My Dolphin: Now I'm getting rid of it

[cheshamjim]

It wasn't too long ago that the quality (of all things!) of the Mercedes automobile was at a low point because of faulty and/or unreliable electronics components.

The process controller on my Sharp microwave goes out about every 9 to 12 months.

Ahhh, electronics ... can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em.

-Jim

[brent.roberts]

I still don't think these things have anything more than abosolute minimal procesing on board.

It doesn't add up. If it could calcualte it's path real well it could finish a 16 x 32 pool in less than an hour. The guys that make know it's dumb. That's why the program goes to 8 hours.

It's barely got any more brains than a Kreepy Krawly

[CarlD]

It wasn't too long ago that the quality (of all things!) of the Mercedes automobile was at a low point because of faulty and/or unreliable electronics components.

The process controller on my Sharp microwave goes out about every 9 to 12 months.

Ahhh, electronics ... can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em.

-Jim

Jeez, Jim.

Don't even get me STARTED on Mercedes and THEIR quality control! To charge what they charge for the unreliable crap they put out is the new definition of that fine old Yiddish word: CHUTZPAH!

[VOLDADDY]

I still don't think these things have anything more than abosolute minimal procesing on board.

It doesn't add up. If it could calcualte it's path real well it could finish a 16 x 32 pool in less than an hour. The guys that make know it's dumb. That's why the program goes to 8 hours.

It's barely got any more brains than a Kreepy Krawly


Brent,

If it moved that fast to do an 18 x 36 pool, walls and all in an hour, it seems like it would move so fast that it would just fan the dirt instead of picking it up.

[cruzmisl]

Carl, some of the issues you pointed out with the BD are exactly what I was concerned about. Honestly from the website pictures it just doesn't look to have the quality of the Dolphin (especially from an ergonomics perspective). That is not to say the Dolphin is rock solid but it seems to be a better package when looking at the PS, unit and cart together. To me the cart of the BD looks cheap, the power supply even cheaper all while costing $500 more than the Dolphin. The fact that your "new" unit looked used when you opened it doesn't sound promising either. The brushes are supposed to be state of the art and resist staining etc so they should have been spotless when you opened it. The fact that the cord already has a slash in it concerns me as well.

Honestly, from what you have stated so far and the fact that you have to remove your ladder to get it to work, it just doesn't sound like it's worth $500 more.

Dissappointing as I was prepared to buy one..........

[CarlD]

I can't argue with that. It's a lot faster than the Dolphin, but there are a lot of "hits" on it that bother me.

Right now, though, it has one BIG, all-encompassing advantage....IT WORKS!!!!

[brent.roberts]

Brent,

If it moved that fast to do an 18 x 36 pool, walls and all in an hour, it seems like it would move so fast that it would just fan the dirt instead of picking it up.


It goes 50 feet a minute. That's about a length of the pool a minute. If it only covered a 1 foot wide path, it would be done in well under an hour.

But of course it does not have the brains that the advertizing alludes to, in fact it is random just like a Kreepy Krawly. I sure smells like false advertizing to me.

[Rescue30]

CarlD,
I'm on my third season with the BD remote, it is an awesome machine.It cleans my 25 X40 , 30K gallon vinyl pool in an hour .I've never had the cord eaten by the machine , but I do have some tangling of the cord , which happened as well with the Dolphin Dynamic I tested in the whole 3 days I tried it !! .AS far as the Power supply being stored under the machine, I agree while it's not the optimum place for it , I've never had a failure with it, in fact i left it out this past winter by the pool , uncovered , and just got a drop of rust by the two screws holding the connector where the cord goes.The machine goes around the pool much quickler than the Dolphins , and the factr that randomly they turn and go in a total opposite direction, really gets the pool clean, it doesn't miss a spot.As far as climbing the walls , mine was the first year model of the BD remote, it only goes up the wall on the 7th time it hits it, it WILL START to go up the wall/floor angle, realize it's on a wall and come right down, if you hit the "program" button on the remote , then it climbs each time it hits the wall.

