Complaint Review: Schmidt & Associates Aka Kirby

I will start from the beginning about how i was suckered into working for Schmidt & Associates aka "Independant Kirby Distributor." I had just moved to Georgia and was desperately looking for a job. I responded to an ad on craigslist for carpet cleaning guranteed $350 a wk. So i called the number and was immediately scheduled for an interview that day.

I showed up to a horribly smelling and decorated building and was greeted by a man in a suit that was way too big for him. He introduced himself as Tony and said he was in charge of hiring. Tony gave me a application and interviewed me when i finished filling it out. It was about an hour long interview where Tony mainly talked about being left by his wife and how much money he made. I thought it was a little strange considering his cloths didnt fit and his office was discusting but i kept listening. He told me the job would be just demonstrating the Kirby Vacuum to people who had called in and scheduled appointments. If i demonstrated for 15 people a wk i would recieve $350 a wk and if the customer bought the Kirby i would make an additional $350 per sale. I was also told i needed to ride around in the van with other Independant Kirby dealers for my first 2 wks to train and then i would go to the appointments on my own and make my own hrs. Needless to say thats not how it worked at all.

After completing 3 days of non paid training i was put into a van with the owners brother Kenny Schmidt who was also a Distributor in Kentucky but was helping his brother out. I was told he had appointments for us and i would get three demos in that day. By 1am i had done 1 demo and it turned out there were no appointments that it was a door to door sale pitch. I watched other dealers lie and trick their way in doors and tell people how fiflthy their house was and degrade them for not wanting to spend 2500 on a vacuum. I was ready to quit but i needed a job.

While other dealers were being dropped off in neighborhoods for hrs to knock doors i was left in the Van with Kenny. Not only was i not getting demos i was also being sexually harassed. He left to go back to Kentucky and i thought things would be better at the job but it didnt. We were forced to go to meetings every morning. We were never allowed to go out on our own and we would work from 9am to 10, 11 sometimes 1am. I had sales and demos stolen from me. I was promised to be paid for them and in the 30days, countless hrs and 5 sales i was only paid $300 dollars.

I was never paid the money i was owed, I was sexually harassed, I had sales stolen from me, and was yelled at because i was not willing to compromise my morals to make a sale. When i resigned i filed a complaint with the EEOC but they were unable to investigate because Kirby claims we are idependant dealers. Any of you who have fallen for their scam are well aware of the fact that at no time were we independant dealers. I am now going to the media and filing a personal suit against Kirby and Schmidt & Associates and Kenny Schmidt.

I just want to warn anyone who is thinking about working for Kirby or letting one of their dealers into your homes against it.

Jaime
port wentowrth, Georgia
U.S.A.