Pass it on- don't let a Kirby vacuum salesman in your house

[indie9197]

I'm a 53 yo man. I thought I had seen everything. These salesmen are brazen. I am posting this because I think they must prey on elderly and other people susceptible to a hard sell.
If you google their tactics they are exactly what I experienced. (kinda long to get into)
I just thought I should warn people about them. They pretty much barged into my house to the point where I was looking around for weapons to use in case things got bad.
They are very personable and talk like you could be best friends forever. Luckily they were only in my house about ten minutes because I told them that there was no way in hell I was buying anything. It didn't even get to the point where price was discussed.
After they left I googled Kirby and was disgusted by what I read. In some cases they were in the houses up to an hour.
Don't let them in!

[SummerSnow]

1. Same with door to door insurance salespeople

My aunt was scammed by one for five years .She lost thousands. Company never existed and the salesperson was not licensed. Probably wasn't his real name. She was sending money orders to a P.O box.

[IDemo]

17. I actually attempted this many years ago at the age of 18

I knew nothing whatever about insurance but was trained well enough to pass a license exam (I carefully fished out a pot seedling growing out of a crack in the sidewalk behind the university building where the exam was given, and it turned out to be pretty good stuff after maturing, so it wasn't a total loss). The job was straight commission, and a few of the hot-shots on the team were doing very well. One 23 year old owned a house, a boat and a Corvette. I was not so lucky, and couldn't have sold a glass of ice water to a man dying of thirst in Death Valley.

I followed the boss on his rounds one day and saw him tell an old gentleman at his kitchen table "Elmer, why don't you quit f--king around and go fish the money out from under your mattress". And Elmer did just that.

I didn't last long, thankfully.

[SummerSnow]

19. omg! that's terrible

[Kablooie]

2. I didn't know door to door salesmen still existed.

[tammywammy]

3. Kirby will last forever.

My dad still has the one he bought probably 23 years ago. Work horse.

[indie9197]

5. I was ignorant.

I have heard of Kirby and Electrolux (both good quality I guess) but didn't think I would get such a hard sell. I read that Kirby is trying to get $2200 for a $400 machine.

[tammywammy]

21. I wouldn't spend that much.

And I have no idea what my parents spent either. I have a Shark Pro that I love.

That Kirby was a great machine. Heavy though. One of my chores growing up was doing the vacuuming.

[laundry_queen]

27. LOL I can relate - that was my chore too. Those things were heavy! Vacuuming was a work out for me.

I think it's how I stayed slim as a teen, LOL.

[laundry_queen]

26. My parents paid $800 for one back in 1980.

They bought it from a pushy salesman. They still have it. It still works - outperforms any vacuum I've ever used. I'd say that $2200 is not overpriced for how superior the machine is - however - I'm not sure everyone needs a vacuum that powerful anymore as most people now have wood floors or if they do have carpet, it's cheap stuff that can be replaced every 3-5 years. Back then, having a good vacuum was considered an investment in the longevity of your flooring.

It's too bad they use pressure tactics for sales, though.

[dionysus]

49. ibought an Oreck ($500!!!!) because it was the only thing that could handle the cat hair from my

little bastard, er, I mean, Boss

[Ed Suspicious]

32. Buy a used one and have it recondition if it needs it. I see them in the pawn shop all the time for

90 dollars.

[starroute]

28. We had the Kirby people in a few years ago

I was concerned about allergies and interested in anything that could pull more crap out of the carpets. The price seemed kind of steep, so I bought a used one online for 1/3 the price. Best vacuum I've ever had and my aging carpets look far happier for it.

We've still got the allergies, though.

[notadmblnd]

51. I own a Kirby. I've had them for years.

You can do almost anything with them, from giving a high pressure blow out to a clogged drain, to using it as a spray painter-try that with your 49 dollar dirt devil.Yes, they're pricey. However, they're still made of steel, will last forever you get a decent trade in price on them if you decide to buy a newer model.

I'm currently working for myself cleaning houses so I like to think I know a little something about vacuums

[ProdigalJunkMail]

4. the door-to-door Mormons were nice today

but we didn't buy any of what they were selling...

sP

[Mira]

6. ...

[indie9197]

7. The only difference is that Mormons don't try to sell you a savior plan for $2200 n/t :)

[LeftyMom]

10. Nah, they want 10% of your gross and all of your spare time.

[indie9197]

13. lol, true but at least there is no written contract! nt

[A HERETIC I AM]

39. No written contract?.....

What do you think 'The Book of Mormon' is?

[notadmblnd]

52. Sure they do- and you'll eventually pay a hell of a lot more than 2200 dollars

if you decide to buy what they're selling.

[adirondacker]

11. While my mother and I were caretaking my grandfather, he used to let the Jehova Witnesses in the

house. Basically it was for the company and the only thing he was interested in was discussing the past. They gave up on him after a few months.

