“I've been a loyal Bose customer for years. Over time I've purchased four pairs of Bose headphones — and I'll be honest, two of them stopped working well before they should have. My QuietComfort 45 eventually stopped charging entirely, which is what pushed me toward the trade-in program in the first place. I still chose to stay within the Bose ecosystem. That loyalty is now something I deeply regret.
On March 19, I received the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) after trading in my (dead) QC45 — paying $328 for what was advertised as an upgrade. Within days it was clear this was a significant downgrade in every way that matters to me:
Fit: The headphones do not stay on my head during movement. My QC45 never had this problem. These shift and feel insecure the moment I'm anything other than perfectly still.
Noise Cancelling: Noticeably weaker than my QC45. For a product marketed as the pinnacle of Bose ANC technology and priced accordingly, this is inexcusable.
Sound Quality: Disappointing. The audio profile just doesn't satisfy compared to what I had before.
Less than a week after receiving the product — on March 27 — I called Bose support to ask about a return and refund. I spoke with a representative named Sean, who informed me that purchases made through the trade-in program are classified as "final sale" and cannot be returned under any circumstances.
This policy was not prominently disclosed at the time of purchase. I had no working headphones, traded in my broken pair, paid $328 on top of that, and I'm now stuck with an inferior product with zero recourse.
I am a customer who has bought four pairs of Bose headphones. Two failed prematurely — including the QC45 that led me here. I stayed loyal anyway. This is how that loyalty gets rewarded.
Do not use Bose's trade-in program unless you are 100% certain you'll love the product. Once you hand over your device and pay, you have no way out — even if what you receive is a step backward.”
“The sound quality of the Ultra Gen 2 is very good, but the brittle plastic material breaks easily. I bought a pair four months ago, and when I took them out of my ears, the ear pad snapped off suddenly, leaving the pad stuck inside my ear. Don't buy them—the older models are better. Att Leo Garcia”
“I will not recommend bose home theater system ever again I wasted over 2400.00 on the bose 700 soundbar and sub and souround speakers I have called customer support 9 times and hung up on 2 times they cant figure anything out got it working for 1 day than it quite working again this wireless system is trash”
“Do not buy Bose products!!! I recently purchased Bose ultra earbud that were faulty. The only option they gave me was to pay another £175 on top of £199 for the earbuds I’d already purchased meaning I paid a total of £375.98 for a product that is now on sale since Black Friday for £299.95. Bose gave me excuse after excuse after 3 calls and 180 minutes in calls I made to them but essentially on their part they still wanted £175.66 from me. They would not take into account that the product they sold me initially was faulty but no credit note was given to me. Stay away from this company and this is from someone who normally loves Bose products but not anymore!!”
“Growing up I was always told how great Bose was. As I got older and could make up my own mind I now realize how far an amazing marketing team can take your company. If you talk to most audiophiles they rarely compliment Bose other than their nose cancelling. If you go online and read Bose reviews you realize just how awful their practices and lack of customer service are. Ive been lied to 4 different times from Bose employees about returns/refunds and it doesn't appear in alone, so I'm basically out money and the equipment. Please use caution before buying.”
“Growing up I was always told how great Bose was. As I got older and could make up my own mind I now realize how far an amazing marketing team can take your company. If you talk to most audiophiles they rarely compliment Bose other than their nose cancelling. If you go online and read Bose reviews you realize just how awful their practices and lack of customer service are. Ive been lied to 4 different times from Bose employees about returns/refunds and it doesn't appear in alone, so I'm basically out money and the equipment. Please use caution before buying.”
“This company treats its customers with complete disrespect.
The attitude is dismissive, the responses are painfully slow, and there is absolutely no sense of responsibility toward the customer.
Customer service is ineffective, unprofessional, and shows zero urgency or care. Issues are dragged out endlessly, communication is poor, and there is no real attempt to resolve problems in a reasonable timeframe.
For a brand that positions itself as “premium,” this level of service is unacceptable.
Extremely disappointing experience”
“First, we have been a loyal Bose family for over thirty years buying multiple wave radios, acoustic waves, and blue tooth speakers. This totaled thousands of dollars spent.
The problem is that the sound stopped playing on one of our older wave radios.
The cure was to call Bose customer service and ask for help or service. Pat answered the phone. After answering a bunch of questions and providing model and serial numbers, the sound still did not work. We also attempted the remote.
I was told that Bose no longer made radios and that the service center no longer carried the parts needed for repair. I was offered a $100 discount on Bluetooth speakers. That was odd since I was calling about a radio.
I then asked to speak to a supervisor and was told they would not speak to me. I then told her that I had never heard of a supervisor not speaking to a loyal customer. After a lengthy hold, Carlos came on and repeated the company line… we can’t repair or replace your wave as Bose does not make raidios any longer.
I feel like a fool buying Bose products all of these years based on quality products being serviced by a company that believes in customer service.
I am very disappointed in Bose.”
“Is it really possible for a company to be this bad in service and support? Why are you so slow? I really don’t understand, turtles are faster than Bose.
When I was in the UK, I bought a Bose headphone and it took almost a month to arrive. It completely ruined my excitement. Now I’m in Canada, and the ear pads of my headphones came apart. I sent them for repair, and again it’s taken almost a month and I still haven’t received them. They were supposed to arrive this Friday morning, and now it’s pushed to Monday.
