ya whatever pal...unless you're just another lying EXL Tristar cult clone freak, you probably just got scammed big time. wise up sucka's! Posted by: dunce bros. on May 30, 2002 02:55 PM

I just inherited the tristar exl vac from my parents.......they moved into nursing home. I have only used it once but reminds me of the green bug I used to own 30 years ago. It just dosen't seem to be worth the money they paid for it. Anyone really disagree? Posted by: nancy on June 28, 2002 03:17 PM

I was searching for info on the Tristar vacuum and came across Tom's World. Didn't imagine it was the same Tom I knew but it was! So, how's the vacuum? I almost bought one, and would like a "real" customer review. Posted by: Cami (Kerr) Day on July 2, 2002 01:36 PM

These sales people are the bottom feeding bloodsuckers we should all have a healthy fear of. In Florida they took advantage of an elderly woman with a brain tumor. They go around setting up shop and selling these machines for upwards of $2,000. and they sell for $895.oo at abc vacuum in austin texas.The tristar is actually worse than alot of good cleaners out there, and these companys do not prey on people. Posted by: Jean on August 24, 2002 11:47 PM

These sales people are the bottom feeding bloodsuckers we should all have a healthy fear of. In Florida they took advantage of an elderly woman with a brain tumor. They go around setting up shop and selling these machines for upwards of $2,000. and they sell for $895.oo at abc vacuum in austin texas.The tristar is actually worse than alot of good cleaners out there, and these companys do not prey on people. Posted by: Jean on August 24, 2002 11:48 PM

you people have some problems, I don't know what some people sell the TriStar for but the MSRP is $1589 and it is worth every penny, there is not a vacuum out there that can beat it! Posted by: TriStar man on September 10, 2002 05:53 AM

I don't know why you guys are bashing the tristar. I have used Kirby, Electrolux, Rainbow, Hoover, and many more. They all wear out and break down after just a few years. The tristar lasts for much, much longer. I have only had mine for a few months but I know someone who has had theirs for almost 30 years and it still works great. Mine works great! It was worth every penny. Also- the MSRP is $2298 but they usually dicker down to $1698 depending on the size of the office. A good deal is $1698 or less. Also, it is illegal for anyone to sell Tristar on-line. I'm not sure how abcvacuum does it but they dont have the same warranties. abcvacuum offers a crappy 3-year warranty that doesn't cover much. Posted by: Dave on September 17, 2002 10:35 AM

At least someone else is standing up for TriStar, I have been a dealer for only about 3 months, but I know the TriStar is the best out there, They last longer and work a lot better then other vacuums. At our office the TriStar starts at $1589 but other offices sell them at different prices. Dave thanks for sticking up for us, and I hope you love your TriStar and it lasts you a long time. Posted by: TriStar man on September 19, 2002 01:30 AM

i don't care what you all say.but kirby is the best and electrolux is the 2 best but tristar is good as well.i always say if i cost less than 1,000$ new it's not worth having.but if you are in to those kinds always get older ones and fix them up because there the good ones,the newer things get the cheaper they are.well thanks for reading and god bless Posted by: phillip muller on September 24, 2002 10:59 PM

What I don't like is selling something for 200 to 500 percent profit. When a saleman make 1000 to 2000 per sale, the it comes down to lying and cheating. Posted by: Gator on September 30, 2002 10:35 PM

Dear TOm et al: I'd be interested in knowing how much you paid for the Vac. One of these smoothies came to my 86 yr old parents house and sold them a Vac for $@*)) cdn and with all due respect to my parents neither is fully aware of what happened. The same guys also came to my mother-in-law's house in the same town and tried to PRESSURE her into the same deal. I'm attempting to reverse the sale but they may not have told me about it soon enough ( MOm was embarrased when she realized how much she had spent. RSVP everyone rico898@yahoo.com Posted by: rico898 rne on October 2, 2002 09:57 PM

My parents bought a Tristar a few months ago, it is unbelievable, I put up against our old Kenmore and the Tristar pulled so much more dirt and stuff. Also my Nana has owned one for 20 years, she somehow managed to drop it off the second floor loft of her house and the casing cracked. This happened ten years into the warranty and they replaced it no questions asked. Posted by: Justin on October 21, 2002 04:11 PM

we were bullied into buying a tristar a few months ago. It was the worst mistake we ever made. It is not even worth half the money we paid for it. We have also tried to cancel the sale but with no success. Posted by: Vicki on October 22, 2002 04:09 PM

