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Petmate Performa litterbox



 
 
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  #21  
Old December 10th 03, 12:51 PM
erayser
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(Since this is written during the holiday season, PLEASE read before considering giving this product as a gift).

I've used a Petmate Performa Plus Jumbo Hooded Appliance for less than one week (purchased for $200.00 at Petco). It is for one cat in my house.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS PRODUCT.

I found this product to actually NOT be a timesaving device as advertising purports. On the contrary, I found it to be a time-consuming device and now actually prefer a good old-fashioned 20th century litterbox (and I'm a gadget-loving ex-computer enginerd).

I followed the instructions to the "t" and still cannot get the product to work as designed.

Reasons:

A. Product design flaw #1: Underpowered motor. The motor which drives the rake that pushed clumped kitty litter into the reservoir is underpowered. Quite often it jams and does not complete its cycle, leaving litter in the pan, not the reservoir. I have to manually scoop the litter out myself. Already, the inherent timesaving feature of this poopy product has been defeated. I've sarcastically pointed out that a hamster on a wheel could generate more horsepower than the electronic motor on this "appliance".

B. Product design flaw #2: The tines on the rake which pushes the litter away is spaced too far apart. Consequently, many specks of litter do not get raked into the reservoir. (And yes, I am using premium clumping litter as the instructions advise). Once again, I have to manually scoop the litter myself.

C. Product desing flaw #3: As a result of aforementioned factors A & B, I constantly (more like on a daily basis) have to take the appliance apart. This is my biggest "pet" peeve (no pun intended). I cannot emphasize enough how tediously time-CONSUMING (the essence of timesaving at this point has long been defeated) this is. The hooded version has three modular hoods (an 2 inter-connected upper hoods and 1 lower hood) that can be detached. The lower hood is monstrous and cumbersome and unwieldy (and I'm an avid weightlifter with mild back problems...hint hint). This lower hood has angled recesses that easily catch residual litter...therefore, when you lift the hood, the excessive litter will be flung all over your floor. Make sure you have a broom and dustpan handy!!! To make a long story short, I found myself having to take off all the hoods everytime the litterbox malfunctioned). The lower hood's attachment's are flimsy in terms of alignment. Can you imagine if the hood of your car had to be removed (not just lifted) everytime you had to work on it???

If alignment is not perfect, mechanical jams ARE guaranteed.

D. Oh, and the litterbox I bought was defective out of the box. The sensor which detects when the cat is in/out of the litter box and triggers the automated raking device does not work at all. All this time, I've been triggering the raking device manually by powering the device. This does not contribute favorably to my impression of this device. I haven't had time to call tech support let alone return the device.

E. The instructions have lousy and diminutive black-and-white instructions in a confusing tri-lingual columnar layout, making initial assembly of the product very confusing to me (and I'm the type of the person who LOVES to assemble gadgets and IKEA furniture). Fortunately, it includes an illustrative VHS video that can also be watched on Petmate's website.

In conclusion, I found myself doing more maintenance and floor sweeping using this $200.00 product when compared to a simple $10.00 litterbox.

I therefore do NOT recommend this product. Paws down!

Thanks for reading!!

  #22  
Old December 10th 03, 12:51 PM
erayser
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

(Since this is written during the holiday season, PLEASE read before considering giving this product as a gift).

I've used a Petmate Performa Plus Jumbo Hooded Appliance for less than one week (purchased for $200.00 at Petco). It is for one cat in my house.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS PRODUCT.

I found this product to actually NOT be a timesaving device as advertising purports. On the contrary, I found it to be a time-consuming device and now actually prefer a good old-fashioned 20th century litterbox (and I'm a gadget-loving ex-computer enginerd).

I followed the instructions to the "t" and still cannot get the product to work as designed.

Reasons:

A. Product design flaw #1: Underpowered motor. The motor which drives the rake that pushed clumped kitty litter into the reservoir is underpowered. Quite often it jams and does not complete its cycle, leaving litter in the pan, not the reservoir. I have to manually scoop the litter out myself. Already, the inherent timesaving feature of this poopy product has been defeated. I've sarcastically pointed out that a hamster on a wheel could generate more horsepower than the electronic motor on this "appliance".

