Microphone randomly turning on or off on new Sonos Arc with just Sonos Voice Control

@ShaunG Thanks so much for bringing up this topic.  I would not know:

1. Some of us are not lucky enough to get a bad batch that the mic is having this intermittent issue of turning off by itself.  I got my arc from costco at the end of Nov and is having the exact problem as you described.  I had only use the arc for about 20 days and noticed the issue.  But then I was out of town for the holidays and only got a chance to file for a support ticket in Jan.
2. I was referring to this thread when talking to support.  They agreed to send me a replacement, no question ask.  I was happy with the way how they handled it until I saw your recent post.  My replacement unit arrived yesterday and it is a refurbished unit.  I agree with you that it is a ripoff.  I am returning a brand new item and they are replacing it with a refurbished unit for me.

I have been told that I am getting a refurbished unit because I have passed 30 days return policy.  I wish I learned it earlier and just return it to costco.  I reached out to sonos because I trusted that they can handle my case in a professional way.  And also, they knew about this issue and I was hoping the replacement I get is from another batch.  Now I am stuck with a refurbished unit which I don’t know how long they have been keeping on the shelf.  I assume it is very old because the packaging is still the old format.  I have talked to people from both support and sales team, and they were pointing my case to each other.  I totally agree with you that if you have the option to buy and return to a retailer, don’t buy from sonos directly because going through their RMA process is not a good experience for me.  I got the beam gen 2 two years ago and still love it.  I decided to step up to a bigger version and got the arc.  But with my current case pending, I don’t have the confidence to stick with sonos in the future.  I know many people here love their sonos.  I am just sharing my story so others are aware of this if they are on the same boat.  

I reported directly to Sonos. They will send me a new Arc. Btw, it’s the same issue. I am curious about the new one.

I hadn’t noticed the change to 45 days for the trial period but if I was in the window I’d sure go for a return and refund versus accepting a refurbished device.

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/legal/terms#legal-terms-sale-returns

Our 45 day return policy / Your right to withdraw the purchase
We are confident that you will love your new Sonos product, however, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, simply let us know within 45 days. We will refund the full purchase price, and we will even cover the shipping cost back to us.

@Stanley_4 Thanks for the reminder, when I was talking to support, they told me that I only have 30 days to return according to their policy.  I will double check with them.

As I stated before:

Microphone randomly turning on or off on new Sonos Arc (with Google Assistant AND Sonos Voice Control).

Tested with various set-ups and input-sources. Took me 1 phone call with Sonos on Friday 26 January 2024. Monday 29 January 2024 in the morning a brand new Arc was delivered (from Poland to Holland). Tested it and the issue did not manifest. Free shipping for returning the faulty Arc. Good performance Sonos!!! I am very satisfied and happy!

Case closed.

@Stalem I would just check the box carefully to see if it is labeled certified refurbished, unless you were expecting to receive a certified refurbished unit already. It was a big surprise when I thought and expected to receive a brand new unit and did not.

Also for anyone that needs it, check the box for the long serial number (there are digits in the serial number on the box that aren't listed on the speaker or in the app). It should start with a letter and 3 numbers, then 4 numbers and two letters before the remaining serial number that you see in the app or on the speaker. The second group of 4 numbers is the month and date of manufacture. So mine is "A104 2311CY", which is manufactured in November of 2023. Hope this helps, found through some googling. 

@ShaunG Thanks for sharing. I checked. My new Arc is truely a new Arc.

@Stalem That's great news, glad it worked out for you!

After waiting for a week, Sonos finally agrees to send me a new Arc after I have complained about the refurbished unit they sent me to fix the original mic issue I reported.  I am glad that Sonos listen to customer and is doing the right thing.  Hopefully, it works this time.

If it were me, and there were no cosmetic issues, I’d prefer the refurbished unit. It likely has received much more testing of all the systems before being sent out than a ‘new’ device.