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Never buying a Sony product again.

TheShinyMac

TheShinyMac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2009
660
0
So I figured I would like an upgrade from the apple stock earphones as they cause great pains after extended use. I ended up buying their "Premium" 80 dollar in ear headphones. Took a full week to arrive and they were great for about two weeks. Within those two weeks, I used them maybe 6 times for 30 mins each. I always wrapped them up in the protector they included.

Then today, I finished an Audiobook of Huck Finn, "Jim rewrites English in that book" After I set down the headphones, I came back to listen to my new playlist pick up the headphones and find that there is only 1 headphone attached:eek: I found the other one laying on the same spot on the table. Sony thought they came up with this genius cable management system that was to weak and the cable popped out of the connecter.

I tried Sony support and they refuse to help me. They claim nothing is wrong with the design and hung up on me when I asked how much a repair was! Sony if any of you are reading this, I nor any of my friends and family will never buy a product of yours again./ Diary entry I figured some of you would be interested.
 
Interesting story, although I'm sorry you've had such a terrible experience with Sony :(
 
TheShinyMac said:
...I tried Sony support and they refuse to help me. They claim nothing is wrong with the design and hung up on me when I asked how much a repair was! Sony if any of you are reading this, I nor any of my friends and family will never buy a product of yours again./ Diary entry I figured some of you would be interested.
Click to expand...

Dude, I'm not going to lie to you - don't call a support desk for a warranty issue. The process is

1. Take the item with a copy of the receipt
2. Return to place of purchase or an authorised service centre (whichever is closest)
3. Call support if your warranty has been rejected and you feel that this is not justified or you have been given a horrendously disproportionate repair quote (if outside of warranty).

They can't tell you over the phone if it is warrantable nor how much the repair cost would be without having the item in front of them, so going directly to them does nothing to help your cause.

Honestly, I used to work for a manufacturer of (very expensive) sports equipment and dealt often with end consumers who didn't grasp the complexities of the warranty process.
 
Sorry about your experience, but I have the Sony EX-85 in-ears, pictured below, for the past 3 years, and they've been bullet-proof.

During that time, I've gone through Sennheisers, JAYS d-Jays, and Klipsch S4i earphones (due to the iPhone remote and volume control!!). They've all had problems due to weak connectors, particularly where the cable connects to each earpiece. With the d-JAYS, one earpiece kept cutting in and out, which made them unusable. The Klipsch have been good, but the rubber ear-tips come off too easily on my earphones, and I lost them. Then I tried the foam tips, and they've worn out. I've only had the S4i for 6 months, and now I need to spend $20 AUD to get the specially designed ear-tips from Klipsch, since they're a special size and shape. :rolleyes:

Right now, I'm using the Sonys again. The clarity isn't great, but the bass is the best I've heard from a pair of earphones/IEMs (the drivers are just massive on these), maybe with the exception of the Victor JVC FX700s that are semi-exclusive to Japan.

Look at where the connecting cable joins the earpieces. That is solid and tight, and some light tugging won't tear it apart. Also, the 3.5 mm headphone jack is one of the flexible L-shaped connectors rather than the straight connectors that you find on the Apple earphones, my Klipsch, and many others. The L-shaped ones are just more solid. They're not as practically designed, but the connector is stronger, and some tugging won't loosen the connection.

MDR-EX85SL_W.jpg
 
OP I feel your pain bro sorry; Sony is pretty notorious for sucky audio hardware. Only thing I ever really like from that company is in no particular order: PS3, Bravia model flat screens, and Sony Ericcson cell's.
 
Your Sony headphone experience sounds like mine with Apple. I'm on my second set. First set fell to pieces. This set are intact, but the buttons no longer work.
 
I've used Sony stuff (from PCs to headphones to walkmans) and had nothing but problems. Scratch that - the only Sony (literally, the only) that actually worked well was a Walkman from like 1988. Their headphones fell apart within a month (and I'm very careful with my stuff) and computers were a b****.
 
