Enthusiast II

Class Action Lawsuit We all deserve to recoup all hardware investment

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If ever a situation called for a class action lawsuit, this is it:

Company sells customers expensive, multi-unit hardware systems
Tethers customers to a software ecosystem to use them effectively
Dramatically changes software into an auto-update environment
Unsuspecting customers lose access to extensive, core media sources and features that significantly diminish the value of their expensive hardware and/or make it untenable for usage they had every reason to believe they would continue to have
Customers wishing to continue meeting these essential needs forced to sell Company hardware that they had no intention of doing at a loss and buy competitor hardware.
Pattern of behavior by Company indicates that choices made to remove said functionality were part of an intentional, plan to damage the product experience of many users in favor of others.

Seriously. This would be like selling someone a car and then updating the operating system so that the steering wheels was controlled by AI instead of manual because there’s more profit there for the company.

Even if they resolve this issue with their awful software release, how much in damages are deserved for every customer for heir lost time and undue harm?

The store value of my hardware suite, which I had no intention of replacing is probably $7,000 - $8,000. How much do others have invested who believe they need to leave SONOS?

I am not someone who can start a class action lawsuit, but I’m sure there are people here who can, and I’d be at the front of the line to join it and recoup my losses. If you feel similarly, then bump up this thread so that SONOS is held accountable

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sigh

Prodigy II

I haven't read the whole thread, but maybe someone has mentioned, usually a Class Action only benefits the first individual that brought the lawsuit and *all* the lawyers. Additionally, you never really get any decent damages payed unless there are a very small number of people in the lawsuit ( maybe 100-1000 people). They also take FOREVER to win. (I was awarded damages a few years back for a decent amount, from a suit another person brought in a very niche industry, against a few powerful companies. It probably took 5-7 years).

Another way could be to open several individual Small Claims cases (I’m not a lawyer so not sure) but the small claims suit is I think a $10,000. maximum, which is enough to buy a new speaker system. I myself have something in the area of $7500. in Sonos devices, as I was tryng to replace my traditional analog speaker system. my .02 pretty frustrated by the lack of care by Sonos. I hate lawsuits, but sometimes it’s the only way to get corporations to act better.

I think the frustration most people have is the posts are mostly just ‘me to’ post with nobody actually bothered enough to take a couple of hours to actually go and see a lawyer.

Some will just be venting, which is understandable given the state of the handling of everything since May.

If I was affected by something and thought I had a legal course of action I’d take a few hours and speak to someone qualified, not post on a forum expecting someone else to do it.

I know nothing about the US legal system, but I would certainly expect Sonos to have asked the question of either their internal or external legal council as a matter of course just for their own confirmation, so they’ll have a reasonable but not guaranteed expectation of how things would go. 🤷

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Rhonny

Prodigy III

Sonos will love this thread as it helps them keep track of any potential legal murmuring. Clearly, it is all toothless and will lead to the square root of zero, but they will be happy to provide this forum for comments to be deposited in for them to keep an eye on.

As the expression goes: Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.

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Br4d4d

Lyricist I

Even if they resolve this issue with their awful software release, how much in damages are deserved for every customer for heir lost time and undue harm?

Undue harm ? Apart from needlessly creating another thread for something that been raised on two other threads, let’s look at your ‘case’ in a little detail.

Clearly you’re not one of those unfortunate people who have ‘lost’ their system due to it becoming undiscoverable (and for whom I have sympathy) as you cite your losses as loss of core functionality.

What ‘core’ functionally, exactly ? Let’s see, alarms have been reinstated already. Timers, queue management, and local library search are coming within 4 weeks. ‘Core’ functionality might more realistic be determined as being able to stream media services and local sources which it sounds like you can do. Certainly I can and every Sonos owner I know. So while the app is buggy and incomplete it would be an incredulous stretch to argue that you have lost ‘core functionality’, and what ‘minor’ functionality you have lost is already slated for replacement.

You are not ‘forced’ to sell the kit, just as you weren’t ‘forced’ to buy it in the first place. And by the way, when you did buy it , it was a software driven ecosystem - as it has always been, with the option to enable or disable auto updates. In effect there would have been every reasonable expectation that you knew what kind of system you were buying in the first place. Oh and for the ‘intentional plan to damage said product’? Seriously, I’m not even going to try to argue that nonsense.

