Bose A20 Repair/Refurbish?

[Mr. North]

4 months outside of the 5 year warranty, my Bose A20 decided to crap out. I believe I need a new cord as the sound cuts in and out when I wiggle it. Really annoying.

I contacted Bose USA and after a little haggling they were willing to do a full refurbishment for a flat $165 US. That is until they realised I was calling from Canada. At which point they directed me to Brantaero.com. I called Brant Aero to discover I would not be getting anywhere near the same deal. After describing my headset's battle scars they started listing off how much it would all cost. For starters it's $50 just for them to check your headset. $200+ for the cord I suspect is broken, $40 for new earmuffs, etc.. etc.. Plus shipping of course.

Very quickly approaching the $500 mark which is half of what the unit cost in the first place. I find that rather unreasonable. Does anyone else deal with Bose in Canada? Why is there a different level of service between Bose Canada and the USA?

Thinking of having it sent to the USA and having it shipped back to one of those PO Boxes at the boarder.

[lazyeight]

Where are you located?

[jschnurr]

How handy are you with a screwdriver, wire strippers, and soldering iron? If it is just a broken wire, there is nothing magical to fixing it. I patched up my old Lighspeed for a couple years until the actual electronics went kaput.

[longjon]

Did you try the local avionics shop or even Future shop for a solder repair?

[gwagen]

Don't try the US route, bose will look up the serial number, see they were sold in Canada and return them to you at your cost unrepaired.

Brant Aero is the only bose repair option in Canada, but their service is excellent. I know many sets that have gone in and come back completely refurbished and upgraded, not paying
for all the components replaced.

If they do replace your cord, you will be happier anyways, the bluetooth in the newer cord is worth it. Ear cup foam wears out, not a warranty item anyway.

A new pair with bluetooth are 1299 CDN+ tax. Makes $500 seem a little more reasonable.

I'm certain you will receive your headset back in as new condition.

I know not the same deal as you would get in the USA, but if you aren't used to getting the short end of stick here in Canada yet, especially in aviation....well what can I tell you...

[ctmorawetz]

Don't try the US route, bose will look up the serial number, see they were sold in Canada and return them to you at your cost unrepaired.

Brant Aero is the only bose repair option in Canada, but their service is excellent. I know many sets that have gone in and come back completely refurbished and upgraded, not paying
for all the components replaced.

If they do replace your cord, you will be happier anyways, the bluetooth in the newer cord is worth it. Ear cup foam wears out, not a warranty item anyway.

A new pair with bluetooth are 1299 CDN+ tax. Makes $500 seem a little more reasonable.

I'm certain you will receive your headset back in as new condition.

I know not the same deal as you would get in the USA, but if you aren't used to getting the short end of stick here in Canada yet, especially in aviation....well what can I tell you...

+1. I got great service from Brant Aero when they repaired my headset a couple of years ago.

[mato]

While on the topic of headset repairs I would like to get my Zulu (original) refurbished.... Anyone know where to send it? Id be happy to pay a few hundred to have it in like new condition...

[co-joe]

So Steven Segal flies a Cirrus?

[C-GKNT]

While on the topic of headset repairs I would like to get my Zulu (original) refurbished.... Anyone know where to send it? Id be happy to pay a few hundred to have it in like new condition...

Lightspeed themselves. I have send several back and so far have not been charged anything (in warrantee or not), excellent service. IIRC, cross border shipping was a minor issue so I timed it to have them returned to a friend I was going to visit in the US.

Glenn

[Cessna 180]

Too bad you weren't at Oshkosh. They were fixing out of warranty headsets for free.

[Prodriver]

+ 1 on Brant w/ Bose, sent in two older A20 and got them upgraded with the new auto on and blue tooth music, very nice, but Bose eng. forgot to add a 2.5 mm jack that works with a sat phone cord like the Lightspeed.

Lightspeed in Oregon was great and totally upgrades your headset as well, make sure you get the new Barbed Mic to hold your foam on the mic boom.

[JasonE]

Don't buy a Sierra. I've had problems with both mine. I was able to get 1 fixed at Oshkosh. They couldn't do any software updates on site, and charge $75 plus shipping for that! (Even under warranty).

I tried an A20, it fit my head much much better and was quieter. The Zulu is better than the Sierra because it has a metal head band. You can tweak it to fit better. My head appears to be oversized for the Sierra.

[digits_]

4 months outside of the 5 year warranty, my Bose A20 decided to crap out. I believe I need a new cord as the sound cuts in and out when I wiggle it. Really annoying.

I contacted Bose USA and after a little haggling they were willing to do a full refurbishment for a flat $165 US. That is until they realised I was calling from Canada. At which point they directed me to Brantaero.com. I called Brant Aero to discover I would not be getting anywhere near the same deal. After describing my headset's battle scars they started listing off how much it would all cost. For starters it's $50 just for them to check your headset. $200+ for the cord I suspect is broken, $40 for new earmuffs, etc.. etc.. Plus shipping of course.

Very quickly approaching the $500 mark which is half of what the unit cost in the first place. I find that rather unreasonable. Does anyone else deal with Bose in Canada? Why is there a different level of service between Bose Canada and the USA?

Thinking of having it sent to the USA and having it shipped back to one of those PO Boxes at the boarder.

A lot can change in 10 years, and not for the better.