Ciclismo said:
Dude, I'm not going to lie to you - don't call a support desk for a warranty issue. The process is

1. Take the item with a copy of the receipt
2. Return to place of purchase or an authorised service centre (whichever is closest)
3. Call support if your warranty has been rejected and you feel that this is not justified or you have been given a horrendously disproportionate repair quote (if outside of warranty).

They can't tell you over the phone if it is warrantable nor how much the repair cost would be without having the item in front of them, so going directly to them does nothing to help your cause.

Honestly, I used to work for a manufacturer of (very expensive) sports equipment and dealt often with end consumers who didn't grasp the complexities of the warranty process.
Click to expand...

I ordered it online directly from Sony, so I believe their support lines should help. I still have all the emails stating the order and delivery. I totally still believe that this was not my fault and will try the "other" tech support number they gave me last night
 
I was in a similar boat once. My Sony MD recorder was poorly built, I had to replace my PS1 laser and my Sony amp and speakers went kaput. Fast forward 10 years and I'm love with them again.
Loving the brilliant library on the PSP, never had a problem with the hardware either.
Loving the image my Bravia displays. Superb colours and all that. Again... no problem with it.
And the PS3 is the best bluray player I've had.
 
TheShinyMac said:
I ordered it online directly from Sony, so I believe their support lines should help. I still have all the emails stating the order and delivery. I totally still believe that this was not my fault and will try the "other" tech support number they gave me last night
Click to expand...

What do you expect to gain by calling them? It is a warranty claim, pure and simple. Return it to the online store's returns address and wait for a replacement (or ask for a refund if applicable).
 
MAJOR UPDATE

I called up the number Sony gave me and I met a very nice lady on the phone and she gladly set up a service order for a brand new replacement! All I have to do is send the headphones down to Texas and I get new ones. I still am hesitant about buying Sony again though :eek:
 
^^^ good news! I'm always hesitant to write off a company based on one bad experience - everyone has products that fail too early, and the occasional crappy customer support rep.

I have a number of Sony products (not headphones though), and have been happy. I never had to deal with their customer service, however.
 
TheShinyMac said:
MAJOR UPDATE
I called up the number Sony gave me and I met a very nice lady on the phone and she gladly set up a service order for a brand new replacement! All I have to do is send the headphones down to Texas and I get new ones. I still am hesitant about buying Sony again though :eek:
Click to expand...

So it is being treated as a warranty and you need to send it in to be replaced. What a surprise. You could have saved yourself the phonecalls and just sent them back in the first place - would have saved you getting all hot and bothered about it in the first place too.
 
Ciclismo said:
So it is being treated as a warranty and you need to send it in to be replaced. What a surprise. You could have saved yourself the phonecalls and just sent them back in the first place - would have saved you getting all hot and bothered about it in the first place too.
Click to expand...

I don't think any company would accept a pair of broken headphones as a return item!
 
TheShinyMac said:
I don't think any company would accept a pair of broken headphones as a return item!
Click to expand...

UNLESS IT'S A WARRANTY. And considering that you said that you ahd only used them about half a dozen times, I would think it safe to suggest that the headphones are still well within the manufacturers warranty period, no?
 
I love Sony stuff and there customer service isnt bad either. So you must have gotten a bad rep. My Vaio from a few years ago had a bunch of problems and I ended up getting a replacement but the problems werent Sony's fault to begin with since I dropped the computer and messed up the power button. Glad your getting new headphone!:D
 
Next time buy Koss. They have a great selection of cheap earphone products and have unmatched bass while in the price range (comparable to Bose & Sony high-end earphones). They also have a lifetime limited warranty on most if not all of their products (you pay like shipping plus 6 or 7 dollars for a new replacement).
 
TheShinyMac said:
I still am hesitant about buying Sony again though :eek:
Click to expand...

Stop being such a wittle bitch.

People have been happy about their crappy iPhone 4s, after Apple offers them a free "bumper" so that they can hold it in their hand without losing as much signal. If those people can be happy after that, then you can be happy with a free replacement.
 
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