Bose Reviews 

Ordered replacement cuffs for my QC headphones - showed stock on website with short shipping time estimate. 2.5 weeks later no word and no product. Looked at my bank acct and the funds are "frozen" by Bose but not taken out. Made a simple 40 MINUTE phonecall to be told the item was on backorder with no date. I asked if they thought it might be a good idea to contact customers and tell them this stuff but it was a callcentre overseas and clearly not that fussed. Asked for a release of the funds and was told it will take 3 WEEKS! NEVER AGAIN. I'm getting sony NC headphones next time.

Disappointing Product, Even More Disappointing Customer Service — Bose

I’m extremely disappointed with my experience with Bose. For a premium audio brand that charges premium prices, I expected far better product reliability and a much better customer service experience.

My Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds developed an unpleasant crackling and distorted sound, particularly noticeable in higher-pitched vocals. This is not what you expect from earbuds sold at a premium price point.

What has made the experience even more frustrating is the process of getting the issue resolved. Returning a product and waiting for a replacement should be straightforward. Instead, I’ve been left chasing updates and worrying about what is happening with my return, with a lack of clear communication making an already frustrating situation worse.

Bose charges premium prices but the overall experience has not felt premium at all. When customers invest this much money in a product, they should be able to expect reliable performance, clear communication, and a support team that makes resolving problems easy rather than adding to the frustration.

I shouldn’t have to spend my time chasing information and wondering whether my return is progressing as it should. A replacement process should restore a customer’s confidence in the brand, not further undermine it.

The irony is that I bought these earbuds because I trusted Bose’s reputation for quality. This experience has seriously damaged that trust. I’ve even found myself trying a much cheaper alternative while waiting for the replacement, and the contrast in price makes the premium Bose experience even harder to justify.

Bose needs to do better. Better product reliability, better communication, and a more transparent, customer-focused returns process are the bare minimum expected from a company operating at this price point.

Premium branding means very little when the customer experience falls short. Based on my experience, I would think very carefully before recommending Bose to others.

bought QC ultra headphones for $650AUD. Both ear cushions ripped apart in 5 months of light use.. terrible build quality

Bose QuietComfort : Don't get me wrong, headphones themselves are decent. The thing that's horrible is the quality of the materials.

Basically the earcup fabric has a cheap finishing, it's glued instead of sown.

I only bought these 1.5 years ago, this is the 3rd time this happens, now it's conveniently out of warranty. What am I supposed to do with this junk?

Bose's response? We can get you a replacement one for the friendly price of "more expensive than anywhere else on the internet".

Well done, Bose!

Meanwhile, I have some Sony headphones of a similar price range that's already ten years old and going hard.

My Bose QuietComfort headphones stopped connecting via Bluetooth after about 13 months, only a month after the warranty expired. I kept using them with the cable, but by 18 months the wired connection stopped working too.

The sound quality was great when they worked, but for the price I expected much better durability. I wouldn’t recommend them based on my experience.

I love my QC ultra earbuds. They are the best when it comes to sound cancelling. My last ones lasted over two years and were faultless. Upgraded to the version II via the website and I did have an issue with the left bud connecting to Bluetooth however Ron on the Bose online help desk promptly organised a repair.

I have bought numerous items from Bose, simply because of it once had a good reputation and I didn't check their current reputation. I have a had various issues with them, them latest being the Soundlink Micro 2nd gen. I originally had a pair of 1st gen speakers which I had on either side of my bed, and had them paired in stereo. They were fine and I could connect to them directly from the bluetooth app on my phone to play music. But with these 2nd gen. speakers, you have to physically press and hold the bluetooth button on each of the speakers to connect

I rang Bose support and, after trying everything to fix the issue, they thought it was a problem with the pair I'd bought, so they sent me a new pair. Exact same problem. I rang them again. Still couldn't solve the problem. It turns out it's a problem with the technology of 2nd gen. speakers. So they've taken a backward step with these speakers.

I've since done my research and the Sony SRS-XB100 speakers do what's expected at almost half the price of the Bose.

I purchased these headphones to replace my old QuietComfort 45s, which I loved and used for years. As someone with auditory processing issues, I rely heavily on them for managing loud social environments. The new pair stopped working within weeks of purchase! Only one side of the headphones connected to sound and activated noise-cancelling. For a premium product, this is so disappointing.

The customer service experience made things worse. Over two weeks, I spent hours on chat troubleshooting, even though I’m a long-time Bose customer familiar with their products. I didn’t receive the promised replacement postage label and had to chase it down after more wasted hours. Bose received my broken headphones four days ago, but still no sign of the replacement being sent. I contacted Bose again today to find out that the headphones may not be shipped for another two weeks!

This entire process has been frustrating and distressing. Bose used to be a brand I trusted, but after this experience, I no longer recommend them. I’m willing to pay for high-quality products and service, but sadly, Bose no longer delivers on either.

My first negative experience was delivery of my Bose QuietComfort headphones. They were shipped via DHL but delivered to the wrong address! I called Bose and they said the tracking information showed the item had been delivered. No shit, but it wasn't delivered to me! After the customer service agent finally understood what I was saying, they said my issue would be escalated to their logistics team and I'd hear from them within two business days. I never heard from them. I ended up calling DHL myself and they confirmed my parcel had been delivered to the wrong address (they must use GPS tracking). Luckily, the courier driver was able to retrieve the parcel and deliver it to me, but Bose should have taken care of this and not left it up to the customer.

