Good for you. Finally a nice story.

I always though it was gerry rig, but after further research, it is jury-rig. Learn something new everyday.

Dyson is known for their excellent customer service. I have a Dyson and although it has never broken I feel confident in getting my vaccuum fixed with them. If it were another brand and it broke, I would probably just feed screwed and buy another one. I worked at a homegoods store and heard a lot of great stories about Dyson.

Ok, this actually brings up a good topic. Dyson's charge a premium for their product. Much like Apple, and other companies. I just mentioned Apple because they get brought up a lot in these types of discussions.

My point though is this. When you pay a premium for something, you usually get much better service. I have found this to be consistently true. The problem is most people these days simply go for the absolute cheapest price. Well, we know companies achieve these prices partly by cutting customer service. Basically part of the Wal-Mart effect. If you want good service, don't be surprised when you have to pay more for it. Good service does cost more money.

Dyson is one of those items that cost a lot upfront but the quality of the build lasts so much longer than the cheapo ones on the market...plus this example of excellent customer service takes Dyson up another notch.

Dyson's products ROCK. My wife and I love to look in the chamber and see all the dust, dirt, debris and pet hair that gets sucked up by our Dyson -- fascinating and horrifying.

I bought a refurb Dyson Animal and received it only to notice that the pet wand was broken. I called Dyson to see how much the replacement was and they quickly shipped out a whole new part! I was very surprised and very happy with the experience. I'd happily buy another Dyson after that.

I just saw the guy that invented the Dyson (is his name Dyson...I'm a dingbat with names) on Sunday Morning. He seems like one helluva dude and this sounds like exactly what he'd expect of his people.

I don't want to be the devil's advocate, but this is kind of a case of price discrimination as well. Daniel could've bought the $51 part and none of this niceness would've happened. Still, it's pretty damn cool.

one whole half?

long story short, buy a dyson.
they are amazing & worth every single penny.

I had a Eureka vac for a few years. The thing would, as Dyson claims all vacuums do, lose suction and clog with dust. We have this rug that sheds clumps of wool; it's a pain and the Eureka couldn't handle it. Fast-forward to a few months ago, my wife and I buy a Dyson. We couldn't be happier. The thing is quieter than our old vacuum and just sucks up everything in its path with no problems at all.

The customer service, here, just exemplifies what I've always thought: Dyson is a superior vacuum company.

I love these "company-does-good" stories. When I'm next in the market for a vacuum cleaner, guess who's getting my hard-earned cash! Thanks, Reader Daniel (and Consumerist) for sharing the love!

@public enemy #1: You're right on Jerry-rig. It was the term used in WWII when the British soldiers reworked beach defense ibeams into brush clearing attachment for tanks and jeeps. I read about jury, but jerry is also correct.

Glad to hear this story. I like reading about companies going above and beyond.

I f'ing love my dyson.

nice to hear a positive customer relations story. however, just a caution that spending more does not always equal better service. see bmw.

friend of mine had one of his headlights go out on a 3-yr-old bmw. $700 to fix. what a joke.

OK, this is great, but what about this Dyson Root? It seems cheaply made compared to the regular Dyson product line. The one they had on display at Bed Bath & Beyond didn't seem to have much suction, either. I don't want to buy another "Shark" type product that doesn't really work and I end up throwing it out.

@Chicago7: It really isn't cheaply made. It is sturdy, has strong suction and gives great control. Most people complaing at first about the battery life, but the problem is onyl the first tim as you are running all over the house getting to places you couldn't before. After that it only uses powere when you pull the trigger. Awesome machine.

@Art Vandelay: @public enemy #1: Here are a few more explanations for "jury rigged".
[www.worldwidewords.org]

Dyson is not just vacuums. Outside my broker, thinkorswim, there's a trendy restaurant. Inside the bathroom, there is a Dyson AirBlade. The amount of uberness existing in that product is hard to describe, so I will take the easy way out and do this: [www.dysonairblade.co.uk]

And yes, I've used it, and thought: "How come it took so long to think of this? And why didn't I?"

My wife and I bought our Dyson 3 years ago at a "Half-of-Half" store for $99. Best frickin' appliance we have in the house. We eventually talked my parents and some of our friends into buying one as well, and they all love it.

well I guess I'll buy one too.

@Chicago7: Actually, with BB&B's liberal return policy, you never have to worry something like that is a piece of junk. After a year with a Hoover, we returned it at bought a Dyson.

I think I will be buying a Root now as well. Thanks!

My husband loves our Dyson. He babies that thing like it's a sports car. It's almost gotten to the point where if he sees me start to vacuum, he jumps over to 'make sure I'm doing it right.' Hey, I'm happy to step back and let him vacuum!

