Complaint Review: Kirby

Like a lot of reports on here that i have read about Kirby and its many fronts, i have had the unfortunate luck of almost getting sucked into being a "demonstrator" (door to door salesman). 

My wife and I had answered a ad in the local news paper that read something similar to this:
SALES ASSOCIATES NEEDED!! FT OR PT
HIRE IMMEDIATELY!!!
NO EXP? NO PROBLEM
Full training provided
$400/wk to start
Up to $2000/month
Call xxx-xxx-xxxx

Now the ad should have been Red Flag #1 but we were in a situation where we REALLY needed money like many young people and both of us getting full-time jobs working together sounded great, so we gave them a call.

The lady (and I use the term "lady" lightly) who answered the phone sounded like she was plucked right out of high school, although she was polite. When i questioned her about the job itself since it was not mentioned in the ad she dismissed the question - Red Flag #1. ANY LEGIT company has no problem explaining what the job entails over the phone. 

The call only lasted for maybe 5 minutes and consisted of the lady telling me that they were called W. A. Associates and that we were to come in the following day to fill out applications and have an interview. 

So the next day comes and we get dressed up in the nicest clothes we have and I punch the address into my GPS. we make our way there it takes approx 30 - 40 minutes, but at $400 a week the gas could be covered. When we arrived at the address the lady had given me the building looks like its not used except for a large sign for a chiropractor's office. So we circled the building a number of times which was very small trying to locate the entrance since there was no sign to be seen - Red Flag #2. ANY LEGIT business clearly posts their sign in an inconspicuous area where it is visible to everyone.

After we finally located the correct door we parked and went in side, on the door in tattered black lettering that looked like it had been peeled off of somewhere else and stuck to this door it read "W.A. Associates", we opened it and walked down a short narrow hallway with a beat up end table against the wall in the middle of it, we entered an open waiting room type area and the receptionist was most unprofessional and looked just out of high school (probably the "owners" daughter or she was sleeping with him) but she said hi and just pointed us to a long, dinged, dented, scratched, bought from goodwill desk thing that had a sloppy stack of unprofessional applications on it - Red Flag #3

At this point my wife an I are growing very weary and skeptical of this place, and by this time there are two other people in the waiting room with us, we finished the apps and handed them to the receptionist and she told us to have a seat and some one would call us back for an interview, the interview was a complete joke, it lasted about 4 MINUTES and they interviewed us BOTH TOGETHER. so the interviewer said we could expect a call from her later that day to say whether we have the job or not. (Mind you we still know NOTHING of what the job entails)

We left the rinky dink office and headed on our way, at this point the red flags are piling up pretty quick and we are having major doubts about this place. later that evening (around 6pm or so) we receive a call from the interview lady saying that we have been "selected" for the position and orientation is the next day and to dress professionally.

The next day rolls around and we dress in the most professional manner we can and head off to the "orientation"  when we arrive we escorted into what appears to be a basement that was NEVER mentioned prior and upon entering this basement type area we notice ALL the people from the day before, apparently EVERYONE gets "selected".  There is some loud cheesy music playing and some power point slide show looped on a tv going on about a cruise they were having a "contest" for. me and my wife just looked at each other dumb founded at how unprofessional this place was, it looked like it was used for PARTIES! - Red Flag #4

so as we sit there in the "party" room in non matching chairs of differing styles there are people walking and out not saying a word to us or the other 6 or so people in the room, and i could tell by looking around that if this was at all legit me and my wife were clearly the most qualified not to mention the most professionally dressed. Finally after sitting there for about 20 minutes not being acknowledged a woman walks to the front of the room and introduces herself as Rachel if i remember correctly. Now she beings rambling on about herself and when she starts hitting the spiel about the company it sounds rehearsed and beyond phony - Red Flag #5.

Then it happens, she pulls out the Kirby vacuum, now don't get me wrong the kirby is quite a machine but is no where near worth the almost $3000 they ask for it, and looks better suited to be in the 1950s. She begins explaining how everything works on it, the thing has more attachments that one person would ever need, and who in their RIGHT mind would EVER use this thing as a LEAF BLOWER????? But i digress, back to rehearsed Rachel, she is going on and on about all the features of this thing, and the FINALLY talks about the job, she states appointments are pre-set for us by setters and that we just have to go out and demo this unpractical overpriced machine. so the orientation wraps up at about 3:30 and we were tired and hungry since we had been there since 10:30 with no break. She makes her last rehearsed remarks and says she will see us for training day 1 he next day.

Training day 1 (and Final day for us) we arrive a few minutes ahead of schedule so we decide to wait in the parking lot, and we look into the car next to us and the car is a mess as if they live out of it and the person inside is ASLEEP! Not sure who the person was but i'm willing to bet it was a Kirby "employee".  So we go in as usual back down into the basement / party room where now there is one less person than the day before.

So Rachel appears after about 20 minutes again and turns off the obnoxious music the opens a closet and pulls out 3 large boxes, we got to assemble and break down the Kirby, and how to set up our "demo area" in the customers living room. this continued for about an hour and a half, then she began going through selling techniques and how to get into peoples homes. She essentially told us to flat out LIE to these innocent people that we are giving them a free carpet cleaning, when in reality it was a kirby demo.

the next few things out of Rachels mouth made myself and my wife RUN FOR THE HILLS, She began telling us that if they say no to force your way inside, use their phone without asking to call the office, and to just walk around their house and they will follow like a dog! upon hearing this my wife sternly said "that is very rude and disrespectful" and that was met with "I don't care just make the sale". after that day we never went back to that place knowing for absolute certain they were a scam.

I feel bad for anyone and everyone who was taking by this fraudulent company both on the employment end and customer end. DO NOT ENDORSE THIS COMPANY IT IS A SCAM!!! This is not isolated to just this office, i have read many reports on here from people all over the country as well as canada and the UK! This is a global scam that must be stopped! IF YOU SEE THESE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT YOUR LOCAL POLICE IMMEDIATELY AND LOCK ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS AND DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT ALLOW THEM INTO YOUR HOME UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES THEY OPERATE WITHOUT A LICENSE AND ILLEGALLY. 

IF YOU SEE ONE OF THEIR ADS ON CRIAGSLIST OR IN YOUR LOCAL PAPER REPORT IT IMMEDIATELY AND DO NOT RESPOND TO IT

Thank You all for your time and attention, and please look out for one another out there. have a pleasant day!