Complain about a product or service

LitterMaid

Littermaid • Fire hazard • Feline entrapment • Unhappy new customers • Unhappy repeat customers • Accessory problems • Customer diagnoses • Privacy tent • Slow order processing

Who likes cleaning out a litter box? No one we know, so it seemed like a great idea when LitterMaid came up with a self-cleaning box. Only trouble is, it doesn't seem to work very well. Despite that, even the most ravenously dissatisfied customers keep coming back like cats to catnip, buying one derelict pooper scooper after another.

A few of the more recent complaints ...

Ryan of Vancouver WA (06/18/08)
Well I've had the problem of the scooper going back and forth on mine plenty of times. But I've always fixed it. But just recently it went all the acrossed but stops after it reaches the box. So I tryed pushing the scooper back and fliping the switch but it keeps doing the same thing.

so now while im out of my house my cats will probably poop all over the floor.

April of Greer SC (06/11/08)
I purchased the LitterMaid Mega about 8 months ago. The string that allows the comb to extend to the receptacles got wrapped around the comb and snapped.

This machine is only a few months old (I still have the box) but Applica will not replace it without a receipt for proof of purchase date. Who keeps a receipt for more than 30 days? I paid over $100 for this product! The motor isn't strong enough to push the the clumps into the receptacles and CONSTANTLY gets stuck...usually in the middle of the night. The receptacle, with three cats, has to be emptied every other day and still doesn't get everthing so I'm still having to scoop like I would with a regular litter box. Then, when I pick up the litter box, large amounts of litter are sitting under the box where the comb has dumped it because there is a space between the receptacle and the box itself.

In addition, litter gets stuck to the bottom of the box where the comb can't get to, so I have to use a putty knife to scrape the molded clay litter from the bottom of the box. There is no way to detach the comb from this model so you have to live with the poop that is constantly stuck to it or use your hands to clean it. And beware, if you have a cat that does not cover up poop well, you will ALWAYS have poop stuck to the comb, leaving you to manually use paper towels to clean between the combs with your hands. Yea...that's real healthy! THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT PERFORM AS ADVERTISED!

Briana of Nashville TN (06/11/08)
I received the Littermaid automated scooper for Christmas and it started breaking down pretty much from the beginning with the rake getting stuck mid scoop. I called Customer Service and they had me reset it. After more breakdowns including it not working completely, I was sent a 2nd unit. That unit was received a month ago and has already broken down. They refuse to refund my money and I cannot return the item to the store because it is not the same one.

I'm about to receive my 3rd unit and have no expectations that it will work. I'm more afraid that if I leave it on, it will start a fire since it seems the electrical work is what does not work. I know have a litterbox that does not work and no way to return it for something that would. My next step is to see if the store I purchased it from can assist, but that will take time to wade through the red tape.

Paul of Crestline OH (06/11/08)
I bought two 9250 heavy duty littermaid boxes and both the metal rack broke. They have a pastic roller on the end that keep the rack line up man its junk. The plastic roller is design to lift. It need to be a steel roller that screws on or something. but I can't get them to replace them

just can't use them without that rack so they become a very expense $200. cat box that you have to rack out by hand. might as will buy a 99 cent cat box

Jim of El Paso TX (06/05/08)
I have had them for 3 years and have gone through 6 of them (3 have been replaced by littermaid and I have 2 in use. The 3 suggestions are: 1. Use ONLY TIDY CATS SCOOP, MULTIPLE CATS. I have tried every other litter made and this is the only one that works. No sticking to the bottom, excellent clumping. 2. Do not overfill - This is the major cause of the contineous run. It is better to have a little less litter than too much. 3. If you have a contineous run problem, it is probably the switch at the front of the unit, left side, facing the unit). If you place a piece of paper (folded is better) in the slot in front of the switch, it will work. You may have to put a little super glue to hold it in place. I used a thin piece of rubber. The main cause of motor problems is too much litter in the box.

I have followed the above for the past 5 months. I empty the two boxes twice a week, add a little litter and thats all! I have 2 very large male cats.

Gary of Allison Park PA (06/05/08)
I bought one of the older littermaid boxes for 110.00 at Target about 3 years ago. The product worked for about 2 months and then the thing just got stuck. After getting stuck, a tremendous noise was coming from the box. I ran over to see what was going on and saw that the rake was broken and hanging by the string. I took this one back and bought another, after 4 months the cord broke. I knew something was bound to happen because it was already missing the track and making a squealing noise.

So as senseless as I am, I purchased one on ebay the Elite Model for about 145.00 or so. At first I thought this was going to solve all of my problems, but actually this is more of a piece of crap than the old versions. First off, I spent so much time cleaning the waste off the rake and having to reset it back in the tracks. Also, I saw that there was so much waste on the side of the receptacle and underneath the box. I blamed my cat like some of the other posts I have read. Thought it was the little one, but now I know this thing was designed by a moron. The two biggest problems with this machine is this.

First off, when you fill the box all is fine and dandy, until the rake runs its cycle, then it ends up returning about 90 percent of the waste behind the metal rake, which you will be lifting the rake and scooping behind it continuously. Also it does a fine job of neatly raking the litter, makes it look neat on top ha! But, underneath is where the waste is and it does not touch this until most of the litter is out of the box. By the time it reaches the bottom(litter box will be near empty by this point) the waste is stuck to the bottom and you need a bulldozer to scrape it off. After many days of coming home from work wanting to relax, I had to constantly clean this thing. Underneath the machine, the receptacle the sides, the rake. After looking all shiny and new for so many months, took about 3 days and would have to do it again and again.

Anyway, finally the thing got really stuck and made a noise and of course the cheap plastic roller broke off one side of the rake. I applied some superglue to this, even managed to superglue my fingers to the rake, which i quickly pulled them off. When the wheel was finally reattached, it worked about 3 cleaning cycles and then it broke off again beyond repair. If you think about it, this product is very poorly designed, does not do what it is supposed to do.

And if Littermaid continuously sells these, they should write on the box telling the customer This product is not completely automatic, some maintenence may be required on your part in keeping your machine in somewhat of a working condition. This product can possibly malfunction and cause side effects, some side effects or affects can result in a headache, possible fire, and many nights of lack of sleep which could result in depression or anxiety.

Linda of High Point NC (06/01/08)
the small roller broke off one side of the rake now it want work, My I buy a new rake ?

Mary of Portland, OR (05/25/08)
I have purchased three littermaid automatic cat boxes and I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong. The first one lasted one year and a half and it seemed to have a strong motor. The second one lasted less than a year. The third one has a horrible motor and lasted probably 5 months.

I started looking for another one and found that they are not sold in stores. I usually have a reason for purchasing one like right before a long trip and leaving my cat in the care of a kind neighbor that I don't want to have scoop the litterbox. I have started researching the catbox on the internet and find that these automatic catboxes by LitterMaid are just not worth the money. TOO bad. Although I will say that they should have kept the better motor as in the older models.

S of Sumter SC (05/14/08)
I have been reading all the complaints about the Litter maid product and disagree wholeheartedly! I have been using this automatic litter box for about 6 years and each of my litter boxes work for about a year or so. This set-up has to be monitored and the litter containers must be emptied minimally twice a week (put a small garbage bag in the container so you use a bag instead of a container each time). Mine will run back and forth and get stuck sometimes too. I love my Litter maid and I will continue to buy this product!

C.d. of Elkton MD (05/14/08)
I have had a litter maid for the last 18 years and love the product. The complaints I have read can be mostly attributed to not using the product correctly either by overfilling it or not using the right type of litter. I do have to replace it about every 2 to 3 years but with the wear and tear of 5 cats on it I figure that is a pretty good longivity for the product.

La of Charlotte NC (05/06/08)
I purchased a Littermaid Elite Self-Cleaning cat box in April, 2007. I opted for the more expensive Elite series. It has a 1 year warranty. It quit working in late August. I contacted Applica, they sent a replacement unit for a $10 charge (plus mailing costs) in October. That unit quit working in December.

Again, I contacted Applica. I received another replacement unit in February that died about 3 weeks ago. Each time it dies, I am required to mail a piece of the unit to Applica Consumer Products. They only asked for a replacement fee the first time. I am not seeking anything other than to warn other consumers that this product is a piece of garbage.

Just wasted money (approximately $150 - including purchase price, replacement fee and mailing costs) and time.

Kevin of Cleveland OH (05/02/08)
I have had my Littermaid Catbox for a few years now, and ya...I have had some problems. The rake stopped moving, seemed as if the motor died, or the rake continuesly ran. One thing you people have to realize is that you need to call Littermaid and explain to them what the problem is.

