Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Vacuum Cleaners need the same care as automobiles. Like an automobile the more it is properly maintained the longer it will last. From the cheapest to the most expensive. Changing the filters, keeping them clean, belts changed, and  bags checked and changed will increase the life. Like an automobile the cleaner need to breath to keep the motor from overheating. I have had many bagless come in for repair where filters were never changed or properly cleaned  causing the motor to overheat and go bad.  We have talked about who is the best in everyone's opinion but really never addressed what really goes wrong with the cleaners.

   When I talk to customers about their cleaner and offer a free service check they say it is working fine. They, the customer, don't always take care of their cleaner like their car. When they have a problem it is because either they never changed or cleaned the filter, bag, or belt. checked their brushroll for wear. They think a vacuum cleaner will last for years. This generation come up and say the vacuums don't last like their parent's  Vacuum cleaner because of laziness or not knowing how to take care of their Cleaner.

  Bagless vacuums are being sold to people that are basically lazy and want a cleaner that you don't need to do anything to. Older people that have had bagless are going back to bagged and relearning how to maintain their cleaner to last longer.

                                                             Procare

Hi procare, Comparatively speaking, I had long used, "You know, if it were your car . . .", to attempt to move vacuum owners toward being a bit more thoughtful as to preserving their vac investments whether two or three hundred bucks or way beyond. Needless to say, the effort was and has been miserably in vain. I had forgotten the world I'm living in at present and sort of framed my line of thought by way of, "Well, that's what we DID." But, hello . . . whatever I used to do is not being done now. Most people do understand that if you mess up your car -- overlook oil changes, neglect regularly checking coolant and tires -- you don't get to work, you don't get to shop, etc., etc., especially in parts of the country where cars are not luxury but near necessity. AND they are far more mindful regarding car care since, if you are neglectful, a car can cost you all kinds of money to be repaired. Speaking of old and new, in that sense they can actually relate to that the old, mostly metaphorical phrase, "going to the poor house." The situation's the same with vacuums but not a lot of people seem to get it or care. The exception is that it's highly unlikely that messing up your vacuum will be the cause of anyone being led off to the poor house, whatever that means these days, as there are no poor houses here to go to. Life's much simpler now -- mess up your money and your out on the curb. It would appear that most vac buyers, whether they spend a little or a lot, are expecting a lot of miracles inside that box they haul home from the from the store -- even though the contents are only vacuum cleaners. It is expected that performance and durability are all built into the machine and should be all the more superior by way of the amount you spend. Maybe at one point in time such a thing existed. Many of the old war horses we see now have lasted because they were actually meant to work despite a certain amount of abuse or neglect. However, for all those heavy, clunky Hoovers, Electroluxes, etc., I recall from way, way back in the day I can't count a handful of owners I knew that recognized preventative care as a worthy consideration. As with themselves -- no visits made to the doctor's office until something was wrong -- vacuums weren't paid much attention to until they failed to operate properly or at all. That part of the story hasn't changed much over time. Yet, it's a new day and the story has changed in that most vacuum manufacturers want customers back at their doors on a far more regular basis than old man Hoover did and neither design or hope for better. There is no longer pride in the single purchase that lasts end users thirty years nor praise for that envisioned OR wanted by current vac makers. It's all about how many are sold and how much has been made in the process. I believe most American consumers have now been dumbed-down to expecting an average five years of life and use at most from even pricey brands. As well, several generations long used to living life on credit know nothing about having to nurse an appliance along out of necessity as there is a glut of disposable widgets and gadgets on our market shelves. You buy it, you use it, screw it up and go back to the store for a new one. After all there's no one to fix it anyway. While it's highly likely that vacuums and our manner of use of them will greatly evolve in not too long a time, planned and wanted obsolescence plus the desire for escalating profit will not diminish. Best, Venson

The bagless guru of the industry conned consumers into believing buy it and no need to worry about maintenance and lack of suction ANYMORE.  It was a believable lie that was exposed with time and irate customers.

Years ago some slick BMW sales people were tauting their wares to young yuppie females with the mantra never needs maintenence.  Some women actually believed it and bought into the hype.  They found out the hard way, like bagless consumers, that it is untrue.  All mechanical products from cheap to expensive need service.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
But Carmine, just look at all the jobs they created. Its the job now to knowingly deceive the consumer, nothing is regulated anymore,I remember a time when criminals did crimes and got caught they were imprisioned, now they give out bonuses.

