neato xv-12 lcd panel illuminates but no text made in china
Unfortunately I have had this same problem twice on my Neato XV (two years apart). Both times the problem was a broken LCD display card, replacing the card fixed the problem. I was able to buy a used Neato XV LCD display card on eBay for about $40. Amazon may have them too.
Follow the Neato XV-21 repair guide on ‘Motherboard Repair’ (thank you Nastassja Klipsch!!) Until you get the two halves of the robot apart. There are a ton of screws, so if I have to do this again I will take better care to write down where they all came from (I started to forget).
You don’t need to remove the Lidar unit, so stop at that point in the guide. The LCD display card is screwed into the top shell of the robot. Once you get the robot apart it is pretty easy to disconnect the cable connector and replace the display.
So i love my neato and it worked good until it stopped responding. now it shows a steady green light. i already tried pressing the orange button for 30 s. pressing the left bumper and orange button, pressing return and orange button…. and nothing. Agree with every one for a 400$ product warranty should be better!
I really like my Neato, but you guys have some of the worst customer support I have worked with. It takes days to answer emailed questions. And sometimes, they just get ignored altogether. Bummer.
I got my Neato BotVac 80 on Tuesday..have been trying to ask some questions about if for the last 2 days..sent 2 emails..no response…left a phone message,..no response…tried to go online to get documentation on the product…no documentation on this product….I like the product..I hate the customer service and caring by the people who run this company…why don’t they seem to care about customers? How do I get help?
I’ve had my Neato for just under 14 months, and the screen is blank. It won’t charge – won’t run. I tried taking the batteries out and nothing. Neato replaced the unit once in March 2013 because of another issue. Now Neato says too bad – it’s been over a year. Very disappointed in Neato. Should have believed the reviews saying Neato only lasts a year.
I’m VERY disappointed in the level of service and the lack of neato to stand behind their product. A 1 year warranty for a $400 vacuum?? Now they want me to pay $32 just to have it checked out. I will be sharing my negative experience with many and utilizing social media as well. The LCD screens are bad and based on the many people with the same issue , I’m sure you guys are aware there is a problem. Too bad, I really liked my neato vacuum but will not be buying another one nor recommending.
Just bought my first Neato, and using it for some brand new carpet… However after a few runs it now keeps beeping to ask to have its brush cleaned. I have taken it apart to clean several times but it is still not happy.
Error: Your software cannot recognize my current firmware version so does not attempt to flash to a new version…. Wow, it has taken over a month of emails to figure that out… so the bottom line is, I cannot update my firmware. You support people should know that .
I have had my Neato for about two years, 6 months ago started to have problems with the machine shutting down after operating for one or two minutes. It keeps telling me that the dirt bin is not closed however its both empty and closed. I have also tried to update the software as recommended however I keep getting a response that the Neato will not accept the updates. I have reached out to Neato’s customer service department on many occasions and all they will tell me is that they will call me back when they are not so busy!!!! As far as I am concerned, don’t buy a Neato….
Is Neato’s battery supposed to last longer than 6 months?? He goes out for 2 mins then heads back to charger for a few mins and then heads out again….he’s not covering all the area he used to…
I was just about to buy a neato, but reading about all the technical problems and the bad reputation of neato customer service made me change my mind. Excellent reviews means nothing when quality and support is as bad as described by so many customers! Pity Neato
I have had my Neato XV-21 for less than 6 months and it continually has a battery issue. I have restarted it and turned it off/on with the switch under the dirt bin and nothing works. What can be done to correct this issue?
