Kirby
Reviews and Complaints

Yesterday a man came to my door. He told he is working for Kirby Vacuums and he offered me to buy vacuum cleaner. I told that I can buy it only after a month if it is possible. He told that I should fill the form and he can leave cleaner today but I’ll pay for it after a month. The next day they charged the whole sum.

A lady knocked on our door and had a bottle of spray cleaner in her hand. She told us she was trying to advertise something. We told her that we don't want to buy anything. She said just a second, walked to her sketchy van, came back with a vacuum box and a man walking behind her. She told us that she would get $50 if we could just give a thumbs up or thumbs down. They walked in, started unpacking the box, and she left the guy at our house! Drove away! We had to go somewhere and he had no way to leave. He also DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE. WOULD NOT LEAVE OUR HOUSE. He got into an argument with my husband b/c he said we shouldn't have let him in if we didn't want a vacuum. AN ARGUMENT! AND THEN HE ASKED IF HE COULD HAVE A DRINK! I'm blown away by this unprofessional, disgusting man. I'm actually writing this while he's sitting in our living room waiting on a ride and we're 15 minutes late for our dinner. I'm blown away by this. And to top it all off, I cannot find a number anywhere on the internet to complain to the company. Their website is conveniently down. Unbelievable.

MELANIE AND RYAN WAGMAN AND THE BIGGEST SCAM ARTISTS IN MONTANA. THEY WILL LIE TO YOU ABOUT MAKING MONEY WITH KIRBY VACUUMS. MELANIE IS A CORRUPT LIAR WHO LIVES IN A 2 BEDROOM APT AND DRIVES A 1990 NISSAN. RYAN IS ANOTHER ###.. DON'T EVER WORK FOR THEM AND THIS CORRUPT COMPANY. YOU'LL NEVER MAKE A DIME! YOU HAVE TO ENTER 60 HOUSES IN ONE MONTH BUT THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE PEOPLE WITH SHOO YOU AWAY FROM THEIR HOMES.
SINCERELY,
TOM

I had worked for this company for about a month and half. At first I loved every one they all seemed great. Our job was to sell amazing vacuums its more of a home maintenance Manichean. I fell in love with the boss. We were to go house to house and sell. On more then one occasion I had noticed that my purse had been gone though. Never any money was missing, until one day one of the canvasser Simonne Carrier though it was okay to just take what every she wanted. With the claiming she though it was okay! ( we were not allowed to bring out purse door to door with us)
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001505973890
When I had called her out on her "mistake" she promised she would make it right and even said that "the boss" would make sure of it... weeks gone by and still nothing to say the least I am out a slum of cash, and the police said there is nothing they can do.. I would not work or do business with the "D.O.N factory outlet" they will rip off any one they can. They make false promise about payment and its never revived.
Please learn from my mistake all!

I purchased a Kirby from Attitude Systems going door to door offering to demonstate the Kirby vacuum. This happened in Rio Rancho, New Mexico on November 30, 2011. They offered me a free carpet cleaning addon to buy the vacuum. I agreed. They said they were out of them on their van but would bring it the next day. I have never received the attachment. As per usual with door to door salesmen, they were trying to sell enough vacuums to win a young man a trip to San Antonio.

I would like the attachment that was promised and if I was scammed, I would like the Kirby company to do something about these gentlemen going around supposedly representing the Kirby Company.

I would also like to warn others of the perils of buying door to door. Knowing that Kirby in the past has sold their vacuums in this manner, I cannot recomment that anyone buy one because you don't know for sure that they are a Kirby representative.

Kirby offered a free "scotchguard" on my NEW carpet. They used the kirby dry shampoo and when they left my carpet never looked so bad! It was like the residue actually attracted filth! My carpet looked like an old dirty motel room! I rented the rug doctor and took care of the problem! Warning don't let kirby in your house! They will ruin your carpet! I actually think its done on purpose! Its a trick to make you want the kirby! Soooo awful!

I purchased a Kirby vacuum cleaner and I hate it. It is so hard to use and it does not do what it is supposed to do. This vacuum that is supposed to have the best suction won't even pick up strings off the floor. I studied the instructions and followed directions to lower the beater brush because this was the answer to the problem according to their instruction manual. I started vacuuming my kitchen floor and bent down to pick something up that the vacuum would not, and it put a hole in the floor the entire length of the beater brush. Do not buy this vacuum it is a ripoff.

