Complaint Review: Kirby Vaccuum Cleaners

I found an ad in our local newspaper The Times Free Press that read something like this: SPORTS MINDED, Mass Hiring 50-60 people, guaranteed $500-$1000 per week, no experience needed, benefits, hours 10 am.- 7p.m., will train. Call immediately.

Needing money pretty soon, I was drawn to the ad. I called about 7 p.m. in the evening and was surprised that someone answered the phone. I was told to come in for an interview the next morning at 11:30 a.m. I spoke with a woman who liked me and said to call back in about 45 minutes to see if my application was accepted. It was. Big surprise. I was told to come in later that afternoon for "training" where I was told all about this wonderful vaccuum for the first time.

I was told that I would be a "sales rep." or demonstrator of the product, that I would never have to go door to door to make appointments, and that I would never have to make any sales pitches. However, I worked for Kirby for five days when I realized that everything I was told was a lie. I was taken out my first day with a manager and basically all I did was drive and walk around neighborhoods canvassing for customers. I was told I would never have to do this. I was given a couple different explanations as to why I had to do it, such as they needed to hire more canvasers or it was part of my training. However, I knew something wasn't right after putting in four 12-14 days of nothing but driving around and canvassing.

I could never get a straight answer about how long I was going to have to canvass or how I was going to get paid. I needed 15 demos a weeks, 20 knock-in appointments or fliers, or to sign-up 100 cards with names and #'s of prospects to even make money. They would have us doing demos one day, fliers the next, and then cards the next... making it impossible to meet the quota for any of them to be able to get paid at all.

To top off all of the deception and manipulation from the staff of managers, they all turned out to be irresponsible, immature jerks. My last day of cruising around with a manager and 7 other trainees, my mgr. fired a guy on the spot for "being negative around other workers." He was complaining about canvassing for 2 and a half weeks when he hired on as a demostrator and he still had not received one pay check. He was kicked out of the van at a gas station that was an hour and a half from his home, and left there for 10 hours while we continued to canvass neighborhoods. He was later picked up and taken home, never having received a paycheck.

I was asked by my mngr. the same evening to drive the vehicle back to the office because he had a headlight out and didn't want to get pulled over because his licensed was suspended due to a recent d.u.i. This was my manager who had driven us around for 3 days without a license!

I also learned that our "factory director" or big boss regularly purchased and passed out alcohol to the canvassers and demostrators in the van on the ride home after a day's work. Not every employee is 21 years of age, but he said "If you work in my crew, you will drink with us." Besides the fact that distributing alcohol to minors is illegal, so is drinking and driving, and driving with open containers of alcohol in a vehicle. But I guess these things don't really matter to him.

This company is irresponsible, deceptive, and dishonest not only to its employees but also in its pressureful sales tactics. If anyone in the Chattanooga area responds to this ad thinking you're going to make big bucks, think again! And if you do try this job out, please think twice about putting your trust into managers like these. There should be something done about this company and its irresponsible, deceitful practices and employees.

Brock
Chattanooga, Tennessee
U.S.A.