Question

Misleading Play One advert

  • 6 December 2017
  • 9 replies
  • 512 views

Userlevel 1
Hey,

I have just been gifted my 4th Sonos device today, a Play One. I am very, very, very disappointed at Sonos. This advert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poR1jLLoObA

is just misleading, as it conveys the idea that "you can stream *YOUR* music" using Alexa. As I now know, this feature is not included. A respectable company like Sonos should know better. Please do something to remove this misleading advert. This is ridiculous.

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9 replies

I make no judgements about whether or not the advert is misleading. But you can control locally stored music with Alexa, although you have to select with the app. And you can upload your music collection to a suitable Amazon account (I believe) and control it fully from there.
Userlevel 1
it is a tautology to state that, by using the Sonos app (not Alexa) I can play my own music. This is what Sonos players do. In what way does this differ from Play:1 then? It is also misleading to say that, if I transfer my local Sonos library on Amazon, then I can play my Sonos library on Alexa: firstly, it is just absolutely a pain to do that and secondly (and more importantly) it I do that I am not playing my Sonos local library, but rather an Amazon copy of my music. This is absolutely a joke
Where did the advert say you could play your Sonos music library? It differs from Play:1 in having voice control once music is playing. Anyway, I thought I was offering helpful information. I suggest you take it back for a refund. Ah, OK you can't as you didn't buy it.
Userlevel 1
John, I *did* buy it. This is my 4th Sonos speaker.

And here are some extracts from the advert: "You can use Alexa to control your favourite music". "Anyone in your house can ask for songs, playlists". On minute 0:29 there is a gentleman on the sofa; he speaks to Alexa, asking to play music and and behind him it is written "All your music".

I believe that everyone seeing the advert (including an affectionate Sonos customer like me) understands that they will be able to ask Alexa to play their own library. At present one can not even group rooms. In other words, the only thing Alexa can do is to make enquiries to Amazon, adjust volumes, and switch off.

I every right to point out that this advert is misleading, and I would have this right even if I did not buy the device. In addition, having invested £1.5K on Sonos, and being a happy customer so far, I want to distance myself from a company that has decided to take me by the nose.

There is a severely underdeveloped integration with Sonos, because a user must resort to the pre-existing controller to do the most basic thing for which Sonos is built: Play. Your. Own. Music.
You can do all those things, just not in exactly the same way as you presumed. You did say you were 'gifted' the speaker.
I am sorry you feel misled. I intended my initial reply to help you do what you wanted
I’m happy with the current state of my Sonos Ones because I knew the limitations going in but you can’t deny that Sonos’ ads and their web site are misleading as to their current capabilities.
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
So the person that gifted it to you was mislead by the advertising you are saying.
Userlevel 1
Well, my wife bought it for me after we saw the advert and thought it was a good addition to our Sonos set, but I don't think who bought it is really important, isn't it?

Sono continue to mislead people in this tutorial https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4158?linkId=43105545

Read the section "Which commands can I use with Sonos". This section's wording is confusing at best, as one may well believe that each of those commands work on a local library. And they do not mention clearly that it will work only to play Music on a service. I have asked them to rectify this, by replying on their twit were they announce the tutorial, but no action has been taken.

I really disapprove of this behaviour