Complaint Review: Kirby Company - Northport Alabama

I answered a blind ad for customer service, sales. I answered being very suspicious having had a bad experience with blind a blind ad in the past.  In the first interview the information regarding the job details were vague, but I did ask two questions and follow then up with close ended statements.  

Question 1 with qualifying statement:  Is this residential sales, if so then we need to stop the interview process now. I have a real adversion to knocking door and going into peoples homes. I will not go into peoples homes.  I tried that once, and cannot and will not do it again.  If that is in any way involved then we need to stop the interview now and not waste any more of your time or mine.  The interviewers reponse:  No this will not be an issue, you will never have to knock a door.

Question 2 with qualifying statement:  Is there a base pay?  I will not accept a job that does not provide a regular base pay.  I do not mind if the base is minimum, but I need to mentally know it is there for those couple of months out of the year that we all know you do not and will not meet the quote.  The interviewer reponded?  That will not be an issue, that base will always be there.  

Now that was put out there on the first interview.  Did I or did I not make it extremely clear and up front what my expectations were?  I thought I made myself clear.  First interview ended with me being told to come back the next day for the beginning of group orientation, I was hired.  Yeah, I still did not know what I was selling.  But in sales I know sometimes they can be secretative until you sign disclosure paperwork.  So I thought that is what was going on.

Day 2:  Watch the video show Lindsay Vonn as the spokeperson for the company.  Still do not know exactly what we are selling, because the company has so many different product lines.  As someone who worked for a manufacturing rep I did not find this unusual.  But I asked on day 2 the same two questions at least four times the same questions I asked on day 1.  You know the questions about knocking on doors and the base pay.  I was told I would never have to knock on a door and I would have preset appointments.  I asked what time these appointments would be set up, I was told 10, 2 and 4 and sometimes 7 pm.  Ok I can handle that.  I was supposed to do three demos a day at least 5 days a week.  This should result in at least three sales.  Ok, I just got hit with the first lie.  I was in fact being put in peoples homes.  But I was assured that thes homes were being prescreened and pre qualified, and would of course be in the "nice" neighborhoods because we only wanted to target those who could really afford it and have good credit.  Well, I think to myself just get over it, if they are presetting the appointments, and prequalifying, then they have already screened these people so you will be in safe area.  And of course Jessica Sparrow (the lady who brought us all in, the DPS) told us that it takes three people to make the sale.  The first is the one who set the appointment, me the demo person, and the mgr who comes in the closes the deal - so I do not have to do any negotiations.  And we all get an even split 1/3 for all, $200.00 per each person. Asked how long we would in someone home, I was told sometimes an hour or two.  Ok, that was in line with the timeframe the appointments were set.  Sounded ok, I could get over going into peoples houses under these conditions.  

Day 2 or 3: we find out we have three full days of training that is unpaid but required so we can learn how to demo the Kirby.  Day 3 we are given a stack of paperwork to sign and contracts to sign and I ask for a copy.  Jessica Sparrow says "oh don't worry I will have a folder for you with copies of everything you signed and need when you walk out the door on Saturday.  (ok this is the first I've heard we had to work on Saturday?)  Saturday came and went, there was no copies of the paperwork that we signed.  It was a week later before I was able to obtain copies of them and only when I mentioned the IRS would require copies of them when I went to file my 1099 did they realize I was not going to back down.  The others guys in orientation with me who are also no longer with Kirby were unsuccessfull in getting copies of their paperwork.  Even though they repeatly asked over and over.

In order get our employee badges they collected our drivers licenses and took copies of them.  Used the photos from our DL's and put them on a badge with our names and gave us the title "Dealer".  That was news to me.  No one ever said they were using me to deal anything.  This was misleading in hiring me.  So many red flags already, I wanted to run but desparation kept me there.

