Avoid Narwal at All Costs – Terrible Product, Even Worse Customer Service
I put this machine to work. I have a 3,000 sq ft main floor with mixed flooring, and I ran my Narwal for almost six months. At first, it seemed fine, but that didn’t last long.
Here’s where it all went south:
• For the price, this thing is garbage. The cost doesn’t come close to matching how it performs.
• The mapping is awful. It never cleaned “edge to edge” like it claims. Even after several remaps, it constantly missed large areas.
• Maintenance is expensive and constant. Each mop cartridge costs $35–$40, and you’re forced to buy Narwal’s own brand. The vacuum bags are also pricey. Knockoff versions barely work and can cause dust to blow all over the inside of the unit.
• It doesn’t even empty itself properly. Every other cleaning, I had to take it apart and empty the onboard dust cup manually.
• The dirty water tank stinks, always. I cleaned it every single morning, and no matter what I did, it still smelled foul. The design makes it impossible to clean completely.
• The base tray grows mold. The area where the robot “cleans” its mop pads turns into a science experiment in a day or two if you don’t scrub it constantly.
Then came the disaster.
Around month four, I noticed water pooling around the base. When I moved it, I found that the base had been leaking underneath and my wood floors were buckled, and the baseboard was pulling away from the wall.
After doing some research on Reddit, I found that this is a known issue: the pump that drains water into the dirty tank can fail, flooding under the base. Because we ran it nightly, the leak had been happening for days, hidden under the giant base.
I contacted Narwal support, the only way to reach them is through a ticket system. While waiting for a response, I filed a claim with my homeowner’s insurance, who sent a mitigation crew. Unfortunately, our flooring was discontinued, which meant we had to replace almost all of it on the bottom floor, a $22,000 repair.
Narwal’s response?
They emailed me in the middle of the night (their customer service is overseas) apologizing and asking for photos and videos of the damage, which I sent along with the repair estimate. Their solution was insulting: they offered me a free accessory kit and a $30 check.
I asked for a full refund or a replacement device, and they refused. This dragged on for more than three weeks, with days between each reply, while my house was being torn apart.
Finally, I reached out to Amazon, explained the situation, and they stepped up like a company should. They had UPS pick up the unit, and once it was returned, they issued me a full refund. Amazon is the real hero here.
Narwal, on the other hand, has permanently lost my trust. Every time I see one of their ads, I warn people to stay away.
We replaced the Narwal with a Shark, and it’s night and day. The cleaner costs $13 for a huge bottle, no dust bags needed, and it actually cleans edge to edge, something the Narwal never managed once.
Save yourself the money, the stress, and the damage to your home. Do not buy anything from Narwal.
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