My Play:5 died 2.5 years in, due to a hardware failure as diagnosed by the Sonos team. I spent $500 on that speaker and the Sonos response was to offer me a "discounted" $350 replacement speaker ($850 for one speaker in 2.5 years). Instead of making it right and replacing the speaker, keeping me in the ecosystem, allowing me to continue to build my speaker set (I had full intentions of buying 3 additional speakers in the near future), and continuing to buy speakers as presents for family and friends, I now will spend a significant amount of effort relaying my story to my friends and family. Please believe me when I say that I will make sure that I discourage any contact of mine from buying into the Sonos ecosystem or purchasing a new product, and I hope this reaches anyone here as well.
I can't begin to tell you how disappointed and frustrated I am with the non-resolution to this issue. I tried really hard to walk the reps through the reality of the situation and the company response was to let me walk as a customer and ambassador and become an active opponent of Sonos going forward.
Part of my frustration is that I really enjoyed the product for the short amount of time I had it. I have a Playbar as well and am now just waiting for it to die on me too. I'm also bummed that I will have to move on to another company for products.
Here is what I don't get: Sonos made a very clear decision to move on from me over what amounts to $350. I've already paid in $1,200 for my first two speakers, I've given 3-4 Playbars to friends as wedding presents, and I have given other speakers to family members. I should be a high value customer! Add on my future purchases (not just for myself but additional gifts) and I don't understand how making it right now doesn't outweigh all the future lost revenue, as well as the lost revenue from my negative recommendations going forward. I just can't figure out the business decision there, say nothing for customer service.
I mentioned this to my customer service rep, but if the unit economics are so prohibitive to rectify a true "outlier" like mine (as he said I was), then doesn't this mean that the truth of the matter is that this is not an outlier case and that the company cannot afford the amount of similar cases like mine? That seems systemic to me and a bad representation of the Sonos product line.
Again, I need to let you know how disappointed this makes me. I'm confused at the decision-making process. I really tried to explain this to my customer service rep, and if you guys record calls, I would beg someone to please listen to it - even if it's just for training going forward. I was really optimistic that if I just spoke to someone and walked through the situation that it would make sense and I could go forward as a loyal customer and brand advocate. I'm not sure how to express how much this makes me feel sad and frustrated that this was the outcome. Sorry, this is long-winded and I'm not sure if anyone reads these but this whole process really struck a nerve and hurt me. I feel personally let down and it has really put a damper on my day.
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Userlevel 7
+26
Well this thread got very out of hand. I’m going to close it down since it’s so old, and not going anywhere at this point. In the future, please try to stay friendly with other community members and not antagonize anyone.
It’s classic troll:
- Make a critical assertion for which you have no evidence. Ideally it should be something that cannot be proved one way or the other - you don’t want to win the argument any more than lose it. You just want an argument.
- Make your claim as provocative as you can - like here, suggesting directors should be jailed
- Pour scorn on anyone who disagrees with you.
- Progress rapidly to personal insults, trying to cause maximum annoyance.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it probably is a duck. Or if it isn’t, it might as well be.
DFTT.
Hi Danny
Thanks for taking the time to not address the issue namely- what is a reasonable lifespan for such a product. The investigation into the cause of ‘premature’ failure would be academic if Sonos stood behind their products.
If you care to take the time to have a look on the internet you’ll find the evidence you clearly need before daring to share a view.
You should take your own advice and provide the evidence you for the claims you’re making. You are the one hear making claims about the failure rate of Sonos products. Not me.
I agree with John. Unless you have something to back up your claim, you’re just trolling.
Hi Jgatie
I know a useless comment when I see it. Sorry to have disturbed your rock.
So no explanation why an experience that is the definition of anecdotal is taken as definitive while hundreds of customer's experiences (the very definition of non-anecdotal) are useless?
I think we all know who is living under a rock around here.
I'll spell it out. Don't feed the troll.
Hi Jgatie
I know a useless comment when I see it. Sorry to have disturbed your rock.
"Your anecdotal evidence of hundreds of customers is worthless" followed up with their single piece of anecdotal evidence which is declared as definitive proof.
I'm not sure the poster actually knows the definition of the word "anecdotal".
