The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection entered into Assurances of Voluntary Compliance today with The Kirby Company and its Connecticut distributors to settle charges that the vacuum cleaner company, along with some of its Connecticut distributors and representatives, engaged in aggressive, high pressure sales tactics. While admitting no wrongdoing, Kirby and the distributors agree to take numerous actions with respect to their sales practices.
The Kirby Company has paid the State $25,000.
“The great number of complaints from consumers led our agency to conduct an intensive investigation into the business practices of Kirby and its distributors,” Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein said. “With this agreement, consumers are protected from improper sales tactics. Importantly, the agreement requires Kirby to provide meaningful disclosures to consumers and to strictly honor time limits on in-home sales demonstrations.”
The Department and the Office of the Attorney General worked together on the resolution with The Kirby Company and its distributors in order to protect consumers from the unfair, threatening and abusive business tactics alleged by consumers in their complaints.
“I am hopeful these agreements will ensure that the type of complaints consumers made to my office about Kirby’s distributor’s practices are a thing of the past,” said Attorney General George Jepsen. “We will remain vigilant to make sure that consumers are protected from high pressure tactics, and given necessary and accurate information by these companies.”
As the CtWatchdog, I have received numerous complaints of Kirby salesmen targeting seniors with high pressure sales techniques, including refusing to leave their homes until they signed contracts.
The Kirby vacuums cost more than $1,000 and weigh 25 pounds – too much for many seniors.
Also, some new salesmen have complained about being given false promises to join Kirby sales teams.
Assistant Attorney Generals Jeremy Pearlman, JoseRene Martinez and Philip Rosario, chief of the consumer protection unit, represented Jepsen in this case.
As set forth in the agreement, Kirby will routinely educate its distributors on the importance of complying with Connecticut laws involving home solicitation, telemarketing and the federal Do Not Call List. Distributors will be instructed not to engage in “high pressure” sales tactics; to fully and conspicuously disclose material financing terms; to review with each customer the consumer’s three-day right to cancel; and to adhere to similar fair marketing policies.
Kirby will also require its distributors to provide every potential customer with the name and address of the distributor and the name of the salesperson contacting the customer. Before beginning any in-home sales demonstration of its products, salespersons will be required to get a signed permission from the potential customer and provide a copy of that permission to the customer. In-home sales demonstrations are to be completed within one and one-half hours unless the customer specifically asks for additional time in writing; the customer may terminate the demonstration at any time.
Distributors for Kirby have also signed individual agreements requiring them to adhere to the policies outlined above, including but not limited to facing disciplinary action or termination from the company.
So, basically, Kirby will have to go out of business, because those tactics are the ONLY way they can sell one of their overpriced underperforming vacuums. Good riddance
OR, lower the price to one that’s more appropriate. Like about $100
David I couldn’t agree more! Overpriced under-performing 2 ton dust pumps. The business model for “in-home, door-to-door” sales like Fuller Brush’s and Kirby’s is so 19th century. Go online, get a clue or go out of business!
i see the two of you have a huge following… first of all it’s not kirby or the kirby distributors who are at fault, unfortunitly, in any sales company from cars to vacuums you are going to get unethical salesmen. these people are eventually filtered out. the kirby is a exceptional machine which is why they do in house demonstrations… to show that other house hold vacuums do a terrible job and only clean what the eye can see. i am the service manager for a CT kirby distributor and i have countless cutomers who come in for supplies or repairs on their 16 year old kirby that was passed down to them from a relative and still works better than a brand new dyson or other top name vacuum. you cant break down the name of the company because of a few bad sales reps. yes, i agree that targeting seniors or too pushy sales tactics are terrible buisness tactics… and hopefully giving potential customers the name of the sales rep and the office they are out of will allow the termination of such practices but again… no reason to put down the name of an entire company. i’ve eaten a shitty cheeseburger at mcdonalds before… i dont think all mcdonalds restaurants are over priced for unfilling foods. but then again… some people just need to complain
“…some people just need to complain.”
Nasty comment, Ryan. Customers SHOULD complain about be rooked out of over $1000 for a vacuum cleaner. And I have to say that I love the comparison: shitty burgers and overpriced vacuums.
By the way, my Hoover that I bought in 1978 still works fine and has had two minor repairs over the years. And I don’t care that a little dust lives in the base of my carpet. It does no damage down there.
I LOVE my Kirby! Power drive is wonderfully easy for me. Vacuums beautifully, no sneezing while vacuuming!, shampoos comparable to professional retail carpet cleaners, and buffs the hardwood floors. Hard little worker!
Kirby is a ripoff company. They TEACH their salespeople to be pushy. If they claim different,they are lying.
Oh please! Kirby has been here for 101 years now! they are not going anywhere! I love Kirby!!! and shoutout to all the honest, ethical Kirby distributors that handle their customers and business right.
Kirby may be a good vacuum, but it should at that price. First from the way Kirby gets people to work from thim is deceptive. They run an ad, ithout naming their business. They know that anyone applying to an ad like that is desperate/and or dumb. They call you up,after applying, tell you to come to an interview, which is a big room full of desperate people for jobs. They have professional sales people(probably not real Kirby salesman) to get the potential employees excited about making a lot of money AND bonuses selling kirbys. Then the potential employees are given a choice; to sell Kirbys and make a lot of money OR do carpet cleaning for an hourly wage. Only those who choose to sell are called back and told they were hired. That is just the beginning of a high pressure, no pay unless you sell. Also, no compensation for travel, daily meetings, long training sessions. When worked, if you want to call it that, I received $100 for sale of an over $1000 sale. And selling was controlled by the head people at Kirby. I had to quit because they didn’t care if an elderly, retired couple said they couldn’t afford a Kirby I was feed lines over the phone to make them buy. Kind of reminds me of what Trump university selling to customers is about.