Extreme Shipping Delays - Non existent customer support

P
Userlevel 1
  • Piri
  • Contributor I
  • 5 replies

Hi,

I ordered an immersive set (arc / sub / oneSLs) on 06/04 with an estimated shipping date of 06/13. As of today (06/24) the order still shows preparing to ship but there has been no shipment. On repeated conversations with customer support I am being given the same parroted responses about system updates and with no clarity on when or how long will it take for them to ship.
 

Has anyone received their orders recently (socially those who placed the orders in June itself). 
 

It is extremely disappointing and frustrating. My two cents: Sonos should stop taking back orders since clearly it’s unable to fulfill them in time, at the least till it gets back enough inventory.
 

I ordered PS5 day before and it arrived today despite known supply shortages around the world. 

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30 replies

B

@HarryD June 24

melvimbe

A few points to add.  First, while I get the frustration, I don’t think you can fully compare supply issues from company to company and industry to industry.  There are different chips involved, different companies making the chips, different manufacturers and shippers, different volumes of orders, different commitments to supply retailers, different size of companies to throw money at the problem, etc.

I don’t know what to think of customer support.  I hear complaints here often, but I would not expect many people to log into a community  forum to say how great the experience was.  Never had a reason to call CS personally. I also don’t want Sonos to have to invest much more effort into support since that could raise prices.  I also get that CS probably isn’t given a ton of info that they can pass on to customers, since much of the supply chain has delays of unknown lengths of time etc.

I don’t think Sonos “estimated to ship” date needs to changed, because it’s just an estimate.  It’s better then “we don’t know”.  Perhaps some sort certainty factor could be added, or an update of shipping date on your specific order (don’t think that happens now).  But again, these are costs.

Danny
Ken_Griffiths

I ordered a Sonos Amp on April 13, 2022.  After placing my order, I was informed that the Amp was backordered, and the expected shipping date would be 06/24/2022.  Five-months later, and I am still waiting for my order - what a joke!

I have called customer services a couple of times, but nobody can give me any information.  They don’t have any idea when they can fulfil the order and they have nothing to say.  I own a lot of Sonos equipment and I wanted to begin replacing my older equipment with the current models.  However, based upon this experience (and terrible customer support), I am seriously thinking of ditching Sonos and purchasing something else.

I was an early adopter and I used to rave about Sonos.  Not anymore!  I don’t know what happened to this company, but it has become a clown show.

I personally didn’t think Sonos Customer Support dealt with customer purchases/delivery dates etc. I thought you had to contact Sonos Sales Staff via the link below instead?… 

https://support.sonos.com/s/global-sales-help

It might be worth perhaps contacting ‘Sales’ instead and see if they can assist with your issue.

 

K

I ordered a Sonos Amp on April 13, 2022.  After placing my order, I was informed that the Amp was backordered, and the expected shipping date would be 06/24/2022.  Five-months later, and I am still waiting for my order - what a joke!

I have called customer services a couple of times, but nobody can give me any information.  They don’t have any idea when they can fulfil the order and they have nothing to say.  I own a lot of Sonos equipment and I wanted to begin replacing my older equipment with the current models.  However, based upon this experience (and terrible customer support), I am seriously thinking of ditching Sonos and purchasing something else.

I was an early adopter and I used to rave about Sonos.  Not anymore!  I don’t know what happened to this company, but it has become a clown show.

 

H

Bubby67, can I ask what the original ship from date was on your May 31 order?

Thanks,

B

Amp order placed 05/31 is coming finally 09/06!!!

H

On May 10, 2022, I ordered an Amp, and it was supposed to ship on June 24, 2022. It was delayed. I was told the delay was due to some unspecified system upgrade.

By July 6, 2022, the Amp had still not shipped. On that date the credit card I used when I ordered the Amp in May of 2022, had unauthorized activity, and was closed. When I contacted Sonos to give them a new credit card number, I was told that updating the payment information for an existing order was not possible. I would have to cancel the original order and place a new order with my new credit card. I was also told that doing so would place me at the back of the line even though my order had been pending since May of 2022.

On July 15, 2022, I placed the new order. I was told that order would ship on August 16, 2022.

On July 20, 2022, the credit card that I used to place the July 15 order also had unauthorized activity and was closed. Since again there was no way to update the payment method for that order, I had to cancel that order and place a new order.

On July 20, 2022 I placed new order for the Amp. However now I am told that the Amp will not ship until October 14, 2022 at the earliest.

While I recognize that my credit card issues are not Sonos’ fault it is unbelievable that a change in payment method causes a customer to lose their place in line. As it now stands, if the Amp ships by October 14, I will have waited over five months for this piece of equipment.

T

Popping in to say that it seems my order has shipped and my credit card charged. Looking forward to receiving the products. 

 

I will think twice before ordering directly from Sonos in the future. I hope they can improve the shipping times and their communication with customers on delays. However, the upgrade credit can only be applied by ordering direct, so they have some leverage. 

