Optiva Corp, makers of Sonicare Toothbrush
Optiva makers of Sonicare Toothbrush, bogus warrantee - Don't throw it away!

Submitted: 9/8/01
Modified: 9/9/01

I bought a Sonicare Toothbrush about two years ago. It had a two year warranty (the Quadrapacer model) and - wouldn't ya know it, it failed at the end of warranty.

Being an engineer, I looked at it and noticed a hairline crack running vertically from the green on/off button. I thought perhaps I had dropped the toothbrush. The crack allowed water to get in, and eventually corroded the innards. "Oh well, my fault, " I figured. Went out and bought another one. (I like the product.)

I was just about to throw the old unit away when I decided to search the newsgroups (www.deja.com) to see if anyone else was having problems with their Sonicare. (I should have done this before buying a replacement toothbrush.) Turns out lots of people have had cracking toothbrushes. A poor design, which Sonicare tries to make you think is your fault for using toothpaste with Peroxide or Baking Soda. (Even the recharge base develops cracks.) C'mon! I've have an Interplak for 4 years that hasn't cracked! The Sonicare has been redesigned slightly, but whether this will fix the cracking in unknown.

Anyway, the good news is that Sonicare is aware of the problem and is freely replacing toothbrushes and rechargers under warranty - apparently whether the warranty is in place or not. (Didn't ask me for a receipt, only the serial number from the unit.) So before you throw your old Sonicare away, call the warranty department.

Hope this helps.

#6581

Company: Optiva Corp, makers of Sonicare Toothbrush
Country: USA
State: Washington
City: Snoqualmie
Address: 35301 SE Center St

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