TL;DR: I exchanged a pair of broken earbuds for a discount on a new pair. They came, and they don't work, and Bose refuses to refund them.

I owned a wonderful pair of Quiet Comfort earbuds for a few years that suddenly stopped working. They were out of warranty, but on the Bose website I discovered I could send them in for a new pair of Quiet Comfort Ultra earbuds for a discount, at $195. I read the Terms of Sale and scanned posts on this subreddit and from what I saw, the new ones would be under warranty and I could return them if I didn't like them.

I traded in the old ones for the new Quiet Comfort Ultra buds. In a silent room, the noise cancelling in my ear is louder than the room around me - not at all what I had wanted. So I started the process for a return, but the website wouldn't process it and told me I had to contact customer support. I did, and I was further informed that replacements weren't eligible for refunds.

I spent an hour on the phone explaining my situation to a call center representative. What I bought was a brand new pair of earbuds, at a discount because I had traded in my old pair, and I wanted a refund, since the terms of sale said that orders from the website were fully refundable if they weren't final sale products. The representative's response: "Actually, your order is marked as a replacement, not as a website order (even though you ordered it on the website), and we don't refund replacements, so there's nothing we can do." I asked repeatedly to be shown any policy that said replacements weren't website orders, or that they couldn't refund replacements. Couldn't get an answer. They pointed me to the trade-up page, and I read them the sentence on that page, "If the newly purchased product is returned, the refund value will be the price paid for the newly purchased product." In the end all they could say was that the page I ordered from didn't say anything about being able to return it, so therefore, I couldn't return it. Even if the actual terms of sale page said nothing about replacements.

I just feel genuinely misled. I had specifically looked for any text that mentioned "exchanges are excluded from refunds," and couldn't find a word; I wouldn't have bought them if I knew they couldn't be returned. So if you're looking to buy a discounted replacement product yourself, keep that in mind.

Can anyone explain to me why Bose has SO MANY refurbished products? Are they so poorly constructed that they have issues right away or are they returns? And why would you return a great looking and sounding device? Their quality is supposed to be high. Just concerned that so many have to be repaired.

hi,

i wanted to get qc earbuds and sleepbuds without waiting for official reviews online. noticed they are able to offer 90 day risk free trial that if i dont like it for whatever reason then i can return it. is this reliable? thanks

I bought a pair of white smoke QC Ultra earbuds about a month ago from the official website on a really good deal. However, I experienced the static buzzing in the left ear that others have reported, so I sent them off for a replacement pair. While they were being processed, the 60th anniversary diamond ones went on sale for an even better deal, so I bought them knowing I could return my least favourite colour.

I got the replacements back, but preferred the diamond ones, so I reached out to Bose to return the white smoke earbuds. I expected no issues at all due to the 90 day policy, but they said no. They said that it only applies to standard orders and not replacement orders, their system wouldn't let them, and that all they could do was offer another replacement. I asked them to show me where it said this online but they couldn't. It wasn't until I pressured them with the promise of a chargeback claim that they said they convinced their manager to agree to "an exception" and issue a return label.

In the end it's all fine, albeit annoying, so the reason for this post is to ask two questions:

1. Is this really their official policy? Have others experienced this? Or did I just get a bad customer service agent/team?

2. Out of curiosity, where does the law stand on this? Does getting a faulty product replaced void your right to return since you've seen (a version of) the product? I ask this both in the context of a store's own policy, and in terms of more general consumer rights (14 days to return an online purchase for any reason). My gut feeling is that it shouldn't, but I may be wrong.

Not sure when I will, but my new QC Ultas are going back to Bose because of constant dull thuds heard in both ear cups, squeaks at the LH hinge, and a super creaky headband. For this type of return did you have to call or can you simply do everything on-line? Also please, how long did it take to receive your new pair, and you did get a new pair, right; not a refurb?

Lastly does the shipping label they provide allow for pickup at home, of do you have to drop it off yourself? Thank you.