South Bay Distributing (kirby vaccums) ripoff scam artists, greedy, lying people who endanger lives ripoff artists fraud ripoff con-artists took us for all we had ripoff deception bohemia New York

I currently work with (no one works for outside of Corporate) an independent distributor of Kirby.

Let's get some facts straight about the product first. Is it a good vacuum cleaner? Yes. Is it better than others sold the same way? No. Is is better than most store bought ones? Yes. Is it better than all store bought ones? No.

What do I base this on? Suction in vacuum cleaners is measured in 3 ways. First, cubic inches of water lift. Second, cubic feet of airflow per second/minute. Third, maintaining both.

Kirby is not capable of maintaining flow. The reason for this is because it uses a strong filter bag - one of the best, made of steam-pressed micron thread HEPA. This is both the blessing and the curse of the machine. This particular HEPA is the second most efficient filter known to man at this time for keeping dust from getting through and into your air. It also means that it catches all dust down to .3 microns, roughly the size of a dust mite. Catching this dust, since the airflow is through this bag, is what reduces the airflow. After 15 minutes of vacuuming, a Kirby won't pick up a piece of confetti. The airflow is blocked by the dust that now coats the inside of your bag.

For those of you who work for Kirby, I challenge you to vacuum an uncleaned floor for 15 minutes with a Kirby with a bag installed - or five minutes with a dirt meter with a filter inside it. Without changing the bag or the filter, put something light and easy for a vacuum to pick up on the floor. Make sure you put two of the item down. Run any competitor vacuum over one of the item, and the Kirby over the other. You will find the competitor vacuum most likely has better suction at this point.

As for it's Scotch Guard dry-chem cleaner, it is good for removing anything but dies, as long as you vacuum the floor first. If you do not vacuum first, the suckable dust will create mud. The 3 hour dry time is based on NOT saturating the carpet. The foam works without saturation, unlike traditional steam cleaning.

The Scotch Guard cleaner does not use the bag, and does not lose airflow or suction, and is really the best part of the machine.

The two top brands of floor cleaners on the market today are Kirby and Filter Queen. Let's see how they compare:

KIRBY SENTRIA (the current model):
Maximum Airflow = 115 Cubic Feet A Minute
Maximum Suction = 27.5 Cubic Inches of water
Maximum Motor Speed = 13,000 RPM
Suction imidiately reduces upon use

Filter Queen Majestic (the current model)
Maximum Airflow = 80 Cubic Feet A Minute (less than Kirby)
Maximum Suction = 94 Cubic Inches of water (more than 3 times that of kirby)
Maximum Motor Speed = 23,500 RPM (nearly twice that of Kirby)
Suction does not decrease until canister contains 2.5 gallons of dirt

How many people pick up 2.5 gallons of dirt when vacuuming? Not many.

Filter Queen is one of the superior vacuums to Kirby, but Kirby beats Filter Queen when it comes to the chem cleaner.

Now let's talk price. In the now infamous indoctrination process, Kirby claims that the reason they don't sell Kirby in stores is because "People would not pay $2,000 for a vacuum cleaner next to a $200 one without being able to see how superior it is through home demonstration."

This is not true. The reason they do not sell it retail is because the company makes less money per unit that way. The money in your $2000 machine goes to commissions up a 12 level line. Every machine you buy pays 12 people commissions(sometimes 11, skipping your very hard working salesperson).

The actual value of the machine is found in its warranty. If your machine goes bad after 3 years, they will replace it for under $200. They do not lose a penny on this. Kirby's CEO (who also owns many other companies) is the richest man in the world as of this year. He did not get there losing money on old vacuum cleaners. If Kirby was sold in conventional retail, it would probably shelf for about $280 to $300 today. By selling through independant contractors, all Kirby does is collect the money left after the commissions, and at a fairly large profit when compared to other vacuum cleaner manufacturers.

Kirby does not employ salespeople. The only employees of Kirby work in it's coperate office and manufacturing plant in Cleveland. This was a very intelligent way of keeping their hand clean, no matter what the independant offices wh sell thier wares do.

The office I work in is involved in financing contract fraud. In a taped meeting during "training", the son of the owner of this office was doing the training, and he openly instructed all present on how to skew the contract for better approval:

1 - He said that if the customer does not have a bank account, say they do any way, because "That way it looks better to the finance company."

2 - He said that if their income is low, bump it up. "If they make only $800 a month, add a 1 and make it $1800."

In this manner, the company is getting financing approved for people who can not afford the payments, possible damaging their credit for life when it comes down to it.

A way to make people want to pay the exorbitant price is pointing out that your average household vacuum is replaced every 3 to 4 years, and Kirby has that lifetime warranty and should last at least 65 years. Then the question is asked, when you have 100 or more little pads of dirt that the Kirby just picked out of your carpet, "Is getting rid of this worth $8.50 a month?" Referring to 4 years at the price they are asking, not mentioning that they do not have an "$8.50 a month" payment option.

Kirby requires $500 down or your old vacuum as a trade in. They will NOT write the trade in into your contract, because (they say) "Then we would have to pay taxes on the trade in". Heaven forbid they be honest about paying taxes!

I am not a salesperson. I actually work in the office, setting appointments, and am collecting information on business practices while doing so. Kirby has very high paid lawyers, and they will not go down easy, if they ever do. By everyone being an independent contractor, if an office is caught legally, it stops at that office. Kirby only makes the product and collects the money; they don't sell them. That is for the independent contractors to do - thus all the different business names you see selling Kirbys.

It is a good machine, and there are honest offices out there with honest salespeople. Unfortunately, the "Kirby Plan" is so high pressure on the higher parts of the teams, that it takes dishonesty to be a success as defined by Kirby. The higher your position, the more pressure you are under to sell. The more pressure you are under, the more desperate tactics you will use.

Kirby sells itself as a way to get rich quick, if you apply yourself to working 12 hours a day 7 days a week. This will happen to one out of a few thousand, and that one will have no life outside of work. When work becomes your life, you accomplish nothing for anyone but the Kirby company.

The owner of Kirby did not gt rich by selling vacuum cleaners. In fact, the current owner of Kirby has never sold one. He owns many companies, including the parent company of Kirby (Yes, it is not it's own), and made most of his money by very smart stock and business trades.

How I got there - I responded to an ad claiming $600+ a week salary for office work. The CONTRACT requires 6 days per week of 10+ hours a day to get this, and since you are NOT an employee, but an independent contractor, wage laws do not apply. This, if people did not have the choice of leaving, is tantamount of unfair labor practices. And until recently, their hand could be wiped clean by the claim "You could leave at any time."

But now, with the economy as bad as it is, many people have little hope of getting ANY job, and this is far worse for them, because they NEED that $600 for 60+ a week with no breaks to survive. There is little choice when the landlord needs rent and there are no other jobs.

I recommend against doing business with Kirby. I recommend against seeking employment with their contracted offices. It is a good product, but not good enough for the grief it's manufacturer causes.

Anyway, to set the record straight, all the stories on this site are likely true - both the bad and good, from both consumers and contractors. Good luck to everyone!

I currently work with (no one works for outside of Corporate) an independent distributor of Kirby.

Let's get some facts straight about the product first. Is it a good vacuum cleaner? Yes. Is it better than others sold the same way? No. Is is better than most store bought ones? Yes. Is it better than all store bought ones? No.

What do I base this on? Suction in vacuum cleaners is measured in 3 ways. First, cubic inches of water lift. Second, cubic feet of airflow per second/minute. Third, maintaining both.

Kirby is not capable of maintaining flow. The reason for this is because it uses a strong filter bag - one of the best, made of steam-pressed micron thread HEPA. This is both the blessing and the curse of the machine. This particular HEPA is the second most efficient filter known to man at this time for keeping dust from getting through and into your air. It also means that it catches all dust down to .3 microns, roughly the size of a dust mite. Catching this dust, since the airflow is through this bag, is what reduces the airflow. After 15 minutes of vacuuming, a Kirby won't pick up a piece of confetti. The airflow is blocked by the dust that now coats the inside of your bag.

For those of you who work for Kirby, I challenge you to vacuum an uncleaned floor for 15 minutes with a Kirby with a bag installed - or five minutes with a dirt meter with a filter inside it. Without changing the bag or the filter, put something light and easy for a vacuum to pick up on the floor. Make sure you put two of the item down. Run any competitor vacuum over one of the item, and the Kirby over the other. You will find the competitor vacuum most likely has better suction at this point.

