Update on the Sonos App from Patrick Spence

Having seen corporate America at close quarters, this is classic CEO tactics to justify a disaster before it gets seen in the numbers, so that when those numbers turn up, harakiri isn't the only option left.

As to the second part, unfortunately true, that is still an unknown.

When looking at coming release notes the most important for me is missing, slowness. The app is extremely slow and nearly unusable. For now I have switched to the app SonoPhone where slowness is not a problem.

ok, but can i just have my money back tho?

i cant understand why u wouldn't just revert to the old app that worked perfectly fine until this one is ACTUALLY ready for rollout.. 

but i also don't understand anything about software.

what i do understand is that i invested >$1000 on speakers and y'all expect me to go MONTHS without some of the most rudimentary, fundamental functionalities..like volume adjustment!.. and playing sounds.

a roadmap that tells your customers 'well good luck turning down the volume for ~6 months.. that is if u have any luck playing music at all during that period' is an absolute joke.

i have 2× sonos play:1's, a sonos one, and a play:3.

i want my money back.

You’d be better off asking Sonos directly. No-one can instigate a refund on here.

I suspect you may just get a refund on their Sonos App (which is free anyway) as the hardware purchased is the same hardware and I’m guessing the devices will happily play on compatible networks.

To contact Sonos direct, rather than post to the user community here, See this link:

https://support.sonos.com/s/contact

Maybe let us know the outcome.

Happy now Spence et al?

And now the fallout from this terrible decision impacts more than just customers, resellers, and investors.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/14/24220357/sonos-layoffs-august-2024-app

And from Darwin1984 commenter on this story: 

“Developers are not employees. Sonos fired all its US developers years ago and out sourced support to various countries to contractors. Pretty easy to see why the app is in such an abysmal state. The company has gone downhill every scene Spence took charge and customers and employees have suffered as a result. He should be the one to go.”

Wow. As a marketer, I feel for the 100 laid off as we are always the first to suffer when the financial going gets tough…

Looks very much like the app will be fixed and that, once ‘completed’, Spence will have no choice but to step down. For an app redesign to create this level of consumer chaos at such commercial detriment makes the position untenable, you would imagine. 

Question is will you still be buying yourself that Christmas present for that fully functioning Sonos system of yours or having solidarity with your fellow marketers for whom Christmas cheer will be meagre this year? 

You bet, I need another speaker!

I am doubtful that Sonos outsourced all it’s developers.  I’ve never heard that before, and it sounds like a terribly inefficient way to run a tech company.  The out sourcing of support is partially true.  This was done a couple years back, and this forum was supportted by contractors.  That is no longer the case though as Sonos hired support personnel since, to support the community here at least.  I can’t confirm the location and employment status of other support staff.

As far as the layoffs themselves, it’s obviously not good.  I don’t think you can conclude that layoffs would not have happened at all if Sonos didn’t release the new app and Ace headphones though.  If Sonos had not released the Ace, and relied on sales of existing products alone, they likely would had a drop in sales anyway.