I can't believe how many closed-minded people there are out there. If you want to live in a filthy environment then go right ahead. But as for me and my familia we appreciate the Tri-Star. Do you think quality comes cheap?? Exactly. I think $1.60 is to much for gas, wouldn't you agree? But for only 25 cents per day for a healthy and clean home is a small price to pay!!! Whether you agree or not. Posted by: Giovanniluigi on October 24, 2002 08:58 AM

We bought a Tristar in 1995 and we love it. The only problem I have is we have since moved and other distributors won't honor the Service & Maintenance Certificate that was given to us when we purchased it. They said they are independently owned & operated and if I want to have mine serviced or cleaned, I have to pay for their "certificate", which is $200 or more. I have been battling with the local distributor, the corporate Tristar office and the headquarters overseeing the distributors. They say if you move, you are out of luck. However, when you buy one, they tell you that no matter where you live, as long as there is an authorized distributor in your area, they will honor the contract. Not true!!!! Finally, after many phone calls & emails, I received a phone call saying they will honor everything. I think if you spend that amount of money on a vacuum cleaner, you should still be able to utilize the twice per year cleaning & servicing even if you move, especially when there are distributors everywhere. I am interested in finding out if other people have experienced the same thing. But other than that, I truly love the quality and cleaning capabilities of the Tristar. Posted by: Kelli on October 26, 2002 01:50 PM

I have a Compact purchased 2nd hand in 1970 and I love it! Now my kids got me the new one and I even love it better. I have had Electrolux, Kirby, and Fantom for use and they can't touch it. P>S> I did not pay an arm and a leg for my Vacuums. and the salesman dixed the trunk of my car FREE. So there, all you nay sayers/ Posted by: Joan on November 4, 2002 05:26 PM

I have recently been solicited by a Tristar independent representative. I decided not to purchase right away for reasons of personal convictions / philosophies. I am interested in hearing what others have to say about this product and the warranties, etc. It did appear to be a fairly good quality product, however, I am a bit leery about spending 1600-1900 bucks on a vacuum cleaner. I can buy a reliable, albeit used BMW motorcycle for that amount of money. Request feedback for the public at large with regard to this company and the product mentioned. Thank you in advance, David I can be contacted at: Manson_D@msn.com Posted by: David on November 5, 2002 11:55 PM

i recently had a tristar salesman visit our house and show their vacuum. i was impressed with its ability to clean but i didnt like the way he slammed kirby. i have owned many kirby machines and have liked them. i also told him i would like to do some research on this machine because i was not familiar with the name. he didnt care for that considering i wanted to go online to get the info with him still in my house. i still havent found any good sites with info on their machine. any one know of any? Posted by: Michael on November 25, 2002 07:14 PM

I have to install a new fan on my kirby G4. I once came across instructions from some forum on how to do this at home, but since our computer crashed I have lost that info. I am wondering if anyone here knows how I can install the new fan on my Kirby. THANK YOU THANK YOU Cheryl Posted by: Cheryl on December 9, 2002 01:06 PM

Get a life people. This is fucking stupid Posted by: Anon on January 1, 2003 06:25 PM

OUR FINANCE COMPANY LOCATED IN CHARLOTTE, NC HAS ACQUIRED DOZENS OF BRAND NEW (IN BOX) FROM THE FACTORY KIRBY GENERATION -5 VACUUMS WHICH WE ARE SELLING TO VACUUM SHOPS ACROSS HE COUNTRY ...WE ALSO HAVE THOUSANDS OF VACUUM PARTS AND ACCESSORIES TO KIRBY PRODUCTS FROM THE GEN 3-5 MODELS...IF INTERESTED OR NEEDING MORE INFORMATION AND PRICING INFO PLEASE CALL GEMINI SYSTEMS FINANCE INC @ 704-258-0511 OR E-MAIL AT GEMINISYSINC@AOL.COM Posted by: WILLIAM MATTHEWS on January 30, 2003 01:35 PM

i have been in the vacum business for 17 years. We fix all brands so we are not partial to one in particular. the tri star is a well built vacuum but there are other machines that clean as well or better for 1/3 the cost. As for the filtration argument...if you filter out 1/100 of a pound of fine dirt (out of the air in your home) in two or three vacuumings, what happens when you open a window or door. guess what...it all comes back. I believe you would have to live in a sealed environment for the filtration system to show any medical benefits. Posted by: Brian on February 12, 2003 02:29 PM

