe were fine. I requested a replacement but the replacement is doing the same exact thing. These earpieces are extremely affordable. A great product at a reasonable price point. That battery life is great. What a nice touch! As a side note, I was concerned that these might produce audible rf/ir type interference (as led lights often do) when playing music from my stereo gear, but there is absolutely none. Mount it on the new wood either as close as possible to one stud, or even better, two screws on on stud, the others in your new support. The ?shelf? is wide enough that the case sits without any issues for charging. These had good reviews, so I got them.