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2.0 36 Reviews

iRobot Complaints Summary

9 Resolved
27 Unresolved
Our verdict: When using services from iRobot with a poor resolution rate, be vigilant. Understand the common pitfalls other customers have faced. Prepare thoroughly for any interactions with their customer service, and consider alternative solutions if your issues are not addressed satisfactorily.
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iRobot reviews & complaints 36

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G
5:37 pm EDT

iRobot not worth the money

I have tried the iRobot 985 that I was please with however felt it was too expensive so I tried both the iRobot E6 and a Dyson. While I found the more expensive 985 seemed to work very well I did feel it was too expensive so I tried the other two. The Dyson wasn't even worth my time so I tried the E6 to save about $200+ but also assuming the $200 difference would be minimal. Was I ever wrong - the E6 isn't more than tying a cheap vacuum onto you pet and ask it to walk around your house for, if you're lucky 90 minutes.
When I called to complain and to see if perhaps I just got a bad product I was told that basically none of the reasons for buying an AI Robot Vacuum were programmed into the E6 - and as a customer service unit I have NEVER spoken to four worse customer service individuals as I did at iRobot. I am now going to return this iRobot back to Costco and give up (or if I feel I can afford it I could buy the 980 for about $700 tax included! Not a small amount of money for anyone.
But bottom line not one iRobot Consumer Service team member had any idea on how to handle disappointed customers nor does their management who also could care less about my complaints - the only thing good I can say is the last person I spoke with listened and once I was done simply said "thank you" and we ended the call!

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2:26 am EDT
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iRobot error 15 in I robot 960

Good day,

Could you please clarify whether it is IRobot's company policy to not disclose known product faults to their clients? Three weeks ago, I arrived to the IRobot store in Raanana (Israel) in order to buy a new battery for the IRobot I had - which was one of the first kinds sold in Israel and which worked perfectly. The store employees convinced me to upgrade to a newer version, and thus trade my older IRobot in for a newer one.

That said, they did not disclose that after two weeks there will be a technical fault which would hinder me from making use of the product (Error 15), by making it impossible to neutralise the IRobot when holding down both buttons.

After having spoken to technical support, I was told that the product needed to be taken to the lab by a delivery service, and that it is on the customer to wait for the delivery person for 4 hours during the word day, which is utterly unacceptable. Should I decide to cancel the trade in, I was told that I would not receive my old IRobot back and that I would also lose an additional 30% of the cost of the trade in. Therefore, a loyal and return customer of IRobot is being forced to lose not only in the quality of the product, but also suffer financially.

Why is it that once you purchase an IRobot you receive such unprofessional and unjust customer support? Why is it that the full cost of the product is not returned to the customer when it is evident and understood that it is faulty? Why does IRobot not take responsibility for its products? I have lost faith and trust in your products and despite having taken a financial loss twice due to your lack of service and faulty products, I will no longer make use of the IRobot.

regards
Margalit perez
Israel
Raanana

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Denverite
Denver, Colorado, US
Sep 26, 2021 1:53 pm EDT
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I agree with the reviewer.

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J
2:34 am EST

iRobot Just a waste of money

I have purchased a robot vacuum from www.irobot.com and it broke after two weeks of using. There were no visible damages, it just stopped working and that's it. I sent them a message and told everything I thought about them and their junk product. I would not recommend buying these garbage robots, very poor quality! I threw it into the garbage can. Just a waste of money.

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5:49 pm EDT

iRobot Customer no service, poor product quality (roomba 400, scooba 300)

I have purchased 3 products from iRobot over the past 2 years - 2 Roomba and 1 Scooba. All 3 died while out of warranty. In all 3 cases, I called iRobot customer service and got the same answers, which reduce to this sequence: Clean it. Bang on it. Clean it again. Bang on it harder. Buy parts if you want to fix it yourself (assuming you know what parts to replace). Otherwise, throw it away. Buy a newer model. iRobot does NOT service / repair ANY of their consumer products.

My latest (and LAST) call to their customer "no" service connected me to someone who obviously is tired of having to tell customers to clean/bang/self-service/dispose/buy replacement. The customer service rep sounded like a robot as though they were embarrassed having to tell yet another customer the same story.