[lonestarnot]

20. Is there another?

[indie9197]

23. It's not the same

I had an experience that was scam material and am warning people. There is a van right now driving a 8 hour radius from Denver selling Kirbys. That's all. It's not life threatening obviously but a little more relevant than most posts on DU.

[Dawson Leery]

8. Door to door salespeople still exist?!?

[indie9197]

18. Thanks Dawson

I feel bad for these employees , I actually enjoyed my conversations with them.

[IrishAyes]

9. Chows in the front yard kept visitors out for me quite nicely for many years.

[thecrow]

24. I do not answer my door unless I am expecting someone.

I just let my dog bark at them, too.
I also don't answer my phone unless the caller ID says it's someone I know.
These days, I get a lot of door to door sales visits. I especially despise the people who leave their flyers which get loose and litter my yard. I make a mental note of what their company is and do not do business with them. Yeah, I'm that grumpy old lady now. Get off my grass!!

[MiniMe]

25. I agree completely. And I do the same thing

[doc03]

12. I learned that back in 1966, those things at that time had probably a thousand

dollars worth of extras you could buy. Everything from a vacuum sweeper to a meat grinder.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

14. My mother bought one many years ago. worst piece of shit I have ever seen.

[2naSalit]

15. Many years ago

I had a spouse whose mother had a couple dogs, a 52lbs Lab and a 65lbs Shepard, were her pride and joy, spoiled as can be. I learned early on that the Lab didn't care about much but could be excitable around water. The Shepard was entirely different, very excitable and petulant at times, very active... but he would only leave the fenced yard for two reasons. Reason 1, he was going to go for a ride in a vehicle and was very obedient and waited for the gate and door to said vehicle to open... Reason 2, religion peddlers were approaching the gate which meant that the gate was there only as a hurdle on his way down the driveway to chase off the religion peddlers. Reason 2 was the most valuable thing about that dog.

[1000words]

16. DO NOT let this guy in your house:

[indie9197]

22. that was funny. thanks. nt

[DesertFlower]

29. i don't let anyone in my house unless

i know them. repair people wear badges. why would anyone let a salesperson into their house?

[jmowreader]

30. Kirby just about refuses to sell these at stores

If you actually want one (yes, they are $2200 and really heavy) call a dealer and set up an appointment for the guy to come out.

My mom has had one over 40 years. She hauls it to town every 2 years for preventive maintenance - they pull the case apart, clean it, change the motor brushes and belt, and check everything else. Every other service they replace the cord ends - the cord is usable as a 30 foot 2 prong extension cord. Because of this it's never broken down.

[H. Cromwell]

46. Own one 24 years

We bought ours from a door to door salesman paid about $1200 in 1990. Never hd it serviced. About 10 yrs ago wife sucked up pennies and damaged the impeller blade (Plastic). Contacted Kirby on line, bought the part $23 and it was delivered with easy replacement instructions. The Vacuum is still going strong...it is a heavy sucker though!

[ErikJ]

31. I wonder if they have AR-15 rifle door-to-door salesmen yet?

[Drunken Irishman]

33. It's a scam...good vacuums, but it's a scam.

My friend lost her job and was in search of a new one. She was looking around and saw an ad for a costumer service representative. Called 'em, they told her she was more than qualified for the position and that they would like her to manage her own team (which isn't terribly odd, as she thought it was a call center job and most call centers have teams led by supervisors).

Well she went into the face-to-face interview, found herself in a shoddy building with a group of other people. The man she spoke with told 'em they would ALL be auditioning for the role of 'manager' and that they would be doing displays selling vacuums. She said she wanted to get up right there and walk out, but was embarrassed. So, she listened some more. He went over the pitch, the entire operation, basically told 'em they'd be making this amount on commission and yada yada yada. Finally, he told 'em that tomorrow, bright and early, they would arrive at the building, get into the van and be taken to their display site.

The kicker? For orientation, she wasn't going to get paid - but it was mandatory.

She didn't go back.

It's an awful job. They prey on people who are desperate and force 'em to work ungodly hours (sun up to sun down, seven days a week). They work off commissions, but can only really hit that commissions point when they sell over three vacuums. But no one buys these vacuums. So, you could go a week selling only two and still not see a dime.

It's sad.

[Vashta Nerada]

34. My grandma fell prey to their scams.

They came into her house, stayed for 45 minutes, and when they left, she had a new vacuum.

[DebJ]

35. But the Kirby dealer around here will clean your carpet for free as part of the demo.

I don't mind watching someone else work for an hour.

And I let them come back again a year later and watched them thoroughly vacuum all of my living room furniture.

Because of my allergies, I wanted one of those things by then, but told them the price was impossible. I don't recall
the exact price but it was about $1800 and that was in 2010 in the summer I think.

In December, he pops back by my house, and offers me a vacuum with every possible extra for $1200. I said I still
don't have a job. Well, he'd seen my husband's extravagant hobby and said don't you at least deserve $45 a month
for awhile for yourself? That got me. I really have never spent any money on myself, not even for things that I should
classify as necessary (I recently bought a new pair of tennis shoes for the first time in 5 years, and I only have one pair at a time.)

