In December 2014 I bought a Vax Life cordless vacuum cleaner, with a six-year written guarantee.

As its battery life is gradually shortening, I attempted to buy a spare, only to be told that the unique design of battery is no longer available. It looks like a functioning cleaner is destined for the tip.

With the proliferation of domestic appliances with unique battery designs, this problem is likely to increase. Do Vax or others have any solutions?
KCB, by email

You’d expect a product with a six-year warranty to last the distance, so it would be annoying to be told that it was not possible to buy a replacement battery.

We asked the company and it now claims that you were misinformed, as the battery was simply out of stock at the time of your inquiry.

The company’s superbly entitled “customer success manager” has contacted you to apologise, and to arrange for a replacement to be sent.

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