As for it's Scotch Guard dry-chem cleaner, it is good for removing anything but dies, as long as you vacuum the floor first. If you do not vacuum first, the suckable dust will create mud. The 3 hour dry time is based on NOT saturating the carpet. The foam works without saturation, unlike traditional steam cleaning.

The Scotch Guard cleaner does not use the bag, and does not lose airflow or suction, and is really the best part of the machine.

The two top brands of floor cleaners on the market today are Kirby and Filter Queen. Let's see how they compare:

KIRBY SENTRIA (the current model):
Maximum Airflow = 115 Cubic Feet A Minute
Maximum Suction = 27.5 Cubic Inches of water
Maximum Motor Speed = 13,000 RPM
Suction imidiately reduces upon use

Filter Queen Majestic (the current model)
Maximum Airflow = 80 Cubic Feet A Minute (less than Kirby)
Maximum Suction = 94 Cubic Inches of water (more than 3 times that of kirby)
Maximum Motor Speed = 23,500 RPM (nearly twice that of Kirby)
Suction does not decrease until canister contains 2.5 gallons of dirt

How many people pick up 2.5 gallons of dirt when vacuuming? Not many.

Filter Queen is one of the superior vacuums to Kirby, but Kirby beats Filter Queen when it comes to the chem cleaner.

Now let's talk price. In the now infamous indoctrination process, Kirby claims that the reason they don't sell Kirby in stores is because "People would not pay $2,000 for a vacuum cleaner next to a $200 one without being able to see how superior it is through home demonstration."

This is not true. The reason they do not sell it retail is because the company makes less money per unit that way. The money in your $2000 machine goes to commissions up a 12 level line. Every machine you buy pays 12 people commissions(sometimes 11, skipping your very hard working salesperson).

The actual value of the machine is found in its warranty. If your machine goes bad after 3 years, they will replace it for under $200. They do not lose a penny on this. Kirby's CEO (who also owns many other companies) is the richest man in the world as of this year. He did not get there losing money on old vacuum cleaners. If Kirby was sold in conventional retail, it would probably shelf for about $280 to $300 today. By selling through independant contractors, all Kirby does is collect the money left after the commissions, and at a fairly large profit when compared to other vacuum cleaner manufacturers.

Kirby does not employ salespeople. The only employees of Kirby work in it's coperate office and manufacturing plant in Cleveland. This was a very intelligent way of keeping their hand clean, no matter what the independant offices wh sell thier wares do.

The office I work in is involved in financing contract fraud. In a taped meeting during "training", the son of the owner of this office was doing the training, and he openly instructed all present on how to skew the contract for better approval:

1 - He said that if the customer does not have a bank account, say they do any way, because "That way it looks better to the finance company."

2 - He said that if their income is low, bump it up. "If they make only $800 a month, add a 1 and make it $1800."

In this manner, the company is getting financing approved for people who can not afford the payments, possible damaging their credit for life when it comes down to it.

A way to make people want to pay the exorbitant price is pointing out that your average household vacuum is replaced every 3 to 4 years, and Kirby has that lifetime warranty and should last at least 65 years. Then the question is asked, when you have 100 or more little pads of dirt that the Kirby just picked out of your carpet, "Is getting rid of this worth $8.50 a month?" Referring to 4 years at the price they are asking, not mentioning that they do not have an "$8.50 a month" payment option.

Kirby requires $500 down or your old vacuum as a trade in. They will NOT write the trade in into your contract, because (they say) "Then we would have to pay taxes on the trade in". Heaven forbid they be honest about paying taxes!

I am not a salesperson. I actually work in the office, setting appointments, and am collecting information on business practices while doing so. Kirby has very high paid lawyers, and they will not go down easy, if they ever do. By everyone being an independent contractor, if an office is caught legally, it stops at that office. Kirby only makes the product and collects the money; they don't sell them. That is for the independent contractors to do - thus all the different business names you see selling Kirbys.

It is a good machine, and there are honest offices out there with honest salespeople. Unfortunately, the "Kirby Plan" is so high pressure on the higher parts of the teams, that it takes dishonesty to be a success as defined by Kirby. The higher your position, the more pressure you are under to sell. The more pressure you are under, the more desperate tactics you will use.

Kirby sells itself as a way to get rich quick, if you apply yourself to working 12 hours a day 7 days a week. This will happen to one out of a few thousand, and that one will have no life outside of work. When work becomes your life, you accomplish nothing for anyone but the Kirby company.

The owner of Kirby did not gt rich by selling vacuum cleaners. In fact, the current owner of Kirby has never sold one. He owns many companies, including the parent company of Kirby (Yes, it is not it's own), and made most of his money by very smart stock and business trades.

How I got there - I responded to an ad claiming $600+ a week salary for office work. The CONTRACT requires 6 days per week of 10+ hours a day to get this, and since you are NOT an employee, but an independent contractor, wage laws do not apply. This, if people did not have the choice of leaving, is tantamount of unfair labor practices. And until recently, their hand could be wiped clean by the claim "You could leave at any time."

But now, with the economy as bad as it is, many people have little hope of getting ANY job, and this is far worse for them, because they NEED that $600 for 60+ a week with no breaks to survive. There is little choice when the landlord needs rent and there are no other jobs.

I recommend against doing business with Kirby. I recommend against seeking employment with their contracted offices. It is a good product, but not good enough for the grief it's manufacturer causes.

Anyway, to set the record straight, all the stories on this site are likely true - both the bad and good, from both consumers and contractors. Good luck to everyone!

I currently work with (no one works for outside of Corporate) an independent distributor of Kirby.

Let's get some facts straight about the product first. Is it a good vacuum cleaner? Yes. Is it better than others sold the same way? No. Is is better than most store bought ones? Yes. Is it better than all store bought ones? No.

What do I base this on? Suction in vacuum cleaners is measured in 3 ways. First, cubic inches of water lift. Second, cubic feet of airflow per second/minute. Third, maintaining both.

Kirby is not capable of maintaining flow. The reason for this is because it uses a strong filter bag - one of the best, made of steam-pressed micron thread HEPA. This is both the blessing and the curse of the machine. This particular HEPA is the second most efficient filter known to man at this time for keeping dust from getting through and into your air. It also means that it catches all dust down to .3 microns, roughly the size of a dust mite. Catching this dust, since the airflow is through this bag, is what reduces the airflow. After 15 minutes of vacuuming, a Kirby won't pick up a piece of confetti. The airflow is blocked by the dust that now coats the inside of your bag.

For those of you who work for Kirby, I challenge you to vacuum an uncleaned floor for 15 minutes with a Kirby with a bag installed - or five minutes with a dirt meter with a filter inside it. Without changing the bag or the filter, put something light and easy for a vacuum to pick up on the floor. Make sure you put two of the item down. Run any competitor vacuum over one of the item, and the Kirby over the other. You will find the competitor vacuum most likely has better suction at this point.

As for it's Scotch Guard dry-chem cleaner, it is good for removing anything but dies, as long as you vacuum the floor first. If you do not vacuum first, the suckable dust will create mud. The 3 hour dry time is based on NOT saturating the carpet. The foam works without saturation, unlike traditional steam cleaning.

The Scotch Guard cleaner does not use the bag, and does not lose airflow or suction, and is really the best part of the machine.

The two top brands of floor cleaners on the market today are Kirby and Filter Queen. Let's see how they compare:

KIRBY SENTRIA (the current model):
Maximum Airflow = 115 Cubic Feet A Minute
Maximum Suction = 27.5 Cubic Inches of water
Maximum Motor Speed = 13,000 RPM
Suction imidiately reduces upon use

Filter Queen Majestic (the current model)
Maximum Airflow = 80 Cubic Feet A Minute (less than Kirby)
Maximum Suction = 94 Cubic Inches of water (more than 3 times that of kirby)
Maximum Motor Speed = 23,500 RPM (nearly twice that of Kirby)
Suction does not decrease until canister contains 2.5 gallons of dirt

How many people pick up 2.5 gallons of dirt when vacuuming? Not many.

Filter Queen is one of the superior vacuums to Kirby, but Kirby beats Filter Queen when it comes to the chem cleaner.

Now let's talk price. In the now infamous indoctrination process, Kirby claims that the reason they don't sell Kirby in stores is because "People would not pay $2,000 for a vacuum cleaner next to a $200 one without being able to see how superior it is through home demonstration."

This is not true. The reason they do not sell it retail is because the company makes less money per unit that way. The money in your $2000 machine goes to commissions up a 12 level line. Every machine you buy pays 12 people commissions(sometimes 11, skipping your very hard working salesperson).