Got a damaged cable on my bose headset. Out of warranty. It's still functional, but wanted to get it fully fixed to avoid it completely breaking when I need it.

So I tried the same thing the above poster did. Here's how it went:
1) Contacted Bose USA. They confirmed a 225 USD flat fee refurbishment exists, but for US customers only. Redirected me to Brant Aero
2) I called them, they did not answer the phone for anything bose related. Redirect to their website. Fine
3) Read through everything. TLDR: Send us your headset at your expense. We can't quote repairs. Weird. Perhaps understandable if there's an unknown issue with the headset? But for a well defined problem? Surely they can provide some price indication.
4) Emailed the listed address. They flat out refuse to provide a quote, even for the simplest of questions: replace part X.
5) Called Bose USA again. Explained the issue. They couldn't do anything and don't care

I have no doubt the experience would be difference for an under warranty headset, but all those positive experiences and recommendations about their refurbishment/repair programs seem to be unavailable to Canadians. I doubt my next headset will be a bose. We'll see.

Ordered a replacement cable online. We'll see how that works out.

[Teeg]

My local avionics shop sent it to Brant. I was quoted 250$ for a refurb. I was only.charged shipping. New cables, cups, ear pads, etc.
FWIW

[digits_]

My local avionics shop sent it to Brant. I was quoted 250$ for a refurb. I was only.charged shipping. New cables, cups, ear pads, etc.
FWIW

When was that? Were you still under warranty?

[Dyna]

I’ve had my A20 repaired at Brant Aero a few times, both in and out of warranty. Zero complaints, very happy with the service each time. Last time was less than a year ago when I nicked the cable flipping up the armrest. Quick service, reasonable price ($280). Headset is like new again.

[Teeg]

within the last 2 mos.
it was sent through atlantic avionics in YHZ. loaner provided.
i bought the headset used, so didnt know what the warranty period was. nice surprise

[MD11]

4 months outside of the 5 year warranty, my Bose A20 decided to crap out. I believe I need a new cord as the sound cuts in and out when I wiggle it. Really annoying.

I contacted Bose USA and after a little haggling they were willing to do a full refurbishment for a flat $165 US. That is until they realised I was calling from Canada. At which point they directed me to Brantaero.com. I called Brant Aero to discover I would not be getting anywhere near the same deal. After describing my headset's battle scars they started listing off how much it would all cost. For starters it's $50 just for them to check your headset. $200+ for the cord I suspect is broken, $40 for new earmuffs, etc.. etc.. Plus shipping of course.

Very quickly approaching the $500 mark which is half of what the unit cost in the first place. I find that rather unreasonable. Does anyone else deal with Bose in Canada? Why is there a different level of service between Bose Canada and the USA?

Thinking of having it sent to the USA and having it shipped back to one of those PO Boxes at the boarder.

A lot can change in 10 years, and not for the better.

Got a damaged cable on my bose headset. Out of warranty. It's still functional, but wanted to get it fully fixed to avoid it completely breaking when I need it.

So I tried the same thing the above poster did. Here's how it went:
1) Contacted Bose USA. They confirmed a 225 USD flat fee refurbishment exists, but for US customers only. Redirected me to Brant Aero
2) I called them, they did not answer the phone for anything bose related. Redirect to their website. Fine
3) Read through everything. TLDR: Send us your headset at your expense. We can't quote repairs. Weird. Perhaps understandable if there's an unknown issue with the headset? But for a well defined problem? Surely they can provide some price indication.
4) Emailed the listed address. They flat out refuse to provide a quote, even for the simplest of questions: replace part X.
5) Called Bose USA again. Explained the issue. They couldn't do anything and don't care

I have no doubt the experience would be difference for an under warranty headset, but all those positive experiences and recommendations about their refurbishment/repair programs seem to be unavailable to Canadians. I doubt my next headset will be a bose. We'll see.

Ordered a replacement cable online. We'll see how that works out.

I contacted Bose USA earlier this year and they said as long as you can provide a US address (can be a friend), you can ship your headset with the prepaid label they provide and they’ll return it to that same US address. It worked great for me and it was worth the $225 USD refurb price (they just don’t replace the metal band that goes over your head).

I wasn’t satisfied with Brand Aero’s repairs (I had a re-occuring issue) and I was annoyed having to pay a shipping fee 2-3x for “warranty” that was supposed to be included. Bose USA is way better, but you need to emphasize your dissatisfaction with Canadian service and be persistent with them offering the refurb option. I called and the lady suggested this to me.

[digits_]

I contacted Bose USA earlier this year and they said as long as you can provide a US address (can be a friend), you can ship your headset with the prepaid label they provide and they’ll return it to that same US address. It worked great for me and it was worth the $225 USD refurb price (they just don’t replace the metal band that goes over your head).

Thanks! After 2 calls and 2 escalations to supervisors they did tell me if a US friend would ship it in, they would refurbish it. But I couldn't send it to them directly. They also mentioned customs would likely cause delays and possibly have issues with shipping headsets across the border.

Given that I found a cable online that will likely work, I decided to try this first. I also bought a ear cup and mike set refresher last year, so figured I would hold off on doing the US refurbish.

A bit silly they can't offer the same in Canada. Ah well such is life. Let's hope other Canadians take this into account and ignore the great repair service reviews our US counterparts enjoy as a buying argument.