Robot Reviews

I have been approved for an RMA of my broken Neato, and I have verified that Neato has received my proof of purchase. I knew I would have to wait for a couple of days for the shipping instructions, however, it has been over a week and I have not received the instructions on how to return the unit. (I have read online that for some it is taking a month to receive the shipping instruction email.)

Numerous, follow up phone calls with promise made and broken by Neato on when the shipping instructions will arrive.

Although Neato will not send me the return shipping instructions, the have been kind enough to send me the same exact email thanking me for contacting customer service thirty times (30) and counting.

I also understand that it will be my responsibility to pay for return shipping of the defective unit.

The Neato customer service rep will not answer any questions about the return instructions, except to say to wait for the email.

I have returned Neato's in the past and the process was extremely efficient.

Has anyone else had problems returning defective units to Neato in the last couple of months?

Is it possible Neato is experiencing some type of financial problem?

Is it just me, or has Neatos customer service declined?

Did you happen to purchase from Bed Bath & Beyond or Costco? If so, you may want to return the broken bot to the retailer instead.

When my BV85 first had the side brush failure. I had the same experience. Was not happy about having the bot out of service for close to a month and to have to pay extra to ship the item back to them. I asked about a credit card guaranteed cross ship, they declined. Oh and I never got the RMA email either.

I found out that BBB will take back product, defective or otherwise, long after the transaction date. That's what I ended up doing with my broken bot and I had a new one the same night.

Thank you for the reply.

I do have a 3yr warranty with Walmart. However, the unit has broken within the first year and I have to deal with Neato support for the next several months.

How did you get them to send the email with the return instructions? All of my super polite techniques have been rebuffed. (I have received a thank for contacting us email from Neato 46 times and counting)

When I returned a unit drop shipped from the factory with defects a year or so ago, the return instructions came in the replacement unit shipped before returning the old one, unusual. The method is for supplying the box of the new one for return of the old, in case the original box may be gone. The shipping costs are normally split between Neato and the customer, just to dissuade fraud I suppose. It was bought on ebay and eligible for return for refund under Ebay's terms. Because of this the shipping costs were waived. It had been shipped factory direct. The return was initiated by an agent on the phone, not email. They may not even be staffed to handle tons of email.

I wonder if there is some confusion in the company due to the role of Walmart, misdirecting the request, waiting for something from Walmart. When there is a warranty claim they at least verify the purchase with the store for one thing. There is an insurance company involved and they could be waiting some reply from them.
All very suspicious. They may also not have any stock from which to send a replacement, and are waiting on the replacement to be shipped, which initiates the instructions, and which is not happening.

The cost of these things is sufficient to warrant a suit in small claims court against Neato Robotics and maybe Walmart, just to bring it to the attention of the right official. I would discuss it with Walmart in any event in case they have any advice or can contact Neato on your behalf. They have quite a relationship with the company.

A year ago my Neato return was the same, the return instructions and mailing label came with the replacement unit (guaranteed by credit card) The return was painless.

However, it seems in the last couple of months they have started a new return process.

I have no idea why I have received the "thank you for contacting Neato" email 51 times and counting.

The Neato rep that I reach by calling 1 (877) 296-3286 has made it clear they have no ability to send the shipping instructions or any ability to stop the emails. It sounds like this part of the operation has been outsourced to a company that screens the calls and then sends emails to Neato.

Does anyone have any idea how to get a hold of Neato directly?

(I know in the past a Neato employee has posted)

Perhaps a Neato employee can tell us what is going on with the new return procedure.

File the warranty claim by regular mail, as documentation for the court case. Maybe reaches a different party. There should be instructions in the warranty documentation, in the manual or separate enclosure, and in Walmart's documents. Regulations vary by state.
It was after they outsourced customer service a year or so ago that they advised not to update the firmware, and then a few months later discontinued the firmware updating website.
From what I manage to translate on European forums Vorwerk Kobold does not have much of a reputation for service in Germany either. Surprising since I thought they handled it in specialty store outlets.

I am not sure I have much of a court case. I paid $49 dollars for the Neato XV Essential after rebate, when Walmart was clearing the units out. (The Walmart warranty has been outstanding, in a couple of months when Neatos warranty ends Walmart will refund my money or repair the unit)

Not looking to use this forum to vent, just looking for tips and strategy of how members are making the new return process work.

