Consumerist: Bose

Bose Shocks Reader, Not In A Good Way

profio — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:16:01 EDT

Reader Jerry wants to warn you about his shocking problem with his Bose in-ear headphones. If he goes for a walk with them, they shock his inner ear. Ouch! Jerry wrote to Bose, telling them about his problem, and Bose wrote back, "Yeah? So?". Apparently, occasional shocks to your inner ear aren't a problem, or a design flaw, they're a feature! See what Jerry has to say about this, inside.

Here's something interesting for you guys.
You may have seen ads for Bose ear buds or "In Ear" phones or whatever they call them; the little buggers retail for a hefty $99 a pair.

Their main claim to fame is supposed to be great sound and superior comfort.

Unfortunately, Bose's idea of comfort is, shall we say, a little undermined by the fact that their ear buds transmit static shocks to your inner ear!

That's right. If you take these for a walk - something ear bud wearers might CONCEIVABLY do - you can discover this shocking design flaw for yourself.

I contacted Bose to find out wassup with dis, and here's what they said:

We have received observations from a few customers that mild electrical shocks have been transmitted through their headsets. We have investigated these cases and found them to be related to environmental causes such as customers walking on carpeting, wearing clothing that discharges static electricity (wool, etc), or even using exercise equipment such as treadmills. Low humidity in the air can also make it more likely that you will receive shocks from objects such as doorknobs, clothing, other people, and electronic equipment. Static charges discharged through the headset will not cause any harm, and do not indicate an issue with the headset itself.

Well, excuse me, but I've never received static shocks from any other ear buds or headphones I've ever used, so I consider this an issue with Bose ear buds. And no, the shocks are NOT pleasant...

Check it out!

Jerry Danzig

NYC

Gee, Bose, it's not fair to blame Jerry if your product shocks him if he tries to use it. And "pain" is considered "harm", at least in most definitions. There's not much point in returning the earbuds for repair or replacement if the problems inherent in the product. Since Jerry's not cool with random electric shocks to his inner ear, (there's just no pleasing some people,) he might want to use our delightful Consumerist techniques to convince someone with authority at Bose to let him return his product and get his money back. He was looking for superior sound quality, not involuntary electroshock therapy.

(photo:The Joy Of The Mundane)

BOSE: Customer Service Never Sounded So Sweet

Carey — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:49:08 EDT

I wanted to acknowledge something I thought was very cool. I purchased a pair of BOSE TriPort IE headphones about ($99) a year ago. The Silicone earbuds are interchangeable for different sized ear canals. After some use the earbuds fall off quite easily, and rip. I chalked it up to my frequent use and was planning on buying replacements.

In my mailbox last week BOSE sent me a package. Inside was a set of 3 replacement silicone earbuds, they sent these to me unsolicited. They explained that consumer feedback had prompted them to do this, and since I purchased them at the BOSE store they had my info.

They also mentioned they were sending an accessory kit later this year to deal with the exercise market, making it a better experience to use the earphones while exercising. I wanted to give they a big THANK YOU, this is rare and I wanted to let them know I will be a repeat customer.

Why don't other companies get this?

Why not indeed. BOSE did everything right. Not only did they respond to customer feedback, but they did so without prompting. Companies occasionally replace defective parts, but usually as part of a class action settlement reached after years of litigation that vastly outlives the life of the product. Even more impressive, BOSE is also planning to send a complimentary accessory kit. Such excellent service is truly worthy of commendation.

New Cars: Branded Audio Is The Thing

Meg Marco — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:31:51 EST

Car manufacturers are usually slow to adopt new technology, but holy cow, do they love premium branded audio. 80% of 2007 models for sale in the U.S. will offer "branded audio" as optional or standard equipment up from 67% during the '06 model year. Cars feature brands like Harman/Kardon, Bose, and Boston Acoustics. Car makers are crazy over ipod as well, From BusinessWire:

"Consumers also want to transfer and play their personal digital media content from a PC, or portable media device, and the most sought after feature in cars is support for Apple's iPod. Last year only 12% of vehicles for sale supported true iPod integration, while nearly 50% of the '07 models support iPods. Meanwhile, auxiliary input is supported by nearly 60% of '07 models."

Does branded audio appeal to you? —MEGHANN MARCO

Branded Car Audio Hits Full Stride for the 2007 Model Year (Press Release) [Buisness Wire]

Blogobitchin'!

Ben Popken — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 03:11:11 EDT

• I DON'T LIKE YELLOW-PLAID SUITS!!! CAN'T YOU SEE BY MY DIMENSIONS THAT I WOULD RESEMBLE A STICK OF JUICY FRUIT GUM!!!?!!??? [Bernard Johnson]"Suit Shopping for a Mutant"
• According to this blog, Toyota hates babies. [Jalopnik] "Breaking! Tundra Recall: Toyota To Recall 160,000 Pickups"
• Just like the cool kid says, MacBooks came with everything right of the box, except for a little sniggly thing called a word processor. [The Stranger] "Rampant, Idiotic MacBookery"
• Tire on car knitting blogger rented from National blows, twice, which still isn't as many times as their customer service does. [Got Gauge] "Tire, Tires, Tired"
• Ever wondered why Bose target customer base seems to be the wealthy and clueless? [FirstAdpotor] "Why Bose Sucks Review Resources"
• Buying a wedding dress on Craiglist is cheap, but you also have to factor in the cost of removing the boob padding. [Another Fucking Wedding] "Wedding dress redux"