AEN                                Buying a Dyson Cleaner                    Update April 2009

They have a very good reputation.  And I am impressed on the facilities they offer.  But they ain't cheap; but remember that "cheap" has two meanings: low cost AND low quality.

I tried to buy a refurbished upright but found that they were out of stock. Not surprising I suppose, as they have a 2 year full guarantee, but are cheaper than a new machine.  So I had to buy a new one.  I did it via the internet and liked the information that they provided.  I am always suspicious of purchases on the internet, and only buy if there is a clear indication of the address of the supplier so that if I did decide to sue them, I have sufficient details.  Not that I expected this would be necessary with Dyson. 

But when machine was delivered , I did have a bit of a surprise.  The packing was excellent, but the assembly of the machine was not at all easy.  In fact it was quite difficult.  The beast is complicated and somewhat obscure in its construction.  I know that I am a bit out of date (maybe a lot out of date as I ceased work as a full-time electrician in the late 1950s).  But I have taken a lot of Hoovers and other makes to pieces right down to removing the motor armature, but the Dyson came close to beating me.  Perhaps it was because it is so unusual in its construction, as modern ways of manufacture have moved away from nuts, bolts and screws in favour of plastic 'clip-together' assembly. 

Initially I was beaten, but they have a free-phone number and staff who are most helpful.  I was on the phone for over twenty minutes the first time and thought I had sussed the assembly.  But one bit that seemed to go together in an obvious manner, misled me.  In fact it assembled in the exact opposite way to what I thought.  I had to make a second five-minute call  to get it right.

There is a set of picture that shows the assembly, but they were not enough to lead me along the straight and narrow.  But the help-line is open to ten PM seven days a week.  So what more could I ask?

Update 3 April 2009

I am getting more certain that Dyson really try to keep their customers. When I registered my cleaner for the 5-year guarantee, there must have been a bit of a hiccup.  Today a lady rang me with apologies for the 'inconvenience' I suffered when, at the next telephone call, it appeared that my registration had not been completed.  Can you think of many firms that would go to the trouble to call the customer and apologise for this minor slip-up.  I can't.  This points to me that the Customer Care Department really try.  As I have said elsewhere in this blog, the way to measure a firm is how they handle things when something goes wrong.  And this "wrong" was so slight that I would not have expected any follow-up.  One very satisfied Customer.