And seeing all that dirt swish around - it all boils down to good vs. evil. You are conquering the evil dirt and have the proof in sight! The more dirt you see, the more you feel confident that the vacuum is doing its job.

My Dyson is the best purchase I have ever made. My hose ripped and they sent me a new one for free and with no hassles. In four years, I have not had any other problems with it and it keeps my house really clean. Absolutely adore it!!!

When you pay $500 for a vacuum, they'd better have one there the next day delivered by bikini models who also bring a sixer for your troubles. But seriously, good on you Dyson!

Before everyone runs out and buys a dyson root do a little research. I was very tempted to pick one up until I read about 5min battery life. Even the Dyson website says expect 6 min between charges. Unless you're just sucking up crumbs from the table that battery life is a deal killer.

When Dysons first came out, Mr. Dyson did the ads. How can you argue with a guy who says, "I just like for things to work properly," and then proves it?

I invested in a Dyson Vacuum when I got out of college and first started working. I have a chinchilla and it's dust bath stuff tends to easily clog the filter in most vacuums making them a pain to work with. So I wanted a filter-less vacuum.

I spent about $400 on mine, and my mom was making fun of me for spending so much on vacuum, especially since I'm supposed to be too young to care about that stuff. I figured that I'd rather buy one vacuum that won't clog up on me every two minutes which will last a long time rather than buy a cheap one. My mom goes back to my apartment with me, still thinking I'm crazy for wanting that particular vacuum. To test it out, I used it on the living room, which had just been cleaned by the landlord the day before - it already looked nice and clean. I ran the Dyson over it and got a bunch of dust and dirt out of the carpet. Now my mom keeps telling me to bring it over whenever I go to visit.

Its amazing that everyone here is so pro-dyson. Its great to see that the customer service is so great, but you're paying for that customer service(and marketing of the overhyped "doesn't lose suction" device) when you purchased the overpriced dyson product in the first place. Check out consumer reports' reviews of vacuums to see if your love of dyson is product driven or marketing driven.(willing to bet it ends up being the latter)

Hate to bash, but....

their vaccuums are so outrageously expensive.... no wonder they can easily afford to have REALLY nice customer service who go above & beyond (by basically sending a new vaccuum).

And yes... they DO make a very good product, but the price is still insanely expensive.

Now IF they were just a regular company who made a moderately-priced product AND went above & beyond in customer service... then THAT would REALLY be extraordinary!

i absolutely love our dyson "skinny!" it is well worth every single penny that was paid for it.....we got ours at BB&B with one of those 20% off coupons we get in the mail every once in a while and that significantly brought the price down. plus....NO MORE BAGS!!! i really hated changing the bag in our old machine..

@jdame95:
Everything you said is fine. Just don't be shocked when your $100 Hoover craps out in 12 months, and you get lousy customer service.

It's a choice, and some people like to pay more and get a better product. The nice thing is you are free to make that choice.

@jdame95: I'm guessing you don't own a Dyson or you don't vacuum?

After dealing with so much crap vacuum from all the other companies, having one that ACTUALLY picks up dirt again and again so consistently seems so basic, yet so amazing.

@bnet41: I didn't ask anyone to make a choice, I asked die hard dyson supporters to look at vacuum reviews by an independent source.(within the same price range, your $100 hoover statement makes no sense. How is that validated?) Obviously you didn't didn't research and was won over by the Dyson marketing dept.

@sohp101: let me get this straight.... instead of doing research on vacuums(again, within the same price range), you jump to the assumption that I don't vacuum. You also assume that because I don't own a Dyson that I must be uninformed. I would say that the marketing dept considers you a win.

I stated that the dyson customer service story was great, but that it should be expected when the price of the product and the REAL performance of the product(compared to similiar products in the same price range) are not in sync. Dysons are great, but are overpriced for the league that they play in.

This is really above and beyond.

Daniel, please email this link to them. Let them know that customer service like this is appreciated.

@jdame95:
I don't need to look at reviews.
I own a Dyson.
I will guarantee that you can vacuum your carpets with your Hoover or whatever Consumer Report approved sweeper that you have and then go over it again with a Dyson and you will be shocked by the amount of filth that it will pull out.
The whole purpose of running a sweeper is to get the rug clean. Eurekas, Hoovers, Rainbows, Electrolux, and Kirby ALL do a lousy job.
This is a case where you do get what you pay for.

I absolutely love my Dyson. After vacuuming with my old Oreck (which was a great vacuum, too), the new Dyson ended up sucking up almost 8 oz of cat fur and other crap off of the carpet in our small apartment.

