topic Re: WH-1000xm3 in Portable Audio

WH-1000xm3

high52kojak — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 11:11:56 GMT

So the headband on both sides of my xm3's has cracked, which can and has resulted in the headband coming away from the body, and exposing the wires, very easy to break, not good! The very thin plastic has cracked in normal use, I am by no means heavy handed with them. It looks to be a design flaw in this area. Why Sony uses such thin and weak plastic in this area?

Sony also refuse to look at this matter as it doesn't fall under warranty as it's "cosmetic damage"!? No way.

This is not what I expect from a £300 pair of high end headphones.

Should have stuck to Bose.

Re: WH-1000xm3

EdwinaU — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 12:41:28 GMT

Hi there,

Welcome to the community.

You could look into the repairs service as another option. If you decide to the information is here.

Best wishes,

Re: WH-1000xm3

Skylark001 — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 16:10:10 GMT

Thank you for warning other owners of this weakness.

Re: WH-1000xm3

The_Black_Rose — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 15:10:31 GMT

Hi High52kojak,

That's very unusual. I have tested the headphones that my friend owns before and they seemed perfect. I've also heard positive feedback about them.

Have you tried sending them in to Sony to inspect them?

Cheers,
The_Black_Rose

Re: WH-1000xm3

Burgey69 — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 11:30:00 GMT

Exactly the same issue with mine, only 6 months old.

Took them back to john Lewis and they sent them off to Sony who said that it didn't fall under the guarantee and would cost £85 to repair!

Re: WH-1000xm3

Burgey69 — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 11:35:38 GMT

£85 is for one side

Re: WH-1000xm3

X45721 — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 22:03:13 GMT

Hi,

I have had the same issue, in exactly the same place on both sides of the headphones. If you look on the US Sony Community site there are users also reporting exactly the same problem, which suggests to me that this is a design fault or a manufacturing issue.

I'd only had the headphones for 6 months when I experienced the issue. I am always very careful with the headphones and I only use them for a couple of hours a day on the train and always put them back in the carry case.

I sent the headphones to Sony and I was also told that they will not fix this under warranty as it is physical damage. I agree it is physical damage, but in my view it was due to poor design or a manufacturing issue and NOT as a result of mis-use by me.

I have had one conversation with someone in the US Community who had the same issue and did get their headphones replaced so there is hope but I can't recommend these to others and based on Sony's response I will not be buying their products in future.

Re: WH-1000xm3

high52kojak — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:51:06 GMT

It's crazy isn't it.

I understand that issues arise in design and manufacture, it happens. But the way Sony are ignoring this problem is not good, they shouldn't just ignore it and say it's damage and not covered by warranty. It's clearly a design flaw.

Poor customer service reflects very badly on a company.

I've always rated Sony but after this issue I won't be buying anything else from them.

Re: WH-1000xm3

X45721 — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 21:39:12 GMT

I am currently getting about 2 messages a week from people reporting the same problem on the US community site, so there is increasing evidence that this is a common problem.

Re: WH-1000xm3

BogdanM13 — Sun, 31 May 2020 07:48:12 GMT

This is absolutely incredible, everyone is having this problem in the exact same spot of the product and Sony is just trying to throw it under the rug!

I have encountered the same exact issue described here - https://community.sony.ro/t5/portable-audio/wh-1000xm3-headband-cracked-while-stored-in-carrying-cas...

And a lot of other people do!

I have contacted Sony support in my country by phone, email and website ticket but everyone is telling me it´s damage I caused and I need to pay 90+ EUR for the fix. Sony Support is outsourced through a company called SYKES and they are bragging what a good financial gain they help Sony with in their reports - https://www.sykes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/sonypresentation.pdf

These outsourced call center agents and email representatives DO NOT work for Sony and they refuse to pass the issue to actual SONY people. It´s incredible that these topics have so many people complaining and Sony tries to tell us there´s no problem with the product and to pay for the repairs out of warranty in their overpriced service centers with overpriced parts!

