Back in February, we published a story from reader Tim, who complained that he paid $250 for a Bissell vacuum cleaner that was defective, and the warranty replacement he received was crappy. Reader Trevor says that he had a similar experience with a much happier ending, and send it in as a counterpoint to Tim story.

Like Tim in the [linked] story, I also purchased a Bissell vacuum for about $250, this one in 2008.

In Spring of 2011, a number of things went wrong with it. Surprised to find that it was still in its 5-year warranty, I first called Bissell and was redirected to an authorized service center, about 40 minutes away. After an initial part replacement failed and a few trips back and forth to the service center, Bissell sent me a replacement vacuum.

It worked just as well as the first, then a month ago, like Tim’s, plastic started failing. Latches and springs didn’t work any more. The dust bin door wouldn’t stay closed. I emailed Bissell and they shipped the entire dustcatcher/cyclone assembly my way free of charge.

Yes, it can certainly suck that some fixes for them require a trip to their service center. But they are standing behind their products in a way a lot of companies aren’t.

That’s certainly true. Maybe the key thing to keep in mind is to avoid buying a Bissell if you don’t live near an authorized service center.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.