[CarlD]

Thanks, Rescue, but I did find that out. The wall-climbing program is in the manual, but the 7th go I got from the svc ctr.

I don't see anyway but pulling out the ladder each time.

I do have to say it got the pool sparkling. I was swimming laps this AM and the water was cleaner than it's ever been. They tell me I can use my extra Dolphin bags in it two. They are multiple layered and if they work, I suspect they'll catch more stuff.

[cleancloths]

My understanding is that the Blue Diamond (and Pearl) use a bag that is rated at 2 microns while the Dolphin has a 20 microns bag. Thus, the water is going to look much cleaner with the BD/BP as many tiny particles that scatter light are being removed with the BD/BP.

[CarlD]

My understanding is that the Blue Diamond (and Pearl) use a bag that is rated at 2 microns while the Dolphin has a 20 microns bag. Thus, the water is going to look much cleaner with the BD/BP as many tiny particles that scatter light are being removed with the BD/BP.

Hard to believe. The BD bag is a thin, single layer. The Dolphin bag is triple layered.

[brent.roberts]

I've been pretty amazed at the fine stuff the Dophin bag picks up. Just a brown haze in the cloth.

If I'd had this last year I likley would not have changed the sand filter for a DE.

[brent.roberts]

Just so everyone else following this thread knows. I send a message to Maytronics in Isreal directly and challenged them to join this discussion.

While they may be monitoring it, they did not respond to me and have not made any comment here.

That was about a week ago.

Pretty poor.

[cleancloths]

The thickness of the bag has very little to do with the micron rating. You can have paper thin filters with very low ratings while a thick burlap bag would have a very high micron rating. Maytronics states that they filter down to 20 microns will the Blue Diamond and Blue Pearl claim filtration down to 2 microns.

[brent.roberts]

Carl

If the Blue Diamond can accept the filter of the Dolhin, the fit should also work the other way, so those of us with Dolphins might get better filtering with the Blue Diamond filter.

Could you try that for to see if it is workable ?

[CarlD]

Just so everyone else following this thread knows. I send a message to Maytronics in Isreal directly and challenged them to join this discussion.

While they may be monitoring it, they did not respond to me and have not made any comment here.

That was about a week ago.

Pretty poor.

Just to be fair to Maytronics: They HAVE been in touch with me, I sent them this link, and they tried and were UNABLE to access the thread.

I sent them a text ver of the thread up through yesterday morning.

Brent, I think they should have responded to your eMail, but if you don't have an actual repair issue with Smart Pool you can reference, I can understand it being low priority with them.

Or else they felt that since they were in touch with me, that was all that was needed. I don't know--I do not know what they were thinking but they ASSURE me they are all over Smart Pool like stink on a skunk.

[cheshamjim]

Question for Brent: The Dolphin I sent back was the Diagnostic model, very basic with no user programmability or joystick. I don't think it could teach itself anything.

Those models that are supposed to be self programming -- wouldn't they have to have somekind of encoders and/or sensors to acquire data?

-Jim

[brent.roberts]

About the only thing I think they could do is have a level switch that started a timer when they went up a wall. A simple program on a chip could capture the time it took between hitting walls and figure out something about the pool lenghth and width.

From observing mine all that the timing would do would be to tell it how long to spend going in each direction so it had some time when it hit the surface to creep along the waterline ... doing 2 things. First it would actually be scrubbing the waterline a bit and secondly repositioning it for a reverse run across a new section of bottom. I have notice that mine does not spend a lot of time scrubbing walls at each end of a run. Almost all the scrubbing at waterline and creeping along, is at the same end of the cycle. This ends up with the thing actually going around the pool in the same direction in each cycle. When you take it out to clean it and reverse the handle, it goes around the other way. Not very sophisticated "robotics" but it kinda works. It does generate a random pattern that eventually, in like 6 hours, covers the bottom of a traditional 16x32 pool. But if it was real smart it could cover that area in less than an hour.

There appears to me to be no encoders. No idle wheel that senses that it has hit an obstruction. It might sense current draw on the motor when it hits an obstruction but that seems unlikely. It might also sense that it has not gone up a wall in a while and know it has hit an obstruction. I think Carl reported that his Diamond did that when it hung up on his ladder.

