Wizzard

Kirby is pathetic for after sales service, and, there are better products that provide much better value for money.
Sadly, in this depressed economy, peole will try anything to make a living.

Anonymous

hi there,

I am shocked by what I just read…….are you sure about the facts, as I have resigned my current possition to go and work for them…….now wondering if this might be a mistake…????? please can you give me more details???

Minor Matters

Anonymous, what is Kirby telling you? What are your working conditions. I only spoke to the guy who came to my house.

Simon

My unfortunate friend has been suckered into this “Area Sales manager position”. I am angered as I personally was suckered for a day when I was 20yrs old and desperate for an income and have relayed my experience on to him without any effect. He has a wife and child. He has been without work for 5 months. Therefore he has no money. Under the offer of “Making an instant salary” he has put his efforts into this Kirby manager job. It’s a farce. A job, (even waiting tables) has to offer you a minimum basic salary. This you agree on if you can live on the agreed amount should you not make “Commission” that month. Kirby offers a structure based on sales,sales calls and overall sales ( if any) of the machines.They also start the pitch offer at R21k and by the end of the hour pitch, the salesman is offering to pay R5k out of his pocket to give you the machine at R8k. Also they claim lifetime gaurantee. The Official Kirby website it states “3 years Limited Warranty” My advice, Dont go for job offers that dont give you a contract,a salary and a hope.
On the flip side, we should say no to unsolicited sales calls that start this ball rolling. People stop buying from the guys at the robots to get rid of them. Why dont we do the same with an obvious ripoff.
Even if you buy the unit from the salesman, he may never see the comm as the average salesman only last 2 weeks at the job.The comm’s are only worked out monthly to “Tally the score” of hit’s versus sales.Calls vs. Demo’s. Names given for calling cards etc.
So you never get the truth or the correct comm.
Poor suckers.

Long Island Marketing Firm

wow, i can’t believe people would quit their jobs over Kirby. You must be out of your mind to do such a thing.

Coenraad

Not to talk Kurby good or bad,the problen lies by the distubutor.A friend of mine are a distributor,his sales people get a basic salary, petrol alowance and cell alowance.Every name they bring in is R50.00.Over and above they are then helped to get a fixed job,and can still trade after hours if they want to.The system are also cheaper then those ones.You get 6 montly chek up calls ans your mashene will be collected and dropped off for serveses.A demo takes 30min unless you want to know more.

Please dont shoot down the product if its a mony hungry @ss that trys to get guys to work for free.

A Proud Kurby owner and a supporting friend.

Alanna

I have just had the Kirby salesman around – this time prepared to give up his commission to sell me a machine so that he could win a holiday to Greece. The initial purchase price was R18 000 and his final price only R8000. Whose kidding who here??? What kind of profit margins do Kirby have that they can manage to reduce the price by over 50% in the space of 30min. I am a previous Kirby owner and gave it away because of the high cost of maintenance (servicing to maintain the guarantee and parts that were supposed to be guaranteed. I really feel for these poor salesmen because they have been given a rotten product to sell.

Kristian

I am a former Kirby manager and i was the top salesman in south africa 3 times in a row.

What can i tell u about this product well hehe its a piece of ****.

How does it work well they recruit every week new ppl and send senior “managers” with the new ppl to only show the product to the family and after the demo the owner says dont u want ur son to be sucessful in this buisness if u buy u show him this is a buisness he can develop.

So they give a discount and then tell the dealer u not make any comish on this sale cause we had to give a discount.

And yeah im quilty of this cause i made many deals like this but after a while in this company i manage to get some self respect and get a real job so i dont have to **** ppl out of money and can look my self in the mirror every morning.

Come to the product its a crappy vacum cleaner no better then any other on the market but with high add ons the distributers making the buck while the dealers work their asses off door knocking.

This is is not any news and if u want to know who i worked for im not sure this still exsist but the distributor was Nawal Jafta in cape town buisness called turbo home care.

