This report is intended to inform and educate the American public on the dangers of letting strangers in your home, and becoming desperate for work.

I was 19 at the time. The band that I was in was planning on touring that year so I needed money- fast! I barely had any real job skills so I turned to the local newspaper. There wasn't very much in the paper at the time but an ad that caught my eye. It said, "Sales. Be your own boss. No training- no problem! Will train!". So I called and was immediately setup for an interview.

I went to their office and had no idea what I was in for. We all sat in a room wondering what to expect. Next thing you know I guy comes in with a vacuum! We were about to train to sell this thing door to door he explains. one person raised her hand and asked, "How do you expect us to sell this thing door to door?" He then told her, "Get the f**k out- NOW!" He turned and said she would never get anywhere in this business. I then knew this job was going to be weird, but I went along with it anyway.

Over the next few weeks I was out there selling vacuums- IN THE GHETTO TO PEOPLE WHO WERE ON WELFARE! I got chased by dogs, had a gun pointed at me, my team got shot at, I got threatened by thugs-it was nuts!!! We were in the Ghettos of Newark New Jersey trying to sell $1500 dollar vacuums to people that couldnt afford it. Of course they wanted it because we were great at selling them. It's just that the people couldnt afford them. We would sell it to them anyway and make them sign the papers.

At which point when they tried to give them back to us they couldnt. Then their credit would be ruined, but it didn't matter because as long as they signed the papers we got paid. We got $350 dollars for every vacuum sold. I sold about three a day. I worked 6 days a week. On Sunday the boss would call my mom's house and harrass my family to get me to come to work. My dad threatend my boss and my boss said "Shut the f**k up! Your son has to come and work today!!"

One day I met a girl they hired and she became my girlfriend. We went door to door together sometimes. One time as she went through her selling act, she called the office to "see what the boss can do (meaning see if he can lower the price) The manager got on the phone and said, "maybe if you shake your f***ing a** sucked @!&# a little more you'd be able to sell more vacuums. She cried to me.

In the mornings at the office as we went through our "positive morning meeting", all the guys-managers as well- would make sexual hand gestures to all the ladies. They would also grab the ladies private parts as they walked out the door and told them to sell more.

Another time my team leader parked the van and said he'd be right back. We were in Trenton, NJ. He was in this house for about 2 hours. He came back and he smelled like perfume. We knew he had sex with the lady inside. We frequented that house. One night he got chased out the house by her angry husband with a gun. We never went back to Trenton.

One day I was approached by the big boss (the owner). He was an older guy- in his 70's. He asked how I was doing with selling. I told him, "I'm doing ok but I want to do better". He then grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me violently and then he slapped me twice across my face. I realized it was part of his character to act "crazy". I also realized he was older than me so I didnt hit him back. I wanted to. I pushed him away from me and told him that if he ever did that again I would kill him.

After a couple of months they began to mistreat my co-workers and I some more by not paying us what we were owed. They would take hundreds from us by saying that we never really sold as many units as we did. Some co-workers went crazy and trahsed the place. Others fell down in the office and cried. Many left. Many stayed. I lost my mind. I took a vacuum and smashed it through the van winshied that was in the parking lot. I took the vacuum pads and threw them in the air. They rained down on everyone that stood in amazement at my hysterics. I was called a (((REDACTED FOUL LANGUAGE))) and a blackie. My girlfriend was called a s**t and a w***e by her team leader.We left that day.

We were also threatened but nothing happened to us.

I always wanted to do someting about how they treated me but I was young and dumb. My family was on the poor side then and we didn't have the internet. If I knew then what i know now I would have brought the whole Kirby name down and erased them from history.

KIDS- Don't ever think you're alone. Open your mouths. There are people out there that will listen to you. You are all smart now. Use the internet. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Sol perth amboy, New Jersey
U.S.A.

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11 Updates & Rebuttals

Magnus50000

Fairview Heights,
Illinois,
U.S.A.

Same day Escape, Froggy

#2UPDATE EX-employee responds

Sun, March 16, 2008

Looks like we quit on the same day. I made d**n sure to get my check before I got outta there though, and they still shorted me $60.00! I dunno what you got, but we were told it was $2400 a month base pay, + commission. What that really was was you only got the $2400 if you did 60 demos in a month, which considering how many demos we could get knocked into a day, you'd have to work every single day to maybe meet that. Also, it was presented to us as having previously set up appointments, and turned out to be door to door. Good luck finding something new...and legit!

Subhuman

Woodbridge,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.

WOW! Its in your best interest.

#3Author of original report

Wed, March 12, 2008

I think its good that you took a stand and did what you did. Its really not a place for good hearted people to work. Its a very evil place that doesnt care about you or the people your selling the vacuums to. Good job! As for getting your check, be careful and dont let them talk down to you and insult you. I've seen them do that when workers quit. Good luck!!

Froggy

North Brunswick,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.

i quit today

#4UPDATE EX-employee responds

Wed, March 12, 2008

i just called kirby up leting them know of the complaints ive been getting from the customers about the harrassing and negativity they have been giving and i felt it was in my best interest to leave. i asked the old man if the checks were do in today and he said this afternoon they would be in. so around 3-3:30 today i'll head over to kirby and exchange there vac ( yes i have one that im keeping as colateral) for my check. i'll have my recorder on me and i'll be recording everything. if i feel like im being threatened i'll simply walk out and call the police. i'll let everyone know what happened by the end of the day

Subhuman

Woodbridge,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.

thanks!