I talked with littermaid, and the trouble shooting that they have provided me, has worked every time. Littermaid is a great company and they know what they are doing. The problem with most of you, is that your box stops working and you automatically think its broken and you think bad of the company. Things break...it happens....but there are fixes, and the companies take care of their companies.

Rayna of Vass NC (04/30/08)
I thought I would love this product. But in the time I have had it it throws litter and the easte out of the litter box. I thougth at first it was my cats until I saw a waste product pop out as a result of the rack touching it. When I first had it the rake was going constantly after I turned it on so I had to turn it off. I can't even fill the litter up to the fill line or it will do this. Now with the amount of litter I can put in it the rack either can't reach it or it is not strong enough to rake it out. Not to mention it will no longer come on automaticly I have to manually turn it on and off to get it to scoop. But even then I still have to scoop what is stuck to the bottom of the litter box or what ends up behind or stuck to the rake.

It is mostly just a pain to have an auto scoop litter box that I have to maually scoop myself. It defeats the purpose of why I bought the product in the first place.

Jo of Renton WA (04/25/08)
I saw a lot of complaints reguarding the newest litter box. I had the same problems, but called right away and talked to someone, and they had me cut out the sensor, and mail it to them and I got one of the original cat litter boxes, and I am happy as can beThanks to litter maid for helping me.

Everything worked out well.

Alexandra of Gresham OR (04/22/08)
I have owned a littermaid for years and the old one was wonderful! It finally broke and I bought the new elite model. That was a big mistake, the motor is not even as strong as the old one and I have to constantly clean the litter box out myself. So much for the self cleaning part! Cat poo gets stuck behind the rake and there is litter all over the place. I paid about $158.00 for it and what a waste of money. They should have never change the motor in it. I am very disappointed with the product.

Debra of Coal Township PA (04/22/08)
I am on my 4th littermaid in less than a year. The first just died and was replaced. Second refused to move after first week. Store gave another one. Third was DOA on purchase, also exchanged. Now, the 4th, one month old, scoops continuously, getting very hot and creating what appears to be a fire hazard. I have taken to turning it on to scoop the litter and shutting it back off. These things are dangerous and a rip off. Everyone should be given their money back and a recall should be done before there is a real tragedy! P.S. It also scatters litter up underneath the machine.

I am disabled and this kind of money was a big investment for me! I was truly hoping that it would make my life easier. It has not. I cannot afford a house fire from the motor overheating. The company is not interested. Isn't there anyway to get this fire hazard off the market?

Jennifer of Reynoldsburg OH (04/22/08)
I tried emailing Littermaid a couple of times via their website regarding the carbon filters to no response (until I contacted consumer affairs). The issue is that no matter how securely I apply the carbon filters into the lid of the waste container, they fall off into the waste. I finally heard back from them after my contact with consumer affairs and they suggested that I use DOUBLE SIDED TAPE to affix the carbon filters to the inside of the waste container lid. I replied that I don't think that this is a very good suggestion, given that the filters already have an adhesive square for this purpose, but told them I'd give it a try. After several minutes on the phone, they finally offered to send me another box of filters (after I've purchased at least four now and NONE of the filters stayed affixed to the inside of the waste container).

I received them and tried them out over the weekend, hoping that they would stay affixed better than the ones I'd purchased, but they didn't. Within an hour, the carbon filter was laying in the waste container. THIS time the adhesive stuck, but the filter fell off into the waste. Stranger yet, I went to a nearby pet supply company to purchase the Littermaid litter as we were out, and they've discontinued selling it. So I went to Target, and they too have stopped selling it...

I am DONE with this company. One box of replacement yet still faulty carbon filters and a suggestion to use double sided tape and unavailability of the litter has done it for me... Too bad too, because I was thinking of purchasing a second box, as we now have two cats. But I'll go back to manually scooping cat crap to avoid the frustration of faulty and unreliable products from Littermaid again.

I've spent over $50 in carbon filters which has been a waste since they don't stick to the lid of the waste container, NOW I can't find any retailer that sells the litter! Too much hassle-I give up.

Darla of Calera OK (03/24/08)
I purchased the Litter Maid from Target on 3/22/08. It is now 2 days later and I regret the purchase. The Litter Maid misses 95% of waste in the box. When it does seem to shuffle part of the waste to the bin, pieces fall in the gap between the bin and unit. The motor isn't strong enough to scoop up much; my cat is only 12 weeks old and the unit makes a horrible noise when trying to clean up the tiny bit of waste. This product was a waste. For the quality, I would have been satisfied spending $30. I have to clean my self-cleaning box several times per day. It seems to make a bigger mess than the old cheapo boxes you buy and clean yourself. I am going to look for another brand. Great idea, poor design.

Leonard of Taylor MI (03/15/08)
I also had years of satisfaction with the original large size Litter maid for my two cats. It had a strong motor, strong structure, no real problems, and did all I expected to do. It was even replaced by litter maid as it broke prior to the warranty expiring. At the time I thought this is a company that really takes care of its customers. Needless to say I felt an allegiance to litter maid and bought the new version of the litter maid unit when my old one broke. WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS.

There is constant stopping of the machine due to the motor not being strong enough to move through my cats' waste. Not to mention the fact that I have to use my hands to snap the container under the tabs when emptying. There is spillage of litter dropping through the slightest opening between the tabs, and the waste container. Therefore, you must take apart the machine (as you can't pick up the new version like the old) to clean the litter that falls through that slight opening, or the new waste container won't fit into the opening. I have read other complaints about the motor being to loud, but it actually is a blessing. You are alerted when the rake can't get through the liter and bogs down and returns back to the home position as the motor is so loud you can hear when that happens from other rooms in my Condo.

In conclusion I called litter maid and told them of my opinion of the new version of their product. The representative politely wrote down my complaints and thanked me for my call. I no longer feel any allegiance to a company that changes a product that worked well, and then updates it with an inferior, cheaply made unit. When the unit stops working I will never purchase another litter maid product again. I will look at other manufacturers and check for reviews of that product before I make a buying decision.

Sara of Dallas TX (03/11/08)
We also had years of satisfaction with the original large size Littermaid for my two cats. It had a strong motor, strong structure, no real problems other than some side spillage around the container. After about 4 years of heavy duty work, it finally broke down, and we decided to buy the new Elite model. We wanted to just buy the old version, but it was discontinued. We should have known that corporations just have to make more money, and this good machine was not breaking down enough! The new plastic replacement is horrible. My husband could not even put it together and carry it to place it, without it falling apart. He was livid. The motor is horribly loud, and the moving cleaning tines are fragile and miss picking up a lot of material. They catch on the leading edge of the plastic container and pull it up, dumping litter down below the container well. You can't pick the machine up to clean it without it falling apart. Large waste particles get left behind or get caught behind the movable mechanism, and it needs constant cleaning. Poop falls out on the sides. The container lids come loose and jam the machine as it's dumping.

We had constant clogging and stopping of the machine due to the litter and waste being too heavy for the machine to move. We called a local PetCo (who told us they'd been getting complaints), and they told us we had to use lighter weight corn husk based litter which would allow the machine to work less hard, trying to move the waste. The new litter stinks like the material used in a petting zoo. It is horrible. There was no solution but to purchase and keep an air purifier on full blast to try to control the odor. Our cats have even protested by pooping outside the Littermaid, which never happened before. This company made a horrible decision, no doubt based in greed, and ruined a great product. We are on the hunt now for any other company that sees this market opportunity! I can't imagine that any market test group would have approved of this new machine. Something stinks, and it's more than the mess this new and improved Littermaid causes in our house! Two thumbs down for Littermaid.

Had to buy more expensive litter. Wasting my time (which could be spent in my business) always fixing the containers that come loose, or cleaning up the clumps that jam, or cleaning behind the movable head where the clumps get caught. Had to buy an air purifier to clean up the smell from the corn husk based litter we had to buy since regular litter won't work.

Lil of Jacksonville FL (03/10/08)
I bought the older style Littermaid LM900 model a long time ago and loved it. However, after a few years of owning it, the motor died. I was very pleased with this model and decided to upgrade to the Elite Mega Advanced model. Like the other complaints on here, I too, experienced the knob falling off, and the rake broke; and then the motor wouldn't stop going back and forth, so the motor eventually died. I had the Littermaid maybe 6 months before this all happened. When I called to have my 'knob' on the track replaced, they told me the item was on backorder, and it took a month to get here! I found that this was a waste of money, and I plan on buying the older model soon since it worked rather well.