My only warning is stay as far away from this company as u can unless u like to be a sucker working for free and screewing ur family out of money

diane

It is a load of Sh..t. and how can a product start at 20K and end up at 8k already you should know it is a scam and the poor people who are sukered into these sales positions. Parents and family do NOT buy tell you family member to find another job.

George

We also had a sales man over last night, To think my cheap vacuum from PnP does not clean my carpet after Kirby sucked all the dirt out I was very ashamed, but not as much as the sales man and his so called manager. After comming down with the prize from 18k to 12k givng me a discount of 3k for my own cheap vacuum I new this was a ripoff. Then they even tried to sell me a secondhand model. I cant beleve these guy’s, they will do anything to make a deal, only good thing is my carpet is cleaner than ever and it got a free wash. My son loves his carpet again. lol.

Tim

WoW, you’ve got to feel for these guys. When times are tough, many people fall prey to the likes of companies like Kirby! A friend of mine also had one of those 2 week stints. What a rip off!!

If you have contact details of anyone of these guys, please give me their details. Our companies expanding & looking for people to join our team. And if a guy can actually sell a Kirby, then I’m sure he could sell anything….
email: penny@totalnutrition.co.za

vacuum cleaner the best

Thank you for sharing your good post.

May I take a part of your idea to make my blog.

Suzie

May I just warn all you hard working people out there who are just trying to earn a decent honest living – DO NOT JOIN KIRBY!! Especially not KIRBY DYNAMIC PROMOTIONS in Edenvale. The man is a self righteous, amoral, unethical, unfaithful pig. He preys on people who are at their lowest and just uses them to get their relatives and friends to buy his product. No salesman ever sees a cent of the money. He calls himself a “Christian”!! What a joke! I hope he gets his just desserts – what goes around comes around! He drives around in his numerous sports cars that all his unsuspecting employees have paid for, and will not even give his salesmen petrol money, while expecting them to work 16 hours a day. Please warn anyone that is even thinking of working for \kirby – do not get suckered in – do not listen to what they promise you – it is all lies, You will just waste all your time on someone who does not give a damn – and believe me you will NOT get paid at the end of the month. Always some excuse! Cannot believe this person can carry on running a company in this manner – DISGUSTING!!!

Robot Vacuums

I think I read every review on Amazon and WalMart before I bought this sucker yesterday! The problem with most bagless vacs seems to be that the dust filters clog up quickly and greatly reduce the suction force available. Further, I priced those filters at WalMart yesterday and the range seems to be $8-$18- surely I will save enough over the lifetime of this vacuum to compensate.

Kristina

Well thank GOD for all of you! I am in a stable secure job but i have been looking for more financially. My mom saw an advert in the paper for a job and i enquired. by the second interview i still didnt know who they were or what they sold!

Today was day 1 training which, let me add, i took time off my real work for. everything seemed fine (very sugar coated) until i told my mom who it was and she nearly fainted! She told me very similar stories to what im reading here! Now i read all this online and all i can say is day 2 training is not going to happen! Pity because i was looking forwrad to cleaning my couch this weekend! ha ha!

I havent found apositive comment yet…a little disturbing.

Kristina

And just to add, they just called me to ask me 2 questions…

(1) Would I buy it? {hell no not after reading this stuff!}

(2) Can I sell it? {um no, im not a pushy, lying, manipulative kinda girl! I’d be fired!}

needless to say i ignored the call and I’m moving on!

Sue

Kirby is a big load of rubbish i have had a demo on a mattress and now they have ruined my mattress not even a year old R5000.00 down the tube never allow them to give you a demo as they are real **** machines and now they don’t answer my calls as they were meant to come back next day to fix up their f***up and well no-one has even bothered and the sales man is now dissing my calls! Never trust Kirby sells ppl they are rubbish and don’t care about after sells service!

Craig

I have read all the comments on this blog and i have to agree to most of them. I too was in the Kirby business and i can tell you all that they are complete con-artists. For one they dont pay you and secondly they dont give you anything that they promised you and lastly they try turn you into low life liers.

If you dont know already they buy brand new machines at R6 000 so if you get suckered into a demo by either a company called king of kings or Pine-Kir they will try sell you the machine for R21 445 and R18 445 respectively. and they will ALWAYS drop the price by R5000.
So as an old sales rep and Manager i know what goes on.

