A trade-up deal turns into a customer service nightmare.
A Redditor, nm0010, recently shared a frustrating experience with Bose’s customer service over what he sees as a hidden loophole in their refund policy.
This happened after the user attempted to refund a malfunctioning pair of QuietComfort Ultra earbuds that he traded up for, only to get refused by the company’s representative.
The Trade-Up Letdown
Nm0010’s trouble began after his old QuietComfort earbuds stopped working.
He found a deal on Bose’s website that allowed him to send in his broken earbuds. In return, he can get a new pair of QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, for a discounted price of $195.
To make sure he gets his money’s worth, the OP also mentioned that he has done his research.
However, when he received the new earbuds, he discovered a problem with the noise-canceling feature. Instead of making the room quieter, there was a constant static noise.
Losing the Refund Battle
When he tried to return the earbuds, Bose’s customer service told him that his purchase was considered a replacement and not eligible for a refund.
Nm0010 felt this was unfair because he had bought the earbuds directly from the website. He added that he saw no clear information saying that replacements could not be refunded.
Despite his arguments, the customer service retained their stance that the OP’s new earbuds are marked as a replacement for his old pair.
He tried to argue further, asking the representative for any proof or document that stated the policy. He was firm that he had read all documents and found no such thing.
But, the representative could only point to the trade-up page. This did not help his case as it did not contain any of the information he was asking for.
Users Rally in Support
Other users on the subreddit quickly joined the conversation, offering advice and sharing their own similar experiences.
Some suggested escalating the issue to higher-ups in customer service to get better support.
Others suggested simply using the warranty for a replacement instead of insisting on a refund.
However, the OP already lost trust in the company, so he’s not hopeful that the replacement will be better. So, others suggested he could still get them replaced, and then just sell them.
Others pointed out that this is not an isolated incident, with many having faced similar issues with Bose’s products and services.
The discussion brought up a wider issue with the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, with several users mentioning a similar static noise problem.