Beth of Auburn MA (03/09/08)
I owned the original littermaid for many many years, and was very happy with it. I have two cats, and it worked perfectly, never need a replacement part in all the time I owned it. When it finally broke, I went right out and purchased the LitterMaid Elite LME5000, assuming it would be better than the original. I was mistaken. Not only is it incredibly loud, but the rake gets stuck ALL the time, and when it rakes, the litter falls between the box and receptical, all on the floor under the unit. The rake broke after 6 months (which i am assuming is due to the fact that the top and bottom piece do not clip together like the original, so if the rake meets any resistance, the two pieces shift and the rake goes off center).

LitterMaid sent me another, which I installed a few months after receipt (I had moved, it was packed in the box it arrived in and I had to find it), and don't you know, it broke in the same manner again a few weeks ago. The rake went ever so slightly off-center, and one of the rollers broke. I wrote an email to the customer service address I found on line, and was informed that my unit was no longer under warranty and directed to a site where I could purchase a new rake for $18, PLUS $11 shipping and handling. Not to mention that there does not appear to be any encrypting/security features in place for your credit card info (no verisign symbol or anything of the like). Now, if you ask me, when you pay over $100 for a cat litter box, it should last, and the company should stand by its product. I shouldn't have to buy a rake a year at $38 a pop! I will not be purchasing another littermaid product. This experience has turned me into a VERY dissatisfied formerly loyal littermaid customer.

Need to purchase a new rake for $40, which lasts less than one year OR I will need to new litter pan - cost of a new self-cleaning (NON Littermaid) pan is $100-$200

Howard of Las Vegas NV (02/27/08)
This works for about one month only then stops. I think Litter Maid is a rip off.

Cost $150.00 and only worked for one month.

Brenda of Lynchburg VA (02/26/08)
I purchased a Littermaid Elite (LME9000) on 4/22/06 at Target for the cost of $170.49. This is not the first Littermaid product I have owned. I had an older model which my mother passed on to me, and I had that unit for over 3 years before it died. I am not sure how long my mother had used the unit. On May 30, 2007 one the wheels on the rake unit broke, and I emailed Applica Consumer Service which handles the warranty parts for Littermaid. The responded by saying they were sending me a replacement rake (LME5500-02) at no cost. In January of this year the part broke again in the same exact place! I contacted them via email and attached the emails from 5/07 and explained although the unit was out of warranty there obviously is a defect in the design as this part should not have broken after six months. Joe wanted to know what kind of litter I was using and asked if the litter was below the fill line. He stated that obviously it was my fault and not the design of the unit that the rake had broken again. He said obviously the waste was sticking to the bottom of the box and putting stress on the rake.

I requested to speak with a supervisor and was transferred to Josh who advised me not only was the warranty up on the litterbox itself, but the replacement parts couldn't be warrantied for more than 90 days. I asked what I needed to do to get a replacement part, and he informed my the cost would be $30.90 ($19.95 for the part and 10.95 for S&H). This is totally ridiculous as you can order a new litterbox at the cost of $118.92 and only pay $10.95 for S&H. I am so disappointed in this new, improved litterbox. I would never recommend Littermaid to anyone and will be looking for a replacement self-cleaning litterbox made by someone other than Littermaid.

I now have to clean the litterbox 2-3 times a day as my cats are so used to the self cleaning litterbox that if I do not clean it often one of them will soil the floor. This increases the amount of time I spend cleaning up after them when I have spent almost $200 to prevent my having to deal with this duty.

Vagola of Grand Junction CO (02/26/08)
I bought LitterMaid in Oct. of '07 and it works great. I have three cats in the house, and it has eliminated odors and NOT using the litter box. It has been a God-send to me. I would wish it were longer than the length it is, and I think the fingers that scoop the litter could be closer together, but overall so far I love this product!

Colleen of Westerville OH (02/20/08)
I purchased the Litter Maid Elite almost five years ago from a supplier on E-bay. It worked great for about one month and then quit working. I have been using it as a manual litter box since. I was going to attempt to purchase a newer version, however, after reading these complaints I have changed my mind. I wonder why there hasn't been a class action lawsuit filed against this company. I haven't heard much good about the product, the company that designed it, or the customer service department.

I paid $100 for a litter box to make my life simpler; however, it is useless. I now have a huge litter box that should work and doesn't.

Connie of Orlando FL (02/17/08)
I went on LitterMaid site to see if I could buy a bigger one, and I have. I'm so surprised to see ALL the bad comments! I got mine when my husband bought me a Rage Doll kitten back in 2002. It has been the most wonderful thing I ever bought! Oh yes I had a few spills, but it's from such a BIG cat He loves it and so do I. Our problem is it's just to little for a almost 20 lb. cat! Now do I want to buy the larger one or not?

Beth of Swarthmore PA (02/17/08)
I bought a Littermaid electric cat box two days ago, and the rake won't stop going back and forth. It's making me nuts! I did everything the manual said to do to troubleshoot it, but it's still broken. Gah!

Lisa of Sunrise FL (02/13/08)
I bought the large Littermaid elite 9250, as I have 2 cats, and it's supposed to be able to handle multi-cat families. Well, after about 2-3 months, I began having the same problems as the other complaints...the rake went back and forth 5 times each time the cat left the box. Needless to say, this disturbed the cats to a degree that one of them started pooping next to the box, instead of in it, a problem I've never had in the 14 years I've had the cat. The company has yet to respond to my e-mails and I am having trouble finding a phone number. I fear my $200 is in the toilet !

This has cost me $200 for 3 months of use, and now the problem of re-training my cats !!

Patricia of Kearns UT (02/06/08)
We have used the littermaid for a number of years starting out with the 600 I believe. The first one we used to keep in the bathroom. After a few months it quit working and when I tried to fix it it looked like parts had rusted. We purchased a new one and moved it to the basement. After a month it quit working so we purchased another one and this goes on and on and on. Several times, to the point we lost count. We thought maybe they were just to small to handle our 2 cats so we purchased the Mega Elite, sounds good huh? Well the first one was and lasted at least 6 months. It has quit working so we went and bought another one, got it home and it raked without litter in and then we put litter in and it wouldn't work so we took that one back and exchanged it. We got home put the other one together and it wouldn't stop raking so we took it back and exchanged it. This one we put together and tried it without litter and it wouldn't move more than 1/4 of an inch. We are taking it back and NOT exchanging it. We will be using a normal litter box for a while. Besides most the time we have to scoop the litter out of the way so the rake will rake nothing!

Over the years we have probably wasted about $1000.00 on a product that doesn't really work for very long. You would have thought we would have learned long long ago..

Roy of Newmarket OTHER (02/06/08)
I`m sorry that some people seem to of had problems with the Litter Maid. I have two cats and have owned the Litter Maid for over 4 years, and I've NEVER had a problem. The unit has never flung stuff out of the box, the raking system works as advertised, and never suffered a break down. I would not hesitate to recommend the Litter Maid.

Jeff of Monroe OH (02/03/08)
I purchased my first Litter Maid over six years ago. Over the past two years I've adopted two more cats to my family. As both were entering my home, I purchased a new Litter Maid for them. Unfortunately, both of the new Litter Maids have stopped working. I had one replaced (by sending money for the replacement to Litter Maid) and replaced the second by purchasing it at Target. The two newest units don't work as well as the old one I purchased over six years ago. Plus, I find that I am the one that is bending over and scooping the litter into the box. So, yesterday I went to PetSmart to price the old standard litter pans and will be returning to using them. Unfortunately, I don't recommend this product to future consumers, unless you like paying over $100.00 for something that you have to manually scoop anyway. This is the first product that hasn't improved with the upgrades.

Jeff of Stamford CT (01/28/08)
This product, while it appears everyone thinks is a great idea, is very poorly made. We are now on our 4th unit-- the last two units purchased within the last three weeks. I purchased a unit from WalMart (LM600 Littermaid); the unit went into a continual rake mode and would never stop. The transformer got very hot and unit failed to cut out. (This is a legal requirement for sealed transformers.) Returned unit to Wall Mart and got a replacement unit. Tried new unit without any filling in it on table; it immediately went into the same mode as the last unit. I see from previous units they have now removed two of the limit switches from the previous design. Tapping these switches got the unit to stop cycling. This product needs a recall; it's not only dangerous to animals, but the heat the transformer gives off when continually running is a fire hazard. I tried writing to the company 3 times. I got stock letters back. They did not read what I wrote. Tried calling them; they do not answer their phone, and just divert you to voicemail. Overall, I don't think I have ever dealt with a company so bad as Salton, Inc. I'm going back to the store again for a re-fund this time.

Pain and suffering having to travel to return units twice, taking 3 hours. I have an unhappy cat. Attitude of Salton Inc. is priceless.

