Aldi Robot Vacuum Cleaner €179.99

SeanyMc22

ImARebel wrote: »

Mine has also developed a problem. The left brush won't turn anymore. The right one works perfectly if you manaully turn them you can feel that the left one is way tighter than the right, so I'm assuming the motor doesn't have the power to turn it as it requires so much more force to turn it now.

No idea how/why this happened. it worked Thursday evening, then Friday morning I went to set Percy going and no way would he budge. Tries to kick into gear, right brush turns and then nothing, flashes red.

If it had taken a knock or had something wound round the wheel or anything like that I could explain it. But how it happened (seemingly overnight) I just don't know. Going to contact Aldi today, this is akin to a death in the family in our house :-(

That sounds exactly like the issue I have exact mine is on the right. Haven't had a chance to bring it back yet, hoping to get up to Aldi during the week. Let us know how you get on.

ImARebel

I definitely will. Waiting for a room to become free in work so I can give some poor unsuspecting aldi person what for.

How is one expected to go back to actually hoovering after having a Percy???????? We're ruined!!!! :-)

ImARebel

Rang the aftersales support number on the booklet that came with the robot. Your man was very nice but the long and short of it is that they have no access to parts, they have a meeting with Aldi the first week in July to try and see can they find out how they are going to support the repair/maintenance of the robots. Aldi bought them in bulk from Italy and they have no access to parts/the inner workings or what's going to be need to be done to fix them.

He said to ring back in July and he'd know more then. That in my book is not good enough I'll be going back to my local store tonight to see can I get a replacement.

If I can't, then I presume the next step is head office?

I'm not very "up" on what the procedure should be so if anyone could advise how I should be complaining and to which channels I'd be grateful.

I'd be happy for now with a replacement having to wait until mid-July for a possible outcome of a meeting isn't good enough in my book. At least I'd have something to tide me over until July.

I presume if something is under warranty then you shouldn't have to wait until mid-july to find out if it can be fixed etc? It should be relatively immediate?

beardybrewer

Sorry to hear about Percy. We also couldn't live without Edgar J.

Please keep us informed as more than a few of us will likely be following in your footsteps. The 60-days is up for most of us so the warranty route is the only option.

Muahahaha

Pretty bad form by Aldi to be flogging these without parts back up- over their life time robot vacumns need a lot more parts and maintenance than standard vacs. They should have been talking to their suppliers about after sales parts back in April, not in July when people are already stuck for them.

ImARebel

agreed and I'll be saying that tonight when I go back to them... I'll keep ye updated

take everything

ImARebel wrote: »

Rang the aftersales support number on the booklet that came with the robot. Your man was very nice but the long and short of it is that they have no access to parts, they have a meeting with Aldi the first week in July to try and see can they find out how they are going to support the repair/maintenance of the robots. Aldi bought them in bulk from Italy and they have no access to parts/the inner workings or what's going to be need to be done to fix them.

He said to ring back in July and he'd know more then. That in my book is not good enough I'll be going back to my local store tonight to see can I get a replacement.

If I can't, then I presume the next step is head office?

I'm not very "up" on what the procedure should be so if anyone could advise how I should be complaining and to which channels I'd be grateful.

I'd be happy for now with a replacement having to wait until mid-July for a possible outcome of a meeting isn't good enough in my book. At least I'd have something to tide me over until July.

I presume if something is under warranty then you shouldn't have to wait until mid-july to find out if it can be fixed etc? It should be relatively immediate?

Well your contract is with the reseller ie Aldi so they can't fob you off to the manufacturer AFAIK.
And it should last a reasonable length of time (I would've thought reasonable would be 2 years of normal wear and tear).

Metroid diorteM

Has no one still found a way to buy parts? I figured by now something would have surfaced - cant you buy it on Amazon Italy or something?

Our little guy still going strong but its only common sense that he'll need new brushes eventually...

frash

Metroid diorteM wrote: »

Has no one still found a way to buy parts? I figured by now something would have surfaced - cant you buy it on Amazon Italy or something?

Our little guy still going strong but its only common sense that he'll need new brushes eventually...

Didn't they come with spare brushes?

