John Conway
Wichita Falls,#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, July 17, 2017
When i sold Kirby's from '82 to '87 (in Texas) there were two factories, one in cleveland, OH, where the home office is, and one in Andrews, TX. Kirbys manufactured in OH were sold overseas since they use a different wattage there. Kirbys sold in the USA were manufactured in Texas. My distributor often drove to the Andrews factory to pick up machines. When my wife was in Andrews on business a few years a go she went by tre facotory an took a picture, texting it to me. NO FACTORY in Mexico. Learn what the crap you are talking about before you spout off your mouth!
deb
Ware,#3General Comment
Sun, June 30, 2013
The gentleman who says Kirby is an all American Co. is sadly mistaken, a few years ago they where manufactured in Mexico. My landlord ordered one directly from the factory, offer to order me one if I was interested. None of the major companies we use to associate as American can say they are exclusively manufatured in the US, even parts of the Harley Co. is made overseas.
Jrepairguy
Massillon,#4Consumer Comment
Tue, August 07, 2012
I have owned Kirby vacuum cleaners all my life, as well as several other "high-end" brand names, like Electrolux, Tri-Star, Filter Queen, etc., and I can say definitively that my experience with my Kirby products and services has been extremely satisfying overall. I think that most of these high-end vacuum cleaners are indeed much better in quality and performance than any department store brand you can find at any "big box" store. But back to my Kirby vacuum.
My parents bought one in 1965 and they still have it; it still comes with a lifetime rebuild warranty, which the company stands behind 100%. I have had two of my Kirby vacuums rebuilt over the years with stellar results; they both came back looking and running like the day I bought them, and they were ready for another 20+ years of serious use. In short, they did exactly as they promised me that they would do when I purchased them.
I can also attest that the Carpet Shampoo System that comes as an optional accessory is one of the best carpet cleaners I have ever used; however, one needs to actually sit down and READ THE BOOK, something very few people seem to do anymore. Anyway, when I listed my house for sale, the real estate agent listed my 16-year-old, wall-to-wall carpeting as "Newer", and I had to correct him on this. I give full credit to my Kirby vacuum and its Carpet Shampoo System for being so well-preserved. It is simply just the best vacuum cleaner I have ever owned, and I have no complaints at all.
I have read many consumer complaints against Kirby and other high-end vacuum cleaner companies, and while I'm sure that there are crooks in every business out there, I can't help but notice that many, if not most, of the people who complain about Kirby vacuums have obviously never bothered to read the instruction manual or watch the included DVD. As a result, they usually have no idea as to how the various accessories even work, like the Carpet Shampoo System; most don't even have a basic, fundamental understanding of how this carpet cleaning method is supposed to work, even though Consumer Reports itself said a few years ago that the "dry foam shampoo method was the best soil remover we tested".
Also, Kirby dealerships are all independently owned and operated, and as such, you're bound to come across a few unscrupulous dealers; however, all of my experiences with this company over the years have been nothing short of professional and high quality. Speaking of quality, I recently compared my newest, 6-year-old Kirby to my friend's brand new Dyson upright vacuum cleaner, and if you want to talk about inferior quality, look no further than the Dyson (or any other common department store brand) and read my final statement on this subject.
We took a busted-up bag of pretzels and lots of pretzel salt and crumbs and worked it deep into the carpet pile, then we vacuumed it with the Dyson, stopped and emptied the dirt cup, cleaned out the filters, and continued vacuuming until the Dyson container remained empty. Then, we made two passes over the same are of carpet with my Kirby vacuum.....and pulled out at least a cup and a half MORE salt and pretzel crumbs! He no longer brags about his Dyson, and in fact, he returned the Dyson to the store where he bought it, called my Kirby dealer and saw the demonstration, and he's now the proud owner of a shiny new Kirby that will give him at least 20-25+ years of service.
Yes, there are liars and crooks everywhere, but to sit back and trash and call a good, ALL AMERICAN company who produces a superior, ALL METAL, high-quality product a bunch of "Frauds" just because a crooked dealer who shouldn't even still be allowed to be a Kirby dealer did something shady, is not only unfair and inaccurate, it is just plain wrong! Also, I think it is equally unfair to say anything derrogatory about a product that, more often than not, isn't even properly used or understoood because the consumer obviously hasn't even bothered to look at the instructions or pay attention to the product's proper use during the demonstration.