Thursday, April 10, 2014

Bowers and Wilkins C5 Headphones, a warning

                                         



Ok...we love gadgets.  We have been VERY blessed to have either won or have been gifted with all kinds of neat things...and even though I hate working through the manuals for anything technical, I love toys.  My very generous brother gifted both my husband and me with a trip to the Apple Store a few years ago (back while we were still talking, lol) and gave me an iPad and my hubby these really fancy headphones, the C5.  I could not for the life of me understand why these little things that looked like somewhat high-tech earbuds would cost that much but my brother was in a generous mood and we figured that if they were in the Apple store, they must be compatible with their products.

Well...the procrastination runs in the family.  My very frugal hubby put his valued gift away and continued to use the earphones he already had, then he received a pair of Dre's Beats Solo headphones so he has been using those.  He knows I hate things on my ears so he finally got out the B&W C5 headphones after several years...and...WHILE THEY WORKED...they were fantastic.  He used them for about 30 minutes one night, then a couple of nights later, he put them in for me to try out.  I listened to one song...and then, when the next one started...I asked him...why is the sound only coming through one ear.  Uh-oh.  To say that he was unhappy is an understatement...but we fiddled around and tried them in our different iPods...and...it started playing in both ears...and then it went away again.  I looked on the web, got through the hoops and filled out a ticket and then, just before you hit send, there is a set of FAQs...one of which mentions exactly this problem!  I followed the instructions on those and voila! It worked again.  For 1 day.  Sigh.  Meanwhile, the hubby is having a fit.  I put them in and listened to my laptop for about 5 minutes last night.  They worked.  Gave them back to the hubby.  They worked.  Success!  Last night.  Today...NO!

So...we got a call back from a representative.  Oops...warranty's over...so, too bad, so sad...we can send them in to be serviced.  For about 1/2 what they cost my brother in the first place.

The moral of the story...DON'T buy Bowers and Wilkins headphones...or, if you do, make sure you use the heck out of it during the warranty time because they don't stand behind their product otherwise.  Unfortunately, I have family drama going on so I doubt this will ever be an issue again, the promise of a trip to the Apple Store...but we certainly won't be recommending these to anybody!

If you have a minute, please go to my review on Amazon and 'like' it so that the company knows that other people are being made aware that they need to do something about their product!  Link

8 comments:

  1. I hate when I get something and it doesn't work...hate that! I actually buy Maxell M&M'S Lightweight Earbuds and they are only about $10. I have a pair and bought everyone in my family a pair and they've lasted over a year with no problems. They sound really good too.

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    1. I'll have to look into those...thanks, Mary. I was really disappointed on the hubby's behalf...

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  2. Stopped by the review. I had a Kindle brake on me & am still ticked. Back to paperback for me.---Rae

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    1. I appreciate it, Rae. So sorry to hear your Kindle broke. Time for you to win another one...I still prefer my paper books...it kind of creeps me out the way Kindle keeps track of where I have marked my notes, how fast I am reading, etc. but I have to admit it is an easier way to carry more books at once!

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    2. Wait...Kindle keeps track of how fast you read and where you put notes? is that just for the new Kindles or all of them. I have a really old one that someone gave me. That creeps me out.

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    3. Yep...isn't that a little uncomfortable? I don't know whether it is only certain versions...but it tends to disturb me, and even more when I go back to look at something while I am trying to write up my review...and it has at the bottom that it is 'learning my reading speed'. It's even more weird to me to access the book from a different device and have it tell me where I left off last...I know that some folks might find it to be a convenience but it just is a little too 'Big Brother' to me!

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  3. Oh my goodness that would stink!!! I stopped by on amazon, I hope they figure out that they made a stinky product and they should fix it for free!

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    1. Thanks, Crystal. I was disappointed when I started reading through the reviews...obviously there is some issue that the company doesn't want to face so I am afraid that nothing will happen but I am disappointed in both this company and Apple since they feature this product in their stores!

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