Two Kirby sales people banged on my door on a Saturday evening around 7:00 PM last weekend. One of the two young ladies gave me a card and told me they were with a new carpet cleaning company in town that was trying to get their name out there. One was doing all the talking while the other was rather quiet. She told me she was competing for some trip and she needed to complete 20 free carpet cleanings to people in the area and I happened to be her last one. It was rather hot and muggy outside so I let them step inside the house. I felt there was no harm in letting her clean a carpet to complete her 20, so I made the mistake of accepting her offer. Since the first floor on my house is all hardwood and tile, I told her she could clean the oriental carpet in the living room.
She went back out and returned with a big box labeled Kirby and began to put together a vacuum cleaner. I realized she was not with a carpet cleaning company, but a sales person and she had fooled me to let her in.. I told her I was not on the market for a new vacuum cleaner, but that did not stop her from going on with her presentation. She gave me a piece of paper with the cost of the vacuum cleaner of $2, 300.00 and I told her that even if I was on the market I would never pay that much. I told her that my Dyson cost me a great deal less and it was fine and I told her that I did not see Kirby on the list of recommended vacuum cleaners in Consumer Reports. She told me that Consumer Reports had published an article stating that Dyson was trash. Since I have been a subscriber to Consumer Reports for years I told her I did not recall reading that article. She told she had a copy and when she could not find it she went back outside and returned with 8-1/2” x 11” photocopy of a page in Consumer Reports that was obviously made up. It had the logo of Consumer Report and some article with big headlines claiming Dyson was a piece of junk costing over $600.00. Since there were no dates or page numbers I asked when that article came out. She said last year, but I knew that was not true and I was not dealing with reputable people.
While I was checking the alleged Consumer Report page she excused herself and went outside to make a call. She came back with another offer that brought the price down to $1600.00. I insisted that I was not interested, but she continued with the demonstration vacuuming walls, furniture and everything on sight. She did the stairs and went into my bedroom to clean my bed. By this time I was getting very frustrated with my inability to stop her, so I became more forceful in my insistence for her to stop the demonstration and leave. In response, she told me she was training the other girl and would appreciate for me to let her finish the demonstration and also for her to clean the carpet as promised. I decided that after wasting almost 2 hours I could put up with them a little longer and at least get my carpet cleaned.
However, after almost another hour I decided that it was time for them to stop and told her I was not interested and it was taking too long. She once again excused herself and went out to make a phone call. She came back with another offer and when I told her I was not interested she told me she still had to show it to me. The price was now down to $800.00. I told her that I have seen the offer and was still not interested and asked her to please clean the carpet so I could get to bed.
She ended up cleaning a large oriental carpet on the living room downstairs. As she began cleaning I noticed that the carpet appeared to be buckling and I voiced my concern. She told me her product was safe for all carpets and it would regain its shape as it dries. The paper she gave me when I answered the door stated that on bold letters, so I did not stop her. I was anxious for them to get out so I even helped them pack. I noticed she was careful to collect all the papers she gave me, including the alleged page copied from Consumer Reports. I went to bed physically and mentally exhausted. I hate buying a new car because I hate haggling with car dealers and was rather annoyed knowing I invited sales people that act like car dealers into my home.
The following morning I got up to discover that my carpet was still bucked and I called the phone number on the paper and left a message asking someone to call back to let me know how were they going to pay for the damaged carpet. However, I already knew it would be highly unlikely I would get a call back from such an disreputable and unprofessional outfit.
I just hope recounting my experience will help others to avoid a letting anyone associated with Kirby into their homes under false pretenses. Not only I wasted precious hours of my weekend being aggravated by pushy sales people, but now I have to pay to replace a ruined carpet.

My father in law was pressured into buying a Kirby Vacuum cleaner per a "free carpet cleaning" offer. We discovered this purchase upon validating his checkbook to pay bills while he is lying in a critical care unit struggling for his life. He has always conferred with us regarding any major purchases and does not posess the literacy to fully understand his financial obligations or purchase of major items. He is in eighties and it is an easy observation upon arriving at his front door that he is a man of limited income. Closer observation would disclose a man extremely hard of hearing, walks with a cane and no way on earth could push a vacuum cleaner much less one that heavy. My husband and I set forth to investigate the situation- my father in law is unable to share with us as he is intubated. The vacuum cleaner is a used one. The attachments are dirty. The wheels are well worn. The company is a Kirby dealer and offers no remorse "he was oriented enough to sign the contract." I find it horrific that such parasites exist. Elder abuse takes many forms and this screams as one of them.