I am a Tristar rep.and i'm not bloodsucking or a liar as some say.i've been with the company for quite some time now and i can honestly say they do everything they promise.the warrinties are unbeatable and they do live up to their service.if your having problems with finding service for your machine feel free to e-mail me and i'll let you know who can help you and where to go.as for die hard kirby people who think its the best this is just an fyi if you put a kirby hose and a tristar hose together and turn them on the tristar will accually reverse the kirby motor and compress the bag.not all sales people are bad.the ones that are have given us who are not a bad reputation please try to remember that.i don't like pushy nasty sales people either but there are some good ones out there. Posted by: aron on February 12, 2003 11:26 PM

one more thing i only wish we made 1000-2000 dollars a sale.we're selling tristars not cars the profit margin is not even close.and the tristars bought anywhere besides an authorised dealer are used,referbished,no warranty,and can not be serviced-all machines are tracked its illegal to sell them on the internet dealers are not allowed and neither is anyone eles.so if you buy it on the net the company will not honnor warranties or service it they check the # to see where it came from. Posted by: aron on February 12, 2003 11:41 PM

aron...are you sure you want to make a statement like this... "just an fyi if you put a kirby hose and a tristar hose together and turn them on the tristar will accually reverse the kirby motor and compress the bag" Think for a while before you make a false statement. you cannot reverse the kirby motor. if you place your hand over the hose on the kirby and shut off the air flow to the bag it will deflate on its own. i am not a kirby lover or salesman, for the record I would not own one due to the weight. The "put the hoses together and suck the bag flat" is an old trick used by tristar, filter queen, and electrolux salespeople. I think that the tristar is a good quality machine and cleans well, but it will NOT reverse a kirby motor. In our town the checkout price for a tristar is around 1200 dollars, so if the guy that shows up at your door gets 2500.00 out of you then the profit is 1300.00. let me know if my math is wrong. Posted by: Brian on February 13, 2003 12:07 PM

Hi. Can anybody here help me find a web site that shows visual diagrams, or exploded views on how to take apart the old Tri Star vacuum models yourself to fix? We're talking a possible 15 year old model here. My dad takes it apart and fixes it himself whenever something goes wrong with it. However, recently it's gotten a tad bit more complicated for him, and he'd like to have some sort of blueprint or exploded view to give him a set of guidelines to follow. Kind of like a memory sheet so every part is described, and shown being put in its rightful spot. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Posted by: sunkenstate on February 14, 2003 12:39 PM

i could be wrong but i have never heard of a tristar selling for 2500 at the very most about 1697. depending on the state.and my commission has never reached triple digits on one machine.you have to understand that even though a sales person is an independent contractor we still work for a corporation in a way and only see a certin percentage of what is made.its a business like any other theres cost of product bills to pay people to pay.us nor the company makes as much as you think. Posted by: aron on February 15, 2003 11:04 PM

Any Compact Vacuum experts or history buffs out there?... Can anyone tell me who I can contact to determine the age of my 2nd hand Compact vacuum cleaner? Where can I get the best value to purchase replacement parts, particularly the rubber bumper on the floor tool, new hose, and replacement carpet attachment? I really would like to find out when my machine was manufactured. Posted by: Jody on February 16, 2003 09:49 PM

you can either contact a local disributer or go on their web site www.tristarclean.com go to the contact us link and give them the serial number off the machine and they can give you any information you need. Posted by: aron on February 18, 2003 07:43 PM

I have an old 1960 model G electrolux vacuum cleaner that acquired when I purchased my 1950's brick ranch. I was going to throw it out when i found it, but it works great and I cannot part with it now. Does anyone know where you can order parts for this old machine, I need replacement wheels at the moment. I have searched all sites on the web for replacement parts and cannot find anything for a model this old. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Posted by: PHIL on February 23, 2003 09:19 PM

