Thursday, May 10, 2012

It really sucks: A Kirby vacuum salesperson's story

As an HR major (update: former HR major - ed.) and generally distrustful person, I have learned over time how to recognize bogus job opportunities. The rule of thumb is, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Work from home scams are notorious for this and usually the easiest to spot. Maybe it's the cynic in me, but anything promising a large payoff for minimal effort just makes me roll my eyes. Sure, in a perfect world we could make a thousand bucks a month by working a couple hours a day. And in said perfect world beer would be good for us and animals would shit diamonds instead of scented land mines. I can happily say I've never fallen for a work from home scam, but I did fall for something just as bad, if not worse. For three days I was a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesperson.

For those fortunate enough never to have encountered this bastion of corporate evil, here's a little background. Kirby is a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and home cleaning accessories, based out of Cleveland, Ohio, with dealers in several countries. The product itself is decent. The vacuum is built solid (albeit heavy as fuck and looks like it should come with a flame-thrower attachment) and really does everything it's touted to do, everything from carpets and staircases, upholstery, mattresses, and wiping your ass for you. Wait, scratch that last one, but with a price tag in the range of two grand and half a kidney, it really fucking should.

Also it should be powerful enough to suck up even the most onerous of ghosts.

I should clarify at this point that the sales of Kirby vacuum cleaners are done through independent dealerships and not directly through the Kirby company, and thus the following rant really has nothing to do with the company itself. But someone had to authorize these numpties to besmirch the Kirby name with their fuckery, so my criticism still stands. And man oh man, do these guys ever make with the fuckery. Their sales pitches are nothing short of notorious. There have been countless articles and rants on consumer advocacy sites and blogs about the pushy and unethical practices of Kirby salespeople, but there is also a plethora of evidence that those who get sucked into the job end up just as burned as those on the receiving end of their pitches. Having met a few of these hapless suckers I can attest that many of them are indeed professional-grade douchebags, but even as heartless as I can be when someone wakes me before noon for something that doesn't involve bacon I always empathize in the end with anyone who is led down the proverbial rabbit hole employment-wise. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enticed by the carrot of treachery more than once, but at least I wasn't alone.

The year was 2006. That was a rather trying year for me as it was, compounded in no small part by my roommate's chronic job-hopping, not to mention she had begun leeching off my already meager income long before that. Since neither threats nor the not-at-all passive-aggressive practice of leaving underwear in the kitchen curbed the bitchcraft, I had to step it up. So when my insufferable job at the auto parts store finally crapped out, I decided to cowgirl up and find another, hopefully more lucrative employment opportunity. Looking through the classifieds one day, I found an ad seeking persons for "demonstrations of home care products". It promised $500 a week plus bonuses and gave a phone number. What the hell, I figured. If it's bullshit I don't ever have to talk to them again. I called, and the man who answered, presumably the owner, gave me directions to his office and told me to stop by to pick up an application. It was right up the road from my apartment, so off I went.

After what happened when I arrived, I should have turned right around and walked back out, but I'm not known for making good decisions. A sign on the front office door read "Please use side entrance." I did just that. It's important to show a potential employer that you know how to follow directions, you know. I walked into a large room, empty save for a circle of folding chairs and a monstrous-looking vacuum cleaner. There was no one there so I sat down in a chair near the door to the front office and waited. After a few minutes people flooded into the room, all young college types save for a large, red-faced man.

"Hey, who the hell's that?" he barked when he saw me. "She's not with us."

I awkwardly explained that I was there to apply for a job, at which he brusquely whisked me into the front office area. When I finally sat down in front of a (I thought) normal person, he thrust a short application in front of my face and asked me a few questions. Are you a student, are you currently employed, yada yada yada. There was no mention of drug testing, background check, proof of eligibility to work in the U.S., my first-born child, or any of the usual stuff one must fork over for even a passing chance of procuring employment. That didn't raise any flags for me then as it might now, but the fact that he told me to show up at 9 the following morning for training should have.

Like many of the stupid things I do, I went to the training the next day because I had nothing better to do. There were maybe nine people in attendance, all of them around my age. When I saw all the shit lying around emblazoned with the Kirby logo I started to feel uneasy. This felt more like the set of an infomercial than a training session, and once the session actually got underway this feeling only intensified. At least the fat bastard who was so rude to me the previous day wasn't the one giving the presentation. This guy, a "senior sales manager", was young, good-looking, and energetic, decked out in crisp grey khakis and a polo shirt and bantering with the other trainees. He actually reminded me of the door-to-door salesman from Pee-Wee's Playhouse. And while there was no door handy at the time to slam on his dick, this comparison is made all that much funnier with what I would experience later.

The training kicked off with what I dubbed "Kirby salespeople are better than YOU". We were shown a video that was not at all propaganda-like, outlining the company's history, the product and its millions of "satisfied owners", and the OMG FUCKING SWEET perks of being a Kirby salesperson, including company-paid trips to Hawaii and other tropical locales in exchange for exemplary sales numbers, which would be easy to achieve because this machine is the awesomest awesome that ever awesomed and sells itself. I was already beyond disgusted but we were told there'd be pizza for lunch, so I stuck around.

After the satisfactory pizza lunch, incidentally the best part of the day, the second part of the training began. This entailed learning the ins and outs of the vacuum. Mr. Sales Puppet Guy demonstrated briefly how to assemble the machine, assuring us we'd be thoroughly trained in this task before our first real demonstration, and then it was the machine's time to shine. This involved baking soda, a special filter attachment with a clear plastic window and about 50 or 60 "dirt pads", little black paper things that resembled coffee filters, and one of about two dozen old, non-Kirby vacuum cleaners; trade-ins from past customers, he said. He poured the baking soda all over the floor and ran the old vacuum a dozen or so times over a small area of carpet. He then went over the same patch of carpet with the Kirby complete with filter attachment, and then pulled the filter, which was encrusted with filth and baking soda. He repeated this about ten more times, presenting us with filters that were still disgusting but slightly less so with each pass.

As an aside, I should mention at this point that I'm one of those people for whom even normal innocuous actions become about 145% more awkward when performed in front of an audience. As such, it goes without saying I was already wary of this job, since it is implied I would have to do exactly what he is doing in front of complete strangers who are likely already contemplating shoving a spork in my eye socket, not least of all because I'm sprinkling shit on their floor. Mr. Sales Puppet assuaged my fears, however, when he explained this demonstration was to show the customer just how filthy their carpet really was, how shitty their old vacuum was, and what disgusting pieces of lowlife trash they were for wallowing in such filth voluntarily. "100% of the time," he emphasized, "when I show people this and they have an infant crawling around on the floor, they immediately grab the kid." Probably because they're preparing to flee the house and run for the fucking hills, I thought.
 
Above: More hygienic than your living room carpet. You negligent bastard. 

It went on like this, with demonstrations of the shampooer and upholstery attachment and a heaping helping of even more dick-wagging about this miracle machine that would put us all on the fast track to BIG MONEY.

Or at least it damn well better. As mentioned before, the machines cost upwards of $2,000, and since purchases are financed through the dealership the interest rates are no doubt through the roof, jacking up the price tag closer to $3,000 when all is said and done. And the timing for such things could not be worse. Even back then the face of a global recession loomed large and, among other things, homes were (and still are) being foreclosed on right and left. So it makes sense to follow that few people would fork over that kind of scratch for a vacuum cleaner when so many are struggling just to keep their homes; keeping them dirt-free was probably a back burner issue.

Enter Kirby. Being the bastardly shitfucks that they are, the subject of widespread financial hardship and its consequent influence on sales was not even mentioned once. What was, however, was that people always appreciate a quality product, even if the astronomical price of said product ensures they would be living on cream of cud and ramen (eww ramen) for years. As if anticipating this concern, it was explained to us that our "sales territories" were carefully chosen. This was a nice way of saying that the canvassers, whose sole duty was to find victims potential customers, did so through extensive research on various areas of town; that is, they drove around looking for the neighborhoods with the nicest and most expensive-looking houses. These people seem to be doing pretty well for themselves, they can surely drop three grand on a vacuum cleaner. Trailer parks, apartment complexes, et al. were avoided. These people obviously suck at life. They probably shit in the yard and drink out of the toilet, so how the fuck could they possibly afford something as sublimely awesome as the KIRBY? I understood the logic behind this (since I too shit in the yard and drink out of the toilet) but couldn't help being offended.

Day two was more of the same. I think the only reason I went back, knowing full-well I wouldn't do this shit, was to see how utterly ridiculous they could get. They did not disappoint. Each of us were given ample opportunity to get a feel for assembling and disassembling the contraption, and we were made privy to warranty information and other paperwork to give to customers. We were then briefed on how our demonstrations were to go down. We were to do fifteen presentations per week; ideally three per day. They were to last no less than 90 minutes and we had to use no fewer than 30 of the dirt pads or the demos did not count. In other words we would not get paid for them. At least the canvassers had already set up appointments with customers so they knew we were coming, though this did little to alleviate my unease.

Day three was SHOWTIME. Mr. Sales Puppet was there, as was Fat Bastard, the gent who greeted me with such austerity at the beginning of this diatribe. We were also met with half a dozen new faces, the canvassers who were kind enough to set up our appointments for us; ambitious young go-getters who happily peddled vacuums to get to their current lofty station in life, or so they claimed when each of them got an opportunity to speak. To hear them talk this was a place to find a stable future. I took it with a 25 lb. grain of salt. Everyone knows salespeople are professional assholes, the type who would endorse sweet-talking elderly people out of their pensions for fun and profit. I felt what was surely the annihilation of the last vestiges of my mortal soul during the rundown of the previous week's sales figures, which were good but we can do better! To wrap things up we were led in a special Kirby cheer, not unlike the notorious Wal-Mart Cheer, only none of us newbies had fucking learned it.