By the way I have never challenged the Dolphin with a ladder. Took the ladder out and left it out. Neither Kreepy Krawly, nor Barracuda, nor Polaris ATV could work with the ladder in.

[Pool_Mike]

Why do you want to get rid of me http://www.lisasimmonds.com/Gallery/dolphin%20smile.JPG

:D ... Sorry bad joke :p

[hzz]

I have a ladder....Dolphin seems to have no problems with it.

I am beginning to think I am lucky....

[cleancloths]

The Dolphin is so bad on obstacles that my kids had left one of those rubber torpedoes in the pool and the Dolphin ran over it and just hung there and would not move at all. The same torpedoe has no impact on the Blue Pearl.

[CarlD]

Y'know, I didn't have much in the way of problems with my Dolphin for almost 2 years. It didn't climb my drop in steps--neither does the Diamond, but it didn't affect its cleaning. Once, the Dolphin got its cord hooked on the bottom of the ladder, and once since I've been having problems, but it never got bothered by the ladder--the Diamond gets stuck under it and I have to remove the ladder. The Dolphin NEVER got stuck on anything else--the Diamond has already grabbed its cord.

Also, a Diamond DaVinci (which I have) is not recommended for ANY shape pool but a rectangle--unless you are willing to use the remote to control it. The Dolphin can handle rounds and other odd shapes. Luckily, I have a rectangle.

But the Diamond works--and the Dolphin no longer does. That's a BIGGGGGG difference.

[cheshamjim]

About the only thing I think they could do is have a level switch that started a timer when they went up a wall. A simple program on a chip could capture the time it took between hitting walls and figure out something about the pool lenghth and width.Thanks, Brent. I appreciate the explanation on how these beasts might get their "smarts" (limited though that may be). It helps to understand how these things might work.

-Jim

[The Pool Newbie]

Wow...I had the EXACT problem... Use to have a Dynamic...This time I bought a diagnostic because I never used the remote control anyway... First few times I started it, it would climb and clean, then back up the other side and then back and forth about 12-15 ft and that was it... I called Smartpool and got a nice tech that asked me to start it in a different section of the pool... The software maps your pool each time it is turned on... If it thinks it is 10 x 10 that is all it will do I guess... So I started it in my shallow end pointed long ways versus in the deep in... Like a charm... From that point on I drop it in at night and in the morning... Clean pool! I was really worried at first though... They should put something in the manual regarding this...

Scott


Now I am ROYALLY ticked off!

The Dolphin was returned yesterday from SmartPool where they allegedly found NOTHING wrong.

I guess they didn't look, or they have a 9'x9' pool. That's because in the first few minutes my Dolphin went to a couple of walls, climbed one, didn't climb the others, then went to the deep end hopper. This is a flat-bottomed rectangular area about 10.5'x14' that is 5.5' deep. It has ramps on all 4 sides.

The Dolphin then proceeded to patrol a 9'x7' box for the next 8 hours. It would go to the base of one ramp, then go back across, stop in the MIDDLE of the flat, and return.

All d*** night. I started it at 8:30, checked it at 11, at 1:35 (don't ask), 2:10 (ditto) and at 6:30, when it had stopped--guess where.

I guess Dolphin can now be counted as another take-your-money-and-run company. Put it with HTH, BioGard and Nature2. I can kiss $1250.-- good--bye. Like one of those cartoons of a bill with wings on it.

I will call them again today, and I will try to escalate it, but I can see I'm going to get nowhere. It's clear they have no intention of diagnosing or fixing it, but intend to use the "Bigger Sucker Theorem".

The "Bigger Sucker Theorem" is this: There's always another and a bigger sucker around the next corner so don't worry about the repercussions from the one you just conned.

The remedy is this:

In my PERSONAL and HUMBLE opinion, buying any Dolphin product is A MISTAKE! I will NEVER buy any Dolphin or SmartPool product again. I will NEVER recommend and Dolphin or SmartPool product again. I APOLOGIZE to anyone who bought a Dolphin product on my say-so. I say to anyone who is considering buying a Dolphin,
DON'T--BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD!

