Buy direct from Sonos and you’ll have (I think - please check!) 30 days’ home trial period to assess your devices. 
 

There are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful folk on these forums. If you have setup problems, explain what’s happening here and you should get helpful advice to try and resolve things. 

Go for it. You could be lucky like me and find it all works with no issues. There are major issues at the moment for many people, as spoken about most recently today in the CEO’s investor call, but they are being worked on. 
You’ll be lucky to find many others recommending you buy Sonos as, don’t forget, only those with issues tend to come on here. 

Hi @nik9669a, checking on a refund path is a great idea and could make @Hardrock127 comfortable. That said, a number of users have reported difficulty with the Sonos RMA process stemming from the overload in customer support. (There were hints in this afternoon’s earnings call that Sonos is seeing more returns than normal.) Personally, I would recommend Amazon or Best Buy to ensure that a potential return does not turn into potential frustration. YMMV!

I would absolutely wait. Everytime the app updates, my Arc and sub go offline. It’s a pain to reconnect and I just gave up on my sub for awhile because it takes too damn long to reconnect.  Not happy with the product right now (bought mine 2-months ago). 

Wait, probably quite a while. Way too frustrating. The app is getting better but still months, maybe more before it’s no longer beta equivalent IMO. 

Try setting fixed ip addresses - your router manual should tell you how. Your problem may relate to duplicate ip addresses being allocated. 

Sonos is reducing its fiscal guidance for 2024 due to the botched app roll out.  

"The company is now delaying two hardware releases originally planned for later this year as it deploys an all-hands-on-deck approach to fixing the app. "I will not rest until we're in a position where we've addressed the issues and have customers raving about Sonos again," Spence said during the afternoon earnings call."

•••

Wait!

I am working with Sonos for 6 weeks on trying to get my unit to connect.  They just keep having me try over and over again to reset the unit. Best Buy won’t accept the return and Sonos won’t either.  I get no where.  I have spent over 15 hours on this issue.  Each time I call in, I have to wait on hold 50 minutes.  Each rep has you do the same resetting every time.   Very frustrating. 

I own Sonos already and will not buy again. 

Why is Best Buy refusing a return? The only reason I think they could legally do so is if you’re outside of their return/warrant time frame. The same with Sonos, honestly. There isn’t any retailer or manufacturer that I’m aware of that has an infinite return policy, at least for electronic equipment. 

I'd say buying now wouldn't be a bad thing, the chances that everything works for you are good. As others have said do be prepared for the worst and be aware of your return window and any charges.

Please, please, please believe that I am not challenging your response! I truly want to know: Why do you say that “the chances that everything works for you are good”? Is it your impression (perhaps based on some objective statistics somewhere) that newly acquired SONOS systems tend to work well with the latest software/firmware? Is it perhaps your impression that, despite the complaints heard around the world from what seems like large numbers of SONOS users, there are far more SONOS users who do not have problems (again, whether this is your instinct as a careful observer or a statistical measure)? Something else? Really, I just want to understand your reponse.

They say that all of the problems will be fixed by the end of October so I would guess that the Black Friday sale could be an excellent time to buy 

While there are a lot of people that have problems there are more that haven't had any or only minor ones. I'm in the mostly lucky group with minor glitches.

The risk of buying is minimal if as I suggested you watch your return window. 

Buy the Sonos you want, set them up and if you have no issues you are good. If you have issues I'd look to the forums first, then support, that gets most folks working.

Last resort box them out and return them. Buying local or from a place that makes returns easy (Amazon and Crutchfield) makes good sense during this mess.

Thanks, I do appreciate the reply. So it sounds like you’re saying the odds are good that “everything works” because it’s only a minority of SONOS customers who have had major problems. You’ve been tracking this much, much longer than I, so I take your assessment quite seriously. Thanks again.

Forget about it!

With the current app it would be a suicide. Definitely check for alternatives!

Sonos is delaying product launches and restarting earnings down ~$140 million (iirc), 10s of millions in unplanned expenses related to the app and is basically all hands on deck to fix the app. Companies don’t do this for a small number of users. 
That said if you buy from BestBuy you can return it if it doesn’t work for you. But keep in mind this project to fix the app will be ongoing, they have introduced new bugs and what works today may not after your return window. If you are good with being a beta testers for the foreseeable future fill your boots.  