I can no longer recommend Neato products. I purchased my unit from Amazon in November 2012. My first RMA was January 2013 due to stuck wheel. After 12-14 months, run time was down to 5 minutes or less before it had to go back to recharge. At recommendation of Neato support site, I purchased new OEM batteries from Amazon ($59.95) on April 7th 2014. Installed new batteries and now Neato will not turn on. Today I called Neato tech support and spoke with RepNameRemoved. She did attempt to troubleshoot but I could tell from her uneasiness that she knew the problem was the dreaded no lcd and was going to refer me to out of warranty repair. Diagnosis fee is $32 – just to tell me it is broke. There are 100’s if not 1000’s of reports of this no lcd issue. This is a manufacturing defect and should be corrected by Neato, not at the expense of users who chose Neato products over iRobot products. I am out $59.95 I paid 20 days ago for new batteries. Highly disappointed.
How many other Neato owners are having problems with their unit not charging? Any suggestions? All I get from customer service is that it is out of warranty. I’ve had this refurb that they sent me to replace the other awful working neato that I had for about a year and a half. Looks like it’s time to go back to the roomba!
Hi dear Neato, you promised me to exchange my Neato by guarantee but after some time you don’t answer my questions and I can’t contact with support. Please answer!
Love our Xmas present to ourselves of the Neato Signature Pro. Specially after figuring out that one of the brushes is soooooo much quieter than the other. Bit of a problem with the battery though… Keeps stopping saying “Battery issue 0004”. Any clues or suggestions?
Neato, please begin to read comments from customers and be PROACTIVE in dealing with them..I ran my Neato BotVac 80 today and after some 96 minutes, it ran out of battery after cleaning only a few hundred square feet of carpeting….runs over same clean area again and again..when it cleans an area, it does a good job but it fails to clean the whole house….send your customers a quality manual with troubleshooting advice and more…it’s a new product but your company doesn’t seem to know that…they need to pay attention..right now I’m very frustrated..I want to recommend to others but until your management recognizes the need for customer SUPPORT, I can’t
I got a Neato (Signature) for my birthday in
Hey Neato, this seems to be all my botvac wants to do today. It has happened in several locations, usually followed by the clear my path error, what gives?
Hi, I have Neato XV-15 and it now has error “Please press OKAY to restart. Battery Issue (0002)”. I have restarted the robot and checked batteries but the error message keeps coming again. I have tried to charge the robot with the cable but it doesn’t charge. Do you know what I should do next?
I have had a problem with my Neato for a while now and have contacted customer care and customer enquiry email addresses. I received an email over 2 weeks ago saying Neato was going to address my problem but the email had no instructions for what to do next. I have since sent another 3 emails all with no response. I was thinking that your customer service was excellent, but now I have changed my mind. Why are my emails being ignored?
Hello, our neato is dying faster and faster after leaving the base. Today it’s making it maybe 4-5 minutes and then heads back to charge. We don’t use it more than a few times a month. Please advise on what to do.
As soon as the warranty is over, the machine will stop working and the company will do nothing to make it right. They do not sell spare parts other than a few consumables and want you to purchase a new machine.
Yet now, 8 months in, my XV21 won’t last more than 10 minutes on a charge, and most of the time dies completely before reaching the charging station. I keep it docked and charged when not in use, and it only gets used 2-3 times a month. I guess I was hoping for better longevity.
My Neato is not working properly anymore! He will only last about 3-5 minutes, especially if he hits carpet. Why? Also, most of the time he dies before getting back to the charger. How do I fix him?
I sent a private message on … with my phone number and email address as requested, and it is now Thursday and still nothing. I’m guessing the days I spend waiting will be credited against my warranty period.
Beware of these Products, I bought a XV-21. I returned it 3 times at Kohls! Luckily Kohls has a better return process than the company Neato itself does. After the 3rd time, Kohls explained that they no longer have a replacement. Kohls told me that they have marked the machine down to $223.00 dollars. We actually paid over 500 dollars for this machine 1.5 years ago. So I emailed Neato to fix/replace my broken 4month old machine. The REPS denied my request because my original purchase was over a year ago. I explained to them that I have had 3 new ones since then. The recent one was 4months old. So when does the warranty start? From a different machine that was bought last year? Makes no sense! They asked for a proof of purchase. I explained to them that I have the return slips but not the original purchase slip. They denied my request. Not only did they deny sending me a new one, they didn’t even offer to fix the problem. Beware of buying these machines. They only last a year, if that. I am writing this to Neato because the customer service reps will not provide an email address with someone in charge. So hopefully someone on facebook could answer or relate to this issue.
