Sun West Kirby

Sat through over an hour kirby vac presentation, and when I did not like the price of $2,499.00, and told him I was not interested he proceeded to try other tactics to get me to buy, and when I refused, he called his boss. I picked up telephone during the conversation, and heard his boss saying "so she doesn't want it, bla,bla,bla,bla." You gave her all the pitches!! I had to literally throw the guy out of my house, and he sat on my curb for at least 30 mins. to wait for someone to pick him up. The whole experience was very non-professional! Kirby is a good product, but I would not have purchased from this company at that price, or pressure of the salesman or his boss with his verbal abuse. Searched the internet and the most expensive Kirby was $1,295.00. Is this a scam??

I was called and asked to answer a trivia question. I told them I was not interested but they insisted. I answered correctly, I assumed at that point that everyone answered correctly regardless of the answer. I was then told that I would be entered into a drawing that will be held on Jan 25th 2015. I received another call the next day telling me that I had been chosen for a free gift. Given the choices I choose the food processor over the other two cleaning offers. They told me they would be in the area doing a cleaning for another person near me and their person would stop by and "drop off the free gift". I was never told they wanted to have access to my house or that I wouldn't receiver the food processor if I didn't.
When they arrived they wanted to come in and demonstrate their Kirby cleaning system. I told them I didn't want anyone in the house because I have a large dog and for personal reasons.
Their guy called his supervisor and after a brief conversation wanted to talk to me. The guy on the phone got quite snippy with me when I told him I didn't want anyone in the house. He ended the call by telling me, "I'm done with you!" I was never rude to any of them and felt and still do have a very bad feeling about this company...
I never got the free gift of the food processor.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have...

determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

Unfortunately [redacted] is not our customer, we have spoken with our customer Maureen [redacted] and have done the very best we can to help her by giving her her old Shark vacuum.  We will do the very best we can to give her and all our customers the best service possible and a quality product. We hope that she becomes a lifelong Kirby customer like so many of our other happy customers. If you need any assistance on the machine or need supplies just give us a call the sticker and phone number is on the back of the handle. If it is after business hours you may leave a message on our service and we will get back to you

promptly.

As Mrs. [redacted] stated in her complaint, the cancellation information was filled out correctly on her agreement form.   She did sign the agreement form, and I can provide a copy of that if necessary. 

 

Mrs. [redacted] did call to our office on 3/29/13...

past the cancellation date, that is on her agreement form.

 

We would be happy to provide Mrs. [redacted] a copy of this form if needed.  Also our phone number is on the machine if

she needs assistance with the machine, or needs supplies.

To Whom It May Concern:We do the best we can to give our customers good service and a good product.  In this case we did everything we could to satisfy an unhappy customer.  Mr. [redacted] purchased the Kirby on 12/2/13 and as required by law was given his 3-day cancellation...

paperwork.  On 1/2/14 we called the [redacted]’s and did our 1 month customer satisfaction survey which is enclosed, he was a satisfied customer at that point.  On 1/14/14 Mr. [redacted] called and said his machine would not turn on.  We tried to troubleshoot over and phone and he wanted to bring it in instead.  Mrs. [redacted] called back right away angry and we mentioned that it is fully covered and if there is an issue we will solve it free of charge of course.  On 1/15/14 Mr. [redacted] did come in to our office. He again stated that his Kirby would not turn on.  When I attempted to take a look at his Kirby he refused to allow me to see the machine. He wanted a full refund period. He became enraged and scared the people in the building. He threatened to throw his Kirby through the front window, we then asked him to leave with his Kirby.  He refused, and continued to be loud and threatening.  We then told him several times that we would call the police if he did not leave.  At that point he left screaming out the door.  After Mr. [redacted] left he made some calls back to us threatening our managers by stating, “I know what kind of car you drive, you better watch out.”   He was then told not to call back.  In conclusion:Mr. [redacted] refused service for his machine which would have taken care of the issue within 15 minutes.  The purchase was on 12/2/13 so there will be no refund.  We do not want Mr. [redacted] on our premises for the safety of everyone.  We can still fix his Kirby if someone else brings it to us.  I hope that we are given the opportunity to make out customer happy.  Sincerely, Sun West Kirby

First of all, we want to thank you for bringing this to our attention. Customer feedback is how we teach and train our staff. We met the customer at [redacted]nd purchased a new vacuum for them. We have also returned a shark steam mop that they...

traded in.  We do not do business in this manner and apologize for the experience.Please let me know if there is anything else we can do.

