- Report: #322724
Complaint Review: Kirby Company - Portland Oregon
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Kirby Company
Sandy Blvd Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
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Kirby Company-NWDC misrepresentation Portland Oregon
I was recently bombarded by a couple of Kirby sales people. They asked me if I wasnted a room in my home to be shamppoed for free. Of course, I said yes, thinking that they were a new carpet cleaning company in the area. I let them into my home, then theystarted a demo of the Kirby. I admit this is a good product but I don't think it is the ONLY product. The sales rep said that if he sells the most vacuums then he gets a Rolex watch and a trip to somewhere outside of the US. After about an hour and 40 coffe filters on my floor, I wanted the vacuum-it was a good cleaning product. He told me the price-$2499. I told him it was too much and he "called" his manager, on my phone by the way!!! Very rude tactic.. The "manager" took off $100. Then I told him that was too much. He called the manager back and offered me $2300.00. I told them that I had to shop and compare other models and price points. They told me that the price was the lowest and if I bought it later it would be for the 2499 price. I wrote a check, then the next day stopped payment and cancelled my transaction.
The smarmy sales guy, the canvasser, tried to shame me for cancelling the contract. He tried to shame me for causing his sales person to be eliminated from the contest. I say shame on you, kirby for teaching these people these underhanded, dishonest, and classless sales tactics. The reps must let people make up their own minds on their own terms. Because of this awful encounter with the Kirby people/products I will never consider a Kirby vacuum. I am also shocked that with the way your sales reps misrepresent themselves and the product that anyone has ever bought a Kirby!!!
joy
newport, Oregon
U.S.A.
The smarmy sales guy, the canvasser, tried to shame me for cancelling the contract. He tried to shame me for causing his sales person to be eliminated from the contest. I say shame on you, kirby for teaching these people these underhanded, dishonest, and classless sales tactics. The reps must let people make up their own minds on their own terms. Because of this awful encounter with the Kirby people/products I will never consider a Kirby vacuum. I am also shocked that with the way your sales reps misrepresent themselves and the product that anyone has ever bought a Kirby!!!
joy
newport, Oregon
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
SalesGuy
Washington,United States of America
Salesmen sell....
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, March 23, 2010
As a former employee of Kirby, I am very familiar with the sales tactics. I thought that you should know when we call our "manager", we really are calling our manager lol! Just like at a car lot, where the salesman will take your offer to the sales manager, we call our manager to let him know the progress of the sale and see how much he is willing to discount the price in order to make a sale.
As another user stated, it's pretty obvious to most that we are from the Kirby company as we stand outside your door, and we don't try to hide it. When I worked for Kirby, I often just came right out at the door and let the people know that I was from Kirby--that way they weren't surprised when I offered the unit for sale. We never gain anything from lying or trying to deceive the customer.
I'm sorry your experience with Kirby was negative, but please just try to understand that the salesman was just doing his job. Some people are doctors and help sick people, others are teachers who educate our children. Salesmen SELL, its what we do.
Sarah D
Portland,Oregon,
United States of America
Similar story
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, December 22, 2009
I got a knock on my door with a similar offer for cleaning a free section of carpet. The guy told me it was to show of a new steam cleaning technology. I chose a section of my stairs, and said sure, but asked how long it would take. He told me "20 minutes, in and out, real quick." He said his associate would be back shortly.
When they got back, before I let them in my home I said "I need to be very clear before you come in, that I am NOT buying anything today, and I don't want you to waste your time." The girl said "no problem". They came in and the guy got settled and the girl took off. The guy started showing off the kirby machine and basically telling me how dirty my house 'really' was. An hour later his manager showed up to 'see how things were going' and to 'make sure he was doing a good job'.
The guy at some point pulled out my vacuum to show me the dirt left behind by it, and berated me for 'buying something that was broken' (my current vacuum). When he got to the end of his spiel, he finally did the carpet cleaning that was promised, and over 2 hours from when they got there, he was done. He brought out the price list for the machine and I told him there was no way. He started telling me about payment plans and deferred payments, etc, and the trip he would get if he sold 15 vacuums in the month. I told him I was sorry he'd wasted his time but that I'd warned him before he ever set foot in my house that I wasn't buying anything. He called his associate (who had dropped him off, basically he was stranded), and started cleaning up. Over-hearing the conversation, I know he was waiting for his manager to come back and try to talk me into it. After waiting for nearly an hour (this is 3 hours this guy is in my house) I have started making dinner while he is still 'cleaning up'. I asked him when his associate would be there and he said he didn't know but he would call. He didn't get a hold of anyone. After he'd been in my home for 3 1/2 hours, I finally had to ask him to leave.
I just bought my house, and lived in apartments previous to this. I was not familiar with kirby and hadn't heard the stories until after this had happened. The product might be nice, but these people don't consider they are asking what is in my case double my mortgage payment for a VACUUM CLEANER. They get all huffy when you tell them no, and like I said, I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I let them in my house, as I had been told it would be 20 minutes.
Thefinder
West Linn,Oregon,
U.S.A.
One-sided
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, March 20, 2009
People are so one-sided. I use to work for Portland Kirby and People are only posting one-sided stories. I mean you let us into your house for what a "free carpet cleaning". Its Kirby and you know it. It's not like this just came out of nowhere. Kirby has been going door to door for many years now. People complain after buying a Kirby because of the price, but there wrong they bought the kirby for a reason to clean. but then they decide after filling everything out that it was too much and they try to change there minds. After realizing that they bought the kirby and can't do anything they just go online and mark it as a scam. well if you don' t want to hear a sales pitch don't be greedy and say yes to a free carpet shampooing because you know where its going like i said Kirby isn't new.