Kirby vacuums are too difficult to handle, too heavy. They are so noisy that EPA and OSHA should both issue warnings on them. They do not do a better job than most others and they are far too expensive. I would far rather use use a $39 sweeper from Walmart. We have missed many important phone calls because we can't hear the phone over the noise of this piece of junk.

Kirby vacuum ruined my tile floor. I was told by salesperson that I could use kirby vacuum on my stone tile floor. I followed the directions in the manual and the kirby vacuum left scratches all over my floor (not repairable). I contacted Kirby, they told me it was my fault for not reading directions - after I told them that I was told by an employee in their company that I could use this on my floor. They also told me I did not read the manual. I tried to tell them that I did. They refuse to help me replace my floor that their product destroyed.

Kirby vacuum ruined my tile floor. I was told by salesperson that I could use kirby vacuum on my stone tile floor. I followed the directions in the manual and the kirby vacuum left scratches all over my floor (not repairable). I contacted Kirby, they told me it was my fault for not reading directions - after I told them that I was told by an employee in their company that I could use this on my floor. They also told me I did not read the manual. I tried to tell them that I did. They refuse to help me replace my floor that their product destroyed.

Your door to door sales people suck! They try to weasel their way in even after you tell them you are not interested. I told this young girl (who's boss was waiting in a van out in front of my house) that I was not interested at least 4 times. I finally had to shut the door in her face. This is exactly why I won't buy a Kirby vacuum cleaner. I hate sales people coming to my house. Trust me if i want to buy something I go looking for it. I will NEVER buy a Kirby vacuum. STOP DOOR TO DOOR SALES IT MAKES YOU COMPANY LOOK REALLY REALLY BAD!

So... My boyfriend got hired on to sell Kirby vacuums. He was told that if he did not get enough appointments to demo the Kirby vacuum he would not make any money (five dollars per demo). He was also told that he needed to sell the vacuum at top dollar if he wanted to make top commission for each vacuum sold. Essentially he was told that if he spent eight hours a day trying to sell some vacuums and was not successful, he would not make ANY MONEY. Please note that his Manager told him that the Vacuums are high end quality products that sell themselves. Furious at what my boyfriend had told me, how can anyone treat hard working people like that, I decided to go talk to the Manager. When I walked into the Managers office, I was blown away by how filthy dirty their own carpets were. DO NOT EVER PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT. I do not believe that it works. If the vacuums worked, their carpets would be squeaky clean!

I understand that Kirby works on the "franchise" [pyramid] format. I talked to everybody from salesman to 'district manager'. They are a very disconnected/unaccountable structure with no real control at the salesman level, mostly due to turnover.

My mother, who has an obvious 'shake' & suffers from dementia [73 yrs old] purchased a Kirby Vacuum late in 2009, but we didn't find it until late 2010 sitting in the closet. There was a 'draft' to her checking account of $48 per month we discovered after getting more involved in her care. She was embarassed about the purchase and said "I told the man I didn't need one, but he just wouldn't leave and he said if he didn't sell another vacuum he'd lose everything because he was broke." My mother paid $1740 + $460 [financing fee] for a vacuum she couldn't use. Also, the salesman left the 'belt' off and she wasn't strong enough to twist the belt stretcher to put it on.

Long story short, I paid the final $625.71 to stop the auto-draft of her account. I found the different folks I talked to at Kirby very defensive about their products & tactics, yet after I buddied up with them on the phone eventually they all lost empathy and became a bit smarmy. One guy said they had a corporate policy against selling to seniors over 70 [maybe 68?], but then admitted a franchise would never tell a salesman that and it isn't enforced. Two districts managers eventually said salesman turnover is so fast, that it is a buyer beware scenario and it's really up to "you to protect your parents" from Kirby.

Anybody else had similar experience, especially with an elderly parent or family memeber?

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I'm sorry that I did not do the research on this before it happened but the situation is that my boyfriend has been out of work for 3 months and money was getting tight so he seen an ad in the paper for kirby and the ad said GUARANTEED $500 a week. So he called and decided to check into it because we needed the money. He went to the interview and they hired him then and there. Told him he was only putting vacuums together and not selling them that he would be paid every saturday reguardless of if his crew leader sold one or not. Then the 2nd day he was told the same thing. the first day out on the field they decided to tell him he had to get 15 shows a week to get paid well upon hearing this we thought it better to ask around and yes that was true so basically he worked all day that day 12 hours for nothing. They lied to him and THEN told him if he did not bring the stuff back in after he quit they would call the police and sure enough they did. So I'm thinking who in the world would want to steal a couple vacuum attachments some dirty rags and some manuals. He had to get another job we have a family to feed and it became clear after a few days they had lied big time and he was not getting paid. We simply did not have the time to return the stuff in a timely manner and so after all they put him through and the lies they told him they had the nerve to call the cops pathetic!

