Bose, one of the world’s leading audio brands, has taken the dramatic step of discontinuing its Sleepbuds because of inconsistent battery performance that didn’t meet the company’s standards.
Bose says most owners had reported no issues with the product and use them regularly to get to sleep.
But others have had a different experience with the device not charging fully or powering down unexpectedly or both.
The Bose Sleepbuds look like a pair of earphones and use noise masking technology to help people fall asleep and stay asleep.
Bose will be discontinuing the product because they say it can’t be fixed.
Customers have two options.
They can get a full refund between now and December 31, 2019 through the Bose.com.au website.
Or they can continue to use their Sleepbuds or get another pair from a limited supply of Sleepbuds that are less susceptible to the battery issues.
And if these battery issues resurface, they will still be covered by the product’s two year warranty which allows for an additional replacement if available or a complete refund.
“Based on what we knew, we believed that software and firmware updates could fix the issues. But the failures have continued, and recently, they’ve increased,” says Bose general manager John Roselli.
“That led us to look more closely at each piece of hardware. And we learned that while the battery we chose functions safely, it doesn’t work as consistently or predictably as it should to meet our standards.
“For that reason, we’re discontinuing Sleepbuds. We’ll go back to research, because we are committed to making our vision a reality. But today, we begin with something more important – doing whatever it takes to make things right with you.
“For over 50 years, we’ve conducted extensive research to do things that no one ever thought was possible.
“Each time, we did it to make your life better. When we’ve challenged convention, we haven’t always succeeded.
“Sometimes, we’ve stumbled. Sometimes, despite our diligence, things have gone wrong. “And by far, our worst days are when that’s impacted you. Nothing else comes close.
“We’re sorry for disappointing you, and we’re sorry for not communicating more clearly along the way. We had good intentions, but unless that makes a difference to you, it’s not enough.”