If you have a Dolphin and still have a window in which to return it, it is my opinion that you should try.

That is my personal opinion. It is not the policy of this forum and it is not opinion of this forum. It is not the opinion of the administration or of the other moderators. It is solely my own personal opinion and reflects my own experience and exasperation.

If, somehow, magically, against all logic, they reverse this and actually fix it, I will let you know. Even so, they will have STILL made me ship it to them twice and put me through all this nonsense.

Meantime, I still have my Polaris 165 and PoolBuster to take care of cleaning duties. Both those have given me trouble in the past, but in both cases, THOSE companies responded as I would expect and hope, and both units now function perfectly--without any run-around.

Carl

[JohnT]

I called Smartpool and got a nice tech that asked me to start it in a different section of the pool... The software maps your pool each time it is turned on... If it thinks it is 10 x 10 that is all it will do I guess... So I started it in my shallow end pointed long ways versus in the deep in... Like a charm... From that point on I drop it in at night and in the morning... Clean pool! I was really worried at first though... They should put something in the manual regarding this...

Scott

Scott, that is an interesting point. How does the cleaner know how big the pool is? Does it use a sound pulse to determine the dimensions? A problem with the size detection would cause a lot of issues, and would explain why cycling the power helps in some cases. I've never used one, but I've been following this thread, because a robot is at the top of my wish list.

[JohnT]

Went to Maytronics' website and found this thing: http://www.maytronics.com/_images/Analyzer.jpg, which is a diagnostic tester for the unit. Makes me wonder if Carl's unit was just plugged in on the bench to see if it passed this test. Carl, did they tell you it was pool tested?

[brent.roberts]

Scott, that is an interesting point. How does the cleaner know how big the pool is? Does it use a sound pulse to determine the dimensions? A problem with the size detection would cause a lot of issues, and would explain why cycling the power helps in some cases. I've never used one, but I've been following this thread, because a robot is at the top of my wish list.

I "think" it has a level detection switch the tilts when it hits a wall and that causes a reverse and it times itself till it tilts on the other wall. After it sort of figures out that there is a long and short run to the pool, it "knows" how big it is. Not brilliant. The pattern is not efficient or it would finish the job faster ...
but with all our *****ing, I still have not tried my nice new Rainbow vac head that I just got from Poolsolutions. Not the old one either since I got the Dolphin.
It does work for me, in my pool, if I stand on my left foot, push the start button with my right pinky, and whistle yankee doodle. Your mileage may vary.

[ohpoolboy]

This morning the guy at the AquaTron International service center (for Blue Diamond) told me that the Blue Diamond is made in Israel.

Maybe HE'S wrong, but that's what he told me.

I started following this thread a few days before I was ready to order a Dolphin - glad I did ! :) Needless to say I just ordered a Blue Diamond based on this forum and other reviews I've read. One of the questions I asked the person who took my order was "where is the Blue Diamond manufactured"? His answer was New Jersey.

I was initially interested in the Blue Pearl but decided on the Blue Diamond because of my pool size (24x44 free-form) and the Blue Pearl availability (see below).

Here is some information I got when talking with the sales rep (some of this has been posted already so this may just confirm that info):

- Watertech was started by the son of the founder of Aquabot.
- The Blue Pearls (smaller model than the Blue Diamond) are sold out for 2006. They will begin shipping 2007 models in 3-4 weeks.
- The 2007 Blue Pearl adds the Shut-off timer.
- Blue Pearl / Blue Diamond / Aquabot filter bags - 2 microns. Dolphin - 20 microns.
- Blue Pearl / Blue Diamond use oil to lubricate (and cool) the motors. Dolphin claims to be cooled by water suggesting there is no oil in the motor. This is misleading. There is oil used for lubrication. In all cases it is "a small amount". (This is open for interpretation, I'm not certain of the amount in any of the robots.)
- Blue Pearl and Blue Diamond utilize a "smart processor" which causes the robot to randomly turn on the bottom of the pool. This increases the coverage.
- Blue Diamond "is a better quality machine" than the Blue Pearl. (I'm not sure what that specifically means).
- Blue Diamond - 4 yr warranty / Blue Pearl - 1 year warranty.

