Exofficemanager
East Longmeadow,#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, February 16, 2009
To further prove just how wonderful of an employer Kirby of Western Mass is? I still haven't received my W2's. I even sent a certified letter detailing where they could be forwarded to. The deadline was yesterday, and I intend to report this to the IRS as soon as I can.
Xladychaos
East Longmeadow,#3Author of original report
Wed, January 07, 2009
The Kirby "Company" most definitely does NOT take all complaints seriously, and saying "We're not responsible for the behavior of our distributors!" is disgusting. Corporate is WELL aware that each and every Kirby office is full of sleezy, deceitful dirt-bags, and that's exactly why they basically say they have nothing to do with each other. You're all pathetic, and lower than low. Not to mention COMPLETELY BRAINWASHED. EVERY single Kirby person I've ever come in contact with thinks their rich, when they have NOTHING. I was up in the office, I KNOW. HUGE debts, extremely aggressive bill collectors, even yes, THE BOARD OF HEALTH is after you people. You all make me sick, taking GROSS advantage of the elderly, the mentally disabled, the physically disabled...you name it. You'll rob ANYONE. May you all rot in hell. PS: I feel it's good proof about how this company really runs, since you had the time to google "Kirby complaints" in order to find this file.
Kirby Company
Cleveland,#4Consumer Suggestion
Fri, September 05, 2008
The Kirby Company (Kirby) takes all complaints involving its independent factory distributors seriously. In response to Report Number 340181, Kirby of Western Massachusetts is an independent factory distributor for Kirby. Kirby maintains a toll free number staffed by experienced representatives to assist customers with any questions they may have about Kirby of Western Massachusetts or any of Kirby's other distributors. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please call Kirby's Customer Relations Department at 1-800-494-8586 or email Customer Relations at [email protected]. Kirby's Customer Relations Department is open 8:00 a.m. 5:30 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.
Jade
Holyoke,#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, August 21, 2008
What a relief it is to see this report online! I can not tell you how horrible this company was. I was looking for work at the beginning of April and found the ad for an appointment setter. I called, made an appointment and was hired on the spot (I should have known right then and there! No reference checks? No Interest in my job history?), I came in for the 2 hour NON PAID WORK uh, I mean orientation as they call it. I was one of 4 others who didn't walk out or ask when we were leaving, so I was hired. Yay. I was good at making appointments (sending aggressive sales people over to their home to FORCE them to buy a vacuum). I felt pretty good as I was doing well. I was offered a "promotion" which is nothing more than an increase in hours and more responsibility for the same pay. No perks at all. That was great though, I needed money. So I QUIT SCHOOL to work here. Yep DUMBEST move I could have made. Screwed up my GPA for nothing... anyway, I ended up getting into a car accident in early May. My car was totaled and I was hurt. At the scene I had my fiance call the distributer to tell her I was in an accident and would not be coming in for the remainder of the day. That was fine, I went to the ER and when I got out, I called again to check in with her. What she said here would be one for the books..." So, you'll be here tomorrow, right?" WHAT?! OMG, I was just in an accident, my car is totaled, and you want me to come in to call people tomorrow??? I did though. I do not know why, but I did. I was in pain, and I sat there making appointments for 4 hours. "There's a trooper!" she said as I limped inside. That Monday I called my Dr. and was told not to work for at least a week. I called and left her a message. BTW, I had no car. Things went on and on for weeks. I finally just said I'm not coming back. Well, a few weeks after that I was called to come in and help because they had NO ONE! No one to call people and make appointments, no sellers, NOTHING! I wonder how that could be? The owner treated everyone like dogs, there was NO respect for any employees, and people got screwed over when it came to being paid. Why would everyone quit? huh. Ok. I came back. I hated the job, I hated the owner, I hated coaxing people to set up appointments with this company. Yep, I did not make a single appointment. I ended up working 3 days and quitting. Oh, I forgot to mention that most of the appointments I made before the accident were canceled or no one showed up anyway. I had set up appointments with my friends to get a "free cleaning" and no one came and no one called to cancel, how lovely! When the owner sits around on the couch and chats on their cellphone all day, something is wrong. Seriously, here is what I think she needs to do: 1) Get an education. Learn how to run a business 2) Get a clue. People need respect! 3) Quit trying to run a business with NO MONEY!
