Kirby - South Africa

I have a Kirby, Ultimate G Series, which my husband bought about 6 years ago at R13,000. It has become rather heavy to handle and I want to sell it back to Kirby at half the price we bought it for. Besides, I can't have it serviced anymore as the branch in Georgia just disappeared and that is rather unfair especially having had to pay the amount we did for this machine. As Kirby trust their products so much, I have no doubt that they would hesitate to buy it back from me at half the price we bought it for.

I' am the owner of the Kirby service facility near Florida. We are located at 45 Clarendon Dr., Discovery. Our opening hours are from 9am-5pm daily and 9am-1pm on Saturday. We have been here since 1987! Our contact numbers are as follows: 011 672-0570/1, 011 672-5786, (fax) 011 672-0574.

As far as warranties go, the only valid one is the one in print from the factory, which is indeed for three years. If it is not in print, do not believe it. Pots and Pans has no moving parts and may have lifetime warranties. However, a Kirby has lots of moving parts. The motor runs faster than 12,000 rpm at low speed, which will eventually cause wear. Most electrical appliances at retail stores have one year warranties. And people buy vacuums too often. There are many Kirbys working in S.A. homes older than 20 years! Kirby's warranty exclude labor and call out fees. The reason for these charges is common sense. Owners may live on a farm hundreds of kilometers away. Kirby is only the factory. Everyone else is independent and merely sell and/or service the product. Our staff has more than 25 years experience.

This morning I phoned the above number to establish a Kirby Dealer near to my residence as my G4 Kirby needs repairing, yet again. The woman who answered the phone was rude and abrupt, saying that there is only one authorized dealer and that is in Edenvale which is far from where my home is. I used to take it to a branch in Florida who were very helpful but they seem to have disappeared. Last year I took it to a branch in Fairland. Well, that was an absolute disaster. They used second hand parts on my machine as they said they couldn't get original parts. It costs me R1500 to repair it. I wish now I had never have bought it. The people who represented the company in SA are rude, arrogant and unhelpful.

On the 2nd December 2010, our cleaner went in for a service. An individual from the above company came to collect our Diamond series Kirby. We were advised that the gear box and belts were faulty, and needed to be replaced. We agreed to have this done. After two days, the machine was returned with new gear box and belts fitted. We were promised a new bag as part of the service, but this was not delivered. On testing, we discovered that the machine was still not working properly and the company was phoned to come and collect the machine again.

Finally, after a number of calls, the machine was collected by the same person who took it away for fixing. Two days later, we were finally told that the problem was a hairline crack in the external bag, and now, this had to be replaced. Due to the climbing costs of the repairs, they were told not to go ahead with the repairs, but to bring our Kirby back. Since then, we have been phoning on a daily basis only to be told that it is on the truck. Only after threatening the individual with the intervention of legal repercussions was the same faulty machine returned to us. This is in spite of another lie, where Vishnu stated that due to the inconvenience, they had repaired the bag for free.

I was misled by some of your reps as I was brought under the impression that it was a demo and free cleaning of my lounge suite. When I informed the manager who phoned that I was not interested, your two reps with a white vehicle registration CE politely put foam on the whole set with the promise to return. Needless to say, they never returned from Thursday to date. The results are: disrupted household, uncomfortable situation, and distrust for your company.

I bought a Kirby Vacuum cleaner in May 2009. As I have not been able to get any after-sales service of any kind, after following all possible routes, I wrote a long and detailed complaint about four weeks ago on this site. (it took me the better part of Sunday afternoon). Absolutely all details I had from the Kirby salesman were entered in this site. I have heard nothing at all from anyone. Does this mean that the complaint has not been registered. Perhaps, as I am an elderly, I did something wrong in the high-tech computer world.

A little feedback/help to let me know whether my detailed report was received, would be an encouragement. Kirby have let me down very, very, badly. So badly, I feel they should be taken off the market in South Africa. I paid R15,000.00 in installments, which was very, very difficult for me. However, as a pensioner with a completely handicapped husband, I thought the machine, as demonstrated, would make my hard life a little easier. Wrong! Not only have I lost all that money, which I can very ill afford, they took my old, but completely functional Vorwerk vacuum cleaner away, as a deposit. I really am quite desperate.

