I got wrapped up in the mess that is Kirby's Honolulu office when I was 18. I needed some extra cash and answered a "customer service" ad in the paper. It was a total joke. First of all, they didn't tell us what the job was until the second day. The only reason I went back after the first was morbid curiosity and the fact that I had nothing else to do. From the get-go they assaulted us with catchphrases and insane promises of luxury mansions earned through the glorious career of door-to-door vacuum cleaner sales. After three days of "training", which amounted to nothing more than a pep rally, they asked for the personal information of five friends and family. They claimed it was so that we could hone our sales skills on friendly (and captive) audiences. However, when I didn't force people that I know and care for to spend several thousand dollars on a vacuum cleaner, they got upset with me. The head of the office, who by that time had spent a week straight regaling me with tales of his magnificent sales conquests, had the nerve to show up at my aunts house while I was there and push her to buy a vacuum. When they finally unleashed me on the real world, I'd show up at the homes of people who thought they'd won a free carpet cleaning. I don't know why on earth anyone would think someone was going around awarding people with free carpet cleanings, but an amazing number of suckers actually fell for it. I'd show up at their homes and be forced to see their looks of utter shock, misery, regret, and finally anger that I was in their home, under false pretenses, and pushing a ridiculously overpriced piece of trash in their faces and telling them to buy it. I finally got a real job and left right away. I thought I'd be courteous and let the head of the office know I was leaving, but all he could say to me was "I gave you an opportunity." The sad thing is that I think he really believed what he was saying. Companies like Kirby feed on the weak-willed. They give guys that are down on their luck promises of grandeur, and a lot of people actually buy it. I'm amazed by the commenters, no doubt current Kirby dupes, that are actually defending them. It's a cult. It really is just a cult. Finally, I find it highly amusing that someone who spells "your" as "ur" is accusing other people of being the reason that this country is "going to ###".
I've learned my lesson today. The one time I got lazy and decided to buy gold, I got screwed. I placed the order through their website, ffxigilvip.com, and sent payment through Paypal. Right away, the seller sent me an e-mail asking me to log into their live chat service to confirm the order. I did so, and the person I spoke to asked me for my name, address, and phone number. Of course a red flag went up because the entire purpose of doing business through Paypal is that you don't have to give sketchy individuals your info. Then he asked if he could call me, if I'd forward the e-mail that I received from Paypal to him, and, finally, he asked me to send him a picture of my driver's license or passport. I told him this was utterly ridiculous, that he had all the information he needed, and that I wouldn't be sending him any of the things he'd asked for. He said "I have to ask my boss. Come back in a little while." "How long is a little while?" "8 Hours." I said that I wasn't going to wait that long and that he could either deliver my gold or refund my money and cancel the order. He said "I'm not allowed to refund, " and then he simply stopped responding to me. I logged back into the chat when I woke up this morning and asked "Helen" whether I'd be getting my items or getting a refund (knowing full well that she probably wasn't planning to give me either). "Helen" said that they would not send me anything without a picture of my ID. I then told her that I was on the phone with Paypal at that very moment (which is true) and that they told me it wasn't acceptable for them to ask me for so much information. She refused to respond after that. Since filing my complaint with Paypal an hour ago, I've gotten an e-mail from Paypal saying that the crooks responded with
"Tracking Company: virtual tracking # virtual
Tracking Number: virtual tracking # virtual"
as their proof of delivery. Hopefully Paypal doesn't accept this nonsense, otherwise I'll lose all faith in them. I called my bank before calling Paypal. I've been with them for ten years and never filed a complaint, so they assure me that if Paypal screws me, they will have my back. They even offered to deactivate my card and send me a new number for my protection. The point is that my bank is awesome, and ffxigilvip.com is not.
