Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Had no idea that Kirby allows the elderly an entire year to cancel the sale, whereas others only get 3 days.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/09/kirby-vacuums.html

1 year to return??  This is very nice of Kirby, but it was forced on them because a distributor in AZ was preying on elderly and often cognitevly challenged indivuals by hiting them for repeat sales.  One story I heard was a woman with Alzheimers was found by her family to have 12 new Kirbys sitting in her garage.  She had paid cash (check) for each purchase, and the sales people would go back to her a week later and sell to her again.   Kirby was forced to return the lady's money, and this is probably the reason they offer the 1 year return policy.

The one year return policy has steered Kirby salespeople away from elderly people, except those who can afford it, and are able bodied enough to use it. I remember in my Kirby d-2-d days we were told not to agressively close elderly people. If they purchased we were instricted to give a good training class, bag, belt, attaching the hose, and if we got in on the free shampoo pitch, and not to sell the shampooer unless they requested it. And in fact to offer to shampoo another room. The upright is easy to push, but the shampooer, while effective, for some people was the reason they cancelled.

I hear the Kirby high pressure sales tactics were revised after Warren Buffett purchased the company.  He got wind of the horror stories from the seniors and elderly customers who were slickied by some unscrupulous Kirby sales people trying to break sales records and put the word out that things had better change or else.  Looks like they have.

Carmine D.