This all started when I received a call about a free gift. Gullible me, I fell for it and asked for a free floor cleaning. The salesman showed up late, apparently they had the wrong address in their system. I understand mistakes happen, but when you schedule a time with a potential customer, it would make sense to me for the salesman to contact the customer on the phone to verify the address if you can find the address. I decided to purchase the vacuum. After having second thoughts, I contacted Sun West within the 3 days to return the vacuum, telling them that $2000 was too much for me to spend on a vacuum cleaner. The person I talked to on the phone then offered me a lower price of $1600, which I accepted. The salesman and another Sun West employee came to my house, late again (still had the wrong address in their system), to re-sign the new contract. I'm not sure why I wasn't offered that price to begin with, especially since we took a used demo model. So I have had the vacuum about 7 months, and was having a problem with the on/off button. I tried to call the salesman on February 15, 2016, he had given me his direct phone number when I bought the vacuum and said "call me if you have any problems." Well, I called the number, and it doesn't accept incoming calls. WHAT?!!! I contacted Sun West Kirby on February 15th, was asked what was wrong, I explained the on/off button wasn't working, and that the brake pedal was making a clattering noise when vacuuming. I was then informed I would need to bring the vacuum to their office, which is about 15 miles away from my home. The person on the phone did not ask for any other information from me. So after work I took the vacuum to Sun West's office. A man came out to the lobby and asked how he could help me, and I explained the on/off button issue, as well as the brake pedal. The man connected a bag to the vacuum, and it started. So that was operator error on my part, but why couldn't the person on the phone help me troubleshoot for such a simple issue, rather than making me travel 30 miles to be treated so rudely. Basically, after the man explained that it was a safety issue, that the bag was not connected properly, he asked "what else?" In other words, what else is wrong? I got the impression that we were bothering him by asking him to service a vacuum I have had for 7 months and am paying $1600 for! At this point a salesman came out to the lobby, overheard me talking to the man that was initially assisting me (if you could call it that) and told me that the clattering noise from the brake pedal was normal, that's just how they made them. I find that really hard to believe. I think the most disappointing thing for me is that I have always respected the quality of Kirby products, but given the experience I had with Sun West Kirby, I would never buy a vacuum from them again. Kirby has been in business for 100 years, and I'm pretty sure they would have never made it 100 years if this was the kind of customer service they provided over the years. Sun West Kirby is putting a black mark on the respected name of Kirby. It's a shame.

We went back to customers home and renegotiated the financed amount. Customer is happy with new price. Please let us know if customer is still unhappy.

I want to warn people about at least one of this business' sale's people. We were contacted by Sun West saying we had won a free carpet cleaning for 2 rooms. I knew this would involve a demonstration and sales pitch of their vacuum so that was no surprise. The associate arrived, his initials are S.R., he did his demonstration and after spending all afternoon with us we decided to buy the product. The salesman said that since we bought the vacuum, he would vacuum the entire house for us and shampoo 3 rooms instead of 2, which he did.

Now I have no issues with the product, it is a great vacuum. However, the next day I noticed my electronic tablet was missing. I knew exactly where I put it right before the salesman arrived and it was gone. Just to be sure I searched the entire house and could not find it. We gave the man an out, suggesting to ourselves and the company that maybe he accidentally put it in with all of his materials. But when we met up with him the next day he insisted he did not have the tablet nor did he take it. He told us he would reimburse us the price of the tablet by having the company send us a check for $70 and we agreed that if we ever found it in the house after all we would then give the money back to him.

A couple of weeks later my son came into my room and told me he was missing 2 of his portable video game systems, including 2 memory cards and a protective case. He kept them in his desk drawer so didn't realize they were missing until he went to check something on one of them. The only people who had been in his room since the last time he used them was me, himself and the salesman when he was cleaning the carpet in there. Of course we cannot prove he took them, it would be our word against his. But my missing tablet never showed up either so it is too much of a coincidence. I am positive the salesman stole these items. We contacted Sun West yesterday by phone and told them of this new theft and they said they would contact their salesman about it. We have heard nothing from the company or from the salesman since then. My son if very upset that someone would violate his private room and steal items from his desk drawer while he was away at work. I am upset that I let this man into our house in good faith, knowing he represented a well known product, only to have him steal from us. My son will have to spend a lot of money to replace these items he worked so hard to get.

So I want to warn everyone, do not trust any salesperson who comes into your home, no matter how well known the company or product is. You never know when you will get a dishonest thief in salesman's clothing. If you do allow them in, be sure to watch them every minute he or she is in your home.

We apologize as this is a typo...we have taken the correct number off our list. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Stupid company keeps calling from 5 or 6 different phone numbers at all hours of the day. All kinds of small talk designed to ease my tension.