Darryl of Miami FL (01/26/08)
To start, I am partially disabled so shopping for large products is an enormous project. I purchased a littermaid mega deluxe automatic litter box for a little around $170. getting it home, unpacking it and assembly were enough work, especially if your hands don't work. I carefully read assembly instructions, they looked easy but assembly required snapping brittle plastic hinges together (they broke) after gluing my brand new broken product back together I finished assembly and installed.

After 3-4 days I noticed a horrible cat waste smell, the automatic rake was pushing cat waste under the box. I though maybe I assembled it wrong so I cleaned up everything, put a new waist receptacle in and tried again...same thing. so I tried putting tape on it, why not? there's already glue holding it. the poorly designed system has a fatal flaw where the waste receptacle and tray meet. removal and installation of waste receptacle also requires prolonged contact with animal urine and feces. Since the box was so enormous I had to throw it away after two weeks so I could not return it.

I purchased another thinking the first might just be defective. Not the case, It's simply an idiotic design. I started reading your consumer affairs blog I realized I'm only one of many burned consumers. I'm certainly going to return the second one and Ide like to warn everyone...don't buy poorly designed products from LitterMaid ..... It's.. litter-rally-crap!

Hours of lost time and effort. Frustration. I had to pay an assistant to help shop for, load. unload, unpack, assemble .... twice. also, I was so annoyed, I E-mailed the littermaid company..no response at all.

Sanae of Colorado Springs CO (01/23/08)
1st one, I bought a Littermaid cat litter box and the motor burned out. 2nd one I bought stopped working after 1 month; I opened it up and reconnected the wires. It worked for a couple of weeks and then no matter what I did to try to fix it; the machine was dead. 3rd one I bought, there was no electric conecter to plug in. I took the whole box back to the store; got another one and it didn't work at all. Finally, I took the piece of garbage back to the store and got my money back!

This took quite a bit of my time going to and from the store to purchase and return the item. I had to purchase a box with a lid for odor control and the cats were not used to this new type of box and decided to deficate in plants, on clothes, on the carpet, homework, etc... I had to replace several items and have the carpet removed or cleaned!!! My money and time are very valuable.

Ellen of Manasquan NJ (01/21/08)
I purchased the BIG Littermaid. Bad idea. I haven't had constant running issues like I've read, but I might as well have the good old manual scoop. This thing is useless. Barely scoops what was left behind. What it does scoop gets mostly caught in between the box and bin it's supposed to go in. The plastic rake bends, so anything stuck to the bottom is going to stay there, or fight the rake on it's way back by. The sound of the motor scared my cats into the neighbor's house, so they won't even go into the same room as the thing. Taking it back was not an option. The store I got it from is an hour away. Not worth the gas and aggravation.

Tell you what though, 'cat genie' is awesome for those of us looking to make cleaning up after our cats easier. Only good if it's possible to put a cat recepticle in the bathroom, though.

I'm out a lot of money and still cleaning the box myself. Physical damage? Does the molding on the side of the door I threw the Littermaid through, count?

Lacey of Chicago IL (01/13/08)
Our first LitterMaid had some trouble with a weak motor that would often get stuck, and we would have to manually scoop it. Then it completely wore out--one day past our warranty period. So we bought another, and this one almost never rakes the clumps into the trough. It habitually gets stuck, and we have to manually scoop and reset it. The only thing it is good for is freshening the air when the cat uses it--not worth over $100.

Doug of Cedar Rapids IA (01/03/08)
Purchased Litter Maid Elite less than a month ago. Worked great at first. Loved the product. BUT, I quickly noticed the motor was under-powered to reliably scoop or push the hard and partly-hard, wet clumps that had stuck to the bottom of the pan or pan-ramp. Close to a month after starting to use it ,the motor would start kicking in, move about a half inch, then reverse, and kick in again--in an end-less loop.

Everyone who had a problem with this, go to the place you purchased it and complain--not for your money, but for the store to stop carrying their products. Maybe then the manufacturer will start paying attention.

Out my purchase price of a bit over $100.

Kimberly of Martinsville IN (01/03/08)
I bought my first Littermaid at Wal-Mart and was excited about a product that would help our family keep up with two very active cats. The first one in less than a week, started raking continuously. I returned it and got a second one. It did the same thing immediately. I called customer service and was told to clean this, reset that and jump through a ring of fire; and if that didn't work, return it to the place of purchase. I don't know why, but I thought that I would give it one more shot. We got a third box, and it worked beautifully....until a few months later. Now it rakes continuously, and we have to unplug it and manually activate the raking mechanism.

Great idea - lousy design, company, and customer service. Steer clear of this product and company. I will be looking for another product with the same concept as this one, or my two teenagers will begrudgingly go back to doing the old fashioned litter boxes and raking of their cats' waste!

Regan of Pasadena CA (12/30/07)
I bought the LitterMaid Elite about three weeks ago. When the rake reaches the automatic door and passes the debris to the receptacle, it spills litter through the opening where the receptacle meets the litter box. I tried putting tape over the area, but that caused an enormous amount of litter to be raked into the receptacle. The problem is that the rake pushes too much gravel with it. Each night, there is a tall mound of litter under the box.

Having to lift the heavy box to clean under it each night is unacceptable, not only because the box cost just under $200, but also because lifting the box causes the parts to come apart which requires me to have to reassemble the front of the box. I am planning to buy a Scoop Free box.

Shelley of Nashville TN (12/25/07)
This is my second LitterMaid. I loved the first one; it lasted 3 years and finally gave out. No problem, I just purchased the Elite and Woah! What a mess. Whoever invented such an inadequate product should be ashamed of themselves. I have one normal sized cat, basically maintenance free. When she is finished, the rake doesn't generally pass through for at least 10 minutes, leaving plenty of time to clump. When it begins it's belabored journey to the waste receptacle, it simply skims the top of the litter, evenly distributing it in the litter box. I left the lid and not one spec of litter is in it--but a very nicely groomed litter box with all of the clumps neatly beneath it. I have to scoop after every use. It was a total waste of $179.00. If Pet Smart will take it back, I will be forever grateful. Litter-Maid should discontinue their product or at the very least reimburse it's consumers until they can come up with a product that actually does what they promise. I can't imagine that an actual cat was ever used during the Litter-Maid development stages, certainly not the Elite.

I am out $179.00 for a piece of junk.

Erin of Van Nuys CA (12/17/07)
The motor is very weak. The part that is supposed to rake the poop to the box gets stuck about halfway through. The containers are disposable and they only give you 4 and I have no idea where you buy more. You have to loosen up the wet litter into small clumps and smooth out the litter to get it to work at all. Not worth the money. More work than doing it manually. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

I am going to return it to Target. They will take back defective merchandise.

David of Buffalo Grove IL (12/16/07)
Add me to the list of disatisfied customers. After the initial investment of $100.00, mine worked fine for about a month, then stopped. It seemed to me like the motor was overworked and I also had trouble keeping the rake clean of debris - it still required daily checkups to insure it worked correctly. Then it just stopped working. The light stayed solid, like it should be okay but it just didn't scoop, its most important function. Others have mentioned the possibility of a wet circuit board being the culprit and it wouldn't surprise me to know that's what happened to mine, you can't exactly train the cats to only go in the center of the box. I've sent them an email and haven't heard a word. Given the amount of complaints on this and other forums, I'm pretty well resigned to kissing my investment goodbye.

Dennis of Adel IA (12/13/07)
Add me to the list of those who made a mistake of buying an LM900. I should have done my homework first. Only had it a day, and the motor is very weak and it does not auto clean. I have to manually cycle it. I will use it until it quits, which sounds like it will be sooner than later. I filed a complaint with them, but don't expect to hear from them. Never again.

Louis of San Marcos CA (12/10/07)
Company did not adhere to warranty agreement based on the information I provided them. Product failed in less than a year's time and was still under warranty. Many others have experienced the same issue as I found during investigation of this matter. They should be investigated for warranty fraud and potentially class action lawsuit for building a woefully inadequate product.

Had to replace the unit while still in warranty with my own money.

Jamaica of Winter Park FL (12/03/07)
In March of 2007, I bought my second LitterMaid Automatic Litterbox (the Deluxe Elite edition), hoping that the newer model with the metal rake would be better and have a stronger motor. It did not. As of Novermber 2007, the machine has stopped working altogether (not that it ever worked properly to begin with). I have one normal sized cat, so you would think there wouldn't be a problem, especially with a product listed as perfect for multiple cat households. Needless to say, I found myself awoken each morning by the sound of the machine grinding back and forth trying to remove waste. I was having to clean the thing manually on a daily basis, not to mention having to empty and dismantle it on a weekly basis to clean it and unclog the rake. You would think a product where I was doing most of the work, wouldn't breakdown as quickly as this did. I have written to the company to find out about warranty coverage, explaining the consistent problems with the machine, but as of yet have not received a response. I guess they are too busy coming up with the next bells and whistles (air filtration devices and privacy tents) to add to the product to focus on the problems with the general function.

