I had an XV-11 I bought new, it had navigation issues and was swapped out under warranty, they sent a refurb. That one worked good but the belt that drives the brush wore down. That belt is non-user-replaceable, Neato does not offer repairs, and they do not even sell that belt should you want to give it a shot. Refurb #2 was DOA and took me like 6 weeks and 20 emails before they’d agree to replace it, why has always been a mystery, I mean it’s DOA. refurb #3 would raely complete a run, seeing obsticals that were not there, climbing up on the rungs of the dining chairs and becoming stuck, pulling up to walls and refuse to turn, beeping and displaying ‘clear my path’. Neato flatly refused to take it back. That’s 4 duds in 11 months. I had a 3 year square trade on it. About 2 weeks before its expiration I was debating making a claim when the display went all dim, and Neato advised it was non-repairable. So I got every dime of my money back except the $5 shipping. You can look at it as if I used the thing for free, for 3 years, I guess that is true. But the hundreds of times it stopped soon after beginning it’s run, thus the floor did not get vacuumed, were extremly annoying. The swapping of 4 robots was as well. The bs I would get from Neato, in response to my issues, was downright insulting.
Navigation problems are very common. The machines conking out because some critical (but poorly made) part failed is also common. Refurbs that come for warranty replacements with major issues, including DOA, also are common.
My Roombas from 2008 and 2009 are still running every day. I did spend about $90 each to get the new CHM and dirt bin/vac, these are huge improvements over the original stuff. I find it very nice that the improved parts fit the older robot fine, and in many ways you then have the performance of a new robot.
In short, if you need problems in your life buy one, or hell, 3. If you want something that just works, get a Roomba.
I bought this around black Friday and i’ve really been enjoying it for the most part. I did have an issue with the dust bin sensor going bad. The customer service was awesome and sent me a new dust bin but that didn’t fix the issue. I just duck taped the sensor down and it’s been working like that four about four months. It has gotten stuck in the middle of the floor before, but i assumed it was one of my three dogs messing with it. I’m on the fence of buying another so i don’t have to move it from floor to floor
One fine thing you can count on with a Neato - they WILL fail, usually sooner than later. Upon return, yours becomes the next refurb model amongst thousands being offered everywhere!
Reading all the comments here with comparisons to Roomba…
I own both. The Neato certainly tries to follow a more organized cleaning pattern than the Roomba, but 1 out of 5 uses (I have mine set to clean the floors every weekday while I’m at work) I’ll have to try and find where it gets stuck. Luckily, turns out it almost always gets stuck in two places; under the couch where it gets caught in a torn underlining, and on top of a modern-designed chair leg.
One thing no one has mentioned that you can do with a Neato that you can’t with a Roomba is upgrade the firmware. Their last patch helped with some battery issues as well as navigation.
Would I buy this specific model again? No, reviews have found that even with a firmware upgrade, newer models do a better job with pathing and hold more debris in their collector.
But I would purchase a newer model over the Roomba in a heartbeat.
This item is complete and total crap. The battery lasts about 15 minutes, and after the first use it put a “Clear My Path” message on the screen even though there is nothing in front of it. Contacted customer service at Neato and they won’t help. AVOID THIS ITEM - TOTAL RIP OFF
I bought this in Aug last year. It started failing in December. 3 months? Wow. Good thing I didn’t purchase any extra filters. I’m going to have to just get a Roomba at some point…