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

Given the number of Sonos systems out there the number of problem reports is a fairly low number but there are enough that it is impacting Sonos sales and their perception as a good choice. When the press chimes in saying Sonos is no longer their go-to recommendation that is going to hurt too, and long after the current mess is fixed.

This isn't the first time Sonos has messed up an update and I doubt it will be the last unless there are major changes in how they operate. Still over time things are repaired and things are better for users.

So as I said give Sonos a shot but watch your return window.

Ya think?

Remember, the vast majority of people who post here are people who are having issues. If things are working fine for other folks, there is really no reason to post about it.

Basing your decision on frustrations posted here is like walking in to a hospital, and assuming everyone in the world is sick or injured. 

Gee, has anyone tried bleach or UV light yet? Worth a try, isn’t it?

Just like to add my voice to the MANY others who have said the new app is the worst.  Before the so called upgrade I loved my Sonos system. It was so easy to do what I wanted …. listen to my music.  Every time I attempt to play it now (and for a while) I find it extremely difficult to do the most simple of tasks.  VERY, VERY, FRUSTRATED.

Hardrock127 - If you do decide to try Sonos, it might be a good idea to start by only getting one item. If you’re satisfied with the way that works, you can always add additional items to your system at any time. 
 

I don’t know the percentage of users, old or new, who are experiencing problems, although there have been ongoing comments about problems for three months now here, on Reddit, on Facebook, Twitter/X etc.

The biggest concern is whether the most basic functions work for you. Can you set up the device, connect it to your WiFi, control playback (and stopping playback) of your choice of music and easily change the volume as desired? And do all of this without excessive lag or the speaker(s) losing connection to WiFi? Many people are still reporting problems with these basic issues, but some people do comment that they aren’t having problems.

If these basic functions work for you, then your satisfaction with the current setup may depend on how you want to use your system. Some features, such as full playlist editing, have still not returned, but will supposedly be returning in the future. Whether you’re satisfied with Sonos will depend on whether the features you personally need are currently working, or you’re willing to wait as needed for them to appear.

At any rate, I second/third etc. all the comments suggesting you buy from a company with a good return policy, keep all the boxes/inserts, etc. and try using your purchase as soon as you can after you get it.

For myself, the only reason I’m not overly upset right now is that after doing the first app update on one controller device, an iPad, and seeing what a disaster it was in terms of the way I personally want to use Sonos, I simply have never done another update on that device or my other devices. So far, the update hasn’t been forced, so I’m still able to use the older app on my other devices to control my system as before. Unless forced to update, I plan to wait to update further until full playlist editing is back, since I rely on that feature daily. And even then, I’ll wait for comments to see how everything is working at that point.

Purchase it with the expectation that you will return it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised if it works well and won’t be frustrated if it doesn’t.

Since you’re buying with the intention of returning it, choose a retailer with a hassle-free return process. I’ve found Amazon Prime, with Amazon as the seller, to be the best option for this sort of puchase—just a few clicks online, and you’re all set. Since you’ll be reporting the item as defective, return shipping is free. They may even pick it up from your home for free.  I’ve also heard that Best Buy is good.  You should also seriously consider Crutchfield.  They offer the longest return policy I know of at sixty days. So if you are a patient sort of person you may want try them.  You do have to call or chat with an agent, but there are no wait times, and the staff is quite helpful.

The only thing I’d change in Trad99’s post is instead of buying one Sonos, buy one room’s Sonos. That way you can confirm it will work as you intend to use it, be it a simple stereo setup or a full home-theater setup.

The only downside is the hassle of returning a few more boxes if it fails for you.

I have been a big believer in the Sonos system for years. I have expanded my network to 20 devices over the years. When it works, nothing that I am aware of that can do what Sonos does, however, they really dropped the ball with the new app. I feel like I have a part time job just trying to make the system work. For the last few months, I have not been able to make it work at all.
Some day in the future, they will fix their problems and Sonos will be great again. Who knows how long that will take. I never dreamed that they would not have been able to fix it by now. I would wait till they fix the software before I would jump in.