My almost brand new XV-12 keeps putting up a brush struck error – even after I took the whole brush out and cleaned everything. I’ve also reset it now -ideas?
Whi is it that you pick and choose to help certain people on this site about there faulty Neato’s? Theres not consistency in your company! I am on my 3rd Neato and customer service explained to me that my original purchase 3 xv-21’s ago is out of warranty! How does this company survive?
Still waiting on someone to contact me. It’s been almost a week, so either your support center doesn’t care, or they are so swamped with customer complaints that they cannot get back to me. I don’t know which is worse.
I purchased a Neato XV-21 … I have recalibrated the batteries, via the menu, and removed/re-installed the batteries, several times. Nonetheless … it runs for about 5 minutes, returns to base, then runs for about 30 minutes. It’s disappointing and aggravating. Is there any way to fix it?
I’m trying to downgrade my Neato XV-25 firmware back to 3.0 version, because my Neato continually goes into coma. It gets cleaning done, stops and if I do not immediately take it back to its base, it’s done. Green light is on, but even connected to the dock it won’t start, will not charge and does not respond at all. I can miraculously get it back to this world by connecting it to a computer via usb and then reseting it with start button… “ding-ding-dong” and he’s back.
I have two neato robots that the LCD screen has gone out. Since I am out of the 1 year warranty period I can’t get a replacement. A simple Google search shows this is a very common problem but yet your customer service rep says that it is not. I’m very disappointed that we have spent so much money on two machines that no longer work. I also find it sad that you won’t stand behind your product with a known defect just because the warranty is up. I will no longer refer you to my friends.
I have a issue with my neato i have replaced the batteries not that long ago , and worked fine for about a month and now the neato works for a minute runs a round the room ,the neato says finished cleaning house and returns to base with the battery indicator showing full ,what is happening please help
My XV-15 has now stopped working, just 10 months after I bought it. LSC screen is dark, but the light around the start button is green, but does not respond when pressing start. It also does not response when charging, so I really do not know if it charges or not. I can also hear a small beep sound from the wall charger, if I put my ear untill. Can not say for sure if this is normal, but can not remember I have heard this before. What should I do? Is this a case of Neato, or the shop that sold me this?
Do not buy Neato Products! At first we were pretty happy with our robot but then we had a problem with one of the wheels (totally blocked when the robot had to turn) after only 3 months using it. I have found that we were not the only ones to have this problem on the internet…. We contacted the customer service. They sent us a new one. In the country where I live, we had to pay taxes on the new one (even if it was a free replacement product) : 250$. And guess what? The new one has never worked!!! It was always going all around the room and not covering all the space it had to clean. The first one was ok in the exact same conditions before the wheel problem. We contacted again the customer service but they asked us to check again, they say it was because of a reflection in the window…. only fake excuses. They have never answered our last email. So not only the products are bad and not working but the customer service is too! At least they could make sure that the 2nd robot they sent us was working well!! Do they test ther products? I doubt it… We ve spent a lot of money on this product and we only got 2 not working robot. Don’t do the same mistake that we did…
Well I am not happy. I spent close to $400 on the XV-21 in
I finally spent the day emailing with Neato and they won’t do a thing. They won’t replace the batteries they sent me that suck and they won’t fix the screen. I can’t afford to pay to ship it back, pay for a diagnosis and repair. I didn’t spend $400 to constantly buy parts and shipping to fix this thing after a year and a half of problems.
I guess I will have to move forward with the Better Business Bureau, Attorney General, the store I bought it from and tell all my friends that I was wrong and it’s not something they should buy.
