Busted Busters

About four years ago, my spouse brought home a Black Friday 'deal' that I was actually happy about: a Black & Decker Dustbuster. He paid a whopping $9.99 for it. I had never had one before and was excited by the power in my hand! I could now go around the perimeter of my kitchen cabinets and pick up every crumb without squatting down with a dustpan and broom that never seemed to get everything. It was also handy by the front door, where people leave their shoes, and invariably, their dirt, mulch, grass and dead leaves. Oh, the thrill of a spotless floor!

Well, at least for 12 months. Then the thing stopped charging fully. What started as a useful tool became an annoying piece of crap. The light would show it to be fully charged, but then it would peter out after about 30 seconds. I accepted that you get what you pay for and threw it in the trash.

After a few months, I started commenting on how much I missed my Dustbuster. Then, a bigger, new and improved model showed up under the Christmas tree with my name on it! Woo Hoo! I was back in business!

Again, only for about 12 months. Same story, second verse. I went online to find a nation of angry Black & Decker Dustbuster owners. Nobody could keep a charge in their 1-2 year old model. At first, I thought I would just replace the rechargeable battery. That's when I learned that the battery is the same cost as buying a new Dustbuster. Really? Also, that I'd have to drive 15 miles to safely dispose of the old battery. There's some energy conservation for you!

That's when I decided to contact Black & Decker to complain. The Dustbuster was supposedly under a 2  year warranty, so I thought it couldn't hurt. Within 24 hours, I received this response:

We apologize for the inconvenience you may be experiencing. However,  BLACK+DECKER (U.S.) Inc. warranties this product to be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of two (2) years following the date of purchase. 

 

In order to better assist you, please reply to this email with your Dustbuster date code (see attachment) and a copy of your sales receipt.

 

Please respond to all questions so we can assist you.

 

In case this email does not fully answer your question, or you would like to contact us for any reason, simply reply to this email.

Thank you,
Eduardo
Black & Decker Customer Care

 

Good news, except for the fact that I can't trust my husband to keep receipts and the attachment was a photo of the inside of a Dustbuster that in no way resembled mine! I got lucky though as my husband had ordered my Dustbuster on Amazon, so I was able to find the receipt online. I took a photo that showed every number I could find on my disassembled product, even though there was no indented code like the photo he sent to me.

 

 

Then I crossed my photos and hit send.

 

I'm happy to say that it worked and in about a week's time, I had a new and improved Dustbuster. This time, instead of a regular charger that you plug and unplug, it has a charging stand that you leave it in at all times. So far, so good, but it's only been three months.

 

I'll let you know how it's running next April.

 

** And yes, I have no idea what happened to my fonts and background. Nothing I did could correct it.**