WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

[Deeko76]

Bought the WH-1000XM3 headphones in July this year, very happy with them. Using them today as normal and adjusted the straps as you do - then the left strap  broke off under completely normal use. This has me worried after reading a few other posts for the same issue on this forum as Sony will probably want to charge me to fix this because of the low quality materials they have used in £300 headphones? I bought them from Amazon and notice a few reviews on there with the same issue reported.  The left strap broke in this case and no longer adjusts. Amazon directed me to Sony for warranty purposes but have the feeling I will need to push Amazon for a replacement instead. Wanted to let people know about this and to think again before buying them. 

[KayCee2308]

@The_Black_Rose  have you noted the number of people, including me, that have an identical problem. The concern is that Sony is selling extremely expensive, poorly made gear and then demanding large sums of money to fix them when they fall apart. I have asked them to reconsider their indefensible position on my head phones (ie refusing to fix on the ground the damage is my fault) but if they decline to do so I will take it further. Goods must be fit for purpose under UK law. The more high end and expensive the item the more stringent a test applied by the courts. Throw in what appears to be admissions on at least one other site that there is a problem and Sony don’t seem to have a leg to stand on. Never mind the huge damage done to their relationship with previously loyal customers. 

[The_Black_Rose]

Hi KayCee2308 ,

To be honest, I've seen Sony honor known issues before and offer free repair for them like the older version, MDR-1000X and VAIO laptops. So, if they didn't really acknowledge this as a known issue I'd actually believe it's more of individual cases not a manufacturing defect.

Other than that, I've tested the headphones myself for some time and they were incredible.

Also, as far as I am aware, the engineers at Sony can identify physical damage from manufacturing faults so if they said it's physical damage I think it is definitely physical damage.

Cheers,
The_Black_Rose

[yinka007]

Speaking as a recipient of 3 headphones that have broken within months of having them, this comes across as a biased comment. While I’m not definitively accusing you of representing Sony in this issue its not helpful to customers with damaged items for you to speak for Sony engineers.
Distinguishing between physical damage and manufacturing faults is not necessarily the most salient issue.
In the case of my 3 headphones that broke they were definitely physically damaged. However as many comments have stated the issue is that the design is so poor that the headphones break with minimum amount of pressure . This is most likely a design flaw!

[Deeko76]

Just to be clear here - I never even got as far as an engineer having a look at my broken headphones. When I phoned Sony support for warranty cover and explained what had happened I was immediately told over the phone that it was physical damage and not covered, but I can send them in for repair at cost using a freepost option. The response that it was physical damage was so quick that it felt scripted. I will not be paying anything thank you and would rather put the significant repair cost (£90+) toward another brand of headphones with better build quality.

This is easily the worst customer experience I have ever had for anything I have purchased, the fact they are a premium product makes it all the worse.

D.

[KayCee2308]

@The_Black_Rose A couple of very basic facts. A dispute is when one side believes or asserts one thing and the other side asserts something else. We disagree. If I ( or others) decide to pursue this it will be determined by independent evidence. Sony Engineers opining on a Sony product are not independent.  In other words your saying that Sony Engineers say X so it must be X is, with respect, just wrong and more than a little biased/ patronising. Goods have to be fit for the purpose for which they were sold. That test of fitness will be a higher bar for these ludicrously expensive headphones. A very long winded way of saying I think these expensive headphones are badly/ shoddily  made and not fit for purposes. The comments here, from other users, bolster that view.

What really, really disappoints me is not just  the fact these things just fell apart but the horrible response, so called customer service  I’ve had so far. If I do not get these repaired (frankly they should be replaced)  by Sony then I will stop buying Sony goods. As I’ve spent thousands on their products over the years it will be their loss.

[The_Black_Rose]

Hi,

I am not being biased. I'm just stating facts based on my own experience.

Cheers,
The_Black_Rose

[james.r]

Same issue! My one-year warranty has expired (not that I got any use out of it, physical damage isn't covered despite it resulting from normal use), so I've given up hope in Sony's customer support. Won't make the same mistake again.

[benfrain]

Add me to the list. Bought Jan 2019. Treated with kid gloves, only used indoor and noticed mine have gone like so many others. Astonishing bad form from Sony. I’m frankly astonished they aren’t fixing these free for customers. 

Will try speaking to Sony support on Monday and hopefully get them sorted. 

[KayCee2308]

Exactly the same problem and experience as everyone else. The fact all of these (extremely expensive)  products are failing in the same place and in the same way should be a red flag. Nonsense from John Lewis. Am going to try sending them back to Sony but not holding my breath. Terrible customer service. Terrible product. Will no longer buy from either. 

s a

[RottenFoxBreath]

I enquired about the flaw, and received this response:

Dear Mr xxxxxx
Thank you for contacting Sony Support.
In reference to your enquiry regarding your Sony WH-1000XM3, we are sorry to learn that you are having some concerns regarding you headphones.
Please note that we do not have an ongoing manufacturing fault with this model.
You can continue using your headphones without worrying as long as you are following the precautions found in the operating instructions below:
https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/4739/71ce01843a623084000dc8b2940272b5/47392793M...

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this email.
Thank you for your enquiry.
Yours sincerely,
<name removed.

SONY SUPPORT TEAM

But it would appear there is?!