Johnny is still going strong in our house but I vaguely remember there being spare brushes in the box.

beardybrewer

There were spare brushes and a spare HEPA filter in my box. I find that filter to be pretty fiddly to pull out to clean... I'm afraid I'll ruin it in the process of cleaning it.

To the poster whose brush stopped rotating, is it possible it's found a thread or something that has wound around the spindle that the brush is connected to? When I first set Edgar off about the place I had a tidy up a few things he kept winding up around his brushes including some loose threads hanging from the bottom of our curtains. Don't void your warranty or anything, but I wonder if there is something to explain why the brush on one side got stuck.

mrcheez

ImARebel wrote: »

Mine has also developed a problem. The left brush won't turn anymore. The right one works perfectly if you manaully turn them you can feel that the left one is way tighter than the right, so I'm assuming the motor doesn't have the power to turn it as it requires so much more force to turn it now.

Have you tried a squirt of oil?

I had a similar problem with a Lidl Microwave door not closing but a squirt of oil sorted out the hinge problem. I spoke to their after-sales dept first just to be sure it wouldn't affect the warranty.

SeanyMc22

@ImARebel how did you get on with returning your bot to Aldi? It's looking like I won't have a chance to return mine until the weekend.

ImARebel

Just back from Aldi with Percy Mark II in a box. Have to say there was no issue at all about getting a replacement. The manager offered me one immediately. I did say to him (just to clarify the fact that I'd contacted Aftersales) that I'd have been happy if it could have been fixed but given parts were an issue that a replacement then was the only option. He just said that he'd heard there was an issue with parts alright but he was happy to replace it (I got the last one in the store)

He was very good about it and because it was outside the 60 day warranty he just put it through as a new sale and I got a receipt to cover me from today onwards.

I tried a few things to get him back up and running but you could see there was clearly something wrong with the left one in comparison to the right. Nothing was wound around it etc so he's charging away below ready for action later :-)

Sorry now I didn't pocket the 2 extra brushes in the spare box before returning it. Didn't think fast enough on that one!

SeanyMc22

ImARebel wrote: »

Just back from Aldi with Percy Mark II in a box. Have to say there was no issue at all about getting a replacement. The manager offered me one immediately. I did say to him (just to clarify the fact that I'd contacted Aftersales) that I'd have been happy if it could have been fixed but given parts were an issue that a replacement then was the only option. He just said that he'd heard there was an issue with parts alright but he was happy to replace it (I got the last one in the store)

He was very good about it and because it was outside the 60 day warranty he just put it through as a new sale and I got a receipt to cover me from today onwards.

I tried a few things to get him back up and running but you could see there was clearly something wrong with the left one in comparison to the right. Nothing was wound around it etc so he's charging away below ready for action later :-)

Sorry now I didn't pocket the 2 extra brushes in the spare box before returning it. Didn't think fast enough on that one!

Glad to hear there was no problems with the return. Which store did you return yours to? I'll be heading to the Santry store with mine

ImARebel

I'm based outside Dublin so it would be a "local" store if you know what I mean, ie they'd be used to seeing me in and out of there. I don't know if that made a difference to the outcome. Plus I didn't go in all guns blazing either, I was prepared to argue my case but I was nice about it :-)

Might be worth checking if they have any in stock before going over, you'd know ahead of time and could decide if they could get one from another store for you. I knew mine had one in the display cabinet so didn't need to go down that route but it's what I would have asked them to do as the warranty can't be upheld.

Best of luck - let us know how you get on

beardybrewer

Lucky that he happened to have one in the store. I wonder what would have happened if that hadn't been the case? Glad it worked out for you. Fingers crossed we don't hear too many new cases of faults developing.

ImARebel

I would definitely have asked him to source one for me as I know from being on here there are a few available in other stores

sue97

One in Aldi Santry at the minute.

SeanyMc22

sue97 wrote: »

One in Aldi Santry at the minute.

Looks like someone got there before me. None in the cabinet but there was a large empty space. Manager was sound about it and gave me a refund straight away. He said they will be coming back in as they were so popular. Back to archaic hoovering :-|

ImARebel

that's a bummer, it's a pity you couldn't have got a replacement :-(

mrcheez

Incidentally I need to get something replaced in Aldi, do I need to ring up in advance to talk to the manager, or would s/he normally be walking around the shop?

