Kirby Vacuum Scam
Did you get a job offer and are now wondering about its legitimacy? Most likely, you saw a flyer or a posting on a job site advertising that there are a bunch of positions open. Let’s cut to the chase. You searched for Kirby Vacuum scam or selling vacuums scam for a reason. Something is telling you that this “job” offer isn’t legit. So let’s take a look at what you need to know about this job position.
First off, your job will be to sell Kirby Vacuum cleaners. These vacuums, although are good in quality, sell for nearly $2,000. Your job as a sales rep is to go door to door and convince people to buy these vacuums from you. Will you make money? Sure, if you can sell. The process goes a little something like this: Once you get the offer, you will go through some training. Once that happens, you will be put on a team where you will be driven in a company van to different neighborhoods and dropped off for hours while you and your team go door-to-door. There are different methods of how this works. One is where you have the knocker. This person basically tries to convince home owners to accept a free carpet cleaning. Once this happens, the cleaners come in and demonstrate the products to the potential customer. When that is done, the closer comes in and tries the close the sale. Some reps will go door to door and do all 3 steps on their own.
Now the reason why many websites will use terms like Kirby Vacuum scam, Kirby sales scam, or Kirby Vacuum cleaner scam is because many people have felt they were lied to when they were offered the job. They were promised a lot of money but many found out that the pay is ridiculously low. This isn’t always the case though. This is a sales job after all. The more products you sell, the more money you make. Now another complaint you will find is from customers. Many have experienced very high pressure sales tactics used on them. In some cases, the home owner had to threaten to call the police in order to get the sales person to leave.
So is Kirby Vacuum a scam? No. The company has been around for nearly 100 years. The products may be a bit expensive but they’re not complete junk and actually work quite well. It’s the job position that gets people to call this company a scam. Most people won’t go to a retail store and buy a $2,000 vacuum but if they get a free carpet clean and are pressured into buying, they very well might buy. Not all sales people who work for this company are like this though.
The bottom line is this. If you want to make some money, then unless you are good at sales, you probably have a better chance working at a fast food restaurant. Search for Kirby Vacuum scam and you will find a ton of horror stories.
You searched for the Kirby Vacuum scam and were introduced to internet marketing. Maybe it’s fate. Seriously, internet marketing can change your life like it did for mine.
No related posts.
don juan | March 7th, 2011 #
Hello and GOOD day
My name is “Don”
I just started as a kirby sales guy a week and a half ago. So far I have made NOTHING. Today I start on my by myself.
You seem to know somthing about this….and I am currently doing this……WE SHOULD TALK!!!!!
So if you reply to this and I can get your email, then REALLY we should chat….I got an INSIDE EYE…… just a thought….
But anyways, I’m kind of interested in the writitng thing YOU got going on……so….hey. send me a message
[Reply]
Kai S. | March 7th, 2011 #
I actually knew several people who worked for Kirby which is how I know a few things about the work that is involved. In any case, I’m interested to see what your dollar per hour amount will come out to once you actually get paid.
As for what I do, everything I know, I learned from the internet business course that I plaster all over this site
It really has changed my financial life and that’s why I have no problem promoting it.
[Reply]
JENNIFER BANKS | April 26th, 2011 #
Hi Everybody!
My name is Jennifer Banks.
I would like to share my experience with Kirby Vacuum.
I first heard about the job on Craigslist, the job was very vague, and said something about receptionist, so I thought I would check it out.
They scheduled me for an interview, and they explained the different job openings they had.
They told me how much I could make as a receptionist, and then they showed me how much I could make cleaning carpets.
I CHOSE the cleaning carpets myself, because I wanted to make more money to get out of debt.
I went to orientation Wednesday, listened to the distributer talk about the company,and I was impressed.
He told us we don’t have to worry about trying to sell them all because we are new, we just have to show the people the vacuum, and he will close the sales for us, he told us he is a very good salesmen, and he will close all of the sales, he just needs us to do a good job showing the customers the vacuum
Well I was in orientation Wednesday through Friday. (Not paid, and he told us we wouldn’t be getting paid) I was okay with that. I really wanted to learn how to make all this money, so I stuck with it.
Saturday I got to take the vacuum home, and practice doing demonstrations at my families house, and friends house. They all fell in love with the vacuum, so I got to sell a few,and got some cool bonuses
Like a free gift certificate, and cash! Plus whatever I made on the 2 vacuums. lol.
Then Monday came around, our first day of real work.
It was definitely different, it isnt your average job. Me the owner, and 3 other people all got into the van, and we drove 45 minutes to a small town, and the owner got us all into our own houses, on the spot. When I got there, I was kind of nervous, but tried not to show it. I cleaned the carpet for the old couple, and explained to them, the different tools, and showed them all the dirt.