The actual value of the machine is found in its warranty. If your machine goes bad after 3 years, they will replace it for under $200. They do not lose a penny on this. Kirby's CEO (who also owns many other companies) is the richest man in the world as of this year. He did not get there losing money on old vacuum cleaners. If Kirby was sold in conventional retail, it would probably shelf for about $280 to $300 today. By selling through independant contractors, all Kirby does is collect the money left after the commissions, and at a fairly large profit when compared to other vacuum cleaner manufacturers.

Kirby does not employ salespeople. The only employees of Kirby work in it's coperate office and manufacturing plant in Cleveland. This was a very intelligent way of keeping their hand clean, no matter what the independant offices wh sell thier wares do.

The office I work in is involved in financing contract fraud. In a taped meeting during "training", the son of the owner of this office was doing the training, and he openly instructed all present on how to skew the contract for better approval:

1 - He said that if the customer does not have a bank account, say they do any way, because "That way it looks better to the finance company."

2 - He said that if their income is low, bump it up. "If they make only $800 a month, add a 1 and make it $1800."

In this manner, the company is getting financing approved for people who can not afford the payments, possible damaging their credit for life when it comes down to it.

A way to make people want to pay the exorbitant price is pointing out that your average household vacuum is replaced every 3 to 4 years, and Kirby has that lifetime warranty and should last at least 65 years. Then the question is asked, when you have 100 or more little pads of dirt that the Kirby just picked out of your carpet, "Is getting rid of this worth $8.50 a month?" Referring to 4 years at the price they are asking, not mentioning that they do not have an "$8.50 a month" payment option.

Kirby requires $500 down or your old vacuum as a trade in. They will NOT write the trade in into your contract, because (they say) "Then we would have to pay taxes on the trade in". Heaven forbid they be honest about paying taxes!

I am not a salesperson. I actually work in the office, setting appointments, and am collecting information on business practices while doing so. Kirby has very high paid lawyers, and they will not go down easy, if they ever do. By everyone being an independent contractor, if an office is caught legally, it stops at that office. Kirby only makes the product and collects the money; they don't sell them. That is for the independent contractors to do - thus all the different business names you see selling Kirbys.

It is a good machine, and there are honest offices out there with honest salespeople. Unfortunately, the "Kirby Plan" is so high pressure on the higher parts of the teams, that it takes dishonesty to be a success as defined by Kirby. The higher your position, the more pressure you are under to sell. The more pressure you are under, the more desperate tactics you will use.

Kirby sells itself as a way to get rich quick, if you apply yourself to working 12 hours a day 7 days a week. This will happen to one out of a few thousand, and that one will have no life outside of work. When work becomes your life, you accomplish nothing for anyone but the Kirby company.

The owner of Kirby did not gt rich by selling vacuum cleaners. In fact, the current owner of Kirby has never sold one. He owns many companies, including the parent company of Kirby (Yes, it is not it's own), and made most of his money by very smart stock and business trades.

How I got there - I responded to an ad claiming $600+ a week salary for office work. The CONTRACT requires 6 days per week of 10+ hours a day to get this, and since you are NOT an employee, but an independent contractor, wage laws do not apply. This, if people did not have the choice of leaving, is tantamount of unfair labor practices. And until recently, their hand could be wiped clean by the claim "You could leave at any time."

But now, with the economy as bad as it is, many people have little hope of getting ANY job, and this is far worse for them, because they NEED that $600 for 60+ a week with no breaks to survive. There is little choice when the landlord needs rent and there are no other jobs.

I recommend against doing business with Kirby. I recommend against seeking employment with their contracted offices. It is a good product, but not good enough for the grief it's manufacturer causes.

Anyway, to set the record straight, all the stories on this site are likely true - both the bad and good, from both consumers and contractors. Good luck to everyone!

I currently work with (no one works for outside of Corporate) an independent distributor of Kirby.

Let's get some facts straight about the product first. Is it a good vacuum cleaner? Yes. Is it better than others sold the same way? No. Is is better than most store bought ones? Yes. Is it better than all store bought ones? No.

What do I base this on? Suction in vacuum cleaners is measured in 3 ways. First, cubic inches of water lift. Second, cubic feet of airflow per second/minute. Third, maintaining both.

Kirby is not capable of maintaining flow. The reason for this is because it uses a strong filter bag - one of the best, made of steam-pressed micron thread HEPA. This is both the blessing and the curse of the machine. This particular HEPA is the second most efficient filter known to man at this time for keeping dust from getting through and into your air. It also means that it catches all dust down to .3 microns, roughly the size of a dust mite. Catching this dust, since the airflow is through this bag, is what reduces the airflow. After 15 minutes of vacuuming, a Kirby won't pick up a piece of confetti. The airflow is blocked by the dust that now coats the inside of your bag.

For those of you who work for Kirby, I challenge you to vacuum an uncleaned floor for 15 minutes with a Kirby with a bag installed - or five minutes with a dirt meter with a filter inside it. Without changing the bag or the filter, put something light and easy for a vacuum to pick up on the floor. Make sure you put two of the item down. Run any competitor vacuum over one of the item, and the Kirby over the other. You will find the competitor vacuum most likely has better suction at this point.

As for it's Scotch Guard dry-chem cleaner, it is good for removing anything but dies, as long as you vacuum the floor first. If you do not vacuum first, the suckable dust will create mud. The 3 hour dry time is based on NOT saturating the carpet. The foam works without saturation, unlike traditional steam cleaning.

The Scotch Guard cleaner does not use the bag, and does not lose airflow or suction, and is really the best part of the machine.

The two top brands of floor cleaners on the market today are Kirby and Filter Queen. Let's see how they compare:

KIRBY SENTRIA (the current model):
Maximum Airflow = 115 Cubic Feet A Minute
Maximum Suction = 27.5 Cubic Inches of water
Maximum Motor Speed = 13,000 RPM
Suction imidiately reduces upon use

Filter Queen Majestic (the current model)
Maximum Airflow = 80 Cubic Feet A Minute (less than Kirby)
Maximum Suction = 94 Cubic Inches of water (more than 3 times that of kirby)
Maximum Motor Speed = 23,500 RPM (nearly twice that of Kirby)
Suction does not decrease until canister contains 2.5 gallons of dirt

How many people pick up 2.5 gallons of dirt when vacuuming? Not many.

Filter Queen is one of the superior vacuums to Kirby, but Kirby beats Filter Queen when it comes to the chem cleaner.

Now let's talk price. In the now infamous indoctrination process, Kirby claims that the reason they don't sell Kirby in stores is because "People would not pay $2,000 for a vacuum cleaner next to a $200 one without being able to see how superior it is through home demonstration."

This is not true. The reason they do not sell it retail is because the company makes less money per unit that way. The money in your $2000 machine goes to commissions up a 12 level line. Every machine you buy pays 12 people commissions(sometimes 11, skipping your very hard working salesperson).

The actual value of the machine is found in its warranty. If your machine goes bad after 3 years, they will replace it for under $200. They do not lose a penny on this. Kirby's CEO (who also owns many other companies) is the richest man in the world as of this year. He did not get there losing money on old vacuum cleaners. If Kirby was sold in conventional retail, it would probably shelf for about $280 to $300 today. By selling through independant contractors, all Kirby does is collect the money left after the commissions, and at a fairly large profit when compared to other vacuum cleaner manufacturers.

Kirby does not employ salespeople. The only employees of Kirby work in it's coperate office and manufacturing plant in Cleveland. This was a very intelligent way of keeping their hand clean, no matter what the independant offices wh sell thier wares do.

The office I work in is involved in financing contract fraud. In a taped meeting during "training", the son of the owner of this office was doing the training, and he openly instructed all present on how to skew the contract for better approval:

1 - He said that if the customer does not have a bank account, say they do any way, because "That way it looks better to the finance company."

2 - He said that if their income is low, bump it up. "If they make only $800 a month, add a 1 and make it $1800."

In this manner, the company is getting financing approved for people who can not afford the payments, possible damaging their credit for life when it comes down to it.

A way to make people want to pay the exorbitant price is pointing out that your average household vacuum is replaced every 3 to 4 years, and Kirby has that lifetime warranty and should last at least 65 years. Then the question is asked, when you have 100 or more little pads of dirt that the Kirby just picked out of your carpet, "Is getting rid of this worth $8.50 a month?" Referring to 4 years at the price they are asking, not mentioning that they do not have an "$8.50 a month" payment option.

