Hear this, Sony?

This should be a blog praising Sony Electronics and how far technology has come in our lifetime. Instead, it’s one cursing their poor customer service skills and complaining how it stinks being the little guy.

I have some nerve damage in my left ear. I like to say I got it from my brothers rough-housing with me when I was a little kid. I’m sure the serious fall I took off the monkey bars onto the cement base in elementary school didn’t help either. Who knows?

I’ve seen ear, nose, and throat doctors over the years, but I’m in a weird spot. I haven’t lost enough hearing yet to justify full-time hearing aid usage. (Plus, the average price for a pair of adult hearing aids can run from $1,000 to $4,000.) Still, it can be challenging to have conversations in loud places like restaurants or receptions. I fake my way through these conversations. I try to laugh and shake my head in the right spots.

The reality of what I’m missing, though, has hit me in recent years. There’s nothing worse than having to say, “What did you say? Can you repeat that? to the people who mean the world to you.

Tempted by the tech

The good thing is that hearing aids have come a long way. I decided to give an over-the-counter hearing aid a shot. I researched hearing aids for months. I wanted one that fitted discretely in my ears. Also, I hoped to find one that would be rechargeable, instead of having to rely on a small battery. I had tried a hearing aid in the past and had problems with the pin-head sized batteries. Unfortunately, the best over-the-counter hearing aid I saw on the market was Sony’s CREC10 Hearing Aid and it didn’t come with a digital (rechargeable) version.

Despite my misgivings, I figured I would give Sony, a leading brand in the over-the-counter industry, a shot and plucked down $798. The hearing aid came this summer and, like I predicted, it was generally okay, but I’ve been unhappy with the connectivity and the small batteries.

Suffer in silence

Here’s where it gets interesting. Sure enough, within two months, Sony started advertising a new digital version. My first thought: where was this one when I was buying one. The battery was a big reason for holding off as long as I did. I was frustrated, but my warranty was up. I couldn’t do anything about it.

In the months since my purchase, I’ve gotten frequent surveys and sales emails from Sony. Each time I get one I’ve been reminded of my frustration. Finally against my better judgment, I started a chat with a Sony Call Center Representative, to see if anything could be done. At the very least, I thought Sony might offer me a rebate on the newer hearing aid. I also wanted to suggest that they include updates on their site about planned product launches. This could have possibly prevented what happened to me.

The more we chatted the Sony representative actually seemed to understand my predicament. He asked for a copy of my receipt and agreed with my annoyance. He said he understood and would submit an upgrade for the newer version of the hearing aid. He seemed concerned that a Sony customer was not having the best of experiences with one of Sony’s products.

For a brief flicker of a moment, it looked like Sony cared about me.

Psych, not so fast

Oh, it wasn’t to be. Of course, I got a call from Sony last week and, when I returned the call on Monday, the Sony representative informed me that no they would not be sending me a new hearing aid. My appeal was denied. When I asked why? The response was that “it just was.”

I asked to speak to a manager, but was told there was no one else to talk to and I was on my own. It felt like an episode of Seinfeld and my very own “No soup for you!” moment with the Soup Nazi.

So, I’m back to the beginning, wondering why companies like Sony act this way? Sony has 113,000 employees and annual revenue of more than $87 billion. It’s a huge multinational company. Why waste their own time like that? Why waste my time?

Most annoying to me, why string me along, giving me the impression they were going to “upgrade” me until they ultimately sucker punched me and told me that I was on my own?

It’s a real shame. I know a thing or two about big companies and customer service, but still came away disappointed. Sony left a bad taste in my mouth. They turned a happy customer into frustrated one. After this experience, I can’t see myself ever buying or recommending another Sony product. And it didn’t have to be this way.

Did you hear that Sony? Do you need a hearing aid Sony? I’ve got one here for you, but better yet, let me spell it out for you Sony: “You S-T-I-N-K!”

(For everyone else, thank you for listening.)