I can't use the machine because the rubber ring has slipped and I can't get it back. It's far too difficult, and the upholstery system is incomplete after Mr. ** removed a part of the system, but he sold me a lot of (now useless) cleaning materials. I have been well, and truly had, and now I have had no response at all from the managers of this site. In addition to the huge (for me) economic loss, the physical damage is very great. I, myself, am handicapped after several back operations. All I now have, to help with the housework, is a tiny, hand-held vacuum cleaner, which is suitable only to clean the inside of the car. Please help me.

I was caught thinking that it was a "business" that was opening in town that cleans upholstery and carpets. Thinking I will have a free carpet wash, but a price list of services was rendered. I was lied to and cheated out of my money. I am stuck with a very expensive vacuum cleaner that I never wanted to start with. Yes, it is a wonderful machine but I was conned into a thing that I didn't want in the first place. Once bitten, twice as shy. I do believe you will reap what you sow, Mr. C.? I do hope you never get conned into something you don't want.

P.S.: I hope you enjoyed your trip to Spain. I will never allow anyone into my house again. Will never trust a telephone sales person again.

I used too work for Kirby and sold a machine to a specific client! The machine has a problem and need repairs (manufacture Fault). The machine i sold to the client 2 years ago, has a 3 year gaurantee with an extended 3 year warrentee! Now that the machine need repairs there are no one to be found! It was told to me that the branch has closed down! This is utter nonsense. When we had the training to sell thiss machine(Kirby) they told us its the best, and its got a exccelent aftersales service, but yet while i dont work there anymore people phone me for repairs because they cant get hold of the right people! Now i ask you, who takes the responsibility for these actions?

Very poor aftersales service

I made an appointment for collection of my Kirby for a Service -

Nobody came to fetch it on that day for the service and I was phoned a week later. Kirby staff asked ME what the problems was?? It was You that never collected the machine? What was your problem?

Also yesteday I returned a call on my identity call (Kirby) and asked what i can do and I was left on hold for 10 minutes with no return call?

I find after sale service pathetic and I need to have a service done, what am I to do with this situation?

I bought a Kirby last year and after reading all the letters on this web page I wonder if I have made a wise choice. During the demonstration the sales person said that when I needed replacement bags that if I contacted her she would bring them to me and that the cost would be approx. R40 - 45 for a packet of two. Which she confirmed with her "regional manager" at the local store.

After many phone calls and a very non-responsive sales person I managed to locate the local outlet for Kirby, which in tucked into a rather dubious arcade in a rather nasty part of town, the person in charge of the store, who turned out to be the "regional manager", asked me a lot of questions regarding the Kirby that I had bought after I had told her that all I needed was replacement bags for the machine. When she opened the cupboard that contained the bags - to my surprise there were a total of three different types of bags all of which would fit the model of the machine.

The price of the bags were double the price that the sales person had said - R47 per bag - when I tried to fit the bag to the Kirby, the bag fell apart. When I tried to return the bag to the shop I was told that it is their policy not to exchange goods even if they are faulty, and she had not given me a sales slip and I didn't have proof of purchase. It appears that the bad sales pitch and after sales service is the same all round the world and not just in America.

It is such a great pity as the machine itself is really good but the attitude of their sales persons and the fact that the replacement parts are not as easily available as they should be make it a very unwise purchase. In South Africa the cost of the Kirby is a whopping R13 000.00.

Just another warranty complaint. Out here is South Africa, we too were sold our Kirby with the Lifetime Warranty (without which we wouldn't have bought it), and naturally, it is meaningless rubbish, and we're expected to pay for parts and labour.

Being stubborn, and having principles, I will not pay the exhorbitant amount asked for (25% of the purchase price of Kirby and Shampooing attachment). I will have to purchase a new vacuum cleaner - one that honestly represents their warranty period. 1, 2 or 3 years warranty is fine, if you are told that upfront.

Although no one likes to be out of pocket, I would like to somehow get the message across to South African consumers who look at your pages, that exactly the same thing is going on with the Kirby warranty here, as in the USA where all the current complaints listed are from.