I will post the new "super secret return instructions" when I receive them.

They may very well know the insurance kicks in within so short a time and are deliberately transferring the obligation to them, especially without stock of the original model to replace it. You might end up with a more advanced unit as stock of the original to replace it is exhausted. Some claims for XV's were replaced with Botvacs. I even wonder if the XV is manufactured any more, though it has hung on in dealers a long time. They were losing money on it and the lower manufacturing cost of the more efficient Botvac was one factor in responding. The outsourcing seemed to be a product of expansion where the size of the operation became unwieldy for such a narrow product line.

It is definitely my thinking that a stalling tacit has been implemented, but I am hesitant to make that claim without more input from Neato customers on the current return process.

I have also read that if you stay on them for about a month the odds are good you will receive a brand new Botvac.

This is a new technology and you have to keep a positive attitude and have fun with it. I love Neato but without the backup of a reliable extended warranty or a retailer you trust, I would never buy the product.

I have now received this email from Neato 52 times, I am taking bets on whether the total emails go over 100.

"Thank You for contacting Neato Robotics Customer Care. We have received your email and will respond to it as soon as possible.
You can find the answers to many of your questions online at www.neatorobotics.com in the Support Center.
You may also reach us at 877-29-Neato (877-296-3286)

Our business hours are 6:00am - 10:00pm MST.


Thank you for being a Neato Customer!

Neato Customer Care"

Neato is really grateful that I contacted customer care.
As best I can tell in my conversations with Neato customer service, they have outsourced the server responsibilities and are waiting on a reply from the contractor to solve the problem.

It can also just mean too much success. They sold off the stock last xmas and await another bulk shipment from China which is not continuous. There was also some mess last year with the west coast ports. By then it will be Walmart's business, and they have all the inventory anyway.
There has been a trend to minimize inventory costs everywhere possible with computer advances. Plus so many different models made it's a wonder they can all be stocked. When I went to buy tires last year there was a nationwide shortage of a particular major brand. It has gotten seasonal like growing seasons for foodstuffs, Neatos and peaches only in certain months.

susantx3 wrote:I am not sure I have much of a court case. I paid $49 dollars for the Neato XV Essential after rebate, when Walmart was clearing the units out. (The Walmart warranty has been outstanding, in a couple of months when Neatos warranty ends Walmart will refund my money or repair the unit)

If I find $49 deal on a new Neato, I will buy an extra one for repair parts instead of buying extra warranty.
In you case, it may be the last one on the shelf.

After numerous Neato contacts I finally got the address where to ship my defective Neato

NEATO ROBOTICS C/O EXTRON
496 S ABBOTT AVE
MILPITAS CA 95035-5258

(510) 353-0177

http://www.extroninc.com/returns-manage ... tions.html

(If you read the above link you discover that Neato thinks If you return defective units you are a profit drain and a headache)

I was told to ship back everything that came in the original package.

Neato makes no effort to help you with shipping, your on your own. (I do think you can buy a $49.95 convenience return package) I used my eBay shipping account for a rate of $16.92. The US Post Office rate was $40.20.

With minimal effort Neato could make arrangements for their customer to receive discounted shipping rates on returns. The only conclusion I can come to is Neato is doing all it can to make returns of defective products as difficult and expensive as possible.

They also sent me 96 emails thanking me for contacting customer service.

My experience with customer service hasn't been that bad. My botvac didn't break, it was making a strange noise. I contacted them, and it took them a few days to reply but they sent me a new unit with a shipping label to return my old one.

Really only looking for those who have used the most recent return procedure which required you to buy your own postage and ship to NEATO ROBOTICS C/O EXTRON

The new return process was only recently outsourced.

There was no acknowledgement of my returned unit, so it was necessary to make several calls to customer service to verify that had the returned unit. I also sent a copy of proof of delivery.

I was told a new unit would be shipped "out immediately". However, I have not received a tracking number, so I doubt my new unit was shipped. I will probably have to call in a few days.

Neato Customer Service has been turned over to Larry Moe and Curly.

Neato customer service insist they sent a replacement Neato on the 18th but will not provide a tracking number.

I just bought something on eBay for $2 and it had a tracking number.

The new Neato replacement procedure seems to have some kinks to be worked out.


Edit. After several calls I finally got the tracking number, The replacement Neato was shipped on the 25th not the 18th.

The Neato is also coming directly from EXTRON.

Extron is the company Neato has outsourced returns and repairs to in the last couple of months. I have been reading some reviews as to what it is like to work at Extron and this is one of my favorites.

"please do not I repeat do not go work for xetron in the manufactering department it is like a prison in the back @ they have a lady that look like a drunk @ a crackhead as a teamlead the supervisor listen to everything she tell him @ she has a friend that look like a rag doll with black lips an smell like a pack of newports all i am saying please don't leave your job your will be disappointed."

I should know next week how well they handled the repair of my Neato.

This comment is not a reflection on the OP’s plight... I fully understand the OP’s despair and frustration.

But when I read this thread – and most other Neato related threads on this forum - I am in awe of Neato’s sheer ineptness and managerial incompetence. They had a product that was so nearly world-class. A combination of novel and innovative technology, compromised by cut-price, downright cheap, inadequate manufacture... and damned by stupid sales practice – a Neato for $49... really?

In my business life, I’ve seen some seriously stupid business leadership, but Neato crowns them all. Hopefully Vorwerk’s management input can turn this flailing business around.

I don't take any of this serious or personal. I think of robotic vacuums as a fun hobby in which we are all learning together. I am probably spoiled at how efficiently Neato handled previous returns, compared to the current process which is taking 2 to 4 weeks. However, my experience may be a one off.

I have seen improvement in every model Neato has released. I currently own a Botvac D75 and can recommended it if you buy an extended warranty or have a retailer that will take it back no questions asked.

The $49 dollar Neato was somewhat of a fluke, here is the link for more information:
[url]http://slickdeals.net/f/7782133-neato-xv-essential-bagless-vacuum-with-bonus-accessories-149-after-50-rebate-free-shipping-ymmv-for-lower-price-read-post?src=SiteSearch[/url]

Hopefully, Neato will make the next generation model modular for quick, easy repair and continue to make the product more durable.

I will not Know until next week how this turns out, so I am still hoping for the best.

A lot of parts used to be available for the XV series because some were bought merely to remove the lidar for other uses, selling the rest as parts. No need for a more expensive Botvac for that purpose. There is even now a firm posted by Vic which seems to have lidars and special electronics for them.
Maybe the Botvac's have been lasting so well there are no defective ones to sell for parts only.
Long term extended warranties may be available in the U.S., but maybe not so much in other countries, and there is a global market -- except for Vorwerk, who seems to like dealer relationships, and is not available outside Europe and mostly only in Germany.
I hear Neato Robotics is buying advertising in Israel, billboards, commercials etc. Never seen that expense in the U.S., presumably not enough sales. Besides, advertising has been moving to the net with the expanded communications environment, cable cord cutting etc.
Observe how Dyson produces a lot of slick video advertising on the net.

The basic limitation of Neato/Vorwerk is reliance on a ten year old lidar technology which seems to be obsolete with the now practical solid state camera guidance. Not sure if that is inherently more expensive. Neato originally seemed to supply a lot more electronics than iRobot at lower prices, so the impact might be negligible.
Neato thus appears to be a one trick pony company which does not go beyond its original innovation. The competition has expanded beyond the original iRobot leader.

The best Neato bargain is the original Botvac discounted after the bearing was fixed in the D models.
Not a stable business when merely fixing a bearing defines a new model. Yet Samsung is doing similar nonsense with software additions. It's a weird product category. Caveat Emptor. Sic transit gloria Neato.

Agree about that, 3 years of no product releases, just minor improvements like a different filter and such, and then botvac is just a revision of the mechanical design, not by much. Surprising that it took them three years for that.

Having said that, its still one of the top vacuum robots and I can see why they don't want to spend more on R&D when they have the best product in its price category, and also beyond, as you can see in many reviews. Maybe they are working on something new like a floor washing robot.

If my neato brakes down beyond repair today, it will be replaced by another Neato. It has its downsides, like you guys note, but its still the best, especially in its price category.