No action taken by the company yet in response to my inquiry about compensation, replacement or repair.

Sarah of West Linn OR (11/25/07)
I have purchased three Litter Maid automatic litter boxes over the years. Call me a sucker! I kept hoping that they would improve but to no avail! They last a year if I'm lucky before totally breaking and don't work the way they advertise. It doesn't matter what type of litter you put in it. It clumps and jams the rake. The motor on the unit is not strong enough to work through it. Its expensive to buy the plastic refills, but I would do it happily if this thing would work the way it's supposed to. The unit itself is difficult to clean thoroughly as well. This company should either drastically improve their invention or be taken out of business. It must be cleaned daily to prevent build up, and then its harder to clean than a normal litter box. I'm completely disgusted with this company and wish someone would stop them.

Dominique of West Hollywood CA (11/25/07)
What a waste of money; it takes me 20 minutes each day to clean the Litter Maid, and I bought it to save time. Besides, the accessories are $25 for 12 soft plastic boxes. It is a total waste.

Brian of Naugatuck CT (10/24/07)
The Littermaid does what it does very poorly; the rake does not clean to the bottom of the pan, allowing a layer of wet litter to sometimes remain. When the rake has passed through the litter and is beginning to move up, some clumps will just fall back into the pan and not be deposited into the litter pan. When the rake moves back to it's home position, it drags back the fallen clumps, then squishes them against the back wall of the pan as the rake goes back to it's home position. This, of course, will continue to grow in size because once it is stuck on the rake, there is no way gravity will pull it off, requiring a manual cleaning--the reason the box was purchased in the first place.

My wife sent an email to the company advising them of our experience, and received a formulated, extensive reply.  Bottom line: they are clearly not interested in helping dissatisfied consumers who purchase their product.

Nancy of Apopka, FL (10/17/07)
I have a major complaint about the larger, supposedly deluxe Littermaid Cat Box.

I returned one for an exchange a couple of months ago and had to wait a few weeks for restocking. I paid $89.95 for this box. I finally was able to pick up another and brought it home only to have it stop working properly within a week or so. I followed all the instructions on troubleshooting with no results. The rake will not shut off by itself and it continually flings hardened litter all over and mostly missing the litter collection container all together.

I am very disappointed because I had an older smaller model years ago and it never had any problems.  I owned it in perfect working condition for over 10 years with 2 cats.

Brenda of San Angelo, TX (10/16/07)
I bought the original model and it lasted 3.5 years before the cord snapped, that was worth the money. I bought the new & improved Mega Elite in July 07 and within a month literally, the PLASTIC side wheel broke off from strain pressure.

At the beginning of Sept I sent them $10 and got a whole new unit in about 2 weeks. On Oct 6th, the same thing happened, the plastic side wheel broke off again. Ridiculous!

In a time span of 3 months the same thing broke on two brand new store bought units. What a waste of $200.

David of Youngstown, FL (10/13/07)
We purchased our first Litter Maid litter box 10 years ago. It was awesome and lasted about 5 years. Over the past 5 years, we have purchased 4 more Litter Maids. They just are not lasting and all of them have had to be repaired in some way. The current one we have keeps breaking the little plastic wheels off both sides of the rake.

I have repaired them numerous times now but yesterday, it broke to where it is now unrepairable. I am so disappointed.

Jerry M. Laboda of Drexel NC (10/08/07)
We have had two, one was the basic model which worked great for around a year and then the electric eye went bad in it. The second was an Elite. The Elite's rake broke a wheel within two months of putting it into use.

Unable to use it, we have had to go back to the original machine, turning it off and then back on to make it cycle several times a day. We want to get parts but don't know where to get them.

Paula Harrington of Richardson TX (10/02/07)
LitterMaid Elite Mega-- I bought an original LetterMaid in 03-04--lasted a couple of years. Bought a multicat LitterMaid and wheel snapped off, somewhere in the first year. Saw the LM Elite Mega and got really excited with all its cool features! I have gone through 2 in less than 12 months. On both, the blue pan gets warped and will not hold the elimination pan in place. The rake will lift the pan, and dump everything underneath the Unit. What a mess! Of course it happens when I am away and I come home to a stinky house! Pet Smart is really good about taking these back.

I will be off to Pet Smart tomorrow. I am so disappointed in my LitterMaid Product. The one from several years ago worked so well. What ever happened? I have spent several hundred dollars with this company on new products, elimination pans, odor pads, cat litter, tents (3 different types), trips to Pet Smart, Home fragrances, etc. Need I go on? I am done.

Carol of Oxnard CA (09/26/07)
The first box I purchased worked well but lasted only two years before the string broke. The new one I purchased two weeks ago is not working well as the rake accumulates waste and does not dump it into the receptacle. Why they call this an improved model, I cannot say.

Liz of Ann Arbor MI (09/15/07)
It worked great for about a year and then the other day it stopped. It's stuck and won't move. This has rendered the box useless.

This has resulted in my cat going on my carpet before I noticed what was happening. This is because the Litter Maid box is supposed to literally maintenance free and needs attention only rarely when additional litter needs to be added. The replacement cost of the carpet and carpet pad is going to be astronomical, in addition, there will be labor costs as well. I cannot afford this, just because the litter box failed.

Charles of Bigfok, MN (07/29/07)
I had the older model litter maid for three years before it hatched.  I paid $100 for the newer model and it hasn't worked since the day I bought it.

I complained to the company and they sent me a new rake. It stll doesn' work.

Carrie of Lawrenceville NJ (07/06/07)

I have purchased three of these litterboxes within the past two years. The first one I bought I LOVED IT then the string broke after a year so I decided to go buy a new one. The second one lasted all of three months before the plastic rollers on the rake broke. I called customer service and emailed however they told me I was not using their litter so that is the reason it broke. I then went out and bought a new one three months ago and used the LitterMaid litter.....the motor just burned out this morning. I doubt I will waste another 150 dollars.

Lisa of Ellettsville, IN (07/01/07)
I purchased a littermaid box several years ago.  After just a few months it stopped working.  I called littermaid and was told to clean the sensors.  wab. It didnt work, and then got no answer when I tried to call back.

$89.99 for a manual litterbox.

Merle of Las Cruces, NM (07/01/07)
I have bought three Littermaid boxes in the past two years. On each one the motor only lasted about three months.

There is no way that you can get to the motor to replace it, let along any way to get a motor to replace the burn out one. I have spent about $300 for these junk items.

Sheila of Richmond ,OH (06/23/07)
I had my first LitterMaid for 6 years.  I have had 4 in the last 2 years. The motor stops working, or the rake doesn't dig deep enough to actually scoop the litter.  The string that pulls the rake back and forth has snapped. 

I get no help from the company by calling. They always say give us the number on the power plug and then tell me that it is out of date. (How can that be?)

I am not home a lot and need help with 4 cats.

Roger of Queen Creek, AZ (05/27/07)
I purchased the Elite-Mega series.  I think the operation and design of it is poor. The motor is very weak when trying to go thru its cycle. Now the plastic rollers on the rake panel snapped off on both sides when it got bound up on its own.

This one lasted 6 months and cost $200.  I now have to go back to the old conventional way of the standard litterbox & manual cleaning.

David of Glen Rock, NJ (05/17/07)
Had an older Littermaid unit but needed a new one.  I purchased our second Littermaid, but it is not as advertised.

In my opinion it does not do the job as advertised.  I get no satisfaction from manufacturer.

Carmen of Aurora, IL (05/16/07)
I recently upgraded to the Mega Elite and 2 months later the rake is broken. I had the original Littermaid that lasted 6 years, so when I purchased the Elite I figured it was a new and improved version.

$140 later and I have a very expensive manual litterbox!

Janet of Greenville, NC (05/16/07)
My husband bought Littermaid Elite for our 2, now 3, cats a year ago.  I wish it would sift without clogging, make all that noise, have a liner that you can keep at the bottom to pull up when cats keep one corner wet all the time. Every day I have to go in and dig out clumped, stuck to bottom litter.

I was much better off with my old kitty litter pan that I lined with a trash bag, lifted it out of the bag and into a new one with no scraping or cleaning box!!

We have spent $120 plus liners, recepticles, different types of cat litter trying to find one that will not clog up the rake, scent sprays, etc.

