Dyson Vacuum Cleaners - What I don’t Like
March 18, 2007 by rrhodes
Filed under Comparisons & Uses, Remanufactured Dyson
My last two posts talked about the virtues for the Dyson Animal and what I liked most about the vacuum. Today I thought I’d talk about a few things I don’t like.
Oh, before I forget, make sure you check out the new videos page. Mind you, I am definitely not a paid professional actor!
Actually, there’s not much, if anything, that I find I don’t like about our Dyson but, I have had a couple parts fail.
The first failure was about 9 months ago. I went to empty the canister and while tapping on the upper part of the canister to clean out the cyclone chambers of the fine dirt particles - as per the instructions - the hinge on the bottom flap (that seals the canister) broke. Odd I thought because a light tap is all that’s needed to clean the chambers and that’s what I’ve always used.
As mentioned in my first post, this is a refurbished Dyson Animal and was well out of it’s 6 month warranty. I called Dyson the next day to get pricing info. During the call, the woman asked me some questions - when and where purchased and also the model number. After giving her this info and knowing full well that she’d know this was only a 6 month warrantied vacuum, she proceeded to tell me a new canister part would be sent out that day - FREE of charge!
Thank you very much!
The other part to fail was the carpet tool. The tool is a two piece tool so that it can swivel. One time, while removing the tool from the holder, the top part of the tool came out but not the bottom part. CRAP! This was my monthly poker night and I needed to do a quick vacuuming of the table to! The is a collar that holds the two pieces together that is made out of thin plastic. The collar failed.
I checked prices and being the cheap (I like to think frugal) person I am, I decided to glue the collar back on where it had broke just to see how long it would last. That was about 4 months ago and the original part is still going strong.
I’ve talked to a couple other owners who have experienced the same part failure so I would hope that Dyson has addressed this on later models - especially since they are now giving 5 year warranties on all new Dysons. If not, a little super glue and rubber bands seems to be the ticket rather than a new tool.
And about 2 months ago the brush attachment did the same thing and the glue job has worked so far on that part too.
I also had a friend of ours, Donna, report that there hose began ripping down where it attaches to the bottom of the vacuum. I told her to call Dyson - they also purchased a refurbed DC07 - but her husband Joel simply cut off the hose above the tear and put the hose back on.
Other than that, I’ve not had any other parts fail nor know of anyone else who’s reported a failure of any main component part.
I guess I do have one complaint though:
WHO EVER IN MY FAMILY IS USING THE VACUUM AND NOT
EMPTYING THE CANISTER (Brittany!)
WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP?
If you’d like to check out some prices and more info on the Dyson vacuums, my wife and I and four other couples have had great success online with at Amazon and their Dyson vacuums
Other Dyson Vacuum Cleaner Articles
- Dyson vs. Oreck XL: Why the Dyson Wins - We’ll look at a Dyson DC07 vs. an Oreck XL vacuum cleaner and discuss the winner, the loser and most importantly… why. ....
- Dyson Sweepers: These Ain’t Your Grandma’s Vacuums - Days of the “old grandma” vacuum’s are gone. Today’s vacuum cleaners are state of the art cleaning machines and help you to do a better and faster job of cleaning. I’ll help explain why the Dyson vacuum cleaner beats the “older technology” vacuums. ....
- Dyson Vacuum Cleaner - Why Its The Best - A multi-year owner of a reconditioned Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner talks about his experience and why he thinks it’s the best vacuum cleaner on the market, especially if you own pets that shed. ....
- OK.. Is it Dyson Vacuum or Dyson Vaccum or Dyson Vaccuum? - We’ll discuss the correct spelling of vacuum and also some of the more popular models of Dyson vacuums - DC15, DC17, DC18 Slim, DC24 and DC25. ....
- Reconditioned Dyson Vacuum: Questions To Consider Before Purchasing Retail - Dyson make exceptional vacuum cleaners BUT, they are expensive. We’ll discuss a few (money saving) reasons why you may want to purchase a remanufactured (refurb) Dyson instead of new. ....
Rob on Tue, 20th Mar 2007 1:28 pm
Good to know that Dyson works with their customers!
Jon on Fri, 20th Jul 2007 4:11 pm
I own a Dyson DC17 Animal. It works great. Now the bad part, and it is really nasty, when you are close to let’s say a couch or mattress on a bed, the housing that slides by the furniture on the reverse/back stroke comes in contact with the very, very sharp edge of the vacuum housing and rips the furniture every time. I would be interested in hearing from any of you if this has ever occurred!