Well after reading these posts I gotta say that I may have paid more than I should have. But I absolutely LOVE my TriStar (About as much as you can love a vacuum I suppose) What truly sold me was the fact that I used to own a Kirby and I still vividly remember that demonstration. And what the TriStar salesman was eluding to was absolutely correct. When the Kirby guy demoed his machine he didn't do it with the bag in the unit but with something they called their "Collector" they did not demo it with their own bag in it, and emptied it frequently. And then after the sale the guy puts on the bag and then zips it up. I later learned that they do this because there is a disclaimer on the bag that says it will clog if you put dust in it! I may have been a little gullible in not haggeling with our salesman from TriStar but I simply do have to say that my machine is awesome. No I am NOT a Salesman or do I work for TriStar, but I would and always will recomend them to anyone who truly wants a clean home. If you're like me, then protecting your furnishings are very important BUT......the first price is not the ONLY price, so be firm. (Wish I woulda!) God bless. Posted by: Marc on February 25, 2003 11:43 PM

We had a guy hear last night trying to sell us a tristar. Although the product maybe good I can get one brand new in the box for $800US from a reputable dealer who is a member of the BBB. The guy was selling me one for $1600US and his company is not a member of the BBB. I have been doing much research on vacuums as I have severe asthma. Meile has been rated the number one vacuum for allergies and asthma. I can get one for $499US. Not bashing the Tristar product only the business practices. When they use lines like "we only want your opinion on a product it will take 10 to 15 minutes" and "we are not selling anything" then push it on the consumer for over and hour, this to me is a very bad way to do business. I own a million dollar business and I can't fathom how these business owners sleep at night. If you got one cheap or inherited it, keep it, it is a good product but if your shopping around look into a Meile or a Sabo. At least you won't get lines and schtick. Posted by: Craig on March 1, 2003 10:43 AM

My brother-in-law has been employed selling triStar for one week, he refused to work there anymore now he knows there scare-mongering selling tactics. He was told he had to demonstrate this cleaner to our family and my grandma was fooled enough to buy one not for the £2500 that everybody else had to pay, but for the employers and friends discount of £1500. The demonstration was biased and showed nothing but sales gimmicks, putting bits of white filter paper inbetween the pipes and trappped in the lid, sucking up metal balls, sucking up sand (it was a demo model for gods-sake) and at the end of the day not any better than any other cleaner that cost around £250-£400. Our dyson is more practical and powerful at just £250. Anyway finally when my grandma's cleaner arrived it was of course different to the demo one - you had to buy bags and filters (Our dyson has lifetime guarantees and no bags) and had only 2 years guarantee. My brother in law was on a fixed wage and was told he gets £250 commision on each machine. Something has to be done about this company they shouldnt be allowed to operate this way, they even pressure there own employees to sell to there family, I was left wondering how many gullable people have bought these cleaners for £2500 and what I found out was frightning. The didnt wont to know at all about a refund, just as long as they get there dosh thats the end of it. Posted by: Rob on March 1, 2003 11:06 AM

My husband and I were visited by a tristar employee last night & were a little bothered by the way they treat (would have been) future tristar owners. The guy was really pushy & when we asked how much the vac. costs he handed us a paper that said $2,398.00. Then he proceeded by asking us what we thought of the price. In my opinion I don't want to spend over 1,000 for a vacuum. I am sure there are other vacuums out there that are just as good for a lower price. But, we were still considering buying the vac. if he was willing to negotiate. But he was not. After we told him that we wanted to spend around 1,000 he said okay & started packing his stuff. He said he didn't want to waste his time w/ us if we didn't like the price. Then he called his boss w/ our phone & said about 3x that we didn't want to pay over 1,000. (On our phone). And he was a real jerk about it. Posted by: Melissa on March 4, 2003 06:05 PM

Well, I bought one from my son (Yeah, I know!). It did cost a lot, and I had second thoughts because it just didn't seem to perform as described, but was told it was impossible to return it. They would be glad to trouble shoot it, though. I gave up and decided to live with it. It actually is pretty good, but try to find parts!!! I've been trying to locate the secondary filter for the thing forever at a decent price. Local dealer wants $16.95 for one filter, that you are supposed change after every six bags. Well, I can't find one, so I am using my old Panasonic upright. Still owe $1200 on the Tristar, but it is one expensive machine to run, and the secondary filter is never offered as a part on line. I vaccuum every other day because of my four dogs, and can go through six bags in a week--that's $880.40 a year. There must be someplace where I can get that filter cheaper. Tried to buy one from Canada, but it couldn't be shipped to a US address. Any suggestions? Posted by: Steve on March 11, 2003 07:49 PM

Tristars.. reconditioned Tristars, get them here at reduced prices. The Tristar is the best in home cleaning system there is. Come get your Tristar for less. Posted by: beckie on March 16, 2003 01:44 PM