I was seriously thinking about buying one of their new Braava mopping robots. After this latest call to iRobot it is clear to me that iRobot does not produce products that last. They work great until they malfunction. Once they do, you can try to fix it yourself, and eventually have an expensive piece of worthless junk that you have to dispose of.

I believe it is enlightening to look at how many different models of cleaning robots they no longer make in the Roomba, Scooba, Braava, Mirra, Looj, DirtDog, etc. product lines. I believe this indicates they have problems and are constantly trying to come up with a newer model that fixes them.

To anyone who is considering purchasing one of iRobot's products, before you do, call them up and ask them what happens if the product malfunctions / breaks outside of the warranty period.

Personally I will NEVER purchase another product from iRobot.

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I robot hater
Fort Myers, US
Nov 18, 2021 12:25 pm EST

I completely echo your sentiments. I've spent thousands of dollars on their products. When they wouldn't service my repairable i7 I bought a Yeedi to replace it, which garners higher ratings for pet hair anyway.

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David_SYR
Syracuse, US
May 11, 2016 4:00 pm EDT
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Sad that they don't offer any maintenance ... shows that they have little faith in their product. I was considering getting one of these but I will think twice about it now. Good review.

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3:11 pm EST
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iRobot Customer Service

I purchased an iRobot Roomba 562 vacuum along with additional filters and an APS battery as a Christmas gift. The person I bought it for was not interested in this product so I returned all items to iRobot. I followed their return process in great detail; e.g., received return authorization numbers and sent it back to them in original packaging via UPS (at my cost of $60.00). Within 2 weeks I received email confirmation that the returns were received and that credit had been applied to my credit card. Well...credits never showed up. I called iRobot customer service and was told that their automated crediting system had not functioned for a few days and that my credits would be done "manually." I've since made 8 phone calls with little success. The original notification that credit had been applied was sent to me on January 21, 2011. It is now February 17, 2011. I did receive credit for one of the orders returned (for the APS battery) but I have yet to receive credit for the vacuum (for $421.67). Customer service reps have been polite but unable to perform this simple task. The products were returned and credit approved but yet, my credit card still carries this balance. I WILL NEVER DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY AGAIN!

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mckinney509
Desoto, US
Jan 29, 2022 2:15 pm EST

I just purchased the Roomba i3 from Amazon, I am unable to connect this to the cloud. I have tried several times, had assistance from some else who is more tech savvy than I. I watched a ytube video that was to fix the problem and it didn't work. I am now on hold for 56 minutes and counting with the customer service. Wow.

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12:55 pm EDT
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iRobot What to do when out of Warranty

I remember the first time I saw her, sitting in the showcase window;

with all the bells and whistles my eyes went shallow.

I fell for her, I fell in love with a beautiful Roomba named "Rosey"

her brilliant red that cascaded color still looks just as lovely.

Me and "Rosey" had many days and many weeks of cleaning,

from hardwood flooors straight to rugs she went with no complaining.

She never complained about the way I left my cords on the floor,

& I always left her virtual wall set out right infront the door.

Oh..., how I loved my "Rosey" with her color cascade Red,

until one faithful morning I woke up and she was dead.

"Rosey" has no lights, no lights, no lights on "Rosey"

I took out her battery and did the reset just as they had told me.

But still there sat my "Rosey" still connected to the base,

With not a button glowing but everthing inplace.

I called up tech support and they gave me the obvious answer,

Just as I had suspected my "Rosey" has gone to her Roomba maker.

So there I sat on the phone with a person who bearly speaks english,

Telling me about charging mechanisums and all sorths of giberish...

I then spoke to a supervisor who I thought would be more helpful than the first

But she just said the same thing... infact she said it worst!

They want me to purchase another "Rosey" now

What are these people thinking? I'll buy milk when I already bought the Cow...!

They offered me a discount much to my suprise,

The discount wasn't bad but I didn't want to buy.

So there I sat with "Rosey" not a light is showing,

I asked the supervisor to have this escalated.

She then placed me on hold and I was connected to another,

This time I got a man so you could just imagine how he couldn't be bothered.