This was all well and good, but the best part came when we prepared to set out for our "territories". The canvassers/sales veterans we would be shadowing on our first day snagged up the piles of demo machines lined along the back wall, with Fat Bastard not far behind to motivate them, and us, to victory. And by motivate I mean he screamed, "Go go go fucking go. God damn fucking shit bastard, there aren't enough shampoo attachments. Motherfucker. Don't just stand there fuckers, MOVE." I only wish I were exaggerating. He really did give me a run for my money in terms of frequency and creativity of his profanity and capacity for childish tantrums.

Once the debacle was settled, which I assume was accomplished by pistol-whipping last week's lowest seller, we were all herded into several minivans. They were all older vehicles and I'm not sure if they were all completely rancid, but the one I was crammed into certainly was. It smelled like ass and stale cigarettes, no doubt due to being used to haul around vacuums that had sucked up detritus from countless different homes. At least we were allowed to smoke inside, unlike most company vehicles.

On the way to our territory the wizened vets regaled us with tales of how they got to their esteemed positions, as well as some last-minute tips. Be sure to mention bedbugs when you clean the mattress; that always freaks people out. A little spiel about air quality doesn't hurt either. Speaking of air quality, I was dying. Fortunately we'd arrived at the neighborhood. The van slowed and the girl sitting in the front passenger seat started rummaging through a Wal-mart bag at her feet. She then fled the van like it was on fire and raced to the nearest house. The driver explained that each potential customer was given a free gift just for agreeing to view the demonstration. No one asked because I'm sure not a single shit was given anymore at this point, but the question remained: what the fuck happened to those "pre-arranged appointments"? I suppose this technically counted as such, since we were not yet inside and the sales pitch had not officially begun, only now we had the added bonus that whoever did eventually take the bait would be freshly pissed off by the time we got in there.

We watched as the girl stood on the front step and someone answered the door. She spoke briefly and darted forward just as the door was slammed in her face. Just like the Sales Puppet from Pee-Wee's Playhouse. I smiled. Sometimes it really does all come out in the wash.

We saw this happen three more times, one which resulted in the girl limping back to the van because she'd tried to stick her foot in the door as it was slammed shut, before someone finally let her in. She came scrambling back to the van, and the driver was barking, "We're in, go, go, go!" It felt like an elaborate bank heist. One of the other guys jumped out to help the girl unload one of the vacuums from the back of the van. I was shoved out onto the street and told to accompany her while she did her demo. Fine by me. I had a lungful of ass particles, it couldn't possibly get any worse.

The person who finally took pity on our intrepid door-knocking heroine was a young woman in her early twenties. She was home alone with a small child. I couldn't help thinking this was probably some ideal scenario to these fucking maniacs. I didn't have to do anything aside from observe and learn, but I still didn't do it, at least not in the way they intended. I watched the customer intently. She made only the barest of effort to be engaged, nodding and uttering the occasional "mm-hmm", and her facial expression screamed "kill me now". I could relate.

Surprisingly, I found I felt for the girl I was shadowing as well. It was obvious she hated this shit and felt as ridiculous as she looked, vacuuming up baking soda and placing rows and rows of little black coffee filters all over some stranger's floor. I realized that even as douchey as some of the sales veterans were, at least a few of them possessed a trait that perhaps ensured they'd never find true success in the realm of sales: they empathized with the customer. They knew they were annoying. They knew most customers were just humoring them. But like the stripper putting herself through college with g-string stuffin's, they soldiered on, knowing in their heart something better had to be around the corner. I never spoke to any of these people again, but I've since learned the nature of such jobs and I know they didn't stick around. I imagine even the gungho die-hards saw the light eventually. At least I hope so. Hell will be pretty full soon if not.

I accompanied my mentor to one other demo that day, in the home of an elderly lady who was the sole caretaker of her disabled thirtysomething daughter. Neither of us wanted to be there. The lady even told us that she wasn't in a position to buy, but would watch the demo anyway. I wanted to shoot myself. And apparently so did my companion, because fifteen minutes into the demo she cut it short and apologized profusely to the lady for wasting her time. Unfortunately we had to stay put because the van was still circling the neighborhood in search of new marks. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if they'd leave us stranded or worse if they found out we aborted the demo, but as far as I'm concerned that was a need-to-know basis, and seeing as we would likely slip up at some point during the demo and end up not getting paid for it anyway as a result, they probably did not need to know.

Thankfully they showed up about an hour later, and we left. I told them I had to duck out early to get to class, which they reluctantly allowed. For once I actually was telling the truth in order to get out of something, and thank God for that, seeing as I probably earned myself a lifetime pass to the seventh circle of Hell with this ill-fated endeavor.

I would later learn from various eyewitness accounts and blog entries that the company not only advocated but expected its salespeople to stay out well past dark to meet their quota of 3 presentations a day. There is also no shortage of stories from customers who, after enduring insufferable four-hour-long sales pitches, genuinely feared for the mental well-being of Kirby salespeople who broke down in tears in their homes, claiming their bosses would kill them if they didn't make at least one sale. On the flip, other accounts tell of the asswipes who just straight up go for the jugular and say that a vacation to Hawaii is on the line.

After riding in those trifling ass vans, a visit to the Electric Needle Room will probably be first on the itinerary.

I never got paid for my three days of "work". I really don't care. It was not for me, and that's okay. I'm not going to rule out that there are individuals out there who would have found nothing at all untoward about anything I witnessed during those three days. I'm also pretty sure those people can be found here, helpfully detailing their fast food orders for future reference for every other loser just like me who just didn't have the chutzpah to hawk overpriced vacuum cleaners. But if anything this experience taught me that these dickholes are very much in the minority. There are far more accounts from other individuals who also bore witness to dubious hiring practices and scummy sales tactics and wisely walked away. In short, if a Kirby salesperson comes knocking at your door, there is a very good chance they'd rather be anywhere but there at that moment. If this is not the case, however, you should know that you are obligated by law to set them on fire.

119 comments:

  1. You are an awesome writer. That was the most entertaining review I have ever read!

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    1. Biggest load of bollocks you mean. Not a single word of that reflects what a real Kirby salesman does. I was one for 5 years, never went door knocking, alays had pre made appointments. YES several paid for holidays were taken.

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    2. Whatever, anon. Her story is completely inline with dozens upon dozens of other stories that you can find in just a few seconds online. If you were making six figures like some people are claiming, you would still be doing it, and you wouldn't be posting on a blog at nearly 4am on Christmas.

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    3. +1 for brant...and +2 for Josh Parker...excellent read, very entertaining.. one of my ex-girlfriends had an uncle who was an ex-con that sold these things..I dropped him off at a "demo" one day when I was 17. I could tell that there was no way the person in the house I left him at was in any shape to drop 2 grand on a vacuum. The whole thing felt very sketchy.

      A few years later I responded to the same "$500 Per week" Ad in the paper and had a very similar experience. Showed up at a sketchy office building with a sign on the front door instructing me to use the side door. Had a quick meeting with a guy with a prison tattoo on his neck and another on his hand who offered me the "job" after asking me 3 or 4 useless questions. After the interview I took a look around his "office" and subjected the whole thing to the notion of "If it sounds too good to be true, it is". Never went in the next day for training and, shockingly enough, never heard from the "hiring manager" who was so eager to bring me on board the day before.

      Anyways, very funny article, certainly a good read. Keep it up :)

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    4. I just quit after two weeks with these evil corporate zombies and my tale is eerily similar to Katts.
      I live in Australia and they wanted me to sell to the elderly and unemployed stoners for......$3487 that is not a typo. I managed to sell three in two weeks and I made all of $175. They are Running an illegal pyramid scheme through a loophole and the pattern seems to be the same all over the world. But here's the thing, The Kirby is actually a very good product but the 500% plus mark up is insanity. The RRP is about $1300 (That's what's under the sticker that we are not allowed to remove) so even the factory recommend the price should be about the same as a lot of other high end machines. But their archaic business model from the 1940's is a joke. why not operate like the legitimate business they claim to be and open an actual showroom and sell them at an affordable price?, They would get many more sales improve their reputation and still be rolling in the billions of dollars they claim to make.
      For two weeks I did my absolute best to make a go of it and worked 12 to 15 hour days 6 days a week and now I am so pissed about it I want to follow them around when they knock on doors with a loudspeaker and try to deprogram the cult mentality that they create in the poor people that get trapped in this barely legal Ponzi scheme.
      Great article by the way, it's comforting to know that I wasn't the only one sucked in
      Cheers

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    5. I never heard of this vacuum or company. But this morning I was in my yard and here come two dingbat girls high on something practically begging to give me a demonstration. After 10 minutes of telling them I have no need for a vacuum, I agreed and 15 minutes comes this white van. For 3 hours this "boy" went on and on. I was totally fascinated that, no matter what I told him, he kept going..and going...and going. Then he's on his smartphone speakerphone having me explain to the call center why I'm not interested. I told them I wouldn't even buy it for $100. Poor guy though, was assigned to do this, even though the two girls knew from the beginning I had ZERO interest. Apparently the girls get paid no matter what...whereas he has to sell the product to get paid. Very sad. What a waste of time for everybody involved.

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    6. What a group of losers. I started as a salesman & worked up to a factory distributor.
      I have been with Kirby over 40 years. I put 3 kids through private schools, bought a home 4 blocks from the Indiana governor's mansion. I've since moved to Florida with a home on a lake. After the 1st couple of years I was bringing home a six figure income (A lot more income than 2 years of college could give you).
      Most of you disgruntled losers didn't give it a chance & never understood (or maybe not explained) the advancement opportunities.

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    7. To the 2 so called Kirby salesmen who posted. At least do your research before you lie you losers.

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  2. You are a fantastic writer! Keep writing and make millions. Best laughs of the day!
    I did buy one of these contraptions (kirby) for $800. I made the guy throw in everything 5 times over and then some. It is one hell of a carpet shampooer I must say and it has paid for itself. Never never never spend more than $800 for one of these machines!
    You have a rare writing gift and can make people laugh to boot. Thank you!

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    1. Just had a salesman here today. MSRP $3999, quoted $2000, then $1475, then $1100, then a text late at night for $1000. Still too high, you say?

