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Hi Pandas,

We got the Dyson vacuum cleaner this year, brand new. My wife and I have been cleaning the filter as we use it. The filter is inside the dust chamber (as with any vacuums), so if you are lazy and just empty the chamber, the filter is going to clog.

My wife and I both started to work full time recently and we needed a daycare/cleaning lady to look after our toddler and clean the place during the day. She has years of cleaning, cooking and babysitting experience.

We hired her because she came highly recommended from a contact who moved away.

Background done, here's the story. This past weekend I tried to switch on the Dyson vacuum, but it turned on for 5 seconds and turned off. Tried again with the same result. Decided to check the filter, and that thing was clogged worse than I'd ever seen a filter clogged.

I cleaned the filter but the damage is done and the vacuum won't work anymore.

When I asked the cleaning lady why she didn't clean the filter, she said her previous employer's dyson vacuum didn't need to be cleaned and she didn't know this one had a filter she needed to clean.

I asked if she is aware the vacuum switches off a few seconds after being switched on, and she said yes. But she didn't inform us of the problem. She said she just charged it more and she could use it. When asked again what her thinking was, she said it happened only once this past Friday. (So how would you know it switches off after its turned on if it happened only once?)

Anyway, I thought a cleaner would know to clean a vacuum filter. But I guess I had to spoon feed her. So AITA for expecting her to replace or at least contribute to replacing it?

#1

YTA
You didn't tell her she needed to clean the filter you just assumed she would know so sorry it's your fault.

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#2

Um, I don’t mean to come off as rude, but maybe you should take this to Reddit? The Bp community sorta doesn’t like aita posts.

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#3

Before you even get to that point, have you considered that it might be a manufacturing defect? The symptoms you’re describing sound like a bad battery pack or charge controller, both of which wouldn’t be caused by a clogged filter. At least in the US, Dyson cordless vacuums come with a 2 year warranty so you might want to try that route first.

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#4

I'd say that you should have more clearly communicated the way your particular vacuum cleaner works. She did nothing wrong, you did nothing wrong, so unless you are financially unable to replace it on your own (I'm assuming you are able since you have a nanny/house cleaner). It would be the kinder thing to do since she didn't intend to break it and house cleaners aren't usually very well off, financially. Because of that part, I'd have to say YTA.

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#5

Has she not got liability insurance?
But that isn't really relevant.
You can't blame someone for breaking something when you didn't provide instructions and you don't know if that is the reason it broke anyway.

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#6

ESH

To be honest it's mostly YTA. All vacuums work differently so if yours needed some special work or extra mandatory cleaning you should have told the cleaner before hand. Yes, she should have told you if it didn't work but you are being unreasonable. It's like handing someone an apple, getting mad when they eat it and asking them to buy you a new one because obviously they should have just sketched it.

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