So, I bought one. It works really well, and is very sturdy. I've never had a vacuum that sucks up so much so well...but then again, my other vacuums were cheaper department store models, nothing higher end at all.

I don't regret it, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that I'd rather have the vacuum than spend money on concerts and other entertainments, even other 'necessary' things. Also, when my Dad married my Mom, he took a job as a Kirby salesman for a few months, so I think of Dad when I use it.

I've yet to use all the bells and whistles extras in boxes in my closet.

[freshwest]

36. My MO: No, you ain't coming in. No, get off my porch. Stand back, and talk from the sidewalk.

Then I put a fence all the way around the front and back yard and put a lock on it.

[darkangel218]

38. lmao!!

[renate]

37. our rule of thumb is that we don't answer the door unless we're expecting someone

It feels rude at first but after a while it's very liberating. Nothing good ever came of opening the door when we weren't expecting someone and we don't have to deal with the awkwardness of turning down solicitations to buy magazines or buy cleaning supplies from someone we've never heard of. We don't make decisions about where to donate money based on who knocks and we don't buy anything that we wouldn't be able to return if there were a problem.

I feel absolutely terrible for anybody who has to make a living going door to door and I figure that by not opening the door we at least save them some time, but I really wish nobody were ever in a position where they had to do that to stay afloat. Thanks for posting your warning... it's as bad to be fleeced by someone selling door-to-door as it must be to do it.

[jeff47]

40. Whistles innocently while attempting to hide avatar

(No, I have nothing to do with Kirby vacuums. I like the video game character of the same name.)

[oldhippie]

41. I'm glad I live where I live .....

I've been in this house for 17 years and I can count the number of uninvited knocks on my door on both hands with fingers left over. Other than UPS, FedEx, mailman and sundry other deliverymen, I can only think of a half dozen or so unexpected salesmen or religious canvassers that ever knocked on my door. We've never even had one trick or treater in 17 years. And I even live within the city limits. Being spread out has it's advantages.

[Tikki]

42. My city in So Cal has a law against solicitation door-to-door.

Even the cookie and candy groups have to go to city hall to get a badge to wear and must
be accompanied by an adult if they are minors.

We, also, have no ice cream trucks going through the neighborhoods, at all.

Religious groups are supposed to get a badge, also, but say they can't because they travel in packs on SAT & Sun.
and city hall is closed. They cry that they are exempt; they are not.
When they do come on our property we always challenge them on the law and tell them we are a law abiding family.



Tikki

[cyberswede]

43. I let them in once years ago...

they cleaned my carpets, and then I told them I wasn't interested.

They did try a really hard sell, though. It was awkward.

[NuclearDem]

44. Yeah, I've heard they really suck.

Oh you know that was coming at some point.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

45. I respect that people are just trying to do a job

and that their earnings are dependent on their sales abilities but often I find their tactics to be incredibly overbearing and obnoxious most of the time. We have lots and lots of expenditures and don't have a lot of extra money and unless we plan out for a major purchase, we can't just fork over money on a whim for some new gizmo that we don't really need. It's not so much that they want to offer something but they don't take "no" for an answer, at least not until they've taken up/wasted lots of your time.

[shanti]

47. I never buy anything door to door

And although I have a "no soliciting" sign in front, they still knock. What kills me is that the church people ignore the sign too. Do they not think they're soliciting something??

[dionysus]

48. i let them clean my rug and couch, and drank beers watching the demo guy.

Around here, they'll send an attractive young woman out offering a free carpet cleaning (not mentioning they're really selling Kirby vacuums).

if you consent to the "free cleaning", the first person leaves, and the poor demo shmuck shows up. I repeatedly said I wasn't buying anything, but said he doesn't care, he gets paid by the demo, not by the sales. pretty cool kid, he had just got here from Jamaica and it was his first job in the states.

Then they attach these pads to the vacuum instead of the bag, to show you all the dirt and nasties it pulls up and how great the product is. They have to do so many pads (100 I think?) in the demo to show the supervisors they completed the work.

THEN, the annoying ass salesmen (he's the one who probably gets commission) comes in and tries to coerce you to buy the vacuum, even if you politely decline (several times).

I will say though, it's one HELL of a vacuum, best I've ever seen (made out of a lot of cast steel and aluminum)... and it aught to be, for $1500!

but...

A) Demo takes an hour
B) my only rug is an area rug in the living room and the rug on the basement stairs. why do I need a new vacuum when my Oreck still kicks ass?
C) Did I say $1500? only if I had tons of carpets and was rich man... no way I'm droppin that kinda coin on a vacuum!

[MineralMan]

50. Don't let ANY door-to-door salesperson in your house!

Sheesh. Never. Not even a foot in the door. Send them away. If they don't go away, call 911. Just say no.