DFTT
Hi Danny
Thanks for taking the time to not address the issue namely- what is a reasonable lifespan for such a product. The investigation into the cause of ‘premature’ failure would be academic if Sonos stood behind their products.
If you care to take the time to have a look on the internet you’ll find the evidence you clearly need before daring to share a view.
Userlevel 7
+21
Who said it was reasonable? I said the offer I had was reasonable. As soon as someone resorts to personal insults it’s over for me too.
Sonos products are designed by geniuses and put together as cheaply as no-nothing accountants can manage.
Do have evidence to support this claim?
When penny pinching chickens come home to roost the accountants control the situation with no-integrity so called “reach outs”. To offer a one year warranty on this type of product should be illegal.
Why? Consumers have the right to buy items with better warranties if they chose to. Why
Minimum 5 years with option to extend for a modest premium should be mandatory.
These speakers are NOT electro mechanical devices in the usual meaning of the term. The speaker cones are they only mechanical part and their failure rate can be predicted and designed. To use components such as capacitors that are under-rated, or circuit boards with insufficient space or heat dissipation should see the directors of Sonos behind bars.
Do you have evidence that the capacitors are under-rated? You later state that anecdotal evidence has no place in the debate, yet you don’t provide any evidence for the claims you’re making. I would agree that anecdotal doesn’t prove anything, but I’m not sure why anyone should believe your claims without any evidence whatsoever.
I repeat your anecdotal experience of hundreds of customers is worthless. When my units failed out of warranty I didn’t approach either large retailer for a remedy. How many of your customers are like me? You have no idea!
You and the merry band of let’s bash the messenger if we don’t like the message, to a man fail to address what an appropriate lifespan such products should be designed to meet (commensurate with their price point) and what a consumer might reasonably expect from a mainstream brand in terms of support.
Please try to address that issue without the waffle.
I don’t think any individual’s experience of non-failure is in anyway helpful to the debate, it’s statistically irrelevant. It makes me wonder about the motives of seemingly intelligent people who take the time to respond to the debate with comments of ‘well my Sonos device is working just fine’.
I will just point out that my experience was of hundreds of customers and a large group of friends, family and colleagues. Not definitive proof of anything, of course, but not worthless either (as I agree any one individual’s experience is - yours and mine equally.)
Let’s just to agree to differ. You stop buying Sonos, I’ll carry on.
I have had a play 3 and a play 5 fail and stumbled upon the forum so I may be the tip of an iceberg. The only clue either of us has about the failure rate is likely to be the response Sonos has. They offer to supply a fresh unit at a profitable price to them (if you strip out supply chain markups). No request to return the unit so they can investigate this unexpected and rare failure, in fact until recently just the offer to totally brick the device, in exchange for a discount.
Sufficient of the devices don’t last ‘long enough’ and the remedies are not sufficient IMHO
Not true, the RMA process always requires returning the defective unit.
Anytime a unit fails, we want them to come back to us when possible so that we can review what happened and make adjustments if there's need.
Well now bockersjv
Do you imagine comments such as “all electronics can fail” is in anyway helpful or addresses any issue I am highlighting. The comment has no value in judging the product or Sonos’s attitude towards failure ‘early’ in the product life cycle.
Your happiness with the remedy offered is no recommendation for it. That you believe a sub 3 year total lifespan for a $500+ speaker is reasonable says something about you, but says nothing about Sonos.
I have had a play 3 and a play 5 fail and stumbled upon the forum so I may be the tip of an iceberg. The only clue either of us has about the failure rate is likely to be the response Sonos has. They offer to supply a fresh unit at a profitable price to them (if you strip out supply chain markups). No request to return the unit so they can investigate this unexpected and rare failure, in fact until recently just the offer to totally brick the device, in exchange for a discount.
Sufficient of the devices don’t last ‘long enough’ and the remedies are not sufficient IMHO
Userlevel 7
+21
Holy Thread resurrection Hexhan_keith. Not sure what you gripe is? Have you had a failed unit?
The fact that this is a very old thread and the last input was 9 months ago should show how rare Sonos failures are. I had a Play 5 gen 1 fail after about 3 years. I was happy with the discount i got on a new Play 5. All electronics can fail and some have an inherent design fault that can effect all units later in life. I don’t see this with Sonos, nor has is showed up on this forum. Issues have been with Boost power supplies and CR200 displays. All very late in the life of the units too.