My question is: what exactly are you doing at your terrible company? This is truly exhausting and frustrating.”
“Bose QuietComfort 2nd. Generation Headphones.
I'm really not big fan of Headphones I prefer Earbuds because I always thought they have a better sound quality.
Well I think I changed my mind because of this new Bose Headphones.
Absolutely fantastic Active Noise Cancellation with excellent adaptive behaviour.
They have new Cinema mode when is a better dialogue clarity for movies.
It is very good bass even at higher volumes without sacrificing details.
Of course as usual is a Premium Bose sound when balance between bass and treble is perfectly in the point.
Just fantastic.
I love music.
I listen music everyday at work, exercising,at home anywhere I can.
I enjoy to listen music at this headphones plus they have a Spotify Tap which I love.
Some people might say that over ear headphones are heavy but I don't really think that's the case in this Bose model.
I even forgot that I have them on the head because they don't feel heavy.
Also If you like you can still use them wired to music source as they coming with two cable's USB-C and 2.5 mm. analog jack input cable.
So you don't need to use them just via Bluetooth.
Bluetooth 5.4 is good as you can connect them to more than one device.
I using them going around the house or gym without losing connection with my phone.
When I make phone calls I have very clear voice sound and everyone can hear me clearly as well . Even when I've been in very loud environment.
Also ,what I like, they have smart head detection so they turns on when you wear them and turns off when you fold them.
Battery, I think it's improvement here, is strong.
I think I used them for something around 30-40 hours without charging.So I think that's really good.
So generally you can't be disappointed.
Premium quality of Sound,Premium materials,three connection choices, beautiful Bass and absolutely incredible Active Noise Cancellation.
Just Brilliant even if you are not music connoisseur.”
“I ordered my bose quiet comfort earbuds on last month 28. It was supposed to deliver it in 2-5 days...till today i didnt get my item..bose chat assistants giving fake information and fake promises.they not ready to send it to you if its on sale..so becareful if you buy anything from bose as a gift..they are total failure..i been chatted with 7 assistants.
They provided me all the fake information they can. One of them showed me a link to change the item color but it showed me a cheap price when i asked about it, he just vanished..they told me to wait till aug 18, and now they told me to wait aug 25. They are the worst online retailer ever i been with..lesson learnt- bose not gonna deliver the item which is on sale till you get frustuated and cancel the order. They didnt deliver the item till today. I bought the item for $198 on sale..may be thats why they dont want to send it..”
“Worst product! I have the ultra quiet earbuds. They stop working or cycle through and won’t stop. This is my second pair that have stopped working. Under warranty they will only send refurbished. They won’t let you leave reviews on product on their site. No longer a customer”
“Absolutely the worst quality products in the market. They certainly don't believe in their brand. I bought two QC Earbuds and both stopped working. Tried all the troubleshooting with no success. I contacted customer service and their solution is to buy another pair!!! Are you for real!!! Why would I ever buy another pair if the ones that I own don't work!!! They didn't even offer to service them. I'm shocked but learned my lesson. DO NOT EVER PURCHASE A BOSE PRODUCT!!!!”
“Worst Customer Service experience ever - I have a simple request to replace a set of Earbuds that are under warranty still. I have had to do this for the same pair too 2x now, and they want to offer the same pair again and so I asked to pay the difference of 30 bucks for the upgrade - They refuse and offer me an upgrade for 130 dollars more - makes no sense, when online there is only a 30 dollar difference. Then not to mention 3 different reps and they all cut me off to try to explain their point when it makes no sense. And finally got the "supervisor to answer my question of logic and he agreed with me and then said he would transfer me. Because he knew my explanation made sense and obviously felt some kind of way. FRUSTRATING TO SAY THE LEAST! #BoseDoBetter”
“2nd generation Bose Quit Comfort Ear Bud stability band lost. At this time, they have no replacements in stock in all of Canada! "Call back or maybe go to Walmart or Target to purchase," I was told. Funny. Target doesn't operate in Canada. Given Bose reputation for quality and the premium price paid for these buds you'd expect much better.”
“I sent my 10 year old speaker that I received as a Christmas present to bose for repair and only charged me $50 to repair. Best service I ever had from a manufacturer ever.. They now have a new customer!”
“Wish I could give less than one star. Worst customer service I've ever experienced, BY FAR. Do not buy from Bose, they sell defective items, charge you lots of fix them, and waste HOURS of your day for absolutely nothing in return. Buy elsewhere, literally ANYWHERE else.”
“I have a pair of Bose frames and the battery no longer works and they are no longer supported. Very disappointed. Great product but zero recourse - couldn’t even pay for a repair.”
“Soundsport Earbuds only 60 minutes play time after 24 months. Bose have told us to "buy another pair" . Had better support from a pair of old grannies knickers. I and my family will not buy Bose products again as they don't back their expensive products!
If i wanted to throw away set i would have paid $49 and not $369 !!”
“The friendly and efficient service of the personnel at Max Electrical in getting my Bose radio serviced was way beyond normal expectations in this day and age. Thank you for going the extra mile. Best Chris Barker, Leicester”