I'll post some reviews of the Blue Diamond once I get it and test it out.

Thank you to all who have posted such great information on this forum.

-Anthony

[jimwnola]

Not to beat this to death, but I will anyway. I have touched on this in a number of scattered posts, but thought I would try to approach this again from another angle, as I'm interested on feedback.

As for all robotics, I question just how sophisticated any of them really are. Ths is especially true when you start gettign into irregular shaped pools. I don't see how any could be smart of enough to figure the shape, or know which part of the pool they were dropped, etc. Where their limitations come into play, especiailly in my opinion, is their understanding of walls versus floors or steps. Although I have only owned 2 types (Aquabot and Pool Rover Plus), it sounds like most robots face similar issues, whether they are Dolphins, Aquabots, Tigersharks,etc. However, it does sound like there has been some improvement on soem of the programing, maybe.


Anyway, it seems unrealistic to expect these things to really figure your pool out if isn't a perfect square. Many have complained about robots not climbing walls, but one of my main complaints is how much time spent on walls when there remains a few big leaves by the drain. Whereas I can brush my walls downs in about 10 minutes, it is very difficut to get debris out from the bottom of the pool. Also, attempting to get all the walls and pool bottom starts getting into why they take so long to clean.

So, to me, I started thinking the best device would be to get one that simply cleaned the bottom of pool, a realistic goal, if it could just do that reliably. That is why still owning an Aquabot, I tried a pool rover plus, although theoretically a step down. Although I liked its design for maintenance, its really simple approach to steering didn't work on an oval pool, and it floated away in Katrina before ever gettign to try it on my irregular shaped pool of new house. My old beat-up Aquabot was in attic and back to using it now.

AquaVac had Aqua Queens long ago that just went on bottom of pool, but they seeemd to have gone out of favor. Their Mako Shark is similar, but seems very unpopular. Now, you have the Orion, but no one seems to own to comment. I also wonder how the Pool Rover plus (same as Aquajet) might do in my current pool.

Has anybody else contemplated just trying to get a cleaner that reliably cleans bottom of pool? Am I the only one who gets sick of watching all the time on pool walls, over simply gettng the bottom clean? If the cleaner didn't try to do the walls, wouldn't it be much less likely to get stuck on ladders or trying to climb steps? Anybody using a cleaner just for floor? Am i only one intrigued by Orion as a possible improvement, if it does what it says, rather than step down?

[hzz]

Couple of points to add-

I agree with Jim.Climbing the walls to the surface is pretty much a waste of time. I have my Dolphin set not to climb as I am much more interested in getting the bottom clean.
It still does climb somewhat,even up to my ladder, but it doesn't get stuck there.

As for the sales reps info on the Blue Diamond I would dispute two points.I believe the bag of the Dolphin does filter down to 2 microns, not 20.The Aquabot Turbo goes to 2 microns, and the Dolphin bag is much more substantial than the Aquabot's.

As far as the "smart processor" which causes the robot to randomly turn on the bottom of the pool, the Dolphin does this as well. I have witnessed it do this on many occasions. The Aquabot Turbo does not do this. It relies on wall climbing and then creeping along the water's edge to change it's direction.

Into my third year with the Dolphin-it has been trouble free and does an excellent job of cleaning my 20x40 pool.

I think the point of this thread is not that the Dolphin is a poor cleaner.As Carl said, when it worked it worked well.Any robot can break down.That is not the issue.The issue is the extremely poor service he has recieved from Smartpool. For that reason alone many would shy away from buying the Dolphin and I would agree with them.To spend that amount of money and have the unit fail after two years is dissapointing.Not being able to have it repaired is totally unacceptable.