I was trying to be friendly, and nice, then after 2 hours the owner came, and talked to the customers, and they bought it! I sold my first vacuum, and I was so proud of myself, the negotiated the price a little bit, because they were seniors, but yeah! I was very proud of myself.
This is how we got paid, if you sell 3 Kirby’s a week, you get $300.00 guaranteed. Plus you get money from each Kirby you sold!
So if I only sold 2 Kirby’s for $1,500.00 and the other for $1,115.00 then my paycheck would of been $300.00
Because I got Half of over $1000.00 So anything over $1000.00 would be split in half with my boss.
Well, I kept working, and putting in a lot of hours, I was very dedicated, and made good money. The only problem I had with the job was that I didnt have enough time to see my boyfriend, so I had to quit. We were working sometimes until 10 o clock at night, and I had no social life.
If I was single, I would definitely still be there, because I made very easy money. All I had to do was be nice to people, show them how good the vacuum worked, show them the dirt, and they wanted it!
I don’t know why people on here are complaining. I am sure there are a lot of businesses out there that are not running it the way they are supposed to, but that doesn’t mean that EVERY Kirby business is bad. It doesn’t mean that every person that sells Kirby products is a bad person.
I don’t have any criminal backround, but I do see a lot of people that have had simple misdemeanors that are hired, and there isnt anything wrong with that.
Kirby has a law, where they CANNOT hire anyone that has a felony. You can call them and ask.
They will NOT hire a felon, they do backround checks. Maybe in the past someone did hire a felon, but now if they do that, they will get their business shut down.
There was a point in time where I made over $1000.00 a week.
This isnt a regular job. You have a chance to run your OWN company with this job, you have the opportunity to make A LOT of money. It just depends how MOTIVATED you are, and how much TIME you have to invest in this.
If you sell a Kirby you WILL make profits of each one.
[Reply]
Kai S. | April 26th, 2011 #
Thanks for the added info. Of course there will always be people who make money with these type of jobs, sales that is. Sales is the highest paying profession. You can literally go from broke to well off if you’re great at sales.
You can always use this sales experience to get into something more lucrative that doesn’t involve going door to door and pays more.
[Reply]
JOE | May 6th, 2011 #
WELL IM GOIN TO START WORKING FOR KURBY AND WILL SEE FROM THERE… ILL LET ALL U PEOPLE KNOW HOW IT WENT. 2MORRO WILL BE MY SECOND DAY OF TRANNING
[Reply]
Milan Potica | May 23rd, 2011 #
Kirby is surely a sleazy company. They put an ad on Craigslist disguised as a beer distribution job. They give a phone number to call in the ad. I typed the number in Google, and sure enough, it was a Kirby scam.
cleveland.craigslist.org/bus/2397182628.html
[Reply]
Kai S. | May 23rd, 2011 #
I guess that’s why that post was flagged and removed.
[Reply]
Johnny | June 18th, 2011 #
I’ve worked for kirby for 5 years and it ws great experience. I had my up and downs and I made really good money. I moved on now and I became the Vp for sale in the company I’m in now. I can tell you this the experience I had with kirby really helped. I hit 15+ a month sales my best month as a dealer was 85 and as a manager was 200. It was great. I just got tierd of door to door and I got offered a better oppurtunity. So for those who really want to learn the hardcore real life hustle Kirby is the place to do it.
[Reply]
Kai S. | June 18th, 2011 #
Thanks for sharing your experience Johnny. From the people I’ve talked to, Kirby seems to be a great boot camp, meaning if you can survive and make money with Kirby, you can make money in any sales job.
[Reply]
Nick | August 24th, 2011 #
Well, I start working for Kirby next wed. And it seems to be a good job. As long as we do 10 showings per week…pre scheduled through a calling center…we get a base pay of $305.00 per week. For each Kirby we sell we get an additional $200. Also every morning we get some type of incentive like a gas card or pre paid visa gift card. This position is in Decatur, Illinois let me know if anyone has worked here before!
[Reply]
Kai S. Reply:
August 24th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Good luck with that.
[Reply]
Rhaina | September 14th, 2011 #
I was pulled out of training for their sales team to man the phones and schedule interviews for new recruits. They promised me minimum wage for the day when I did this I started hearing things that threw up red flags from other employees, like being abandoned in cities 50 miles from the office, so I made sure I’d still be paid before leaving. Today (2 weeks later) I call in and am informed that since I didn’t complete the training and it occurred during the unpaid training period they felt no need to pay me.