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

Frankly, I think you are both right. I think Matty-Jake is right to be indignant about the way Sonos has created such a mess of their product and treated their customers, but undue "harm?" I do think this is more than an inconvenience because this certainly could gave been avoided and once the problem was identified Sonos could have done ANYTHING to better acknowledge the mess they created and at least provided a working solution that would have shown respespect for those that have trusted Sonos and paid for many, a significant amount of money to create their system. This has been going on for months now and with only moderate improvement (not even having achieved the basic level of service that was removed with the update from the previous app). Customers expect, that when they update their software, it is going to improve functionality and/or fix a problem, not diminish functionality, let alone destroy it. As far as core functions, I am here now instead of listening to my choice of music because somewhere between starting my Sonos music this morning and now, it has lost my system, and responds with steps to install a new product or find an existing system, which often doesn't work and I'm not going to reboot my router and go device to device to HOPE it will add it back to my system. Unfortunately the better solution is to just wait. Later, maybe minutes, maybe hours it will recognize my system and continue to operate with it's limited functionality.

Inconvenience or harm? Entitlement or righteous indignation? Maybe a judge should determine.

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BoredofBalham

Prodigy II

If ever a situation called for a class action lawsuit, this is it:

Company sells customers expensive, multi-unit hardware systems
Tethers customers to a software ecosystem to use them effectively
Dramatically changes software into an auto-update environment
Unsuspecting customers lose access to extensive, core media sources and features that significantly diminish the value of their expensive hardware and/or make it untenable for usage they had every reason to believe they would continue to have
Customers wishing to continue meeting these essential needs forced to sell Company hardware that they had no intention of doing at a loss and buy competitor hardware.
Pattern of behavior by Company indicates that choices made to remove said functionality were part of an intentional, plan to damage the product experience of many users in favor of others.

Seriously. This would be like selling someone a car and then updating the operating system so that the steering wheels was controlled by AI instead of manual because there’s more profit there for the company.

Even if they resolve this issue with their awful software release, how much in damages are deserved for every customer for heir lost time and undue harm?

The store value of my hardware suite, which I had no intention of replacing is probably $7,000 - $8,000. How much do others have invested who believe they need to leave SONOS?

I am not someone who can start a class action lawsuit, but I’m sure there are people here who can, and I’d be at the front of the line to join it and recoup my losses. If you feel similarly, then bump up this thread so that SONOS is held accountable

I have had zero problems with my system. How would a “class action” work then?

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nik9669a

Senior Virtuoso

In amongst Sonos’ thousands of users, there seems to be none who work in the legal arena, which is rather an odd statistic. Or, could it be they realise the chance of a successful lawsuit is so small they’re not willing to get involved?

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WTFNext

Lyricist II

I bought first speakers in 2019 - Play One’s, and have gradually expanded to Era 100’s and Arc. Now wondering whether it’s smart to buy ANY more speakers, knowing they’ll be functionally obsolescent in five years? I’m not trying to spend another $500 to replace speakers ever year. I have a big house and I want music in every room. As they time out, I’m going to replace with Bose, room by room...

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WTFNext

Lyricist II

Anybody have any recommendations? YES, please include me in class action lawsuit plans. And has Bose pledged to support their speakers forever? That would be smart of them.

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nik9669a

Senior Virtuoso

I bought first speakers in 2019 - Play One’s, and have gradually expanded to Era 100’s and Arc. Now wondering whether it’s smart to buy ANY more speakers, knowing they’ll be functionally obsolescent in five years? I’m not trying to spend another $500 to replace speakers ever year. I have a big house and I want music in every room. As they time out, I’m going to replace with Bose, room by room…

Sonos have said they’ll continue to support their speakers for a minimum of five years after they are discontinued from sale. And their track record for product support is pretty good with so much older kit still being supported on S1.

Wasn’t it Bose that launched a new range of kit incorporating new technology that was completely incompatible with the then-current speakers, just a few years ago?

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WTFNext

Lyricist II

Small Claims Court could be a great idea! I just googled, Can I take Sonos to small claims court after signing agreement re: arbitration, and it returned this from the Sonos legal language:

Notwithstanding the parties' decision to resolve all disputes through arbitration, each party retains the right to (i) elect to have any claims resolved in small claims court on an individual basis for disputes and actions within the scope of such court's jurisdiction, regardless of what forum the filing party initial ...

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WTFNext

Lyricist II

SOMEBODY is going to come up with “Forever Support” speakers, if not Bose, lol… “until your speakers die a natural death.” I might just have to get DIY and climb in the attic with some wires--this is bullshit. But it would be nice to recoup my investment in this craptastic company.

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