Tevo Vacuum Cleaner

When one buys a vacuum cleaner that advertises the following:

• that it is a powerful 1000 watts;
• will easily do the job on hand;
• is made of tough material;
• easy to use and clean;
• and comes with a 2 year warranty; one would expect a really good machine. Right?

However, this proves to not always be the case!

My husband purchased a Bennet Read Tough 10 Vacuum cleaner from Tevo in the Pietermaritzburg Makro Store, promising all the above, at least according to the salesman.

Unfortunately it did not live up to the promise. It was purchased to clean the floor of a 5 x 5M office space with a lot of foot trade. 

1. Firstly, the material that the fittings are constructed from, while strong has been rather thinly used, making the fittings flimsy and bendable under normal pressure and use. 
2. Secondly, the suction power is ridiculous. It hardly picks up anything slightly heavier than a small stone from under your shoe, and grass in the carpet is not going anywhere, unless you persist and change the fitting, and actively scratch the grass out of place.

The problem was that the machine had been used twice and over the period of a month. The immediate return policy of 14 days had passed and the machine wasn’t broken. The chance of return was gone, but my husband decided to ask if it was possible to exchange the unit for a bigger stronger suction model, paying in the difference and the cost of a filter. The salesman on the floor was unwilling, and after speaking to his sales manager over the phone, who too was not helpful, the machine was taken back and the next step taken to contact the company of distribution, Tevo.

My husband emailed the company and received an email from their representative. The transcript is below:

Hello Farhaad,

A month ago I was at Makro in Pietermaritzburg. I was looking for a vacuum cleaner for my office. The salesman for your products sold me the Tough 10, and assured me it was strong enough to clean my office, which is fairly well trafficked with customers. I didn’t even get a chance to unbox it till two weeks later. When I put it together, it seemed a little weak to me, but I used it, noticing that it wasn’t a very strong suction. It would leave a lot behind. I used it another time and it was even weaker, so I cleaned the filter, thinking that is the reason. I used water and air, but on trying it a third time, it is just not good enough for our use.
I went to Makro, to plead my case, but to no success. I asked if I could change the unit for a bigger model and pay the difference, and for the filter if need be. The salesman, couldn’t help. He phoned Akshey, who I assume is his boss, who wouldn’t even suggest an option, then refused to speak to me.
I am not asking for a refund, I want to upgrade. Even though as far as I can tell the first salesman was misleading in his selling it to me. He never demoed the unit or informed me of the weak suction, which is apparently 1000 watts, which I find hard to believe when I consider it against other brands with the same watts.
Will you be able to help me?

Thanks

Kind regards,
Clive
Pietermaritzburg manager

 

From: Info [mailto:Info@tevo.co.za]
Sent: 04 October 2016 04:48 PM
To: clive

Subject: Vac Complaint

Dear Clive,

Thank you for supporting the a Tevo product and for bringing this to our attention. On behalf of Tevo, I do apologise for the unfortunate experience you have had with the unit. Please advise as to when the unit was purchased, if the proof of purchase is available and why you are not satisfied with the product and I will assist accordingly.

Kind regards
Tevo (Pty) Ltd
Tel: +27 31 570 5900
Fax: 086 219 2572
Web: www.tevo.co.za

—–Original Message—–
From: Clive
Sent: Thursday, October 6, 2016 3:45 PM
Subject: FW: MAKRO RECEIPT – Vacuum cleaner
Hi there,
Attached photo and receipt as requested.
Thanks
Clive

After this communication, Tevo eventually delivered an upgraded version of the vacuum cleaner, at no extra cost, although it is a demo model, but my husband is very happy with this ‘new’ product. 

So all was restored in the end, and my husband is impressed with the manner in which Tevo dealt with this complaint.