I was contacted by phone by a representative of this company and was told that I had been chosen to enter a contest to win a prize at no cost to me. All I had to do was to answer a multiple choice question correctly . . . which I did. I was then given a choice of five prizes including a blender and other things and asked to choose one as the reward for my "win". I chose the road repair kit. Next I was told that I was now also officially entered to win yet another prize and would be called at a later date to let me know if I had won that one.

Still late I was later told that the road repair kit that I had won would be hand delivered to my home and was asked if I would be willing to listen "for a few minutes" to a presentation and demonstration of their a vacuum cleaner at the time my prize was delivered. I agreed and an appointment was set for both the presentation and the receiving of my prize.

I waited until 5 p.m. for their salesman to arrive. He never did show up and I never received a call to make me aware that the appointment would be skipped. I was then called approximately a half hour after the scheduled end time for his appointmentand asked if I would be willing to reschedule. I agreed and we set another appointment that was guaranteed to begin and end between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. the following morning. Their salesman did not arrive until 10:45 with no excuse, call, or apology for his lateness.

The "few minutes" for a presentation which they had promised ended up taking four hours and 45 minutes. In the end when, I made it clear three times that my answer to the proposed sale was a very definite "NO" and repeatedly gave him very clear and serious reasons why, he continued to press on until I finally had to make it very clear that "no" means "no" and that there was no way that I would ever do business with his company either now or in the future. I also made it clear that he was expected to leave my home.

To add insult to injury, the enticement to hear his company's spiel; the "prize" of a roadside repair kit that I had "won", was never delivered. Thus, in my opinion, the whole event was a scam from beginning to end.

I have since called this company and told them to remove my name and number from their calling list. It is yet to be seen if they can honor at least that much of our contacts.

It would appear to me that this is a company that has no intention of honoring any statements or commitments that it or its representatives make. Therefore, it is likewise impossible for me to trust such a company or the product they are attempting to sell

I don't recommend anybody to use their service; they are horrible to do business with them. I warn everybody to be careful with this company. 2 guy came to my house and my daughter a 18 years old let them in. they convince her to sign a contract to buy the vacuum. she told them that my mom wasn't at home but they refuse to leave until my daughter called me at my workplace. I told them to get out at my house and called back in few minutes to make sure they left. At my surprise they were still there. I was not comfortable that my daughter was at home by herself so I asked them to scan the contract and send it to me. I read it and sign but my daughter did not tell me that they force her also to provide her information and make her sign. When I called the financial company to make payment, they told me that I did not make the purchase because my daughter signed the contract which was not true. I have a copy of my signed contract. Later on my daughter told me that they forced to sign the contract. I called them but they were laughing at me over the phone and told me that they have nothing to do with me. All I was asking is to send the contract I have signed to the financial company so I can make payment but they refuse.

[redacted] purchased a Kirby from us on 8/20/14.  As she stated in the complaint there is a 3 day return policy.  She did contact us on 9/29/14 asking to return her Kirby.  Unfortunately we are unable to accept return of the machine after the amount of time that has...

passed.      We will do the very best we can to give her and all our customers the best service possible and a quality product. We hope that she becomes a lifelong Kirby customer like so many of our other happy customers. If she needs any assistance on the machine or need supplies she can give us a call. The sticker and phone number is on the back of the handle. If it is after business hours you may leave a message on our service line and we will call back promptly.  Thank you,Sun West Kirby

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I am unaware that this has been resolved in any way…… I acknowledged that they agreed to return my mother’s own previously owned Shark vacuum however, that has nothing to do with our complaint.  The complaint is that they took advantage of my mother, an 80 year old woman who can never use or manage their machine! And  that they charged her $2,000.00 which I believe is abusive in its own right.  The resolution would be to pick up the machine, return her $2,000.00 dollars, apologize and publicly report that they will stop targeting and taking advantage of the elderly.

This would be a resolution.   Although we do appreciate getting the old vacuum  back, this is not in any way even close to a resolution. And the demand for a power of attorney is ridiculous, I have my mother’s permission and request to speak on her behalf, and I have it in writing, there is absolutely no law or statute that prohibits a store from discussing issues with a chosen family member, this is simply their way a avoiding the real issue here.  This is in no way resolved until my mother tells me it is.

Please advise me as to the next step.  thank you very much.
 

Regards,

Better Business...

Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The Kirby company says they will remove the number ###-###-#### from their calling list and stop bothering me.  That would be fine if that was my phone number.  But it isn't.  My phone number is ###-###-####, not ####.  It is the number listed in my profile and in my complaint.  I will give Kirby the benefit of the doubt and chalk this off to a typo by one of their staff.  But their staff seems to be about as reliable as their promise to not keep calling me.  Please get my correct phone number removed from your calling list and make me a happy camper.

