Talk:Kirby Company
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Ok people, hold the phone... When did Wiki become a site filled with articles about consumer reporting?
I think the page needs totally re-designed with the History, models etc, and the technical aspects of the products, such as design, and efficiency. Scrap the debate stuff about complaints and bad business practices. The "Dirtmeter" accessory also needs it's own page with a link. I personally view Wiki as a site of detailed information about a subject, not a site filled with debate wars all over it. Find a forum for that, or just let Rob Cockerham do it on cockeyed.com.... Nyourhead 09:11, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
"The older vacuum is then seen as inferior, cheap, or disposable. Which they all are, and these type of vacuum companies, carpet manufactuers and shampooing companies all make a lot of money from most people, which is a total waste." Seems a bit too POV starting from "Which they are...".--Thumbtax 21:03, 15 August 2005 (UTC)
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[edit] Bad experiences
Kirby puts an ad in the newspaper that says "Customer Service Reps needed. Hire first come/first serve". I called the phone number and scheduled a same day interview, then got the job. I was told the job was demonstrating paint sprayers and assembling them. I returned the next morning for training, only to find out I'd be going door to door selling vacuums for over $1500. Why couldn't they just say that during the interview? It would have saved us both some time —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.177.94.83 (talk • contribs) 01:29, 25 August 2005 (UTC).
- That's why this article exists. Watch out for Vector_Marketing, they do the same thing, only with knives. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.137.27.26 (talk • contribs) 03:26, 9 September 2005 (UTC).
- yeah, demonstrating "spray painters" and assembling them is a bit over the top, but the sales model of the independent contractors selling kirby's (one of whom put that ad) is that they hire people to do demo's (which include showing the spraying nozzle - nonlatex paint only, please, if you're going to paint with it.) typically a van is run by fresh recruits doing demos for people (Kirby only sells in-home) and a salesman to try to close the customer after the demonstration. how many fresh recruits are running around assembling and demonstrating for each manager (salesperson, closer, maybe even in a suit) varies from operation to operation. turnaround is so high you're supposed to hire recruits every week. Also, what part of the country were you selling out at? In California it's more like a $2,000 system, but anyway after selling them for a while I bought mine on eBay. I'm not going to write in the main article, since I'm very very biased (no current connection) but then again I've never met a door-to-door knife operation or encyclopedia operation, which I've heard of -- but man would I love to sell either of those. A good demo and paying every week means the buyer (e.g. me) would actually read those volumes, not just rest content with, yeah, it's there (e.g. Wikipedia). same thing with knives, it's not so much about the knives (which I would love to be demo'd) or the food processer (as seen on TV!), it's about being walked through until at the end you're cookin'. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.2.135.17 (talk • contribs) 14:56, 14 March 2006 (UTC).
- Same reason I would love to have a fresh recruit demo a Linux more premium than Red Hat for a couple of hours - maybe $700 is insane for it, when you can just download the ISO for free, but you know what? After all my objections have been addressed and I've been properly demo'd (even if the recruit thought they were going to be 'demoing virus protection by running it', which, like your "spray painter" assembly is pretty much flat-out lying) that $700 is nothing compared to the value that is mine after paying for it. But you know what the kicker is? We live in such a capitalist mindset that if you didn't pay $700 you wouldn't feel a nagging to justify the price point, and you might have burned a free ISO that is the same as what's being sold, but you might still limp along on an old version of excel because to you open office's spreadsheet program is pretty much in the same category as vi from 15 years ago -- if you're not SOLD on it, how would you know the VALUE? you wouldn't even try it.
- 84.2.135.17 14:56, 14 March 2006 (UTC)
I have been subjected to the "job" training of Kirby dealers. As such, an average work day can last more than 12 hours. For the week I worked as a Kirby dealer, I was subjected to hours of pointless teenage bantering as the driver of the van I was in took his time getting to our destination. It's basically a job for kids who want to hang out all day and work a little, while at the same time wasting other people's time who are in the van and want to get home as soon as possible. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.188.172.165 (talk • contribs) 22:05, 4 June 2006 (UTC).
