Comments on: Eureka Pet Pal 4716AVZ Bagless Upright Vacuum Review

By: Tina

Tina — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:17:05 +0000

I also bought this vaccum in Oct 2009. It has done as several others have stated ans stopped sucking no matter how much i clean teh hoses adn change teh filter. It also blows dirst out the sides and back. i will not buy another Eureka again.

By: Katrinia

Katrinia — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:25:46 +0000

Eureka model 4716 sucks. I only have use it mabe 24 time in the past few years cause I dont have much carpet. Now it sounds like the motor it going on it. Nice for looks as longs as you never use it but after that forget it unless u have time to detail it every time after you are done using. I also got it in the about same time frame. I will NEVER get another Eureka in my life.

By: ANITA

ANITA — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:47:06 +0000

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS VACUUM!! It sounds like a truck, it overheats (very dangerous) you need to turn it off and let it cool down. The hose keeps coming out and then you find out that all the time spent sweeping was just a waste, now you have to wait for the dust to settle in the room to clean that up. Call the service number to tell them about the overheating, and she said I had to take it to a shop that they have which ended up being 1 1/2 hrs away. When I called them they said it would be about six weeks before they could get the vacuum fixed. The customer service lady did not care, she was rude I ask to speak to a manager and she told me i was unable too. Sooooo I purchased another Eureka and it is just as bad, the motor does not work now, when I went back to WalMart they stated they have numerous returns on the Eureka Vacumm. I will never purchase another Eureka again. It is all a very nice spin on the vacuum. I will spend the extra money an purchase a good sweeper, and IT WILL NOT BE AN EUREKA at least they will last 5-6 yrs and not 5 mo. and no help while it is still under warranty.

By: Mitzi

Mitzi — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:17:18 +0000

I have had this vacuum for almost 2 years and it’s still working great! Believe me when I say, I have been through my share of vacuums over the years. This vacuum does get clogged in the hose frequently, due to our pet hair mixed with dirt, but then works great again! We are careful to empty the canister after each use, pulling the filter completely out and gently tapping to remove as much dirt as possible. In 2 years, I have replaced the filter three times. I have replaced several belts due to my kids sucking up the curtains, etc. and breaking or stretching the belt. I recommend that you NEVER use carpet freshening powder! It will clog the filter constantly, and therefore there will be NO airflow and it will burn up the motor! Use spray foam freshener instead, which leaves no residue in your carpets and doesn’t damage your vacuum. Keeping your vacuum and filter clean, so there is airflow, will help to keep your vacuum running for a long time!

By: Linda Ivens

Linda Ivens — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 15:39:51 +0000

Do not buy this product. Does not work like promised. Might work for hairless dogs & cats. Eureka should be held resp for false advertisement. Will never buy Eureka product again. Any one looking for a new vaccum stay away from Eureka. Not only does it not pick up pet hair nor does it pick up daily dirt. Terrible Product!!!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:46:43 +0000

Word to the wise: do not buy this vacuum.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:01:20 +0000

December, 2010
I have had two Eureka 4716AVZ ‘Pet Pal’ vacuums in the past year- the first was exchanged by the retailer after it died within 90 days; the second just died this morning in exactly the same way. Obviously, there is an issue here.

Pros:
1. Low price ($78 @ WalMart and no shipping added)
2. Cleans hairy carpets exceptionally well
3. ‘Pet Paw’ wand attachment does a decent job of cleaning hairy couches

Cons (go get a snack, this is a long list):
1. Absolutely will fail under normal household use if you have any pet hair to speak of (pet hair is how they MARKET this cleaner!)- first, a bit of pet hair inevitably gets wound around and UNDER the roller-brush plastic end-caps; next, the little circular felt ‘dirt seals’ that are supposed to keep dirt out of the bearings melt into formless goo; next, some dirt, hair or both gets under and into the cheap bearings, which immediately heat up, seize and cause the end caps as well as the felt dirt seals to melt into the ends of the roller brush assembly, rendering the machine useless. Your very first clue that any of this is happening will be about 2 seconds of smelling “something burning” as the roller brush seizes up completely and the drive axle spins through the belt, frying it, followed by the stench of burning rubber as the belt melts apart and snaps, along with the total annihilation into hot goo of the end caps, dirt seals and bearing race inserts. If there is any pet hair near the end caps and/or belt, it may well catch on fire as well. This single defect is sufficient to warrant a safety recall IMHO.
2. As you push your Pet Pal along your uncarpeted floors, you will find that the Eureka engineers cleverly aimed the exhaust air from this machine to blow downward in front of the suction nozzle straight ahead onto your floor in front of the machine. Therefore, you will find yourself chasing hair-bunnies around but never capturing them because this machine blows them away from in front of the machine no matter how fast you chase them. Truly comical.
3. The power toe-switch, located down low on the left side, is difficult to activate because it has been diabolically recessed directly under a loop of the hose and the bottom of the wand storage bracket, which is only about 2 inches directly above the switch. It is easier to activate if you are barefoot, but unfortunately you may cut your foot doing so because there is a rough plastic edge situated directly above the toe-switch wasiting to scrape tyour bare foot. This is yet another safety hazard with this machine and should warrant a safety recall IMHO.
4. The above-lambasted power switch has yet another trick up its red plastic sleeve: despite the difficulty of activating it on purpose, it is frighteningly easy to activate it inadvertently! When you have the hose unstowed, which you must do to use the wand or any attachments such as the ‘Pet Paw’ or the crevice tool, the weight of the drooping hose alone is sufficient to cause inadvertent activation of the vacuum! This is simply an incredible safety issue, and it boggles the (my) mind that there hasn’t been a safety recall on these machines!
5. Last and least, the power cord routing and placement is such that you must push the vacuum with your left hand because your right hand will be busy holding the power cord. This will be great news for all you lefties out there but for us right-handers it’s a real pain, especially considering that there is no valid reason to engineer this machine this way- except maybe incompetence or (gasp!) stupidity.

