Firstly, why I needed this vacuum cleaner. If you don't want to read about my dog please skip to section 2. A friend of mine phoned me and told me of a German Shepard dog that was being used as a guard dog at a car yard close by. He didn't make a good guard dog as he would cry all night, so they decided to send him to a well-known dog house. My friend pulled on my heartstrings and said that I could not allow this to happen. I knew my parents wouldn't be pleased but I agreed to take him home to clean him up and find him a home. He was skinny and crazy but after a week of pampering I found him a home. The day came when he had to leave. I put his toys by the door and the tears began to roll. I didn't realise how much this dog had changed my life. I'd been a long sufferer of depression and he gave me a reason to wake up. Well you know what's coming next…my dad (a serious man) decided I could keep
him. He checked his background and found he had been given away previous to the car yard. He lived with a drunken woman and two children who decided to get rid of him when he was no longer a cute fluffy puppy. He was unstable and so was I but together we saved each other's lives I believe. My dogs name is Charm and I love him but he makes a hell of a mess of the carpets…link to my review he he.
Section 2
I saw the advert for the Miele Cat and Dog hoover over a year ago and realised that it was just what we needed. Of course I didn't believe their claims, few vacuum cleaners have managed to pick up dog hairs in my experience. I thought it must be a gimmick and decided to come to Ciao to read some customer reviews. All reviews seemed to be in favour. I thought the cleaner was quite expensive but I had some money saved and thought it was the least I could do for my mum. The dog was lovely but the carpets where a mess. I searched the internet and found a good price. We had always used an upright vacuum so this was all new to us. It arrived well packaged with a manual and about five different attachments. It looked quite attractive too. We switched it on for the first time and our faces beamed. The hairs where going. It felt strong and powerful and made our other upright vacuum seem like a toy. It was like one of those unbelievable commercials where they take a white carpet covered in charcoal and make it clean in one swipe. You must realise the hair had really built up in our house.
I don't know the specific names of all the attachments but I will give you a brief description.
It came with 3 small attachments that are well stored inside the cylinder. There were two with bristles and one without. The one without bristles is used to get into the corner of the carpet (where carpet meets skirting board). The other two with bristles are good for dusting (woodwork and blinds) without scratching surfaces.
You have the main large attachment that grabs all those nasty dog hairs via a rotary brush inside and a turbo brush that works in the same manner but is smaller and useful for vacuuming the stairs. These will need to be unclogged regularly as hairs get caught in the brushes and will stop its effectiveness.
There is a normal head (without rotary brushes) for doing general vacuuming. It could be used on wooden floors or tiles maybe but I don't use this attachment much so you will have to look for other advice on that one.
The vacuum has an adjustable power setting so you can decide the amount of suction you require. If you are dusting you wont need so much. If you are doing rugs you will need to lower the suction or it will eat the whole rug. It's all very simple, with pictures for keys.
The bags are disposable and easy to fit. They do get full fairly quickly so keep a good supply of these. Miele offer monthly delivery of these I think which I wish I'd opted in for. There is a red indicator bar on the front of the cylinder that tells you when the bags are full.
Now another little story (I'll try to keep it brief) Just over a year after getting my Vacuum it began to lose suction. I was gutted, as Miele had never sent confirmation of receiving my warranty. I grumbled and moaned at the name of Miele but usually leave things like this, putting it down to my bad luck. This time I decided to complain I have no faith in customer services these days but gave it a go. I told them I didn't believe a product of this price should only last a year. Miele arranged for free pick up of my vacuum, it was serviced and fixed and sent back to me quicker than they had quoted. My smiling face was back again. I think customer service is so important but rarely available these days.
They are offering 2-year warranties now but say the vacuum should last 20 years. My advice is to chase up confirmation of your warranty if you don't receive it.
Because one lady took the time to reply to my emails and help with my problem the company have received five stars and a review from me. I just wish other companies would follow.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thanks for helpful review, we bought this model and it is far better than the Dyson which barely touches the doghair.
Matt
Minha 14.04.2005 10:43
I could use this as I have six cats and a Border Collie. Luckily Border Collies don't shed as much as GSD's (my niece has an ex-police dog) but the cats do! I'm so glad that Charm found you - and you him (it WAS him wasn't it?). Very interesting review - I shall look forward to reading more from you - welcome to Ciao. Hazel xx
lesa60 14.04.2005 00:25
Miele make great vacuums. I have the 571 and it's great. :)
MIELE FJM CAT&DOG REPLACEMENT VACUUM CLEANER PAPER DUST BAGS - PACK OF 5 Double Filtered ... more
Paper Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner DUST BAGS Suitable To Fit F, J&M TYPE Suitable To Fit Models:CAT&DOG RANGE - S250 SERIES, S241, S246I - S256I, S290, S291, S300 SERIE...
Postage & Packaging: £1.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Picks up cat hairs with little effort, quiet in operation, easy to store Disadvantages: Struggles with long human hair, need special brush to clean stairs properly
cazm17 20.10.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Miele Cat+dog+
Advantages: Picks up cat hairs with little effort, quiet in operation, easy to store Disadvantages: Struggles with long human hair, need special brush to clean stairs properly
cazm17 20.10.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Miele Cat+dog+
Advantages: Unbreakable, don't worry about the dog chewing the hose or the kids jumping on it! Disadvantages: You can only buy the bags from Miele or John Lewis
MalaysianMist 13.08.2008 (03.08.2007)
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Review of MieleCAT & DOG
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