Consumer warning - Shark Vacuum from Canadian Tire

In October 2008, I purchased a Shark vacuum cleaner from Canadian Tire for $169.99. It seemed to work well and I recommended it to my mother, who then bought the same model.

Within 6 months the wires in the telescopic tube came apart. I took it to a local vacuum service centre, only to be told that because Shark has an exclusive rights deal with Canadian Tire, they can’t be repaired & I’d have to order a new part online.

I put off ordering the part and by the time I did, the warrantee had expired. In the meantime, I used a 20+ year old Electrolux which has its problems but still works better than the new vacuum, which I was unable to use at all.

I called Euro-pro’s customer support and was told that, yes, I would have to order a new telescopic tube (product 1129FC), which I did, for $53.32 (including shipping & handling). When the tube arrived, it did not work.

This is the part that really ticks me off! I called customer support and was told that they have upgraded the parts and I will now have to order and purchase a new Power Nozzle for $89.99 plus shipping and handling.

I wrote to Euro-Pro’s customer service on Feb 22 and to Canadian Tire’s customer service on Feb 28th with the following concerns:

a) Euro-Pro seems to have a ‘throw away and repurchase’ policy, which is environmentally unfriendly. It is disappointing that these products cannot be repaired.

b) I should have been told that I would need to buy a new power nozzle when I ordered the telescopic tube.

c) The replacement parts will cost a total of $134.31 (plus shipping & handling for the power nozzle) for a vacuum that originally cost $169.99. I think that I could have bought a much better vacuum for the total of $300 that I will have spent on the Shark in a year & a half (not to mention the time I’ve spent trying to get it fixed or get new parts).

d) While I realize that I was at fault for missing the warrantee date, the fact that the vacuum broke within 6 months tells me that this product was poor quality to begin with.

It doesn’t look like I’ll get this resolved, but I just thought I’d warn other people who might consider making a similar purchase.