Dead spots on CR200

I was seeking support for the general principle that repeated failures should be handled through the Small Claims procedure, if the owner is UK-based. I think there is a legal right to more than 2 years' use with a device such as this.

I got no replies at all!

What do you think?

Fraser

I just wanted to show appreciation to Tat Chuan Audio in Singapore for taking matters into their own hands and replacing my last 4 Sonos CR200 Controllers with 4 brand new 32gb WiFi Nexus 7 tablets free of charge. I have over the last couple of years had to replace 12 CR200 controllers (must have all been from the same faulty batch - eh Sonos) and they have got to the point they will not replace them anymore. They told me they have had major problems with them in Singapore and as they are high end HiFi people they felt they could not expect their customers to accept this anymore.

Well done Tat Chaun Audio, shame Sonos did not show the same level of professionalism in recalling all CR200 units and refunding wasted money.

Love the Sonos kit had it for about two years and currently have the following

Three play 3s
Five play 5s
Two connects
One connect Amp
all linked to a 2TB hard drive

Plus I purchased 2 CR100 used from Ebay
So a considerable investment in the system

The only mistake I made was the purchase with the original system set up of a CR200 I've just been told that the 4th replacement unit is available for collection.
Excellent customer service from the store and a no quibble replacement from Sonos however I have zero faith in the CR200 lasting more than 6 months even the store doesn't believe that this unit will last any longer than the last.

It really is unacceptable that a dedicated controller costing £250 only lasts 6 months while a couple of old CR100s bought 2nd hand for the bathroom just keep running and running.

Fortunately as well as the CR100s my wife and I also control the system via a couple of galaxy tabs a couple of Ipads and our phones so that isn't a problem.

I am however just thinking of selling off the CR200 on ebay which is a shame as I really like the feel and quality of the CR200 and its also easy for visitors to use.

ive had the same controller problems of not charging and now a part of the screen is dead. ive had to reboot regularly for some time but the screen problem doesnt seem to go away. i contacted sonos who were very good until they asked for £101 for a replacement as its out of warranty! i dont want to spend £101 to have something else that doesnt work ( for long)

how can a company that sells such good and very expensive gear have such a rubbish remote control and then not support it even when customers have spent thousands on their equipment

we have iPads, iphones, computers but we still like the controller when it works. working off the sonos network rather than wireless is so much better when we are in the garden etc this is a real limitation to a great system

We were advised when we bought the system to stay away from the controller and go for a iPod. I wish we had listened!!

I've decided to register and post to this forum, as I've just started experiencing the dreaded 'part of my controller is dead' issue. For me, it's the top-right corner ('#' and A-E on the vertical search).

I've emailed Sonos and I'll be interested to see what they do, as my controller is out of the standard one-year warranty, but not the two-year one (although I purchased it in November 2012, which is after Sonos announced the extended warranty).

I note that Sonos aren't making controllers any more (apparently because the 'app' does the job just as well, if not better). I wonder if the quality of the touch screens had anything to do with that decision? In any case, in my experience, the app isn't much use if (like me) you don't have an iPhone.

I also note a recent post which suggests that Sonos are now asking customers to pay £100 to fix the controller. Given that it cost £279 in the first place and has hardly been used, £100 to fix it seems rather expensive for a product with a known and widespread fault, which appears to have a good chance of recurring. If this is the case, I'm struggling to see why customers should have to pay £100 every so often to fix Sonos's issue. This would be a shame for what is otherwise an excellent system.

I'll update this post as and when I hear from Sonos.

Welcome to the forum.

Although many of us would have preferred that Sonos maintain a dedicated Controller, I can't imagine that many were sold after the apps - both iOS and Android -- were available. Why would a user pay $349 for a Sonos CR200/Control when an iPod Touch is $229 (or less if you get a previous generation) and the Touch can do so much more? Whether the touchscreen problem played a role in the decision to discontinue the Control is something we'll probably never know, but it certainly didn't help.

I won't guess as to what Sonos will tell you with regard to repair/replacement, but I know I'd never pay that much to fix one. Very inexpensive Android smartphones -- often models intended for the no-contract prepaid market -- are readily available. I bought one for $29 new -- not a typo -- for my granddaughter to use. Not only can she use it as a Sonos Controller to play her songs on the Play:3 in her room when she visits, she can play games and all sorts of things a Sonos handheld can't do. Granted, smartphones aren't always available that cheaply, but even at 5 times that price you're still under the repair cost.

