Friday, January 13, 2006

 

Reviews On Roomba

Subject

Looking for the perfect gift? Everyone loves Robots!

Today's blog entry concerns the iRobot Roomba 4100/4300 Intelligent Floorvac Robotic Vacuum. This robotic vacuum cleaner had a whopping 141 user reviews on Amazon at the time this analysis was done.

The Advanced Robotic Vacuum With Wireless Command Center.
Buy Roomba

[11-12-2007] Editor's note: If you read the comments you will see complaints from people that have owned their Roombas for quite some time. This can happen even with a product that gets favorable customer reviews when there are millions of units in the field. The best to solution is to get the Roomba from a vendor with an extended warranty plan. Hammacher Schlemmer offers the Roomba with a free product lifetime guarantee, approximately 9 years on consumer electronics like the Roomba robot.

General Notes

Before I get into the details of the , which are written by people that have purchased and own the product, a few brief comments.

The reviews of the Roomba were overwhelmingly positive, as you will see from the statistics. However, it definitely was a love/hate relationship. The bad reviews weren't a broad spectrum of scores, but instead tended to to be mostly 1 star ratings. What was also notable was a big patch of bad reviews that happened around January 2006. This could be due to a bad production run which does happen on occassion with high tech electronic items like robots.

Most of the complaints from bad reviewers had to do with people that had difficult to clean spaces; obviously a human is still going to do a better job here. The other complaints had to do with units that broke early and some people had trouble getting spare parts.

But that was a very small percentage of the reviews. Most people were absolutely delighted with the unit and were amazed at how much dirt it picked up; even difficult to handle dirt like cat hairs.

Detailed Statistics


General Rating Information


Overall the iRoomba received a 4.01 stars rating across all the user reviews. There were 106 good ratings and 28 bad ratings. Out of 401 total votes, 58% of the people that read the bad reviews felt they were helpful. Out of 1263 total votes, 96% of the people that read the good reviews felt they were helpful. If you filter out the reviews that most people felt were unhelpful, including those reviews that people didn’t even bother to vote on or only got a tiny fraction of the votes, the Roomba's rating rises to a 4.89 star rating.


Top Ranked Reviewers


Oddly enough, despite the popularity and techno-geek coolness of the product, there weren't any top ranked reviewers that reviewed this product.


Real Name Reviewers



The reviewers that used their real names made up 54% of the total reviewer pool. There were 57 good ratings in this category and 16 bad ones. They gave the iRoomba an average rating of 4.01 stars. Out of 175 total votes, 68% of the people that read the bad reviews felt they were helpful. Out of 937 total votes, 96% of the people that read the good reviews felt they were helpful. If you filter out the reviews that most people felt were unhelpful, including those reviews that people didn’t even bother to vote on or only got a tiny fraction of the votes, the Roomba's rating rises to a 4.92 star rating.


Anonymous Reviewers


Another oddity. Usually there at least some reviewers that choose to remain anonymous. Not so with the Roomba.


Kid Reviewers


There was only one review done by a kid and they loved it giving it a 5 star rating.


Good User Quotes

Bad User Quotes

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permanent link to this post posted by roschler @ 7:43 AM
Comments:
I am very disappointed in the quality of the Roomba and the customer support at iRobot. The machine worked very well while it was working, but after a few weeks of use it would no longer charge properly. I had to pay the shipping to send it back to iRobot, and have been waiting for over 8 weeks for them to ship back the replacement charger.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 6:55 PM
 
Sorry to hear that. Based on the statistics we crunched for the user reviews, it seems that for most people it works well but a few, like yourself, get lemons. Your comment on their technical support is of course troubling.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger roschler : 7:18 PM
 
WHATS WRONG WITH YOU PEEPS A PRODUCT SHOULD WORK 100 PERCENT AS ADVERTISED §§§ ???
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 1:20 PM
 
Anonymous,

We don't make or sell the Roomba. iRobot does. We simply analyzed the hundreds of Amazon reviews for the product.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger roschler : 4:26 PM
 
Breaks too quickly. My roomba boroke within a and a half year. There is no service center where it can be repaired. Even if I want to repair by myself I cannot do it since are no spare parts available :( I will definitely not recommend it unless you have enough money to buy a new one every 1-2 years.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger threads : 12:59 PM
 
I paid nearly $400 for a Roomba and it worked for about six months. There was no service (local or nationwide) available and it still sits in my closet today
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger Larry : 8:36 PM
 
I liked the Roomba at first, but within weeks parts were falling off and the charge would not hold long enough to vacuum even 1 small room. After just a few months, the battery would not hold a charge for more than 5 minutes and was essentially useless. The customer support seemed friendly and helpful, but it turned out it was just a song and dance before they told me I had to buy new parts. Also, keep in mind that you have to regularly clean the brushes and filter as well as dump the accumulated dirt. Overall, i didnt feel that the amount of money and time that went into maintaining it was worth the "so-called" conveniece of its ability to run by itself. I've replaced it with a low-end upright vacuum with a HEPA filter- it works better, its more reliable, was cheaper and costs essentially nothing to maintain, and although i have to run the vacuum myself, it takes less of my time overall. best of luck to all of you,but my recommendation is a strong "DON"T BOTHER"!
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger Elizabeth : 12:12 AM
 
