Trade Up Scam

  • 5 December 2019
  • 10 replies
  • 1217 views

Userlevel 1

If you change your mind on the Trade Up program Sonos is NO HELP.. They Brick your equipment and say there is nothing they can do. Just because they have a poor process I am out of equipment and they have been no help to resolve. 


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10 replies

Userlevel 3
Badge +4

Being an absolute Sonos addict (no Bose for me) I also have some ethical and legal doubts about how this trade up is being approached. Yes there is all the confirmation that one needs to go through and yes it is naive to not read and understand the conditions. But we should not forget we`re all human beings who tend to be impulsive once and a while helped by the marketing machine and pushed messages from Sonos. So to protect consumers from making impulsive purchases that they regret afterwards there is (at least here in NL) a legal cooling-off period. I wonder if this trade up is ok, maybe according to the letter of the law but IMHO not to the spirit of the law, which is to allow people reversing regretted decisions, conscious or not.

Here too a 10 & 12 year old on Sonos using the app and receiving the Trade Up messages in their inbox……..I find this scary Sonos, very scary. There are less radical solutions.

Userlevel 1

I agree the trade up program is if not a scam, not ethical. It was not clear at all that the process could not be reversed and the device would be bricked. Honestly I recollect checking the website and enquiring on the trade up program - next thing I am getting recycling messages on my device. When I discussed with Sonos support they said that I would have had to confirm in the app and the process is not reversible… my whole family uses the app with two kids one at 8 and one at 11. I cannot believe a) that you can render a device useless without some type of transaction b) the process cannot be reversed while the device was in recycling mode. 

With more reputable companies like Apple if you trade in a phone it is a transaction towards a new device. This should be the same i.e. don't kill your device in exchange for a discount coupon and not actual trade up transaction purchase. Decidedly dodgy practices and even there support acknowledges this, however an apology is not sufficient.  

Userlevel 1
Badge +1

Hi Mike, sorry to hear about the trouble. Because of the way that the Trade Up works, it can’t be canceled once confirmed through the website and app. We try to make it clear right at the start that once confirmed, there’s no going back. I’ll make sure the team knows that you wish you had the option to return.

It is not as clear as it should be. Trade up should be able to opt out but since the 21 day “kill” is built into the units, once it starts there’s no turning back. Just be sure your recycler actually disassembles the Unit and recycles the components (precious metals.) Sonos trade up is not truly sustainable and it’s too bad. I made the mistake with trading up to a new amp when I could have gotten the same discount locally and my old amp could have used by someone else. Ce la vie.

Userlevel 1

So I didn’t order the replacement Keith. So funny yet my equipment is bricked just looking at the deal. 
I know some wonderful people like you read all the fine print and drink the Sonos coolaid and there overpriced crap. Bose is a better deal. 
 

That also said that you had to mail in the recycled equipment. Never clear it was not reversible. 
 

Nut not to worry got a new amp for free. Amx credited  me my Black Friday purchase, that was a few dollars more than the upgrade price. 
 

Now that is funny. 

Been a Sonos user since about 2008.  Just done the trade up on my 11 year old connect for which I’ve used the 30% to buy a discounted port.  T&Cs were clear to me, and you don’t need to send back to Sonos to recycle, any registered ecycling centre will take them.

Before doing the trade up I looked for several months into other options as my main use is streaming music to my HiFi, so looking at network music streamers but there doesn’t seem to be anything that would match my needs for the price.

I don’t need to use the DAC in the Connect (or soon to be Port) as I use the one in my Arcam Processor, but staying with Sonos keeps me connected to the other 4 zones I have.  

Userlevel 7
Badge +26

Hi Mike, sorry to hear about the trouble. Because of the way that the Trade Up works, it can’t be canceled once confirmed through the website and app. We try to make it clear right at the start that once confirmed, there’s no going back. I’ll make sure the team knows that you wish you had the option to return.

Are you claiming that the terms and conditions of the program were not clearly stated?  The FAQ on the tradeup program clearly states that once confirmed, you can’t cancel the program.  I haven’t done the tradeup program myself so not sure what the prompts say.

 

I don’t think the fact there’s a point in the program where you can no longer change your mind makes it a scam.

Userlevel 4
Badge +4

Funniest post I've read in ages. 

Thought I'd upgrade! Read the terms! Didn't think about what I was going to upgrade to! Still went ahead.

Oops, so despite the fact you've now got a discount on the upgrade, you've changed your mind. 

I've been silly, I'll blame someone else. 

Hi Mike, sorry to hear about the trouble. Because of the way that the Trade Up works, it can’t be canceled once confirmed through the website and app. We try to make it clear right at the start that once confirmed, there’s no going back. I’ll make sure the team knows that you wish you had the option to return.


The phrase “can’t be” just has a ring of incredibility about it.   It’s a software timer, right?

Userlevel 1

You mean you send it in to be recycled. That was clear.

Nothing was clear but I am going to Bose. No more overpriced junk from Sonos. I will stick to overpriced Bose. 

I think a Sonos smashing party will be when I get back from vacation. I will use the recycle box to send Sonos that.