Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Looking back over the past year, one thing conspicuously absent from this forum is a rabid Rainbow enthusiast.  Perhaps it is difficult to justify the outrageous price of these door to door wonders.   To some extent, a Rainbow owner has to believe in the Rainbow sales pitch and doesn't want to be confronted with any negative information about the Rainbow.    I also noticed that overstock.com is no longer selling the refurbished Rainbow SE's with the Wesselwerks small power nozzles.    Given the economy, it's got to be tough selling $2000+ vacuums - even if they can purify one's home. 

HARDSELL wrote:

I have a thought: run don't walk away from a toyota dealership until the company gets its act together.  So far, it appears that spin and shuffle is more important than the sanctity of human life.  By last count, a dozen dead/seriously injured from the vehicles.  Fines levied to date=$zero dollars.  HOOVER WT, one person suffered minored burns not requiring hospital stay.  Fines levied: 3/4 Million $.  What's wrong with that picture?

Carmine D.

Latest on this matter. 

News Alert
from The Wall Street Journal
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Sponsored by NASDAQ OMX
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Toyota suspended sales of eight models recalled to fix potential problems with sticky accelerator pedals.

The company issued the 2.3-million-vehicle recall last week, adding to another recall of 4.2 million Toyota- and Lexus-branded vehicles, to reduce the risk of the pedals' getting trapped by floor mats. About 1.7 million vehicles are subject to both recalls.

Due to the sales suspension, Toyota is expected to stop producing the vehicles next week.

http://online.wsj.com/home-page?mod=djemalertNEWS

If toyota management is honest with themselves and others they'll admit the change from design to dealer showroom from the industry standard of 5 years to 2 is the culprit, in whole or part.  To my knowledge suspended sales is an unprecedented move by a major car maker.  No doubt a desperation act to save the rep and life of the company.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Stopped at a Toyota dealer today to look at a used car for my daughter.  All 2007 and newer Toyotas were being moved to the back lot and the salesmen sent home.   I was told that the fix is a mod to the accelerator pedal.  Toyota is giving priority to customer vehicles before dealer vehicles.  Manager said the shop will be very busy for a while.

Toyota took action unlike Hoover who kept quiet until government interventiion.  Could be the reason for no fine.

HARDSELL wrote:
You may be right.  But it may be that the US government is so heavily in debt to the Japanese that they do not want to risk offending them. 

Of course it won't stop the lawyers from having a field day...

HARDSELL wrote:

HS:

We have some friends [professionals in the med field in Tulsa OK] in their late 40's with two kids early teen age years.  They bought a new 2010 toyota corolla shortly after the Christmas holidays.  They knew nothing of the recalls until my Wife shared the news with them.  Yesterday, after the WSJ announcement, she returned to the dealership with the new corolla.  Less than a month old.  She was the first customer and the dealership was deserted.  [Good time to go].  She was distraught as you can imagine.  The toyota dealership took the new corolla back and gave her a new Prius hybrid, temporarily until they can determine the problem and correct and return.  Can't do this for all customers.  She lucked out.

Carmine D.

Severus wrote:

SEVERUS:

Agree.  Toyota is shuttering plants.  Laying off dealer personnel.  Not good for the toyota workers and car buyers.  Especially now and the current economic conditions.  Is there another gov't bail out [taxpayer] on the horizon.

Carmine D. 

Severus wrote:

SEVERUS:

News reports coming out after the production suspensions have first hand admissions by Ray LaHood the Secretary of Transportation that he/White House staff put pressure on toyota management to take decisive actions.  Hence, the announcement of the production suspensions 5 days after the latest round of more recalls.  Time for toyota officials to mull over their plan of actions.  This is a nightmare for the car company with repercussions throughout Europe too.   To their credit toyota officials are saying now that they stretched the company too thin and sacrificed quality control in the process.  Maybe this admission will help IF the company and dealers can get their act together with customers.  The toyota help line is out of date and the dealer personnel are telling customers all number of made up excuses.  Competitors like GM in particular are sensing that the timing is right to profit themselves from the toyota debacle.  If toyota recovers from this major fiasco, and it may not, it will be one for the history lesson business books. 

Carmine D.

I dont know if this is applicable but I just found this on the net tonight regarding a household appliance news search on Google and affects all who own Filterqueen machines.

www.appliance.net

http://www.appliance.net/2009/recall-hmi-industries-floor-cleaners-due-to-burn-hazard-1188

vacmanuk wrote:

Hi vacmanuk,

This is the first I'm hearing of this.  I wish the article had been more specific as it is a little difficult to determine if the problem is in the hose wiring or within the cleaner itself.  Filter Queens have always run hot due to the material used for dampening sound (at one time cotton batting) at the top of the machine being mainly responsible for FQ's famed quiet.  If I am correct, I would also think that higher power motors used to keep the machine competitive would also up the factor.  That I assume was the reason for the introduction of the plastic grillwork on top of this all metal machine a good number of years ago.

Nonetheless, the older models lasted and served quite well.  My best guess is that the kids in charge now are looking to save money and are cutting their own throats by cutting corners.

As for the hose, etc., the new attachment set-up is totally different from anything FQ has done before.  The PN as I understand it is an improvement over past ideas which made FQ no wonder on carpeting.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

I believe prior to your tenue here this FQ issue was posted.  Frankly I completely forgot about it when the HOOVER WT switch and Electrolus Pronto issues surfaced but Vacmanuk's posting jogged my memory.  Interesting too that HOOVER had about 100 plus of these defects reported prior to recall while FQ reports 44 thru May 2009.  Considering the mass sales of the HOOVER WT's one would expect many more vice the FQ.

Carmine D.