I was a Kirby Distributor for over 10 years. The product is great! The price gauging is horrible. You can actually purchase a new Kirby for about $600 if you know how to wheel and deal. If you don't, your likely to pay $2000.00. I do believe, however, that $1200.00 is a fair price to pay for the product. The sales tactics that are taught by the company are horrible. If they would just sell their product the right way, at a reasonable price, they would be a great company to be associated with. Posted by: Withheld on March 29, 2003 05:29 PM

I have owned a TriStar since October 1997 (new) and the traveling saleswoman was real good talker for sure. We had a distributor here at the time under a different name than TriStar, but they are no longer around. She had me sold within an hour's time and I have never been one to fall so easily for traveling sales gimmics. Knew what to say and how to present the product. hmmm I have to admit I didn't replace the filters as they told me to, but even still it has run well for me up until now, and I have been happy with it except for the price I had to originally pay. I paid way too much for it far as I am concerned. I paid $1750 for mine. My TurboBrush power is not working now and I wondered if Aron or someone here could tell me how to get it fixed because we no longer have a distributor in our city here in Montana, and I can't find things online that will help me. My limited warranty is up in October this year, so I wanna get that powerbrush fixed and running now while its still under warranty. Aron you still there? Or anybody else who can help me with some info. on distributors ??? Many thanks.... RC Posted by: Rebecca on April 8, 2003 01:25 PM

Posted by: Rebecca on April 8, 2003 01:28 PM

Go here Becca..........www.TriStarClean.com You have a manufatures warranty. TriStar has the best customer service I've found. Click my name and away with you. They'll tell you where to go. Posted by: Blah on April 13, 2003 12:40 AM

i'm a current rep for tri star and i believe in what i sell. its a really good machine strong and durable. 110 pounds of suction power, windspeed of 82 mph. Kenmore between 40-50. Electrolux around 80 pounds. Magnesium die-cast alloy casing is lighter than aluminum, stronger than steel. Weighing a light 8.5 pounds it's easy to move around. It has a double bearing lamb motor and its cord is reinforced with piano wire and nylon. The motor is supposed to last 11500 hours. That's one hour a day for 31 years. It cleans near maximum efficiency by cyclonic action through high and low pressure causing the dirt to spin hence always having an area in the bag that is not clogged. Other inline systems on the market have on the bag, "beware that dirt clogs the bag". Proven to lose 60-80% of efficiency after 8-12 minutes of useage, all other vaccuum cleaners with the inline system suffer from loss of power. When we clean we should demand near maximum cleaning efficiency from our vaccuums. Why settle for less? A carpenter is only as good as his tools. So we can clean only as good as our vaccuum cleaner. The TriStar is a winner since it allows airflow to pass over the dirt rather than through the dirt. So when you clean you know you are consistent with the TriStar versus other vaccuums that clog up and spit out dirt. Or even worse leave lots of dirt behind for you to breathe. How nice!!!. TRISTARS are excellent machines worth your investment to your health and well being. Use it with pride. Use it with confidence. Posted by: TriStar REP on April 16, 2003 01:13 AM

I would like to inform you about the tri-star reps. They are commisson sales people even though they will flat out lie to you and tell you that they are non commisson sales just to get in your door. this is a lie they make anywhere from $250 to $500 per a sale... You are paying the that money out of your pocket!!! I was offered a tri-star at $800... So all of you that paid over $800 need to beaware of how badley you were ripped off! And hopefully this will help other people not to fall into that same trap! I should know I am a tri-star rep. Posted by: Ainsleiy on April 22, 2003 09:55 PM

I am not interested in the quality of one vac verse the next. I want to warn everyone I can that Tristar is not a company you want to work for. New trainies are promised a $500 'sign-on bonus.' This bonus is payed in incriments of $100 after 30 days $200 in 60 and $200 in 90. Training is unpaid and takes four days everyday more people are cut from the program and receive nothing for their time. If you do make the final cut you are promised $15 per hour and at two hours per show at 20 shows per week it looks like fair money. But like all the other Tristar lies it turns out you are solely comission based. By the time they let you in on this secret you've already done eight or more shows thus you're exspecting a $240+ check, there's not one comming. I hope if you are thinking of becoming a Tristar rep you will give it a second thought and if you are thinkng of becoming a Tristar customer you will purchase a fine vacuum other than a Tristar product. Please pass this informaton on and alow Tristar to quietly slip into the night of bankruptcy. Thankyou. Posted by: RIPtristar on April 22, 2003 10:19 PM