ImARebel

as far as I know there is always a manager on duty while the store is open (for voids, returns etc)

deadl0ck

Some spares on ebay.it : Clicky

nicapp

Been following this thread avidly. On the back of all your reccomendations i bought myself one for £129 and duly named it Dobbie the house elf! And I absolutely love him however after abit of research i see its impossible to purchase spare parts as they are all in Italy. My husband tried to reassure me re the 3 yr warranty but if the battery fails how are we meant to buy a new one after all its only covered for 6 mths. Also my local Aldi store manager advised me if it becomes faulty its to be returned to the manufacterer which is in Italy and not to the local scottish store within the 3 yr warranty. I have 12 days of my 60 days no quibble return left and due to all the above i think its going to have to go back :0(
Any news yet from the helpline on the big Aldi meeting in July with the manufacterer's?

k123456

Its impossible / or v difficult to get spares

As a result look after it, specifically the brushes ; Before hovering the room/house make sure no trailing power cords, usb cables etc, these tend to snag up the brushes and damage them

mrcheez

k123456 wrote: »

make sure no trailing power cords, usb cables etc, these tend to snag up the brushes and damage them

Woah that's pretty crap. Glad I didn't pick one up so. Trailing power cords are everywhere in my living room for TV or sat cable or lights etc.

Also have a Persian rug with tassles on each end that would probably cause havoc with the innards.

I'll wait until these things get "smarter".

nicapp

I took Dobbie back today, the lad advised me as of 17th its on special at £99 in Aldi's. Unless Aldi make it possible to buy spares I see no point re purchasing it which is a great shame.

ImARebel

Despite it's limitations I wouldn't be without Percy... Although that said Percy Mark II seems alot dumber than Percy Mark I, but he gets there eventually...

Given there is a 3 year warranty on these aldi will have to do something to get the parts to the engineers..

nicapp

Does anyone have the customer care number on the instructions booklet is it an Aldi customer care number or the manufacterer? I was going to ring them to get clarification on this but obviously the bòoks gone back with Dobbie hence i nolonger have it?

doubledown

nicapp wrote: »

I took Dobbie back today, the lad advised me as of 17th its on special at £99 in Aldi's. Unless Aldi make it possible to buy spares I see no point re purchasing it which is a great shame.

Any official word on these being reduced? There's no mention on the Aldi website. And has anyone spotted any recently? I'm trying to get one for a friend's 40th.

Thanks.

ImARebel

nicapp wrote: »

Does anyone have the customer care number on the instructions booklet is it an Aldi customer care number or the manufacterer? I was going to ring them to get clarification on this but obviously the bòoks gone back with Dobbie hence i nolonger have it?

This is the number I rang: 057 9324910

nicapp

ImARebel wrote: »

This is the number I rang: 057 9324910

Thanks, I miss Dobby so much :0( Has anyone who contacted customer helpline heard any news re the July meeting they were having with suppliers re spares?

mrcheez

nicapp wrote: »

Thanks, I miss Dobby so much :0(

Interesting article (nothing to do with Bargain Alerts, but related to robots becoming pets/members of the family ... pretty much an inevitability)

http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/09/17/emotional-attachment-to-robots-could-affect-outcome-on-battlefield/

frash

Johnny is dying.

He tries to start, turns his little brushes but doesn't move forward.
He then flashes red beeping a couple of times.

It's 4 or 5 months now since he came into our house so the 60 day return isn't an option but he's still under the 3 year warranty.

Will ring the support number in the morning.

In the meantime if anyone can think of a cause can they let me know?
I've cleaned out the filters, manually disconnected & reconnected the battery to hard reset. I've unscrewed the brushed & pulled out some thread caught in it. I've opened it up at the bottom but can't see anything stuck on the wheels.

It's like the motor to drive the wheels isn't working but the motor to drive the brushes still is but when the wheels don't turn the brushes stop.

It's a sad day!

nicapp

Awww poor Johhny Linlithgow Aldi has about 30 in it at £99.