For those with repairs needed.. just a warning they make up things so your machine may just have a bearing problem but they will charge you for many other things. I know i used to repair kirbys..
So finally if you get a call from the following places: London Enterprise, Pine-Kir, King of Kings or Richards Bay Home-Tech Say NO!! and stay away..

sarah

I am glad that i didnt join kirby. i knew something was up when i was at the training and it was too good to be true to get that kind of money a month. thank God that i found another job. however, there are many people out there who were in the same position as me, desperate to find work and earn some money for thier families. its a shame because this is just a case of the fat cats reaping all the rewards, while the poor sales people are out there, slaving away and after all that, may not even get paid at the end of the month.

Vanessa Main

Kirby is the most amazing machine I have ever used maybe you should all try it for a few days on loan and I am not an agent

eileen

I there, I have just got offered a job as a salesperson selling Kirby Vacum cleaners. I am unemployed and would like to know more about Dynamic Promotions and whats it like to be one of their employees?
Thanks eileen

Derick jacobs

Hi
Any positive info regarding Kirby
I have been offered a Job start tomorrow training, I am unemployed
What I read here is desturbing

Martin Lodewyks

We bought a Kirby in 2005 for R10000.00. I service the machine once a year, and clean aal the fitting regularly. I must say I don’t care much for their sales pitch, but this is really a wonderful product. It cleans well, and the suction power is still as it was the first time we used it. We regularly use the carpet washer, and it always satisfies. The shampoo and services are expensive, but we knew it would be, so we were prepared to pay the price. Dynamic whatever in Edenvale sold the unit to us, but their after sales service is sh*t at best. Work with another branch if you can.

one of them

lol,jus joined da company n so far we r told a new story each day

Wonkie Cartoons

At R20,000 a pop I’m not surprised he has not made any sales.. perhaps he should consider charging for the cleaning in the demo at a discounted rate!

Sanri

Hi all just a quick few words, it is easy to say how bad kirby is but if you do not have the balls to stuck it out, you will never know. My daughter started as a nineteen year old girl at Kirby Edenvale three months later she is qualified to become a area distrubutor, not once she was not paid and did make a lot of money because she wanted to work. Kirby is an excellent product and I will recomend it to any one

Stephen

As a (UCT) student I joined Kirby in Salt River, Cape Town during the 80′s. Stuck it out for a month and can’t recall receiving a cent from them. I did not manage to sell one machine. During 1993, after having graduated and employed, because I believed in the product and could afford it, I bought a demo G6 Model for R6000. I regularly receive calls from Kirby Kuilsriver Service Centre to remind me to have it serviced which I regularly have done. They collect it and drop it off for me. The service now costs me R495 a service, The last time I had it serviced was last year September. Since then I regularly received a reminder that my Kirby needs to be serviced. Month after month I told them I could not afford the service just yet and not once did they make me feel inferior. Because I knew the roller brush needed replacement and thought it would cost R800. Today my Kirby was returned and the roller brush which had been replaced for the first time since 1993 only cost me R415, and the front rubber band was R25, All in all it cost me R935 and my machine is good as it was the first time I got it. If you have owned a machine and used it as it is supposed to be used, I have no hesitation in stating that you would be a happy Kirby owner. I am sorry that you have been ripped off by your employer but,

Stephen

I am sorry that you have been ripped off by your employer but, do not beat the product because you were too insecure to stand up for your rights, (which I do understand, having being in that situation myself). I feel for you. If everyone that has this awful experience in this current time complains to either the Mother Company of Kirby, Department of Labour or whichever body in SA protects persons in this position, at least a case could be built against these abusers. Remember, if you do not attempt to stop the abuser, you are as guilty as the abuser. My best wishes to you. However, KIRBY VACUUM SYSTEMS are still GREAT MACHINES. I am a KIRBY user for past 9 YEARS. I am a HAPPY USER.

