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GuitarSuperstar
Lead Maestro
May 9, 2024 1:55 PM UTC

Can Sonos Recover From This?

So it has been about two days since the launch of the new Sonos app. Judging by the number of negative posts on this community forum and on the Sonos subreddit, I think it is pretty safe to say that the app launch has been a pretty massive failure.

This is a very critical moment for Sonos. The Sonos app is the core of their ecosystem. I can imagine tensions are running high at the Sonos headquarters as they try to figure out what went wrong and how they need to respond. A moment like this can sometimes be the beginning of the end for a company and Sonos knows this.

Consumer trust is the most important thing a company needs to remain successful and to grow. Sonos dropped the ball with the new app and has lost the trust of many new and loyal customers. And the timing cannot be any worse with the upcoming release of their new headphones.

So what does Sonos need to do next? What kind of response would ease your anger and frustrations? How much time are you willing to give Sonos to bring back the many missing app features? How will this bungled app launch affect the launch of the new headphones?  Will it be delayed until the app situation has been resolved? Has the new app launch changed your mind about purchasing new Sonos products? What does Sonos need to do to earn back your trust?

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    Boucherm
    Contributor I
    May 28, 2024 6:29 PM UTC

    Sonos review rating so low on TrustPilot 1.3 not a company I can buy from anymore

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    jgatie
    jgatie
    May 28, 2024 6:30 PM UTC

    I WILL NEVER BUY SONOS PRODUCTS AGAIN.
    Their software is a joke (but costing loyal customers £$thousands.
    Cant use or connect or register older products anymore.
    I believe this is a deliberate act of violence against older customer base.

     

    Violence?  Where is this violence you speak of? (I sense a Godwin moment coming soon)

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    Greenland
    Prodigy I
    May 28, 2024 6:32 PM UTC

    I WILL NEVER BUY SONOS PRODUCTS AGAIN.
    Their software is a joke (but costing loyal customers £$thousands.
    Cant use or connect or register older products anymore.
    I believe this is a deliberate act of violence against older customer base.

    Do you mean senior citizens with Sonos speakers, or just old devices bought years ago? 

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    🎵 First We Take Manhattan Then Berlin 🎵
    dmclary
    Contributor I
    May 30, 2024 4:56 PM UTC

    After researching for about 30 minutes yesterday, I found an alternative set up that will work for me. A little more costly, but worth it at this point.

    Bye, Sonos.

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      michaelf999
      Contributor I
      May 31, 2024 1:31 AM UTC

      More than two weeks later, most of my speakers are now bricks. Sonos’ upgrade just broke things and I cannot get them added back, even after a reset. I get the error message “there was a problem linking ... to your account” after a successful update.

       

      Absurd incompetence. No, Sonos will not recover from this

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      Ken_Griffiths
      Ken_Griffiths
      May 31, 2024 1:42 AM UTC

      More than two weeks later, most of my speakers are now bricks. Sonos’ upgrade just broke things and I cannot get them added back, even after a reset. I get the error message “there was a problem linking ... to your account” after a successful update.

       

      Absurd incompetence. No, Sonos will not recover from this

      If you mean you factory reset your speakers, then I can’t think of a reason to have done that. The speaker hardware hasn’t changed that much - it’s mostly the Sonos App and that’s just a software ‘remote’ for Sonos products.

      I can even play to my speakers without so much as opening the Sonos App (as an example).

      If you did reset them all by the way, then don’t forget you need to create a new Sonos Household too - you can’t add them to the App if you did destroy the Sonos Household during the factory reset process. Maybe that’s why you’re perhaps having so much difficulty at the moment?

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        Xiante
        Lyricist III
        Jun 6, 2024 10:39 AM UTC

        Unless they go back to the app from 48hrs ago I am not sure whether Sonos will be a viable option in my household.


        Exactly right. I will definitely leave.  Been a loyal customer with 4 devices. But this app is deeply, deeply flawed and needs to be fixed immediately or withdrawn until it is.  If not, see ya.

        I've been a die-hard Sonos fan for over ten years, during which time I have spent over $5,000 on my "whole - home" system. But since most of the speakers are previous generation, I was preparing to slowly update everything to the newer speakers with the release of the headphones. This whole update fiasco has prompted me to do what I haven't done since I bought into Sonos a decade ago: see what the current competition has to better fit my needs and use scenarios. I was prepared to spend another $5,000 to upgrade my Sonos system for my new place. I will now spend the next few months researching alternatives. 

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          BobRed0965
          Contributor I
          Jun 6, 2024 12:56 PM UTC

          Here is an official response Sonos sent to The Verge:

          https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/9/24152675/sonos-new-app-bad-reviews-response-statement

          Courage?

          Jumping of the ledge without a safety line is not courageous. In software, that safety line is called a beta test. There are a ton of Sonos fans who would have been willing to test out the new app and give constructive feedback. 

          The UI here feels like it was developed by an intern who never used the product and did not understand how the users used the product.

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            laurmichel
            Lyricist I
            Jun 9, 2024 10:21 PM UTC

            I’ve been incredibly disappointed in the lack of response and action on this issue. It has now been over a month since we were last able to use our Sonos speaker. I finally bit the bullet today and started shopping for a Bose. Sorry, Sonos - but this is unacceptable. 

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              Jimmy C
              Prominent Collaborator II
              Jun 10, 2024 11:26 PM UTC

              Over a month later and the app is still a bug-ridden, function-deprived mess. It’s such an embarrassment not only for the company, but its customers. Sonos needs to get its software sorted out ASAP if any lost trust will eventually be regained.  And get some new leadership. There has to be real accountability for this disaster.  Here’s another long-term tip: After this fiasco has finally subsided (probably 3-6 months from now), *DO NOT* ever charge monthly subscription fees for future versions of the app. That’s pure speculation at this point…still, with the current CEO would it really shock anyone if it happened?  Probably not, but I can only say if you think this current situation is bad, it will pale in comparison to the level of scorn and customer revolt that awaits in that scenario…

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