Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

A really cool insight to the workings behind the company and how they develop what I believe to be some the most well designed vacuums with overall good-great build quality in history.

Well Carmine there's all the HOOVER UK uprights ; bagless and budget market made in China yet about £100 / roughly $159.88 that should be much cheaper yet aren't. Panasonic's totally outdated bagged upright vacuum sells at the same price, uses the daft 2 drive belt system and basic features against the same models you guys in the U.S have under the Miele Powerhouse upright vacuums with better features; those as well as the Hoover uprights are made in China. The Vax Life bagless stick vac / Hoover U.S Lynx "bagless" stick vac is £200 plus / $319.74 TTi yet should be far cheaper to buy - no other cordless stick vac in the UK is priced so highly.

vacmanuk wrote:

Hi vacmanuk:

Overall, would you say that the median prices of vacuums sold at UK big box retailers have gone up or down [or stayed the same] over the last 3-5 years [excluding dyson brand]?  How do these recent vacuum price trends compare to median vacuum prices in the UK in 2000 and soon after with the adoption of the euro?

Carmine D.

Hi Vacmanuk: 

The HOOVER LiNx cordless stick vac sells for $179 here in the US at most retailers and as low as $135 on Amazon.       Substantially less than the $319 US in the UK.

Carmine D.       

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CarmineD wrote:





















I know! The U.S version is substantially cheaper. Ive thought about it, but would probably need a transformer to get around the charging issue. It is a nonsense really that Vax think they can charge that kind of money.

To answer your last question, the "median" prices of the Hoover and Panasonic products have increased to meet price comparing with Dyson products. Most people who go to Big Box high street places in the UK like Comet, Currys, John Lewis or Euronics can sample the models themselves and will usually find by moving the different parts, the difference in quality and feel with some products. At smaller franchises like House of Frasers stores (and their associated sub-names in England) you can try a few models in the shop as well as at John Lewis. That means buyers can feel and test the products for themselves.

At least people there are getting the opportunity to try them out. Considering what the Hoover rechargeable stick is, it would be great to test them before buying. However, I wonder if all that many stores here want them tested because of the price. Certainly not an encouragement to buy.

The same as with some other machines, I think buyers making assumptions by way of price may be a little surprised once they're home with the thing out of the box and in use.

I may have mentioned a department supervisor at a major chain store saying that she had been instructed to remove all demo rugs. I learned since I'd last spoke to her that she'd been chewed for trying to quietly bring the demo rugs back into her department to make the customers happy. However, since our big boxers" are allowed to get away with it, the idea has crept over the line to major stores now. Everybody wants to get into the act by acclimatizing customers to buying on blind faith and returning the item if they don't like it. Or is there some sort of statistic regarding this "pay and walk away" scheme that proves once we get it home, like or not, we'll learn to live with it?

Venson

vacmanuk wrote: