RoughCollie Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 UPDATE: The strangest thing happened, and I wonder if it was due to my Amazon review. Hoover corporate just called me, saying they were returning a call I did not make. They want me to return the machine so they can use it to figure out what caused it to catch fire -- I am not the only one with this problem. They are going to send me a replacement machine. Previously they had offered to sell me another machine for $100 . I told the lady I would edit my review on Amazon (which she never mentioned) to include this new wrinkle after I receive the new machine and have successfully used it. ***************** Yesterday, I hauled out my Hoover Max Extract Dual, for its second use. The first time I used it to clean 300 s.f. carpet. This time, I made 3-4' passes on the carpet, and the motor caught fire. Just a little fire, which sent smoke billowing through my living room, and the odor was awful. I unplugged the machine and called Hoover. The customer service rep had me check both tanks for cracks and there were none. Then she had me plug back in the machine and turn it on, and the same thing happened. So she offered to replace the machine for $100. I asked her why I should pay an additional $100 for a piece of crap. Naturally the machine had just passed its one year warranty date. I researched it and discovered that Hoover has a problem with these machine's motors catching fire. Probably not a large percentage of them, but enough so they know it is a problem. I hauled out my old Hoover carpet cleaner, which worked fine for over 12 years. I replaced it only because I lost all of its attachments (stairs and upholstery) when we moved. Naturally, it quit sucking up water yesterday. I tried to fix it with advice I found online, but no dice. Meanwhile, it dumped 1/2 gallon of soapy water on my carpet -- how, I don't know or care. By the time this extravaganza of fun was over, I'd spent 4 hours fruitlessly trying to begin cleaning my carpets. A friend lent me her Bissell, which I am going to use today. DD is having her 18th birthday party on Saturday, so I have to get these carpets cleaned! So I'm in the market for a new machine, and it will be a long and cold day in you-know-where before I buy another product from Hoover because I think that when a practically new machine has its motor catch fire, and the manufacturer knows that some of these models have that problem, they should replace the machine even if it is barely out of warranty. Please, if you have a carpet cleaner you like, tell me the brand and the model. Thanks, RC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 We've had Hoover and we've had Bissel. The Bissel we had didn't last very long at all before it stopped sucking up water. Bissel was of nearly no help when we called and it was within warranty. (Suggested it was somehow our fault that the mechanism died.). We stick with Hoover now. Not muh help, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I'll let you know later what I have, since I gotta scrub carpets today too. Right now I'm too lazy to dig it out of the closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I've had Bissell and Hoover and have always preferred Hoover. Sorry your's have given you a fit lately. I can only imagine your frustration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 I always preferred Hoover, too. But I prefer good customer service way more than that, so no Hoover product will ever darken my doorway again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Over the years I've had Hoovers and Bissells. Although my Bissells lasted longer, overall I think the Hoovers were/are better made. While they worked they performed better than the Bissells. Obviously, neither is great. I think steam cleaners are products where you either suck it up and buy an extended warranty, or you go into it with the idea that if you get a year's use you're doing good. For us a year's use more than pays for it, so we skip the extended warranties and hope for the best. The longest I've had any steam cleaner to last is four years (that was a Bissell), but by the last year it really wasn't working well at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 If you have a Sam's club nearby, buy whatever they sell . . . save the receipt . . . And return the dang thing under their satisfaction guarantee if it dies in an unreasonable amount of time. After much frustration, that is my policy for vacuums. Really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 We've always had Hoovers and have been pretty happy with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I've had Bissell and I've had Hoover, and it seems like they both tended to self-destruct in about a year and a half. We do have hard water, and I was told that contributes to the short lifespan. I got tired of replacing them and got a Rug Doctor. It is built MUCH more sturdily, and after 5 years is showing no sign of wearing out. BUT, it is more expensive and it is heavy! Don't get one if you don't have a strong back. And it's not as easy to use as the others. So, it's a trade-off, but I'm mostly happy with the Rug Doctor. Replacing short-lived junk annoys me, so I'm willing to put up with it's drawbacks. ETA: I just remembered to add that I now use distilled water for the last refill to try to minimize the hard water damage. Not sure if that has helped prolong the Rug Doctor or not, as I did the same thing for the last Hoover I had and it still broke down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzingirl Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 We have a Bissell Pro Heat and love it. DH has had it for a really long time, over 10 years and it still works pretty well. He is handy so has made repairs over time though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 For as much as you use it, I'd just hire a professional twice a year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 For as much as you use it, I'd just hire a professional twice a year! That gets really expensive if you have a large house and lots of carpet! I look at all the carpet cleaning specials I see, and at the cheapest it would still cost several hundred dollars to have our whole house cleaned one time Plus with four pets (two of them cats who tend to hurl regularly), I like to be able to clean any messes up right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Can you rent a Rug Doctor? They are in grocery and hardware stores here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilleigh Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Following. Until my husband caves and lets me rip out all the carpet I'm in the market for a cleaner as well. I can't stand dingy carpets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 UPDATE: The strangest thing happened, and I wonder if it was due to my Amazon review. Hoover corporate just called me, saying they were returning a call I did not make. They want me to return the machine so they can use it to figure out what caused it to catch fire -- I am not the only one with this problem. They are going to send me a replacement machine. Previously they had offered to sell me another machine for $100 . I told the lady I would edit my review on Amazon (which she never mentioned) to include this new wrinkle after I receive the new machine and have successfully used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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