To be quite truthful he tried to help but I really didn't let him,

I just kept yelling and screaming Co-operate, Co-operate, Co-operate

All of a sudden things changed and stated looking up for me,

I finally got the response I wanted and a new "Rosey".

To all iRobot customer who can't get help today,

just mention the word Co-operate and I'm sure you'll get your way.

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9:36 pm EST
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iRobot Broken

Hello,

I bought the Scooba from iRobot only to be disappointed like most people. These machines break and no one at iRobot wants to fix the product. They simply tell you to buy a new one (and they will keep the old one for parts). Very Very Very Dirty Business Mr. iRobot! I have read so many horrible complaints. People are scanning the internet for answers, and finding little to no professional help. Repair companies offer to fix the problem, but you have no way of knowing if even they are telling you the truth when you are told again to just buy another one. My best advise is to stay as far away from iRobot temptation as possible. It's a gimmick, plain and simple. They pay for the ads and we buy the bait. Don't believe me? Start reading the reviews and complaints. Start reading the blogs on finding repair info for this machine. Do your homework before you buy!

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Update by Mrs. Gewin
Dec 27, 2009 9:37 pm EST

I agree completely!

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Neutralperson11
, US
Mar 31, 2010 1:27 pm EDT

This is true! The product really is a piece of crap, I know about it because I've been working at iRobot for almost 2 years. I even have 1 in my house that I use as a door stop. The battery is made to last as long as the warranty and the robot isn't made to last at ALL! i'M WARNING PEOPLE TO STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THE PRODUCT AS POSSIBLE.

IT MORE PROFITABLE PUTTING YOUR MONEY IN THE BIN.

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2:17 pm EST
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iRobot Product, warranty and service are poor

I bought my Roomba as a gift to myself for my birthday in March 2009. By June 2009 the product was useless. I tried to clean it as instructed, changed the brushes etc and the thing would still not work poperly. I sent emails to customer service at iRobot numerous times with no response. Finally I called them in November 2009 and asked to return it thinking I had a 1 year warranty. SURPRISE! Its a 30 day warranty! A toaster has a better warranty than that!

If you get a Roomba realize you will spend more time cleaning it than you will getting use out of it.

Do not bother buying anything from iRobot. Poor product, poor warranty, poor customer service. In other words, Junk!

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Chas1b1
Newark, US
Dec 23, 2009 10:45 am EST

Roomba customer service and products sucks We have a 550 series and it does an ok job, So we purchased a 530 and it does an auful job. The company tells me that the 530 has old bin technology [It is two days old]. They wont take it back or offer the new bin .Customer service were of no help. I would not recomend a Roomba Chuck

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4:27 pm EDT
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iRobot My rumba worked once and never wrked again

I bought a rumba from Irobot and it only workede once and never worked. I have called about 5 times to the call center and the call center's agents english is horrible and they just keep giving me the run around. They won't transfer me to a manager or supervisor and I end up waiting to speak to a rep for about 45 min. and after I get to talk to them it takes another 45 min. to explain a 2 sentance problem because the don't understand english. DO NOT BUY AN IROBOT. Not worth the money and you will not receive help from the call center.

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David_SYR
Syracuse, US
May 11, 2016 4:02 pm EDT
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The company is still responsible for educating their customer service staff, otherwise why pretend they have such a service! I agree that it is not the workers' fault that the product is defective, but there needs to be some accountability and some degree of actual "service" by such employees.

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irobot411
, IN
Mar 31, 2010 11:33 pm EDT

What every irobot owner should know. To be continued ...

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Re: irobot
,
May 29, 2010 4:07 pm EDT

The only [censored]s are the customers who keeps purchasing iRobot cheap products not the staff that works for minimum wage.

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Re: irobot
,
May 29, 2010 4:04 pm EDT

TBC..like I said TBC...stay tuned

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Scoobasux
va, US
Apr 13, 2010 5:02 pm EDT

Return your garbage before the warranty runs out, accept no substitution. They will keep troubleshooting you until the warranty expires. Irobot sells inferior products with Kumar reading checklists, I could probably recite them by now.

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fkumn
, US
Apr 11, 2010 4:15 pm EDT

LAME. You didn't even say anything about what's so "wrong" with the company! =/ Why bother posting if all you're going to say is "TBC..."