Kirby requires $500 down or your old vacuum as a trade in. They will NOT write the trade in into your contract, because (they say) "Then we would have to pay taxes on the trade in". Heaven forbid they be honest about paying taxes!

I am not a salesperson. I actually work in the office, setting appointments, and am collecting information on business practices while doing so. Kirby has very high paid lawyers, and they will not go down easy, if they ever do. By everyone being an independent contractor, if an office is caught legally, it stops at that office. Kirby only makes the product and collects the money; they don't sell them. That is for the independent contractors to do - thus all the different business names you see selling Kirbys.

It is a good machine, and there are honest offices out there with honest salespeople. Unfortunately, the "Kirby Plan" is so high pressure on the higher parts of the teams, that it takes dishonesty to be a success as defined by Kirby. The higher your position, the more pressure you are under to sell. The more pressure you are under, the more desperate tactics you will use.

Kirby sells itself as a way to get rich quick, if you apply yourself to working 12 hours a day 7 days a week. This will happen to one out of a few thousand, and that one will have no life outside of work. When work becomes your life, you accomplish nothing for anyone but the Kirby company.

The owner of Kirby did not gt rich by selling vacuum cleaners. In fact, the current owner of Kirby has never sold one. He owns many companies, including the parent company of Kirby (Yes, it is not it's own), and made most of his money by very smart stock and business trades.

How I got there - I responded to an ad claiming $600+ a week salary for office work. The CONTRACT requires 6 days per week of 10+ hours a day to get this, and since you are NOT an employee, but an independent contractor, wage laws do not apply. This, if people did not have the choice of leaving, is tantamount of unfair labor practices. And until recently, their hand could be wiped clean by the claim "You could leave at any time."

But now, with the economy as bad as it is, many people have little hope of getting ANY job, and this is far worse for them, because they NEED that $600 for 60+ a week with no breaks to survive. There is little choice when the landlord needs rent and there are no other jobs.

I recommend against doing business with Kirby. I recommend against seeking employment with their contracted offices. It is a good product, but not good enough for the grief it's manufacturer causes.

Anyway, to set the record straight, all the stories on this site are likely true - both the bad and good, from both consumers and contractors. Good luck to everyone!

To anyone who does not want to be ripped off by kirby, just go to ebay, believe me you could save at least 500 dollars. Personal choice of model, The Classic 1 CR. The thing could suck the air out of a blimp!

I work for kirby and they are not at all like this lady is saying. These are hard working people that r just trying to make a living and u critisize them for it. And also it is ur fault that u let ur daughter work 100 hours a week (which is 14 hours and 20 minutes a day for 7 days, very doubtable), any parent would have the common sense to withdraw their daughter from a 100 hour a week job. Ive been working at kirby and already ive earned enough money to go to college, buy a car, and help support my family. Oh yeah, and the vaccum works great, trust me, just because you lack knowledge of te kirby company and product in several areas and aspects does not mean you should go on websites posting lies about the company, lady, get a grip on urself...

I work for kirby and they are not at all like this lady is saying. These are hard working people that r just trying to make a living and u critisize them for it. And also it is ur fault that u let ur daughter work 100 hours a week (which is 14 hours and 20 minutes a day for 7 days, very doubtable), any parent would have the common sense to withdraw their daughter from a 100 hour a week job. Ive been working at kirby and already ive earned enough money to go to college, buy a car, and help support my family. Oh yeah, and the vaccum works great, trust me, just because you lack knowledge of te kirby company and product in several areas and aspects does not mean you should go on websites posting lies about the company, lady, get a grip on urself...

I work for kirby and they are not at all like this lady is saying. These are hard working people that r just trying to make a living and u critisize them for it. And also it is ur fault that u let ur daughter work 100 hours a week (which is 14 hours and 20 minutes a day for 7 days, very doubtable), any parent would have the common sense to withdraw their daughter from a 100 hour a week job. Ive been working at kirby and already ive earned enough money to go to college, buy a car, and help support my family. Oh yeah, and the vaccum works great, trust me, just because you lack knowledge of te kirby company and product in several areas and aspects does not mean you should go on websites posting lies about the company, lady, get a grip on urself...

I work for kirby and they are not at all like this lady is saying. These are hard working people that r just trying to make a living and u critisize them for it. And also it is ur fault that u let ur daughter work 100 hours a week (which is 14 hours and 20 minutes a day for 7 days, very doubtable), any parent would have the common sense to withdraw their daughter from a 100 hour a week job. Ive been working at kirby and already ive earned enough money to go to college, buy a car, and help support my family. Oh yeah, and the vaccum works great, trust me, just because you lack knowledge of te kirby company and product in several areas and aspects does not mean you should go on websites posting lies about the company, lady, get a grip on urself...

So i've read all the above reports and I want to say that the Kirby is a great vacuum and yes, even if it does sell for 2000$ it is worth it, BUT I definetly agree that it only costs that much because all the profit goes to the head managers. All in all that isn't the problem. The problem is everything bad said above is TRUE! They get you to work for free. All the training is brainwashing on how you can be successful. I asked them how many hours a week/day I would work and I had to ask 3 times because he kept avoiding the answer.

They say it is easy to do two demos in people's houses a day, and I believe that. But after being in the van for one day I realized there are 5 other people and if we each need 2, thats ten demos just to ensure the 30$ a day paycheck. We couldn't even get into one persons house to do one demo.

When people quit after the first week, they still go their product out with free advertising as I did my 8 "practice" demos/ Which , yes, they try to convince your friends and family to buy. I am sure there are people out there that make money, but you have to ride around in a seedy white van, stalking people's neighborhoods, as some van leader drops you off in the neighbor hood alone and you just hope he knows where he left you and will be back, and then you go and try to talk yourself into someones home, and the vacuum is not even with you. (oh and i didn't meet one employee there that actually knew how to spell vacuum). if you're a dim witted pushy business guy who has no ethics, this job is for you.

I just found more and more information that revealed itself along the way. I was told I would only demo and get 150$. I found out I had to make the appointment, demo and be the salesman and I would only get 100$ for the sale. Its definetly a waste of time and money and I've learned my lesson.

I have seen a lot of complaints of how much the vaccums are being sold for. I live in southern california, I purchased my Kirby G5 vaccum for $999.00 about a year ago with all accessories. They started price at $1,700, but started coming down very quickly. The vaccum works great. I believe that if there not offering it to you at this same price then maybe it's a rip-off

People have to understand when you buy a product what you're paying for is really the product OF the product. Having sold thousands of KIRBY HOME MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS in a varity circumstances I can honestly say that,in my humble opinion the huge success of the KIRBY CO. reflects there are still a few intelligent people who understand this - they are the easiest and most pleasant customers.I do not like to waste my time with the ignorant 'unwashed masses'.Warren Buffet understands there will always be a market for QUALITY but most of these 'victims' probably don't know who he is anyway.

As far as a rip off , I don't think so.I purchased the Kirby system over a year ago.And as they say you get what you pay for. I told the salesman he could demonstrate, and waste his time ,but i would not buy, well when he was done showing his product,and seeing the actual Quality and workmanship of this product It far out did anything you could purchase from Sears or Wal Mart.

It has a few shortcomings as it is a little bulky But the goods out weigh the bad. I didn't pay $1700 either. With a little salesmanship of my own I purchased it for quite a bit less.As i said in my title if after the demo. you don't want it Just say no. and ask the salesperson to leave. And go to the discount store and buy one for less. With half the quality.

Ps. I have since picked up an old Kirby from a neighbor, and after checking and cleaning it ,I found out it is a 1958, there are no broken parts including the hose.And it still works fine.

Kirby came to my house in NC 15 years back. It was fun watching this guy working like a madman trying to get his vacuum to suck up some dirt out of my carpet. He worked for nearly an hour going from room to room with his little white filter thing in the Kirby. Going to show me. He finally gave up. My wife and I just sat there watching TV while he did all of this. He got nothing for all of his troubles, except for the beer I gave him. You see, my wife keeps my house spotless. Doesn't matter if we're in NC or FL. She cleans everyday and at the time, used a cheap upright Hoover. She finally told me she wanted the carpet gone and wood floors laid down. I had it done immediately after Hurricane Bertha and now she just runs that swiffer thing around everyday. But you have to admit, getting that guy to work for an hour for nothing is funny. Strange how they've never tried to get me to buy one since that day.