Damn. Mine is coming up to 3 years old (I think) and has just started misbehaving today :(

When I do the finger down the right hand side for the leading letter of the scrolling list it gets so far then stops. Also the dropdown arrow to show the time elapsed etc isn't working any more.

Oh well. Mine was part of the batch that was originally supposed to be the problem batch and so I guess I'm lucky it's lasted this long!

Is there any point in trying a reset of it?

JohnG,

Sorry to hear your Sonos controller is starting to go bad.

FWIW, as indicated above, an iPod Touch is a good replacement and one that I endorse. Not only do I have the Sonos app installed, I also have an app for other "net aware" devices that are a part of my music/entertainment set up. It's all right there in the palm of my hand.

GL

DJ

Fortunately I do have a Nexus7 and love that as a controller. I also have a CR100 which I've always preferred to the CR200 🙂

I am now on my 4th CR200. Each of the previous 3 has failed in exactly the same way. Dead screen bottom RH side.

If this was batch related, then the previous 3 must have all come from that batch over a period of 4 years. Unlikely !!

Anyway, Sonos have always handled this brilliantly and I have had all replacements FOC even though the 1st one failed outside of the 1st year. I seriously considered selling my new one, but when I got it, it was actually refurbished and so I was too honest to sell it as new.

We'll see how long this one lasts !!

I was pretty unimpressed when I learnt that the dead spots on my CR200 are a widespread defect. Sonos at first seemed willing to help by replacing the controller, but then limited that to doing it in the UK, where I bought it. Since I am in South Africa, it'd cost me the same to get it to the UK as walking into a shop and buying another. To a certain extent this is fair enough, but I'm not really sure why I'm supposed to bear the cost of Sonos selling me a defective product, irrespective of where I live. My letter to Sonos support below:
-------
Dear Sonos,

While it may seem very magnanimous of you to offer to honour the international warranty that isn't actually in place, the issue is that this controller is defective with a known defect which is widely spread amongst your similar products. You have offered to replace it, except that you offer is limited in its scope, which makes it, from your customer's perspective (ie. me), close to worthless. If this was indeed a genuine warranty claim, I would agree with you that your offer was generous and valid. Except that you sold me defective equipment and now you're making it my problem that you did so.

I do not perceive that it is my fault that Sonos sold defective merchandise. To be clear, I am somewhat disenchated that this is the case. Sonos markets itself as making high-end audio equipment, and is concomitantly expensive. I somewhat mistakenly hoped that you would take responsibility for selling me a defective product. Let me give you an example of taking responsibility: Dell sold me a laptop in 2010. A few months later I had a problem with it while I was on holiday in the gulf of Thailand on a small island. I called Dell and asked them to see if they could fix it, and they sent a technician by boat to the house where I was staying. The island was so rural that I didn't have an address - I had to send directions and a google maps image of the dirt track which the house was on; but the technician got there and they sorted out the problem. That's real customer service. On the other hand, your limited offer is not - instead it feels like least cost reputational damage control because you sold a defective product. It leaves me in the lurch, with my nose out of joint, wishing that I'd bought a different brand.

In answer to your question: No, I do not wish to spend another R2000+ on a "free" replacement controller, which may or may not break again. I will make do with my andriod controllers. At least if my android device breaks I can get it fixed.

Regards
...

My controller had started to exhibit dead zones in the middle of the right hand side and I assumed that it was a software fault and would probably be remedied with an update. Needless to say, that didn't happen.

I began digging around on the internet and found this thread and was pleased to see that there was a problem but horrified that it was so wide spread.

My unit is well outside of warranty. Never the less I decided to approach Sonos and was offered an RMA once I had gone through the battery reset procedure. I was offered the £74 replacement service but wrote back saying that I didn't expect a premium product to fail after three years and that, with most premium products good will would be applied and that I was expecting the same in this situation too.

Sonos explained that the £74 service was a subsidised one give the relative age of my controller but that, on this occasion, they would waive the cost and provide me with an RMA as if it were a warranty.

Of course, I realise that I may simply be buying myself a little time by having a different unit but I feel that by having a refurbished (or otherwise) unit, it gives me a fighting chance to get a longer term resolution - it being easier to return an refurbished unit if it dies or becomes crippled than fighting to replace something which is well outside of warranty.

So, if you don't ask, you don't get. If you do ask, firmly, you may be surprised.