On March 15, 2013, I purchased a Royal Carpet Extractor (carpet cleaner) from Sew-Vac of Boulder (3175 28th Street, Boulder, CO). It was model MRY7910. The serial number on the original machine was MRY7910101200008193. I have a receipt for this purchase.
Sometime in 2014, it began to leak when I used it. I brought it into the shop for diagnosis and repairs on 11/29/14 (I also have a service ticket for this date), at which time it was confirmed that the machine was still under warranty. I'm not sure who I spoke with at the shop, but the result of the conversation was the conclusion that, although the machine was under warranty, the gentleman at the shop did not think they would be able to receive the replacement part to repair the machine prior to my family moving out of state in December 2014. Because Sew-Vac had already filed a claim with Royal, the Sew-Vac representative suggested I take the machine in to a certified Royal repair shop in Massachusetts when we arrived, at which time Royal could fulfill the warrantied repairs.
Due to health problems in my family (I had a cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgeries), I delayed getting to the repair shop with the machine. I finally took it in to Essex Vacuum in Salem, Massachusetts in August, 2015. The owner of the shop said he had a large backlog of machines and would not get to my repairs for a long time, but because he was the only certified repair shop I'd found, I left it with him anyway. Finally, in May, 2016, he informed me that he had, at last, called Royal. Royal informed him that the machine was no longer under warranty.
This led to me calling Royal directly. What they told me was that they had fulfilled the warranty in April, 2015 when they sent a replacement carpet extractor to Sew-Vac, a machine that was intended to replace my broken carpet extractor. Due to this fact, they stated they had no further obligation under the warranty.
Royal said that this was Warrranty Claim #235504. They told me that the replacement carpet extractor was Model FR50152. Royal sent the machine via FedEx Tracking # 044217131687565, and it was signed for by B. Baldwin (this information is available via the FedEx tracking number on the FedEx site). It was delivered to Sew-Vac on 4/22/15.
I requested this information in writing from Royal; however, because the confirming documents are specific to the relationship between Royal and Sew-Vac, they required communication from an attorney to release them.
Since speaking with Royal, I have been in communication with the store that is now Blakeman Vacuum, located at the same address. Chris Blakeman purchased the store in April 2016 from Sew-Vac, and he states he has no knowledge of the whereabouts of the Royal carpet extractor. He confirmed that he has my contact information (my husband's cell phone number) in the computer records he received from Sew-Vac, which indicates to me that Sew-Vac had the means to communicate with me/my family when they received the replacement carpet extractor in April, 2015.
The cost of the broken machine was $299.00 plus tax, for a total of $323.82. The replacement machine retails for $349.00 (based on an internet search). I would like either a machine of equal value or the money in compensation to replace the machine that Royal sent to fulfill the warranty.
In my last conversation with Chris (8/9/16), he informed me that if I were him, I would "just let it go. My time is worth more than a $300 carpet extractor." Yes, I'm going to have my attorney send a letter, and obviously, this isn't worth a bunch of attorney's fees. But the fact that a $349 carpet extractor disappeared in that shop and was meant for me and my family is just wrong. We still own property in Boulder (for which we now need to purchase another carpet extractor!), and we won't be doing business with Sew-Vac again. read more