Kirby came to my house in NC 15 years back. It was fun watching this guy working like a madman trying to get his vacuum to suck up some dirt out of my carpet. He worked for nearly an hour going from room to room with his little white filter thing in the Kirby. Going to show me. He finally gave up. My wife and I just sat there watching TV while he did all of this. He got nothing for all of his troubles, except for the beer I gave him. You see, my wife keeps my house spotless. Doesn't matter if we're in NC or FL. She cleans everyday and at the time, used a cheap upright Hoover. She finally told me she wanted the carpet gone and wood floors laid down. I had it done immediately after Hurricane Bertha and now she just runs that swiffer thing around everyday. But you have to admit, getting that guy to work for an hour for nothing is funny. Strange how they've never tried to get me to buy one since that day.

Kirby came to my house in NC 15 years back. It was fun watching this guy working like a madman trying to get his vacuum to suck up some dirt out of my carpet. He worked for nearly an hour going from room to room with his little white filter thing in the Kirby. Going to show me. He finally gave up. My wife and I just sat there watching TV while he did all of this. He got nothing for all of his troubles, except for the beer I gave him. You see, my wife keeps my house spotless. Doesn't matter if we're in NC or FL. She cleans everyday and at the time, used a cheap upright Hoover. She finally told me she wanted the carpet gone and wood floors laid down. I had it done immediately after Hurricane Bertha and now she just runs that swiffer thing around everyday. But you have to admit, getting that guy to work for an hour for nothing is funny. Strange how they've never tried to get me to buy one since that day.

Kirby came to my house in NC 15 years back. It was fun watching this guy working like a madman trying to get his vacuum to suck up some dirt out of my carpet. He worked for nearly an hour going from room to room with his little white filter thing in the Kirby. Going to show me. He finally gave up. My wife and I just sat there watching TV while he did all of this. He got nothing for all of his troubles, except for the beer I gave him. You see, my wife keeps my house spotless. Doesn't matter if we're in NC or FL. She cleans everyday and at the time, used a cheap upright Hoover. She finally told me she wanted the carpet gone and wood floors laid down. I had it done immediately after Hurricane Bertha and now she just runs that swiffer thing around everyday. But you have to admit, getting that guy to work for an hour for nothing is funny. Strange how they've never tried to get me to buy one since that day.

To everyone, especially Bob in Indiana...Not only did my 19 year old "boss" rip me off, he ripped off 19 people and when he was done, he left town! Sounds real decent, huh?! Kirby might be alright if you work for decent, organized people. I understand that people are in this job for the money such as other salespeople however, this WAS a scam. Trevor is a thief and he's very deceitful to anyone, not just his employees.

Sad thing is, this boy has done this in other towns also. yep, you are right...it's definitely just a case of blame. Like I said before, it may not be Kirby that's the problem, it may have been the one that was in charge at the one I worked for.

I did complain and it did no good...any ADVICE, not criticism???

I was a former kirby employee. I remember reading an ad in the newspaper saying 400.00 a week guranteed, so being a young teenager who was expecting the best said ok ill give it a try. So I go in to Superior Systems a branch in south jersey for kirby. I went in for the interview there was older people and alot of younger people, so i go in the next day and its all younger people should have known something was wrong there.So than this guy comes in and tells us how much money we are going to make and all teh trips and jewelry we will be getting.So I set up the " 4 DEMOS" and they pressured me into tryin to force my mother to buy a vacuum and i said no. Things just kept gettin worse and worse,WHen I was first hired they said no door to door ,no phone calls. Well what do you know the next week i was knocking on doors and making phone calls. I was working from 9 am to 11pm six days a week. I didnt get paid after workin for them the past 72 hours , thats right 72 hours and not one paycheck. These monsters use your family and friends to get sales and than you are basically done after that. I would advise anyone who is considering employment with these people to back out while you can its a ripoff and a scam, I wish something would be done about this scam of a company

I was a former kirby employee. I remember reading an ad in the newspaper saying 400.00 a week guranteed, so being a young teenager who was expecting the best said ok ill give it a try. So I go in to Superior Systems a branch in south jersey for kirby. I went in for the interview there was older people and alot of younger people, so i go in the next day and its all younger people should have known something was wrong there.So than this guy comes in and tells us how much money we are going to make and all teh trips and jewelry we will be getting.So I set up the " 4 DEMOS" and they pressured me into tryin to force my mother to buy a vacuum and i said no. Things just kept gettin worse and worse,WHen I was first hired they said no door to door ,no phone calls. Well what do you know the next week i was knocking on doors and making phone calls. I was working from 9 am to 11pm six days a week. I didnt get paid after workin for them the past 72 hours , thats right 72 hours and not one paycheck. These monsters use your family and friends to get sales and than you are basically done after that. I would advise anyone who is considering employment with these people to back out while you can its a ripoff and a scam, I wish something would be done about this scam of a company

I was a former kirby employee. I remember reading an ad in the newspaper saying 400.00 a week guranteed, so being a young teenager who was expecting the best said ok ill give it a try. So I go in to Superior Systems a branch in south jersey for kirby. I went in for the interview there was older people and alot of younger people, so i go in the next day and its all younger people should have known something was wrong there.So than this guy comes in and tells us how much money we are going to make and all teh trips and jewelry we will be getting.So I set up the " 4 DEMOS" and they pressured me into tryin to force my mother to buy a vacuum and i said no. Things just kept gettin worse and worse,WHen I was first hired they said no door to door ,no phone calls. Well what do you know the next week i was knocking on doors and making phone calls. I was working from 9 am to 11pm six days a week. I didnt get paid after workin for them the past 72 hours , thats right 72 hours and not one paycheck. These monsters use your family and friends to get sales and than you are basically done after that. I would advise anyone who is considering employment with these people to back out while you can its a ripoff and a scam, I wish something would be done about this scam of a company

I was a former kirby employee. I remember reading an ad in the newspaper saying 400.00 a week guranteed, so being a young teenager who was expecting the best said ok ill give it a try. So I go in to Superior Systems a branch in south jersey for kirby. I went in for the interview there was older people and alot of younger people, so i go in the next day and its all younger people should have known something was wrong there.So than this guy comes in and tells us how much money we are going to make and all teh trips and jewelry we will be getting.So I set up the " 4 DEMOS" and they pressured me into tryin to force my mother to buy a vacuum and i said no. Things just kept gettin worse and worse,WHen I was first hired they said no door to door ,no phone calls. Well what do you know the next week i was knocking on doors and making phone calls. I was working from 9 am to 11pm six days a week. I didnt get paid after workin for them the past 72 hours , thats right 72 hours and not one paycheck. These monsters use your family and friends to get sales and than you are basically done after that. I would advise anyone who is considering employment with these people to back out while you can its a ripoff and a scam, I wish something would be done about this scam of a company

Sales is sales. Every salesman will try to make as much money as he can, because thats how he or she lives. Car salesmen, appliance salesmen, and yep kirby salesmen. In fact the thing that get me is- you don't have to buy. You will always have a choice, and if what they tell you sounds fishy then question it. Just like going to a car dealership- if you don't think its worth it don't buy it. But don't blame the salesmen, people in this country suffer from a huge case of 'its not my fault'. blame it on your parents, blame it on the government, blame it on kirby.

Kirby offers opportunity for people who don't have opportunity, or for people who are willing to work hard and like to talk to people. It is an amazing machine, and is backed by an amazing warrantee. If you have trouble with a machine, and the local distributor isn't helpful then contact Kirby in Cleveland.

Remember its a product made in America, by american workers, and the company rewards hard work, success and dedication. That's more than alot of companies these days. Incidently its parent company Scott and Fetzer is owned by Warren Buffet- is he supporting a scam??

No, most of the blame goes to inexperienced distributors who are often young, dumb and making more money than ever before. They do inconceivable things sometimes-but you do have recourse, contact Kirby in cleveland to complain. In fact try doing something about it, rather than just complaining and making a bad name for an entire company because of the actions of a few. There are irresponsible people in every business, but there are hard working ones too. The kirby will last more than 25 years with proper care. But I a lot of you people want to waste time and money on products that don't do the job.

I was never told that I had to do 60 in home demonstrations until after I didn't get paid and asked why. However, alot of people question the integrity of my ex-boss and his age. He was 19 and his checks were around 2,000.00 everytime. I'm not the only employee that had a problem with him leaving out important info either...there were 16 people there when I started and only 3 when I left. It may not be the Kirby Co. It could very well be the person that I worked for.

Kirby distributors only pay about $350.00 for the entire system. Whoever states otherwise is a liar.

Kirby distributors only pay about $350.00 for the entire system. Whoever states otherwise is a liar.

Kirby distributors only pay about $350.00 for the entire system. Whoever states otherwise is a liar.

