Sonos Accused of Wasteful Abusive NonRecycling Program For Speakers

Sonos Accused of Wasteful, Abusive Non-Recycling Program For Speakers

Contents

Sonos, a company known for high-quality speakers, offers customers a discount to future products in exchange for “bricking” their existing device.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

Sonos Accused of Wasteful Abusive NonRecycling Program For Speakers

Sonos, a maker of wireless smart speakers, came under fire recently for advocating that repeat buyers activate a “recycle mode” in their existing devices when upgrading to a new Sonos One, New, or Move. But unlike what the word “recycle” suggests, recycle mode is merely a means of permanently disabling the device, or “bricking” it. The company which is known for making high-quality speakers offers its users a 30-percent discount for a new speaker in exchange for bricking their older products through the recycle mode. Once recycle mode is activated, speakers will be made useless for anything aside from their parts after 21 days. Following which, Sonos suggests disposing of the device at a recycling center.

Sonos has been criticized for this practice because it removes all possibility of the devices ever being reused, donated, or sold. The company has said that future features will not be compatible with older products, and could present a user with an old version of the Sonos experience if they buy an outdated second-hand device. This comes at an environmental cost, as many of the plastics the speakers are made of will end up in a landfill or incinerated instead of reused or donated.

Tech website Engadget reviewed the Sonos One as “The best-sounding smart speaker you can buy,” and the Sonos Move as “durable and portable,” albeit expensive. Their brand image and its value is likely the motivation for Sonos to want their users to dispose of their devices, as they often fetch up to $200 when resold. Sonos has stated that upwards of 92-percent of Sonos speakers ever sold continue to see use.

See also  High School Musical 5 Times The Movies Were Ahead Of Their Time (& 5 Moments That Didnt Age Well)

Sonos Refuses To Reuse Speakers

Sonos stated that the reason for its recycling mode is for the benefit of new customers. This seems to be little more than corporate speak to defend the questionable actions of the company. As second-hand market places like eBay, Facebook, and Amazon Marketplace continue to see growth, perhaps electronics makers like Sonos are fearing losing sales to resales. This has been a motivator for many companies to dissuade their customers from selling their items. Popular tactics are one-use activation codes or trade-in offers that often don’t match up to the item’s actual worth.

Sonos may include features in future products that aren’t compatible with previous iterations, but that’s not a good enough reason to ignore the benefits of reusing older products.

Next: The Pros (and Cons) of a 4K Projector Vs 4K HD TV in Your Home Theater

Source: Engadget

A child of 90’s Arcades, Chazz Mair most enjoys experiencing new things with people he’s never met before. Lover of fighting games, comic books, and radio. Prior to writing for Screen Rant, Chazz Mair graduated from the University of New Haven with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. There, he worked in Radio, Television, Public relations, and Journalism. In his free time, Chazz does Stand-Up Comedy and can usually be found playing the newest fighting games around popular New Jersey hang-outs.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/sonos-wastes-reusable-speakers/

Movies -