Xladychaos
East Longmeadow,#6Author of original report
Sat, June 21, 2008
Hi Ben, and 'ExOfficeManager', Thanks for the input. I'm glad to see that my story has been backed up so well, by someone who had to go through the very same ordeal. The same location, nonetheless. ExOfficeManager, I think I know who you are.. =) What a miserable place Kirby of Western Mass was. It was musty, and the front office was not vented at all. It was dusty, dirty, and everything [much like the distributor's home,] had a greasy film on it. Augh. The distributor also didn't shower very often at all. [once, MAYBE twice per week...] so the office smelled like...well, whatever an extremely obese dirty woman smells like...Gross. IN summary...It was just a nasty ol' place to be. I wish I could print an ad in the local newspaper next to the kirby ad, with a big arrow that just says "SCAM -->" =)
Ben
Waseca,#7Consumer Comment
Sat, June 21, 2008
Wow, sounds like you were working for a really bad distributer. First off, the product they sell is actually really good, and for the most part worth what most distuributers are selling them for. Especially when you conceder that there competeters are selling machiens with far less quility than the kirby it self. that being said, I totally agree that the bussniess practices of most kirby distributers are deploribale at best. It blew my mind in the year that I sold kirbys to see the kind of things that go on. thankfully I was working out of an office in a smaller community as when i went to work in a office in a bigger community, what i say was basicly a hord of babbons in ties. It still to this day floors me the kind of things that are practiced in most distrabution offices, especially when they are selling such a good product. I don't think I ever saw any racism, as most of the offices i came in contact with had a diverse mix of people from all parts of the world. though i did see distuributers that were complete jackasses in other ways, like the guy i worked for. I was selling 6 out of every 10 i showed, and was top guy in my office. the guy was bringing in 10K a month, but couldn't pay his rent or car payment, not cuz he didn't make the money to pay it, but becouse he was investing in gambling halls, and captian morgan. It was really sad actually, and I ended up leaving becouse i wasn't going to go down with that ship. Let me know what you think of my input, i don't dought for a second the claimes that you make, as I know the type of people that kirby allowes to work for them.
Exofficemanager
East Longmeadow,#8UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, June 21, 2008
I was an Office Manager at Kirby of Western Mass... they're called "Saunders Distributing" just to dupe unsuspecting people into coming into interviews. Over the phone, I was told NEVER to mention the word Kirby, Vacuums, or SALES. If someone asked, "Is this a sales job?" I was simply to reply, "No, it's more like Advertising." Don't buy it. Kirby dealers are high-pressure SALES people. I second everything listed in this Rip-off Report. I had the exact same experiences as an employee there. I forged over a YEAR worth of W2s for the boss who had 'forgotten' to have people fill them out. I watched as people were fired willy-nilly, as the van ABANDONED 'negative' people (correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't a canvasser dumped off the van out in Fall River and had to call for a ride back to Western MA?), as racism ran rampant around the office. Once, they hired a group of black men, and INSUFFICIENTLY TRAINED THEM so that they would quit before the week was over. There was also alcohol being served to underage girls at office parties, landlords constantly demanding rent, and a few times we even had the phone lines and electricity turned off for lack of payment. Whenever someone called with a complaint, I was to log it in a "problem notebook" that was NEVER checked by the folks in charge-- even if I reminded them countless times that I was dealing with some angry customers who wanted answers. A terrible job, terrible people, terrible customer service. I, too, am terribly sorry to all the people I had to lie to during my time there. Do not work for Kirby. If you respond to an add in the paper looking for "positive, motivated people!" "set up and display" (THAT'S THE KISS OF DEATH RIGHT THERE!) , "appointment setters" etc... don't go for it. If, on the telephone, you reach someone who isn't directly answering your questions, ask them flat out, "Is this Kirby?" (once someone was on to us, we admitted who we really were!). Don't fall for it.
Xladychaos
East Longmeadow,#9Author of original report
Sun, June 15, 2008
Although that was a small, rather unrelated detail to the main topic of my report, I agreed to rent said moving truck, as stated above. I rented the truck with my license. The co-owner of the office drove it off the lot, while I drove one of the company trucks back to the office. Currently, I'm unaware as to how the truck was re-rented in my name.
Northwest
Gresham,#10Consumer Comment
Sat, June 14, 2008
I do not understand how someone could rent a truck under your name. The few times I've done a car or truck rental, I had to show my license before signing the rental agreement, and if anyone else was going to drive, I had to declare them. I just don't get it.