B. Product design flaw #2: The tines on the rake which pushes the litter away is spaced too far apart. Consequently, many specks of litter do not get raked into the reservoir. (And yes, I am using premium clumping litter as the instructions advise). Once again, I have to manually scoop the litter myself.

C. Product desing flaw #3: As a result of aforementioned factors A & B, I constantly (more like on a daily basis) have to take the appliance apart. This is my biggest "pet" peeve (no pun intended). I cannot emphasize enough how tediously time-CONSUMING (the essence of timesaving at this point has long been defeated) this is. The hooded version has three modular hoods (an 2 inter-connected upper hoods and 1 lower hood) that can be detached. The lower hood is monstrous and cumbersome and unwieldy (and I'm an avid weightlifter with mild back problems...hint hint). This lower hood has angled recesses that easily catch residual litter...therefore, when you lift the hood, the excessive litter will be flung all over your floor. Make sure you have a broom and dustpan handy!!! To make a long story short, I found myself having to take off all the hoods everytime the litterbox malfunctioned). The lower hood's attachment's are flimsy in terms of alignment. Can you imagine if the hood of your car had to be removed (not just lifted) everytime you had to work on it???

If alignment is not perfect, mechanical jams ARE guaranteed.

D. Oh, and the litterbox I bought was defective out of the box. The sensor which detects when the cat is in/out of the litter box and triggers the automated raking device does not work at all. All this time, I've been triggering the raking device manually by powering the device. This does not contribute favorably to my impression of this device. I haven't had time to call tech support let alone return the device.

E. The instructions have lousy and diminutive black-and-white instructions in a confusing tri-lingual columnar layout, making initial assembly of the product very confusing to me (and I'm the type of the person who LOVES to assemble gadgets and IKEA furniture). Fortunately, it includes an illustrative VHS video that can also be watched on Petmate's website.

In conclusion, I found myself doing more maintenance and floor sweeping using this $200.00 product when compared to a simple $10.00 litterbox.

I therefore do NOT recommend this product. Paws down!

Thanks for reading!!

  #23  
Old December 10th 03, 12:51 PM
erayser
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

(Since this is written during the holiday season, PLEASE read before considering giving this product as a gift).

I've used a Petmate Performa Plus Jumbo Hooded Appliance for less than one week (purchased for $200.00 at Petco). It is for one cat in my house.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS PRODUCT.

I found this product to actually NOT be a timesaving device as advertising purports. On the contrary, I found it to be a time-consuming device and now actually prefer a good old-fashioned 20th century litterbox (and I'm a gadget-loving ex-computer enginerd).

I followed the instructions to the "t" and still cannot get the product to work as designed.

Reasons:

A. Product design flaw #1: Underpowered motor. The motor which drives the rake that pushed clumped kitty litter into the reservoir is underpowered. Quite often it jams and does not complete its cycle, leaving litter in the pan, not the reservoir. I have to manually scoop the litter out myself. Already, the inherent timesaving feature of this poopy product has been defeated. I've sarcastically pointed out that a hamster on a wheel could generate more horsepower than the electronic motor on this "appliance".

B. Product design flaw #2: The tines on the rake which pushes the litter away is spaced too far apart. Consequently, many specks of litter do not get raked into the reservoir. (And yes, I am using premium clumping litter as the instructions advise). Once again, I have to manually scoop the litter myself.

C. Product desing flaw #3: As a result of aforementioned factors A & B, I constantly (more like on a daily basis) have to take the appliance apart. This is my biggest "pet" peeve (no pun intended). I cannot emphasize enough how tediously time-CONSUMING (the essence of timesaving at this point has long been defeated) this is. The hooded version has three modular hoods (an 2 inter-connected upper hoods and 1 lower hood) that can be detached. The lower hood is monstrous and cumbersome and unwieldy (and I'm an avid weightlifter with mild back problems...hint hint). This lower hood has angled recesses that easily catch residual litter...therefore, when you lift the hood, the excessive litter will be flung all over your floor. Make sure you have a broom and dustpan handy!!! To make a long story short, I found myself having to take off all the hoods everytime the litterbox malfunctioned). The lower hood's attachment's are flimsy in terms of alignment. Can you imagine if the hood of your car had to be removed (not just lifted) everytime you had to work on it???

If alignment is not perfect, mechanical jams ARE guaranteed.