[CarlD]

I think the point of this thread is not that the Dolphin is a poor cleaner.As Carl said, when it worked it worked well.Any robot can break down.That is not the issue.The issue is the extremely poor service he has recieved from Smartpool. For that reason alone many would shy away from buying the Dolphin and I would agree with them.To spend that amount of money and have the unit fail after two years is dissapointing.Not being able to have it repaired is totally unacceptable.

I couldn't have said it better myself! I was TOTALLY satisified with my Dolphin until it failed, and until the service people at Smart Pool BS'd me!

I am not completely satisfied with the Blue Diamond--I have to remove the ladder and be VERY careful how much cord I give it--it ran over it and chewed up the casing. The svc center told me Diamonds will NOT automatically clean circular or odd-shaped pools--they like rectangles--and the remote is so you MANUALLY control them. Luckily my pool is rectangular. I think the BD is over-priced for what you get, but I hope service is better--they service PoolBusters as well and they were terrific on that.

If I didn't want a cleaner to brush the walls I would have saved my $$$ and continued to use my Polaris 165. With a handful of cotton wadding in the bag it cleans quite well, and Polaris has been good on service. I brought it out of the basement when the Dolphin failed and it does pretty well. I just need the P/B to get the last little bits and that only takes a minute or two.

I just don't see the point of a robotic if it's not brushing your pool--other automatics will pick up debris nicely.

[cleancloths]

Why would the Diamond not work well in an odd shaped pool? I would think that since it makes random turns rather than moving in straight lines that it would do well in any shape of pool.

As for your ladder problem - how exactly is the unit getting stuck. Is it squeezing behind the ladder between it and the pool wall? Perhaps you can post a picture of it being stuck and maybe we could give some advice on how to prevent it.

[jimwnola]

"I just don't see the point of a robotic if it's not brushing your pool--other automatics will pick up debris nicely."

Because it is too late install a Polaris pressure style into my pool without running pipe over the deck. I haven't heard anything good about pressure side cleaners without booster pumps. Suction side put everything into filter and I hear compaints about them all the time too. Both involve having to put a whole bunch of tubing into pool, to the point that people just seem to leave them in all the time. Those type seem like a chore to remove if you want a pool with nothing in it and a neat appearance around pool.

However, I might be interested in any type of cleaner that cleans bottom of pool well, is easy to maintain, is reliable, and is practical with respect to ease of use and taking in and out of pool as needed.

[brent.roberts]

the one thing that I was pleasantly surprised about with the Dolphin was how good a job it did on the waterline.

Each time it climbs the wall at one end of the cycle, the handle sits level with the water line. This forces the cleaner to cock over about 15 degrees and one side of the scrubbing brushes protrude about 1 1/2" above the water line. The drive keeps running so the waterline gets scrubbed for 1 1/2" above to about 3" below. This also causes the unit to run along the waterline a few feet before it reverses and descends. Pretty cool.

[CarlD]

"I just don't see the point of a robotic if it's not brushing your pool--other automatics will pick up debris nicely."

Because it is too late install a Polaris pressure style into my pool without running pipe over the deck. I haven't heard anything good about pressure side cleaners without booster pumps. Suction side put everything into filter and I hear compaints about them all the time too. Both involve having to put a whole bunch of tubing into pool, to the point that people just seem to leave them in all the time. Those type seem like a chore to remove if you want a pool with nothing in it and a neat appearance around pool.

However, I might be interested in any type of cleaner that cleans bottom of pool well, is easy to maintain, is reliable, and is practical with respect to ease of use and taking in and out of pool as needed.

The Polaris 165 is a pressure-side cleaner. I don't need a booster pump, and it works fine--to its limit. It's far cheaper than a robotic. Installation consists of changing the return nozzle.

[CarlD]

Why would the Diamond not work well in an odd shaped pool? I would think that since it makes random turns rather than moving in straight lines that it would do well in any shape of pool.

As for your ladder problem - how exactly is the unit getting stuck. Is it squeezing behind the ladder between it and the pool wall? Perhaps you can post a picture of it being stuck and maybe we could give some advice on how to prevent it.

I'm telling you what the Blue Diamond service center told me--I can't test it--I don't have anything but a rectangular pool.