My wife and I found the Roomba a great help, especially in the kitchen with all the hair from our two dogs. It takes a little patience, but it made our house cleaner with not too much work. However... It broke after 14 months of thrice-weekly use. (Plastic gears stripped.) IRobot wouldn't repair it and offered to sell a new one for about $190. I bought it, but it took a month to arrive. They need to get both their longevity and support act together.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger Fred : 6:46 AM
 
My dad bought my mother her roomba for christmas because that's what she wanted. At first it worked great, but then it wouldn't hold a charge. So my dad ordered a new battery, which he had to pay for by the way,and that didn't help. Customer service said there wasn't anything they could do but sell him a replacement Roomba for 99.00. One of the representatives he spoke to over the phone told my dad that the roomba only lasted about two years. So, unless you can afford 300.00 or 400.00 bucks every 6 months or so, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY!
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 8:59 AM
 
One thing I noticed looking at Roomba reviews on epinions site is that many of the positive reviews were from people who had recently purchased a Roomba, but the negative reviews were mostly from people who had had for several months typically 3-6 months) and were now experiencing breakdowns. NOTE: I didn't try to break down the numbers; but I think a more detailed analysis, looking not just at number of positive and negative reviews, but also time-frame when that information is available, would be useful.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Michael : 11:48 AM
 
My family loves it already, and we've only used it twice!
Our experience with Roomba already is just fantastic!
It's really worth it's price!
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 2:19 PM
 
I love it at first because it can clean and I don't have to do any work. Then every 2 weeks, I have to take the unit apart, remove hair, and use another vacuum to clean the unit. It was very messy and hassle. If they have something like vacuum bag that I just replace, that might be better. Then after 1 year, the unit break down. IRobot willing to send me a second unit. Then after few months, the unit break again. This time, they said the battery is bad, and the unit is out of warranty. I email back and forth with their customer service, but they are not willing to send me a replacement battery. I don't want to buy new battery because I know it will break down again in a few months, and it is out of warranty any way. If you are considering getting one, make sure you are willing to get dirty and remove hair, dirt weekly, and make sure you can extended warranty. Unit only good for 1 or 2 years max and Irobot only have warranty for 1 year. I do not recommend getting one now until they can improve the reliability and give 5 years warranty on repair.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger Tom : 9:10 PM
 
I thought the Roomba was a great idea, and was impressed with how well it cleaned. However, it was a disappointment. The battery only lasted 45 minutes, which it took to clean one room. I think. Because I was under the impression that it turned itself off when it was done cleaning a room. However, mine just kept vacuuming until it ran out of battery, about 45 minutes. Does that mean it never got finished with even one room, or that it doesn't turn itself off when it's done? Either way, I had to use an upright to vacuum the rest of the house. Eventually, I got to the point of not even bothering with the Roomba.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 11:34 AM
 
It worked fine at first but after a 4 months it wouldn't charge, seems to be the norm. It was a refurbished model so it only had a 90 day warranty. It was just out of warranty, Customer support were friendly but would only offer a discount a new unit. Not worth the money or hassle.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger robert : 6:55 PM
 
I am also disappointed with the Roomba Discovery. Mine lasted 13 months (one month after warranty expired). I bought a new battery but it still wouldn't hold a charge. After many conversations with the customer service people at IRoomba, I gave up. Seems like all they wanted to do was sell me a new one for a few dollars off the original price which I declined to do. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 4:50 PM
 
I recently purchased the Robot Roomba 4210 Discovery Vacuuming Robot. I LOVE IT! Works great so far. Of course I've only had it a few days. I have health issues and this helps me tremendously.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger bonniepetros : 8:01 AM
 
I WAS thinking of buying a Roomba for Christmas, NOT ANYMORE-this vacuum sounds like a piece of junk and the customer service is NOT very helpful. Doesn't this company realize word of mouth advertising is soooo important! I will be telling all my friends about this information and this web site. Thank you very much, I just saved at least $300.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous E.L.R. : 4:26 PM
 
I was also thinking of buying a Roomba for Christmas and decided against it. Hopefully, IRobot sees this site and will improve upon the design-especially the battery life. Thanks for saving me the money!
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:50 AM
 
i just purchased discovery today and i am not impressed, it missed spots and battery ran out, it's charging right now. one big headache. Does anyone know if you can take them back and get a refund? I have hardwood laminate and three dogs and the old fashioned way is alot more thorough . Thanks
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 2:23 PM
 
my mom was going to buy one for herself me and my two sisters for christmas. ill tell her to save her money after reading this site.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:29 AM
 
