WOW, I just skimmed/read this thread, read your original post...
My mom (62) had a Kirby salesman cold-call her door last summer. It was a twenty something young guy that was dropped off by his "woman driver"... this was in Michigan, and I don't know how the economy is elsewhere, but the type of young guys that are typically doing the Kirby sales jobs don't have a legal driver's license. Neither of us thought anything of it, and my Mom just let him vacuum her floors for free and then gave him a sales pitch for her early 70's model Kirby that still works the same as the day it was invented.
We honestly just figured that the guy was having some chic drive him around to his gigs....She felt bad for the kid having to sit and wait for his crap ride to show back up!!!
There are certainly bad people out there to be cautious of, but there are a TON (or at least where we are) of people just TRYING HARD to do something legit! This sounds like a new sales strategy that "KIRBY CO." has enforced for their sales people to do!!! That is more disturbing! I would find out if this is a sales strategy directly from the company...MANY companies will force their workers to use tactics like this, and if you don't you loose your job and sometimes loose the wages you should have been earning in expenses. It sounds like Kirby is not only preying on its customers, but its salespeople also! That is just bad business from the company!
Thank You for posting your experience!! I am going to tell my mother (who has always loved Kirby) and I am going to spread the knowledge about how the company is scheming to exploit their customers and employees!