Used to really LOVE our Bot… but anymore (even after going online to see ‘fixes’ and taking the battery out for 3-5 min to reset it) it doesn’t do all areas anymore and it is random which areas it does each time it runs. This thing is only 9 months old!!!
We have purchased 3 neato robotics. At the present time, two are not working. XV14, XV11. They both have blank screens and the green light is on solid. We tried rebooting, reinstalling software, and nothing ! Both are out of the one year warranty. They both have newer batteries. I am sick ! Customer service told me it’s out of warranty and to in a few months they’ll have a repair center up & running. They could not give me an estimate on how much a repair might cost, plus the additional cost of shipping two units. I never imagined that they would encounter these problems. I really hope you can address my problem. When they are working, they were great ! The third one is at my parents house and is not used too frequently and only a small area. I believe that is why it is working. I have raved to so many people about how much I love Neato. Please help !!
My neato has been giving me the “my right wheel is stuck” message since I have had it for 2 months. Now that I have put up with it for a year I just found out that it’s a common problem. Is there anyway to fix this? I am disappointed with the product and annoyed because I have got so many friends and family to buy neato and it turned out to be something that stops every 15 minutes.
For a little over a year, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED my Neato, named Buzz, because he has the colors of Buzz Lightyear. I have to have carpets because of co-op rules and I have upper respiratory issues so it is important to me to have especially my bedroom vacuumed every day. I loved that Buzz could get under the bed and dressers. Everything was fine until Buzz got an RPS error and I called Customer Support. Up until then, Customer support had been very helpful. I was sent a new battery for free, I was even sent a new vacuum when I had a small problem with a brush part. I never asked for the vacuum and Buzz was fine, so I sent it back. FOOL! When Buzz died, I was told the warranty – of one year – had expired and there was nothing they could do for me. I paid $471 for something that worked a little over a year! Seriously! It is unacceptable to expect people to pay almost $500 a year for a vacuum. They say they have no record of having sent me a vacuum a few months ago. Again, seriously(!) that’s what I get for being honest. I get taken for $471 for one year’s worth of vacuuming and I’m, in effect, being called a liar for saying that they sent me a vacuum. (I have witnesses to that! -and I have the return page.) What bothers me the most in all this is the lack of customer support and less than ethical acceptance of responsibility for such an expensive product on their part. BUYER BEWARE!
My Neato BotVac has been acting weird the last view days. It keeps getting a Error: 2009 “please clear my path”. This happened four times today and 3 yesterday. There is nothing in the robots path. it just seems the get stuck in an open area. I lightly blew out underneath the cap where the spinning laser eye is. Any other ideas? Or do I need to send my robot back for Warranty? I have been using it for about 2 months now flawlessly until now, so I am confused what could have happened.
So my replaced neato already broke! From my last post here on this page! Your company called me many times but did not replace my Neato. Luckily Kohls replaced my NEato XV-21 pet 3 times in the last year and a half. Now It has broken again. What a lemon! Your customer service and products are terrible. I emailed, called, and the support is terrible. The worst ever! I would have though spending 600 dollars on a robot vaccum cleaner that I would either get a good product or good customer service but in the end both are the worst product and service ever!
I was initially happy with the Cust. Svc. I received from Neato regarding my vacuum dying within the one year warranty period. It is going to be replaced. Yeah, right? Well, not quite yeah anymore. I found out it is going to be replaced with a refurbished unit. Basically I am getting a machine that has been refurbished because it did not work for someone else. The chances of this replacement unit failing is much higher than a new unit and that explains the 90 day period. Needless to say, I am not happy with receiving a “used” unit. When this one dies, and I am certain it will die much sooner than my brand new one and I am certain it will most likely die outside the 90 day warranty period, i won’t be buying another one. That is sad to me because I really love the Neato, but I am not willing to pay so much for something that doesn’t last a year. My Electrolux was double the price and it has been going strong for nigh at 25 years.