Jacqueline of Los Angeles, CA (05/15/07)
I have purchased two Littermaid litter boxes in the last five months. I think it's a waste of money.

It breaks after a few months and I can't even keep it plugged in because it make a strange sound all night.

I now have to clean out the box myself and deal with the smell.

M. of Aurora, IL (05/15/07)
I've had two of these over the last 10 years. Both worked fine for about 4 - 5 years before they wore out. I bought them online for about $90 dollars each. I've used many different types of premium scoopable litter with no problem.

Just thought someone should report that they have had good experiences with them as well.

Erik of High Point, NC (05/11/07)
I have had 2 of the earlier models of Litter Maid and they worked fairly well for several years. I decided to upgrade to a Litter Maid Mega because we have a fairly large cat.  I mistakenly assumed that the new models would incorporate all new features and would surpass the quality of past units. WRONG!

This unit is extremely messy and the worst part is that the litter clumps stick to the floor of the unit and then cause the unit to stall. We have tried all the recommended litters and with the same result.

Angela of Roswell GA (05/08/07)
The absoulute worst waste of money I have spent on a product.

Jason of Tulsa OK (05/08/07)
The product is absolute garbage. After using the Basic Littermaid Catbox for years we decided to upgrade to the Elite when we saw it at Petsmart. The motor is way too weak to push through the litter. It ends up getting caught and making a nopise that sounds like a machine gun is going off. Once the rake actually gets to the recepticle it only pushes half the waste in and drags the rest back into the box. As a result, the box is never as clean as it should be and our cat is afraid of the box because of the awful sound it makes.

$159 + tax DOWN THE DRAIN.

Kelly of Little Egg Harbor NJ (05/03/07)

My third Littermaid in about 5 years just broke yesterday. The cord that moves the rake back and forth snapped because it was stuck. The idea of this box is great BUT there are many problems with this item. Mine got stuck all the time and had to be turned off and then back on, it makes a mess with the litter underneath the box, there are areas that get wet nasty litter in them that is impossible and gross to clean. I am just tired of buying a new one of these every year and a half.

Dennis of Mentor OH (04/22/07)
Same story as everyone else, except I even read everyone's complaints and thought I would give it a try anyhow, don't know what I was thinking and I apologize to everyone for not heeding the warnings.

I purchased the Littermaid LME9000 Advanced Automatic self cleaning litter box. It worked excellent for the first week, then slowly I began to notice litter being scattered everywhere. So naturally this new high tech device could not be at fault, so I blamed the cat. Then slowly over time the rake began sticking, it wouldn't even move the litter. Now of course you would think that was due to the low cost litter I was using, however I wasn't using low cost litter. IN fact at the recommendation of the clerk at PetSmart I purchased probably their most expensive fine clumping litter.

The unit was purchased 12/16/2006, and quit working today 04/21/2006. Wow that's almost a full 5-months I feel so honored compared to others who have been lucky enough to get a few weeks before failure occurs.

Now unlike some I do still have my receipt, however to date have not been able to get through to what I have learned could be the worst customer service ever encountered, but I'm still trying.

I can not believe that a consumer advocacy group hasn't gone after this company yet, I mean come on one person even stated that her apartment caught fire and the fire investigator stated it the cause was clearly the electronic automatic litter box. Maybe Automatic to this company means Automaticly doesn't work and will cause great pain and yes even fire.

Karlice of Littleton CO (04/19/07)
We have bought 2 of these int the last 3 years. The last one we bought was in November, and it burned out today. I have had it...$200 in 3 years, on a product that is supposed to last, is a waste of money!

Michon of Fort Fairfield ME (04/19/07)

I have been trying since February 2007 to get a new rake from LitterMaid as the LitterMaid Elite I purchased in December has lasted all of two months. I have repeatedly emailed to no avail.

Grady of Farmington Hills MI (04/13/07)
Litter Maid Elite worked for 8 months and has died. The motor makes a lot of noise and cannot pus the rake or the clumped litter. Instead it just sits and makes lots of noise. This unit works very poorly. The older model that I had worked 3 years before it died.

Rex of Chandler AZ (04/04/07)
I bought the LitterMaid LM500 and it worked for about 6 months. The product has a one year warranty but I get not response from the LitterMaid website. I will not buy another one. Wasted money to buy this cheap made product.

Connie Spring of Davenport IA (03/26/07)
I purcahsed a Litermaid litter box in the fall on 2005. It worked poorly for 1 1/2years until the motor finally burnt out. I had to constantly scoop poop that was left behind by the rake and take the dumb thing apart to clean it at least once a week. The guide wire also got stuck on that rake and it ran for at least 2 hours continuously until I returned from running errands. I feel that this is a defective product and should be taken off the market.

I am out the $90.00 purchase price plus the cost of a new litter box to replace the one I originally threw away. I am very dissatisfied.

Janice of Pyatt AR (03/19/07)
I am on the THIRD LitterMaid In 15 months. No water exposed to it-Not outside-no abuse-one cat. they seem to last 5 months.or less. I am currently manually scooping from the latest-largest LitterMaid.I refuse to buy yet another-and I want to get some moneys worth from it. Think Long and Hard before you purchase one!

Sally  of Quarryville PA (03/19/07)
This is a great place to be able to voice our displeasure with the Littermaid, however, is there anyone doing anything about the problems? All these complaints and the thing is STILL on the market and functioning very much the same. I have had to return THREE Littermaid Automatic kitty Litter boxes and was given nothing but another each time. they all start out working well, and then either die or the motor keeps running. The rake teeth are TOO far apart to get the smaller pieces and if the litter is moved around by the cats, it will not rake that area at all.

Many sleepless nights of getting up to turn the thing off because it keeps running. Now the newest one that we have will not START unless we physically turn it on. I recommend this product to no one! To top it off, if I actually DO call customer Service and get a human, they all act as if I don't know what I am talking about and how much EVERYONE else just loves this machine. Please!

Cindy of Ankeny IA (03/13/07)

After purchasing an older version which worked wonderfully we decided to upgrade to the Litter Maid Mega Elite. It has been nothing but problems from day one. Rake clogged up and would keep running until you cleaned it up. Litter all over the place from it jerking and throwing it everywhere. More litter ends up on the floor under the unit than in the unit as rather than screening the litter it pushes it all to the collection container.

Now it has turned into a very expensive manual litter box as the removable rake has broke and I can not find replacement parts. I want my money back. That would be 149.99 + 7% tax.

Nancy of Beaverton OR (03/09/07)

We bought the Mega Elite. We noticed the rake didn't sift the litter like our older model, but thought 'hey, it's the improved version'. Ha! The most annoying thing is how much litter it wastes, dumping clean litter in the receptacle along with the other -- because the rake doesn't sift like the old one.

Brenda of Manhattan KS (03/06/07)
Purchased a Litter Maid Elite Mega Litter Box LME9250 on December 28, 2006. The small plastic rollers on the rake broke off today. Unit is useless since these rollers are required to lift up the receptacle where the waste goes.

We already had to purchase the electrical plug, since the box does not make it clear that it is located in the styrofoam packing. Unit cost us $130.00 dollars.

Teresa of Palmdale CA (03/06/07)

I am scheduled for surgery in March, was so excited about his new box, as I will need help with the box after my surgery. Right now it is 1:30 am, I woke to the litter box motor, it sounded like the motor was stuck, emptying, recoiling with absolutely no break right back to emptying, and recoiling. I tried to reset the motor by unplugging it, but when the power was turned back on the motor continued to run the same way. I took the box apart thinking maybe one of the cats bumped something, turned it back on and got the same with the motor. There is no reason the thing should be running this way except there seems to be a wheel missing from the side of the rake.

The web site provides no replacement parts, but there is a book I found for $49.95 that is the manual that tells you how to repair it. I have already put $175.00 out for the box and accessories, and will not spend any more money for something THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED WITH THE PRODUCT.

Bob of Wausau WI (03/03/07)

My Littermaid automatic litter box died after six months and I decided to live with my mistake.

Derik of Kansas City MO (02/15/07)

I bought the Littermaid and after a month it stopped working. The rake is stuck at the back where the litter container is and it will not budge.

Vicki of Burnet TX (01/28/07)

I wish I would have read the complaints on the Littermaid Mega Elite cat litter box before I spent $150.00. The R&D guys need to go back to the drawing board on this one. I'm very disappointed...and would never recommend this brand to another cat owner.

Joyce of Princeton, IN (01/28/07)
I bought new littermaid after using an old one for 3 years.  The new one doesn't put all the litter into the disposal unit, the bottom seems warped and doesn't fit properly. After 6 months the unit started making a noise and would not clean and finally quit working.

