Kirby Vacuum Cleaners

Kirby Vacuum Cleaners • In-Home Demonstration • Three-day Return Policy • "Trade-In" Policy • Warranty Service • Poor Quality • Elderly & Infirm • Home Alone • Neighborhood Pests • U.K. Complaints • South Africa Complaints • Andrew's Kirby Adventure --- • Kirby Sweeps Up in West Virginia • Arizona Sues Kirby Distributors • Kirby Salesman Arrested • Salesmen Respond

The door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen has been the butt of many jokes. But unfortunately, the customer is seldom the one who walks away laughing. Best rule of thumb: never let any salesperson or solicitor into your home. If you ask someone to leave and they don't do so, call the police. It may seem harsh but it can avoid many problems, like those catalogued below.

Even a 15-year-old can see through most of the Kirby pitch, as Andrew recently demonstrated.

Heed this word of advice from Christie:
I worked at United Financial Consumer (a loan company for Kirby vaccums) office. The sales tactics used to sell Kirby's are much the same as Mattress Warehouse in that they mislead customers into thinking free financing when in fact after signing the bottom line you have just taken out a loan.

People they target are often elderly and they train young men and women that these customers are the ones to persuade. People who fall into debt often think they need to pay their car loan before they pay for their vaccuum, not realizing the type of loan they have signed is just as seriously detrimental to their credit rating.

Heads up on getting any type of financing: Look to see what company is actually doing the financing and before signing call the finance company and have them reiterate what the terms are!

We would add that every loan transaction must include a Truth In Lending statement that spells out the terms. Consumers need to read this carefully. It's almost always better to arrange a loan elsewhere, pay cash or do without.

Joel of Klondike, TX June 18, 2009

Hello, Im writing to you today to tell you about a door to sales rep. from your company selling spot remover. He was very nice and polite but the trouble I had was as he was leaving he drove right across my lawn. I have a complete circle drive. My vehicle was park in the drive so when he left he drove between my car and some fruit trees over my lawn which I had just mowed. Im guessing he might have been a bit put off by the turn down on his product. He should have backed out to the hwy which was only about ten feet behind him. I thought that was very rude and I wouldnt want this to happen to other customers. I know this is not any type of a big deal but it does need to be addressed. thankyou

Laura of Orland Park, IL June 10, 2009

I was contacted by phone by an indepent Kirby Distributor for an in home sales pitch and they would clean my carpet free. I really was not in the market for a new vacuum, but I agreed to a date anyway. To make a long story short, I bought one in hopes that I would learn to love it. I now feel I was pressured into this sale by the sales Rep.

I am a very busy person like everyone and didn't get to try out my Kirby until after the three days. I am not happy with the vacuum because it takes me twice as long because of the hose not being right on the vacuum. I didn't relize this until I cleaned my house that next week. I called the distributor that I bought it from. JJR Distributors. They said they can't help me.

I called the Consumers Relations, They said they can't help me. This is a major investment on my part and I want to return it. I called 10 days after the purchase. I feel this is still a justified time for a return. How does one know whether they will like a vacuum until they use it once or twice? Please help!

Yasmin of Mount Angel , OR June 9, 2009

At about 2 o clock on a sunday afternoon a young man knocks on the door and says that if i let him remove a spot in my carpet that he would get 25 dollars for college. I said sure why not he said it would only take 25 minutes and i had a little bit of time. he came in and looked at the spot and told me that he would need more time and i told him i had to go to the store because my one year old was out of milk and i needed it pronto. he said he would come another time and left.

2 hours later he comes back and we are in the backyard doing some gardening and saw him come to the door i decided not to answer because my husband and i had dinner plans and a BABYSITTER! so i was much looking forward to that. but the young man came around the house opened the backyard gate and just invited himself back in.

