iRobot is pausing its Roomba subscription service due to its up-to-date CEO

iRobot has ended its robot vacuum cleaner subscription service Choose iRobot, which will get you a high-end Roomba for a lower upfront price. But in addition to free replacement parts and accessories and the option to upgrade every three years, the program also allowed iRobot to remotely turn off the vacuum cleaner if you stopped paying.

iRobot Select launched in 2021 with the j7 Plus Roomba, offering subscribers of this robot with a sleek, auto-draining station. According to a statement from iRobot delivered to TechHivethe company suspended up-to-date subscriptions as part of organizational restructuring. While you can no longer sign up for the service, existing subscribers will retain their benefits for now.

Thanks to regular Roombas sales, iRobot Select plan value today was lukewarm at best. At launch, iRobot Select cost $29 per month and a $99 activation fee for the vacuum cleaner, which cost $850 to purchase. However, the activation fee eventually increased to $199, while Roomba prices dropped. And although iRobot introduced a fixed two-year plan with a lower fee, it worked severe penalties if you have tried to jump bail before.

According to iRobot, all current indefinite plan subscribers are moving to the monthly plan at the end of their term. It’s unclear what will happen to these customers’ vacuum cleaners if the company discontinues the program altogether. Let’s hope iRobot doesn’t just contact them and deactivate them.

The move comes on the heels of iRobot’s announcement of a up-to-date CEO, Gary Cohen, who will lead a company in financial trouble after a failed purchase attempt by Amazon and layoffs that affected more than 350 employees. Cohen, an executive with experience turning around troubled companies, worked at Timex, Energizer and Playtex after nearly two decades at Gillette. He has a substantial mess to pristine up at the company. Although iRobot was one of the first manufacturers of vacuum robots, its dominant market share has declined due to competitive pressure from Chinese manufacturers, which produce dozens of up-to-date robots every month.