Trending Lyricist I

lack of repair support for out of warranty products

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
November 4, 2023
47 replies
2148 views

Hi fellow Sonos fanatics. Thought I’d share my recent experience with you all. Some of you may know that I’ve been a long time fan, advocate, supporter, beta tester of Sonos. My default inputs and posts on here are mainly around products reviews or helping others with questions.

Well recently I noticed one of my gen2 subs in my dual sub, arc, era300s setup went dead all of a sudden. I’ve tried using other gen2 sub power cords, it just wouldn’t power on. The sub was bought brand new from bestbuy 3 years ago and had been kept indoor never been moved. It is also the set used for beta testing. I reached out to Sonos hoping to get it fixed because I am confident that the issue may be a loose end on the inside of the connection causing the current not going through. The sub is in pristine condition. And fyi I own 7 subs in total from gen1 to gen3 and mini. After a week of multiple communications via phone and email with different levels of Sonos customer support team, they decided to stand firm on providing me with the standard out of warranty “exception” offering a 30% discount towards a new sub ONLY under the condition that I send them my 3 yea old sub for free. While it may seem to be a fair solution on surface level, but if you think about it, it basically means Sonos wants to buy back my $800 sub for $240, fix it and resell for probably $600 as refurbished unit. And me, end up paying $800 + $560 = $1360 for the ownership of the same sub if I decide to continue owning it after 3 years. I love sonos products and their innovative approach, but this is F up! I keep emphasizing to them that I’m not asking for a new sub replacement and I respect their 1 year warranty policy, I just want my 3 year old sub to work again. The industry standard for these products should have both warranty and repair programs allowing out of warranty products to have chance to be repaired. Clearly Sonos selling refurbished units proves they do repair them. Yet they won’t do mine. And only option after owning a 3 year old $800 sub is to pay another $560 plus giving away my easy repairable sub to them, otherwise toss in garbage. Do I assume the life expectancy of Sonos products is as short as 3 years just put out of warranty and left with option that is tough to accept? FYI, there is no independent audio or computer repair shops that would even accept to take a look at it. The lack of desire to provide out of warranty repair program is truly a one sided benefit to Sonos and only Sonos, leaving me a loyal, advocate, unpaid unsponsored Sonos supporter feeling betrayed, a nasty hard slap in the face.

Sorry if this isn’t a positive read for you, but I just felt obligated to warn and break down the reality to you in case you run into this situation in the future. Thanks for reading and I hope this will provide help to you in someway or other.

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Dfan111Author

Trending Lyricist I

In the second article, which I admit I’ve not read in detail, it appears to be limited to items costing not less than $50 and not more than $99.99 which does seem to be a very restrictive price range.

In the first article it says

“The idea behind “right to repair” is in the name: If you own something, you should be able to repair it yourself or take it to a technician of your choice.”

You do currently have that right, as I understand it. It doesn’t say the manufacturer must repair it - it gives you free choice on the open market to get it repaired.

Exactly. RIght to Repair (which arose out of the auto repair industry) came to be because manufacturers were insisting consumers bring their vehicles to a dealership in order to perform repairs, or they would void the warranty and not pay. Right to Repair laws were put in place to make sure independent repair shops would get paid for warranty repairs and the warranty would still be valid. Quite different from stipulating that the original manufacturer must repair a product.

That’s just part of it. Using car is a bad example, you can’t play tricks to force people to buy a replacement car, but you can with an expensive electronics and that’s the whole new law was evolved to regulate tech companies dishonest sales tactics and protect consumers and environment. Read the Bill #244. That’s what a lawyer would use not the article

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Dfan111Author

Trending Lyricist I

Existing law also requires every manufacturer making an express warranty with respect to an electronic or appliance product, as described above, with a wholesale price to the retailer of $100 or more, to make available to service and repair facilities sufficient service literature and functional parts to effect the repair of the product for at least 7 years after the date a product model or type was manufactured, regardless of whether the 7-year period exceeds the warranty period for the product.

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https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/what-is-right-to-repair/

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB244

Time to exercise our rights

apparently they don’t repair and resell our trade in units. But worse, they use them to comply the environmental regulation so they don’t have to pay fine or get shut down, all at the expense of forcing us to continue buying replacements when the units can probably easily be repaired

In the second article, which I admit I’ve not read in detail, it appears to be limited to items costing not less than $50 and not more than $99.99 which does seem to be a very restrictive price range.

In the first article it says

“The idea behind “right to repair” is in the name: If you own something, you should be able to repair it yourself or take it to a technician of your choice.”

You do currently have that right, as I understand it. It doesn’t say the manufacturer must repair it - it gives you free choice on the open market to get it repaired.

Find a repairer and send it to them to fix. And by doing that you won’t have to use a Sonos discount voucher, which you seem to object to using. So: exercise your rights, and let’s all move on.

I don’t want to challenge your intelligence, but hahe you read everything? Have you read the law passed in CA? Where Sonos is located? There are 2 links. You read the article but not the law. And you cropped a F fraction of words to tell me to move on. Since you read the article then tell me which part of this don’t you understand - tech company’s secret sales tactic of intentionally make their products unrepairable to force customers buy new replacements because they cannot come up with new technology and new products fast enough to sustain their sales. Yet that’s not the worst, victims like you who sent back their defects thinking you’ve been done a favor, they use that to suffice their CA environmental compliance. You think I wouldn’t have taken it to an Indy shop if I could already, if Sonos hadn’t made their products unrepairable or parts unavailable, and completely transparent on everything?? Wake the F up, the government is even helping to protect YOU!