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RoombaLvr
, US
Apr 01, 2010 7:50 am EDT

Employee - What are you speaking out about? iRobot is a great company with a product that most customers refuse to live without, and customer service that is unsurpassed, doing anything to ensure that you have a working product.

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Neutralperson11
, US
Mar 31, 2010 1:18 pm EDT

I believe that the people at customer support are just doing their jobs. They don't really have any control as to what happens with the company. Any stupid answers that they give you is what has been given to them and in regards to their english, it's because of the accent. The call centers in the Caribbean!

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vinny
, US
Apr 18, 2009 6:57 pm EDT

The roomba was working for a few months and then i did not use it for afew months when i wanted it to work again, it does not move and there is no obvious obstacle
I cleaned the wheels with compressed air as the clowns in customers ervice suggested.
Doesnt work
reset and still doesnt work
its waste to buya product for 500-600$
definitely not worth that much money

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3:02 pm EST
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iRobot No Warranty for New items bought on eBbay

I bought a NEW Roomba 560 from an eBay seller. I register the product in the company site and the site says its covered under warranty until November 2009. When I contacted the customer support about a battery issue, they are saying that the item is covered under warranty since it’s bought from eBay. They are pointing me to a policy section in their site to show me that it’s their policy.

If that was their policy, they shouldn't be saying that it’s not covered under warranty in the registration page.

The customer service people are not ready to listen. They keep telling you the same thing over and over again and again. If they found a discrepancy in registration and their policy, they should be taking the responsibility and honoring what is posted in the registration form.

Now, they lost a customer for ever.

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steventkk
, US
Jan 07, 2010 8:54 am EST

It boils down to you purchasing from an authorized reseller for your warranty to be honored. I purchased a unit from an eBay seller (Otter Creek Trading) and I called for service. It's important to first ONLY mention the seller's name before stating you purchased the item on eBay. This will prompt them to reference their approved dealer list rather an assuming it was purchased from a private party or non-approved seller. The rep I dealt with looked up the seller I purchased from and informed me they WERE an approved iRobot reseller and promptly replaced my unit at no cost, and very much hassle free. They did eventually ask where I purchased the unit but even when I said eBay they said it was fine as the seller I purchased from was one of 2 sellers also approved to sell on eBay. So I guess there is an exception to their eBay warranty policy and your warranty getting honored depends the seller you purchase from.

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doomedtx
Cabot, US
Mar 11, 2009 10:31 pm EDT

I'm experiencing the same problem with a new unit purchased from eBay. I went through the same steps, registering it with the serial number and receiving confirmation that the warranty expires in December 2009. After I requested service for the side brushes breaking off, the automated response system stated that my item (a new side brush) had been shipped. Then 2 days later I received an email asking which eBay seller sold me the Roomba. When I replied, they immediately wrote back and stated that eBay sellers are not authorized resellers and therefore the warranty is invalid (the website still shows that my warranty expires in Dec 2009, BTW). The link they directed me to has a warranty policy that does not mention 3rd party resellers at all. The only 2 requirements to be eligible for the warranty, according to their own policy, are that the item was purchased in North America and that it was less than a year ago. Smells like a class action lawsuit to me.

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7:30 am EST
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iRobot Customer service poor product quality

My Roomba 580 stopped working in December. I submitted numerous emails requesting customer assistance. After several email exchanges (most were never returned) I called in to tech support. Finding someone that spoke english well enough to understand was a challenge. After consultation with someone else the customer service rep gave me an RMA number to ship the unit back. The Unit was shipped January 13, 2009. On February 4th I inquired about my RMA number via another tech ticket. They indicated they had never recieved the unit and I must supply proof of delivery. I provided the tracking number which shows they received the unit January 16 2009 and that it was signed for. Suddenly the original RMA was updated to indicate that a new unit would be shipping.

I have asked repeatedly if I could elevate my case to a supervisor due to the poor service so perhaps they could fix the issues. I have asked five time giving them a direct cell number. The response was that the tickets both were closed.

I have emailed the president at i robot. I do not expect to hear from the clown.

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tgator13
Temecul, US
Jun 24, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

ABSOLUTE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!