We have been trying to get our Neato repaired/replaced …. the people on the phone are nice enough but no follow through. Have been working in this issue for about 3 weeks now! For the price we paid you would think they would stand behind thier product… take issues seriously and work hard at getting them resolved.
Hey Neato – despite my better judgement I bought a new Botvac 85. I get it out of the box and charge it up, and bam it is a dud. “BUMPER STUCK” On taking off the bumper I discover that 3 of the four depression switches do not clear by themselves, you press them in and they get stuck on the in/on position. I have owned two XV-11s over the years, my first one was good to me, the second one was pretty good. The second one started having issues of “please replace my dust bin” error. The switch went bad, I called up customer services, spent 50 minutes on the phone only to be told “Sorry you are out of warranty there is nothing we can do” I explained that the original date they had was not right as I had gotten a replacement for that model and the warranty period was to have reset to a nearer date. The girl at the call center said ‘sorry we just started taking neato on a new system here so we don’t have your records’ I asked to speak to a manager, they told me to wait he was busy. I waited on hold for 30 minutes and the girl said “he doesn’t want to talk to you”. That is fantastic. The first time I called your support a couple years ago it was awesome, the girl was friendly, empowered and cared. I could not have been happier with the experience. This last time it was the worst experience I have ever had. I swore I wouldn’t buy another Neato after that phone call. Nothing like being told your $500 machine has a problem and we don’t give a damn. Thanks guys. But look I still went out and purchased a new Botvac 85 from BB&B because I still felt you guys made a pretty damn good product. Well it looks like QA has gone down even more. Why YES I would love to send in my brand new unit and have you send me a refurbished one with a shorter warranty period. You guys could own the market, you have a great product… but your customer service is horrible and you quality assurance over there in china or where ever you make it is bottom of the barrel. I feel bad for every engineer who put in their blood and soul to design and engineer this product only to have it’s vision driven into the ground by some 5 cent made in china part.
Piece of Crap! Returning said product ! (and a customer response to this: Return it if you still can! Purchasing a Neato vacuum is one of my biggest regrets. I wish I had gotten a Roomba instead.)
We got a Neato for Christmas and are on our 4th replacement vacuum. Now it’s breaking down too! Every time it’s been a different issue with the vacuum. All the refurbished replacements you sent were broken right out of the box (so much for being refurbished!). After sending 2 refurbished units, you finally sent another new unit. The new unit lasted the longest of the 4 units, a couple months, but now it’s having 3 problems at once: saying “please clear my path” when there isn‘t anything in it’s way, the dust bin constantly popping out, and finally it just sits in one spot running (see video attached). My husband is contacting your customer service today to remedy the problem, but I’m certain you will either a) try to make us fix the problem ourselves or b) try to send us a “refurbished” vacuum. At this point, all I want is a new Roomba to replace my Neato. Neato has got to have the worst quality control in the industry!
I was truly considering purchasing a Neato until I came across this page & am reading all of the reviews on the units breaking down so early after purchase & right after warranty. Really bummed that they don’t last longer for the purchase price!
I was in intermittent contact with Alicia Delgado until she stopped responding to me e-mails on March 8th (she always took a few days to respond, where I would respond right away). I also privately messaged this page a week ago and received no response.
I am fully aware that my vacuum is out of warranty due to the original purchase date (my original had to be replaced less than 6 months in). However, I refuse to spend another $400 on a vacuum that I had just purchased 1 year and 3 months ago (at the time the display screen went dead), as I was told to by your customer service representative.
I want to be able to fix the screen on my vacuum at a reasonable cost. The vendor you referred me to charges $49.95 to diagnose my Neato (does not include shipping either way) and at least $129.95 for the part that I will likely need (does not include labor). To give you a reference as to what I consider reasonable, my 7 year old Dyson broke down for the first time a few months ago and I was able to get it completely fixed (it runs like new!) for just $80 out of pocket.
I simply want to be able to fully utilize this $400 vacuum as it should be used. I do not want to buy a new vacuum, nor do I want to spend $180 (at least!) to get it fixed. I have nothing to lose at this point, so I am committed to posting something every day until this issue is resolved.
