I understand that Kirby works on the "franchise" [pyramid] format. I talked to everybody from salesman to 'district manager'. They are a very disconnected/unaccountable structure with no real control at the salesman level, mostly due to turnover.

My mother, who has an obvious 'shake' & suffers from dementia [73 yrs old] purchased a Kirby Vacuum late in 2009, but we didn't find it until late 2010 sitting in the closet. There was a 'draft' to her checking account of $48 per month we discovered after getting more involved in her care. She was embarassed about the purchase and said "I told the man I didn't need one, but he just wouldn't leave and he said if he didn't sell another vacuum he'd lose everything because he was broke." My mother paid $1740 + $460 [financing fee] for a vacuum she couldn't use. Also, the salesman left the 'belt' off and she wasn't strong enough to twist the belt stretcher to put it on.

Long story short, I paid the final $625.71 to stop the auto-draft of her account. I found the different folks I talked to at Kirby very defensive about their products & tactics, yet after I buddied up with them on the phone eventually they all lost empathy and became a bit smarmy. One guy said they had a corporate policy against selling to seniors over 70 [maybe 68?], but then admitted a franchise would never tell a salesman that and it isn't enforced. Two districts managers eventually said salesman turnover is so fast, that it is a buyer beware scenario and it's really up to "you to protect your parents" from Kirby.

Anybody else had similar experience, especially with an elderly parent or family memeber?

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