Enlarge image
Heaps of boxes (symbol image): It must have looked something like this for some recipients of Sonos deliveries
Photo: Giorgio Fochesato / Westend61 / IMAGO
This spring will be an expensive one.
At least for the American company Sonos, which made a name for itself early on as a pioneer in networked loudspeakers.
Because in the USA, the company has delivered more speakers than ordered to a number of customers.
Seven days ago, a user in a Reddit discussion forum complained that he had been sent several of these mobile speakers instead of the Sonos Move he had ordered (here is our test report).
Sonos only billed one, he was informed by e-mail that there was an error and that he should send back the wrong delivery.
An update is to blame
»A recent update to our systems has resulted in some orders being processed multiple times.
Unfortunately, you were affected by this error and will receive your order multiple times," it said.
Ruth Sleeter, the company's chief information officer, dutifully apologized for the inconvenience and said they would send him return labels and organize a pickup for the overstocked items.
What initially sounded like a bizarre isolated case soon turned out to be a multiple error.
In the following days, other affected people commented on the post.
One reported that three subwoofers and three soundbars had been delivered to him, although he had only ordered one of each.
He was also asked to haul the bulky and heavy boxes to UPS himself.
Another complained that he had received four instead of one Ray soundbar (here is our test report).
Another reported that he ordered a pair of Roam speakers (here is our test report), but received six pairs.
In some cases, the customers were not only debited for the amount of the ordered goods, but also for the speakers that were delivered in excess.
30 packages in the hallway
The tech magazine The Verge quotes from an email that customers affected by this error received.
It states that the overpaid amounts will be refunded within ten days.
In response to this report, however, another person affected contacted the magazine and described his case, which goes far beyond what was discussed on Reddit.
He ordered a total of five products from Sonos, a turntable, an Arc soundbar plus wall mount, a Sonos One and a Roam, the man said.
Not a huge order, but still a slightly larger one.
But what was delivered to him, and what he documented with photos for The Verge, were thirty packages that transformed his apartment, as the magazine put it, “into a Sonos warehouse.”
Value of goods, including taxes, around $15,000.
Because that customer ordered with a discount code, he was only charged an additional $6,000, which was also deducted from his credit card.
The Right to Keep
As if that weren't enough, the company asked him to deliver the excess packages himself to a UPS shop for return.
It was only when he refused in view of the enormous amount that UPS was commissioned to collect the goods.
The UPS employee, who was unaware of the mass delivery, refused to collect the many packages, only took one and left.
It is unclear whether he will come back.
At least legally there is no obligation in the US to return or pay for unsolicited goods, as the Trade Commission FTC explains on its website.
"You have the right to keep it as a gift," it says literally.
A Sonos spokeswoman also told The Verge that the overpaid money would be refunded regardless of whether the products were returned.
Of course, this is of little use to the man with the 30 packages, because the many loudspeakers also caused him trouble with the landlord.
He is bothered that some of the Sonos packages are still in the foyer of the house.
But the over-supplied Sonos customer sees no solution for this, there is simply no more space in his apartment.