Stephen

I recommend KIRBY anytime. If need be, I can be contacted on stephentemmers@yahoo,com for any questions. I lecture full-time and have no personal or indirect interest in any Kirby Agency or distributor. The BEST machine ever.

Samantha

i would like to tell you all that i have been happily employed by the kirby company for almost 5 years in the united states and now in south africa. it disturbs me to read this vicious and biased comments- many ppl come in to the company believng it is a get rich quick thing and are not prepared to put in the hard work that reaps the many rewards. both my husband and i have been incredibly successful and have many friends who have come into the business and done the same. I do believe it is not for everybody and it is what you make of it. As for ppl bashing the product- im sorry but you’re either incredibly filthy or quite simply have no common sense. the kirby is amazing and ppl dont seem to realise that in ten years they spend the equivalent of the kirby on other cleaning methods- buyng a kirby is simply a matter of buying once and buying right!!!!!

Anonymous

I have recently been on a training with Dynamic Promotions. When they show the ‘future’ sales reps how powerful the machine is they compare it with an old, a very old WAP. If they really have faith in their machine they buy a Bissel total home cleaning system (the new version of the Big Green) and compare apples with real apples. I have a Bissel and it does all that the kirby does and I bet it can suck just as well. The kirby has the Hepa filtration well woo-de-doo the Bissel haas water filtration forget about microns no dust or dust mites will pass through water. Nothing beats the filtration of water.

Annelene

I see there are a number of people who feel very positive about the Kirby vaccum cleaner/carpet shampooer. Please would someone advise me of a buyer for my machine! I have the Ultimate G Series and I find it just too heavy for me to handle now. I would appreciate a response. PLEASE!

Deo

I quit my job as a Kirby salesman recently (Honeydew branch – Absolute Promotions).

Once I realized how these guys operated I was absolutely sickened. They exploit the fact that many people are desperate to earn a living. The advert in the paper stated: R12 000 Basic + commission + medical. They only tell you after you started selling that you earn you basic OR commission, which ever is the highest. Medical aid only comes once you are with the company for 3 months!

The selling price is also simply insane. We were pushed to sell the machine for R23 000 !!! They boost your confidence by offering a discount over your first sales weekend which bring the price to R18 000, I know now that it’s still a rip off !!! In the USA the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) for the Sentria I is $1300 (around R11700). Keep in mind that a distributor will still make a good profit if he sells at the MSRP, so one can only guess what they actually buy it for! My guess would be that a distributor probably pays at most $500 (R 4500) for a machine. I know they have to make a profit, but getting poor uninformed, job seekers to sell it for R 23 000 to their families is simply unethical and borderline criminal !

Thousands of machines are sold this way and there is a lot of money to be made in the “Kirby Family”, but you need to have zero ethics, no moral values and you should not feel guilty for exploiting desperate job seekers and their families.

About the product: Brilliant quality and versatility, but seriously overpriced ! DO NOT buy one through a distributor, you WILL get ripped off … you can get the Sentria II (brand new) on ebay for about $1100.

I wish I never came to know the “Kirby Family”, I feel like a criminal for selling three machines for them …………

Annelene

Referring to my previous entry, NO RESPONSE YET! Where are all the Kirby supporters/agents! Ha! Caught you at your own game! Not even you want to buy your own product back. Anyway, I still want to try and sell the Kirby I have as mentioned before. I’m selling it at R5000 (we paid approx. R12000). Please contact me at 076 160 4200 (SA).

Frans

Wow, you guys have got all the negative info on the kirby. Actually the first kirby used the water filtration system, and was rejected because of the limitations of water filtration. For example a water filtration vacuum has a piece of sponge in it to catch the particles the size of cement particles, because they go straight through the water. The Kirby cleaning system is the best engineered cleaning system on this planet. That you cannot argue. I own three of these beautiful machines myself. I have nothing to do with Kirby, I am in I.T. I noticed that most of the compaints about the kirby system were by people who admitted that they did not stick with it for long. I would just like to point out, that to become a successful salesperson in any field, you need to be something special. Of the many thousands of people who try there hand at selling, only a handful will shine. Don’t blame the product for your own failure. You failed because you were not part of that handful of successful salespeople. I believe that your failure has nothing to do with the product, with Kirby. I still believe that the Kirby product, and the Kirby compensation system for selling the product, remains a world leader. Don’t look at the negatives, these you will find wherever you look, gauranteed. If you want to make a success with Kirby, be realistic about your odds. You have about 0.1% chance of success, and that would apply to whatever you tried to sell. You can make sure that you are that one person in a thousand who makes a success, but you have to work seriously for it, for more than a few weeks. Success with the Kirby family to my mind would just be an added bonus. As far as suspect Kirby distributors are concerned, don’t complain here. Please write to the kirby company with specific details. Kirby is still the best in every aspect.