I was considering buying a SCOOBA for cleaning our floors, but have natural stone and wanted to find out what the cleaning solution options were or what was in the cleaner they use. The first time I called them I waited for 15 minutes & NOTHING! So... I emailed them and they sent an auto response that they would respond in 2 days. After 2 days I got an email with the same damn number on their website, YES, for more holding [& in the email it said we're sure that you'll find this info helpful - YEAH RIGHT!]. So I call again after emailing them that I would only try one more time of holding up to 15 minutes & then they will have lost a potential SCOOBA customer. This time I only had to wait about 5 minutes or so & I got the rudest you know what on the phone! She was clearly having a bad day & taking it out on me, then she had someone else's info under my phone number so that was obviously screwed up and then said they had never sent me an email. Since I was on my macbook at the time; I double checked and sure enough there was an email from their customer support [ha ha ha, yeah that's what they are] to the address I had given her! What idiots when I mentioned that it was obvious she was having a bad day she tried to nice it up a bit, but that lasted for about a nano second! In the end, I couldn't even get the answers I wanted. Needless to say I will NOT BE BUYING A SCOOBA!

I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER BUY A PIECE OF CRAP product from iRobot and I WILL TELL EVERY FRIEND I KNOW WHAT JERKS THEY ARE & NOT TO BUY THEIR CRAP EITHER! Their customer service completely sucks & that was to someone who was interested in buying their product; I can only imagine how horrendous it is once you've already paid for the JUNK!

Unfortunately Evansville guy I don't think you'll ever hear a damn thing from them!

iRobot = JUNK - Don't waste your time or $$$, don't even consider their crap!

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5:08 pm EDT

iRobot In Warranty Exchange/Customer Support

I purchased a Roomba 4110 robot vacuum from amazon.com in January 2008. So far, I've been quite pleased with the product. However, the robot started experiencing service-affecting issues in May 2008. I tried calling irobot's "Customer Care" number listed in the product manual [protected]) to find out how to get a replacement. After-hours basically tells you to call back. So I called back during business hours. I was never able to get past their IVR to talk to anyone. Then their system told me to go online and type in RMA in the site search box. I opened a support case, suppling all the information on their on-line form. Then I got an automated response telling me the check a few things. I did this, and responded back that it was still not working. Email conversations went back and forth with irobot requesting my address (which I had already supplied) the Roomba product code (already supplied), and charger product code and purchase date (already supplied). They kept requesting this information even though I made sure to go into their support case and supply it. This banter took over 40 days! Finally, they emailed me with an RMA number and instructions on how to send it to them. I followed these instructions to a 'T'! After I had not heard any status in two weeks, I posted a request to the support case. The next day, I received an email stating that there was no record of my shipment. (even though I had a confirmation number and the name of the signee from UPS!) Now here it is, over 2 months since I originally reported the problem, and I'm having to battle their belligerently poor customer service just to get a simple product exchange!
I started wondering if I was the only one who experienced such pitiful warranty exchange service from irobot. It didn't take much searching (BBB, complaintsboard.com, complaints.com, and numerous forum boards) before I found that this was business-as-usual for irobot. By the way, irobot does not pay for the shipping...so I'm currently out the cost of a robot, plus $10 bucks for shipping. I've been more that patient so far, but now I feel ripped off! What good has this product done for me in the last two months?! I opened a BBB case (166918).
This is such a shame...While I really like the robot vacuum, it's just not worth the hassle if you ever need a warranty exchange. This company's product has great potential, but their customer service department will keep me from buying another one of their products in the future. Hopefully irobot will get their act together and make their customer service perform to the level that is expected of their products! --Dissatisfied Roomba owner

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paul w, myers
, US
Oct 10, 2018 2:49 pm EDT
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This is Paul Myers 1111 42nd ave east ellenton Fl. 34222 Just received the i robot 800, that I ordered and it has a damaged part. the broken part is the right yellow extractor to release the frame. it fell out of the box when I open ed the box. My phone number is [protected] . My email is pjmyers1@tampabay.rr.com

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2:08 pm EDT

iRobot Horrible customer service

I have never been treated so poorly and I still don't have a working Roomba. I received my Roomba without a battery. After speaking with customer "no-service", I was told I would be shipped a battery within a week. I paid for expedited delivery and demanded a credit for the expedited shipping charge and overnight shipment of the batter. After sitting on hold for 5 minutes, I finally got the credit, but was refused overnight delivery of the battery. When I was transferred to a "supervisor" who refused to give her name, I was told very rudely that I would get the battery within 2 days and that's all she would do.