I said fine and thought that he can clean the spot while i was getting ready to go out, but that wasn't the case he informed me that i needed to watch him do it so he can get paid.. i then explained to him my plans and asked him to leave. as i did that his boss handed him a box and drove off in a van. he said he had to stay until it was finished

Anyway he does this looooonnnnggg demonstration of this vacum and never got to cleaning the spot. I kept politely trying to tell him that we have no money as i am 8 and half months pregnant with a one year old already and am not interested. he was baffled by this and kept trying to pressure me into buying the pile of junk for 2600 dollars.

he then called his boss and had him come over to double pressure me.. this time it was 8 o clock at night and any dinner plans i had were ruined.. My day was ruined by these gross people and i never felt so violated in my own home before. Finally i had to threaten to call the police to get them to leave where the two of them sat on my porch and waited for the van to come back.

carol of phenix city, AL June 7, 2009

Yesterday(june 5), my only day off in 2 weeks, a man knocks on my door with a free 2 litter coke sayin that its a token if i just listen to him in reference to a new product and recomend the product n that it wont take long. i agree. figured y not. id just laid my 7 mo old to sleep whos teething and i was DEAD tired. so he walks to a van n i figure hes getting brouchures... so i go inside to put up the volume in the baby monitor, next thing i know, hes walking into my home!!! with a crapload of boxes as the van drives off!!!

im all alone with this guy in my house! long story short, a 15 min presentation turns into a 3 hrs battle! he "did me a favor" n brought the price from 2300 to 950 at 37 a mo! i just switched jobs n took a paycut, this man tells me that i can surely afford 37 a month... im currently living on my savings... told him my priorities r my fam... all of this during the presentation which he wont quit even when i repeat that i cant afford it even if i wanted it. he then says hell demostrate in my bedroom!!! without asking!!! he starts walking to my stairs where my baby girl is sleeping! im horrified! he keeps insisnting on that i can spare 37 a month.. when im counting pennies as it is. these ppl prey on the low incom fams... be aware... once theyre in ur home they wont leave.

i actually felt threatened by his behavior... felt violated in my rights at my own home. while he was tlaking away, i logged on n googled kirby vacuums n lord be hold i fou nd this web site! i proceeded to kick him out, when he refused, i used my best defense i have... im a police officer in the military n know when people are soliciting illegally and r violating peoples rights. he paled considerable, experience tells me he was new at this since he was nervous and sweating the whole time. i got the impression he was affraid of his boss. felt sorry for the guy for a split second. people, be aware. my biggest fear was with what bout all the kids that r left home alone during the summer???

warn your children, somthing tells me these people dont screen their employees... n ppl, realize, do u really need a kirby??? stay with the nesesities... n if u wana splurge? go for a steam cleaner... no chemicals and deep cleans as it disenfects.

Charles of Brooklet, GA June 4, 2009

After an unusaly long sales pitch of about four and a half hours. We finaly decided to purchase, ( just to get theese people out of our house and to recend the contract the next day). After my wife called and told the kirby sales person to come and pick up the Vacume cleaner, and cancel the contract. They explaned that they could not do that becouse the finiance company allready completed the loan transaction. My Wife insisted that they come back and pick up the machine. not being aware of all the legal rights, my wife decided to go ahead and pay for the vacume cleaner. to keep her credit safe. After I found out about this I blew up and Made another attempt to cancel the contract. But as it was past the three day period for defalt it was explaned that we would have to pay, top price for the used peice of junk that we purchased... In turn I balked and refused to pay for a vacume that after using only twice broke. I boxed the machine up and purchased another cleaner for two years ive been fighting with collections for this debt and of course the loan company and the kirby people can not after their inital money transaction contact and help resolve this issue. ive decided to pay off the balance to try to salvage my wifes credit history. but now i will make it my personl quest to try to stop or hinder in any way i can the decetfull underhanded manipulative way theese people operate and the company that allowes their employees to operate this way.

Ken of Spring, TX June 1, 2009

A complimentary cleaning sample and a free cleaning as an advertisement for their new store opening. This will only take 15 minutes. Two hours later (Sunday night 10:30pm) I demanded that they leave. These people are ruthless.

John of GREENVILLE, SC May 26, 2009

I saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a job 800 bi/weekly. I was hired for the position, and attended training for 3 days. During the training one thing that stood out was how filthy the people at Kirby/RTS were in their language. The training manager (Nina) would often use filthy language and she did boast once or twice about her GREAT SALARY, yet she wore the same clothes every single day of the training. Some great salary.