D. Oh, and the litterbox I bought was defective out of the box. The sensor which detects when the cat is in/out of the litter box and triggers the automated raking device does not work at all. All this time, I've been triggering the raking device manually by powering the device. This does not contribute favorably to my impression of this device. I haven't had time to call tech support let alone return the device.

E. The instructions have lousy and diminutive black-and-white instructions in a confusing tri-lingual columnar layout, making initial assembly of the product very confusing to me (and I'm the type of the person who LOVES to assemble gadgets and IKEA furniture). Fortunately, it includes an illustrative VHS video that can also be watched on Petmate's website.

In conclusion, I found myself doing more maintenance and floor sweeping using this $200.00 product when compared to a simple $10.00 litterbox.

I therefore do NOT recommend this product. Paws down!

Thanks for reading!!

  #24  
Old December 10th 03, 12:59 PM
erayser
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

(Since this is written during the holiday season, PLEASE read before considering giving this product as a gift).

I've used a Petmate Performa Plus Jumbo Hooded Appliance for less than one week (purchased for $200.00 at Petco). It is for one cat in my house.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS PRODUCT.

I found this product to actually NOT be a timesaving device as advertising purports. On the contrary, I found it to be a time-consuming device and now actually prefer a good old-fashioned 20th century litterbox (and I'm a gadget-loving ex-computer enginerd).

I followed the instructions to the "t" and still cannot get the product to work as designed.

Reasons:

A. Product design flaw #1: Underpowered motor. The motor which drives the rake that pushed clumped kitty litter into the reservoir is underpowered. Quite often it jams and does not complete its cycle, leaving litter in the pan, not the reservoir. I have to manually scoop the litter out myself. Already, the inherent timesaving feature of this poopy product has been defeated. I've sarcastically pointed out that a hamster on a wheel could generate more horsepower than the electronic motor on this "appliance".

B. Product design flaw #2: The tines on the rake which pushes the litter away is spaced too far apart. Consequently, many specks of litter do not get raked into the reservoir. (And yes, I am using premium clumping litter as the instructions advise). Once again, I have to manually scoop the litter myself.

C. Product desing flaw #3: As a result of aforementioned factors A & B, I constantly (more like on a daily basis) have to take the appliance apart. This is my biggest "pet" peeve (no pun intended). I cannot emphasize enough how tediously time-CONSUMING (the essence of timesaving at this point has long been defeated) this is. The hooded version has three modular hoods (an 2 inter-connected upper hoods and 1 lower hood) that can be detached. The lower hood is monstrous and cumbersome and unwieldy (and I'm an avid weightlifter with mild back problems...hint hint). This lower hood has angled recesses that easily catch residual litter...therefore, when you lift the hood, the excessive litter will be flung all over your floor. Make sure you have a broom and dustpan handy!!! To make a long story short, I found myself having to take off all the hoods everytime the litterbox malfunctioned). The lower hood's attachment's are flimsy in terms of alignment. Can you imagine if the hood of your car had to be removed (not just lifted) everytime you had to work on it???

If alignment is not perfect, mechanical jams ARE guaranteed.

D. Oh, and the litterbox I bought was defective out of the box. The sensor which detects when the cat is in/out of the litter box and triggers the automated raking device does not work at all. All this time, I've been triggering the raking device manually by powering the device. This does not contribute favorably to my impression of this device. I haven't had time to call tech support let alone return the device.

E. The instructions have lousy and diminutive black-and-white instructions in a confusing tri-lingual columnar layout, making initial assembly of the product very confusing to me (and I'm the type of the person who LOVES to assemble gadgets and IKEA furniture). Fortunately, it includes an illustrative VHS video that can also be watched on Petmate's website.

In conclusion, I found myself doing more maintenance and floor sweeping using this $200.00 product when compared to a simple $10.00 litterbox.

I therefore do NOT recommend this product. Paws down!

Thanks for reading!!

  #25  
Old December 10th 03, 12:59 PM
erayser
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

(Since this is written during the holiday season, PLEASE read before considering giving this product as a gift).

I've used a Petmate Performa Plus Jumbo Hooded Appliance for less than one week (purchased for $200.00 at Petco). It is for one cat in my house.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS PRODUCT.

I found this product to actually NOT be a timesaving device as advertising purports. On the contrary, I found it to be a time-consuming device and now actually prefer a good old-fashioned 20th century litterbox (and I'm a gadget-loving ex-computer enginerd).