Yeah, I've been through a similar ordeal, though I could be considered to be one of those teenagers. The starting pay is rather low and you really need to know how to sell the vacuum cleaner in order to make a decent amount of money (though it is possible to make a fortune so to speak). It seems that most Kirby dealers have a van system, but during my five weeks of work we didn't have such a system and used our own automobiles to transport the vacuum cleaner from house to house. Often times a seller would work alone, unless he or she is training a novice. --Thumbtax 00:23, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
A van? I worked a summer for Kirby Arlington Heights IL and we had nothing like that. Telemarketers would foil people into letting us into their homes. Then I would be handed a slip for an appointment on the other side of the Chicagoland area that was 15 minutes late already. Then I would have to drive like a maniac in my own car to get there, give a 2 hour sales presentation to someone that didn't really know about a presentation (lying and saying it would be about 30 minutes), and ignore all hints that the person wanted me out of their home. For example, if a person said that they couldn't afford such a machine or they were happier with what they had I was supposed to use a bunch of lines to respond to that, or call the office on the customer's telephone to make a deal or something. It was very cult like. The morning meetings would feature singing company songs and that, and the few times I tried to have lunch with fellow employees, they would quickly drift the conversations to the topic of how great Kirby is. But yeah, I used my own car and burnt all of my own gas, usually about 1 tank a day. I did get a weekly pay if I didn't sell anything, but it was barely enough to cover the gasoline, if that. Most weeks I wouldn't have been able to survive at all but for a the gasoline money I got from hitch hikers that I picked up. I came in for an honust summer job to pay off some minor credit card debts and save money for the coming school year, and ended up going into an even greater debt. I think that I stayed there for the entire summer for two reasons. First, I have a very strong sence of duty to anyone who employs me. Once I have comitted to a job I don't skip out when things get bad. Second, and in this case equally important, it is very difficult to find honust jobs for students who wanted to work only for a summer. Yeah. I would add to this article but I am very biased myself. I can say that I didn't have the luxary of a van taxing me around. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.175.223.49 (talk • contribs) 16:28, 26 June 2006 (UTC).
[edit] Current logo
The current logo can be found here.
http://www.kirby.com/index2.shtml —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.188.172.165 (talk • contribs) 22:05, 4 June 2006 (UTC).
[edit] Whitewashing
How did this article turn into an Advertisement for Kirby? Previous versions of the article provide more information and a more balanced view. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 204.149.81.4 (talk • contribs) 16:01, 28 June 2006 (UTC).
[edit] Complaints? Give me a break!
The complaints section is incredibly biased. I am changing it back to a more balanced view immediately. -70.176.93.225 23:29, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Airflow indicator
"This part of the demonstration is typically the most impressive. However, the key to the Kirby's performance is that with the "Dirtmeter" attached to the Kirby instead of a bag, there is much less restricted airflow/back pressure which allows the Kirby to move nearly twice as much air. Once the customer attaches the Kirby bag the suction of the machine will be considerably less."
This section needs to be removed because of its complete falseness. The logic attempted here is simply lacking factual basis. The truth is that the Dirtmeter actually hinders the ability for the vacuum to successfully reach its peek potential. Vacuums use two things to remove dirt, airflow and suction. The airflow is significantly less with the Dirtmeter, rather than the bag. This is due to the surface area differences.
There exists a product on the market called an Airflow Indicator, that can be used to show how the Dirtmeter actually "steals" 1/3rd of the power that the same machine would have with the bag on. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.118.142.228 (talk • contribs) 02:52, 17 July 2006 (UTC).
[edit] kirby vs consumer reports
its hilarious how kirbys and other expensive vacuums are compared to cheap plastic vacuums on consumer reports. for one, if anyones ever owned a kirby, or even seen a demonstration it is completely obvious they remove a suprisingly impressive amount more dirt. not to mention they'll last a lifetime. i worked at kirby for a little bit and you could vacuum with ANY vacuum over and over until you see their bagless vacuum picking up nothing else. go over with a kirby and pick up a mound of dirt.
not to mention the reference from the statement the kirby is equal to a 250$ vacuum is not even from the official consumer reports, but from a spinoff website that doesnt even compare products, but search for reviews by individuals on the internet. which is totally irrelevant for one, bad news travels faster than good news. people will come on the internet and complain and not come on and promote.