Company has not responded to either of my letters.

Susan of Hay Springs, NE (01/20/07)
I bought a littermaid elite mega. It worked wonderful for 1 day, then started to jam. We found the problem, it was missing a washer on the wheel that the rake rolls on. Littermaid would not fix it, even though it should be under warranty, because I bought it on ebay.  It was new, in factory sealed box, and the guy sells hundreds of them...he is a supplier, for crying out loud.

We got the box to work again, but within two weeks the motor burned out. The supplier on ebay was nice enough to send us a new one for only $22 shipping and handling. Guess what, after two weeks, the motor has burned out on the new one too. So now we have two big hunks of junk, worth $150 collectively, and neither of them works, and I have a very expensive MANUAL litterbox!

Leslie of Duquesne PA (01/07/07)

I received a LitterMaid Elite; model Lme9500 for my 2 cats, as a birthday gift from someone who knew that I was interested in this item. I am so very sorry that they took the time to purchase this for me. The litter receptacle does not stay in place and the litter just ends up everywhere, the "top" of the box does not sit properly, and therefore does not allow the rake to operate properly, the rake does not "clean" the box. My rake is now broken and I am using this "very expensive" litter box as just an old ordinary "litter box". I will never purchase a product from this company again.

Nikki of Utica, NY (01/04/07)
I purchased a Littermaid automatic litterbox last year. It worked well for about a week, then it started sticking. It would rake the waste about halfway and then it would get stuck, then with a huge jolt it would send the waste flying out of the box and onto the floor.

Although good for some initial amusement, it just made a bigger mess for me.

James of El Paso TX (12/12/06)
I purchased a 500 littermaid for $59.95 and it had been in stock so long it was rusted out. It simply did not work. They (litermaid) replaced it with a LM900 which broke after 2 weeks. The power cord to the rake broke loose. They replaced it with a LM 950. I also purchased a Littermaid mega elite (I got a second cat.) It did not work at all. It hung up and would stop working until reset This was daily and often two or 3 times a day.They replaced it with a newer model saying it has a stronger motor. It worked for about a month and now is the same as the one they replaced. They now refuse to do anything! They need to be taken to court. I have read dozens of complaints about how bad they are. They are all true.

I have spent about $250 for products that have casused me nothing but grief and misery. I have damaged carpet from litter being scattered over the rug.

Patti of Willard OH (12/05/06)
On 11/20/06 I bought a littermaid elite so I wouldn't have to deal with scooping cat mess. It worked until today 12/05/06. Guessing the motor died. I paid $115.00 for this dumb thing and now I am stuck with a box that don't work.

Teresa of Benton City WA (11/14/06)
I purchased the original littermaid automatic cat box 3 years ago. Loved it and recommended it to anyone who would listen. When it died a few months ago, I replaced it with the new improved MEGA5000. Spent over $120.00. It does not work at all. I spend more time unclogging the rake and manually scooping then I ever did before. I can't get any type of response from Littermaid and of course, no longer have the reciept, so I am just out my money. Littermaid would do well to listen to all these complaints and get back to whatever made the original work. I hope no one bought one on my recommendation. I have started telling everyone I know to STEER CLEAR of any product made by Littermaid. May as well have let my cat use my $120.00 as toilet paper.

Spent $120, returned unit to store after a few days thinking it was a fluke. Had to clean it up, find the box and reciept, take another trip into town. Second one just as bad. My money is just gone.

Alex of Oak Park, CA (11/10/06)
My wife and I bought the LME5500 in July of 06 and it stopped working in November of 06. We called Customer Support and they gave us some unintelligible instructions to push a so-called reset button on the power unit. We never found it.

The website and the customer support service were not responsive to calls or search for technical help. After having read others' experience with this product it is logical to conclude that the product is only functional for a few months. The motor unit is not strong enough to carry on for a longer time. Until they fix the defect, the company should be liable for knowingly selling or advertising for a faulty product.

Aaron of Chantilly VA (11/10/06)
My 3rd littermaid just quit on me. This one is a littermaid elite (with the metal rake) and I can say that the original one I bought 5 years ago used a string or cord to operate the raking aparatus. This new littermaid instead has the motor inside the rake which is connected to a metal rod. Both the motor and the rod have plastic gears inside. Another set of plastic gears is at the end of the rod only serve to guide the rake. The internal plastic gears have stripped and now the whole thing is shot. Ive only had this elite for less then 6 months.

Emily of Oil City, PA (09/10/06)
I purchased the Mega LitterMaid in 2004. After only months of use it ceased to operate because the cable that operates the rake snapped off.

Rather than return it and go through the hassle, I decided to purchase another model of LitterMaid. After months of use this one stopped working, as it seems the motor is faulty. I went to the Littermaid site, and they suggested wiping off the censors to activate it, but that technique did not make the product work.

I have spent over $200 on two different models of Littermaid, both of which failed to work after only a few months of operation.

Henry of Sonoma, CA (09/08/06)
Having used two Litter Maids in the past (LM900), I ordered the new LME9000 when the last 900 burned out. The LME9000 must have been designed by a committee of dog lovers who never owned a cat because where the 900 worked so well, the 9000 fails.

1. Primary mission: extract the clumps and place them into the container. 900 was excellent -- 9000 scatters the stuff all over the floor and leves much of it in the litter. 2. IONIC whatever -- a worthless device without any need. The money wasted on building this feature was taken from the quality of everything else. 3. Stick on deoderant pads: they don't stick!  4. Washable comb: who cares? Its path does not get all the clumps, it scatters debris everywhere, and allows stuff to stich to the walls. The 900 was very effective. 5. Baskets: They were easy to replace on the 900. The 9000 insists that you pry the pan away from the chassis in order to secure the basket. Yuck! 6. Support: I called Customer Service to ask for an exchange. Nope, return the 9000 to the retailer -- then order a 900 from your limited inventory.

Littermaid - Fire your new product managers, they failed to see what cats need. 

Ras of Houston ,TX (08/17/06)
We purchased the self-cleaning litter box model LM500-LM950 for over $200 a year ago. It has been the most labor intensive device ever. The clumping of the litter is mud, it takes a putty knife on a daily basis to unplug the rake and the 30 minutes a day I spend on it is absurd.

What a waste of money and time I've spent to accommodate what I thought would be a healthier way to survive my feline children. I positively do not recommend this litter box or the litter.

Tristine of Orangevale, CA (08/14/06)
The littermaid elite mega that I purchased for $200+ at a local PetSmart has been non-operational for over a month. On July 3, 2006 my littermaid stopped working when the wheel that pulls the rake across the box sheared off completely. Customer service said to remove and return the circuit board to littermaid and a new unit would be shipped to me upon receipt.  I sent the board on July the 10th and it was received (according to the tracking records) on July 14th...here it is August 14, 2006 and I still have no littermaid elite mega.

I called after ten days and was told that the issue was documented and that we were slated to receive a new unit, but it was backordered. Fine. How long? No one would say...not a customer service rep and not a manager. So here I sit with Kitty poop in a non operational $200+ littermaid.

Basically, the poop in the box is more impressive than the customer service I have received thus far.

Debony of Union NJ (06/28/06)
I bought a Littermaid Electronic Litterbox 1 year ago. I never had any problems with it. Ever. I went to work one night, and I received a call from my boyfriend telling me to come home right away because there had been a fire in the apartment. I came home and my apartment was completly on fire. Flames and smoke billowing from my kitchen. Once the flames were out, the fire inspector took us on a walk through of the apartment. He pointed at the corner of the kitchen where my Littermaid used to be, and stated with absolute certainty that the electronic litter box was to blame. My cat was pulled out of the apartment foaming at the mouth from smoke inhalation. He had o be revived by my boyfriend.

I have lost my apartment, and many of the things that I own and hold dear. My kitchen is a complete loss. I have no dishes, everything I own is covered in a thick black soot. My furniture is ruined.

Kristi of Weldona CO (04/27/06)
I originally purchased the LitterMaid Plus (about 12-18 months ago) because I was pregnant and was told that I was to avoid contact with cat boxes. The unit worked o.k. when the rake did not get stuck mid-way or the litter did not clump onto the rake. However this morning (approx. 12-18 months later)I noticed that the rake was frozen in place above the recepticle. The reason being was that the wire that pulls the rake back and forth had gotten wrapped around two of the teeth.