Hope you get a replacement ok the mechanical faults that soon is worrying. I bought another Dobby but he's still sat in his box not decided if im keeping him yet. Lets us know how you get on with customer care.

vibe666

the problem with all these little robot vacuum cleaners is that unless you live in a square box with no furniture and NOTHING on the floor except dust, they're never going to do a decent job.

they might be worth it if you live in an uncluttered apartment with no kids or pets, but for me, (with a roomba 525, mid-range model) i ended up spending more time getting everything off the floor and clearing the way for our roomba that it would have been quicker to vacuum everything myself.

the only way to keep the floors clean with it was if you let it go every night to do it, which meant a good tidy up every night before bed, moving dining room chairs, lifting curtains off the floor, moving every little toy, bag, shoes, cables, EVERYTHING out of the way that it could get caught on and then cleaning it out from the night before (as it would have been more than half full each night) and then letting it do it's thing.

EVERY...FREAKING...NIGHT...

and then at least twice a week it would have got caught on something i missed and given up without even doing half a job.

plus, it's not great with thick carpets, or complicated shaped (or busy, cluttered) rooms.

also heard of a guy who had a dog that took a shyte in his kitchen one night and he came down to find that the roomba had painted every inch of his floor with it.

mrcheez

vibe666 wrote: »

heard of a guy who had a dog that took a shyte in his kitchen one night and he came down to find that the roomba had painted every inch of his floor with it.

Nice

vibe666

mrcheez wrote: »

Nice

was that you, or did I just mis-remember something off the TV/web as if it were a real thing? :eek:

Peppa Cig

mrcheez wrote: »

Nice

Jesus, thats appalling and hilarious at the same time!
I hope he fecked the bot in the bin and didn't spend two days trying to get bits of shi*teout of it.

mrcheez

vibe666 wrote: »

was that you, or did I just mis-remember something off the TV/web as if it were a real thing? :eek:

my house ain't that nice :P

Nah just googled "roomba dog crap"

frash

nicapp wrote: »

Awww poor Johhny Linlithgow Aldi has about 30 in it at £99.

Hope you get a replacement ok the mechanical faults that soon is worrying. I bought another Dobby but he's still sat in his box not decided if im keeping him yet. Lets us know how you get on with customer care.

I had to Google where 'Linlithgow' was.
This is mainly an Irish forum just in case you hadn't realised but hello to you in Scotland anyway.

I rang the after sales number & it's the same story as mentioned before - they don't have the parts.
It's back to ALDI I go to bid farewell to Johnny.

nicapp

frash wrote: »

I had to Google where 'Linlithgow' was.
This is mainly an Irish forum just in case you hadn't realised but hello to you in Scotland anyway.

I rang the after sales number & it's the same story as mentioned before - they don't have the parts.
It's back to ALDI I go to bid farewell to Johnny.

Ohhhh Sorry Didn't realise this thread was just for the Irish Aldi's :0)

So does the Aldi customer care have no plans to be able to get replacement parts?

frash

nicapp wrote: »

Ohhhh Sorry Didn't realise this thread was just for the Irish Aldi's :0)

So does the Aldi customer care have no plans to be able to get replacement parts?

It's not - you can talk about anything from anywhere just it's mainly an Irish site.

The guy on the phone didn't know anything about getting spare parts in - said to just bring it back to the shop.

AlanS181824

There's still 2 of these little guys roaming around my house, charging themselves when they like and off the go again.

They still work grand months on, still need to hoover the stairs manually.

My dog still isn't happy though :pac:

blue_blue

Are these good at sucking up pubes? Would be perfect for the bathroom (it's tiled).

vibe666

yes, but they get wrapped around the roller really easily and jam it up, so you'll be plucking them out of it every few days or so, depending on how pubey you were to begin with.

frash

Just returned Johnny to ALDI and picked up Johnny II.

Kept the spare brushes & filter too!

deadl0ck

frash wrote: »

Just returned Johnny to ALDI and picked up Johnny II.

Kept the spare brushes & filter too!

Did they happen to have a replacement in store, or did they order it for you beforehand ?

frash

deadl0ck wrote: »

Did they happen to have a replacement in store, or did they order it for you beforehand ?

Happened to have one.
It was the last one before anyone asks

Jebus Diced

Anyone buy one? any good?