I'm a former employee of the chop shop in Granada Hills, California. And my story is just about the same as everyone else's experience as a kirby salesman, the lies, etc.. They are deceitful from the start, the guy goes around posting multiple vague craigslist ads, with multiple different company names, but the same contact number.. How stupid really are you? I won't go into to much details, but you are quickly forced to sign some bs contract before they show you that there is no promised leads, basically putting it clear in your face that you will never ever get the base pay that is promised from the get go. that is why our "trainer" gave us the look of go ahead and fill in $450 a week, it doesn't matter if you put $1000 a week you will never get it, type of smile.. Anyways they fill your head that you were chosen, and that this isn't for everyone, so to feel special and positive. They also fill your head with false hopes of becoming rich, and them talking of being rich already within months, but i never once saw the car this person drove, or any type of cash for that matter since he said he was all about money. Anyways we learn about the product through a three day training, and like everyone else we are told that the first weekend is for "practice" for our families and friends, but will have bonuses and prizes if one is sold. So the Con-artist of a "distributer" explains the prizes, and is on his way.. So the weekend rolls around, i try it at my own house, blah blah, i do my first practice demo and the person (no names) is interested. so long story shortened they follow through with the sale. When i get to work the following week, i recieve no bonus i was promised, so being a man of thier word goes out the door right there, but im told we will discuss it when we get back. So we pile into a peice of ### econoline or somthing and start going neighborhood to neighborhood lieing of a false promotion just to get into their homes to show the kirby. If you want people who are going to be willing to go door to door and suckered into working for free why don't you just post that in your job description you ###. Anyways, we go around door to door getting no demos whatsoever, while simultaneously i'm learning how everything, and i mean EVERYTHING, works by a kid who said he'd been there for X months and was actually quitting that day, i learned very quickly from he/she that this is just a scam of labor, there is no promised 15 set appointments, therefore there is no promised money to be made. You have to hope you get a person to let you in their home 15 times within a week and even then you have to make a class A credit sale aswell. As i learned more i raised awareness with those who were already aware, one of them expressed there doubt with our "trainer", and was instantly shamed, and not going into detail still, was slandered and hated on. At first i didnt mind because thats his or her opinion and is fine with me, but when i figured out that it was a pyramid scheme i felt as if how dare he slander this guy and talk bad about him behind his back, just because he is aware of your scam and wants stability because he has bills to pay, and doesnt want to be tooken for a ride, and end up broke. So we get back to the office a few hours later, and im piecing everything together. I'm told that the sale i made was a bad credit one, so they instantly take me off the sale at that point like stated in the bulls*** contract, and that ill be informed whats going on with it over the phone. I later see the so called "multi-millionaire, " distributer drive off in the beat up econoline. I get home later on to find out the horror or googling "kirby" and "scam." I instantly realized this situation wasnt new, and decided to quit. They tried to call me weak for being aware, but sorry that im not "smart enough to listen, but dumb enough to follow." Your own saying literally applies to what you'd need to be to work for someone like you. I will not say any names of the people that took part in this scandal, but you know who you are, and please if you are seeked by these people, or they try to come into your home, tell them to f**k off and call the cops. They are lucky that i did not go into any detailing as they would be looking at some serious offenses and accusations, they have to live with their own slimy selves at the end of the day.. That is my rant, if you learn anything from this complaint its TO NEVER EVER WORK FOR ANYONE WHO SAYS THE WORDS; KIRBY, SENTRIA, AND MONEY FOR THAT MATTER. Because they will never ever pay you.

-John C.

In early January 2011 I was called at home and told that I had won a free carpet cleaning in a draw from this company. I scheduled the appointment and the man came and cleaned my bedroom carpet for 4 hours. During this time he tried to sell me a Kirby cleaner. When the carpet was dry I noticed that no stains had come out and the carpet, which is pure wool was all frayed. I called the company who came and inspected it. They tried to tell me that my carpet was not wool. So I gave them the name of the company who purchased the carpet and it was confirmed it was wool. Kirby then had another cleaning company come out and inspect the carpet. This company confirmed, as did the company that I purchased the carpet from that my carpet was damaged beyond repair. I wrote to Kirby of Missoula and gave them an estimate for a new carpet. To date they have not contacted me. This is a dreadful practice and I am surprised that companies are allowed to do this. I would like advice as I am unsure what to do next.

B Trainer.