Regards,

Based on our experience with Sun West, I recommend that you steer well clear of this company. This is no reflection on Kirby machines, just Sun West. In our experience, there was no transparency, and what appears to us a deliberate effort to conceal their purpose. First, at NO POINT was the Kirby brand named, or the expectation that we would purchase a machine. Second, we were not told that the service required a presentation of their product, or that both my wife and I were required to be present for a demonstration. I was offered a free cleaning, which I declined. As I told the phone representative, I was suspicious of the offer of a free cleaning service. The representative expressed understanding, but assured me that all they wanted to do was provided the service and collect an honest review. With that assurance, we scheduled a cleaning. I was out of town when the call came on the date of the service, confirming our appointment. I told the service man that my wife was at home, waiting on him. That is when I was told he could not perform the service unless I was present for the demonstration he was required to give. He offered to reschedule. I declined, explaining that I was only interested in a cleaning. I had no interest in a demonstration. Two days later, the sales representative called. She apologized for the inconvenience. She confirmed that my wife and I must be present, but she assured me that the demonstration only consisted of the cleaning, and all that they were looking for was a positive review of their service. A few moments ago, the service technician arrived - 1.5 hours late. During that time, I had 3 contacts with a phone representative. After the third call, I told her we were no longer interested. Ten minutes later, the technician showed up. I told him that he could clean the furniture if he wanted to, but we were not interested in a product demonstration, nor giving a review. By that point, I assured him that it was best if we said nothing about their company. After calling his agent, he told me he could not clean our furniture without trying to sell me a machine - and left. He was polite and understanding - but at no point in this process did anyone ever mention the Kirby brand. I found that connection on this web site. This company lacks transparency. The sales reps I dealt with had no interest in me as a customer, only in trying to make a sale or get a commission from Kirby for trying.

I received several calls from Sun West over a couple of days. The first asked a quiz question that, having answered correctly, supposedly entered me into a draw to win a monetary prize. Then they called to verify the previous call and talk about another promotion I had been picked for - to receive a free carpet clean. I advised I own a steam cleaner so they told me I would receive a new, top of the line, food processor for fruit and veggies. All I needed to do was be home for them to drop it off and there was a brief conversation about them giving me a demo which I was fine with. I also, in every conversation I had, made it extremely clear I wouldn't be buying, and that my husband would not be home.

After I had agreed, I called Kirby Vacuums and they confirmed the company is legitimate. I am a stay at home mother with small children and I wasn't going to allow access if I was at all concerned. I received another call this afternoon, and then two gentlemen arrived at my door.

They were both gentlemen. Nicely presented, well spoken. The lead gentleman asked me my understanding of their visit and I relayed the above information. He then ducked out to his car stating he was going to get the food processor. He was out for quite a while (enough time for a phone call, I assume) and when he came back in he was carrying a box with a microwave vegetable steamer of basic quality. He apologised and said he didn't have enough processors - he didn't have one in the car - and my husband was supposed to be home as well to be eligible to receive it. As I said to him, I had made it very clear at all stages that he was not in a position to be home.

Anyway, they were very polite and left without even offering to demo the product. I have to admit, I never believed we would receive a free food processor. I had told them I checked with Kirby and also read the Revdex.com reviews/complaints. I had made sure everyone I talked to knew I thought it was a little dubious but really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.

So here are my thoughts and impressions: legitimate business, friendly and polite employees. But the bottom line for me is that the offer is a scam to get a foot in your door to sell their product. Plenty of excuses to be made as to why they can't give you the 'gift' promised. Sorry to say as they were all nice people who are just doing what I imagine their company tells them to do.

This company has the worst customer service. They sell you a vacuum and as soon as they get your money they treat you like you're nothing. Our salesman promised to come back in four weeks to show us how to use the shampoo function of our vacuum and give us free vacuum bags, all I needed to do was call the office and schedule the appointment. I called to do that and left a message with the woman that answered the phone. She said someone would call me back in two hours but I never received a call. I called again two days later and got an apology and was told that bags would be mailed to me and I would be called back in two days to schedule the appointment. I received a call four days later from a guy named [redacted] (not our salesman). He wanted to schedule the appointment for the next morning. I asked if we could do it in the evening because I work during the day. He was very annoyed and told me he would need to get manager approval because they only do the demos in the morning (even though the demo to sell the vacuum was in the evening). I never received a call back and I have never received the vacuum bags that I was promised. My husband placed another call to the company and requested to speak to our salesman and as usual, we have not received a call back. I called the Kirby corporate number and they said there was nothing that they could do for us because the offices are privately owned. I love the vacuum, it does an excellent job but for the money, you would think that Kirby would offer better customer service. If I would have know the problems we were going to have, I would have cancelled in the three day time period.