#5Author of original report

Sat, March 08, 2008

Yea. i did quit eventually but what I should have done was take them to court and have that particular branch closed. They still treat people the same way- probably worse by now. Yes I did make alot of money at the time. Enough for touring and such.

Wilson

Walnut Creek,
California,
U.S.A.

Unbelievable! Sol, you stayed for two months?

#6Consumer Comment

Fri, March 07, 2008

Sol, You wrote: We were about to train to sell this thing door to door he explains. one person raised her hand and asked, "How do you expect us to sell this thing door to door?" He then told her, "Get the f**k out- NOW!" He turned and said she would never get anywhere in this business. I then knew this job was going to be weird, but I went along with it anyway. Over the next few weeks I was out there selling vacuums- IN THE GHETTO TO PEOPLE WHO WERE ON WELFARE! I got chased by dogs, had a gun pointed at me, my team got shot at, I got threatened by thugs-it was nuts!!! One day I was approached by the big boss (the owner). He was an older guy- in his 70's. He asked how I was doing with selling. I told him, "I'm doing ok but I want to do better". He then grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me violently and then he slapped me twice across my face. ****************** Sol, I know you wrote you were 19-years-old at the time and you needed money "fast" for your band's tour, but you should have quit and you family should have told you to quit the insane commission job of that independent Kirby distributor. If my boss yelled profanities at my father or my boss slapped me, I would quit and go look for another job. Unfortunately for Kirby, bad independent distributors give the company a bad name. By the way, did you make enough money for your band's tour?

Wilson

Walnut Creek,
California,
U.S.A.

Unbelievable! Sol, you stayed for two months?

#7Consumer Comment

Fri, March 07, 2008

Wilson

Walnut Creek,
California,
U.S.A.

Unbelievable! Sol, you stayed for two months?

#8Consumer Comment

Fri, March 07, 2008

Wilson

Walnut Creek,
California,
U.S.A.

Unbelievable! Sol, you stayed for two months?

#9Consumer Comment

Fri, March 07, 2008

Subhuman

Woodbridge,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.

DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I MADE!

#10Author of original report

Fri, March 07, 2008

Listen. I read your report. I think you should take legal action if they continue. I will support your action if you choose to. My co-workers that I used to know are gone now but I will positively back you in court if you choose to file a complaint.

Froggy

North Brunswick,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.

kirby in fords nj

#11UPDATE Employee

Fri, March 07, 2008

i too responded to an ad in the paper about making office nearly $400 per week doing clerigal work. so i drove down to fords, did the interview ( the woman diane never looked at my resume) im sorry last time i checked, all legit places look at resumes and crimal background checks. the next day there was room of about 13ppl, the next day 7, next 5, and now i think im the only new girl left. ive sold 2 vac at the family/friends discount $1200 to both my parents and my doctor. today that old man who i think i know who your referring to sent me and the guy juan down to jersey city to a 75 disabled retired womans "house" to vacuum. so mr, yursui or however you spell the guys name called the womans house, so the woman pick up the phone he asked to but one of us on the line, but he only wanted to speak to me, not juan and then he said something about spanking me, i hung up on the old man, and im really considering filling charges. i think the vac's are really good, however the tatics and sales pitches i can live without. and honestly i really dont give a d**n about lake george. i seriously dont like what ive read so far, and now im scared of what my first paycheck is gonna look like. i was told since i was the first one on the new team to sell a vac id get a $200 bonus so my first paycheck should be over $800, before taxes are taken out. my 4th day i was signing w-2 forms and contracts, that woman diane pissed me off, i was reading the contract and she had the nerve to yell at me and say hurry up and sign the contract i dont have all day. if what i read, if i get buttkiss of a paycheck for selling 2-$1600 vacuums im sure i'll have no prob taking action...i just got myself a tape recorder so now im gonna start to record everything that is said to me, so if they deny it, i'll have it on tape

Tom

Old Bridge,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.

Kirby is run like a religious cult

#12UPDATE EX-employee responds

Tue, September 11, 2007

Take it from a 7 year Kirby Vet. If you go on a job interview and find out it's Kirby, RUN! They treat their sales people like slaves, cheat them every chance they get and pay them a very small percentage of the profit. When I sold them back in the 80's the cost for the entire system was about $250. We sold them for about $1500 and paid the salespeople $100. THE DISTRIBUTORS GET RICH AND THE SALEPEOPLE GO BROKE. It's a bad company and the price is insane. If you really want a Kirby, they are great machines and without a doubtthe best there is, bar none. Pay no more trhan $600 for the entire system with all attachments and shampooer. Otherwise you got ripped off! They claim $1000 is the minimum price, but search a little and you'll find the price you want. just make sure it's a new machine with the Gold warranty card filled out and left with you at delivery. The Vacuums are great. the company is a w***e house filled with pimps who use their sales people like whores. Avoid at all costs!

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