I have been a Tri-star customer since 1994. I LOVE my machine. I have used it a great deal and it has always performed VERY well. I have had normal wear & tear issues with it but we have a local independent vacuum repair shop in my town that can fix any problems so far. I will also note that on the bottom of the cleaner should be Tristars 1-800 number to locate a local repair/distributor. This machine cleans better than ANY machine I have ever seen. The repair store I took it to did a compression check on it for me and said that it has better compression than any machine he was aware of. He is NOT a Tristar dealer and works on all makes and models. In general, I don't like any door to door sales people and after reading this page and remembering my own experience with Tri-Star salespeople, I honestly believe that all area must have their own values and morals they want to pass on to their customers. I originally purchased my first machine for $1800 and called the next day to cancel since I could not afford the machine. I ended up purchasing it for $700.00. Yesterday I bought the "newer" style for $400.00. I will note that this was a 1 year old used machine being sold due to the previous owners death and the finance company wanted to sell it for the payoff. It was sold by a distributor and they will continue to honor the original warantee. I have nothing but praise for this vacuum. Sales people come and go and I would say "shame on you" to the scroatbag hard core sales people out there because they are screwing with the reputation of a wonderful product. I will continue to recommend this vacuum to everyone I meet that asks my opinion. For Steve, you should be able to order the replacement paper bags, the cloth bags, and the additional filters on line for a very reasonable price. I can get 12 of the paper bags for $13.00-$15.00. I will note as well that you need to be sure to get the bags that are for compact & Tri-star models if you buy them from a general repair shop. Something about the 2 fan (or filter)system (?) and the thicker paper bags will not allow as much of the air flow to go through, potentially heating up your motor. Anyway, Tri-Star has a life long customer with me and my family. My mother also has one. Posted by: Kathy on April 23, 2003 10:58 AM

Well my brother worked for Kirby for a week and they never paid him for his hard work. He was told he had to see 15 houses and do a demo of the machine. He would be paid the 400 dollars "starting pay". That never happend. On his last day of the week they told him they didn't have any appointments for him. So when he went to receive his pay they explained to him that the total 15 houses werent seen . So you would think he would get some kind of pay right.WRONG. They gave him nothing. RipStar is right. They lie though there teeth. Don't work for these people. Riptristar, do you know of a phone # or an email so I could contact the main company and complain. Posted by: Patrick on April 29, 2003 05:41 AM

Yea, Tristar's gonna go bankrupt. Hmmmmm.......been around for over 65 years so far. (Not likely bud) Hey here's an idea. Read your Independant Contractors Aggreement. Just because you don't have the nads to be a salesman, don't take it out on the company. They told you IN WRITING. All you had to do was read, but that was too much. The machine is the best and they are very easy to sell. Who wouldn't want a machine that doesn't clog up or lose power? Posted by: Blah on April 30, 2003 12:15 AM

lol BLAH. The main branch understands what this distributor did was wrong and they cut my brother a check in full for his hard work. This wasn't about the company it was about a aurthorizes dealer. Get the facts straight. Oh by the way how many vacuums did you sell your first week. Posted by: Patrick on April 30, 2003 04:34 PM

Sold my first 3. Have closed about 50% ever since. You're right I don't know ALL the facts but I've heard the complaint before. I knew the deal and so does everyone who works with me. You're either cut out for it or you aint. But the first rule is to protect yourself. That being READ the paper that you sign. Posted by: Blah on April 30, 2003 11:02 PM

just getting some stuff off my cheest. those filterqueen mfers told me $25 per demo. but then ended up telling me, after a week or so of going to training and shit, that i had to get 15 of my own appointments. im a fucken college student...and those mfers tried to put all type of restrictions on who i could do my demos with. no low income, no college students, no renters...man what the fuck. FUCK BOTH OF EM. I WASTED MY TIME, WHEN I COULDA BEEN LOOKIN FOR ANOTHER JOB. FUCK FILTERQUEEN. KISS MY ASS. Posted by: FUCK TRISTART FUCK FILTERQUEEn on May 4, 2003 01:37 PM

Hey, I work at Kirby Vacuums as a sales rep. Do I get to keep the vaccum if I quit? Please email me at thahn@email.com and let me know. Thanks Posted by: Billy bob on May 5, 2003 09:44 PM