I followed the instructions to the "t" and still cannot get the product to work as designed.

Reasons:

A. Product design flaw #1: Underpowered motor. The motor which drives the rake that pushed clumped kitty litter into the reservoir is underpowered. Quite often it jams and does not complete its cycle, leaving litter in the pan, not the reservoir. I have to manually scoop the litter out myself. Already, the inherent timesaving feature of this poopy product has been defeated. I've sarcastically pointed out that a hamster on a wheel could generate more horsepower than the electronic motor on this "appliance".

B. Product design flaw #2: The tines on the rake which pushes the litter away is spaced too far apart. Consequently, many specks of litter do not get raked into the reservoir. (And yes, I am using premium clumping litter as the instructions advise). Once again, I have to manually scoop the litter myself.

C. Product desing flaw #3: As a result of aforementioned factors A & B, I constantly (more like on a daily basis) have to take the appliance apart. This is my biggest "pet" peeve (no pun intended). I cannot emphasize enough how tediously time-CONSUMING (the essence of timesaving at this point has long been defeated) this is. The hooded version has three modular hoods (an 2 inter-connected upper hoods and 1 lower hood) that can be detached. The lower hood is monstrous and cumbersome and unwieldy (and I'm an avid weightlifter with mild back problems...hint hint). This lower hood has angled recesses that easily catch residual litter...therefore, when you lift the hood, the excessive litter will be flung all over your floor. Make sure you have a broom and dustpan handy!!! To make a long story short, I found myself having to take off all the hoods everytime the litterbox malfunctioned). The lower hood's attachment's are flimsy in terms of alignment. Can you imagine if the hood of your car had to be removed (not just lifted) everytime you had to work on it???

If alignment is not perfect, mechanical jams ARE guaranteed.

D. Oh, and the litterbox I bought was defective out of the box. The sensor which detects when the cat is in/out of the litter box and triggers the automated raking device does not work at all. All this time, I've been triggering the raking device manually by powering the device. This does not contribute favorably to my impression of this device. I haven't had time to call tech support let alone return the device.

E. The instructions have lousy and diminutive black-and-white instructions in a confusing tri-lingual columnar layout, making initial assembly of the product very confusing to me (and I'm the type of the person who LOVES to assemble gadgets and IKEA furniture). Fortunately, it includes an illustrative VHS video that can also be watched on Petmate's website.

In conclusion, I found myself doing more maintenance and floor sweeping using this $200.00 product when compared to a simple $10.00 litterbox.

I therefore do NOT recommend this product. Paws down!

Thanks for reading!!

  #26  
Old December 24th 03, 01:01 AM
erayser
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Posts: n/a
Default

Sorry about the redundant postings of my previous message. I don't know how this happened since I submitted that message only once (I swear)!

Anyhoo, I'd like to submit an update of my continuing woes with the Petmate Performa Plus litterbox.

As I mentioned previously, the first iteration I purchased was indeed defective out of the box per my conversation with Petmate's customer service. I exchanged it at Petco. Lo and behold, I noticed slight differences in the packaging: improved documentation regarding the functionality of the sensors was provided as were a few stickers regarding first-time usage warnings, and the disposable litter bag is now pre-installed.

I assembled the product (I've become as efficient as an Indy car pit crew member by this time) and upon power-up, immediately perceived that motor sounded "healthier" than my previous defective purchase. Sensors triggered at specified time interval. Okay, off to a good start!

Or so it seemed...

Despite the healthier sounding motor, it still lacks the horsepower to reliably rake litter. To exacerbate matters, I noticed that the lower hood was more ill-fitting than the first version I had. As this hood serves as a quasi-railing system for the raking mechanism, poor alignment will cause a jam. Despite my best attempts, I can never get the hood to properly align as the rake would often cause the FLIMSY hood to shift off its alignment notches.

After one month of frustration, I still cannot get this product to work.

I called customer support on Tues., 12/23 at 2:30 PM PST but they closed early due to the holidays.

This was the final straw that broke this camel's back.

I'm returning the product and hereby forwewarn anyone contemplating the purchase of a Petmate Performa automated litterbox.

