The Vorwek Group announced in a press release late last week that it will be shutting down Neato Robotics, a robotic vacuum manufacturer that has been part of Vorwek Group since 2017.
“Neato has brought valuable experience and innovations to Vorwerk’s product development in the field of cleaning robots over the past few years. However, Neato’s independent sales in e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail with a focus on the USA has not been able to be successfully developed, so the company has not achieved the economic goals it has set itself for several years,” the company said in the release.
“As part of the consolidation, Neato will now be closed despite restructuring efforts, affecting 98 employees worldwide. Vorwerk will take over a 14-strong team in Milan to ensure the security of the infrastructure for Neato’s cloud services for at least five years. The availability of spare and consumable parts and service for necessary repairs are also guaranteed for at least five years.”
Vorwek Group decided to close Neato after “lots of restructuring efforts,” according to reporting from TechHive.
Neato Robotics was founded in 2005 by three Stanford alums and quickly became one of iRobot’s top competitors. The California-based company has been able to set itself apart because of its unique “D” shaped design that allows the robots to more precisely clean corners and other tricky areas, as well as by integrating innovative features into its robots. For example, in 2011, the company was early to introduce Wi-Fi connectivity to its devices.
The company’s latest robot, the Neato D10, was able to pick up 60% more dirt than its Neato D5, and includes a True HEPA filter that captures up to 99.97% of allergens and fine dust particles. It can clean up to 2,700 sq. feet on a single charge, making it capable of cleaning larger homes.
The decision to close Neato is part of a 2025 restructuring strategy for Vorwerk, which will focus more on selling vacuums and other robots in its Germany office.
We owned our robot for less than a year. What happens now- no support!
I’ve owned my D7 for a few years. To suddenly shut off support for a fairly costly product is utterly bad business and unacceptakble. Vorwerk and Neato have proven themselves to be irresponisble players.
I have been trying to contact Neato customer support for over a month. Now how do I get help with my problems? I am very disappointed to hear this news as I paid for an extended warranty an am having many problems. How do I take advantage of the extended warranty I purchased?
It appears that NEATO robotics parent company pulled the plug on everything related to NEATO. I’ve had my D7 for several years now even the cloud based services are done. Phone number for help is “Canceled”. These people in Dublin Ireland were knowledgeable friendly and helpful. Won’t be buying anything from the parent company Vorwerk if I can avoid it
Great Robots – short sighted Owner
I have a Neato, purchased it in Nov. of last year (2022)I need support as it keeps flashing a red light to blue… I purchased a new battery, but that wasn’t the problem, it is still doing the same thing…I tried calling Neato and the phone is no longer in service… I have sent 2 emails without any response… what do I have to do to get help?
My D9 is doing the same thing and my effort to contact them has been the same, have you had any luck
I use IFixRobots.com
I need help with repairs and am very frustrated to hear the news of Neato shut-down. Who can I turn to for the repair needs I have? Is the new company going to reach out to my needs. I have been trying for several weeks and NO response! Why want someone address this issue?? ASAP
I wish they would at least fix the robot so don’t have to sign up online to work. What are we going to do with these robots when they close down the website and you can’t vacuum your floor even if your vacuum is brand new? I have a d8 that has to sign up online to work.
I have a D3 and it’s been working for quite a long time. The only problems I ever had was with wifi connection and found that could of been a weak signal because of where I placed it.
I’m a little annoyed right now, to learn of Neato closing down. At the very least, the company could at least put a sign on their website, stating they were “CLOSED FOR BUSINESS”. I’ve been banging my head against the wall all day trying to find a solution to why my Neato App, would not let me sign in. So Thank You very much Neato or that other company that took them over. You taught me a big lesson. In the future I will never pay hundreds of dollars for something, because of the way you treat your customers. You shut down without notification. Without consideration to what happens to us and in the future, if I have to, I’ll use my shop vac to clean my floors.
I sent my neato back under warranty last November and it has still not returned. Now July 2024. Has anyone else had this problem. I have a chain of emails from a woman named Elise apologizing for delay but no answers.