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    2. I work this job and would be flayed alive if I sold a Kirby that low

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    3. My husband just let Kirby in today. They just knocked on door no set appointment. Started off at $2100 then knocked it down to $2000 then after I kept saying no they made a phone call and got it to $999. I still said no!

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  3. Very well-written article! Kudos! Factual, detailed and pulls the reader in. Would enjoy reading more of your experiences/opinions! - Donna in Walsall, UK

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  4. I have accepted a job as a "Kirby Customer Service Rep (salesman)" on 11/12/14. To whoever reads this, I will be updating my progress on my journey...

    -11/11/14, I saw an ad on Craigslist for a job position in the customer service section. The ad posted said,

    "TRAINING STARTS THIS WEEK! Make up to $2600 per month! NO EXP REQUIRED! Call...(number blocked for my protection) and ask for...(name blocked for my protection)!

    I called earlier that morning and was asked general questions about being employed and having transportation. The person on other end told me to come in for an interview. Upon arriving, I saw there were 4 other young men like me waiting in line. After filling out a quick application, I was interviewed and told to call back later on that day. I called back and "congratulations, you've been chosen for the job. Come back next morning for training at 10am"

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  5. -11/12/14, I decided to go ahead with the training because I am in desperate need of money. I am currently in the process of having my car repo'd if the bank says I do not have proof of employment within one week.

    (Note: Even though I have accepted a job at this place, I am also actively applying at other jobs with "real" wages that are stable. I have also read this blog and seen other job reviews about this type of work.)

    I arrived about 15 minutes. The lady at HR said it was ok as long as it's within 1 hour before training begins. When I stepped inside the building, I was asked to go sit in a room with a group of other people. There were 16 of us in total: 8 Males, 8 Females.

    The presentation began with a lady talking about the history of Kirby. We were then shown a slideshow of typical pyramid scheme slides. The slide presentation lasted about 2 hours before we were given a 15 minute break. After the 15 minute break, the guy who interviewed me took the stage.

    He then started showing us all the features on the Kirby and examples that we could use to entice the customer in to buying the Kirby. The guy also said we were only targeting "older" folks who are over 40+, white, and who live in rich retirement home neighborhoods.

    We were given a 1 hour lunch break before returning back to finish the presentation and sign about 15 documents to become "independent contractors" for this company. Notice that I quoted independent contractors because we are not employees for this company but "contractors" at our own will.

    I didn't even want to sign the documents but like I said, my car may be repo'd by 11/14/14 if I don't. I will update with my progress tomorrow. We are supposed to be getting more training before hitting the "field" on 11/18/14.

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  6. 11/15/14, I finished my last day of UNPAID training yesterday afternoon. They "decided" to let us out early and we left 2 hours ahead of time.

    During the past two days, we've been taught how to disassemble the vacuum and have learned how to utilize most of its features. The manager in charge gave us some sort of "incentive" to sell the machine.

    You want to know what she offered? $30 for getting 5 appointments, $60 to get 7 appointments, and $100 to get 10+... it was such a slap in the face. This would not even cover the gas I wasted coming to these stupid meetings. How am I supposed to convince that many people to try and buy a $3000+ machine?

    Many of the group agreed it was a joke. Although there were some who were not wise enough or had the experience of participating in a pyramid scheme. It made me realize that some sayings are true; "There is a sucker born every minute".

    Most of the group seemed to be composed of low income individuals who just wanted to make an honest living. But they were being mislead with a carrot on a stick. I think some of them honestly believe they will be making $2000 a week selling these machines.

    Earlier during one of our meetings, I brought up that the Kirby display box showed it was only worth "MSRP $1200" because it was printed on the box. When I asked this question, one of the managers said "We've never had a problem with that. You can scratch out that price if you'd like".

    My bank didn't even call me today about my car... I wonder why? Maybe they are giving me a chance. Maybe God is giving me some time to get back on my feet. I really hope the other jobs call me back for an interview. I don't think I can live with myself ripping off old and retired workers who don't anything about this machine.

    I will update next weekend when I go out in to the "Field".

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    1. I fell for it to. :(
      I'm going this morning to see if they are going to pay me for the 1 sale that I did get.

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  7. I work for Kirby and love it! Grueling hours and lots of energy drinks yes, but it does pay well. The thing is, its worth it if you stick to it. Anyone going to a gym isn't going to get buff right away just like you're not going to make 6 figures over night. If you don't believe in Kirby you won't make it. If you work for a couple days and quit you'll likely walk away empty handed. However if you're the kind of person who has a hard time with failure and will do anything to achieve goals and make it then you'll probably be great! The vacations are real, the pay is real the bonuses are real. But no company is going to wipe your ass to work for them OR baby you. I've heard the 'it sounds too good to be true' line and my question is always "HOW?" You work 12 hour days 6 days a week to make a decent check at the end of the day. Seasoned dealers usually make around 3,000 monthly and managers usually pull 4,000. For zero sales they pay a salary, wich makes it so the people that didn't do any actual work or contribute to the company whatsoever can't come back with their hand out for money. You get paid for demos OR sales wichever is the most amount of $ and the salary is really meant as a safety net. It doesn't work for everyone but the people who really stick to it and give it everything will flourish and the other people will just sort of weed themselves out. However great great writing OP and that looks like your niche anyway. And anon, dont play the victim if you're the one who quit..you'll find something I'm sure.

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    1. The machine is a great device, however, the sales price is ridiculous. What is more ridiculous is how cruel it is to pressure the underpaid buyer to purchase a vacuum that is overpriced. How do you live with yourself? If financed though the Kirby finance the interest rates almost make it very difficult to every pay it off.

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    2. Yeah, don't quit. Keep beating your head into the wall as all your shit gets repo'd. It's like the little sperm that could. Sure once in a while someone makes it through but, damn people, if you put the same amount of time and energy into something you really love to do and can make money at, well, you will truly be successful. Kirby, I love you but, you ain't gonna GIVE no one a damn thing. Don't fall for the hype pie in the sky crap. If you can sell someone their own car then go for it, you will make money selling Kirby's. The challenge is of course to stick with it because you know deep down inside you are better than that.
      Just my $.02..........................

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  8. I worked for Kirby for the past 4 weeks and have sold 3 of the Kirby machines. I was never paid for my demos, and as never paid for the Kirbys I sold. That's why I just quit them today.

    The Kirby is truthfully an amazing item, but if you want one, go buy one off Ebay for $600. The Kirby salespeople jack up the price to over $2500 for the retail price, to pay their company, and for commission to put in their pocket. They romance you, present a false sob story about a contest they're not even close to winning, to con people into falling for their tricks.

    Kirby is big SCAM, to their customers and to their workers. Do not let these people in your home!!

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  9. congratulations guys, quality information you have given!!! more reviews here

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  10. Oh GOD i had an interview today, hopefully this moron never calls back, but i think he knew I was up to bullshit. Waste if gas and an hour of my time.. If its to good to be true than you should knoe, dont be a dumbass like me.

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  11. Only anonymous because that's my only option. Just went to my first day today and my girlfriend has had 2 days there and brought me to confirm the sketchy situations. DO NOT EVER WORK WITH KIRBYS DISTRIBUTERS . EVER!!!!!! It's definitely a scam and my story is identical to every negative one on here. I intend on calling my local news and having these ducks exposed.

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    1. Kirby is criminal organization underneath the surface they are involved in everything. Be careful smart with these people.

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  12. If you have no conscience then may do well as a Kirby salesperson. A while back I answered an ad that sounded too good to be true - great money, fun atmosphere etc etc. Turned out they were recruiting people to become bsales reps for a Kirby distributor. I figured I would give it a shot not knowing anything about the product or their sales tactics. I was shadowing two people who were my trainers and they were going to show me how it was done. The trainers were dressed in clothes I would be afraid to leave the house in while I was nicely dressed (felt a little out of place). We ended up at a low income trailer park (huge red flag) and I proceeded to follow them while they knocked on doors asking people if we could come in and demonstrate the product. We finally were invited in by an old lady who had just finished her dinner (a can of Campbell's soup). She stated that her husband had recently passed away and she was living off social security. It was obvious that this woman was lonely and just wanted some company and could not afford a Kirby. Letting us in was a huge mistake on her part. She had mostly tile floor in her house with one bedroom with wall to wall carpet. The supervisor proceeded to bombard this woman with comments about how dirty her house was and how buying a Kirby would be good for her. The poor lady couldn't even lift it and definitely didn't need it. When the lady found out how much money the vacuum was she told us she could not afford it. That jerk pushed and pushed to the point of harassment and she was obviously uncomfortable. Then she nicely asked us to leave and they would not budge. After about two hours I called the people I was with outside and told them that if they continued to harass this woman that I would kick both their asses. They told me that their behavior was normal and acceptable. I called my boyfriend who came and picked me up and I never went back.

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    1. Good for you! You did the right thing.

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    2. Yes, good for you. I wish I'd had the balls to do the same. God it was guilty work, and I was relieved when that struggling single mother of four had bad credit and the sale didn't go through.

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  13. #teamkirby u gotta believe in your product to sell ur product. until ur in a convention center around a room full of average joe millionaires who came up quick from nothing but hard work and dedication, I want to hear nothing from u other than how does it work and when/where do I start?

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    1. U have no soul. I quit this morning knew it was sketchy. But didn't realize how terrible these sales guys treat people and then ur on here talking like ur proud of that? I'll see u in hell but at least I won't be there for that shit

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  14. Im on day 2 going on day 3 on monday,
    I have been skeptical since I started, noticing a lot of weird things starting with the people that they hire
    first of all, I found the ad on the "art" section of craigslist,
    I was hired on as a manager but have to start my way up as a sales person,
    the hiring manager was 26 and had over 10 award plaques in her office,
    she has only worked there for a couple months and said she was going to open up an office of her own in a couple more months,
    during the orientation slide show she showed us flyers and pictures of one of the other managers on the paid promotional vacations, she said she wasn't a picture person and doesn't have pictures of her own all expenses paid trips,
    she had us sign each other's "witness" spots on our paperwork,
    Well, I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other weird occurrences, Im really curious to see for myself how they conduct business, If it is what I keep hearing, I want to do something about it, like sue or at the very least do everything I can to expose these guys, I previously worked at a law office and I feel morally obligated to serve justice!

    does anyone else have any detailed suspicious activity like mine??