Hey, I work at Kirby Vacuums as a sales rep. Do I get to keep the vaccum if I quit? Please email me at thahn@email.com and let me know. Thanks Posted by: Billy bob on May 5, 2003 09:44 PM

I have recently quit my job at Tristar because I could not respect what I was doing anymore. I worked there for about 2 and a half months. I have never met such liars in my life. In my opinion, if you win a bonus, then you should get a bonus, no questions asked. Not so with Tristar. I had to ask for it about 4 times and have never received it. The manager always says he is going to talk to the owner and the owner says he's going to talk to the manager about it. Liars. I do think that the tristar is a good machine but is not worth anywhere near the $2698 we charged for it. I was good at it and I did close at a high percentage but in my opinion when you've lost your dignity, you've lost it all. They teach you a lot of scumbag lines and promise you lots of money and advancement but I would rather hump a dead moose than advance with that company. It all comes down to pressuring people. That's all it is. Pressure. I knew within the first minute of meeting the customer whether or not I had a sale. I quit right after I sold one to an 86 year old lady... for cost price. Cost price my ass. There's no way that machine costs $1550 to make. Both my bosses are scumbag liars, and it is true - door to door vacuum salespeople are bottom feeding bloodsucking low-lives. I am 20 years old and I never want to be associated with another business of the sort. I don't know how these people sleep at night because I know I couldn't. Now I can. Posted by: Never work for Tristar on May 7, 2003 09:52 PM

Folks, I repeat my question: Anyone know where I can get the secondary filter for a TriStar, rather than trying to coordinate meeting up with the local sales coordinator--whose phone number and Address I lost :-( I live in Stafford, VA. Posted by: Steve on May 18, 2003 05:01 PM

I have worked for tristar about four months and got tired of them ripping me off pay as well as the customers. Do it if you want but check who you are working for. P.S. the machine is great but not worth 2000.00....... Posted by: upset on May 21, 2003 03:00 PM

Jeez guys, did you realize that you could have spent the $2000 to buy a second home in Portugal outright! For $10,000 you could buy a small farm with 50 acres. Better still, use the money to load up on guns & protect yourselves from these daylight robbers. Posted by: Astounded on May 26, 2003 05:54 AM

I think the people at Dyson should have a customer relations session. I feel we have been treated shoddily. I purchased what has been my third Dyson. The saving grace of the last two was the excellent service by the repair people, who are contracted to do repairs to these machines. Not so this one. I actually purchased a brand new model The Dyson Animal in August last year. However because we were doing major renovations to the house, it was not used until January, when all the new carpets were fitted. It broke down in March. I rang Dyson who told me that an engineer would call and would need proof of purchase, which had been lost during the building work. I explained that it was a new model, and I was told that I could have put ANY date on the registration card. Yes I can understand all this but the model hadn't been out 12 months, and the vaccuum was guaranteed 2 years, so how could I be trying to pull a fast one. Surely they have records that they could look into. A more competent company would have. No they do not have records, and anyway if the fault as she explained was merely a blockage,and I should wash the filter as directed in the manual, or they would have to charge the call out fee of £45. I checked everything for blockages and rang back, "it sounds like a blockage, check the rocket part, sometimes dirt gets lodged in there, and blocks it" Well I am not a spaceman, they should check the ruddy rocket". I then took it to a vaccuum repair centre to avoid more hastle.It could be the filter, would you put a new one in? I asked. They rang Dyson, because the model was so new they hadn't had one in, Dyson told them they weren't issuing parts because it was a new model.The repair company checked all filters at a cost of £11.95. I took the vacuum home,and it cut out seconds after it was switched on , it needed time to cool before being switched on, then after a few minutes it cuts out again.....and again.....and again. Dyson still won't repair it without a receipt, sick and tired of it, I rang the wholesalers were I purchased it, and asked them to track the original purchase date, thankfully they did thisand issued me with a copy. They told me that it was a new model when they ordered them, and was covered by a two year guarantee. Grateful I rang Dyson and complained telling them that I was sick of being treated so shoddily, and the least they could do was extend the warrant to cover the time I had been ringing them to ask for a repair. Put it in Writing, they told me. Well if you ask me I would NEVER by a Dyson vacuum again. Posted by: Ricci on May 27, 2003 09:40 AM