Bottom line: if you are left-handed, have no uncarpeted floors and your plan is to spend $75-80 every 3 months on a disposable, maddeningly poorly-engineered and arguably dangerous vacuum, Eureka has you covered with this 4716AVZ. It really does clean well on carpets (but not hard floors) until it goes into its inevitable meltdown- It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ just ‘when.’

By: Shelly E

Shelly E — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:24:48 +0000

Same as the above comments.Wokrd great at first and now leaves more of a mess than it picks up.It spits the dirt out the back and it gets all over my feet and legs.I have to go over hte same area several times.The hose come out easily so I have to keep making sure its in for suction.I am cleaning it up and selling it used and getting another brand.This was such a waste of money and my time! It should be recalled.

By: The voice dude

The voice dude — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:36:05 +0000

I guess we get what we pay for. At around 80 bucks we got about 1 year of use. Now it rips through belts like crazy leaving this burned rubber smell and doesn’t pick up at all.

By: melissa

melissa — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:19:37 +0000

I bought my Eureka pet vac at walmart in April of 2010. Mine too worked great for the first couple of months. I do have a dog and 2 cats in my home so I thought having the pet vac would be great. The vaccum cleaner was not even 5 months old when it stoppped picking up the dirt. Not only does it not pick anything up, a spring just fell off of it from somewhere!! I contacted eureka b/c it was under warranty and told them the issue. They seemed like they didn’t even care to help me. They would not replace it, they told me I would have to take it to a repair shop and have it repaired, I was also told that the place they told me to go to would not have the part that fell off so I would have to wait even longer!! So basically I had to have a dirty floor!! I asked to speak to a decision maker and I was literally told, they were to busy to assist me! The whole thing was a run about. Eurekas warranties are crocks!! My filters have been replaced, everythings been blown out and cleaned, and it want work, not to mention the piece that fell off!!! I am very unhappy with the vaccum cleaner and the service that eureka provided to me. They were no help what so ever, EVEN WALMART WILL REPLACE IT FOR ME, NO QUESTIONS ASKED if I bring it to them, I just have to wait for eurkas B/S warranty to end. THANKS FOR NOTHING EUREKA!!! DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH THEM!!

By: glenn

glenn — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:25:05 +0000

no doubt about it…..$80 down the drain…..cleaned it, cleaned it, cleaned it……very poor suction…..then bang, motor went out……..used it about 6 times……never eureka again…..12 amp piece of junk…..

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:25:28 +0000

I got this at Walmart in feb 2010. It worked great the first few times then it would only pick very little up. I have took it apart and cleaned everything and it still spits the dirt out at my feet. I would not buy this it is a waste of money and it makes me mad every time I have use it. I just want my money back or a new up dated one that works for longer than a month!!

By: Polly N

Polly N — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:55:16 +0000

I bought it in late 2009 too. What I don’t like about this vacuum is that it sounds like it is scraping up my hardwood floors. The hose also comes loose on it’s own and then after vacuuming for about ten minutes I finally realize it has come loose and there is no suction. It blows around the dust etc. so instead of picking it up, it spreads it around.

By: Jenny M

Jenny M — Tue, 04 May 2010 03:05:05 +0000

I too bought a Pet Pal in Oct 2009. Tonight the motor died. I had to put it outside because it was smoking so bad! This has been the worse vacuum I have bought. The suck was weak. The stupid pet brush was useless. The canister kept clogging around the filter & the hose…after I just cleaned it. This vacuum is a waste of money. Do not buy it.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:52:33 +0000

I purchased this vaacum in October 2009, I was very happy with it for about three months. I have 2 dogs and was excited at the amount of dirt and pet hair it picked up. I clean the filter once a week. I vaacum several times a week. I have noticed that dust started collecting on the outside of the unit and that it seemed to leave some dirt behind, that I was going over areas more. It seemed that no matter how much I cleaned the filters, I made sure the hose was clean and it still wasn’t working as well as it did originally.

Today, I took my vaacum to the “Sweeper Doctor” and found that he had been brought 4 of the 4716 series vaacum in the past 6 weeks. The motor had gone out on my sweeper, it sounds more like an airplane than a vaacum. He told me that it will be at least 6 weeks until he can get the parts, that Eureka is slow at getting them parts. He told me to never by their product again. I am allowing him to fix it because it is under warranty for 2 more months and won’t cost me anything to fix it. I will then put it in my camper where hopefully I can get one camping season out of it.

He indicated that I will be without a vaacum for another 6 weeks which cannot happen. I will continue to research before buying. I hope this review saves someone else from having to waste time and money on a disposable sweeper.