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  15. btw does anyone know when the Avalir was made? I was told it just came out last week :/

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    1. No, it's always been the Avalir because the Avalir is the new model. The G4 is from the 2000's, I believe. The Avalir did come out this year and it is the 100th anniversary version of the vacuum. Kirby has a very long history with many, many models presented throughout.

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  16. I just sold two Kirby's in my first two days in the "field'' tomorrow will be my 3rd day i better be getting paid for those 2 sales from the sounds of it they might cheat me outa my money... i better get paid

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  17. My first time in the US i interviewed for a Kirby sales job in Woburn, MA. I went for the second day to meet the owner and get the 411 on the business.

    I got there, I forgot the owner's name but I remember seeing a BMW coupe i think it was a 6 series so I figured this is profitable enough for me to consider. The next dude was a young guy driving a newer model Toyota Avalon and said the Kirby sales job is paying for his college during the presentation. I figured this really is legit...I was new to pyramid schemes, don't judge :)

    Fast forward to the demo the baking soda and coffee filters, yada yada
    </ insert everything OP said word for word....minus the pizza

    Anyway after all this I was told to find 10+ demos a day and or 50 leads for a full tank of gas a week. I was started off with some leads that made me criss cross the whole state of MA but with no sales, no one answered the door or i was basically turned down. I figured this comes with the job, I will keep trying. I started to see the trends on where I was being sent...I was being sent to low income household...I was being sent for leads in Dorchester, Roxbury these are low income neighborhoods in Boston and no one had money to buy a $1,500 vacum.

    To solve this, I resolved to contact family friends and neighbours to try to make that free tank of gas. My leads list had all the contact details including income information.

    I resolved to find my own leads and select my own neighborhoods. I raked in my 50 leads and did not get my free tank of gas the explanation was something like they were not quality leads. They still took my leads list.

    This list had been obtained from doing demos for family friends, their friends and coworkers and distance cousins...point is I worked hard at this list. Apparently they started calling my high net worth referrals i was planning on making demos for and scheduling their senior sales guys off my hard earned leads.

    Non of the people in my group made sales and very few generated the required 50 leads that week. However some pretty girl was pulled out to the office and apparently given a cheque for gas. She revealed this later during a conversation outside. We had just been talking and she had no leads and had only done a few demos. Its safe to say she did not earn that tank of gas from the Kirby's and we will leave it at that.

    I really did not like this arrangement so i decided to quit after wasting 2 tanks of gas ( drove a Ford Explorer XLT getting 15 mpg... that thing needed its own oil rig).

    But before I quit, I took the vacuum cleaner and cleaned the shit out of my family's house and a few relatives.. got paid for it :)

    After I was done, the vacum cleaner was pretty murky and dirty and I just returned it at the office uncleaned and peaced out! I know its not a victory but that was a little win on my end.

    I think pyramid schemes are just plain out unfair and should be made illegal. At the very least you waste your time and gas and the dude sending you out there bares no cost. Even if you do not sell, you have done some free marketing for them, and thats work. You are an independent contractor but Kirby does not allow you to market through your own channels and they do not pay for marketing either and this is a cost that's placed on you to do the rounds. Its the most ineffective method for a sales person but a very cheap method and no risk for them. I feel the burden should be shared.

    Anyway shortly after returning home from dropping off the vacum cleaner, guess who called? ...Vector Marketing telling me I can make $500 selling knifes that sounded like they could cut diamonds. I hung up...I knew better now :)

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    1. I had a friend out of High school work for Vector. He eventually came to me for a demo. I told him I would sign his 'Witness' to demo form and handed him a water pipe. Told him I'd be back in 4 hours, went out. Never seen anyone so grateful before. As for Kirby, this post is verbatim what happened to me. I went for the Pizza.

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  18. Very well written. 10/10

    I'll admit, I fell for their bullshit as well. I think I lasted 3 days too.

    These people had this scam down pretty well. As part of our "training", we had to set 6 appointments with friends and family.. you know, for "practice". We were assured that no one would try and pitch anything to our relatives or good friends, but that quickly changed. In my group 8 trainees, our "boss" actually manged to sell 6 Kirbys out of the 45-50 appointments. Rinse and repeat with the next group that comes in and the "boss" is looking at decent sales numbers.

    Lol, I was drawn in by the MAKE 2000 A MONTH GUARANTEED! In order to do that, you had to do like 60 something demos a month. I said fuck it, I'll try it for a month. As part of the interview process, we were told that there were 4 different positions: canvasser, customer service, repair, and door to door demonstrations. After being pulled to the back for a one on one, they said my resume looked good for demonstrations. After they talked me up, and said I could be on the fast track to "sales leader" I was duped into coming back for training. Siiigh, what a fucking waste.

    The "owner" looked like Suge Knight, and made it seem like we were all gonna be rich. Fuck you, Mr Beaumont.

    I actually managed to sell one to my niece, but her husband had been duped by the employment scam but knew the machine was pretty solid so he ended up buying one.

    I said fuck it the next day and didn't even bother to pick up the $50 bucks I made off the sell.

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  19. I'm so glad I found this entry/these comments! These guys got me the other day -- taped a flyer to my door, gave me an interview and a job offer within about twenty minutes of my initial call, but it seemed weird and they didn't even so much as MENTION Kirby until orientation this afternoon. (Which, of course, we didn't get paid for.) They're expecting me to put in 30+ hours of "practice demos" this weekend (all unpaid, of course!) but like hell am I going back to those fuckers. As soon as they gave me a name to google, it was easy to figure out that they're full of shit.

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  20. To make a long story short, that's pretty much everything I experienced. Most of us are *very* familiar with that too good to be true statement. I saw an ad in the paper and I felt this would be a good opportunity because, at the time, I was interested in having my own business. Therefore, like the naive being I was, decided to go on and give it a try. I spent one week applying and doing all this bullcrap to satisfy those KIRBY FUCKS' mind until I went out on the job. Boy, what I wrong! After one day I said, ''fuck it!'' I did not like how they instructed people to knock on doors even if it said, ''no soliciting'' on it. As previously mentioned the VAST majority of Kirby sales fucks are a bunch of jerks. Not only that, but many of them even smoke pot while on the job. During the morning meetings, which I thought were so ridiculous and corny to the point they were so awful to the point words couldn't describe, I was completely shocked just being around the dumbfucks who move this product. They were all bragging about how they were going to work hard to end up in a Benz. While I do admit such a thing is possible, it isn't going to happen overnight. Then, I went out on the job for one day, and completely walked out. I am not going to be bothering people at their homes (as I hate it too) and going into skanky-ass training centers which really need to be torn down. Don't get me wrong, it's an expensive-ass product; but, it's pretty darn good for what it is. It's a shame how the people who deal with it are so degrading and very nauseating to the point you'd want to threaten their asses with an AK-47 (or any other kind of gun as a previous poster stated). They also lie about training you. I never got any such training. The bastards I chose to be a part of put me to work and misinformed me. This was another thing that made me walk out. I received a message from one of them about a month orr two later, but ignored it. NEVER AGAIN! I bet working at the Kirby manufacturing plant surpasses this SHIT door-to-door salesperson job these idiotic, skanky-looking distribution center fucks operate. They should ALL be shut down and all their employees dumped out on the street (in Los Angeles). They are just as bad as Toyota salespeople.

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    1. I been slanging kirbys for 5 years and aint nothing bullshit about it u cant work 3 days and quit and talk bad about the company sit yall ass down somewhere

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    2. The fact you can't write shows your level of intelligence. I bet you're one of the people who does all of that. Take a hike, dumbass!

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  21. My kirby ex...... haha it's so funny how so called kirby chrome slanging sales people find the time (jobless) looking on this form to say "i love kirby you have to work hard and lie with smiles to get bank) aka fake independence of ching a ching ($$$). The only people that win in this world are two kinds of people LIARS and HARD WORKING PEOPLE, but DO NOT EVER CONFUSE A LIAR WITH A HARD WORKING PERSON AS IT IS EASY TO LIE AND CONVINCE SOMEONE THAT SHIT WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK AFTER YOU USED SO CALLED IRRIGATION FILTERING IS DONE. LOL BUT SERIOUSLY COME ON. WHEN I WENT TO MY DAYS LOL OF TRAINING I WAS TRIED IN FRONT OF ALL THE CURRENT LIARS AND THE ONE ACTUAL MILLIONAIRE WHO CAME FROM MONEY SO HIS POOR BACK STORY WAS A NO NO FOR ME LIKE HOW YOU WEALTHY AND YOU KNOW WHAT POOR IS OR WHAT STRUGGLE IS? DON'T WORRY I'LL WAIT..... ANY WHO I NEVER YELLED WITH EXCITEMENT, DID NOT LOOK STUPID, BUT QUIETLY OBSERVE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING LIKE THE CAMERA IN THE TRAINING ROOM (?) IDK, BUT THE KIRBY VACS WERE IN RUN DOWN BOXES WHICH WERE (LIAR) SALES VACS THAT WE HAD TO SHOW OFF TO OUR FAMILY. MY HUSBAND IS WEALTHY, BUT NOT AN AMERICAN HE NEVER SAW A VAC AND SAID FIRST OFF WHEN HE SAW IT "YOU WORK FOR THIEVES" I LAUGHED AND SAID DON'T WE ALL AKA BANKS, EDUCATION SYSTEM AND SO ON LIFE IS A SCAM BUT THAT IS ANOTHER VENTURE IN IT SELF. IF MY HUSBAND WHO IS A MASTER IN CORPORATE FINANCE NEVER SAW THIS VAC CAN COME UP WITH A PHASE "YOU WORK FOR THIEVES" IN THE FIST SIGHT OF A KIRBY WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE THEN YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? DON'T WORRY I'LL WAIT....

