Sonos CR200 Dead Spots

[eggontoast]

I cant believe it, after buying one of the Sonos CR200 remotes at the over inflated prices you would expect it to be bullet proof wouldn't you. No chance, I've picked it up tonight and tried to scroll down the A - Z of music and there are dead spots - missing letters. After doing a quick google it appears that this is a common problem and Sonos are inundated with failed controllers, now you know why they discontinued it. How can they get it so wrong ? I mean its not like touch screens are a new technology is it. For the first time I'm really disappointed in Sonos :-( and pissed off of course

 

[The_Lhc]

Yes it seems to be pretty common, but they are still supporting them for the next few years so get it sent back. You're right though, I think it is one of the main reasons they killed it.

 

[Big Aura]

yep, they're far from great. Much better to get a refund and buy a cheap iPod touch and download the app.

 

[The_Lhc]

An Android device has the advantage of being able to connect directly to the Sonos mesh network, so can be used even if your home wireless network is out of range.

 

[eggontoast]

Luckily I have an iPhone and the misses an android phone so we can still use the Sonos system but, I just preferred the Sonos controller........till it went wrong.

 

[archie527]

You think your bad, in the first 2 years they have replaced 3 controllers for me. That means im on my fourth. The one they replaced in Febuary lasted around 2 weeks and was replaced again. Lo & behold i go to use it tonight and number 4 has a dead spot so i can't access the radio or the shuffle menu. I knew this was going to happen and i reckon i'm out of warranty now.

I love the Sonos system and bought a Play 3 for my Sisters Wedding pesent a few months ago. Luckily for them they will be using their phones.

I am going to complain to Sonos and ask for some form of Compensation or refund, though I won't hold my breath. The thing has never been reliable since i bought it and they are not cheap as we all know.:wall:

 

[The_Lhc]

You think your bad, in the first 2 years they have replaced 3 controllers for me. That means im on my fourth. The one they replaced in Febuary lasted around 2 weeks and was replaced again. Lo & behold i go to use it tonight and number 4 has a dead spot so i can't access the radio or the shuffle menu. I knew this was going to happen and i reckon i'm out of warranty now.

Should be if you only got it since February, you should get a new warranty with each replacement.

 

[archie527]

Hopefully your right, though i assumed the warranty was 2 years total. Surely at this rate they'll be replacing mine until their stocks run out, then what? At this point i'd love a refund as we can use our phones or ipad.

 

[eggontoast]

Well top marks for Sonos customer service the replacement is due for delivery on Monday.

But this is a ridiculous situation, obviously they can't rectify the problem with the screens so what's the point in sending controllers out knowing they will fail again. What are they going to do when they run out of replacements. It would be interesting to know what actually happens to them when they fail. I wouldn't worry too much about the warranty, I recon my one was three years old.

 

[archie527]

I know, what is it about their touchscreens that are so different to the millions of smartphones out there. I have never heard of anyone getting faulty screens with those. I guess I'll just have to go through the process of replacement again, which is straightforward but a bit of a nuisance. I wish I had my £279 back. Everything else about sonos is pretty reliable though, so it's a pity that these controllers are so bad.

 

[archie527]

I have just emailed Sonos support asking for credit or refund and highlighted my thoughts that this 'premium' product is not fit for purpose. I will post the outcome when i find out.

 

[archie527]

Update - Sonos rang me rather than e-mail and apologised for all my trouble. They assured me that they have sorted the touchscreen issues and offered me another replacement controller and 30% off in the Sonos store.

I have accepted this as they have assured me that the warranty will continue to apply. This is my 5th controller ( 4th replacement ) and if it dosn't last this time i wont be going for a sixth.

They where quite helpful and i reckon i would have got the full credit if i had pushed them, so have that as a backup if this one gives any bother.

 

[eggontoast]

I must admit the Sonos support was excellent, a brand new controller which was manufactured in March this year arrived with no problems. Problem is I don't have any faith in the CR200's now so I sold it on to get my money back. I'm afraid that the damage has been done to the reputation of the controller now, that's probably why Sonos stopped making it, after all mud sticks.

I'm started to get a bit disillusioned with the sonos stuff now as my WD100 keeps dropping out too, think its time for a change.

 

[gowiththeflow]

Just a couple of weeks ago my CR200 started playing up with same "dead spot" problems.

Up to now it has been very reliable with the only issue being the over sensitive touch screen, that made life frustrating at times.

The "dead spot" issue manifests itself as no response whatsoever to touching the screen in various places.

There are complete lines across the screen that cannot be accessed and where there is no scollable screen or amount of scroll left, it's impossible to move things so that a selection can be made from a part of the screen that's still responding.

This controller is out of warranty being 18 months old, so I'm going to contact Sonos to see what can be done.

Will there be any replacements left by now?

.

 

[The_Lhc]

This controller is out of warranty being 18 months old, so I'm going to contact Sonos to see what can be done.

Will there be any replacements left by now?

Quite possibly, they have extended the support poeriod, only trouble is the replacements are no more reliable, it's one of the reasons they've discontinued it.

You might be better off trying to get some money back and getting a Nexus 7 or something instead.

Oh and don't take no for an answer, some of the support people might try to fob you off but keep insisting and get it escalated to the next level up and they should sort you out.

 

[eggontoast]

I did hear that the new ones don't suffer from this problem. Sonos won't mess you about, they'll replace it. As The_LCH said though, just buy one of the cheap tablets instead. I bought a Kindle fire to do the job when they were on special offer, works a treat, in actual fact it's better.

 

[gowiththeflow]

You might be better off trying to get some money back and getting a Nexus 7 or something instead.

I already have an iPod Touch that I use, but I much prefer the Sonos CR200. The hardware buttons are much better for volume control and other features.

I also have a Nexus 7 here in the house and I'm not really that impressed with it to be honest. It's going to get replaced by an iPad Mini at some point (we already have a full sized one). Using the Nexus 7 just as a dedicated Sonos controller may a good use for it though.

I did hear that the new ones don't suffer from this problem. Sonos won't mess you about, they'll replace it.

Thank you for the reasurrance. Hopefully I'll get decent service when I contact them. Unfortunately I'll have to leave this until the New Year now though.

 

[progwardy]

10th January 2013 and I have awoken to an 8mm dead strip at the bottom of my CR200! The controller was purchased from my local Hi-Fi shop on 18th May 2010 so I will report back on my experience with trying to get a replacement or refund in case the tale is of use to other forum members.