has anyone had a working Roomba for more than three months?

miffed in Miami · Guest

I am wondering if I should just give up, even though the idea of a cleaning robot is one of my greatest dreams (weren't we all promised that we would have personal robots -- as well as jet packs -- when we were kids?).

My mom gave me a Discovery for Christmas, and I was ecstatically in love with it until it died. iRobot took it back, but after three weeks the replacement still hadn't come. I called them and they apologetically told me that it should have been sent out, but "for some reason" hadn't been. When it showed up a week later, it did not work properly (very weak cleaning power -- left clumps of dog hair around the room-- unlike the first one, which worked great).

I called them again, they sent UPS to pick it up, and again the new one did not arrive. Whaddya know? When I called I got the same story: "Oh, it should have been sent, I'd be happy to release it now." I expressed perplexity at the incredible coincidence that they had "forgotten" to send me my replacement twice.

When #3 finally got here, guess what? It has -exactly- the same problem as the first replacement unit. Not much suction, leaves the hair clumps. For all I know they just shoved the same one back in the box and sent it back to me. Shall I pack it in, return it to Brookstone and get a nice vacuum cleaner? At this point the whole thing is starting to seem rather suspicious, n'est-ce pas?

jonvall · Guest Joined: 06 Sep 2004 Posts: 49

I've had my Discovery SE for about 6 months now and it cleans as good today as when I bought it! Sorry to hear that you're having so many problems. I would keep trying.

Guest · Guest

2 Roomba's (Pro and standard Silver)
Still running great after 16 months.
Only major maintance was a disasembly of the wheel assemblies for cleaning and 2 new batteries.
I do clean my Roombas with a air compressor every third use.

Guest · Guest

I have owned and used my white Roomba Discovery since Oct. of 2004. I use it two to three times a week. I have cleaned it weekly with a shop vac and/or air compressor. I understand that I have been very lucky compared to some other owners.
I keep the floors free of obstructions and run the Roomba when I am around in case of any problem. The hardest part is once a month moving and replacing the larger pieces of furniture so Romba can clean behind and underneath them.

debbie · Guest

I used mine christmas day when I got it and it has not worked since. We have tried to get it fixed, replaced, etc. No luck. I am very disappointed

Odd Coincidence · Guest

Wow! Sounds just like my experience!
I got my Roomba for Christmas and loved it! Then it broke down and IRobot told me how to get a new one. I sent in the brush guard and waited, and waited, and waited. I finally called them and the girl told me it never got released from the warehouse but she would do that. 2 weekd passed, nothing. I called them again and got the same line about it never being released for shipping. About a week later I finally got my new Roomba. I eagerly set it down and turned it on. Hmmmmm, thats odd. It's not near as loud as my original one. Oddly enough it does not pick up nearly as well as my original either. I have been running my new one for about 1 1/2 months now and has just started acting very odd and the suction broke down last night. I think I have it working it again but time will tell.

superman · Guest

anyone who has any problem with any roomba in warranty can rest assured irobot is just a phone call away to replace the bad unit....free of charge...no questions asked.

follow their return procedure, look for the big brown truck in your driveway and roomba away.

irobot even pays for the telephone call you have to make to get the ball rolling.

go irobot - GO !!!

jjtamfla · Guest

Have had my originaly roomba for 18 months. I use it every day. I have a siberian husky and the fur is terrible. I just purchased the discovery. I use that one at least 2x a day in the front part of the house, and the original one in the bedrooms. I clean them both after each use because there is so much dog hair, but I haven't any problems. I love it!! :lol:

jvetzel · Guest

I've had my Discovery for about three months, liked it so much, I bought a Roomba Red for the upstairs loft, bedroom and bath (Loghome). Lots of cat hair everytime we/I use it. The Cats don't pay attention to them anymore except for "Graygirl", she wants to play with them every now and then. I have no complaints. What ever parts that have failed were promply replaced at no charge (Battery Charger died) within a week. I'm happy. I would like to get a third one, but that's going a little overboard. I love them.

jcinga · Guest

I have the same problem in that it's not near as loud as before.
Did you ever figure out what is wrong with it?

DNewsom · Guest

I too have had a Discovery for about six months, and it has worked wonderfully! We had to get a brush guard replaced and another time a bushing that was lost when we were cleaning it. Both were sent rapidly by iRobot for no charge (even though the bushing was clearly our fault). A number of my friends have tried the roomba based on my recommendation and they seem happy as well.