Kirby distributors only pay about $350.00 for the entire system. Whoever states otherwise is a liar.

I worked for Kirby for a month, and thats langer than most, i gave it all the chances i chould. What you basically do as an outside sales rep is sell high end home care systems to people who cant afford them. The company doesnt really ripoff their employees (at least my office didnt) but they will try LOL. My office was very un organized though-they actually asked me what my check should be before i got it! LOL!

Now, for the guy whos daughter worked for them and almost got raped, i understand-i have 4 little sisters, however you cant blame what happened on the company-BUT, their respons of "well dont look so pretty" was rediculous! But its still YOUR responsibility to take action not theirs, everyone who works for Kirby is an independent contractor therefor they arent liable (see the games begin). I whould take legal action against the customer, put your daughter through college with a settlement maybe, and report the divishion to something bigger than this site.

Now, for the people who were talking numbers, the Kirby distributors pay about $639 per unit, starting price is $1789, with shampooer and free turbine brush with a trade in (normally $89.99). However they will drop it to $800 if you push for it a bit, and the rep gets $25 comishion from that. Now at $1789 the Rep gets 20% comishion from it! If you are a VERY good saleman and dont mind ripping people off you can make some serious money, unless you just so happen to have a conchious.

Now, for how much you get paid for work, when you work for them you are an independant contractor, so taxes arent taken out of your check and you get some good write offs, but you pay for your own gas and everything else. They like to send you far too, about 30 to 50 mins away from the office on average.

And you get alot of apoitments that "blow out" ( fall through) and of course you dont make s**t on these. Now they tell you that at 12 to 14 demos a week you have a "safety net" (if commishion exceedes it you get the commishion not this) of $200 and at 15+ demos a safety net of $400. But they are only gonna give you 10 demos a week. So if you dont sell you dont bank, you dont get the perks and you dont get to buy your baby diapers (that ones for you gary).

So if you dont mind working your a*s off dor a bunch of people who love nothing but money, and if you dont mind not having a life and if you feel that a conchience is optionial, this might be the company for you. But you better be a d**n good sales man too.

The company does have a good product, but the greed of the people who sell them "kills" (vac kill, my fellow kirby vets) it. Before you can sell kirbys they have to sell you the job first. They are good at it too, so to all who consider employment with kirby, be careful-and GET PAY STUBS!!!

Your gonna have to fight for em though LOL.

this is the easyist job i've ever had.even if you do not make 1 sale as long as you do 56 demos a month at your leisure they garantee you 1800 a month.for not making a single sale? that sounds awesome!what other company would pay you like that ..you go anywhere else for sales and the company you work for will fire you if your not selling no matter how many times you pitch. but not kirby they pay you as long as you are trying. tell what other company does that?there is no other machine that can get deep cleaning like a kirby..people this machine was featured on ripleys believe it or not.it's already been proven to clean better than any other machine.as far as i'm concerned if you don't wanna make an ivestment to keep your house clean and protect the investment you've made in buying your home... then don't.i barely work i have a flexible schedule i golf when i want and do what i please.and i make plenty of money probably more than you and here's another kicker for ya i didn't even graduate from high school and i'm making more than you! kirby is not for everyone but niether is any other job on the market. who's making fun of the people who work at mcdonalds?no one ...why?because they work like anyone else does but a number of people i know have stated i would never get caught dead working at mcdonalds that jobs not for me ....well obviosly kirby is not for everyone.i've been mistreated and swindled into buying all kinds of stuff by all different walks of salesman and companies...and they were all big companies to name a few ....furniture stores ,car dealerships ...i had a car saelsman swindle me into buying a car that died 3 weeks later ...hey it happens you live you learn. get on with life and quit blamming everyone else for your short commings.and remember i make alot more money than you.and you can't blame kirby for what some dirty old man did ...arrest him and take the blame off kirby it's not their fault.

My husband works for Kirby now. He has worked with the company for a little over a month and we are not pleased!! He has made over 9 sales in the last 2 weeks and made 150.00. We have a house, 3 kids and all the regular bills.

How does anyone make money with this company?? He was hired instantly and given a vacuum a couple days later. He was told to show his family and friends and really try to sell it. He was also told he is not the salesman, he is a demonstrater and will make 2,150.oo a month at least.

Later we find out that he is the salesman and he makes approx. 3 percent of the sales. It is a total rip-off. It doesn't matter if you work for them or you are buying the vacuum. The vacuum i bought at Wal-Mart is just as good as the Kirby my husband brought home to show me and it was only $50.00! Good Luck if you get sucked into this.

My husband works for Kirby now. He has worked with the company for a little over a month and we are not pleased!! He has made over 9 sales in the last 2 weeks and made 150.00. We have a house, 3 kids and all the regular bills.

How does anyone make money with this company?? He was hired instantly and given a vacuum a couple days later. He was told to show his family and friends and really try to sell it. He was also told he is not the salesman, he is a demonstrater and will make 2,150.oo a month at least.

Later we find out that he is the salesman and he makes approx. 3 percent of the sales. It is a total rip-off. It doesn't matter if you work for them or you are buying the vacuum. The vacuum i bought at Wal-Mart is just as good as the Kirby my husband brought home to show me and it was only $50.00! Good Luck if you get sucked into this.

My husband works for Kirby now. He has worked with the company for a little over a month and we are not pleased!! He has made over 9 sales in the last 2 weeks and made 150.00. We have a house, 3 kids and all the regular bills.

How does anyone make money with this company?? He was hired instantly and given a vacuum a couple days later. He was told to show his family and friends and really try to sell it. He was also told he is not the salesman, he is a demonstrater and will make 2,150.oo a month at least.

Later we find out that he is the salesman and he makes approx. 3 percent of the sales. It is a total rip-off. It doesn't matter if you work for them or you are buying the vacuum. The vacuum i bought at Wal-Mart is just as good as the Kirby my husband brought home to show me and it was only $50.00! Good Luck if you get sucked into this.

I work for kirby and all i have to say is u people are all messed up. Kirby is what u make it to be working there. if ur not willing to put in the effort your not getting anything back. You get the trips for working not working hard just trying. as for the price, the machines last 35-50 years. How can u say even 1500 dollars is too much. The machine shows you how your current system isnt picking up even half the dirt. All you people can say all you want but these lowley vaccum salesmen are making more money than you are working 9-5 selling "vaccums" your getting scammed by your job. Obviously your not making enough money at your job to afford the top of the line cleaning tool so dont come in here complaining cause you make no money cause us "scam artists" are making more than you and the machine is 120% worth every dollar it is.

...at one time or another: Kirby, Tri-Star, Rainbow - you name it.

They are ALL scams!

Great vacuums all, but NOT worth the $1700 - $2000 price tag. $500 maybe... but $2000!!!! Fuggetaboutit!

The "Office Managers" for these companies make $1000+ per unit; the sales puke makes about $200 per unit; IF they manage not to get cheated out of it by the "office managers"!

I love it when one of these salesmen knock on my door. I let them in and tell them that a) I used to sell these vacuums and don't need the demo (they ARE excellent machines), and b) I'm going to do them the biggest favor of their lives.

I tell them to tell their "office manager" that their "customer" is a former saleman and that he'll take a demo unit if they'll sell it for $500. I tell the salesman that he won't get a commission for that sale, but he will get another sale towards the "weekly bonus". I tell the (usually) young salesperson to call me tomorrow and let me know what his/her "office manager" said.

WITHOUT FAIL, I was told that NO WAY would their manager approve that deal; and, also without fail, I would get a call from the salesperson saying that they couldn't believe it, but their "manager" agreed to my terms!

I then go on to explain how their "office managers" work. They swoop into an area, hire new salespeople, screw their employees and customers alike, and then depart the scene - leaving behind a sizeable group of irate, ripped-off employees and cheated consumers. I tell them that I wouldn't buy their vastly overpriced machinery if it was the last vacuum on Earth, just because of the shoddy way they do business.

Many have thanked me for this eye-opener and changed careers.

I am not an employee or an ex-employee, but my room mate is currently involved with the company selling these vacuums. At first I thought it was kind of wierd but then she went on about how much money she'd make. I wanted to do it too! She went to 3 training classes (1 per day for 5 hrs) and didn't get payed for it. So I thought ok the trainings not free she'll make louds of money after that. Then she had to do manditory presentation for 4 ppl she knew to practice on. It wasn't a practice presentation, I know this because I was one of them! She had to phone the office at the begining, middle and end of the "practice presention". In the middle she phoned the office again and told them that I didn't want one because it was to expensive. The guy on the phone pressured her into repeatedly asking me to change my mind. After the 5th or 6th "NO" the phone conversation ended. She had to finish cleaning my carpets and phone him back. Yet again he tried to make her "COMPLETE THE SALE". Eventually he got the hint and hung up. She didn't get paid for any of the 4 presentation.

