QC 35 won’t turn off

[McNasty]

I sincerly hope this post reachs anyone having the issue of their Bose Quiet Comfort 1 Over the Ear Headphones not turning off. I contacted Customer Support myself, very friendly and professional, when I reported the issue and gave them all the troubleshooting steps provided from the community forums the rep had placed me on hold to speak to his supervisor.

Aparently, this is by design since the software update that the headphones turns on it's own and I'm like, **bleep**?! lol, but he then explained to me that their is a feature on the Bose Connect App called the, "Standby Time." At the time mine was set to, "Never." so I went ahead and set it to 5 mins. So far, after the first try, my headhpnones remains turned off as soon as it hit the 5 mins mark (yes I have that much time presently lol.). Why the software team at Bose thought it were a good idea to create such a feature to keep the headphones on even after it has been switched off is beyond me, but I would hope that their could be an update that would set the Standby Time to less than 5 mins( that's lengthy.) like 1 minute or 30 seconds.

Anyways I hope this helps, set your Standby Timer from Never to at least 5 minutes(Minumum.)

[Phil St.Onge]

I just got a pair of these for Christmas. They will not turn off no matter what I try. I will be calling them Wednesday.

[Suey22]

My gf and I have two pairs of these. Mine work perfectly fine and her brand new ones wont turn off. Makes no sense but I will also be contacting them asap.

[marioppunkt]

Same issue here for both, me and my girlfriend. Shutoff not possible anymore.

Stopped loading new firmware as I have an intercontinental flight coming up.

And nope, mechanical problems do not magically appear with a product that is lying in it's case unused for over a year.

Boses solution is to buy a new product. Apple has the same strategy.

Stopped purchasing both brands as this is not the quality paied.

[Tony_G]

Hi all,

Thanks for posting. I just wanted to jump in here and remind everyone that if your headsets are not working properly to contact your local support team for assistance. Here is a link you can use. Click on your region, scroll down until you see "Contact Us."

Regards,

Tony G - Community Support

[Suey22]

Just got off the phone with them and they told me the same thing but also that they are aware that it is a problem with the software. She said they are working on a fix that should be released Jan or Feb of 2019. Hopefully they actually are working on it.  I have two pairs, same firmware and only one has the issue. 

[Tony_G]

Hi Suey22,

Thanks for posting. I am sorry if you have received any misinformation. We wanted to make everyone aware that we have seen the reports that some users are having with this issue, and I can confirm that we haven't conclusively identified firmware as being the cause. We do encourage anyone having an issue with their headset for any reason to contact your local support team for assistance.

Regards,

Tony G

[joelirwin]

Tony - the issue imho here is that not everyone in Bose is on the same page - some say hardware, some say firmware, some say we don't know yet.  I have experienced that myself having called the phones many times.  I've also been told on a couple of occasions that for QC35i's they will after testing make a free exchange offer if they determine its a random off group problem both in and out of warantee whereas other are only offering discounts for an upgrade.

The bottom line which most of us (Bose and non-Bose) who lurk here understand is that there is no official Bose line for the cause of the "randomly on" issue.  So don't you think it's confusing for the customers to get different opinions, lines and policies when they call Bose depending on which call center or call person they end up with.  This problem has been around for many months now - why can't the word come down from the senior Bose support person what to tell the customers?

A healthy debate here is OK (though I would need to admit I am being swayed by the hardware camp) - we all come here to expect it as long as it stays civil and impersonal.  However, Bose support should all have the same line - you don't know the cause, could be a few more months and if you can't hang in there with your device, Bose should offer a free exchange as a offer of good faith.

BTW - I have recently checked in with my own personal opinions about the turning ON issue with all the Bose devices and what I believe should be Bose's strategy.  You may or may not agree with it, but you can read it at:

https://community.bose.com/t5/Portable/How-to-switch-off-my-SoundLink-Micro-Bluetooth-speaker/td-p/1...

[BigBlue]

I started having this problem last summer, I believe after applying a firmware update. This was right about the time they were a year old. I don't recall exactly the situation. I put up with it for a few weeks and then started looking for solutions. I initially called Bose Support and they had me install the Bose app on my phone, update firmware again and make a couple changes. This was Oct '18. It didn't fix the issue but it didn't happen too often so I was lazy and ignored it. Lately I've started using them more and the issue is now happening more. I found this thread and then called support. The first-line rep first wanted to charge me $229 for a replacement set, then down to 50% of that, then tried to divert me to waiting for a firmware update which she only pushed for because I asked about whether one was coming. In the end, I escalated and received the treatment I would expect from Bose by the 'supervisor'. But this whole scenario should not happen. This means that people not as tenacious as I will be forced to pay Bose for a problem Bose caused or be forced to live with a defective product. Instead, Bose should own its mistake, come up with a firmware fix and disseminate that to all product owners. This would be a proactive and compassionate method to keep loyal customers happy.

I echo Joel's comments above that Bose should get all support resouces on the same page. Stop randomly giving out different stories and solution options (or no options). This is a problem caused by Bose to a product that worked perfectly for me for the first year and they should do everything they can to make it right for all customers.

[joelirwin]

@BigBlue It appears highly likely that the firmware has nothing to do with it and as testers here have shown, it looks like the problem is a faulty design of the cover of the case allowing cables to be placed in it which over time when closed put pressure on the on/off switch and dislodge the contacts.  Now quite honestly, as you and I don't work for Bose we can say things here that Bose employees can not.  What concerns me is what is Bose going to do if and when they confirm this is the problem.  I would be pleasantly suprised but highly don't expect for them to do a QC35i recall.  Will they offer a free exchange to anyone calling in with this problem? I hope, but the jury is out on this one imho.

BTW - My Soundsport wired is randomly turning on as well.  I only notice it when I see the headphones on the top right of my iphone 7+.  I have not worked it yet and no one else here seems to have mentioned that scenario which leads me to believe that it is more likely again hardware than a BT firmware issue.   On the other hand, the Revolves turning themselves on is very likely imho a BT issue.