Not 2 minutes later I received an email stating that I couldn't receive the battery because there were non available. "Thanks!" Thanks? Are you kidding me? After being passed around from agent to agent who didn't understand why there was a problem (News Flash Agents - Roomba doesn't work without a battery!) I finally spoke with an equally rude Supervisor who finally gave his name "Josh ID # 79013). Now they say they'll ship a new Roomba and I have to return the old one and sit at home and wait on the UPS guy to come pick it up OR drive to a UPS location and drop it off.

Really?! Really?! iRobot is the worst company I have ever dealt with. I have never been spoken to so rudely by customer service in my life.

DO NOT BY FROM IROBOT! THEY ARE TERRIBLE TO DO BUSINESS WITH! BUYER BEWARE!

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Denverite
Denver, Colorado, US
Sep 26, 2021 1:57 pm EDT
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I also have a dead roomba s7 and customer service is unresponsive.

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Philip Rosenthal
, US
Nov 04, 2018 10:56 am EST

Bought a top of the line iRobot 980. For various reasons didn't open it for three months. When I did, it was actually a USED model and dead. Nothing would make it work. Error 6.

Called Roomba. They said that it wasn't under warranty because the serial number says it is three years old. THEY sold me the brick!

Can't get ANYWHERE with them. I hope they go out of business.

Now, I spent $1, 000 on this useless piece of crap and have no recourse.

I hope people read this and take heed!

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Lynn Hale
,
Sep 03, 2008 6:49 am EDT

I have TWO dead iRobot vacuums.

A 530 series (9 months old) and a brand new dirt dog-also dead.

The 530 series sweeps only, will not vacuum. I imagaine the plastic gear housing has become mishapen, like the other models.
I asked this morning about replacing the vacuuming module and the service agent hung up on me.

The dirt dog has never worked. They told me I would have to wait 3-4 weeks for a new battery shipment. I told them to send another. Got the runaround. They said they sent a return ticket, etc...

Still waiting for something. I have talked with at least six agents and all have been poorly trained/rude except one (Frank, you restored my faith in humanity at the company).

When roomba works, it works well. But the price is high for a nine-month vacuum.

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3:42 pm EDT

iRobot Defective Product

Similar complaint to the previous. Customer Service is extremly lacking. CS is not worth it. They are selling a product that is not supposed to last you for very long. That is why they have all sorts of procedures to return it because they know that you will have to. Law of numbers applies here. Most people will buy it and forget it once it breaks ...and it will break. They are quick to sell you a replacement one if you are "out of warranty" at a "reduced price" Spend the money somewhere else and get up and push the vaccuum. Think of it as excercise.

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calth
,
Jul 22, 2008 11:57 am EDT

I've had the roomba & scooba for 2 years, what a waste of time & money. The scooba is completely inefficient, sits in a closet 24/7 now. The roomba was great when it worked, a little time consuming to clean it out, but still a nice toy. However, the battery has continued to fail after less than 50 charges, the [censored] customer service people are so ssssllloooww it makes you scream, and end up not helpful anyway. Long story short, the batteries are defective, been through 2 of them, now my warrenty is over and I am expected to buy another one. Don't think so, it's a rip-off.

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Re: irobot
,
May 29, 2010 4:21 pm EDT

I thought that I was the only one! I'm constantly purchasing replacement . I've even had an iroomba that blew up and damaged my floor. Thank heavens we were home at the time. I'm on my final roomba just waiting for customer service to sell me another one. Do these guys even earn a commission? These vacuumns deliberately built to last one year and the company knows it.

ComplaintsBoard
G
11:34 am EDT

iRobot Product fails to perform, Customer service lost returned merchandise

I purchased a Roomba (robotic vaccuum cleaner) from iRobot. The company I work for has manufactured components for iRobot's tactical product line, so I was aware of their commitment to quality, and assumed that it would be reflected in their consumer products as well.