My second negative experience was with their price match promise. Bose promises to match a lower price offered by selected authorised Bose resellers. You can request a refund of the difference within 7 days of purchase. I did this and the customer service agent said I'd receive a refund in 5-10 business days. I never received a refund. I called them again and they repeated the same thing. Again, I never received a refund. So I opened a dispute with PayPal and they refunded me the difference in 48 hours.

I hope I never need to make a warranty claim on these headphones, because the customer service from Bose is atrocious.

Three months after I purchased the Bose sound equipment it is still not working… finally they agreed to get the part back and “ give it a service “ Bose contacted AIR ROAD to pick up the device and was told that it would be picked up today , not sure of the time so I would have to stay home ! I have waited all day and no sight of them
Besides the unacceptable behaviour of Bose I find that the Transport company AIR ROAD has let me down with their unachievable workload. Of course they will not admit to that but it is obvious. Not only will I never do business with Bose. I certainly don’t recommend the Transport company AIR ROAD that claim to be so thorough ..absolute rubbish. they take on work that they can’t do I it is common in this industry … but I intend to expose them all

Unfortunately, my experience with this product has been extremely disappointing. Despite trying all available earband sizes, the earbuds constantly fell out—even during simple movement—and were eventually lost during a run.

In addition to the poor fit, the left earbud consistently struggled to connect. It would disconnect randomly and required repeated manual reconnection, which made them frustrating and unreliable to use. This is far below the performance advertised and not what I expect from Bose.

I’ve been a loyal Bose customer for years and have never experienced issues with any of your audio products until now. This situation has genuinely shaken my confidence in the brand and the lack of support from your team is pathetic

Bose makes no refunds if you reject delivery.
I ordered new QC ultra earbuds and then changed my mind and contacted customer support within an hour after making an order. They promised to reverse the transaction. Then they said it was not possible and suggested that I reject the delivery and once the order arrives back at Bose warehouse, I will get my money back. They promised 3-7 days for the refund to be processed. It’s been 5 weeks now and no money.
I spoke with Bose customer support 3 times. They created 3 tickets. In my last conversation with Bose, I registered a formal complaint about this they handle the refund. 3 contacts and very customer support representative promised the refund to be made shortly. Yet, they just don’t make refunds. Full stop. They accept the obligation and don’t see a problem for making a refund but they just don’t pay. What a horrible treatment of customers. This is so dishonest. I have requested my bank to handle the dispute. Next step will be the Ombudsmen to an independent review and compensation.

This company promises to price match a product AFTER you buy the item, by issuing a refund.

What's the catch? They don't issue the refund.

I contacted them for a price match which they said would be issued in 8-10 days. About 6 weeks later, I contacted them again, they apologised and said check in 48-72 hours for an update. I followed up and they said that the time frame was actually 3 - 5 working days.

Now, another week has passed, with no refund or further update. They have ripped me off by not issuing the promised refund.

What happens to customers who forget to follow them up?

$650 bucks on a pair of headphones. Bose QuietComfort Headphones. The inside lining is separating. 6 months old. On bumpy rides the sound drops out. A LOT

I had the worst shopping experience with BOSE NZ!!! I purchased a product during their "price match promise" promotion. When I placed the order, I was told I had to pay the original price upfront, and they would process the refund for the price difference later.

Over the next four months, I contacted customer service five times. Each time, they assured me the refund had been successfully processed. But from my side, there was nothing—am I blind? Twice, the agents claimed their system was being updated and couldn’t access my account, leaving me waiting for over 30 minutes each time.

At one point, I even considered returning the product, thinking it might be easier and the product was nothing special. But then I thought, if I returned it, would they just keep the product and still claim they refunded me? The only time their agents are pleasant is when they’re taking your money!

Honestly, I’d rather toss my money at the Harbour Bridge and watch the waves than ever spend it on anything named BOSE again!!!

Purchasing their product was easy, but everything else was hard.

I spent 40 minutes on live chat doing a return within their 90-day money-back guarantee. It was a painful and horrible experience.

Don't expect it to get any easier after that, if you want to return an item you have to go to a UPS drop off centre. From what I can see, there is only one in Sydney at Botany, so if you don't close to that, good luck to you.

I won't be buying anything more from Bose.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones.
After a few months, crackling noise right ear.
Then poor blue tooth connection, making interruption hearing, that is impossible to use.
I used their website for support / service I filled out all the forms and it made the impression that they would send out a new pair. I waited about 6 weeks and nothing. So I contacted them and they said I should have send the product back and that they sent an email, but I received no email and filling out their forms, there was no instructions or mentioning of returning the product.
Don't bother buying this product.

I choose to order from the website and to go through the pain of getting a refund from price match as they have no process to match the selling price to the market price and ask you to pay full price with them refunding the difference when the item is received. This was my first mistake as I should have seen the red flag there already
They quote 1-2 business days for delivery on their website. 2 business days later, still no shipment notice, speaking to an agent on the chat, they can't cancel the order as it's been passed onto their logistics agents already but they are unable to give me any ETA or any idea of when it will be shipped. It's a big concern, as a temporary visitor to the country, I have no idea if my order will actually arrive before I leave. They say their turnaround leadtime is 5-7 business days which is not at all what they advertise on their website. After wasting 2 hours on the chat, I was provided with no solution rather than waiting an unspecified amount of time for the order to show up.
this has been reported to the ACCC as untruthful claims of shipping & delivery timings

Customer support was brilliant. Very responsive and polite. Thank you Bose!

Slow customer service, they take a while to reply.