The next week she was canvasing and shadowing some of the managers and said she has to work 6 days a week. I dropped her off at work at about 8:00AM and she never got home until 11:30PM! Some where in there that dosen't seem right and all she would make in a month would be $2150. So for that guy who was talking about how cheap it would be to buy this "lovely vacuum", how about slave labour! If she worked:
26 days in a month
* 15 Hrs a day
---------
390 Hrs a month


$2150 Payment per month
/ 390 Hrs a month
----------
$5.55 Per Hr

That isn't even minimum wage....it's just above 1/2 of minimum wage.

So just think of how great the company really is.....PUSHY, CHEAP AND RUDE! I would like to say that I hope this has changed ppls minds about the way things are run and maybe use your heads a little. DON'T BE SUCKED IN!!!!

This is in response to Clyde, the present employee of Kirby.

You say the Kirby Corperation is not responsible, but it is the local distributor that gives Kirby the bad name. Using your philosophy I could say that the McDonalds corperation is not responsible for poor service and bad food, just my local McDonalds is reponsible.

Here is a lesson in businss. Every time something goes wrong in a corperation, the name of the corperation is tarnished. The corperation itself is responsible and more importantly ACCOUNTABLE for the actions of its employees and the quality of its products.

A corperation is like an army and it must work together as an army. A general expects that every individual soldier will do his duty because every single soldier is vital one wrong move by one man could spell disater. Same thing with a corperation. Every employee is vital to the corperation.

Assume that Kirby girl did get raped, imagine the impact that would have on the corperation if that story reached the papers.

While it is grand that you have devoted your entire life to vacuums it should not cause you to be completely blind to what goes on around you.

You are one of a very small percentage of people who suceed at Kirby. Even you should know that by working there, you are not the norm.

Also don't come here and spit your sales pitch to us, we are not your customers, we could care less what you think of Kirby or that you have a wonderful life selling vacuums. I'm sure that must be a very fulfilling career.

Thanks

I just can't believe what I am reading in these rip-off reports! I have been involved in Kirby for over 13 years now. And, can say unequivicably that this is a crock of poop! I currently am in charge of doing the recruiting, hiring and training for my distributor and I can say that the people we look for to come to work in our office are not teenagers! I look for people between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age who have some sort of professionalism about them.

To classify an entire company on what a few stupid people do is just absurd. As, for what ex-employees write. I would take that with a grain of salt. Because, anytime someone leaves any company on bad terms whether it be by choice or by termination, they always have something bad to say about that company. I know, because I too at one time disagreed with the way an office was being run and left Kirby on bad terms one time.

But,then I realized that the Kirby Company wasn't to blame the area distributor was who messed up. I was recruited into Kirby by reading a blind ad and answering it. And when I left Kirby I was miserable. Because no other opportunity like it exists out there. I have a joint degree in Political Science & Business Management and I would never be a CEO or president of any company I ever worked for.

But, at Kirby I create my own destiny. Success or Failure is based upon how I apply myself to my chosen career. And, the pricinng people are quoting is way off. The Kirby Co. has a MSRP that they put on the side of the box to stop dealers from jacking-up prices.

I'm sorry, if I'm long winded about this! But, it really urks me that people who didn't succeed always want to blame others for their short comings! As for being greedy! As I wrote in an earlier rebuttal. My present distributor has gone out of his way to help my wife and I and our daughter. And, I appreciate him because he will not tolerate any kind of unethical sales techniques or practices in his office.

As for the gentleman in New York who's daughter was almost raped! I sympathize with him as I have a daughter of my own. But, alas I agree with the gentleman who stated that you and your daughter should file a report with the Suffolk County Police Department and charge the man with attempted sexual assault on a minor. Don't blame the company.

And on a final note as for the Kirby being expensive! Expensive is spending your hard earned money on products that don't work, that you end up replacing ever 3-5 years. Plastic vacuums! Look at purchasing a Kirby as an investment in your home, not a purchase. Simple Math and Logic will show you the Kirby is worth the money! Take a look at this equation:

Shampooing an entire home of carpet can run anywhere from $100-$300 per time you do it. Now if you shampoo twice a year, which is what is recommended by the carpet industry and the EPA. That's $200-$600 a year that it cost the consumer. So, over a 10 year period that's $2000-$6000 spent. The Kirby is less than $2000 and you will have something besides a dirty carpet to show for your investment of all that money.

So, anyone considering looking at a Kirby, contact your local distributor and don't be afraid to take a look at it. You might just like
what you see and the person who comes out to show it to you. We're just working people like you. Trying to provide for our families.

God Bless Everyone & Please Protect Our Troops!

I just can't believe what I am reading in these rip-off reports! I have been involved in Kirby for over 13 years now. And, can say unequivicably that this is a crock of poop! I currently am in charge of doing the recruiting, hiring and training for my distributor and I can say that the people we look for to come to work in our office are not teenagers! I look for people between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age who have some sort of professionalism about them.

To classify an entire company on what a few stupid people do is just absurd. As, for what ex-employees write. I would take that with a grain of salt. Because, anytime someone leaves any company on bad terms whether it be by choice or by termination, they always have something bad to say about that company. I know, because I too at one time disagreed with the way an office was being run and left Kirby on bad terms one time.

But,then I realized that the Kirby Company wasn't to blame the area distributor was who messed up. I was recruited into Kirby by reading a blind ad and answering it. And when I left Kirby I was miserable. Because no other opportunity like it exists out there. I have a joint degree in Political Science & Business Management and I would never be a CEO or president of any company I ever worked for.

But, at Kirby I create my own destiny. Success or Failure is based upon how I apply myself to my chosen career. And, the pricinng people are quoting is way off. The Kirby Co. has a MSRP that they put on the side of the box to stop dealers from jacking-up prices.

I'm sorry, if I'm long winded about this! But, it really urks me that people who didn't succeed always want to blame others for their short comings! As for being greedy! As I wrote in an earlier rebuttal. My present distributor has gone out of his way to help my wife and I and our daughter. And, I appreciate him because he will not tolerate any kind of unethical sales techniques or practices in his office.

As for the gentleman in New York who's daughter was almost raped! I sympathize with him as I have a daughter of my own. But, alas I agree with the gentleman who stated that you and your daughter should file a report with the Suffolk County Police Department and charge the man with attempted sexual assault on a minor. Don't blame the company.

And on a final note as for the Kirby being expensive! Expensive is spending your hard earned money on products that don't work, that you end up replacing ever 3-5 years. Plastic vacuums! Look at purchasing a Kirby as an investment in your home, not a purchase. Simple Math and Logic will show you the Kirby is worth the money! Take a look at this equation:

Shampooing an entire home of carpet can run anywhere from $100-$300 per time you do it. Now if you shampoo twice a year, which is what is recommended by the carpet industry and the EPA. That's $200-$600 a year that it cost the consumer. So, over a 10 year period that's $2000-$6000 spent. The Kirby is less than $2000 and you will have something besides a dirty carpet to show for your investment of all that money.

So, anyone considering looking at a Kirby, contact your local distributor and don't be afraid to take a look at it. You might just like
what you see and the person who comes out to show it to you. We're just working people like you. Trying to provide for our families.

God Bless Everyone & Please Protect Our Troops!

I just can't believe what I am reading in these rip-off reports! I have been involved in Kirby for over 13 years now. And, can say unequivicably that this is a crock of poop! I currently am in charge of doing the recruiting, hiring and training for my distributor and I can say that the people we look for to come to work in our office are not teenagers! I look for people between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age who have some sort of professionalism about them.

To classify an entire company on what a few stupid people do is just absurd. As, for what ex-employees write. I would take that with a grain of salt. Because, anytime someone leaves any company on bad terms whether it be by choice or by termination, they always have something bad to say about that company. I know, because I too at one time disagreed with the way an office was being run and left Kirby on bad terms one time.

But,then I realized that the Kirby Company wasn't to blame the area distributor was who messed up. I was recruited into Kirby by reading a blind ad and answering it. And when I left Kirby I was miserable. Because no other opportunity like it exists out there. I have a joint degree in Political Science & Business Management and I would never be a CEO or president of any company I ever worked for.