The first one I had died 10 minutes into its first use. The brush drive motor self destructed, causing a great grinding noise to come from the machine. It ultimately took 3 weeks for a warranty exchange.

They (technical support) decided that the reason why the replacement robot didn't work - no sound, only travels in backward little jerky movements 90% of the time, won't dock, wont respond to the remote control, drives right down the steps without ever slowing down... is because the battery needs replaced.

The second agent I spoke with (when a new battery failed to resolve any of the issues) told me I needed to clean the sensors.

When that didn't fix it, the third agent told me that if the speaker isnt working, then it doesn't matter if the battery is good or bad, or if it is dirty or not... the entire robot needs replaced. According to the information he had in front of him, the only problem that I had reported was that it wasn't spending as much time cleaning as it used to. I pointed out that I had never claimed that as a problem, I had, in fact, explained exactly the same symptoms to every person I spoke with.

He sent me 2 emails that told me how to prepare it for shipping, but no RMA number. The first email told me to watch for a subsequent email that would have my RMA number.

After 4 days of waiting for the 'subsequent email with an RMA number', I finally called to request one from a real person. The agent I spoke with gave me a 12-digit RMA number. (For the record: [protected])

I shipped it back with the RMA number clearly visible on the box, and the shipping label, and emailed iRobot the tracking number (1Z71155F0395020217), RMA number, and expected delivery date.

They replied to *that very email* 2 hours later with �?Here's your RMA number.' And this one was totally different. (The new number is: [protected])

I called and explained that I had been given 2 different RMA numbers.

I was told that I shipped it back with an invalid RMA number, and that was going to cause problems, but that it would be noted on my ticket.

Three days later, the unit was received by iRobot. I called when I received a delivery confirmation from them.

They told me that a robot was not received on that RMA number and that I would not receive my 'warranty exchange unit' (code for 'another refurb to replace the new one that didnt work') until they had received my defective one on the RMA number I had been given.

I tried to explain that I already did that... even have a confirmation that 'Murray' signed for it... But that didn’t matter, because the RMA number in their system does not show a returned unit, and that I would not receive my warranty exchange unit until they receive my defective one on the RMA number I had been given.

I started demanding to speak with someone who could find answers for me.

They then began providing lip service for me:
I was told that it had already shipped, but that they don't have a tracking number because 'it doesn't work that way' (whatever THAT means.)

Several days later I received an email that said it would be released for shipment in 2-3 business days.

4 business days later, I called and was told it was on the dock and would ship out that day.

Several days later, I was told that it had shipped the day before.

The next day I received an email saying it would ship in 2-3 business days.

I called and demanded an honest and true indication as to the status of my robot. I was told that they couldn't help me because they couldn't 'work with' the RMA number I had been given, and that I would have to take it up with the sales department.

The sales department couldn't find any record of the RMA number at all, and told me that I needed to take it up with technical support.

A supervisor told me that I needed to take it back to the store where I bought it in the first place (He told me this after I told him I had returned the unit to iRobot, gave him the shipping information, the delivery receipt date and recipient, and all of the RMA numbers and ticket numbers...)

My frustration level at this point was higher than it has been with any company or product in memory.

That's when I just gave up and decided it was wasting more of my time than the thing was even worth in the first place.

So now they have my robot, they have my money, and they have no desire or ability to return either one to me.

So I took the components that I did NOT return to them (the charger, the battery, the dirt bin, the virtual walls, and the remote) and I threw them in the dumpster.

iRobot wins.

I give up.

They have defeated me.

Their technical support agents contradict each other, they give out conflicting instructions and information, they give out wildly varying diagnoses to exactly the same symptoms, and they ignore such facts as 'delivery confirmation receipts'.

They pass customers off to other agents or departments who are even less helpful or competent than the previous one, and they are unable to offer any explanation as to why this sort of behaviour is acceptable from their staff.

