topic Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use in Portable Audio

WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

Deeko76 — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 13:27:07 GMT

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.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

Sean_Mc — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 13:40:11 GMT

Hi there,

Welcome to the Sony Community.

I would suggest getting in touch with the Sony support team who will be best to advise you on this further here.

Best wishes,
Sean

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

Deeko76 — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:13:28 GMT

I have been in touch with the Sony team - the first thing they said was its physical damage and not covered under warranty. I am absolutely dumbfounded about it, £300 for a pair of headphones which obviously have issues with the materials used. Have a look at the below hall of fame for these headphones with the plastic breaking:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3PJHVNC64LUCC/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07GDR2PH9

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2KP9SL1SUA7R7/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07GDR2LYK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1MOXUEXMLT82L/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/portable-audio/wh-1000xm3/m-p/2646721

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/portable-audio/wh-1000xm3-calls-not-working-and-heaband-broke/m-p/2631429

Also, a Sony rep even admits there is an issue with the materials (taken from the comments on another customer's review here)

"Hi John,

Thank you for your feedback.
We have investigated the reports regarding the issue with the headphones and we have taken measures to ensure the quality of the materials and design is not prone to the same issue as a different older model.

Sony support team"

I just want my headphones repaired free of charge instead of being treated badly after dropping nearly £300 on a pair of headphones where they have used shoddy materials.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

Andy115 — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 14:02:00 GMT

Hi,

The same issue has occurred on my pair of XM3's. I have carefully looked after my headphones and I am devastated that they are now unusable! It is totally unacceptable for a high end product to have such a weakness in its design. One side has broken under normal use, and the other is showing signs of strain, I would NOT recommend buying this product. Sony will charge you cira £80 for a repair, there is no warranty coverage for this fault.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

jmiguel99 — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 11:27:22 GMT

I have had the same problem with my WH1000MX3, furthermore, the headband got broken, I have seen the same issue before and is reported here. https://us.community.sony.com/s/question/0D54O0000610NHWSA2/cracked-headband-on-wh1000xm3-headphones...

And yes, looking in the web, there has been lots of issues with this product not only in amazon but in sony's forums and reddit. Totally disappointed.

I had to put tape on them so the damage won't extend. But for "premium" headphones to be fixed with tape is a shame. Recently I have started also to have issues with the connection to my phone, it drops the connection and the headphones turn off suddenly and I have to turn them on again.

for a Brand as Sony, and the premium price one has to pay for this product, the quality issues are really concerning. I'm very disappointed with this headphones. How can I submit a request for fixing them? as they are still in warraty period

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

KayCee2308 — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 22:45:44 GMT

Exactly the same problem. Wish I had read this thread before buying these headphones from John Lewis. Expensive headphones handled with kid gloves. Have just fallen apart. Headband literally y just crumbled in my hand. John Lewis are now telling me that Sony have concluded I mishandled the product. It’s laughable. Having paid over £320 for this product to be asked fo pay £90 to fix it is insulting. Meanwhile my £50 pair of JBLs bought 4 years ago are going strong. I’m not giving Sony more money so I’m guessing it’s pursue it or sellotape. I used to buy Sony almost exclusively. I won’t be doing that or giving them or John Lewis my money again!

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

Deeko76 — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:47:16 GMT

I just bought some grey tape, put a bit on each side so it looks
symmetrical and harder to notice itt is a patch job. I wont give them the
£90 either, clearly the materials are not fit for purpose. Sony have a
history of bad customer service and will 100% not admit to this fault and
continue to charge us to fix their shoddy engineering choices. In future,
use better materials, customers will pay for quality products and come
back, when you dont side with the customer we dont come back.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

yinka007 — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 22:05:55 GMT

This seems to definitely be a recurring problem. I’ve just had the same problem i on b my third pair.

Should have learnt my lesson

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

Mushii77 — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 21:27:11 GMT

As much as manufacturers try and say they only offer one year Warranty, UK Law says that ALL electronic equipment has to have a minimum of 2 years Warranty and they have to be 'fit for purpose' up to 5 years from sale. If you are having problems try contacting Trading Standards who will advise you of your consumer rights in law.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

The_Black_Rose — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 18:12:19 GMT

Hi Deeko76,

I'll try passing this one to Sony. Hopefully, someone will be in touch with you soon.

Cheers,
The_Black_Rose

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

KayCee2308 — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 23:20:53 GMT

@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.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

The_Black_Rose — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:51:48 GMT

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

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

yinka007 — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 17:28:40 GMT

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!

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

Deeko76 — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 18:41:00 GMT

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.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

KayCee2308 — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 19:09:42 GMT

@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.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

The_Black_Rose — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 17:14:40 GMT

Hi,

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

Cheers,
The_Black_Rose

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

james.r — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 09:22:23 GMT

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.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

benfrain — Sat, 30 May 2020 18:48:09 GMT

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.

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

KayCee2308 — Sat, 30 May 2020 19:35:21 GMT

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

Re: WH-1000XM3 headband strap broken under normal use

RottenFoxBreath — Sat, 30 May 2020 20:20:43 GMT

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.pdf

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?!