It gets stuck UNDER the ladder when it goes up the ramp. Here's a pic I got of the Dolphin by the ladder--this was for Maytronics' viewing. The Dolphin's either taller or shorter so it cannot get stuck under that ladder.

For now, I have to loosen two bolts and lift it out. It's quick and easy but I would prefer not to have to do that.

http://home.earthlink.net/~dashmanc/pool/ClimbingRampAtLadder.jpg

[cruzmisl]

For now, I have to loosen two bolts and lift it out. It's quick and easy but I would prefer not to have to do that.



Honestly, for $1600 you shouldn't have to. If you were happy with the way the Dolphin cleaned then I would sell the one you have on Ebay and buy another from Costco. This way you'll never have to deal with Maytronics again. If it breaks it's Costco's problem, not yours. This way you still get a great cleaner and save $600 in the process. Just an idea.

[CarlD]

I'll probably sell the one I have on eBay anyway. Just have to get off my sofa and do it!

[CarlD]

A friend took my Dolphin home to try in his I/G vinyl-lined pool, with a deep-end. He ran it 4 times, all 8 hour cycles and found that the suction really is poor and it had trouble on the sides of his pool too.

I TOLD Smart Pool it was running slowly. They SAID they were going to change out the motor, which is still under warranty, but clearly they didn't. And it's clearly due to a lack of suction. No, it's not the bags--it does this without a bag.

I noticed 2 things: My new Blue Diamond climbs the walls easily, like it's glued to it, and I noticed that when it passed a leaf or other debris on the bottom it didn't even have to run over it suck it up--even from several inches a way. The Dolphin, on the other, will frequently push something out of its way before it gets there--clearly a problem with the vacuuming suction.

Of course, Smart Pool never noticed or fixed this. I'm surprised they don't have a test for it. I would think that would be the FIRST thing they would check. I used to fix sewing machines for extra money as a kid, and the FIRST thing I'd check would be the needle, followed closely by the hook. I can't tell you how interesting it was for a 17 year old kid to tell a lady that her needle was in backwards--one time the lady said "But I've had that machine for 27 years..." 10 years longer than I had been alive. All I could say was: "Ma'am, somehow the needle still was in backwards."

The difference is I gave her back a WORKING machine!

[Prov35]

I am now in my 4th season with my Aquabot Turbo. Still working great. The front brush developed a crack in the second season, and after I contacted customer support, they sent me a new one that arrived within a week. No charge! I'm still using the original bag too. I run it once a week for about 6 hours. I am so glad I bought it instead of the Dolphin. And I know I won't be doing any business with Smart Pool after reading this thread. Customer service is becoming a thing of the past with a lot of companies. Take the money and run. I for one am a faithful customer when I am treated right.

[CarlD]

I, too, will sing a company's praises when they make a good product and treat me right. I have no beefs with PoolDrStore, because they did BETTER than they were required to when my PoolBuster's battery went south. How many here have gotten P/Bs because this member got one first and liked it?

Likewise, SmartPool and Maytronics are getting it in reverse. That's their look-out. Nobody likes getting burned on a $5 or $30 item, but getting burned on a $1250 item is not good. Not good at all.

[CarlD]

Well, neither SmartPool nor Maytronics is responding to me.

I have sent Maytronics the following eMail:


Hello ***,

I still haven't heard from you. I left a message with Rebecca at SmartPools but she did not return my call.

My friend found it wouldn't climb his walls properly either. It just couldn't create enough suction to hold it to the walls.

I have noticed that other robotic cleaners CLEARLY have more suction—debris near them gets sucked up, not pushed aside (the way my Dolphin is pushing it aside).

This is leading me to believe the WHOLE problem is somewhere in the pump/motor mechanism.

I had asked SmartPool to check out why the unit was moving far slower than specifications say it should and they told me they would change the motor, but they didn't.

My motor is STILL covered under the 3 year motor warranty, yet what is NOW clear to me, and should have been clear to SmartPool, is that the motor is probably the problem.

Since no one is responding to me, I now am forced to assume that Maytronics and SmartPool have elected NOT to honor the warranty because neither of you are responding to me.