Re: WH-1000xm3

Sean_Mc — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 08:57:41 GMT

Hi there,

I have escalated your case.

Best wishes,
Sean

Re: WH-1000xm3

high52kojak — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:19:40 GMT

Hi,

any update on this case escalation?

Re: WH-1000xm3

BogdanM13 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 18:16:02 GMT

No, absolutely no update. Sony has given no solution and is no longer responding to any support channels of mine. I have tried calling, emailing, opening a support ticket and even dropping physical files about my experience and problem to the local Sony management headquarters, to absolute no avail. This whole situation is being shoved under the rug, as always with Sony. This is my first and also last piece of audio equipment I purchase from this scamming manufacturer.

Re: WH-1000xm3

Joe_Dohn — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 16:16:47 GMT

Hey,

I passed this to my Sony contact for you, and they said that Sony has provided their final statement about this.

- J.D.

Re: WH-1000xm3

BogdanM13 — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 13:29:06 GMT

And how is that useful, if you do not mind? The last I have ever heard from Sony, just so that you know was in August. I have received no further emails, just what they have first said. And in the meantime, the strap has broken itself in the same place on the opposite side.

Not only has Sony no longer replied to my emails, I think they have also banned my phone number at the local support center. Calling them keeps me in an infinite waiting loop. Maybe I should call them from a private number.

I have tried contacting Sony International support, only to be told that there's „no power” beyond the national support line, which by the way isn't even Sony but a bunch of outsourced support people in a third party call center just reciting a script.

I have also went to the physical Sony headquarters in my country and left a file with all these discussions printed, to no avail. Heard nothing back.

I encourage ANYONE to stay away from Sony Audio products on these grounds.

Re: WH-1000xm3

FinbarGood — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 14:10:22 GMT

I've had exactly the same problem recently. The thin band you highlight in your photo broke on my pair as well. This let the end piece flex too widely, which in turn led to a hairline crack, and eventually the earpiece end completely breaking off. The same thin band broke on the other side with a hairline crack appearing in the spot. I sent it in to Sony repair agent, who have decided it's "physical damage not under guarantee". Full stop, no detail. £100 to repair. I have tried to escalate it but am getting nowhere. Very frustrating.

Re: WH-1000xm3

BogdanM13 — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 20:17:36 GMT

Yeah, of course, and some „specialist” from the forum will tell you that you somehow exerted spec-exceeding forces on your headphones while taking them off your head and it's rightly physical damage. Sony is a joke, seriously. I am literally trying all avenues of contact and nobody in my country or at the Europe HQs has been answering anything for months now. It is absolutely outrageous!

Re: WH-1000xm3

HannahEd01 — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 10:35:39 GMT

Hi BogdanM13, correct me if I'm wrong, you sent the headphones for inspection and you were told there's a physical damage already? I have a friend who sent his and it turned out to be a physical damage as well, if that's true I'm not sure what are you after? Sony had another model with a design defect and they used to repair it in warranty here in the UK, so if the engineers said it's physical damage, I don't think it is not. If you didn't send them yet try that solution.

Re: WH-1000xm3

BogdanM13 — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 11:58:37 GMT

Of course I sent them in for repair at the local Sony partner (no other kind of warranty repair is offered here) and was quoted a ridiculous price (1/3 of the initial price of the set). And I kindly ask you to refrain from backing the opinion of the „engineers” if you are not using such a pair of headphones yourself. What engineers are you talking about? The service technicians who deny warranty on physical damage grounds at a first inspection because that's what the Sony guidelines/handbook for service partners say? The fact you „do not think it is not” physical damage doesn't mean you should try to normalize this situation. Of course it is „physical damage” according to the dictionary definition, but the cause is not improper use in this situation. What improper use could I subject my headphones to while putting them on or taking them off my head and putting them in the supplied carrying case?

This is no improper handling, it is just building +350$ headphones out of the cheapest and thinnest plastic you can find.

Also you are asking what I am „after”? I am „after” spreading the word so people do not have such money-wasting experiences by being foolish and buying from a brand which is supposed to have some tradition and care about customers.