I can't wait to expand my iRobot family when the scooba is released!

jenbo · Guest

I bought my roomba 6 months ago and have never had a problem. I use it daily on my hardwood floors, (open floor plan). I love the way it goes under the beds in the carpeted rooms and cleans areas I would never clean with a regular vacuum, because I can't get there. I have the Roomba Pro and it lasts about an hour and a half on the charge. I then charge it overnight and it's good to go the next day. My next one will have a shorter charge time. I want one for every floor of our house.

Slash · Guest

Mines about 5 months old. No issues yet, however I clean in after 3-4 runs.

-B

Guest · Guest

We got an SE last November, within 3 weeks it burned out a wheel motor. Replacement took 4 weeks (Christmas was the blame). Second one lasted 13 months, but then wall sensors started going nuts. Cleaned it with compressed air, worked a few times, then same problem. Got an RMA last week, still haven't heard.

IT'S GREAT. as long as it's working.

cougfan · Guest

I went thru 2 Discover SE's in about 6 months. I figured that was enough. Both units worked wonderful until one day they just were eratic. Instead of cleaning they would go in circles and stop. I cleaned my Roombas religiously. After each use I would take out the brushes, clean out hair, blow out the unit with compressed air, etc. Maybe that is the problem..maybe the Roomba fails from too much TLC. I can't imagine anyone caring for their Roomba the way I cared for mine. I always told my parents...it's a great vacuum, but I cannot recommend it because it's too much work performing routine maintenance...pulling hair out of spindles, the famous yellow piece on the axle that falls out, etc. Anyway..I just decided I would take a Refund from Hammacher since my white baseboards were getting banged up from the Roomba anyway. I have no regrets..it was a fun experiment but I can't deal with unreliable products. Maybe when Toyota makes one i'll try it again.

Ydoc · Guest

I purchased a Roomba Discovery SE from Hammacher and Received it on 5-31-05. The scrubber stripped out and Hammacher sent a new Roomba. I received it today. For $299.95 I excepted something more durable. A lot of the parts are plastic. It works great. My wife loves it and uses it a lot. However I am glad I purchased it from Hammacher because the way it is built I don't expect it to last and will probably need the lifetime warranty.
Accessories are not readily available. Would I recommend it? Ask me 12 months from now.

sogviamask · Guest Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 22

1) Buy one through Sharper Image and get the 3 year warranty. That way you don't have to deal with iRobot, who is a prime example of what NOT to do with respect to customer service. Sharper takes it back and replaces new no questions asked. iRobot refurbs suck in my opinion. I went through 2 in a row...

2) You need to own an air compressor if you own this unit. I am thoroughly convinced of that. Air cans are crap. It is high maintenance with respect to other vacuums, but a small price to pay for not having to actually do vacuuming. A small hobby air compressor (1.5 gal) is all you need. Got a small Craftsman one from Sears. Hook up trigger with fine point spray and MUST use a water/air filter trap inline. This gets most of thewater vapor out of the compressed air as it's delivered so it won't start ruining internal components. Blow it all out and then do the wheels last according to the website support page. You can even reverse blow the filters to make them last longer.

sogviamask · Guest Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 22

Anonymous wrote: We got an SE last November, within 3 weeks it burned out a wheel motor. Replacement took 4 weeks (Christmas was the blame). Second one lasted 13 months, but then wall sensors started going nuts. Cleaned it with compressed air, worked a few times, then same problem. Got an RMA last week, still haven't heard.

IT'S GREAT. as long as it's working.

Compressed air may not be as effective on the sensors in the bumper guard. For those I use isopropyl alcohol on a Q-tip and wipe the small glass bulbs in the recesses of the bumper guard...

rob_bora · Guest Joined: 14 Jun 2005 Posts: 28

i've had my 2.1 for a couple of months use it 4-7 times a week and no problems to speak of.

PaulMD · Guest Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 2

I've had mine for a year and use it 4 or 5 times a week, usually when I am out of the house. It works great. Finds its way back to the base everytime. Battery charge problem was taken care of quickly by iRobot by sending me a new Roomba (internal charging circuitry problem). They have great customer service.

It does an excellent job on the carpets and hardwood floors. Doesn't like rocking chairs though! I am always amazed at just how much it picks up each time!

Cleaning the brush every once and a while is key to keeping it running smooth.