E
Userlevel 2

Same issue. I placed an order in March, part of it was delivered in June and I’m still waiting for the rest of it to arrive and it’s July.

P
Userlevel 1

Wow… after one and a half months of waiting and constant badgering and talking to a wall (wall being Sonos support here) I finally received all my ordered items! It seemed as difficult as moving mountains to get Sonos to do what essentially is their job that we pay for! 

Anyway totally in love with the products and thanking my stars to save my sanity till these arrived lol! Hold on guys, it will test your patience but once received it makes the world of a difference to your sound system! 

Ken_Griffiths

I think all similar manufacturers are in the same situation and the reasons for the worldwide ongoing delays within the industry are probably because of some/all of the things mentioned in this LINK

Ken are you just a plant?  All you do is fanboy respond to post in these forums.  Sonos is not without fault in all these cases and I am not sure why you defend them.  And no, the issues Sonos is having is not worldwide.  There are plenty of companies out there who have gotten their act together and made it work.  I understand a chip shortage, but poorly run customer service and poor communication are just bad management.  

No, I’m not a plant🪴, but may need watering if the weather here in the U.K. gets any hotter (phew!😓)… I just explained, truthfully, my own recent experience with a product shipment from Poland nothing more than that really.

It was just to demonstrate that the Sonos shipping delays are perhaps not all one-sided, as some may otherwise think.

M
Userlevel 2
Badge

So Disappointed with the lies Sonos puts out about shipping date.  I ordered a Sonos as a gift in early June with a July 7th ship date.  Here we are July 14th with item still not shipped.  Customer Service is just giving me complete bull crap nonsense.  They said as of today that they are shipping units ordered in early May.  When pushed, they say they did not get enough stock to ship my order.  Then what is the purpose of the BS target ship date?  Any decent company knows how many backorders are pending vs how many pcs are inbound to the warehouse and can put the correct info out.  I expect this level of incompetence from 7/11…  If it wasn't a requested gift, i would cancel in a heartbeat.   Just unacceptable in this age of technology. 

I think all similar manufacturers are in the same situation and the reasons for the worldwide ongoing delays within the industry are probably because of some/all of the things mentioned in this LINK

Ken are you just a plant?  All you do is fanboy respond to post in these forums.  Sonos is not without fault in all these cases and I am not sure why you defend them.  And no, the issues Sonos is having is not worldwide.  There are plenty of companies out there who have gotten their act together and made it work.  I understand a chip shortage, but poorly run customer service and poor communication are just bad management.  

M
Userlevel 2
Badge

I have had shipping issues also.  I just don’t get the lack of communication or concern on Sonos’s part.  After about 5 calls and 5 emails I finally got my product moving after weeks.  I then received a sub with a QC issue.  I then tried getting in touch with support.  I was told it was only technical and sales support was unavailable.  I mean, what company on earth thinks that is OK?  Sorry you are mad, but we don’t give a crap.  Anyways, sent the whole $1,500 order back and purchased a used sub and Playbar for $450.  if shipping and support is going to be that bad I am going low risk until they get their stuff together.  It is a shame because I actual love the products, but wow the sales and support has gone downhill.  The CEO needs to can whoever is over the sales side and get someone competent in there.

P
Userlevel 1

Its the same for me as well. Though the partial order got delivered, they went ahead and shipped out the sub as well… only to be returned to them with no attempted delivery! I mean WTF!! The item got delivered back to them and now they are again delaying the shipment.

Customer service placed a new order as a resolution and are promising that it would get delivered within this week! I got an email last night stating that the new order has shipped, however, I wouldn’t get my hopes completely up not until i see it on my front porch at the very least! Fingers crossed. I mean the representative handling my case now is following up with me on a timely manner and that gives me a little hope.

TWEET guys! That is the only way to get things moving and to make customer support respond! 

Ken_Griffiths

@LIEABOUTSHIPPING,
I assure you I am just a Sonos user/enthusiast and as mentioned earlier, I recently purchased a charger-loop to use with a Sonos Move, which Sonos shipped to me from Poland EU within a couple of days.

So, just for complete clarification “I am not employed by Sonos, nor have I ever been employed by them”

I’m sorry if I mentioned anything to give you the impression I was a Sonos employee, that was never my intention.

Sonos Staff are clearly identified around here, as Bruce mentions.

I have been retired a few years in fact.

Airgetlam

@Ken_Griffiths is, to my knowledge, not a Sonos employee, they’re required to have “Sonos Staff” as part of their posting designation. 

Bruce
L

Ken Griffiths, 

your me reply is in line with your companies week information offered. I might halfway agree about issues obtaining chips used in the manufacturing process. Regardless, your companies ability to update and keep your customers informed is piss poor at the best.  You're not flying these products in from wherever they're made they are coming on a ship in a container at best 3 to 4 weeks on the ocean.  Your company is well aware of how many units have been manufactured and loaded onto vessels destined for the USA and to leave the ETA's vague and update them a week after their due in and pushing it out another month is complete dishonesty by your company or incompetence or both.  I'm in the import business and I know every item that gets on the ship and when it's due to arrive. I don't wait for the arrival to tell 100 customers oh it wasn't on the ship.  Just horrific lack of respect for your customers.  

