Kirby vacuum cleaner scam

rocketskunk

I have had my Kirby G4 for 20 years. I am just about about to send it back for its first service and this is how I found this thread as I was searching for a local service agent. While I agree that the sales technique is outdated and far from transparent the actual machine is everything they say. I think the sales guy started at £1200 lol the suckers price me thinks! By the time I had finished with the poor lad and his manager I think I paid about £600 cash for a demo model. It was like brand new and came boxed with all the accessories. So a Dyson is £300ish and last about 5 years. They do one thing (hoover) so roughly I have saved £600 and I have used mine from everything to blowing up a child's bouncy castle to cleaning my suite. A few years ago we actually had another one of their chaps around and he got his black cloth out and went for it and got out one grain of sand and a random dog hair LOL ! Suffice to say he had nowhere to go but it proved they were every inch what the chap said it was 20 years ago! We gave him a cuppa and sent him on his way! The moral don't be put off by the sales technique and people's inability to negotiate. If you want the best and want your carpets and your house to be REALLY clean then buy one everything else pails in comparison. Just my opinion.

lincroft1710

My OH has had a VAX for over 20 years. Still going strong and only cost around £100. So we have saved £1100!

annie_d

i fell for this in 1983......my mother got me out of it.

SingleSue

We didn't fall for it....but the Kirby salesman fell for our scam, which was to get our front room carpet cleaned for free!

We knew what was going to happen as soon as the offer was made, we knew it was going to be a demonstration by cleaning our carpets and then the hard sell, so we were prepared. That poor man tried absolutely everything and was most disheartened when I let out a yelp (and possibly a naughty word or two) when he said the price...unfortunately, a meeting between a salesperson and a budget head usually does not end well for the salesperson.

Lovely cleaner though, the carpet looked wonderful after and it got rid of that horrible stain caused by the brown sauce falling and smashing on the carpet...which was our intention all along.

Gavin83

I'm not sure I really agree with the thread title as I don't really see this as a scam. A scam to me is dishonestly obtaining money via a service/offer that doesn't materialise or is well below par. The whole Kirby thing to me is a hard sell situation.

I do genuinely believe that these are some of the best cleaners you can buy and will clean far better than any standard cleaner but clearly the price is unreasonable to many. It's like the comparison between a ford and a ferarri, most people can't justify the cost/can't afford the more expensive option, although its undeniably better.

I don't think most people dispute the quality of the product though, it's the way it's sold which is the problem and this clearly needs changing.

trisontana

So why don't the salesmen quote a reasonable price to start off with instead of that "I will just phone the manager and see I can get a discount" routine? This ploy is not just confined to this company, a couple of large double-glazing firms and a well-know window blind company do the same thing. That. in my opinion, is dishonest.

rustyboy21

trisontana wrote: »

So why don't the salesmen quote a reasonable price to start off with instead of that "I will just phone the manager and see I can get a discount" routine? This ploy is not just confined to this company, a couple of large double-glazing firms and a well-know window blind company do the same thing. That. in my opinion, is dishonest.

The reason they don't quote a 'reasonable price' first off, is that you will always be battered down on the price.


Why go in low and make a small margin, when you know you will be battered down further and lose out.


Not a practice I do in my field of work, I give a price and then it would only change by £50 or so.


Same as Double glazing sales people do, start high and end up still in profit.

Magicman19

I fell in the trap 18 months ago. Had a person just asking me for my phone number for a fee draw of £1000 which I gave and did not think any more. The following day I recived a phonecall saying my name will go through to the second round if I had my carpet cleaned free of charge. Thought nothing of it and two people came. As they was setting up they went on about this wonderful Kirby vaccume they would like me to buy. For £1200 I refused. Three hours later by the time they did little of the room with filter to show the dirt I agreed the price of £900 wich is £33 per month for 48 of them. By the time they went I worked it out I would of pay total of £1584 and never said about the interest I had to pay. They did prommise to come to me the following week to make sure I was happy but no one came and the phone number I had no one answerd. At least I knew it would be serviced every year.
Heard nothing from them until 18 months after. Another rep came to service the vaccume and the first thing he said just by looking 'it not right'. So he pulled the vaccume to pieces and stared the motor when sparks came out. I'm sure he did something to the leads. He said it too dangerous and would have to go for repaired which would cost £250 for a new motor. I refused. He went to his van and got a new one. Thought great, it getting replaced. Yes with a price. No more than £10 per month extra so I said yes. Ended up I had to pay £95 deposit, £60 per month for the next four years. I ended up in tears as he denied satlying no more than £10 per month extra. He said the £745 will go towards it so by the time I have finished paying it will be £2975 and I had to pay £10 service charge which I paid in cash.
Just regreting it now but I am telling all of you to be aware, once they have got you they will only need more cash from you.

prowla

Wow - I didn't know they were still doing that!
We had a visit about 20 years ago, but we didn't buy; at one point the salesman plaintively said "Is it me why you're not buying?", and his boss came in and was geeing him up. They really didn't want to leave without the sale, and didn't even get the message when my then wife took herself off to bed.

samanthaknd

TradingStandards wrote: »

Now I don't expect for a second that any of you clued-up moneysavers will fall victim to this but I'm hoping that you will spread the word and maybe bear it in mind for any older relatives/friends etc.
You are at home one day when there is a knock at your door. You open it and someone says something like 'we are a new company in the area, would you like to enter into a free prize draw to win a car? All you have to do is give me your phone number to help build up our database'. If you agree and provide your phone number, you are given a small card with a picture of a car on the front.
A few days later you receive a phone call and the caller says something like 'you have won a free carpet clean/carpet shampoo in our prize draw'. If you agree to receive it, an appointment is made for a later date. If the appointment goes ahead as planned, you will realise that the free carpet clean is really just a chance for a salesman to demonstrate a very expensive vacuum cleaner to you for 2 hours or more, all the while criticising your current vacuum cleaner, asking if you are happy to live in filth, putting the fear of God into you about fires caused by dust build-up etc. If you unfortunately succumb to the high-pressure sales pitch, you will find yourself out of pocket to the tune of at least £1,500 and your statutory right to cancel will be denied.
Please remember this and tell anyone you think appropriate - more people knowing about this means fewer people falling victim and the company will be forced to either deal honestly or close down.

I remember staying with my Auntie for the weekend when I was about 12 and she had the Kirby guy at the door I was just getting out of bed and I remember him doing a hoover of the bed and showing her close up pictures of Bed bugs that he had in an office type folder, she bought there and then (don't know how much for). But I remeber the pictures scaring the both of us, Although later in on I think I heard that was banned? .