I just received my Neato Botvac 85 yesterday. After charging, I started the cleaning house cycle and it makes a odd noise…. Like plastic clicking? I’m not quite sure how to describe it. It starts after the “2nd jet fires?” (It does sound like a jet about to take off… but I love it!) not the first….right before it starts moving. I tried taking off the side brush thinking that might be the sound but it wasn’t.Any ideas of what this noise is?
You need to understand that this is a One-Year Machine. I have been through two of them and both lasted a year and quit. Neato has no quality assurance and no durability built into their products. It’s a $400 product that has a lifetime of 12 months. After the warranty, all bets are off.
I purchased Neato XV-12 on Amazon on July 26, 2013 (less than a year ago). About a month ago it didn’t turn on even after having been charged. Disconnecting batteries for several minutes helped back then. Now the problem repeated, but Neato won’t turn on even after the battery disconnection trick.
We did not use it very often, maybe once every 2 or 3 weeks and only in two rooms. Batteries should not have died that fast (if the problem is with batteries at all). So this is very frustrating and disappointing expereience. What can you advise?
Refurbished unit your company sent as an RMA replacement is now unable to reach the dock after a cycle, and sometimes goes through an infinite reboot process.
Bought neato signature pro new at the and of 2013. Battery doesn’t last very long anymore (can’t do the living room in once while he was able to make up living room and kitchen) plus ERROR 3000. Tried to restart it but nothing happened. Still can’t work. What should I do?
Love my NEATO but after a number of new wheels..LOL..and it finally ran like it should for about 14 months. POOF dim green lite no display and will not charge. Removed batteries and that helped twice. Now it will not help… sigh… wonder if I should cancel my order for the Neato Botvac 80 from amazon.
My Neato isn’t working anymore. When it is supposed to clean, it moves about an inch from the dock and the please clear my path error comes up. I have moved the dock to four different places now and it does the same thing every time, every where. If I am home when it does this, I will pick up the neato and move it to the middle of the room and it will just stay in that one place with the vacuum on and won’t move at all.
UNIT 1 – I REALLY wanted this Neato XV-21 to work for me but sadly I had to return the original unit and the replacement unit to Amazon. The first one would not hold a charge. Yes, I tried the “new battery” set up, yes, I gave it days to fully charge but to no avail. It would poop out on me where ever the battery got low and never return to the charging station which was very much accessible. So back it went.
UNIT 2 – This one worked ONCE. It died in my bedroom and the display was dead. It was lit but no text so it was impossible to know where I was in the menu!!!!
That first Neato needed replacing three months later. Since it was under warranty we got another from Neato, no problem. This one is a year and 4 months. I’ve never used it everyday. The batteries were always wonky. Got new batteries a few weeks ago and it did a last swan song of major cleaning then died. Won’t recharge, motor is dead. Went to Neato for help and they talked me through some CPR but it is completely dead. No solutions offered except to ship to a repair guy somewhere who wants my credit card information before I can complete the “contract”–that’s the first thing on his Contract Form BTW.
I bought my XV-21 on February 5, 2013. About 6 months in, it started acting like it could not charge. Bought new batteries (where we live, we have to order everything). Put those in. Worked pretty well for a bit. Then would not make it back to the base to charge. Turned out that the batteries were probably bad. Put a 2nd set of batteries in (check the prices on these, they are not cheap). Once again, it would not make it back to the base to charge. The green light would be on. You’d have to take the batteries out and let the machine reset. Fiddled with it half of the winter. Sent it for diagnosis, in April. Bad board. Cost to repair? Close to $200. For nearly $400 Neato needs to make a machine that will last more than a year. I am going to buy another robotic vacuum, but I won’t buy this one.