Userlevel 6
+15
Extended warranties are available for Sonos gear from a number of providers. If the basic Sonos warranty isn’t going to meet your needs getting one isn’t a bad deal. I do it for all Sonos I give out as gifts.
Just purchasing on a premium branded credit card often adds more warranty time - I buy everything electronic on one of two cards that double warranty times.
I don’t think any individual’s experience of non-failure is in anyway helpful to the debate, it’s statistically irrelevant. It makes me wonder about the motives of seemingly intelligent people who take the time to respond to the debate with comments of ‘well my Sonos device is working just fine’.
Insurance is available for most eventualities in life but people make informed choices on their purchase. The fact is people rightly do not expect this type of hardware to have significant failure rates and there is no need for it.
Cheap components, badly crowded circuit boards without heat sinks and poor quality control of the soldering is the order of the day.
If failure rates were actually low as implied by the ‘my Sonos is working just fine’ brigade the response from Sonos to such rare failures could and WOULD be far more generous.
The truth is out there.
Userlevel 7
+22
I had a couple early failures, not Sonos fault though. Best Buy thought it was a good idea to put their stock of Sonos gear in a steel shipping container in their back parking lot for a 100 plus degree Phoenix summer. The CR-100’s battery actually split the CR’s case, ripping out the clamping screws first time it sat on the charger.
Sonos products are designed by geniuses and put together as cheaply as no-nothing accountants can manage. When penny pinching chickens come home to roost the accountants control the situation with no-integrity so called “reach outs”. To offer a one year warranty on this type of product should be illegal. Minimum 5 years with option to extend for a modest premium should be mandatory.
These speakers are NOT electro mechanical devices in the usual meaning of the term. The speaker cones are they only mechanical part and their failure rate can be predicted and designed. To use components such as capacitors that are under-rated, or circuit boards with insufficient space or heat dissipation should see the directors of Sonos behind bars.
It's surprising that failures are so rare, then. In my three years as a Sonos reseller only one customer had one speaker fail. I must know at least 20 people with Sonos systems, and not a failed unit between us. I guess we just got lucky.
Userlevel 7
+22
Extended warranties are available for Sonos gear from a number of providers. If the basic Sonos warranty isn’t going to meet your needs getting one isn’t a bad deal. I do it for all Sonos I give out as gifts.
Sonos products are designed by geniuses and put together as cheaply as no-nothing accountants can manage. When penny pinching chickens come home to roost the accountants control the situation with no-integrity so called “reach outs”. To offer a one year warranty on this type of product should be illegal. Minimum 5 years with option to extend for a modest premium should be mandatory.
These speakers are NOT electro mechanical devices in the usual meaning of the term. The speaker cones are they only mechanical part and their failure rate can be predicted and designed. To use components such as capacitors that are under-rated, or circuit boards with insufficient space or heat dissipation should see the directors of Sonos behind bars.
Userlevel 2
Yes - a 25% discount is not something I dig. It's the same I can get anywhere else on Black Friday and the like.
And I'm not going to buy Sonos again if the don't last any longer.
And I'm not going to buy Sonos again if the don't last any longer.
Userlevel 7
+21
Certainly won't be buying Sonos again with such a short lifecycle period of their products.
I'm not sure it's a hardware problem though, as when I factory reset the unit, it appears the bass is working on the 'ding-e-ling' setup sound although it's VERY short....
Hardware failures are rare on Sonos, as this forum shows. Threads on such are tiny compared to the moans about features and software issues. I too had a Play 5 Gen 1 fail after just over two years. Frustrating but i took the offer of the new Gen Play 5 and am very happy with the discount offered but if the subsequent Play 5 Gen 2 failed in the same time-frame I would be less enchanted as a new item would not be such a significant upgrade..
One thing that is frustrating is there is no repair service. I'f like the opportunity to chose between an £150 repair or discount in a new unit.
I'm not sure it's a hardware problem though, as when I factory reset the unit, it appears the bass is working on the 'ding-e-ling' setup sound although it's VERY short....
Some hardware issues strike a few minutes after reboot.
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