In my opinion, this is a case of trying to build a better mousetrap. All this technical complexity to save you, the catlover, a few minutes of cleaning time, will instead cause hours of aggravation and bring out the mechanical engineer inside of you that you never knew existed. You will find yourself saying, "Geez, I could've come up with a better design!"

On an anecdotal note, Doskocil, the makers of Petmate products, also makes plastic cases for rifles and pistols. I happen to own a large pistol case that was split in two by a burglar a few years ago, rendering the case useless for its intended purpose. Interestingly, the pistol case is about the size of two litter boxes put together. I'm going to take out the foam padding and replace it with litter.

Thanks again for reading...

  #27  
Old December 24th 03, 01:01 AM
erayser
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Sorry about the redundant postings of my previous message. I don't know how this happened since I submitted that message only once (I swear)!

Anyhoo, I'd like to submit an update of my continuing woes with the Petmate Performa Plus litterbox.

As I mentioned previously, the first iteration I purchased was indeed defective out of the box per my conversation with Petmate's customer service. I exchanged it at Petco. Lo and behold, I noticed slight differences in the packaging: improved documentation regarding the functionality of the sensors was provided as were a few stickers regarding first-time usage warnings, and the disposable litter bag is now pre-installed.

I assembled the product (I've become as efficient as an Indy car pit crew member by this time) and upon power-up, immediately perceived that motor sounded "healthier" than my previous defective purchase. Sensors triggered at specified time interval. Okay, off to a good start!

Or so it seemed...

Despite the healthier sounding motor, it still lacks the horsepower to reliably rake litter. To exacerbate matters, I noticed that the lower hood was more ill-fitting than the first version I had. As this hood serves as a quasi-railing system for the raking mechanism, poor alignment will cause a jam. Despite my best attempts, I can never get the hood to properly align as the rake would often cause the FLIMSY hood to shift off its alignment notches.

After one month of frustration, I still cannot get this product to work.

I called customer support on Tues., 12/23 at 2:30 PM PST but they closed early due to the holidays.

This was the final straw that broke this camel's back.

I'm returning the product and hereby forwewarn anyone contemplating the purchase of a Petmate Performa automated litterbox.

In my opinion, this is a case of trying to build a better mousetrap. All this technical complexity to save you, the catlover, a few minutes of cleaning time, will instead cause hours of aggravation and bring out the mechanical engineer inside of you that you never knew existed. You will find yourself saying, "Geez, I could've come up with a better design!"

On an anecdotal note, Doskocil, the makers of Petmate products, also makes plastic cases for rifles and pistols. I happen to own a large pistol case that was split in two by a burglar a few years ago, rendering the case useless for its intended purpose. Interestingly, the pistol case is about the size of two litter boxes put together. I'm going to take out the foam padding and replace it with litter.

Thanks again for reading...

  #28  
Old December 24th 03, 06:09 PM
Linda Terrell
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I use 4 Littermaids for my 8 cats. 3 of the LM's are 3 years old
One I just got. LM Plus seems quieter and more poswerful.

I shall stick with this brand.

LT
  #29  
Old December 24th 03, 06:09 PM
Linda Terrell
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Posts: n/a
Default


I use 4 Littermaids for my 8 cats. 3 of the LM's are 3 years old
One I just got. LM Plus seems quieter and more poswerful.

I shall stick with this brand.

LT
  #30  
Old January 10th 04, 12:57 AM
Trainop
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I too have had a terrible experience with this stupid litterbox. I purchased the Performa Litter box after getting tired of buying a littermaid every year for my three cats. First of all, I had the Performa all of two weeks when both of the triangular shaped pieces snapped off. I called the company and they in turn sent me the wrong pieces. After sending them a picture via e-mail as to just what exactly was broken, they sent me the right parts but no screws. That is when I discovered just how bad this this was put together. After taking the whole thing apart, I discovered that mechanism underneath was misaligned which caused the parts to break. In my attempt to fix it I discovered that aside from the plastic, there is nothing to secure the screws to the thing. So, if the plastic breaks you are just out of luck.
After two hours and by using my own screws I managed to get it to work again. I can't use the cover because it will jam. It rakes when it wants to and when it does the tines are spaced so far apart that it leaves a lot behind causing me to have to rake it myself. If anyone out there is considering getting this thing don't waste your money because it will surely waste your time. If you get it as a gift, ask the person does he still have the receipt.
It's a piece of crap.

 




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