I gently tried to unwrap the wire from around the teeth and without much force the wire broke. I called the customer service number to find out about a replacement part and was told I would have to buy a new unit. It could be a good product IF Applica would address some of the common annoying problems that many others also seem to have. I am not spending another $90-100 for something that only lasts a year and a half + $15 for 12 recepticles every few months. I think it is really crappy that Applica is, more than likely, aware of the same problem others have with their product and not even offer replacement parts for your product or respond to your concerns with little more than a generic automated email response.

Neal of Hiram GA (04/14/06)
I have two Littermaid units. One unit has not worked since the day I purchased it and I have unfortunately lost the sales receipt. Are there replacement electronic parts available for these units? My other unit has worked flawlessly until two weeks ago. Somehow the cable for the motorized rake got wrapped around two of the rake fingers and was pulled too far. This broke the wires in the cable and the spring inside the unit that pulls the wire back in. I was able to salvage some of the spring and splice the wires and successfully repaired the unit. The timer board is WAY over designed though for what it does.

Dave of Barksdale Afb LA (03/31/06)
I purchased a Littermaid Plus from Walmart a couple of months ago and now it refuses to work. It locks in the full forward position and will not reset by turning the power off then on again.Being a mechanic and tinkerer, I took the thing apart. I noticed that the switches and motor inside the rake mechanism were severely corroded and beyond repair. I will never purchase a similiar product in the future.

Colin of Surrey UK (03/12/06)
Cleaning up my storage locker I came across my 2 LitterMaid units which had been gathering dust. Reading the previous comments I realized it would be unkind to foist them on friends. I see I'm not the only one who had to continually clean caked lumps of litter from the rake. After trying various clumping litters for over 2 months I came to my senses and went back to manual scooping which was less time consuming. An overhyped and ineffective product.

Ssg Howard of New Bern NC (12/23/05)
I purchased a litter box from this company before deploying to IRAQ. Two weeks later it did not work. My family returned it to Wal-Mart to ease the pain of going through the company. A migraine later, WALMART allowed them to exchange it for a new one exactly like the first. Less than a week later that one stopped working also! Needless to say I am more than a little upset. Since returning home I have called and written numerous letters and as of yet gotten no response. Not to mention the units are more than $100.00 each. 

Marla of Buford GA (12/20/05)
Less than a year and half ago we purchased a Littermaid self-cleaning cat litter box. The rake stopped in the middle of the box and the gears inside the motor compartment started to spin. We contacted Applica Consumer Products to get the two gears that are spinning and they said that they don't sell parts. Also, they said that at the Petsmart I purchased the machine from had it on the shelf for over fours years before I purchased it. It was out of warranty before I purchased the machine. I feel that if I would have known up front with labeling on the box that you can't purchase parts I would not have bought this item.

Mike of Canton MI (11/20/05)
I bought a LitterMaid Mega cat litter and after about 1 1/2 months, the motor burnt out, and it didn't work. Returned to PetSmart where they happily exchanged the unit. Took the replacement home, and after about 4 hours of use, the rake got stuck in the forward position, and wouldn't retract.

Sandra of Jacksonville FL (10/27/05)
I have had to replace this product every year. They always malfunction right after the one year warranty runs out. This one, being my 4th... has quit resetting its sensors and has started scooping while another cat is in the box.

My cats are refusing to do their business in the box now.

Sally of Quarryville PA (09/16/05)
The original Littermaid which we had for almost 4 years with three Siamese cats using several times a day worked beautifully! No jamming, no problems at all. When that one wore out we bought the new "IMPROVED" MEGA Littermaid. After about a week in use we noticed that we were up and down 5 times a night unjamming the rake. A week after that the motor died. WHAT a hassle getting any satisifaction from anyone, so we had to clean it out and return it to the store where it was purchased. None in stock! Went to another store and bought another. We have had this one now for about 2 month ands it is doing the SAME thing! You know what, at $160 it is worth it to scoop your own! In this case, improved does NOT mean better!

Janet of Isanti MN (07/14/05)
I purchased a litter Maid Mega LM920 in May, 2005 2 months later it stuck in the storage position and made clicking sounds, and would not move forward anymore. I purchased a new one then, and 2 weeks later, it will not work at all. I tried turning it on/off, wiping off the sensors - still - nothing! I know it has power-the red indicator light is lit. BUT IT WILL NOT MOVE! I am totally disgusted with these things.

James of Oro Valley AZ (07/03/05)
Product is a very expensive ripoff with huge sales because public doesn't know how badly it is engineered. Supposedly when your cat leaves his waste in the litter, a rake automatically scoops the clump of litter 10 minutes after the cat exits the box. The litter is dumped into a tray that closes once the rake retracts. Littermaid claims this sequence works as advertised as long as high quality clumping litter is used. This is utterly and patently false.

No matter what quality litter is used, what usually happens is the rake jams against the clump of litter, because the clump sticks to the floor of the box. Then the rake gets gooed up in the clay litter clump, rendering it fairly useless for later activations.

The problem with the design is threefold:

1. The box is not deep enough to hold enough litter to prevent the waste from sticking to the floor of the box.
2. The clumps of litter then stick to the floor of the box, and
3. The rake jams against the clumps repeatedly, sometimes dislodging them, usually not.

The rake then becomes stopped up with the mess, which creates a worse and worse mess with each subsequent activation. I paid $150 for a deeply flawed product. What's worse is Littermaid's antagonistic and aggressively offensive customer service department. Calling them leads to nothing but stonewalling on returning the product, admitting to the defective nature of the product, or getting money refunded.

These products are displayed in nearly every major pet store and variety store, from Wal-Mart to PetSmart and all in between, as the answer to a cat owner's prayers. And for pregnant women who are warned against even getting near cat litter waste due to the dangers involved to the unborn child, this product is especially enticing, which would explain why one would pay $150 for a litter box! The Littermaid as a very lucrative and heavily promoted scam.

Christy of Matthews NC (06/21/05)
Littermaid overflows waste onto my floor! I purchased a Littermaid Mega about 2 years ago and it basically worked fine, except for the fact that if you did not empty the receptacle in time it would overflow all over the floor. I heard of a product by a company called litterworks.com in Cat Fancy magazine that claims to solve this and am thinking of trying it out.

The product basically worked as advertised, but the supposed benefit of having a more sanitary system was not to be achieved, and certainly not will less work than a manual litter box!

Amy of Scottsboro AL (05/23/05)
I purchased a LitterMaid system about two years ago and it has been a good product until the plastic guides on both sides broke. I contacted the company to see if I could get replacement parts and they told me that the parts were internal parts and could not be replaced. The funny thing is that I was able to get to the part without taking anything off of the LitterMaid unit.

Not to mention, the customer service was not nice at all. All they could offer was a discount on another unit. Are you kidding? I told them that I had read about other complaints with this part and they said they had not had any problems with those parts. I refuse to buy another LitterMaid because of the customer service. I will use the LitterMaid for parts for my Mom's LitterMaid (the rake broke on her LitterMaid). Also, there are other units available such as the Litter-Robot.

Alan of Ft. Lauderdale FL (05/01/05)
Used automatic litter box to handle one small cat. Worked for perhaps 60 cycles before useless roller guide on motor arn snspped off (extremely poor design) I machined new end plates and rollers out of aluminum. Once installed machine worked for 10 more cycles before timer circuit broke. Machine must now be worked manually by using on off switch. One solution for timer would be to attach a timer used to turn lamps on and off. Cycle would not be cat dependant but it would automate cycling to some degree. All in all a very unimpressive product as far as durability.

Tiffany of Baton Rouge LA (04/16/05)
At the end of Feb. I bought the $90 Littermaid from Wal mart. On March 12th it broke. I called the company and they sent me a replacement (with at ten dollar s&h charge)I set the new one up on March 31st. And this morning it broke again, same problem. The rake sticks in the dumping position. I called the company again. And for another ten dollars they will replace it... That makes a total of $120.00 and I've gotten less than 5 weeks use out of it. Is this the quality of merchandise that Wal Mart endorses?

So far it has cost me $120 Plus I've had to buy a regular litter box for the time I spend waiting for replacements (about two weeks)

Then there's Tony, who managed to find a way to work a lawyer slur into his otherwise inoffensive rant.

Tony of Hollywood FL (9/10/03):
It never worked and ended up jammed in the up position after I emptied it out and cleaned out all the waste product stuck all over it. When I turned it on it ran to the empty position and stayed there and died.

I wasted my time and $149.00 to buy junk that everyone who bought one knows does not work. It is legal in the US to sell junk like this and the idea sounded good. By the way I have just as much faith in your attorneys as I do this litter box. If they had a clue or any real juice this product would not be on the market. This one is now in the garbage where it belongs.

Nice talking with you too, Tony. If you're so smart, how come you're the one scraping out litter boxes?

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