It saddens me to create this post but Neato’s warranty policies are unacceptable. I received my Neato in March of 2013. I was amazed at the precision of the Neato XV-21 and how it was able to pick up my dogs hair as she shed a few times a year. As summer came around, only a little over 3 months of having my Neato the robot would not move forward then would only travel backwards in circles. After troubleshooting with customer service a few times, Neato Robotics offered to send me a replacement XV-21 if I would pay the shipping fee of 25 dollars. I obliged because I figured this was a fluke and I was really enthusiastic about the replacement. The replacement worked for 9 months before the robot malfunctioned. When I pressed the start button, the robot would move away from charging base as it’s supposed to, start it’s vacuum, but instead of beginning to “scan” it’s surroundings it instead just sits there with it’s vacuum on and doesn’t move. Neato Robotics customer support had me go through the troubleshooting motions and eventually decided that I should get a new one. They took my credit card info again for the $25 shipping fee. Two days later, no email was sent in order to start the return process as promised. All I had was a confirmation number the first customer support tech (Victoria) gave me that didn’t seem to even exist the next time I called. The next tech I spoke to took my SR number and assured me if I sent my proof of purchase to the email he gave me I would get the ball rolling. I later got a confirmation email telling me my replacement was on it’s way. The day after came and I got a call from a private number from the original tech that took my call the first time (Victoria). She informed me that my replacement Neato XV-21 only had a 90 day warranty and Neato Robotics would not be sending me a replacement after all. I didn’t understand why a new robot would only have a 90 day warranty. I felt swindled. My Neato was treated gently and cleaned at least once a week for debris in the wheels or excessive dust in the suction ports. Neato claims this robot will be a part of your household for years but the lack of backup and support for their product is insufficient. This product is amazing when it works, but Neato must find a way to make the robot last at least a year or two past their limited 1 year warranty in order for it to be worth the $400. Altogether, I had a Neato and a replacement Neato a total of 13 months before I was denied a replacement or service.
We purchased our unit and loved it at first – but about 11 months in it started acting odd – wouldn’t charge – the buttons wouldn’t work or would only work sporadically, the screen was going in and out. I went to the website and their support page indicated that the battery probably needed replacing so we ordered a new one and the unit worked well for about 3-4 wks and then we had issues with it again. I went back on line to chat to with a support person (the chat took a full 37 minutes for them to connect) and was told that the unit was out of warranty and they couldn’t help me. I explained that the problems began before the warranty expired and I did what their website instructed only to find that it didn’t work and the rep indicated that it didn’t matter. She recommended moving the charging base to see if that helped. I moved the base and the unit began working for another 2 or 3 wks and then worked sporadically for a week and then the screen went out completely so we were unable to program a schedule for it. I called and spoke to a rep and they again refused to honor a warranty even though we started having trouble with the unit before the warranty expired. She then offered me a diagnostic through their authorized repair dealer for a fee. I asked for a manager and indicated that the situation was completely unacceptable and they needed to make it right. After a long conversation the manager said she would send a new unit out but I had to pay $49 shipping and handling which I agreed to (because clearly it was the best they were going to do for me). It should also be noted that the new unit comes with NO WARRANTY. I gave her my credit card number and was told to call back that evening with the serial number on the defective unit at home – which I did. When I called with the serial number I was told the unit would ship the next day. We waited 2 wks and still no vacuum. I called again and asked where it was and the rep informed me that the person who took down the serial number didn’t “flip the switch in the system” so that my unit would ship. He fixed it and then assured me it would go out the next day (Friday) and even upgraded my unit to overnight shipping so I would have it on Monday. Monday came and still no vacuum. I called again and they said that it hadn’t shipped and I wasn’t authorized for overnight shipping and that it would ship tomorrow. I insisted on overnight based on promises previously made and they agreed. When I called the next day it still hadn’t shipped. And the same story the next day. Finally today I called and they provided me with a tracking number for my “overnight” shipment – they sent it ground. But at least it is on its way. If this story was long to read – imagine living it. That is what your life looks like when you do business with Neato Robotics.