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  22. SO MY CONCLUSION IS THIS YOU WILL MAKE THE QUICK MONEY ONLY IF YOU SUCCESSFULLY CON OTHERS INTO A FREE CARPET CLEAN FOLLOWED BY UNSPEAKABLE STORY TELLING TO MAKE THEM FEEL BAD FOR YOU FOLLOWED BY INVISIBLE PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT AT YOUR DOOR THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY APPEAR HUNGRY FOR YOUR MONEY AND TO (LIE) SLING SOME CHROME IN THEY HOME FOR MMMMMMM THE LONGEST SOMEONE DID OH YEAH 8 HOURS OH YEAH THAT LIAR THE WANNABE MILLIONAIRE (HE WAS ALWAYS TALKING BOUT HOW HE KNEW PEOPLE) STANDING NEXT TO THE MILLIONAIRE LOL

    I HAD A BROTHER WHO ALWAYS WANTED TO BE IN THE CENTRE OF THE ROOM YOU KNOW WHY (ALL EYES ON ME) THAT WAS THE WANNABE MILLIONAIRE HE KEPT SAYING "I DON'T MEAN TO BRAGG OR TOOT MY OWN HORN" THAT IS WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU BRAGG AND TOOT YOUR HORN, RIGHT? DON'T WORRY I'LL WAIT. TRAINING WAS OVER I NEVER GOT PAID. I HAD FUN BEING ENTERTAINED THOUGH BY THE YOUNG AND NEVER OLD LIARS. THE REAL MILLIONAIRE GUY WAS COOL FOR JUST THAT A MILLIONAIRE HE LIVES A LIFE I AM TO THOUGHTLESS TO THINK ABOUT BECAUSE IM NOT A NORMAL PERSON OF THE "WORLDS" STANDARD OF LIVING, BUT "Gods" STANDARD OF LIVING. IDK HOW I GOT THE MONEY TO START MY OWN PARKING LOT BUSINESS, BUT I AM GLAD TO BE SELF EMPLOYED. NO MIDDLE MEN AKA BOSS MILLIONAIRE. THIS IS WHAT I WAS MADE FUN OF AT MY TRAINING, BUT I LAUGHED AT THEM AS THEY AT ME, IF YOU APPLY FOR A JOB USE COMMON SENSE AND DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST NOT LAST. IF YOU ARE AN ADVENTUROUS PERSON COOL HAVE FUN, BUT WATCH OUT.

    EVERYONE HAS VALID REASONS FOR WHY THIS COMPANY IS NOT RIGHT TO BE IN THIS WORLD, BUT LIKE THE KIRBY SLANGING SALE PEOPLE SAID ON THIS FORUM "IF YOU STICK WITH IT" IT IS WHAT IT IS QUICK CHEAT MONEY THEY DON'T CARE CUZ THEY "LOVE" MONEY MEANING "THEY" ARE WILLING TO LIE CHEAT AND STEAL FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY MAYBE KILL FOR IT. I WANTED FULL TIME WORK THAT PAID, BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF LIES CHEATS AND STEALS FROM PEOPLE LET ALONE BE AN EMPLOYEE SLAVE TO A MILLIONAIRE ONE LAST TIME SO I LEFT AND MY PRIDE WAS THIS I WANT TO WORK HARD FOR MYSELF DOING SOMETHING THAT IS JUST AND RIGHT THAT WILL BE WORTH IT TO MAKE AN HONEST PAY CHECK NO SLAVE FOR SOMEONE ELSE AND MAKE NOT EVEN A FRACTION OF WHAT THEIR BRINGING IN WEEKLY OR DAILY. SO I SWALLOWED MY PRIDE AND ASKED MY FATHER TO ASSIST ME WITH MY PARKING LOT BUSINESS THAT I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING AND WORKING ON MY BUSINESS PLAN FOR SOMETIME NOW, I JUST NEED THE MONEY AND NOW I GOT IT SO I AM SELF EMPLOYED, BUT WORKING FOR MY FATHER AS PERSONAL ASSISTANT THIS JOB IS NICE BECAUSE MY DAD IS MY BOSS AS HE ALWAYS WAS SINCE MY BIRTH. HE IS NOT NORMAL LIKE FATHER BOSS NORMAL HE IS MY BOSS AS IF I JUST MEET HIM OF THE STREET STRANGER BOSS THIS IS GOOD CUZ I WONT HAVE CONFLICTING MOMENTS LIKE "NO DAD" ANY WHO. THIS IS NOT A BLOG OR ANY SORT I GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH EVERYONE’S OPENNESS ON THEIR EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH AND FOR KIRBY CHROME SLANGING VAC PEOPLE.

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  23. JUST THINK PEOPLE, RESEARCH, AND IF ANY ONE HERE IS STILL WORKING FOR Liar KIRBY DO ME A FAVOUR AND INVEST YOUR SO CALLED SUCCESS AND PUT IT TOWARDS A REAL INVESTMENT OF YOUR OWN OR GO INTO A REAL HONEST BUSINESS VENTURE I SAW SO MANY SO CALLED PEOPLE IN THE KIRBY FAMILY CLAIM THEY MAKING BANK, BUT STILL COME TO WORK FOR SOMEONE ELSE LIKE THAT DOSE NOT MAKE SENSE IF I AM MAKING $2 G'S A WEEK OR LESS WHATEVER THEN I WILL INVEST MY MONEY IN MYSELF TO WORK FOR MY SELF LIKE IDK....UM A LAUNDROMAT BUSINESS, A PARKING LOT BUSINESS, WHAT EVER SKILL YOU HAVE THAT DOSE NOT MEAN (LIE) THAT IS NOT A SKILL AS PEOPLE CAN DO THAT WHEN EVER, BUT A REAL SKILL. MY DAD WORKED FOR IBM BEFORE HE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL AFTER SOME EXPERIENCE AND HALF A COLLEGE DEGREE HE WENT INTO BUSINESS FOR HIMSELF BUILDING COMPUTERS, WEBSITES SO HE WAS HIS OWN BOSS. IF YOU WANT TO WORK FOR SOMEONE DO NOT WORK FOR THIEVES IF THEY CONMEN THEY CON YOU TOO THINK ABOUT IT......DON'T WORRY I'LL WAIT.

    ONE LOVE, PEACE & ALWAYS USE COMMON SENSE! STAY QUIET AND OBSERVE TOO! THIS IS WHEN YOUR SIX (COMMON) SENSE KICKS IN.

    PARDON ALL MY ABOVE AND THIS ONE HERE COMMENT MISSPELLINGS

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    1. All your previous responses are very true.

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  24. we often compelled towards money and sometime we take job without seeking truth, kirby is a good vacuum sealer company but there are various people who makes fool of people.

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  25. I had some Kirby salespeople stop by once about ten years ago. My mom had a Kirby, and I knew it was a pretty solid product, but after being subjected to their idiotic sales pitch I will never, ever buy one.

    The people who showed up at my door were there to clean some furniture, but of course this degenerated quickly into the Kirby sales pitch. If you ask me, this sales technique is what kills it for Kirby. If they could just bring themselves to act ethically and sell vacuums like a normal company, I'm sure they would do much better. But I digress.

    One thing I should mention is I'm a bit OCD and my house is extremely clean. I mean, I clean it thoroughly once a week, including mopping the wood floors. I have no carpeting because carpets just filth magnets. These salespeople showed up literally the day after I had mopped the floor, which I vacuum thoroughly before I mop. So this poor kid was running around with a Kirby changing filter discs about every 15 seconds with no dirt on the filters, at all. I mean completely white!

    I told him, why the fuck would I want a vacuum where I have to change the filter every 15 seconds? He said something about this is just a demo, you don't have to change them so often. So I explained how him changing the filter discs so often made the product look really, really bad. Never mind that he was struggling to get any kid of dirt on the filters from my OCD clean floors.

    So after he laid out a bunch of clean filters he started talking about the Kirby again. Since they had come in under the pretext of cleaning some furniture, which they had done, I basically told him "uh-huh that's great, well have a nice day! Bye!" This is another part of the Kirby presentation that fails - the pretext that the crew is there to do a specific job but then they try to sell their equipment. I, like many people, expect you as a service person to take your equipment away when the job is done, not try to sell it to me. It makes you look like a mental deficient if you try to sell your work equipment, and I treated these kids as such.

    Eventually they were practically begging me to buy one of these things. I explained to them that if they didn't pack their shit up and get out, I'd be calling the cops. They moved pretty quickly after that.

    After reading these posts I feel sorry for the people who get suckered into trying to sell these things, like it's the 1940s or something. The thing is the vacuums themselves are not bad. My mom had one for many years and we only ever had to replace the belt on it once, and although the one I was demo'd didn't have much to clean I knew my mom's did a good job. However, it didn't do $1000+ of good job. On my wood floors my $40 K-Mart special does just fine, and thinking about it I've had that vac for 15 years now - plus it works great inside my cars.

    But the Kirby company has way, way too many problems. Just do a search online to see how many complaints and lawsuits they've had, not just from consumers but from state attorney offices. The way they are structured it's very clear that they are trying to distance themselves from their salespeople, basically telling them to hard sell no matter what and then washing their hands of them. They do this so that they can try to avoid litigation, but with all the consumer protection laws these days it just isn't working for them like it did back in the 50s. If they would just change their ridiculous and outdated sales practices, they would probably be a good company.

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  26. Easily, the article is actually the best topic on this registry related issue. I fit in with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your next updates. Just saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the fantasti c lucidity in your writing. I will instantly grab your rss feed to stay informed of any updates.
    the best labor day mattress sales

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  27. this is a good story and it will help me to distinguish between right and wrong

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  28. We had a Kirby Kid come to our front door last night, at apx 7,30 dark pm ! He never even mentioned vacuums, just flashing a bottle of Dawn -like dish soap as a gift and offering a demonstration of something. I said No and he's like 'Are you sure you don't even know what it is? '. I repeated No.
    As he went across the street I went and got the plate #. It was from Florida(?) but I'm in OHIO !
    A minute later the old guy driver is at my door from his old rickety van saying 'We have permission from Kirby ' while flashing a Kirby ID badge and trying to give me a business card (refused ). Never opened the door for either of them !