While answering the phone for new recruits you’re not allowed to tell them any details that isn’t in the phone script and can only tell them it’s door to door or vacuum sales if they ask directly.
[Reply]
Kai S. | September 15th, 2011 #
Being dropped off in some city miles away is a common experience. I guess they do that so you have no choice but to work. Thanks for sharing your experience.
[Reply]
Scott tuck | January 4th, 2012 #
Kirby is a joke.
I worked there for 2 months.
Only got paid 400 for the total of the 2 months.
I sold 10 Kirby’s.
6 were at full pop deal and guess what?
I didn’t get a dime.
When asked why the hell not.
The fucking told me that I didn’t even sell any.
Wtf?
These people are dumb fat and stupid.
Hint hint : Austen : that works at the G.P.D promotions hint hint:
Kirby sales place or W/E
[Reply]
Kai S. Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 7:51 am
How much are you supposed to get for selling 10 Kirby’s? There’s got to be more to this story. If you sold the products, how could they deny that you did? You can just have them call those customers and ask them themselves couldn’t you?
[Reply]
Gracie | March 12th, 2012 #
I just came from training today , I had a great experience so far . They do not pressure you to do anything you dont want to do , but there are guidlines . Life is what you make it , and im intending to make the best of it
[Reply]
Kai S. Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Good attitude and good luck with your new job. Feel free to update us once you have a few weeks of experience out on the field.
[Reply]
Dan | March 14th, 2012 #
Wow, glad all these people are holding them to it. And this thread has lasted awhile. Pretty discouraged after reading all of this, but I’ll keep a sober head about it and see how training goes. It makes sense that a good salesman can make good money anywhere. And maybe different branches/managers are better to work for than others. I don’t have great salesmanship, but maybe I’ll be able to sell this. First day of training tomorrow, I’ll be sure to update specifically in the next few days about my experiences.
-Dan in Portland
[Reply]
Kai S. Reply:
March 14th, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Hey Dan, since you’re going to go into the training anyways, just ignore what you read here and go into it with a positive outlook. Even if it turns out bad, you could always learn something from the experience. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on this job.
[Reply]
Dan Reply:
March 15th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Absolutely! That’s what these types of companies are really about, is your attitude, and the amount of effort you’re willing to put in. I’m as much of a skeptic as the next guy, but I went in today for the first day of orientation. There is nothing scam-like about it. From what I can tell, and what I’ve been guaranteed, this is just a very time-consuming job, and you have to work hard. I am going to give it a try. The manger was a VERY good motivational speaker, but he was real and using actual facts the entire time. There’s a lot of room for advancement, quickly. I’ll try and update in the next few months to confirm!
Anyone interested in details: I’m going to be going to 2 days of un-paid orientation, and they want us to practice the pitch on as many friends/family as possible in the next 5 days with no pressure to buy, while we’re not in training. There lie the bonuses, and also an opportunity for the higher ups to see who has the work ethic worthy of a promotion early on.
To be honest I am pretty excited about this company, they are really successful. (Warren Buffet is the owner…haha…)
But really, it’s important for everybody to remember that ANYONE can be completely successful in ANYTHING they choose to put their mind to. This company just makes it more obvious because of their clear hierarchy and easy to sell product.
I would discount any and all horror stories as either really desperate slightly crazy salespeople, or folks lacking the work ethic required. You don’t have time for much else with this job, but it can be VERY profitable.
Thanks Kai, for the unbiased, helpful, page.
(props on the keyword/affiliate business)
[Reply]
Kai S. Reply:
March 15th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Hopefully things work out but it’s too soon to tell at the moment and I don’t really think $2,000 vacuum cleaners and the phrase “easy to sell product” should go together but I’ll leave that for you to decide once you get out on the field. Good luck, Dan.
[Reply]
alley | March 22nd, 2012 #
My boyfriend has been working for Kirby for about a month. They promised 500$ dollars a week and that was reguardless of sales or not. Well about a week in they said he will not be paid unless he does 15 demos a week. He did sell four to our families he got a 650$ dollar check but now two weeks have gone by and no paycheck due to clients cancelling and he has a four year old and we have a child on the way. He works from 8am to 8:30 sometimes 9p
And gets zero help in paying for gas which has been over 300 in gas. This company is a joke and a scam and my boyfriend is quitting today.
They also had on Craigslist they were a construction company looking for general laborers. Lame!
[Reply]
Dan | March 30th, 2012 #
Well, here’s my update folks. I stand by most of the stuff I posted upon first hiring. If you can memorize their script and are comfortable in other people’s homes, and have NOTHING else going on, then you stand to make a lot of money. Really as much as you want. Thousands a week even.