UPDATE – New unit arrives and does not work. Called service center and was told it is a refurbished unit and Neato’s policy is not to send new units after 30 days of purchase. Was given a couple of possible solutions to try. Will update once this is resolved.
DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE FEEDBACK FROM NEW USERS! In time, they too will experience what everyone, and I mean everyone, will have happen to them. Purchased unit w/2 yr extended warranty. In a nutshell – here’s what happened over 22 months. Initial unit replaced after 4 months….then, replacement unit’s batteries failed after 6 months/received new batteries for free from Neato [they said new batteries will be sent] – then, “new” batteries failed after 6 months and now NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY [$75 for another set of new batteries], then – 21st month unit completely failed. Was told by Neato that after the first year, service is outsourced under extended warranty. Sent unit out for repair/replacement on March 6th – as of May 8th no repaired unit or replacement.
Called Neato to inquire about warranty status and was told that they have no way to contact service company to check on status. What? How can a company outsource a service to a third party and not be able to check/monitor the service they are providing to its customers. QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NON-EXISTENT. Accordingly, buy at your own risk and if you do, don’t bother paying for an extended warranty since it’s a scam to get more $$$ w/o extended warranty service.
To further assist my point – as well as those made by many other unhappy long-term Neato customers – look at how many refurbished units this company sells, in every model! TONS! Then look for refurbished Roomba units – ZILCH/NONE! – Roomba units have dramatically improved their vacuuming strength, as well as numerous other aspects of their robotic vacuums. In addition, their newer units have minimal failure [based upon extensive internet research], especially the batteries. So save yourself the grief YOU WILL experience in time with ANY Neato unit….. and AVOID Neato’s product line. Those of you with units that currently work [WHEN they work it’s a great robotic vacuum] – just you wait….YOUR NEATO WILL FAIL WITHOUT QUESTION.
This are one year machines. Horrible, the screen dies after a few month. Neato sends you a 3rd party who charges you $35 just to inspect it plus shipping costs. If you are willing to pay way over $300 for a vacuum that will last you less than a year, then go for it. Horrible customer service. They don’t stand behind their product… thus the 1 year limited warranty.
I had a similar experience to some of the other reviewers. This vacuum works very well – but that is IF and WHEN it works. They had to replace my vacuum three times in one year. After that, my warranty expired and they said I would be responsible for sending it to some random company (which actually had really low reviews) and I would have to cover all the costs. I am very gentle with my vacuum so I’m not sure why it keeps breaking down (and they weren’t sure either). My mom also purchased this vacuum around the same time as I did and she has replaced it once.
I bought my current XV21 exactly 13 months ago with a 3 year extended warranty. It was awesome for the 1st 6 months and then it all of a sudden now after running a cycle it dies before finishing and the power light is half illuminated with unresponsive buttons, so i have to unscrew the battery compartments and unplug both batteries then it powers on and I have to reset the clock.I called Neato and they said they would send a replacement and I would pay a $25 fee. I said well I have an extended warranty so I’ll just use that since there is no added fee. Well needless to say I have sent it to Asurion 3 times while waiting about 3 weeks each time to get the unit back in seemingly worse condition (dirty and more scratched) with the exact same issue. I run it 1 or 2 cycles and it is half lit power requiring a battery pull and reset.
So then I call Neato and the rep says I am 30 days past the 1 year warranty even though i called 4 months ago and they dont have any options for replacement. I said, “So I paid $380 for a small vacuum that worked for less than 6 months? When I calculate the 2 times a week for 6 months that I ran it I paid over $10 a use. Unbelievably the Neato rep actually said “unfortunately these vacuums don’t have a long life.” Well, I have a Roomba that is 5 years old that does my office and although it doesn’t clean as thoroughly nor is as intelligent as my Neato it has gone over 500 cycles and hasn’t even had the battery changed. So a durable Roomba cleans better than a smart but unreliable Neato that consistently doesn’t work.
Ms.Josey 
Ms.Josey