I am making sure that all of my friends and acquaintances on-line are aware of this situation. Already, at least a half-dozen have stated they prefer to look at the other brands after hearing my history and similar histories from other members. I am noticing that people are now less concerned with the Dolphin's performance and more concerned that if there's a problem, SmartPool and, by implication, Maytronics, will not appropriately honor the warranty. And they are acting accordingly.

I am now forced to waste time investigating relief from the court system. This is not a $50 coffee pot, this is a $1250 item that has not lasted the length of its warranty.

Regretfully,

Carl D*****

So now I have to look into filing a small-claims suit against them. I have no idea how to do this, and I'm really, really annoyed by it, but I see no alternative. Any ideas?

[jabre]

This is really unfortunate to hear. I have actually been somewhat satisfied with my new Dolphin. I have a freeform pool and it has seemed to work well for me these past several weeks. But, as you say, how can I keep something knowing that when I need product support the manufacturer won't be there. If Maytronics can't address this because of the current events in Israel they could at least send you an email indicating they will follow up as soon as reasonably possible.

If you were in Texas I would recommend sending a DTPA (Deceptive Trade Practices Act) demand letter. The law here allows you to collect treble damages for warranty representations which are not fulfilled. I would suggest contacting your State Attorney General's office (web site) to research your rights of remedy.

Best of luck to you. My unit will be returned this Saturday. I'm in the market now for another unit. I'm really thankful to see all the great folks on the forum stepping up with their reviews of alternatives.

[Skillset]

Carl,

Thanks for sharing the information on Maytronics/Smartpool. Sorry you are going through this. I'm in the market for a cleaner and will certainly steer away from these guys.

Here some information that may help:

Address:

Smartpool
575 Prospect St.
Lakewood, NJ 08701
(732)730-9880
888.560.7665

Here's an alternate e-mail I found: sshulman@smartpool.com

Check out their BBB (Better Biz B - not the bleach system!) record http://www.trenton.bbb.org/nis/newsearch2.asp?ID=1&ComID=0221000017001936

Their record does not appear that good. But you can try to file an online complaint with the BBB - this may jolt them into action.

Marc

[CarlD]

Thanks! Smart Pool's record isn't so good, is it?

The story gets funnier and more bizarre. This morning I got the following terse note from the Maytronics guy in Israel:

Smart Pool have practically sworn that they are handling your problem.

I find this truly amazing since Smart Pool hasn't talked to me or returned a phone call since June 29. I have the Dolphin, too, so they cannot be working on it. I can only conclude that Smart Pool is BS'ing Maytronics as well. After all, if they haven't contacted me in a month, and they don't have the unit, what can they POSSIBLY be handling?

[Tredge]

My Brand new Dolphin is running a path back and forth in the same spot for 8 hours straight.

It never did climb any walls....it Does sit at the edges and tries for 3 minutes.

/sigh

[CarlD]

My Brand new Dolphin is running a path back and forth in the same spot for 8 hours straight.

It never did climb any walls....it Does sit at the edges and tries for 3 minutes.

/sigh

OUCH!!! At least I got almost 2 years of good performance out of mine before it did stuff like that.

Try changing the program and starting it in another spot in the pool. Can you make it climb the walls using the joystick?

Or contact the seller to get return it and get your money back. I'm luckier than you: For almost 2 years I thought my Dolphin was the best thing since sliced bread.

[duraleigh]

I'm curious as to the Guiness world record for number of posts in one thread.....we must be gettin' close !!

[cheshamjim]

True, but I hope the mods won't want close it! I'm very interested in how it turns out with CarlD and his battle with SmartPool/Maytronics. I'm subscribed and tuned-in.

[CarlD]

Well, I AM a mod (heh, heh) and I'm not looking to close it yet. If Ben asks me to I will, but I think that robotic cleaners are SUCH expensive items that these serious issues with one brand are important.

I'm thinking if I don't get a positive resolution that this may be something to suggest for the Hall of Shame.

Meanwhile, I'm finding the Blue Diamond works quite well, and is very thorough despite its eccentricities.