Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

EXCITED!! I have been a Bose customer for many years, and have always loved their gear, so I was excited to receive my new Bose QC Earbuds today. Despite the "rumblings" of a growing lack of quality control at "Bose Central", and despite the few negative customer complaints I have read here and there, I chose to put faith in the shiny reviews that talk about the Bose quality noise cancellation, the comfortable fit and the high quality sound that I would expect from Bose's new earbuds. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. After receiving them and smiling as I opened the pristine packaging and pulling out the trademark smooth black case, I opened it, took out the beautiful black earbuds, followed the detailed instructions to fit and pair them to my iPhone, and was at the peak of my excitement when I heard distorted sound coming from only the left earbud. AN HOUR AND A HALF OF FRUSTRATING TROUBLESHOOTING. I tried calling Bose... no humans available. I followed all the instructions I could find on their website. I disconnected Bluetooth, I reconnected Bluetooth. I reset the earbuds, I tried to pair them with other devices that we own, Apple and others, no joy. I went to forums and began to discover a long line of people who are having the SAME ISSUE. One earbud works and the other does not. No solutions. I have the latest firmware, the earbuds and the case are fully charged and the right earbud simply does not work. To add insult to injury, the sound coming from the left earbud sounds like it is overmodulating, and while the feature to activate Siri does work, there is no connectivity between Siri and the earbuds, so it is impossible to use this feature. THE GOOD. The packaging is beautiful, the case that the buds nest in is sturdy and protective and has a great feel. The earbuds themselves are extremely comfortable and they felt great in my ears. The noise cancellation feature is absolutely Bose top notch. THE BAD. THEY DON'T WORK. I paid nearly $300 for these earbuds, and for the premium price I paid, I expected the premium quality performance that I have come to depend on from Bose. CONCLUSION. As a longtime Bose customer, I am highly disappointed, and frankly, shocked that I find myself writing a negative review of a company and product that I put so much trust in, but I am writing this to prevent others from experiencing the extreme frustration that I have, and to simply warn others: BUYER BEWARE.