Sonos forces users to delete their speakers in perfect condition to take advantage of the discount

Sonos gave this official response to our colleagues at The Verge following the publication of numerous articles on the subject:

“The reality is that these legacy products lack the computing power and memory to support modern Sonos experiences. Over time, technology will advance in ways that these products cannot adapt to. For some users, these new features are not important. In that case, they can choose not to participate in the Trade-in program. But for other owners It’s important to have modern Sonos devices that can deliver these new experiences. In this case, the Trade-in program is an affordable way for these owners to upgrade to the next generation. For those who choose to trade-in to upgrade to new products, the most responsible action is to put them in the context of these 10+ products. We thought it meant not re-introducing it to new customers who didn’t know they’re waiting”.

The Verge states that only a few older products are affected by the program: Sonos Play:5 original, Sonos Connect, Sonos Connect:Amp, ZonePlayer 80 (ZP80), ZonePlayer 90 (ZP90), ZonePlayer 100 (ZP100), and ZonePlayer 120 (ZP120). Faced with outcry over the “recycle mode” that can no longer be canceled after 21 days, Sonos informs The Verge that users who unintentionally enable recycle mode can be assisted by Sonos teams. “on an individual basis”suggests that entering this mode can be reversed if necessary. The brand concludes: “92% of the products we have ever sold – even those launched more than 10 years ago – are still in use today. We take our environmental responsibility seriously and are committed to continually improving our renewable practices.”

Here is what we wrote in our original article published on December 30, 2019:

Sonos is currently offering a rather strange operation. The so-called “trade-in” program offers to “recycle” an eligible device to take advantage of a nice 30% discount on the purchase of a newer model. The problem is, you have to put the device into “recycle” mode to take advantage of the program – a mode only available on Sonos speakers that permanently and irreversibly disables the device even if it’s in perfect working order.

The terms of the program actually stipulate: “Your device will enter Recycle Mode after 21 days. Its data will be deleted and permanently disabled so that it can be effectively recycled.” The user doesn’t even have to send the speaker back to Sonos where it can be refurbished. Instead, the firm presents it in a green box with a very eco-friendly leaf-shaped logo. “of”take your disabled device to a local authorized electronic waste recycling center”.

Very annoying app

Adding without blinking “A greener solution than sending it to Sonos”. But this strange program has nothing to do with the environment. In fact, the brand’s only apparent interest in doing this is to sell and manufacture even more speakers. Although refurbishment is increasingly favored over recycling, which involves the destruction of devices. In this case, in fact, many materials are not recycled and thus the application produces eventual toxic waste.

In the context of reuse, there is no waste. An aspect that does not fail to raise Ralph Waldo on Twitter. He works for a recycler. In a thread picked up by our colleagues at 01Net and followed by Twitter, he denounces the practice and emphasizes that the resale value of some speakers exceeds what Sonos offers. However, to make the situation worse, some users accidentally enable recycle mode. And as Sonos confirmed on twitter, there’s no turning back – the speaker is doomed.

The discovery and conditions of this program angered thousands of users and forced Sonos to react strangely: “The Trade Up is a program designed to assist consumers who want to upgrade to newer generation Sonos products and experience at a generous discount when they recycle their old products”just said the brand in a tweet.

Source : 01Network