Existing law also requires every manufacturer making an express warranty with respect to an electronic or appliance product, as described above, with a wholesale price to the retailer of $100 or more, to make available to service and repair facilities sufficient service literature and functional parts to effect the repair of the product for at least 7 years after the date a product model or type was manufactured, regardless of whether the 7-year period exceeds the warranty period for the product.

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Dfan111Author

Trending Lyricist I

I’m moved on. I have already. I don’t need to continue dwelling and wasting time and energy on this. It really affects minimal if I lost a sub, I can easily move one over from another room that no one goes into. I’m using my example to advocate the rights we deserve from a consumer perspective. $800 loss may not be such a big deal to some of us, but it can be a month of rent to put a roof over other people’s heads. In my case, if the power surge is the issue, why not have the inexpensive protector built in? If they can make Atmos capable speakers and do spatial audio and everything, they can’t do that? If they care about environment, they’d rather sell replacements than trying to get the same unit fixed? Come on

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nik9669a

Senior Virtuoso

I’m moved on. I have already.

In my case, if the power surge is the issue, why not have the inexpensive protector built in?

Where should the manufacturer’s duty of care end? And at what extra cost to the customer, to add in all the little extras? Waterproof covers to prevent liquid spills? Cushioned mats to prevent damage if knocked on the floor? Maybe extra-long power cords to ensure wall-mounting can easily be achieved. And the shelves to go with wall-mounting… Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit, but at some point, consumers need to take responsibility.

I know you’ll have a response to this post too: you clearly are going to have the last word. So I’ll love you and leave you to it. As you say: you’ve moved on. So have I; goodbye and good luck to you.

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Dfan111Author

Trending Lyricist I

I’m moved on. I have already.

In my case, if the power surge is the issue, why not have the inexpensive protector built in?

Where should the manufacturer’s duty of care end? And at what extra cost to the customer, to add in all the little extras? Waterproof covers to prevent liquid spills? Cushioned mats to prevent damage if knocked on the floor? Maybe extra-long power cords to ensure wall-mounting can easily be achieved. And the shelves to go with wall-mounting… Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit, but at some point, consumers need to take responsibility.

I know you’ll have a response to this post too: you clearly are going to have the last word. So I’ll love you and leave you to it. As you say: you’ve moved on. So have I; goodbye and good luck to you.

I have moved on but if someone - a fellow consumer challenges me, I’m going to respond to your questions just out of respect. So the answers to your questions are: I don’t know and I don’t care. I don’t make decisions for Sonos neither do you. All I’m asking is the right to repair a 3 year old $800 intentionally made unrepairable product instead of turning it in to them for a crappy discount to purchase a new replacement so that the one I gave up can be used to fulfill their environmental compliance requirements that I’m basically paying double for. Your questions of how and why the unit gone bad is irrelevant because it can be any cause, it doesn’t matter. Sonos needs to adhere to the law and provide resources (tools, parts, components specs, diagrams etc) as required in the Bill to make repair possible for their customers. Age, cause, condition of the units don’t matter because it should be a customer/ the owner of the product’s choice, not theirs or anyone else’s say to deem it is junk

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Dfan111Author

Trending Lyricist I

I’m moved on. I have already.

In my case, if the power surge is the issue, why not have the inexpensive protector built in?

Where should the manufacturer’s duty of care end? And at what extra cost to the customer, to add in all the little extras? Waterproof covers to prevent liquid spills? Cushioned mats to prevent damage if knocked on the floor? Maybe extra-long power cords to ensure wall-mounting can easily be achieved. And the shelves to go with wall-mounting… Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit, but at some point, consumers need to take responsibility.

I know you’ll have a response to this post too: you clearly are going to have the last word. So I’ll love you and leave you to it. As you say: you’ve moved on. So have I; goodbye and good luck to you.

I have moved on but if someone - a fellow consumer challenges me, I’m going to respond to your questions just out of respect. So the answers to your questions are: I don’t know and I don’t care. I don’t make decisions for Sonos neither do you. All I’m asking is the right to repair a 3 year old $800 intentionally made unrepairable product instead of turning it in to them for a crappy discount to purchase a new replacement so that the one I gave up can be used to fulfill their environmental compliance requirements that I’m basically paying double for. Your questions of how and why the unit gone bad is irrelevant because it can be any cause, it doesn’t matter. Sonos needs to adhere to the law and provide resources (tools, parts, components specs, diagrams etc) as required in the Bill to make repair possible for their customers. Age, cause, condition of the units don’t matter because it should be a customer/ the owner of the product’s choice, not theirs or anyone else’s say to deem it is junk

I’m not trying to have the last word so it can appear I won. I just don’t understand unless you are a Sonos employee why people like you choose to argue with me? I have a clear intention - that is to protect the consumers and provide them with possible scenarios and information should something similar happen to them through my case. It’s easy to judge from the sideline. No one is able to feel what I feel unless they are the first person impacted. If you disagree with my point of view, can’t see that this is potentially information that might help you, you don’t have to respond, scroll and move on. What are you trying to achieve by arguing with me, is Sonos going to reward you with a new sub having their back by putting down another fellow Sonos customer who is in a crappy situation???

Corry P

Sonos Staff

Hi @Dfan111 et al

Well, this conversation appears to have run it’s course. I’m closing the thread before more arguments start.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

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