A few years ago when we moved to a new flat, we decided to replace our old hoover with a shiny new Dyson (the DC04 Silver/Lime model, to be precise). I always liked the idea of Dyson – they seem to be the plucky, inventive underdog (although that’s more my perception, I guess).
Today, however, we went through 2 fanbelts in quick succession. There appeared to be a problem with the brushbar, so I thought I’d take a look at the website. And I’d like to praise Dyson for a number of things:
1. The website is clear and concise, and contains the right amount of information to be useful.
2. When you choose your model, you choose pictorially as well as by number (and colour 
)
3. If you get to a problem that might be complex, you get a freephone (remember freephone!) number to call.
4. The helpdesk is open 7am to 10pm, not 9-5 like many places.
5. The helpdesk quickly identified the problem (bearings in the brush bar) and offered a solution (replacement from the shop).
If only all customer service worked like this 
Well done Dyson.
mrBen
About a year and a half ago I bought a Dyson from Home Depot. They were closing out the model and the only one left was the display model. They gave me a huge discount so I took it home. It worked ok at first but then didn’t work very well. And of course there was no manual.
There was the toll-free number, though. So I called. After going through some checks, they sent me a replacement plate from the bottom and a manual, all free, since they understood the situation.
I agree, the best customer service I’ve dealt with in a long time.
Michael
I got a Dyson DC04 off Freecycle, which was described as having a “burning rubber” smell. It turned out that this wasn’t the belt but in fact the motor breaking down internally and overheating (possibly due to one of the particle filters being blocked). I got a replacement motor (used but tested good) from an eBay shop for a tenner plus carriage, and it took about an hour to fit.
Of course the fun bit is when you take the motor housing off the base of the hoover, you can turn it upside down so it sits on the flange that the cylinder clips onto. Do this on a smooth surface and turn the motor on – you’ve got a hovercraft (or should that be “hoovercraft?)…