Ralph's Vacuum & Sewing Center

HONEST. Recently I accidently vacuumed up one of my daughter's legos. The roller on the vacuum stopped spinning. The vacuum was about a year old and is one of those over engineered Hoover vacuums which has ton of buttons and releases. In the past, every time I turned on the vacuum the roller automatically started, so after I vacuumed up the lego and the roller stopped, I assumed the roller was broken. I called another vacuum repair shop first and they told me they would charge me $129 just to take a look at the vaccum. It's only a $200 vacuum, so I considered throwing it away. Since Ralph's was near my work, I figured I give them a try. When I called, they said to bring in the vacuum and they'd take a look. When I got there they plugged in the vacuum right in front of me. The man working there took one look at the vacuum and pointed out that I needed to push the "roller start" button that was off to the side. Then it worked. He could have easily asked me to leave the vacuum and then charged me $100+ to have "fixed" it. I felt so stupid in front of the two workers. The man made a joke, so I wouldn't feel bad. This is the only place I'll ever take my vacuum in the future to get repaired. Thank you!

A knowledgeable young women diagnosed the problem with my Miele vacuum cleaner wand. Worn out after 15 years. Had the part in stock which costs $5 more than it would have on Amazon. In person analysis was worth it. The reviewer who complained about the dog - it is a very ancient and adorable chihuahua!! Maybe weighs 5 pounds!!

Yelp asked me to make a review, so here I am.

I haven't been in the store in quite a few years due to both visits being pretty negative:

My vacuum would intermittently lose power. I brought it to Ralph's for repair. Their repair didn't last very long (just weeks). I took it upon myself to fix it, sourcing parts on ebay. The repair I did has lasted for many years, the problem was pretty obvious and relatively easy to fix once I took it apart.

Another time I was in there, the owner's small dog was roaming the store and aggressively barking at me and other customers such that felt uncomfortable enough to leave within a minute or so.

My mother's Electrolux cannister vacuum cleaner stopped working a few days ago. Well, it is probably 30 years old so it is not unexpected. She loves her Electrolux (more than her children/grandchildren) so she wanted to see if Ralph's could fix it. George, who use to have his own store in Menlo Park but now works at Ralph's, greeted us when we came in and shared the somber news: The Electrolux was a goner. Dead motor, so old that parts would be hard to get and offered to 'get rid of it for us' So, on to the replacement: George was very helpful in recommending various vacuums for my mother's specific requests. Couldn't be too heavy; had to be great on floors, carpet and carpeted stairs. Within 30 minutes, we walked out the door with a shiny red Miele. Great experience and so refreshing to deal with a 'mom and pop' store vs Amazon or the big box stores.

Good thing there's still a Ralph's in town. It's one of those age-old places that HAS to exist for us sewers (and others!). Good, old-fashioned service and quality care.

I absolutely love this place. I have purchased quite a few vacuums from them over the years. They have great and honest service.

I just had my vacuum repaired at Ralph's. What a pleasant experience. I highly recommend this business. My vacuum was fixed quickly for a very reasonable price. Ralph carried my vacuum out to my car even after I said it wasn't necessary.

Ralph is a professional. He took a look at our dyson, took a picture of the serial number and sent it to us for verification upon return. He totally cleaned our vacuum and replaced the filter.
It took him a few days to take care of our vacuum and then it was back at our house.
Will definitely use him again for maintenance.
Thank you Ralph!

I first called on the phone and the guy who answered took his time answering my questions ... simply said ... he was great.

A few days later I took our Hoover Wind-tunnel vacuum cleaner into the store. Although obviously busy one of the guys cheerfully took my vacuum cleaner into the back of the shop. As on the phone he told me it could be a broken part (no longer made or available) or just clogged up. I lucked out as it was just clogged up. He also advised me that he replaced the stretched out belt.

As he rang up the charges I was envisioning a cost of up to $40 bucks. Well ... the total charge was way below that and extremely reasonable. To my thinking they are very honest. Upon returning home the vacuum cleaner ran like it has not run in years. Acted like a new one!

This place is like a Mom and Pop store from way back in the day. I had such a good experience.

I so encourage you to give them your business. I was told they will be moving out to the Woodside Shopping Center on Woodside Road sometime in the near future. So be sure where they are located prior to making a visit.

I can't think of anywhere that we've received better information and an understanding of various products in order to make a smart decision for our next vacuum purchase. Thought we had done our homework on one vacuum model, but quickly realized by speaking with Ralph that there was a different, newer brand that would best serve our needs. We have pets, wool rugs and hardwood floors. After a great demo and education of the vacuum, we purchased a SEBO canister vacuum and am excited to recommend it to everyone! It is lightweight, durable, swivels magically and most of all, the control knob is on the wand so you don't have to bend down constantly, which really gets my lower back. So, even if you think you know what you want to purchase, Ralph's is a great place to go to open your eyes to something else that might be better for you to consider. They are all nice, super helpful and really want to have you leave with the right purchase for your needs. Go to Ralph's!!!

We had an issue with not much suction in our central vacuum system, which based on an old sticker on the device had been serviced or installed by Ralph's back years ago when Redwood City was in the 415 area code.
Ralph called back after I left a message and suggested we turn on the vacuum manually, check the system's exhaust and then walk around the house listening for noises. Five minute later we heard a whistle and found a leak where the pipe met the floorboard - an easy fix.
This is a business that is really (potential) customer first. No pressure for a service call, or replacing the system. Just 2 great tips that helped us solve the problem.
They will be our first - and likely only - stop if we ever need service on our Beam central vac, want to get a regular vacuum cleaner, fix our sewing machine or buy a new one.