Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

A few years back I became a huge advocate for the Bose QuietComfort headphones that have been selling for $299. Based on my original experience with these headphones I posted a rather lengthy, positive review concerning their quality in both sound and workmanship. I'd now like to take those words back. It seems there is a defect in materials used in these headphones that could plague other owners in the years to come. 3-4 years after purchasing my QuiteComfort headphones I noticed that the rubber earpiece material is flaking away like mad. Every time I wear the headset and take it off, my face and ears are covered with black residue from the shedding of the earpiece. My face looks like it is covered with black ants. Though these headsets are nearly 4 years old, I haven't worn them much outside of travel. Additionally, they have been kept in the travel accessory bag included in the package. What bothers me most about this is the fact that despite countless mails I have sent to Customer Service, Bose will not address this problem. While I understand the headsets are probably out of warranty, this is a pretty major defect in materials that most owners probably will not realize until after the warranty expires. As far as Bose is concerned, once your warranty is up with them they could be concerned less with what happens with their headsets. For the price that Bose charges for these headsets, I would expect this company to at least reply to consumers who are reporting this problem and offer suggestions on what can be done. Many users across the Internet have warned members about quality issues concerning Bose. I should have stayed away from these headsets based on those recommendations, but for some reason, the QuietComfort still remains at the top of most reviews dealing with noise-cancelling headsets. All I can do at this point is warn people to stay away from purchasing these headsets until Bose shows that they have some sort of concern towards complaints when their products go bad. My apologies for recommending these headsets to anyone that may experience the same problems I am experiencing now or in the near future.