Ryno

I tried the Kirby thing in 2006 when I was unemployed and destitute. Signed up with dynamic promotions in edenvale. Did the training, performed so well in the training week that I was allowed to pitch and go on demos alone, while the others were sent with a senior salesman. I sold four Kirby’s in two weeks, the last two weeks of that particular month.

Now keep in mind you have two ways of getting paid: sell 5 units per month at R2500 per machine, earn R12 500 or do 60 demo’s per month and still earn R12 500.

In two weeks I crammed in 45 demo’s starting at 14:00 in the afternoon, ending at 23:00 every night. washed numerous filthy carpets, borrowed petrol money from friends … and as I said actually sold four units.

Come payday I get no check. Upon enquiry I get told, sorry boet, you did not sell 5, OR did not do 60 demo’s, no money. Forget about the fact that I only demoed for two weeks opf that specific month!!!!!

********, the lot of them!!!!

Kirby is a great product, but the distributors in edenval sucks. If you work hard you can probably make it with another branch not connected to this skelm bliksem.

Isabel

I cannot thank all of you enough (the negative comments ironically). My son started working at Kirby Dynamic Promotions, Edenvale. From day one I distrusted the whole thing. They told the new reps different stories everyday and were very vague as to compensation for petrol, etc. They had to be in training from 8 in the morning till 17:00, for 4 days and didn’t learn much. Even had to end each day with some ridiculous song!! Then it was expected of them to still make phone calls to make appointments and do demo’s with a ‘senior’ salesperson. This ‘senior’ told me the new ‘recruits’ and more experienced staff (if you consider 2 weeks as experienced!) were not allowed to mingle! Why?! On day 3 of training, I started searching the internet and came across this site.Thank God. Told my son to quit before he worked his little tush off for no payment! Spread the word!

no name

hey all i really really want to warn people do not get dragged into it i just matriculated and they promised me everything that i would make thousands of rands in days its not true if it was everyone would be doing it so please do not get suckered into this

new dealer

Hi! Just started my first day of training! Wen I went for the interview I knew its too good to be tru!..is ther any further action that can be taking if I carry on selling and at the end don’t get paid?

Ripped Off Sales Rep

So I am also one of the poor people who were ripped off and tricked into believing I would make a decent living. Kirby Absolute Promotions in Honeydew trick dealers into believing they will earn R12000 a month. They expect you to in the office at 8am regardless of whether you have any demos booked for that day,and don’t compensate you for your time or petrol. Dealers are told not to give discounts however the manager, who the dealer is expected to call numerous times throughout the appointment,will often give really large discounts just to make the sale, but this has an effect on the dealer’s commission because the higher the discount given the lower the commission earned by the dealer. Dealers are expected to work more than 12 hours a day,up to 7 days a week and often don’t get paid anything as they make it very difficult for dealers to meet the 60 demo a month target in order to earn the R12000 and also make it difficult for dealers to earn full commission on their sales. I have nothing against the Kirby vacuum cleaner, my problem is with the distributors as the take advantage of people looking to earn a decent living. If you are out there looking for a job don’t go near Kirby Absolute Promotions in Honeydew, in the few weeks that I worked there I saw many dealers come and go because of the issues mentioned above. I would also suggest that people stay away from Kirby Dynamic Promotions in Edenvale because the owner of the Honeydew branch often talks about how she learnt everything she knows about being a Kirby distributor from the owner of the Edenvale branch.