Invest Good Money for Bad Fluidra Customer Care

I regret to have no other option anymore than to made this formal complaint about the following two (2) ZODIAC high-tech pool cleaner models:

BARACUDA MX8 ELITE Automatic Suction-Side pool cleaner. BARACUDA MX6 ELITE Automatic In-Ground Suction-Side pool cleaner.

About up to the year 2012 I used the normal ZODIAC Suction Cleaner like the "Pacer" and it gave good work performance but when I saw the MX8 I immediately fall in love with its looks and technology and with all the good feedback from sales persons at well known family retail stores and MASSMART, I bought myself one and gave the old model away to a colleague.

While under manufacturer warranty of three (3) years it gave excellent service but in the third (3rd) year my challenges started when the MX8 start to do the following: Stop moving and just stay at one place. (Pump running but zero manoeuvrability) One track stop while the other work making it run in a circle. Climbing the swimming pool walls with its 2 x turbines showing (like an open mouth shark), just to fall back to the bottom of the pool and repeat it when either halfway up the pool wall or reaching the surface of the pool on the wall. Getting to the entrance of the pool and just stuck there as if its is glued to it. (Restricted manoeuvrability) Working half the day excellently and then just stop for the other half of the day; stuck on the bottom floor of the swimming pool. Do not remove all the dirt/debris/dust/etc of the pool like before. I took it up with ZODIAC SA when they were still at Midrand, JHB and after we, together cancel out human/"my possibility to" error as a possibility the following was done: Serviced Maintenance Repair. Repair/Replace gears, shaft and wheel rubbers, etc Replace the pool MX8/MX6 Pool pipes Advised rather to buy the latest upgraded in technology MX8 or MX6 which I did, spending another few grand. (I bought the MX6 as according to the ZODIAC Help Desk is specially for my size and smaller pools).

You are not going to believe it but I encountered the very same challenge that I had with the MX8 but now it is the MX6. My family and I are totally dumbstruck and so disappointed that I want to scream my frustrations out to the world. It can just not be that I bought twice now a "dud" / good product with bad qualities.

These two products does not come cheap and as far as I know they are top products in the pool cleaner environment BUT for me it is a very bad experience with a lot of unnecessary costs & frustration included. I cannot after each year or two OR when the warranty is expired go and buy a new MX8 or MX6! It is crazy!!

The Customer Care Assistant "Kathy Lowings" at Fluidra supported my concerns, seemed to understand real dilemma and showed empathy but for action had to escalate it to her her Manager, Mr Werner Jacobs, which she did. Fluidra'a Customer Care Manager ("Werner") on the other hand does not seems to or does not want to understand or move a finger to support a Zodiac client who struggle with a brand product he called a "flagship model". Very disappointedly it seems openly that the Customer Care Manager have no client care skills and the transparent will to walk the extra mile for his company's brand and image but just emailed me their under warranty detail for the 2 products, technical detail of the 2 products and global viewpoint which I already know and can obtain from the web. In his key position at Fluidra; his best ability to support me as a Zodiac loyal client was to end the communication off with, and I quote: "The MX8 and MX6 models are the flagship models in the Zodiac branded stable of suction cleaners. They are more mechanical of nature due to all the moving parts. From a manufacturing point of view, I can say with confidence that we are very satisfied with the performance of the MX8/MX6 units. Based on global standards the failure rate is minimal. I can go so far as to say we have not recorded one failure due to a manufacturing defect but rather due to wear and tear and conditions out of our control, like water chemistry, suction problems, and maintenance. I hope I have answered all your concerns. Within the warranty period, we will address any manufacturing defect-related failure at no cost to you. If we have not honoured our warranty in the warranty period I would like to get more details in order to prevent this in the future. Out-of-warranty products can be taken to a number of POOL XPERT partners. The cost for the repairs will be for your account."

Really Fluidra; is this how you are going to treat your loyal clients in the future?

People, is this is how Fluidra market themselves and show commitment with after sales and "flagship" products; stay away ... STAY FAR AWAY!! These 2 so called Zodiac BARACUDA MX8/MX6 flagship modals is a pure waist of good earned money. Go and buy rather better and more economic products or other brands in the market where you will get guaranteed professional after sales service of staff who shows care & interest in their products and clients; even after the warranty have expired.

Zodiac BARACUDA MX8 & MX6 only good now for the local ******* dump. There you go!