Welcome to the new world order....................


regards

MOLE

CarmineD wrote:
Cameron,

Tell the story of the irate woman you interviewed in the Costco parking lot, you know the one - ‘Ms. Return Everything (Dyson vacuum), no matter how old/used the product is’ and ‘Everybody owes me’ and ‘I’m not spending 5 minutes cleaning the pre-filter to bring 100% suction back’ and ‘Don't I look sexy steaming in the parking lot?’  Come on... embellish it, then rehearse it, then tell it and repeat it over and over as you vac-cons do so well.


DIB

The consumer who believes "no maintenance" about  ANYTHING is complicit in their own deception. The problem is the "Everyone owes me" mentality that cowers retailers into refunds/exchanges on merchandise that is obviously beat to H-E-Double hockey sticks, and manufacturers into honoring warranties on products which are clearly abused, like the Hoover company with the Windtunnel that had been used to empty a fish tank, just  because the consumer had nerve enough to call the company and complain.

The older, more durable  vacuums did withstand much more abuse, and were easily restored to proper working order with a set of carbon brushes, a switch, a cord, a belt, some polish, and maybe a new hose and floor bristles.  Today's consumer has been willingly educated to buy a shiny new vacuum often.  Have you stopped to consider how outrageous it is that 20 MILLION new full size vacuum cleaners are sold EACH year in the US? The overwhelming majority of these are bagless uprights with on-board tools.  Some of this can be accounted for by retail stores and cleaning services using cheap big box vacuums for commercial use.  Many of these do not make it through the first year.  But most of these vacuums are bought by consumers for their own use. I am personally acquainted with an empty nest  couple who buy TWO 100.00 vacuums a year. They live in a very neat and tidy mobile home.  He doesn't bother to take the vacuum in for service, he just accepts that 200.00/year is part of the expense of living in a clean environment.  Subtracting  the cost of a set of replacement filters and a belt from the 100.00 price of a new vacuum I can almost see his point, except for the tremendous amount of plastic in our landfills.  The consumer, manufacturer, and retailer alike have created this downward spiral, and not just with vacuums.  I expect to see even further cheapening of the motors and 6month warranties for vacuum cleaners in the 100.00 and below price point in 2010.

I remember with sadness the last small appliance repair/service shop in town. There was not a brand of appliance he could not repair, but his cost of the parts simply put him out of business.  The internet had not caught on like it has now.  Small appliances, vacuums, power tools, power lawn equipment, electric grooming appliances, even small refrigerators and air conditioners, he could take care of it all, and even with advertising, toll free 800 number, and mail order, and selling new products, he could not sustain his business.

Does anyone remember the mantra in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World"?   "The more stitches, the less riches"   It's come down to the next quarter's profits, all else be damned.

Lets not forget though that if comparing vacs to cars, that the latest cars from certain brands come with lengthy warranty servicing deals too - so effectively companies like Miele, Sebo, Vax etc who are offering lengthy "5 years / 6 years free guarantee," are effevtively the same as Kia, Hyundai etc who are offering similar deals. In that respect consumer laziness is replaced with winning the consumer trust; local garages in the UK are closing down because cars have lengthy and such guarantees, making it hopeless for local business owners to make a worthwhile profit.

DysonInventsBig wrote:

Hi DiB:

That's a good one and there are many more like it according the COSTCO.  But I was actually thinking more of the 36 UK dyson buyers and users and 2 vacuum brand makers who filed a case against dyson with the ASA and won.  With the ASA admonishing dyson not to use the mantra:  Filters don't clog and never loses suction else be liable for punitive and monetary damages. 

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

So? What's the current question or comment?

By the way, have a happy Thanksgiving all.

Best,

Venson

I dont know either, Venson. Musta been a glitch.

It may have been a glitch, but it came at the right time of year. As people prepare for th holidays ,it is a good time to have the cleaner checked, clean the filters, replace the belt and have a good holiday. People don't realize that a town without a Vac shop hurts them until it is too late. Big box stores will sell you the kind of vacuum they want you to buy and not provide service for them. You have a manufacturers warranty but where do you go for the service is the question. SO at this time of Year remember your Vac shop owners, even the door to door salespeople.Many more are good and want to serve the people than are bad.

                          Have a Happy Thanksgiving

                         Procare