I bought the Roomba yesterday and am returning it today. We charged it for the required 16 hours and then pushed the clean button. After a few minutes my wife and I looked at each other and said "It doesn't look like it's actually cleaning anything." So I took a little dog hair, set it right in front of the unit as it "cleaned" our hardwood floors; it rolled right over the top without so much as disturbing the hair. I repeated the experiment a couple of more times with the same result each time. The Roomba 530 is the most disappointing and overhyped product I've ever bought.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 11:00 AM
 
I just purchased a new battery for my Roomba 4100. Though it is an older model, it was brand new when I purchased it a year ago. When it ceased to operate, we thought it only required a new battery. After the new rechargeable battery was installed, it did not take the charge and all we got was a constant red blinking light. I called the company requesting information. They kept me on hold for close to an hour and I got fed up and hung up. I tried to email my questions to them, but they only accept technical support questions from customers with newer models. So much for that. Customer service is not up to par and I would not recommend buying any of their products, especially when they are only concerned with selling and not repairing. Anonymous
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 5:23 PM
 
I purchased a Roomba Discovery 4210 in March of '07. A few weeks ago it started having difficulty holding its charge. I tried calling iRobot several times, but due to the excessive (over 40 mins.) I had to give up. I contacted them on Dec. 28th via email. Nothing. Follwed up on Jan.4th. No response. Again, contacted via email on Jan. 8th. On the 9th I finally recieved an email asking me some more specific questions about the nature of my issue. Today I recieved an email telling me to hold the power button down for 5 seconds then plug the Roomba directly into the charger and cahrge for 72 hrs. After that run it on Max cycle. If the charge lasts 5 min longer repeat the process. Um, excuse me? I paid a good deal of money for this product. I'm not on salary with iRobot last I checked. It is still under warranty. Send me a new product.

Also, they seem to know that this is a flaw in their product. When I finally got someone on the phone today to let them know how incredibly unhappy I am with their product and customer service, they explained that they used to have people send them in, but it became too time consuming for both parties. I agreed to do a 72 hr charge, but that is the extent of my work for irobot. If this doesn't fix the problem they ARE going to sned me a new robot or they will give me my hard earned money back. I'm through with the run around.
permanent link to this entry posted by Blogger Heidi : 12:25 PM
 
In November we returned the Roomba within days of receiving it and followed all the directions on sending it back, etc. I have proof of delivery they received the item and they are still charging my credit card each month. I have denied the charges hoping this make them resolve the issue. Think twice about dealing with these people. The hold time is over one hour and then you get the party line from the customer service rep without any closurer. Emails are also a waste of time.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 6:21 AM
 
I have had a roomba for two years. Several times had to use customer service during warranty period and problem was resolved. Now it is over the this period, and they have advised me I have to replace the unity....worse part is bnought one for a friend and my two daughters, and it is embarassing. A vacuum lasts alot longer than two years. I also will spread the word about this product. I agree they know exactly the problem, but it is costly to fix, and good for them for you to buy one every two years! Yes, this is a lemon, but I think it is only not working after two years and not meant to go beyond that point.zcwofmnz
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 9:38 AM
 
thanks for the info. thought about buying one, but definitely will not. i can't afford to purchase a new vacuum every 1-2 years. i've had my current vacuum for approx. 6 years & still works just fine. guess i'll have to continue vacuuming myself. oh well.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 12:45 AM
 
Well, I'm another dissatisfied customer. I got my Roomba for Christmas 2007. Ran it about twice a week, and now, in March 2008, it will run approximately 3-4 minutes, stop, and say "Please remove and clean Roomba's brushes". That's all it says. I've done that until I'm tired of doing it. It doesn't appear to be picking up any dust or dirt either. I guess there's no need in contacting Customer Service. It appears that work about as well as their product. Shame!!!
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Dede : 7:33 AM
 
My Roomba worked great for 2 months. Then pet hair fouled the gears in the brush assembly. iRobot sent me a new brush assembly under warrenty. Now after a few weeks our second brush assembly is fouled with pet hair. If you have pets this is not the vacuum for you.
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 4:45 PM
 
I'm so glad I stumbled across this site before taking the plunge! I have hardwood, a Collie, and a two year old, and I have to vacuum every single day to keep on top of the dust bunnies. I saw a Roomba at a local store and had dreams of unleashing it every day while I was at work and then coming home to clean floors. That COULD happen, I guess...but apparently only for a few months until it broke down. Not good enough. Instead, I'll put the $400 I would've wasted on the Roomba and put it towards a central vacuum, which I was half-debating purchasing in the first place. Now it's decided...
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anon Ymous : 10:16 AM
 
I have owned my Roomba for a year and 5 months. I bought the least expensive version. It has worked like a charm. I know nothing is magic. I know that I need to empty it's dirt filter just like the one I have on my other sweepers. I use it to patrol my kitchen and family room. I have even used it after I cleaned a room just to prove to my husband how well it hits places I miss.I just purchased one for my daughters birthday. I am sure any day now I am going to have to invest another $200 for a new one. It will worth every penny. It's great on dog hair and sand. I live on the beach and it's amazing how much sand gets tracked in.
I love it! I hope this time I don't get a lemon :)
permanent link to this entry posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 8:19 AM
 
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