Cons
It fell apart piece by piece after 5 months, customer service from EuroPro is awful

The Bottom Line
Don't buy it, its unreliable

Full Review

I bought the machine on 6/13/03 from the Home Shopping Network. I am returning the machine on 12/29/03.

At the very beginning, I thought I had found the perfect vacuum. It was a wonder machine, and I was impressed with the stair tool, and the power it had to get up dirt off stairs.

But I was soon very very disappointed.

MANUFACTURING problem: Almost immediately, the bottom grey plastic part that holds the cord (when its not in use you wrap it from top to bottom on the back of the body of the machine) broke off. So it was hard to store the cord without the cord coming loose.

BELT problem: Within the first 2 weeks the first belt broke. Ok, not a big deal. But the next belt broke 5 months later. Most other machines I have had, it took at least a year to have a belt break, sometimes longer.

TOOL problem: Within the first month the stair tool broke. It would not pick up dirt anymore and I was unable to figure out why.

ELECTRICAL problem: Also, in late October, this machine developed from what I can determine an electrical problem. The power fluctuates high and low, high and low, so there is not a consistent sucking power in the machine. It will not pick up dirt like it once did. This is the biggest problem with this machine.

WHEEL problem: Then just a week ago, one wheel fell off. I am unable to reattach it.

CUSTOMER SERVICE problem: About the time I realized there was an electrical problem, I called HSN to complain. To my dismay, they informed me it wasnt their problem and I had to call the company who sells them, EuroPro. So I called EuroPro, and after navigating through a terrible maze of recorded telephone options, I got a human being on the phone.

She informed me I had to send the machine back and that it would take 4-6 weeks to get it back. Once it was in their plant, they would determine if they fix it or send me a new one. I requested my money back, and they said they do not do refunds.

Ridiculous!!!! I have never heard of such prehistoric customer service policies. I have to live without a vacuum for 4-6 weeks??? I have to pay for shipping this heavy machine back to the company??? I have to find a box to fit it in, because I threw out the box already, in my excitement of how wonderful it was initially (lesson learned there).

So I called HSN back to complain, again, and they said basically Sorry Charlie but here is ten dollars toward your next purchase. Gee Thanks. Not sure if there will be a next time. Being a new customer to HSN, this has me very skeptical now.

Well, I asked for a real vacuum from my family for Christmas to replace this one because I cannot live without a vacuum for 4-6 weeks. What a waste of money!!

This Fantom is a piece of junk and I really want my money back, rather than the machine fixed.

By the way, if I see the infomercial again, I might be calling to tell people my testimony and experience with this machine. If you get away with lousy customer service, and selling such a poorly made machine, people should know that before they buy.

UPDATE 12/29/03:

HSN, after sending several e-mails to customer service and also to their parent company, called me back and agreed to take the machine back and give me a refund, and also refund my shipping costs too. They have earned a customer back.

EURPRO still stands by its policy of no refunds, 4-6 weeks time to fix it, and the buyer paying to ship the broken item back to them and the buyer also must pay the return freight back, a cost of about $40 total to the buyer.

Recommended
No

Amount Paid (US$): 199

"The BEST upright bagless i've owned, bar none! Excellent!"
And i've owned many over the years, probably in the range of 12 or so. I will preface this review by saying I am a stickler for functionality, ease of use, and quality, and i've returned MANY inferior or poorly designed and performing upright bagless vacs that just did not 'cut the mustard'. Amazingly, The Fantom FM780 is an exception to say the least. This fantastic vacuum cleaner is a homeowner's dream! The suction is very good, the outboard tools are many and utilitarian, the bagless canister design is the best i've seen in terms of ease of use and practicality, and cleaning the filters and servicing this unit (i.e. changing agitator belts and accessing filters, etc.) is as simple as you could possibly wish for. A 6 year old could do it on this machine! It literally took me 2 minutes to pop the bottom cover off, which has special sturdy quik-remove tabs, and to install the self-aligning agitator belt!!! The belt almost slides on, with minimal effort! I can't begin to tell you how frustrating this process would have been in most other vacs, where user accessibility is difficult, as well as actually having to stretch and strain in installing the belt. Mega kudos to Fantom for thinking of us when it comes to this task. I should also mention that this vac has been used daily in my home, due to pet allergies, and the belt lasted almost a year! With daily use, i've had other belts go on me in weeks or a few short months with previous vacs i've owned. This vacuum is not the lightest bagless upright, but keep in mind some of the lighter ones do not have enough weight to allow the vac to reach into the rug for a better cleaning job. In fact, this one is a bit on the heavy side, but amazingly, it rolls easily with it's large caster wheels! And we all know that heavier vacs do a better job getting more dirt out of a carpet than light ones.

Moving on to the subject of the bagless canister, I must say this design on this FM780 is absolutely ingenious! Emptying the canister is very simple and intuitive, with a quik-release tab that opens the BOTTOM door of the canister, which allows for easy emptying OVER or IN a garbage container. In addition, there is a hand cranked knob which TURNS the inside filter of the canister, which greatly facilitates the dirt falling out, instead of sticking to the inner walls of the canister and filter!!! And, the filters themselves literally snap in and out with such facility, that it is a simple joy to pop them out and clean them periodically. I usually clean them twice a year, which suffices, and a mild detergent and water usually does the trick.

I am so enthralled by this vacuum cleaner, that I think I will order another new one just to have, in case this one ever goes, and in case this model is going to be discontinued. Given how well made and functional this one has been so far, I don't think that day will ever come soon though.

I unhesitatingly highly recommend the Fantom FM780 in every regard! You can buy this one with confidence!

"Very nice bagless vacuum! Good abilities!"
In short, this is a very good vacuum cleaner. The suction is decent, and it seems to have excellent tools and abilities to use them. The emptying canister is also very easy to remove and place back, and the bottom emptying canister with the hand crank dirt removal assist is great! It's about time bagless vacs were engineered for easy canister removal and disposal of dirt! The only reasons I hesitate to give this 5 stars is that suction could be stronger AND some dirt remains on the bottom door of the canister when emptying, thus easily flying out if you close the bottom door briskly. Also, the vac is pretty heavy. All in all, this is truly an excellent vac.