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jacob_7
Prodigy I
October 31, 2019

Trade up scheme

Either I'm misunderstanding or this scheme is just  encouraging people to throw away perfectly good Sonos equipment. 

 

The way I read it, you "trade up" by selecting an eligible device and it then gets deactivated by Sonos for you to bin.

 

This is surely ethically wrong?

 

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    stevepow
    Prominent Collaborator I
    January 21, 2020

    Not seen this in the UK yet.  I too don’t like the idea of disabling a working speaker.

     

    Am I the only one thinking the time is approaching where the older units will soon be retired.  Sonos must have to take quite a hit on developments to keep the compatability going.  We’ve seen the retirement of controllers and docks, what next. Or when



    OK, you nailed it.

      stevepow
      Prominent Collaborator I
      January 21, 2020

      grazey I’m missing what Sonos is forcing you to do?

      Everything I have seen on the Trade-Up program is optional and voluntary. What am I missing?

      Sonos is t forcing me - yet, but it is coming. They are a company I no longer trust. You completely evaded the points I actually did make such as the aim of controlling the market, turning customers into cash cows, the fact that its not ethical to brick tech that works. 

       

      How things can change in just a few weeks.  You called it.  OK, still not being forced, but now prodded with a sharp stick!

      They simply don’t want to support these legacy devices anymore...and now we know, after the price increase.  A seriously jerkish move.

        Airgetlam
        Airgetlam
        January 21, 2020

        Note, there will not be any change in current functionality for the legacy devices, they will just stop getting software updates. They will continue to work. You are not being forced to buy new equipment. 

        Bruce
        jwinther
        Lyricist III
        January 21, 2020

        Note, there will not be any change in current functionality for the legacy devices, they will just stop getting software updates. They will continue to work. You are not being forced to buy new equipment. 

        But you will be prevented from using new devices with the old ones - as they must all run same software version; the new ones will not get updated either. And what happens the day when the new ones sold are equipped with software versions higher than the maximum ones used by the old devices? Will you then even be able to plug in the new devices into your system?

        I think that we must expect that before long the older devices in practice simply cannot function anymore.

        “This is a chance now to come up with a system that doesn’t cause massive planetary damage in exchange for disposable stuff,” Proctor said. (https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3a8dpn/sonos-makes-it-clear-you-no-longer-own-the-things-you-buy)
          Cosmo2959
          Lyricist III
          January 21, 2020

          But if you have “mixed” Legacy/non-Legacy units, the Legacy units affect them all thus rendering the entire system a Legacy system;  “Please note that because Sonos is a system, all products operate on the same software. If modern products remain connected to legacy products after May, they also will not receive software updates and new features.”  In my case having both new/old, it does prompt me to look at Trading in my 3 effected Play 5’s.   

          goodboyr
          Trending Lyricist I
          January 21, 2020

          The so called “Connect Amp” has two different models, one of which is obsolete under this program, one is not. At the time when the hardware got rev’d there was a mix of the two Connect Amps in the marketplace, a person could have purchased one of each and inadvertently ended up with an end of life product. I’d call that false advertising, or some sort of violation of consumer laws.

           

          How?  There was no advertising about end of support life at all during the time of purchase, except for probably something about Sonos having the right to drop support at any time or a certain time.  Both amps in your example would be covered under your scenario.  At the very least it would not matter that one is continuing support and one is not.  You might have a case if the devices you bought listed the tech specs of the device, and one of the devices didn’t meet that spec.  But Sonos doesn’t release that information.

           

          I’m not saying you have to be happy about this situation.  I’m just not seeing how your scenario results in any unique kind of grievance.

          Because since at the time I purchased both of them, one had a shorter lifetime than the other, even though they had the same name and price. This was not disclosed to me.

          hilmur
          Contributor I
          January 22, 2020

          Frankly I am horrified that my perfectly good speakers are no longer useful unless I trade up . When I purchased the system it was very expensive and at no time did Sonos day it only had a limited life  span !!  I would have looked at alternatives. The 30% is a joke as I can buy a competitors system for less . Think I will be saying goodbye to Sonos when the speakers stop working - customer loyalty 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

            torinjeff
            Contributor I
            January 22, 2020

            This is not only “not adding value” you are “taking away value” we have already purchased.

            I hate this. 

            If you do this to me I will never buy another product from you.

            I have been a massive promoter, but if you break my stuff for no reason, I will become a massive demoter. Deliberately breaking a persons’s hardware with software is unethical.

            This is the wrong direction to go in. If I had stock, I would be selling it. 

            I am 100% with sjoop1985 - this is wasteful and “a bridge too far.”  

            As someone whom has spent literally thousands of dollars on Sonos equipment I am so angry.  I am not able to express how angry.

             

            So far I own:

            • Connect AMP
            • Connect
            • Bridge X 2
            • Beam
            • Sonos Play3 (Gen 1) X 6
            • Sonos Play5 (Gen 1)
            • Sonos One (with mic)
            • Sonos One (no airplay)

            You should be delighting me, making want to buy another thing, and move on, not filling me with rage.

            :-(

            Tori & Jeff

            virtualPaul
            Lyricist III
            January 22, 2020

            As a consumer, I don’t care when the product was “designed” as discussed in many Sonos posts. I care when it was “last sold as new” by Sonos or a dealer. I believe these Play 5’s were being sold for quite a while, perhaps through 2015. That is not 10 years ago by a long stretch. 

              torinjeff
              Contributor I
              January 22, 2020

              This is not only “not adding value” you are “taking away value” we have already purchased.

              I hate this. 

              If you do this to me I will never buy another product from you.

              I have been a massive promoter, but if you break my stuff for no reason, I will become a massive demoter. Deliberately breaking a persons’s hardware with software is unethical.

              This is the wrong direction to go in. If I had stock, I would be selling it. 

              I am 100% with sjoop1985 - this is wasteful and “a bridge too far.”  

              As someone whom has spent literally thousands of dollars on Sonos equipment I am so angry.  I am not able to express how angry.

               

              So far I own:

              • Connect AMP
              • Connect
              • Bridge X 2
              • Beam
              • Sonos Play3 (Gen 1) X 6
              • Sonos Play5 (Gen 1)
              • Sonos One (with mic)
              • Sonos One (no airplay)

              You should be delighting me, making want to buy another thing, and move on, not filling me with rage.

              :-(

              Tori & Jeff

               

              The power to break hardware with software is the new reality. But it’s wrong.

              And it is a reality that must be resisted, by both manufacturers and consumers.

              As much as I have loved my Sonos system until now, if you really do this, I won’t buy another thing from you. I don’t care if my Sonos system completely stops working. My utter powerlessness in this situation makes my resolve stronger. Be advised, I have posted my first #SonosSucks social media post. 

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