Kirby Vacuums-Slick Sales Pitch Or Quality Product?

Founded in 1914, the Kirby vacuum cleaner company is one of the most unique when it comes to vacuum cleaner sales.  Based in Cleveland, Ohio, it is a subsidiary of the Scott Fetzer Company.  The company, along with the rest of the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate is overseen by Warren Buffett.  In addition to vacuum cleaners the Kirby Company makes many other different types of appliances for home cleaning.  Instead of selling to retail or wholesale establishments the Kirby Company relies completely on door-to-door sales for its vacuum cleaners, and uses its advertising budget to pay the sales representatives that it has.  The first Kirby vacuum cleaner model was created and marketed in the 1920s, and the models of today still retain much of their retro styling, not changing fashionably with the times like many other models of vacuum cleaners. 

Despite this, however, Kirby vacuum cleaners maintain a reputation for quality and reliability.  They also have versatility, power, and a long life-span.  Current models of the Kirby vacuum cleaners use a HEPA filtration system and a carpet shampooing attachment that uses a dry foam.  All of these things have kept Kirby as a significant player in the vacuum cleaner market despite a price tag that is considerably higher than the other vacuum cleaner companies have for their products.  While the Kirby vacuum cleaner continues to sell well and be appreciated by many customers the tactics that they use to sell their vacuums are often questioned by those that study the company and those that have either worked for the company in the past or were given demonstrations by representatives but did not make a purchase. 

Kirby sales tactics have received complaints over the years, and the company has been subjected to Primetime investigations and other televised or written stories and examinations from individuals that believe the company’s representatives treated them unfairly, pushed them into buying, made promises that were not true, and other shady tactics.  The first offer of a purchase price for a Kirby vacuum cleaner is around $2000, but repeatedly telling a salesperson ‘no’ can get the price lowered to as little as $780.  However, this is still out of the budget for many consumers and those that choose to finance the machine will find themselves paying an interest rate of approximately 18%, which adds up to hundreds of dollars in finance charges.  According to most review that can be found, the Kirby does a very good job of cleaning, but the heaviness, awkwardness, and price of the machine make it not worth the money paid for most consumer cleaning jobs.