Luckily for me I discovered this website and over 300 complaints on Rip Off report before In returned back to start work officially with Kirby. I have since complained to Kirby corporate, and the newspaper advertisement that posted Kirby's "bait and switch" scam. Kirby may make a great vacuum, but the company is very unethical. I strongly discourage anyone from working with Kirby/RTS.

Since my departure, I have noticed that Kirby/RTS has sometimes placed multiple advertisements in the newspaper, sometimes with different logo's and phone numbers, in an effort to deceive applicants.

Cynthia of Pearland , TX May 13, 2009

My Daughter went to JAIL!!

My daughter, 19 was so excited to start this new job. She found the ad in the paper and thought it would be fun! Her position.. Appointment setter. She didn't know when they hired her that she would have to go door to door to make appointments otherwise she would not have taken the job. Her first day on the job she went to jail for soliciting without a permit. How can a big company like this send kids out to sell door to door without a permit???? It cost 350 to bail her out of jail! Now she's going to have a record for soliciting? Not if I have anything to do with it. I will sue Kirby Vacuum for ruining her good name. They will need to figure out a way to get this off her record or she will have a hard time finding a decent job. They aren't going to know it was for selling vacuums.. It could mean prostitution. Someone needs to shut this business down!!

Tiffany of Resaca, GA May 12, 2009

A cute 20 something year old girl came to my door at 10 in the morning with a bottle of "free" liquid dish detergent and a flyer saying that their business (which she never named) was new to the area and was doing some local advirtisement. As a stay at home mom with a 4 year old, 2 year old, and a 6 month old...I was already completely busy cleaning up breakfast and getting all the kids out of their pj's, but when she asked if she could show me the product I said "sure." Not realizing it was vacuums, and that they would be in my home ALL afternoon, I let her and another young man in. Needless to say, my hubby, who wasn't home, was irrate that I let them in our home! Anyway, this young man begins unpackng this HUGE box and backpack full of accessories for this vacuum, and begins to vacuum my area rug. We have all hardwood floors, except in our childrens rooms, so without asking, he takes all this crap to my daughters room and starts cleaning back there! My baby was starving (and is nursing!), so I couldn't feed him, and my 2 year old was sick and about to pass out from her Benadryl! I couldn't put her to bed because the young man had stripped all the sheets off her bed in order to show me that the Kirby can clean mattresses too! I am a COMPLETE germ-a-phobe, and was completely disgusted when he used my kids bathroom (without asking) twice...and didn't wash his hands, then kept asking me to shake his! Ewww! Then, as he was cleaning, he was dumping the fuzz and dirt from the carpets down my bathroom sink (cloging it up!), wearing his shoes in my home, and scattering 40 dirt covered filters all over my living room floor for my kids to get near. This was after I had told him that all three of my children had bad allergies! I was so disgusted by the behavior and the hygiene of the salesmen, that I went straight to cleaning my bathroom, daughters room, and floors immediately after they left. Disinfecting even te doorknobs in the house where he had touched them with his pee-pee hands! They stayed until 3 that afternoon. they couldn've left a lot sooner if they had just told me the price of the stupid thing before the whole sales-pitch! 2300 for a vacuum cleaner. I don't think so! Besides, in this economy who in their right mond would spend that kind of cash on a vacuum? Get real! It did work great and completely grossed me out by all of the tiny dirt particles it picked up but if my ancestors can live through the dust bowls I think I can live with a little carpet fuzz!

bruce of barrington, NH May 11, 2009

i answered an ad in the newspaper for a job that turned out to be selling kirby vaccums they said 1. that there was a base pay of 550.00 a week and all you have to do is go out on 15 vaccum showings a week and that they would provide the contacts all you have to do is show the kirby. A LIE, FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK AFTER TRAINING THEY DIDNT GIVE ME ONE APPOINTMENT. 2. THEY TOLD ME I WOULD NOT HAVE TO DO ANY FINDING OF APPOINTMENTS MYSELF BUT IF THEY DON'T GIVE YOU ANY APPOINTMENTS YOU DONT GET THE BASE PAY SO YOU WORK YOUR BUTT OFF AND YOU GET NOTHING. i wasted a week and a half working for theese people and i spent what little money i had on gas to get back and forth to the TRAINING sessions, sold one to my aunt and uncle who couldnt afford it and i get absolutely nothing for all that.

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