First day at work:  Start with sales meeting, 9:00 am sharp.  Starts off with pep rally type meeting.  Per Jessica Sparrow and orientation these meeting are required, only a doctors excuse will be accepted if you are not there.  Thinking, wow can they do that if you are 1099, an independent contractor.  Which they keep throwing at you and follwing up with no body can make you do anything you don't want to do.  But if you want to see a penny you sure darn well better show up and do what you are told.  I did get that out of orientation.  Anyway, after waster 2 to 3 hours in a dumb meeting, we are assigned to a team and put in a van with 3 or 4 other dealers, a team leader/manager and a canavasser (which from the training I understood was going out to fill in extra appointments between the already preset appointments) - I was wrong).  We pile in the van, I still do not have any idea what is going on, so I ask.  No one answers me so I sit with my mouth shut.  I did get the team leaders name.  We go to the gas station, put gas in the van and team leader stands in parking lot smoking and talking for 45 minutes.  I sit in van. They all get back in van then team leader drive drives to Olive Garden parks van gets out goes in, does not say a word, everyone else gets out one by one - not saying anything.  Again, I'm left alone to sit for another hour.  Ok, we are well past noon now.  Everyone gets back to van team leader has one more errand or two more errands in Tuscaloosa to run before we hit the road.  When we hit the highway I asked where are we going.  No answer just attitude.  Ok, I am not supposed to ask.  I sit.  Everydoby lights up and the van fills with smoke.  I find eventually we are headed to north Mississippi (stop twice on the way).  We get to north MS somewhere around 3 pm.  And the door knocking starts.  I asked about the appointments.  Everyone laughts and says don't believe anything Sparrow told you.  There are no present appointments.  You have to know doors.  Who me?  Yes you.  Our team leader seems to love hitting up "golden agers", disabled, mentally challenged, peopled on fixed income, if you live in a trailer or double wide or it looks run down or broken he is going to know on your door.  

I was knowingly put in peoples residences that would not qualifiy, were mentally challenged, and physically unsafe.  These people were targeted and preyed upon because they could easily be worn down and talked into financing Kirby at a high interest rate.  

Now this is where me as the dealer ended up getting screwed.  Remember was told we all got an even share of the pie by Jessica Sparrow.  Well that was an out and out lie.  The one who knocks you in get a set amount for getting you in the door, so she really only care about if you get in.  The team leader gets paid if you get in.  And he pads the numbers also.  Every morning meeting everyone has to give their number.  Mr Kennedy's numbers he calls out are always higher than those actually done.  Anyway - they are getting paid.  But when Kennedy cuts the price below $2000.00 me, the dealer just lost their commission.  And I had to sit there and listen to him push and bully some elderly person or keep on badgering someone and refusing to leaving and take no for an answer for over an hour (now my instruction are I have to keep my mouth shut when he comes in to negotiate).  So he some in and retail is 3290.00.  I've already given that price to the customer, built value like I was told to do.  In many cases the person saw the value and was willing to accept at 2k or 2500, which I thought was reasonable according to the information I had.  Then he comes in and goes straight to 1200.00 - cutting our my commission.  On my last day he cut it down to 1,000.00 then after the contract was sgned he turned and walked out the door and said I'll be back and left me.  I begged him don't leave me here, he said I'll be back.  He was gone an hour or more.  Talk awkward.  That was the second time that week I was left for more than an hour in a customers house after already being there 2 or 3 hrs doing the full demo and carpet cleaning.

Result 3 weeks of 6 days a week, average 12-13 hr days = $300.00.

Am I angry - yes.  I was out and out lied to by Jessical Sparrow during the job interview, during orientaion, during training.  Then again on day two of work when I brought this up to the distributors attention when tried to tell me I misunderstood and changed the subject.  But of course he did not want to hear it.  Yes I am angry.  I was used as a patsy, I was a pawn, I was used, I was manipulated by con artist by get money our of people who cannot afford it.  They used me, my name to get in the door.  They have slandered me by doing this.  They have dirtied me by using me in this manner.  My name is associated with this crap now.  You look up Kirby dealer and all you read is how awful and what a pile of crap Kirby dealers are.  When in fact we were used, we were duped.  We were innocent victims.  I was a victim of bad people.  

average of 72 hrs per wk x 3 wks = 216 hrs / $300.00 pay = $1.38

That means I work for $1.38 an hr.  Who does that.