I am tired of playing with them, the cost of the robot, plus the cost of sending 2 defective units back to them, is a pricey way to get their point across to me, but I feel that they will get my money's worth. I will take the education I received from them, and use it to in turn educate as many people as I can... They have a nice concept, but their product quality is inferior. I base that statement on the fact that 100% of their products that I have used have quit working within 10 minutes of their first use.
I faxed the company and instructed them to keep the robot; I am tired of dealing with them after 9 months. I have filed a report with the BBB in their area, and I am seeking reimbursement of the $10.85 it cost me to send the second one back to them.

Their customer service department is unable to diagnose a problem consistently from one person to the next. They give out conflicting information, but are unable to acknowledge that they made a mistake. They do anything in their power to alienate their customers and make the process so cumbersome that it is easier to just give up and walk away than it is to find even one employee who is willing to look at a situation and make a decision to satisfy the customer rather than perpetuate the nightmare.

They are the stereotypical American company that sells a shoddy product, refuses to stand behind it, takes the customer's money, and slams the door in their face.

I will do everything I am able to make sure that anyone I can reach will know what a horrible company iRobot is.

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Jason Centers
, US
Jul 29, 2017 9:17 am EDT

I too have been dealing with a major run around by iRobot for almost a month now. I returned my 690 for a ($394) refund, but after three attempts, have still not received my return label from them. They keep passing the buck to UPS, but after 5 different UPS reps have told me they are not sending the label, but iRobot is, I've directed my efforts toward iRobot. One call after another, I get promises from iRobot concerning a label, but I never get it. I've given them 3 different email addresses but I never get anything (including spam and deleted folders). They promised to ship to me via snail mail, but I have never received that either. I contacted the BBB and open a fraud claim with my credit card company. iRobot is a major scam...they won't last much longer. SHADY practices all around. Unreal.

ComplaintsBoard
V
12:17 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

iRobot They sell you one thing then say you need another

Our IRobot stopped working correctly. So we call them up, and they say we need a new unit that the charger we have wont work with another unit.

So we buy another one, and only get half the product. We have to call and wait for the next half to come.

We finally try it and the same problem happens. We call again, and are told now we have to buy a new battery. That’s what was wrong with the first one.

Then they say we have to pay shipping again. Plus, they're only good for 2 years. I feel they should tell you that in the first place. These are not cheap items.

Read full review of iRobot and 5 comments
Update by Valerie
Jan 09, 2007 12:00 am EST

I purchased the Roomba Discovery by irobot about 11 months ago. For some unknown reason the product has stopped functioning - does not pick up dirt and jumps all over the place. I've tried to reach irobot Customer Service for over two weeks now. I have spent countless hours on hold waiting for the next available rep. I have sent emails through their customer service web site, even threatening a complaint with the Attorney General. As of today no one has responded to my emails. I've tried selecting the prompt that allows me to order a new product and have been put on hold and then subsequently disconnected. As I'm writing this complaint I have been on hold for 45 minutes.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

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Eli Mizrachi
, US
Sep 23, 2023 1:07 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This unit is a pierce of garbage and I will be posted my review on social media to inform other consumers of this crappy unit. Not even owning for one year and the iconic service code 26 popped up. Disassembled unit and everything was clear of any debris. Expensive to service and not interested in a coupon to purchase another product.

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Dr A
, US
Nov 12, 2019 9:35 am EST

Terrible customer service
Terrible customer service. Lowest level
They should be bankrupt soon. They have one superviser nasty Jammie that it

Online sell and retardant customer service

Stay away !

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Dr A
, US
Nov 07, 2019 10:23 am EST

Pity good products terrible support
Very low customer service one of the worst in America. !

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Ann Yarnell
, US
Jun 09, 2019 8:38 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

So far, i like the I-Robot 5e which I just purchased. Everything went well until I was directed to connect my I-phone with machine. Went through all steps, but does not yet connect. What am i doing wrong?

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Pete De Sarno
,
Jan 22, 2007 7:44 pm EST

I too have an irobot that doesn't work. I've been trying to contact tech support for a fix. The web site states the problem I'm having, (spins in a circle and then stops). They speak of bios fixes and other things, but none that apply to my unit. They now tell me that there is no repair for the irobots and I can buy a new one, at a small discount, from them. In essence they are telling me to throw it away and buy a new one. It cost me nearly $300.00 when I bought it and now they are telling me to throw it away. I will never recommend an irobot or any of their products to even my worst enemy.

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