However, I am definitely quitting. Because for me personally, it isn’t worth the long hours. I work from 9am-1130PM, 6-7 days a week. Some of the higher ups are millionaires after years of dedication to this system. But it isn’t for me. I look forward to whatever low-paying job I find for the regular hours, and regular paycheck.
My particular office asked for 60 demos a month for the base pay ($1600)
That’s a lot, considering you need to go out and help the canvassers until you get into a demo (the customer is expecting a quick free carpet shampoo every time, but it’s not too hard to just get to know them and get them to allow you to stay for the duration of the demonstration), then you need to ask them to buy several times throughout, calling the office to offer them lower and lower deals until they buy. It’s not impossible. So setting aside enough time to get yourself INTO a demo, each one lasts about 3 hours. If you get out to the field by noon, that’s about 3 in a day. If they happen to have good credit and a little bit of money, you should be able to sell- it’s a sweet machine. And they will find out how much dirt is in their carpet.
Other than that base pay, there are bonuses.
-Commission on any deal over your check out price.
-12/1 deal=12 demos in 1 week, 1 sell over a minimum price gets you $400
-10/3 deal=10 demos in 1 week, 3 sells over a minimum price gets you $300
And they make you sign a lot of contracts that make the conditions quite specific.
Keep in mind this is all for the Portland office specifically.
Feel free to ask questions, if I remember to check this site I’ll answer.
This job is not a scam per se. This job is not impossible. This job does pay real money. You will have no free time ever again. But hey, some of the most successful people in the world worked 100 hours a week to build their empire.
Good luck!
[Reply]
Kai S. Reply:
March 30th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Thanks for the update Dan. This job, or any sales commission jobs for that matter, definitely isn’t a kick back type of job. So you worked there for 2 weeks or so? Did you sell any vacuums? About how much did you make an hour if you break it all down? And what’s up with the calling the office to get a lower price tactic all about? Just to make the customer think they’re getting some special deal?
[Reply]
Dan | March 31st, 2012 #
Yes, about 2 weeks. I didn’t sell any, although I got close. I made 0 dollars! But I’m not bitter, I knew in all fairness about the pay scale. Some new people sold some before quitting in my group. You stand to make anywhere from 0-15 or more an hour I suppose. It’s a bit like gambling, and a bit like working 100 hours a week!
And yes, the phone calls to the “contest desk” (just a manager) are a commonly used sales tactic called a “third party close”. It’s not the deal they get, it’s the deal they think they’re getting.
We start at $3499, then tell them 599 down and 277 a month, expecting another no, and then drop the down and monthly incrementally. Even as low as 0 down, 70/month, and no payments for 45 days depending on their credit. And the total price can come down too.
[Reply]
Kai S. Reply:
March 31st, 2012 at 1:31 pm
0 dollars??? Don’t you get paid for doing a certain amount of demos each week or do you have to stick it out for a full month to get the base pay? I take it that the lower you make the price, the less you make in commissions. I’d much rather sell products at a final set price than to give some people deals and rip off others simply because they didn’t say “no” enough times.
I’m surprised you have a positive attitude about the experience. I’m sure you will do well in whatever career you choose.
[Reply]
Dan Reply:
April 8th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Yep, you have to stick it out 30 days and have 60 approved, legitimate demos completed to get the $1600. If 0 out of those 60 sold, it would be pretty amazing, so hopefully you would receive some commission before then by selling a few above your check out price. At which point at the end of the month you receive whichever is higher, the remainder up to $1600 if your commissions didn’t surpass that. But they easily could. Plus there are the 2 bonuses I outlined above.
But in all reality there are just very few people willing to pull the 100+ hours a week until they get better at it, or get promoted. Working for Kirby you have to dedicate yourself to the job, get up-go in-and hit the pillow non-stop all week.
Not for me! Interviews at a few breweries this week I am excited for!
Good luck to anybody else that gives it a try.
[Reply]
Tom Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
I Just had my first interview today. I found the ad on craigslist and wanted to give it a try.
When do you get your first pay check? and is it really $2000?
I’ve read alot of articles and found some nasty stuff but i wanna see how much money you can actually make. Im just wondering how it all works out.
[Reply]
Dan Reply:
April 22nd, 2012 at 8:03 pm
Tom, if you read through my posts I outline my experience pretty thoroughly. At my office you only got your “monthly wage” (which is pretty much only if you didn’t sell any in a month, which is doubtful. at my office it was $1600) if you did 60 demos in thirty days.
so 60 demos in 30 days=1600, 59orless demos in thirty days=$0.
It’s all about memorizing your script and working all day everyday.
Good luck, I am washing dishes and working at the bagel shop, and I prefer it.
[Reply]