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Im going to tell you that myRoomba S9 Plusis haunted, but dont dwell on the haunting.
The buttons are stuck, which may or may not be related.
A Roomba S9 like mine, but not as haunted
When I finally contacted iRobot for support, they told me that my Roomba was dead (undead?!
), and it would be impossible for them to fix it.
I need to live with the haunted Roomba or destroy it.
A Roomba S9 like mine, but not as haunted
Again, lets not dwell on the haunting part.
There are many things you’re free to replace on a Roomba.
Of course, you’re able to replace the filters.
The Roomba on a blood red carpet
you’re free to replace all of the cleaning elements, like the brushes and sweepers.
you could replace the battery, though youll need a screwdriver and some patience.
The buttons, however, are sacrosanct.
The underbelly of the beast
If the buttons get stuck, iRobot support tells me they cannot be replaced.
A broken Roomba behaves like it’s haunted
Okay, now for the haunting.
One day I was sitting in my living room and the Roomba started to vacuum.
No schedule, nothing.
I sent it home again.
It kept happening, once a week at first, but it happened at inconvenient times.
My robot would start cleaning at 3 AM, on its own.
I had a hunch and engaged the child lock.
Now, instead of cleaning on its own, it would loudly yell The buttons have been disabled.
yo use your iRobot home app to clean.
Something was pressing the buttons.
I know people who have passed away who would want my floors clean.
I know others who might want to pester me at night for fun.
Eventually, the unprovoked yelling started happening daily.
I cleaned the Roomba thoroughly and replaced all of its cleaning parts.
I vacuumed the vacuum itself to clear any dust or debris.
My haunted vacuum becomes a poltergeist
One night the haunted Roomba went too far.
It started screaming over and over again The buttons have been disabled.
yo use your iRobot home app to clean.
There is no mute setting for the Roomba.
A reboot didnt help.
My Roomba tormented me.
I shut it down by holding down the power button.
I went to bed.
Then I heard the beeping chime of the Roomba starting up.
The robot refused to die.
The hard reset failed.
They suggested I set up a Do Not Disturb period for the entire day and night.
For a few days, at least.
My robot was silent.
Then, in the middle of the night (always!
), it started to chime as it powered down.
Then it chimed again, powering up.
I unscrewed the battery, and now it sits like an autopsy patient on my table.
They cant fix it.
There must be some path to rectify this problem, and not just for me, for all owners.
There cant be a malfunction that causes the robot to die, with no hope of repair.
Perhaps in the future, Ill consider iRobot again, if I hear that reliability and service have improved.
Until then, Ill need another option.
Maybe Ill get a dustbuster, or maybe Ill call theGhostbusters.
