Playbar - Power issue

L

We have a sonos playbar that has suddenly stopped working. We believe it may have stopped working because it was accidently turned up too loud.

At present, we can’t even get any power lights to come on, we have tried a different cable and a factory reset but it’s still the same.

Having spoken to Sonos support this afternoon because it is out of warranty all they have offer is 30% of a new product, which is not an option, we can’t afford it!

They have also requested we send them the old product back before they will give us the discount code, which I expect is so they can repair it and sell in on as a refurbished item on their website for £349! This seems to be a complete scam to me!

From reading through various conversations on this website it appears to be a common fault that they know about and there must be a way to fix it, we would definitely prefer to get it repaired.

Is this something anyone else has encountered before?

 

4 replies

K
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

I think there are a few companies that have popped up recently that will have a go at repairing Sonos kit, worth a search.

Possibly power supply has blown internally but Sonos will not supply any spare parts.

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Hi

I guess with no power you can’t send a diagnostic to Sonos. That said your only option would be the 30% upgrade. I realize that is not an option for you at this time. However I’m a bit concerned that you were directed to return the Playbar in order to get the 30% credit.

Click the link below to learn more about the upgrade program. Unless you live in a part the world were the upgrade is not offered for one of the reasons stated in the Terms & Conditions then IMO you were given false information regarding the Upgrade program.

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/legal/upgrade-terms

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
Mr. T
Userlevel 7

Hi

I guess with no power you can’t send a diagnostic to Sonos. That said your only option would be the 30% upgrade. I realize that is not an option for you at this time. However I’m a bit concerned that you were directed to return the Playbar in order to get the 30% credit.

Click the link below to learn more about the upgrade program. Unless you live in a part the world were the upgrade is not offered for one of the reasons stated in the Terms & Conditions then IMO you were given false information regarding the Upgrade program.

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/legal/upgrade-terms


The Playbar is only eligible for 15% off under the Upgrade program. The 30% discount looks to be offered as a goodwill gesture, but requiring the defective unit to be returned.

buzz

In your opinion how much should it cost to repair the unit?

In my experience the consumer’s idea of a “fair” cost to repair is much lower than a servicer’s idea of a “fair” charge for the repair, given the investment of thousands of dollars in service equipment and technician time and training. In an ancient era consumers could effectively accomplish DIY repairs by purchasing vacuum tubes in a local drugstore. Generic parts were used for most consumer electronics and a service shop could load up with a good stock of replacement parts for a few thousand dollars. Now, each model has a unique set of parts and it is too expensive for the shops to stock parts for thousands of different models. Also, product disassembly is much more difficult because units are assembled and glued together by high speed robots. Disassembly usually disfigures the product and requires replacement of cosmetic parts that were not part of the failure. Full testing of these complex units requires hours on an automated test jig at the factory. Testing of legacy units required little more than counting the lights. We also have a shortage of capable repair technicians because they can earn much more money as network technicians or working in an industrial plant.

Anyway, the cost to repair many units can easily approach half or more of the original cost and this does not seem “fair” to the consumer. Repair of a very old unit is risky because another, unrelated issue might surface after the original issue was completely resolved. While this is not anyone’s fault, the consumer feels victimized.

Similar to a quick tour of a hospital where it might seem that “everyone” is sick, seeing a few dozen units (out of millions sold) in a repair shop (or in this community) might seem onerous, but in reality modern electronics is so reliable that it is hard to justify tooling up for repairs. I doubt that SONOS actually repairs any units. The refurbished units are probably returns or units with cosmetic defects.

I realize that this discussion will not make you feel all warm inside, I just wanted to explain the considerations that we all face in this modern world.

I recently recycled a printer that I purchased in 1992. I loved that printer, was willing to continue using it, but it recently developed issues that were becoming very hard and expensive to deal with. I replaced that printer for about 20% of what I paid for the original. While I doubt that the replacement will last 30 years, it is much more capable than the old printer.

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