For those who complain about the price -- yes, they are expensive. They are also worth it. What we did was we got a 20% off Bed Bath & Beyond coupon and used it toward the Dyson purchase (believe it or not, the 20% off BB&B coupons don't exclude Dysons), so we ended up getting a really good deal on it (nearly $100 off before tax).

You get a vacuum that works great, is really easy to clean and maintain, sucks really well, and doesn't disappoint. My only gripe is that it's freakin' heavy at around 16 lbs for the D14.

After hearing this story about the great customer service, I feel even better about buying this vacuum knowing that the company really does stand behind its products.

@WV.Hillbilly: Thanks for informing me of the purpose of a vacuum. I would have been lost without that.

The reason they sent you a new vac is because they are cheap.(I am not saying they don't work great)I used to work for Home Depot in Atlanta and every time a Dyson came beck they would throw them away. This is because it is cheeper to write off the 40 or 50 bucks it cost HD than send it back. this happens at Depot more than you would imagine.

I had to call Dyson about something one time, one thing that stood out to me was there was no:

Press 1 for english, no if you are calling about this press 5 then 6 now wait....press 2

it was a person, who picked up the phone with in 3 rings.

I still remember when the DC01 first came out. You know how when a new games console comes out, we all ask each other if we've seen it, or played it, or bought one?

Well, it was that sort of thing between my mum, and my aunts, and my grandmothers. It was their equivalent of the SNES, the PlayStation, Xbox and Wii rolled into one. It was something you impressed visitors with, and might offer to lend to someone if they were careful with it. And to be fair to them, it was pretty damn futuristic.

@jdame95: No, the only person who's making assumptions is you. You're assuming that I've never done any research. You're assuming that my basis on undermining your comment is based on the fact that you don't own a Dyson.

I've used plenty of various brands, prices ranging from ~100-500. But never mind the fact that I've used many brands of vacuums, never mind the fact that I've asked quite a few people who do housecleaning for a living which vacuums they prefer when using the home owner's vacuums.

Get off your high and mighty pedestal... you can't back up your own critiques of Dyson being a hyped product. You haven't shown ANY reference to any article or research group that claims that Dyson just aren't great as they are, and you don't even bother using your own personal experience to disagree with other people who like the product. So quick to belittle others yet so slow to defend your own position...

Did I say that Dysons were the best? No, you assumed that I said that. The only thing I've said is that they work consistently (at least mine does), which seems to be amazing for a vacuum cleaner.

Let's see: Dyson vs. "normal" vacuum:

Dyson sucker: $500
"Free" part: -51
"normal" vac: -200
Cost for warm & fuzzy :$249

I'm all for customer service but people... $500 for a vacuum cleaner? It had better do more than clean carpets. (there's an incredibly rude comment here that I won't make)

@CARY
I bought a Dyson, to replace a $200au vacuum. My Fiance had just vacuumed our house, and in the last room she broke the suction head, so we went out and bought a Dyson for $700au. vacuumed 1 room and got the equivalent of 1 full bag in our old vacuum, which would have taken 6 months to get. So even if I don't get good service I would still consider it a great price.

$500 for a vacuum? No thanks. I have people take their shoes off and put slippers on. My pets are fish (no hair there). I have an extra $500 dollars in my pocket. Not a bad deal if ya ask me.

Oh yeah, and I have a vacuum that I can see the dirt in and I don't need bags either. Man, some people are giving lame excuses for having their Dysons. Trying to justify the $500 much?

@night_sky: When people are talking about seeing dirt in it, they are referring to the sheer quantity of dirt that shows up in it even if you are vacuuming a carpet that was just vacuumed with a different vacuum. I have one, and even though it's super heavy and sometimes a bit clumsy (and doesn't work well on throw rugs since it's suction is too powerful and they start to wrinkle), on wall-to-wall and hardwood floors that thing rocks.

@ J DTZR:
I thought we were the only ones who did that!!

But seriously, the Dyson ROCKS. I want to get the mini version(infomercial) for my kid but I have not been able to find it as a separate piece.

@night_sky: It's not that it doesn't need bags, it's that it doesn't need filters. Well, there is a HEPA filter in it that you are supposed to rinse out occasionally but it doesn't have an effect on its performance.

Yeah, $500 is a lot to spend on a vacuum, I admit that. But really, I find the design to be great, and its performance is awesome. It may have less suction than some cheaper vacuums right out of the box, but over time the other brands lose suction power, the Dyson remains steady. With the old vacuum I had, I kept having to take it apart to unclog it because it would lose suction very quickly and clog up. Never had to do that for my Dyson.

Is there some hype to it? Sure. There's hype to everything that's expensive. But really, everyone I've heard talk about the Dyson they own seem to love it and would never buy any other type.

@SOhp101: High five.