Theresa OHara on Mon, 28th Jan 2008 6:50 pm
I purchased a new Dyson 07 Animal. I specifically invested in this machine for pet hair. The turbo attachment is excellent IF it stays in place. There is no way to keep the attachment from moving when vacuuming and when it slides just a bit, the suction is decreased or lost completely. I am constantly having to adjust the attachment. This is not a vacuum that “never loses suction” as advertised - if the parts can’t stay in place. Calling the company has been less than a positive experience. I simply want a solution - not a new vacuum. Perhaps an interim piece for better attachment stabilization. But I was told NOONE HAS EVER COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS. Funny…in reading complaints on line - that seems to be a standard reply from Dyson. Unacceptable!
Jessie on Thu, 8th May 2008 4:47 pm
I was so pleased with the quality of cleaning with my Dyson animal But….a family of females with long hair that wraps around the brushes–my daughter tried to cut the hair with a razor and nicked the belt. Vacuum continued to work for about 3 weeks and then the belt broke so I neede a new belt. Could not find the anywhere so I called Dyson. They would send me 1 belt but would not sell me additional belts. When the belt arrived it was the wrong one and it immediately became apparent that special tools are required to get into the belt housing. Another call to Dyson only to be told that nicking the belt is outside the warranty and I would have to ship the entire machine back to them (cost of $140.) to have a belt installed and any further mishaps and my warranty would be voided. For $438 I should be able to buy belt and change them myself!!
Lori on Fri, 20th Jun 2008 2:13 am
I tried to use the mini-turbo for animal hair on the sofa and we cannot, after two hours of trying, find how or where to attach the crazy accessory! The instructions are a joke and we found your site looking for other people who might have had a similar problem. It doesn’t fit onto the extension wand, or the end of the expanding tube, or any end of any part of the crazy thing! We are ready to toss the thing off the porch we are so frustrated. We had hoped your video would show our model being taken apart for this function, but alas, it does not. We have the DC17. I ended up pulling out my ancient DustBuster to clean the sofa. How sad after I spent $549.00 on this vexing machine. Thanks for listening!
Tammy on Mon, 7th Jul 2008 8:07 pm
I must admit, I was concerned after reading the above review from Jessie about the belt breaking and the process for replacement, I decided to call the Dyson help line as part of my pre-purchase decision making process.
I spoke with a Dyson rep who stated that the DC07 does require taking the vacuum to a service center for belt replacement, but that it’s quite reliable and shouldn’t break under normal use. The Dyson rep also stated that the DC14 Animal and DC17 Animal belts also should not break, but if they were to encounter the above type of non-manufacture defect instance, then the consumer is able to purchase a new belt and replace themselves with no special tools/no need to take to a service center. She also stated that if the belt were to break, however, under normal use (ie: no misuse or mishaps) the part would be covered under warranty and could be replaced by a local independent service center in your area –or- if you purchased at Best Buy or Sears, they are authorized service centers (though I cannot recall if she said they can only service items they sell –or- if they can service anyone’s Dyson….?). If no local service center exists in your area (though I do not know what is considered “a reasonable” distance) Dyson will ship to their service center at no cost to the consumer for warranty repairs- Dyson pays inbound and outbound shipping- AND – you don’t even pack it up! … You take it to a UPS place and they pack it up.
And more good news! … The DC15 Animal (The Ball) doesn’t even have a belt! It’s completely motor-driven by the separate motor for the brush bar- so if you get this one, no belt worries at all!
Hope this helps- I did my best to recount the facts in our conversation, but do forgive me if I made any error. In any event, what I heard put me one step closer to my Dyson Animal purchase versus the “other guys.”
Bob on Thu, 24th Jul 2008 4:46 pm
I am NOT happy with my Dyson DC15. My wife ordered it and left me to figure out how to make it work—-she is completely intimidated by it, I’m only somewhat less intimidated. There are no videos, not even a good explanation of what the various parts do, or even how to hook them up. The machine is incredibly complicated—-it took me a long time to find the “ON” switch (which is difficult to turn on and off).
Bob on Thu, 24th Jul 2008 4:48 pm
I can only hope I don’t break a belt on this thing. Wanna buy a new vacuum cleaner cheap?