Strange!
The vacuum repair store here in Ithaca raves about Miele's and how rare it is to ever see one come in for work.
I got one of the cheaper Meile vacuum cleaners (just over $200, IIRC) and I just love it. And I've had mine for over two years now and it is still working great--and working well.
It is a canister vac, though, and doesn't have a power brush on the head or anything, so it is a bit of work to vacuum shag carpet. We have a Kenmore upright for that, but I don't like it, and something is broken in it now and it the smell of burning oil is emmanating from it whenever I use it. So I will have to repair or replace it soon. Or just stick with the Meile. A little elbow grease is no big deal--it still works good on shag carpet in my experience; it's just a lot more work than a power head upright.
All of that said, I will readily admit that I didn't do any research before buying the Meile, and the Kenmore was a Christmas gift, so I am not very informed about the options that are out there. All I do know is that I have been very happy with my Meile for $200. Everything about it is high quality and well designed, IMO. It feels like a quality piece of equipment to me. And it has a powerful motor in it--that much is for sure. My wife feels that it is a bit too heavy, though. Especially for stairs.
FWIW.