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  29. I am always searching online for articles that can help me. There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also. Keep working, great job!
    sleepys labor day sale

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  30. Hey thanks for the heads up. I applied(and was hired) for a job there yesterday afternoon. I have been painting houses on the reg. for a while so I can't honestly remember the last time I filled out a proper app in a while. Something was off, right off the bat, but I said fuck it. I need some stable work. Anyways, after looking into the BBB and reading the sad stories of selling to the elderly, hounding "potential" buyers, not paying employees ect. I looked further in and saw articles regarding people using it to case houses to later break into. I'm not sure how this is at all legal, but I'm glad there are people like you to tell this story so they don't fall into this scam; and it does seem vile.

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  31. I have been working for Kirby for seven years The money Is Real the trips are real And it is not too good to be true. I am a single mother of three and I am raising my kids on my own. The Kirby opportunity has allowed me to provide for them. You can find positive and negative in anything it all depends on what you look for

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    1. You're a piece of shit and should feel terrible for robbing people of their time and money

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    2. If you don't know her sales tactics, you shouldn't be so mean. I'm sure not all sales reps are liars- even for Kirby. And, if it's allowed her to make an honest living for her family, then good for her.

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    3. The account was made on the same day that this post was made, most likely not telling the truth at all.

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  32. Kirby vacuums give (great head)also. Sales people can never go wrong selling that to lonely customers . LOL

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  33. LOL I loved this! I was a recent victim of a Kirby salesman, and OMG I had to google what sort of people worked for this ludicrous company. The guy barged into my home, my teen aged son let him in unfortunately, and was so aggressive it was almost amusing, not to mention very annoying. I repeatedly told him I would not purchase one, but he insisted on doing his presentation. I very reluctantly let him. After the presentation he was even more pushy, I was getting pissed off. He wanted me to finance a fucking vacuum. It seemed he would not leave until I gave in. I told him if he did not leave I would call the police and that I was armed. He was that fucking pushy! He finally left. I nearly grounded my son for letting the fucking jerk in my house BTW. I now feel sorry for the bastard.

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  34. I had a very similar experience as the poster above. I had just moved to a new home and a harmless looking college kid came to my door offering a free cleaning of one room by his "company." I reluctantly agreed and warned him that my infant son and 2 year old were napping, so it needed to be quiet and fast. He reassured me that it would be and went back to get the cleaning supplies. This person disappeared and 30 minutes later two strange men barged into my front door with all of their crap. It was a heat wave and over 95 degrees in my house, yet the salesman spent the next 4 hours pitching to me while I told him we could not afford their vacuum. Meanwhile, I was caring for my baby and toddler, trying to feed them and he never cleaned anything. He stunk up my house and never stopped talking. Insisting that he needed his boss to come by and check his work and also speak with my husband like it is 1950. It was nearly 6 hours before these scumbags finally left, only after my husband threatened to call the police and the sales prick swore at him. This company is the devil.

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  35. For 10 days in 1973 I was a fresh-faced college-student Kirby Vac salesgirl. It may have been the hardest job Ive ever had. It is absolutely an incredible machine, but it was heavy and hard to wrestle apart while sounding smooth on someone's rug. We were all young and eager and had no idea how hard direct sales and cold calls were. The manager was slick, and one day with the team in his car, he backed out of the lot and creased the fender on my car. It was a fait accompli, and I said nothing, knowing everyone was watching. He pulled away, and someone said,"did you just hit that car?" So he said, "hmmm. I wonder whose car that was..." We had a girl in the car, pretty, who he had been flirting with, and he had asked her to stay after in an upstairs training room. I had heard they had fooled around up there, but she told me he had forced himself on her, and she was struggling to hold it together. It was burning me up. We went out and made some cold calls, and did a couple pitches before returning to the office. We swung into the lot, and lo, someone remarks the hit car is still there, so I said " I guess so. Its mine." Now everyone knows he did a hit and run, and would have done nothing if he could have gotten away with it. I suggested we step upstairs to talk about it, and I got this girl by the hand and pulled her along with a wink. We got up there, and I told him I was going to take $500 for my bumper and another 2K for my friend. Oh he acted like he didnt know what I was talking about, but I assured I had a car full of witnesses, and that I had been there in the hall the night he raped the girl. Said I came back late for my coat, and offered to call the police instead. He was shaken, and he went to a safe in a closet and got cash. We didnt go back there. This was at the Towson MD location. There was not much remedy back then for girls who got raped, and the fear was for statutory rape of jail bait, because somebody's mad daddy was more likely to pound out some justice than a trip through the courts. She was 18 or 19, like me.

    Its a sad commentary on the sales managers, and the desperate people who mostly take the job. I only sold one vac, and it was to my mother, a 1973 Omega Classic. I still have it; she died in 1984. I get asked dont I really want a new vacuum cleaner, and I really dont. My Kirby is a monster. And the lifetime guarantee! I had it rebuilt 20 years ago for $34, and its time again. I'll spend more than that on shipping.

    Nowadays you can buy Kirby on eBay or rebuilt in shops, without the company guarantee, but they are top of the line. I cannot imagine paying 2grand for one though. Still, in 73 my mama and daddy paid $326 and it was a little ransom for that thing. Guess who got to use it every Friday before she could go to the dance?

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  36. I got suckered in to letting them come in and do a demo under false pretenses also. The guy who came to the door offered to spend about 30 minutes cleaning my house. Since we have a very reputable cleaning service in our area who will go door to door two or three times a year and make the offer, I though he was with them and said yes. You have to take the offer at the time they make it on those days. Since I was in the middle of making dinner with one hand and had my fussy 6 month old attached to my hip, I was welcoming any help I could get. It wasn't until he was in the house that he said he was doing a demo for Kirby. He was there for two hours. I offered him a glass of water, but haf only made enough dinner for two for one meal and didn't want to be rude and eat in front of him, so I was starving. He asked to go to the bedroom and vacuum the matress, but I refused because I wasn't comfortable with that, so he never made it past the living room. The product was excellent, but he told me it cost $3000. That was the amount I had left to pay off my car, and told him I would put the money there first. I told him I might be interested in buying one when all our debt was paid off, and that would be about a year off. I said if he could leave a business card, I would buy from him, because he was really nice and we got along, but he said it had to be right then. So no sale. It was a bit off-putting to be decieved about what he was doing and that he wasn't interested in doing future business with me, but I did get my living room cleaned spotless for free, and next time, hopefully I won't be too harried to ask the company name before agreeing to let someone come in and clean.

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    1. I am sorry that I didn't log onto this cite before purchasing the Avilar (Kirby), November 2015. One month later, my Kirby will not turn on when power button is pushed. I believe I was Duped. I was told this vacuum was New. I fear that I was sold a refurbished Lemon. I am praying that the company will compensate me. I should not have experienced problems within a month of purchase.

      Delete
  37. Literally received a call an hour after applying for a sales position at Kirby (Australia). Went to the group interview & was asked to introduce myself & what I can bring to the role... Received the job offer later that day & that traing starts the next day. I arrived with 12 other new starters for "orientation" in a room too small (several people had to stand & sit on the floor) and were told how much money we can make and that within a short space of time & hard work, we can progress to a postion where we manage sales people who will make money for us. We received a quick company introduction but the focus was on the "if you work hard, you'll reap the rewards" spiel. Many questions were waved off for later (salary, work hours, sales strategy, job specifics etc.). A third of the group didn't return after the 15 mins break!! In hindsight, I should've left but I was kind of curious to see wether it could get any worse. And it certainly did not disappoint!! We received a quick presentation on the cleaning ability of the Kirby & comparison to other well known & trusted brands. I thought the Kirby was quite impressive even though it looks like a design still stuck in the 70's. Training finished & we were told that candidates who showed the "right attitude" will be selected to continue training the next day. And here I thought I was already starting a new job!! Well I did receive a message to congratulate me on being chosen to continue the training... Needless to say, after reading this blog & trusting my instincts, I will NOT be going back!!

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  38. This was a great read. Good for you for refusing to be just another low life scammer.
    I just experienced the '20 minute cleaning' that lasted 3 hours. The guy they left alone in my house admitted to being a felon and still on probation. This is who they bring to your home! (and even this guy seemed genuinely embarrassed by what he was doing for work).
    I got a final offer of $600 cash if I bought one on the spot (I didn't). But considering I was told it was a $3200 machine to begin with....gee, what a bargain.
    Think about that- the sales guy expected to be paid, his boss, and probably a couple more people in the chain, plus kirby itself....so what does that make a kirby actually worth? Maybe $200 at most. The same as any decent vacuum purchased at a reputable store. And those will come with useful warranties, real customer service, and save you hours of having some low life in your home.
    Kirby is a scam. It's a relic of the old door to door schemes like Amway. Hopefully, it's a dying breed and this disreputable company will die off.

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    1. uh, well, uh, you hit the nail on the head with that one. That is exactly how much it cost the dealer. Maybe less after all the perks ect.
      Great machine but, ebay will deliver the G3 "type" for around $200 and it will pull sand and grit out of your carpet. Use Kirby brand shampoo in your machine it really works too. If anyone out there thinks any of this is a lie then prove it. I already proved my end of this story. Don't have an id or anything so anon just for the site. Not needed anyway cause what I say is true.

      Delete
  39. I honestly LOVED doing Kirby, and I had decent people on my sales team. But I swear, you wrote my experience, in the same words and everything hahah.

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  40. I honestly LOVED doing Kirby, and I had decent people on my sales team. But I swear, you wrote my experience, in the same words and everything hahah.

