the Stateside Wanderer

     While trying to avoid being productive the other day, I decided it was time to walk into Bose to check out some new headphones even though I had no interest in buying a new pair. Over the last few years I’ve had progressively worse luck with headphones and found most to only last a few months before fraying at the edges and becoming overwhelmed with the noise of static. Admittedly I use my headphones very frequently and treat them as all weather multi-purpose, gym, life. etc. No longer just a tool for music, they travel with me on most phone conversations and YouTube video views.

My first attempt at spending good money on headphones was 7 years ago when I went for some original Bose in-ear headphones, seeking more the class of Bose and not worrying much about the arguable comfort of the in-ear experience. They were in the ball-park of $120 and for a college student that was a fair amount at the time. I treated them well, used the case, and even avoided them tangling in my pocket. However, through a years time, they began to decline in durability and soon found their way to the back of my closet.

Now back in the Bose store, a sales associate approaches me with a British accent and inquires as to my interest in the headphones. I politely told him that while I thought the new Bose headphones seemed pretty cool, I had already tried my luck with Bose a few years before. I expressed to him how I had first dealt with a broken pair of Bose and soon made my way through every brand possible; Beats by Dry, Skull Candy, Apple. Each set eventually had a problem, except for the Apple ones admittedly. I used them sparingly and probably because they just weren’t built with comfort in mind. That gel tip really does make a difference.

Next thing I know, this salesmen is trying to sell me on the headphones, but with an interesting twist. He first asks me, “Do you still have your old pair of Bose“? Taken back by the crazy assumption that I would not have thrown them away by now, I had to pause a moment and think about his question. Had I really left them bunched up in a cup in my closet this entire time? Surely all of the moving I had done must have weaned them out of my possession. I told him I wasn’t completely certain but that I had a good feeling about there whereabouts.

He grinned a bit and said, “Tell you what, if you have them still, I will take them from you and give you half off of any pair of headphones you choose in our store”. That sounded absurd and I was instantly inspired to at least go see if I still had the old headphones. My next day off I rummaged through my closet for only a few minutes to find the headphones bunched up in a cup with some old pens and loose change. I went to the store the next day, still uncertain what the catch would be with my new purchase. To my delight and surprise, my deal from the previous day of a swap for a half off discount was met without issue or push to buy any other items. He assured me that any issues in the next year would be fixed and that even after the year mark, they would honor my half off deal as long as I don’t lose the new pair.

Since that time I have had to replace the pair one time at literally no level of difficulty. I walked into the store and before I could finish explaining myself, the salesmen was opening up a box to give me a new set in exchange. I can’t stress to anyone how amazing this is. I asked the associate why such good service and how he could justify such a deal. His reply, “I can send your old pair back to the warehouse and they can see what went wrong with them and ultimately make our next generation of headphones better”. I found my core agreeing instantly with his logic and was instantly sold on the idea of staying with Bose for the remainder of my time as a purchaser of headphones.

 

    All that being said, the quality of service and product were and continue to be exceptional with Bose. I would recommend their brand as a whole over any other brands I have tried in my search for headphones.