But, at Kirby I create my own destiny. Success or Failure is based upon how I apply myself to my chosen career. And, the pricinng people are quoting is way off. The Kirby Co. has a MSRP that they put on the side of the box to stop dealers from jacking-up prices.

I'm sorry, if I'm long winded about this! But, it really urks me that people who didn't succeed always want to blame others for their short comings! As for being greedy! As I wrote in an earlier rebuttal. My present distributor has gone out of his way to help my wife and I and our daughter. And, I appreciate him because he will not tolerate any kind of unethical sales techniques or practices in his office.

As for the gentleman in New York who's daughter was almost raped! I sympathize with him as I have a daughter of my own. But, alas I agree with the gentleman who stated that you and your daughter should file a report with the Suffolk County Police Department and charge the man with attempted sexual assault on a minor. Don't blame the company.

And on a final note as for the Kirby being expensive! Expensive is spending your hard earned money on products that don't work, that you end up replacing ever 3-5 years. Plastic vacuums! Look at purchasing a Kirby as an investment in your home, not a purchase. Simple Math and Logic will show you the Kirby is worth the money! Take a look at this equation:

Shampooing an entire home of carpet can run anywhere from $100-$300 per time you do it. Now if you shampoo twice a year, which is what is recommended by the carpet industry and the EPA. That's $200-$600 a year that it cost the consumer. So, over a 10 year period that's $2000-$6000 spent. The Kirby is less than $2000 and you will have something besides a dirty carpet to show for your investment of all that money.

So, anyone considering looking at a Kirby, contact your local distributor and don't be afraid to take a look at it. You might just like
what you see and the person who comes out to show it to you. We're just working people like you. Trying to provide for our families.

God Bless Everyone & Please Protect Our Troops!

I just can't believe what I am reading in these rip-off reports! I have been involved in Kirby for over 13 years now. And, can say unequivicably that this is a crock of poop! I currently am in charge of doing the recruiting, hiring and training for my distributor and I can say that the people we look for to come to work in our office are not teenagers! I look for people between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age who have some sort of professionalism about them.

To classify an entire company on what a few stupid people do is just absurd. As, for what ex-employees write. I would take that with a grain of salt. Because, anytime someone leaves any company on bad terms whether it be by choice or by termination, they always have something bad to say about that company. I know, because I too at one time disagreed with the way an office was being run and left Kirby on bad terms one time.

But,then I realized that the Kirby Company wasn't to blame the area distributor was who messed up. I was recruited into Kirby by reading a blind ad and answering it. And when I left Kirby I was miserable. Because no other opportunity like it exists out there. I have a joint degree in Political Science & Business Management and I would never be a CEO or president of any company I ever worked for.

But, at Kirby I create my own destiny. Success or Failure is based upon how I apply myself to my chosen career. And, the pricinng people are quoting is way off. The Kirby Co. has a MSRP that they put on the side of the box to stop dealers from jacking-up prices.

I'm sorry, if I'm long winded about this! But, it really urks me that people who didn't succeed always want to blame others for their short comings! As for being greedy! As I wrote in an earlier rebuttal. My present distributor has gone out of his way to help my wife and I and our daughter. And, I appreciate him because he will not tolerate any kind of unethical sales techniques or practices in his office.

As for the gentleman in New York who's daughter was almost raped! I sympathize with him as I have a daughter of my own. But, alas I agree with the gentleman who stated that you and your daughter should file a report with the Suffolk County Police Department and charge the man with attempted sexual assault on a minor. Don't blame the company.

And on a final note as for the Kirby being expensive! Expensive is spending your hard earned money on products that don't work, that you end up replacing ever 3-5 years. Plastic vacuums! Look at purchasing a Kirby as an investment in your home, not a purchase. Simple Math and Logic will show you the Kirby is worth the money! Take a look at this equation:

Shampooing an entire home of carpet can run anywhere from $100-$300 per time you do it. Now if you shampoo twice a year, which is what is recommended by the carpet industry and the EPA. That's $200-$600 a year that it cost the consumer. So, over a 10 year period that's $2000-$6000 spent. The Kirby is less than $2000 and you will have something besides a dirty carpet to show for your investment of all that money.

So, anyone considering looking at a Kirby, contact your local distributor and don't be afraid to take a look at it. You might just like
what you see and the person who comes out to show it to you. We're just working people like you. Trying to provide for our families.

God Bless Everyone & Please Protect Our Troops!

Hi,

I live in Maine and am an ex-employee of Midcoast Kirby.

I had previous experience with a company like Kirby and I could tell almost from the start that this was a scam.

First the add in the paper didn't even specify what the job was. I go in for an interview and I'm hired on the spot. There were alot of others there for interviews as well. I'd say about half grown adults and half high school students. They told me to come in the next day for training.

Of course it was no suprise when I showed up to training and everyone there was under the age of 20. This is because the Kirby people realize that a gulible teenager is less likely to cause problems when they realize its a scam versus a more skeptical and knowledgeable adult.

I went through the training knowing it was all bull. Unfortunately none of the other KIDS in my class knew this. They all thoaght they were going to be rich. The instructor was dazeling them with false promises of stacks of money, exotic cruises, and major household appliances.

However I decided to stick with for a few days. I took the vaccum home and did a demo for my mother. After the demo I paged the office. They called back and and I let them know my mom was not going to buy the Kirby, yet they persisted. Asking me to tell her about discounts, trade-ins and everything else.

I told them NO, this is my friggin mother. I'm not trying to shove this down her throaght, I told him again "This is my mother, give me a break." This lack of respect is what really pissed me off and my supervisor acted the same way when I called him from demos at my friends house.

He simply couldn't beleive that none of my family or friends wanted to drop $1500 on a vacuum. It was an impossible concept for him to grasp.

Even more embarrasing was when my friend pulled out a Hoover she got at good will and took out stains the Kirby couldn't even touch.

I decided to leave just beacuse I knew I could make more money taking the vaccum to a pawn shop than I ever could trying to sell the peice of junk.

Just be careful if you are going to buy the thing especially with interest on payments, and the vaccum itself is leaves much to be desired.

But be very careful as an employee. NEVER EVER try to force friends or family to buy this thing. KIRBY IS A SCAM, they take money from gulible young people with lies and phony promises that no business could ever live up to. Only a tiny fraction of all the people they hire stay for more than a few days if that.

There may be two or three people at the office who have been there selling for years but they are not the norm. Most people never even see one paycheck from Kirby.

If you feel they have frauded you contact your local authorities and bury these idiots.

I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT THE KIRBY COMPANY IN THE EARLY 90'S AND WORKEWD FOR THEM FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANY DISTRIBUTOR OF EVER BUYING KIRBYS FOR $350, IN-FACT THE UNITS ARE A LOT MORE EXPENCIVE THAN THAT AND WORTH ALOT MOR THAN THE LITTLE PRICE OF $1700 THAT YOU PAID.

THE COMPANY HAS BEEN IN BUESSINESS SINCE 1914 AND HAS BEEN PRODUCERS OF THE VERY BEST HOME CLEANNING EQUIPEMENT IN THE WORLD AND WILL NEVER BE OUT DONE BY ANY OTHER COMPANY IN THE WORLD.

I DO THINK THAT IF SOMEONE TRIED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR DAUGHTER THAT SHE SHOULD FILE A POLICE REPORT AND LEGALLY GO AFTER THEM BUT DON'T TAKE IT OUT AT A COMPANY IN WHOM YOU WISELY INVESTED MONEY FOR THE BEST EQUIPEMENT AND NOW ARE WANTING TO JUST HATE. GOD WILL JUDGE!!

AND YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL OF WHO YOU JUDGE BECAUSE AS YOU POINT A FINGER AT SOMEONE THERE ARE THREE FINGERS POINTED BACK AT YOU!!! JUST BE THANKFUL THAT NOTHING EVER DID HAPPENED TO YOUR DAUGHTER.

GOD BLESS
AND GOOD DAY.

I used to work for Kirby. They prey on people like you and your daughter. They hire young naive people almost every week. they send them home with a kirby system to do so-called practice demonstrations for family and friends.

This system is designed not to give the new person some practice, but to guilt family and friends into purchasing a Kirby to supposedly help them out. Honestly the only person who gets any help out of this situation is the distributor.

The pay about $350.00 for the entire system, sell them for $1700 to $1900 and pay about $150 to $250 in commissions. The distributor made ove $1000 profit on your sale. Never pay list price for any item being sold in your home. Generally you can get anywhere from about 50% to 70% off, if you are willing to haggle long enough. They are out to take as much of your money as they can. They are predators and you are the prey.