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  41. I tried them out in 1973, in Philly. I was a 22 year old, just laid off and running out of unemployment comp. I answered an ad and sat thru a company film starring James Whitmore. Then, in comes their resident Sales Master who bragged about how rich he was. I knew this to be bullshit, because he was driving an old Rambler.
    The machine sold for $600.00 and $200 of that was the commission we had to work with. I watched a salesman go all the way down to $400.00, erasing his whole commission and that didn't sell it.
    We were told to demo in the living room and then barge into their bedrooms and bombard the customer with horror stories about the filth and "putrified body ash" polluting their beds.
    This got us kicked to the curb with a threat of calling the cops on us.
    Decent vacuum, slimebucket company. That was my first day in the field and last day with the predatory goatfuckers.
    I went back to selling good Colombian weed til I got a real job with the U.S government.

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  42. Look, kirby isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I've been working kirby for 2 and a half months. I get paid for my work and its not too good to be true. The people that bitch about this job only worked a couple days. I was told to give them 30 days and I would see results. It didn't even take that long. I absolutely love my job. I meet the most awesome people and whether they buy a kirby or not I still part ways with a new friend. In the office I work in (AMJ Inc Distributing, Denver Colorado) we are anything but pushy toward people. And of course these machines are expensive. They are warranteed for life and even willable to your children with warentee. I mean the highest end Dyson leaves copious amounts of dirt in your carpet and costs about $900 and only has a 3 year warentee. They make up lies with their product too. Like my favorite claim of Dyson is that it never loses suction. But has the same amount of suction that a $100 Bissell has. Hell the Kirby looks like your spending a lot of money but I mean how much money will you save over a life time of buying cheap inefficient vacuum cleaners.

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  43. Look, kirby isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I've been working kirby for 2 and a half months. I get paid for my work and its not too good to be true. The people that bitch about this job only worked a couple days. I was told to give them 30 days and I would see results. It didn't even take that long. I absolutely love my job. I meet the most awesome people and whether they buy a kirby or not I still part ways with a new friend. In the office I work in (AMJ Inc Distributing, Denver Colorado) we are anything but pushy toward people. And of course these machines are expensive. They are warranteed for life and even willable to your children with warentee. I mean the highest end Dyson leaves copious amounts of dirt in your carpet and costs about $900 and only has a 3 year warentee. They make up lies with their product too. Like my favorite claim of Dyson is that it never loses suction. But has the same amount of suction that a $100 Bissell has. Hell the Kirby looks like your spending a lot of money but I mean how much money will you save over a life time of buying cheap inefficient vacuum cleaners.

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  44. I'll never buy a Kirby after what they did to my Mom and I will make sure to tell others to do the same. In November of 2016 we heard a knock and opened the door and there was the Kirby Salesman. Immediately he throws it out there that he is in the neighborhood to clean carpet and furniture. I hint to my Mom not to let him and he noticed, He starts saying wouldnt you like your Mom to have a nice clean house? Again I hint not to let him in but my Mom fell for it. See, My Mom had just battled Breast Cancer (she won!) and I didnt want to stress her out by arguing so I walked away. Big Mistake! Btw my little cousin was over and soon he saw her he started hitting on her. I eventually left the house for a few hours, came back and saw the biggest smile on my moms face (salesmen included" she was going to finance the Vacuum! I told her no and she said yes that it made her happy knowing she would have a clean house. We have no carpet its all wood floor!! How could she fall for it? So she signs the papers and gets her vacuum. A few hours later my friend comes over and asks her how much the Vacuum cost...it was over 2k! He says you got scammed you can buy a good one bed bath and beyond for under half the price. For some reason she agrees with him..so we read the return policy and it says a full refund within 5 days, so we figure great lets call and have Kirby van pick it up. We call the salesman to pick it up and he says sure, we wait a few hours and nothing. Next day he says he will pick it up around 5pm. Lies. So we call, call, call, call and no answer. On the 3rd day someone picks up the phone and says the person we are looking for has never called from that number and that we must have the wrong number. I was so pissed! I could beat the shit out of this guy, I wanted to so bad. Nothing would have made the situation a little better then to see that guy bleeding. Oh man beating him with the Kirby he sold my mom. So we get the vacuum boxed up, ready for shipping. Call the credit card company and tell them what happened, the representative was so mad about the situation so she tells my mom to file a claim saying it was an unauthorized purchase. The representative even called the company herself and told them their would be legal action. So withing 8 hours a female Kirby representative knocks at the door, hugs my mom and apologizes. You see this whole time the original saleman knew my Mom was recovering from Cancer. He took advantage of that..he had no compassion or respect. Dont every buy a KIRBY!

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    ReplyDelete
  46. Bahahahaha I love your story so much that I had to create a username just to comment... keep writing. You are great. The one thing that bugged me was you said the economy was about to crash back then and most people couldn't afford to purchase this but you were offended that they profiled neigborhoods... being offended for having been disguarded as a potential customer based on your lack of an expensive home while simultaneously criticizing the company for selling a high priced product. That aside, I really loved how you wrote your story despite my being a proponent for the company. I know you are describing your experience and I respect that. Mainly though, I adore your presentation (down to every last adjective).

    I spent a year working for Kirby and I won't lie I made a few sales I ethically shouldn't have. I also sold in trailer parks and even low income housing. Some of you will criticze me for that, while others would be offended if I skipped their house while knocking doors... whatever, guys. Likewise though, I was given sob stories by the wealthy in million dollar homes as they insisted they didn't have as much money as it appeared. But one positive thing I can say is that I did not give shitty demos... or at least not usually. Right from the start I had people laughing and wanting to try the machine. We'd go around their house and clean everything they wanted with the various attatchments. I did funerals for their old vacuums and pronounced them dead. I also showed them the profit scale and laughed my ass off in secret when my manager would try to close sales with people who already knew his bottom line (but he didn't know they knew).

    My bills were paid and I'd dick around as a free entertainer until my rent was due and I'd then sell one. I sold a lot for bare minimum price before I started to value my time and upped my target price a couple hundred bucks and quit showing people the profit scale. I became a team leader (because all my team leaders quit) and started winning vacations mainly by just trying to help new hires make money, I made everything they made combined and 10 months later I had earned my own office which I then handed over to another salesperson and walked out on after a fight with my boss about leaving kirbys in my new-ish convertible overnight in the praking lot (he was pretty pissed I was doing that and I was fed up with the stress so I gave him back my office key).

    You guys can guilt trip people who sell these for a living or talk trash about the people who walk out on the company if they're making "so much money" but you'd be surprised how easy it is to walk out despite the money when every day you wake up and have to go door to door and sell a kirby to get paid not knowing which door it will be or how much you will sell it for/profit on. No, it's not lies, it's the truth that you can make a lot of money AND quit. Especially when it comes tax time and you didn't save any money like most 20 year olds and have to file your first 1099. That's a bitch.

    I saw unethical salespeople and believe me, customers are not alone in despising them. The best salespeople I knew were motivated by wanting to beat the unethical jerks. Brandon used to put peoples' old kirbys in neutral and the new one in drive and ask them which one was easier to push... scumbag. I just wish people would be honest.

    This company may be hit or miss as far as the trainer you get and the particular office you work for, but thank God mine hit. They came to my door to do a demo when I had just lost my job and offered me a career. It isn't a scam, you are paid what you're promised. Nor is it a requirement to be pushy or unethical. Just cleaning peoples' stuff and letting them try it had a lot of them asking ME if they could buy it, how is that unethical or pushy? The hard part is just getting in the door. You think this company is so bad but it sounds like there were just bad eggs in that branch.

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  48. How funny it would be to request a rainbow demo and a kirby demo, set them for the same time and watch them battle.

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  49. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  52. Wth, I put the same comment 4 times.

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  53. Well isn't this just a hoot. Man I'm pretty bummed out that people get so upset about things like this. Bicker bicker bicker. I do know that people are super quick to tell their bad experience over a good one. That's crap right there. Just walk away. With the internet at anyone's and I do mean anyone's finger tips, if someone pays to much for something it's their own fault. Hell at least the product is what they say it is. Now if you get the chance to go into someones home. Be a real person about it. You catch more flies with honey then you do vinager. Money itself is to blame!!

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  54. Well isn't this just a hoot. Man I'm pretty bummed out that people get so upset about things like this. Bicker bicker bicker. I do know that people are super quick to tell their bad experience over a good one. That's crap right there. Just walk away. With the internet at anyone's and I do mean anyone's finger tips, if someone pays to much for something it's their own fault. Hell at least the product is what they say it is. Now if you get the chance to go into someones home. Be a real person about it. You catch more flies with honey then you do vinager. Money itself is to blame!!

    ReplyDelete
  55. This whole comment thread has been entertaining... lol We had the Kirby people show up yesterday for like the third time since we bought our house a year ago, and really the only reason I finally agreed was because they were offering to clean some of our floors and I've been super lazy lately and haven't gotten to them.. hey, free cleaning! I even told the girl that, and she was pretty cool about it. She wasn't pushy at all, agreed that it was expensive and thanked us for helping her out and letting her get credit for her demo. She offered us the 'discounted' price of $1500 and I just said "Thanks, but for that price I'll just continue to live in my own filth" we both got a chuckle and she said that was fine. Only strange thing was, after she packed up her stuff and took it outside she asked if she could leave it in front of our house while she waited for her ride/knocked on a few more doors. I said that was fine (I live in South Texas and it was close to 100 degrees outside so carrying all that would have been pretty awful) and thought nothing more of it until about 9pm when we left the house to go to the store... the Kirby, her comparison Dyson, and her duffle bag with the filter papers and such were still on the doorstep. I didn't think a whole lot of it, I figured they were probably doing another demo and that maybe the other girl had a vacuum as well that they were using. We went to the store, left the vacuums alone, came back about an hour later and they were still there. I brought them in the house and put a note on the door saying that I brought everything inside so it didn't get stolen and to knock on the door. Nothing. We left for a bit today, I put my phone number on the note so she could contact me in case she showed up while we were gone... nothing. I'm starting to think we have two new vacuums? I hope she didn't get abducted or anything.. :/ Has this ever happened to anyone else?

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    1. Did she ever show back up? I'm assuming she enjoyed your company and was planning on leaving anyway, so gave you a gift.