Ken_Griffiths

I am still waiting as well. I ordered on 06/18 and the message I saw at that time was “Expected to ship on 06/21.” Still waiting. 

 

However, if you want to see the most recent “Expected to Ship” date, you can go on the Sonos website, select the product, add to cart, select Check Out and it will show the latest Expected to Ship time and whether or not the product is back ordered on the Check Out screen. Mine is currently showing Aug. 2nd. Fingers crossed!

I would have thought a number of different factors would also be in play here. Presumably Sonos sell many (many) thousands of their products each and every day in many different countries worldwide. So I guess this may all depend on the product ordered, the country it is being shipped to and from which warehouse etc.

Just as a simple example, I recently ordered a charger-loop for a Sonos Move and it arrived within a couple of days here in the U.K. from Poland in the EU.

T

I am still waiting as well. I ordered on 06/18 and the message I saw at that time was “Expected to ship on 06/21.” Still waiting. 

 

However, if you want to see the most recent “Expected to Ship” date, you can go on the Sonos website, select the product, add to cart, select Check Out and it will show the latest Expected to Ship time and whether or not the product is back ordered on the Check Out screen. Mine is currently showing Aug. 2nd. Fingers crossed!

 

Ken_Griffiths

So Disappointed with the lies Sonos puts out about shipping date.  I ordered a Sonos as a gift in early June with a July 7th ship date.  Here we are July 14th with item still not shipped.  Customer Service is just giving me complete bull crap nonsense.  They said as of today that they are shipping units ordered in early May.  When pushed, they say they did not get enough stock to ship my order.  Then what is the purpose of the BS target ship date?  Any decent company knows how many backorders are pending vs how many pcs are inbound to the warehouse and can put the correct info out.  I expect this level of incompetence from 7/11…  If it wasn't a requested gift, i would cancel in a heartbeat.   Just unacceptable in this age of technology. 

I think all similar manufacturers are in the same situation and the reasons for the worldwide ongoing delays within the industry are probably because of some/all of the things mentioned in this LINK

L

So Disappointed with the lies Sonos puts out about shipping date.  I ordered a Sonos as a gift in early June with a July 7th ship date.  Here we are July 14th with item still not shipped.  Customer Service is just giving me complete bull crap nonsense.  They said as of today that they are shipping units ordered in early May.  When pushed, they say they did not get enough stock to ship my order.  Then what is the purpose of the BS target ship date?  Any decent company knows how many backorders are pending vs how many pcs are inbound to the warehouse and can put the correct info out.  I expect this level of incompetence from 7/11…  If it wasn't a requested gift, i would cancel in a heartbeat.   Just unacceptable in this age of technology. 

T

Sigh...my order (placed 06/18) now is showing “expected to ship from August 2.”

P
Userlevel 1

Oh great to know you received your order finally. I got my partial order delivered i.e. the arc and one sl(s). They are still stating the same estimated bull about the sub woofer though. Now that we know the inventory is available in west, they should just go ahead and ship the products to everyone who placed an order and got charged.

 

I think I got a move on my order after I ranted on twitter and a senior sales executive reached out to me. Let’s see if they do send out the remaining products though. It is already more than a month since I placed the original order.
On the website the sub(white) still shows back ordered and their estimated shipping date keeps being pushed forward every week. So fingers crossed. The whole purpose for me was to watch stranger things and that got beat! So it’s honestly just stupid. I agree with you. Will never be ordering directly from them. 

And guess what: I purchased a second ps5 within the same week for my nephew! Now that’s competence. Lol my husband even shared an apple case study with the executive on how to be transparent with customers if you plan to retain them! Lol! 

UPDATE. After my 3rd letter to the CEO I received the following from a supervisor in the sales department: “The reason there was no movement, was because our system was attempting to ship your order from the East Coast (since that warehouse is closer in distance to you), and there is very low inventory of the product you ordered there. However there is plenty of inventory on the West Coast warehouse, so I have manually instructed the system to ship your order from California”

 

And indeed, more than 2 months after ordering in stock items and more than one month after the credit card was charged, the items were delivered.

 

Next time I buy a Sonos product it’ll be from a retailer.

 

T

Glad you received your order drdigital1! Hopefully we will get ours soon as well.

 

D

UPDATE. After my 3rd letter to the CEO I received the following from a supervisor in the sales department: “The reason there was no movement, was because our system was attempting to ship your order from the East Coast (since that warehouse is closer in distance to you), and there is very low inventory of the product you ordered there. However there is plenty of inventory on the West Coast warehouse, so I have manually instructed the system to ship your order from California”

 

And indeed, more than 2 months after ordering in stock items and more than one month after the credit card was charged, the items were delivered.

 

Next time I buy a Sonos product it’ll be from a retailer.

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