      Delete
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  57. Just been through the same Kirby experience with Prime Services in Nottingham. Was out of work. Applied on line for a job. Got Interview and I got the job. Great. Never mentioned direct selling, said all appointments would be made.They said target affluent neighborhoods. But as soon as we went out we target low income areas with a finance option. Not sure which was more lucrative. They were very keen on the finance. When ever I asked any question about the type of employment or any relevant business or ethics, I was fobbed off. We will get to that.

    We went knocking doors, we would give a free gift of an un affiliated product. Only to take it back if they refuse the set up.

    I believe the whole recruitment process is a scam to get to your families and friends and all your referrals.

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  58. Had a kirby saleperson knock at my door yesterday claiming they were in the area promoting their newly opened cleaning company. They offered a free cleaning of my living room. I made the fucking biggest mistake to let them in my home. The supposed 15 minute cleaning lasted 2 fucking hours. He kept telling me of some vacation to cancun, bla bla. His stupid ass leader insisted on selling the vacumm for 2400 and then lowering the price to 1646 tax free I stopped him and said this poece of shit aluminium is worth $200 the most. He laughed like a chili pepper was stuck in his ass. I said I googled kirby and that is what its worth, but thank you for cleaning my living room. There is no fucking way a sane person will pay that for a vacumm cleaner. Loosers

    ReplyDelete
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  60. why would you delete my comment you cunt

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  62. THIS ...is really good writing. So entertaining!- I never comment on blogs but I had to here...I actually wish I knew where you are writing these days, I would look forward to reading it.

    I literally fell over this article because I was looking up something about Kirby after I nearly bought one a few days ago. Glad I didn't but man is this place clean!
    Never thought I would read more than a few paragraphs on a vaccum cleaner but the writing style really drew me in. Thank you!

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  63. As a person whom was unknowingly sucked into a Kirby sales position by a misleading interview, I applaud you. Shit, I want to hug you for telling it exactly how it is with such vibrancy. You, my friend, are lovely. I am crying right now. My stomach feels like it's being cut in half from laughing so hard.
    Bless your parents for gifting the world with such an entering author.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Good article glad to read that some do care about how unscrupulous some Kirby sales persons are! I'm a sucker and old so I guess I've no excuse but that I have always tried to be nice and respect others and their jobs. I was hussled I came out from the shower to find the husband had let two in. He assumed they were people I knew, they played on his ignorance about who I do know. They then proceeded to stay even though I was obviously getting ready to go somewhere, they would not leave they went through 3 and a half hours of tormenting us, then I give them a low payment number to get them to leave, oh no they make calls, outside my home calls then running in to torture us yet again, after about an hour of this, I finally agree on a payment for 18 months for 1100 in full, they then want my sweeper as a down. What a joke, after way down the road I find out they lied and set me up with a 30 month payment coming to over 1600 dollars which was nothing close to the garbage they fed me. I'm older 60, I was in a very bad car accident that left me handicapped and life much harder trying to clean, this beast is a pain from the get go and if I have the chance I will warn anyone not to let them in the door ever! They are liers and crooks and take advantage of people who offered them respect and courtesy. So beware you sales people if you are a criminal should be the perfect job. A very unhappy old lady who will not open the door to another Kirby sales person ever!

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  67. Really nice information. It is very useful and informative post. Thanks for sharing.


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  68. So I just got home from a Kirby Rally today lol Im soooo Glad I got to read this blog and plenty of other stuff before going any further with them. I was hired this week and spent the last three days in Orientation, Kirby Training, and the Rally today. The Rally really gave me a BAD VIBE. I'm glad I did this research before taking their vacume to family and friends to demo adding them to a list of referels to harass for a product Marked Up 333% its actual price. Also I DONT have to feel bad now about Harassaing people I DONT know to buy it either. However you feel about this Blog I wish YOU all the Best of Luck in life... :)

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  69. Everyone always has something to say about this or that when it comes to direct sales,I have a question for every single person in this on going conversation.If a company like Kirby which is very well known and like the other high end Indoor cleaners such as Filterqueen,Tri-star,Electrolux,Rainbow,These companies have been alive and well since the early 1920's,If a company has been around for over 100 Years I don't know I'm jus thinking that maybe just maybe there dojng something right.You people all keep talking about these sales people like there all pieces of garbage and the machines are terrible,but your just all jumping onto a band wagon started by some guy who flunked out of a training class and other people who couldn't sell any products so they look for examples more like excuses of why they couldn't do it,I've done a lot of research on this issue being employed with where I am it's mandatory to look into actual Facts not some blog by some person with an opinion,why is no one talking about the countless amounts of Jobs all these companies create for students and other people in need of employment to support there families or put themselves through school like I did when I was a canvasser for one of these companies.Why is no one going into ebay and looking at the most recent bought cleaners ever produced or the 1000's of testimonials from customers who have been with there selected companies for 40 years and there kids kids are doing the same.Idk maybe it's just me but facts are facts and I sure wouldn't try to slander people or companies without actually doing the proper research and even then I wouldn't intentionlly try to ruin a company because I couldn'the handle or didn't approve of there sales tactics,after all can anyone tell me any sales people that work on commission that don't use whatever tactics they can to sell there products,and just so everyone knows there is a 10 day cancelation policy for these kinds of sales dealing with buyers recourse if the sales person pressures or anything like that,so again Facts.Sales is Sales and the consumer is protected and to be perfectly honest if you choose to let someone into your home,more then likely it's because it's a name you trust and a company you trust.What do you guys all do to make a living?

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  70. What happen to Northern Cali. I'm waiting for his update.

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  71. What happen to Northern Cali I'm waiting on his update.

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  72. Ahh, my best friend fell for Kirby's scheme despite me continuously warning her from the get go. Commission jobs can be quite difficult as you can have a fantastic week followed by a horrific one right after. However, Kirby is one of those "jobs" that goes above and beyond with over the top promises of a lavish lifestyle of riches yet drives their employees mad.
    My bff desperately tried to convince me that the company was a godsend and she got the ok to have me tag along during a typical workday in an attempt to prove me wrong. I said fuck it, why not? I was available, wanted to be entertained, and quite frankly saw it as an opportunity to change her mindset. Lord, that was one hell of a trip haha. I only tagged along for 2 hours before I told them to take me back as I was over being out in the 99 degree weather in a crusty van with no air conditioner. Unfortunately I wasn't able to convince her by the end of that day, but in the end she still came to her senses.
    Now my bff is one of the most genuine upbeat, kind, and optimistic individuals I have ever met (probably why she didn't wise up until later) and I got to witness her customer service skills back when we worked together prior to her Kirby encounter. Thus being said, she actually rocked with getting her foot in the door and convincing poor victims to allow them to perform demos as well as actually help closing sales. For those unfamiliar-or perhaps it was just her sector-there's a leaderboard for sales/demos and after 2 weeks of her being there she held the top position just about every week. Alas, her promised bonuses were always revoked due to some stipulation. Even despite hitting great numbers, it was never enough and bosses switched between spewing crap of "positive mindset, teamwork, and we're a family" to nearly tearing out throats.
    During her employment, I began seeing her a lot less as she was always working, holidays included (because who doesn't love a solicitor showing up on their doorstep on Mother's day or Easter?) from early morning to 10pm. They were pushing those overpriced vacuums in the rain and in 100+ degree weather (SOCAL) in vans with no A/C, heat, and some didn't have full functioning windows. One girl ended up fainting and instead of doing the reasonable thing of taking her back to the "office" they just told her to stick it through and lay down in the back of the van. They were expected to work 12 hours or more a day regardless of their numbers. The employees eye also taught every trick in the book (ethical and non-ethical) in how to meet their numbers.
    In addition, the owner of the this particular sector owned 3 homes and rented the rooms out to the employees. He actually strongly pushed renting onto the employees claiming it would be best for them as carpooling would be easier, the bonds amongst fellow employees would strengthen and in return help their sales, and he would do them the favor of just taking rent out of their check. The owner was a sleaze of a boss and landlord as the houses were in shitty states and often took out too much from their checks for rent. This is probably more of a rarity, however there was another man from a different sector that stated their owner did the same thing.
    As with many other pyramid schemes, employees can make good money...if you're at the top of the chain, get extremely lucky, or work 50+ hours. Even then, why drive yourself mental over a what if?

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  74. I was a Kirby's salesmen and I full popped 3 in my first week...when it was all said and done I made $150 and that was the last day I work

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  76. Is this true? i got the same offer. sounds easy and well paid..

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  79. This blog was incredible! I was victim to the sales pitch last night and everything you said was spot on! Fortunately my will was strong but I feel bad for the elderly with little money who are taken advantage of by such pushy salesman.

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    My friend Jim, has successfully run a HIGHLY profitable woodworking business from home and he has just released his step-by-step blueprint.
    Read His Amazing Story:

    ==> http://www.woodprofits.com?fhasdjgaf66r283

    It is a no-fluff step by step guide to create a part-time woodworking business, selling easy-to-build wood crafts, from HOME...with NO capital or experience required.

    ==> http://www.woodprofits.com?fhasdjgaf66r283

    He started out with little carpentry skills and run a business in a 10x20 feet spacewith ZERO capital....But managed to made $9000 per month as a one-person business within the FIRST year!
    The cool thing is, you don't have to be an expert woodworker to start this business as it's packed with solid STEP-BY-STEP instructions and information on what to do to turn your *passion into profit*.

    ReplyDelete
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  83. All these accounts are true. It's a "commission-only" racket with all the expense borne by the poor sap schlepping these things.
    The handful of people claiming to have made it big selling these machines are more than likely shills. The few who are successful at this, by being at the top of the pyramid, surely don't bother to look on real experience blogs.

    Want further evidence? I know a dude who got sucked into the vacuum cleaner game by Electrolux some years back. Nice to see Electrolux has gone mainstream and has actual stores to see the product. The point is, same shit different label.

    Ditto for Primerica Life Insurance, and the granddaddy pyramid of them all Amway.

    If it smells like a turd it is and no machine on Earth will turn it into gold.

    ReplyDelete