I have recently had a Tristar rep in my home "for 10 to 15 minutes to get my opinion on the EXLMG1". They assureded me when they set up the appiontment that I would be under no obligation or pressure to buy. The visit took 2+ hours and after both my husband and I told the Rep in no uncertain terms that we would not buy a vacuum for the amount of money that he was asking, he proceeded to use our own phone to "call his boss" and bash us. He told whoever was on the other end of the line that he couldn't believe the amount of dirt that he had picked up in our home or how people like us would choose to live in such filth. He also claimed that we didn't care about the health and welfare of our children because we didn't buy his vacuum. I would just like to know what happened to them caring about my opinion and how they feel that I was under no pressure to buy? The machine itself looked quite efficient and I would have no problem buying it at a resonable price. I would not buy a machine from anyone coming into my home to insult my intelligence and my housekeeping abilities. Posted by: cred on May 28, 2003 10:00 AM

I suggest you contact a rainbow vacuum representative in your area and get a demonstration. I did and I was amazed and and disgusted by the dirt and dust left behind by my old vacuum. We vacuumed my floor and furniture with my old vacum repeately and then we used the rainbow. The amount of dirt we pulled up was disgusting. It was well worth the investment and I am a healthier person. My allergies have nearly dissapeared. No more waking up in the morning with a sinus headache. I havent had to dust my furniture since I have been using the rainbow. Its amazing. Posted by: Ruth on May 30, 2003 03:35 AM

i want to thank you for the info i received from these post today, i signed up to work with tristar yesturday and right now am currently on our lunch break but i wont be returning for anymore of the meeting.the thing that should have gotten me when i went in for the first interview(which nothing is ever mentioned about selling vacuums *air purifiers* in the interview or the ad for the job, i didnt find out until a half hour into the first day of training that i would be a traveling salesman)is that the guy doing the training is only 19 years of age. i guess that is some kind of marketing ploy or either older adults are smart enough to know better than work for the company. sure the money sounds good, 25 dollar flat pay per visit, sell or no sell, plus bonuses after the sell of 3 vacuums. i just dont think i could look people in the face and tell them the job i have without being ashamed even if the pay was as good as told. good vacuum or not, i wouldnt pay 1799.00 for a vacuum. Posted by: josh on June 5, 2003 01:03 PM

You people are morons, and deserve to be abused by salespeople and preyed upon if you really think that every single TriStar office works the same. I work for Tristar. Do I get paid for each demonstration? No. Am I encouraged to lie or belittle people? No. I am paid only through commission, I am by no means rolling in dough. I visit people because they have invited me into their home. I do not go door-to-door. All appointments are made by our marketing dept., and most are based on referrals. When I get near the end of a demonstration, and call my boss, I'm checking for authorization to offer you a TriStar at a lower price. All of this depends on how our sales quotas are met. It isn't my choice. If I do sell a machine, the household has the option to take the machine I have used for my demonstration, so that they know there was no trick. They're encouraged to try it out, as well. I'm sorry if you've dealt with rude reps, but not all offices encourage this behavior, and you're an idiot if you think you can judge an entire company based on a single employee. As for the employment process, we weren't wheedled out each day. 10 of us were asked to come to a second interview, and 5 of us were hired after that. Considering many office jobs put you through many more hoops, I don't know how you can complain. We go through four days of very heavy training. The owner of our store pulled strings so that the 5 of us who trained together could get more practice doing demonstrations before we were let loose. It also bears noting that every household we visit gets a free gift, at an almost $200 value, and is entered in a raffle to win a $100 shopping spree. SUCH a price to pay for an hour and a half of your time! I'd like to also say this: when I told some family friends that I was selling TriStar, they became very excited, as they both had owned TriStars for over 15 years, and were very happy. Bring me any model of vacuum on the market, and I can show you how they fail. It doesn't matter if they're a canister, an upright, or a tank. Kirby gets shot down, as does Rainbow, and Electrolux. Posted by: Sark on June 5, 2003 10:42 PM

hmm..sounds like rainbow, kirby, and tristar are all using the same pitches, claims, and methods of operation. well, one thing i can say is, just for facts, the kirby ultimate g beats anything else...or so we are told. as of this year its the most powerful on the market, making firm claims to bring any other company to the comparison test. as for the person who mentioned "i know it doesnt cost 1500 to make that thing" its true, though it wasnt in reference to a kirby, the more incredible vacuums dont cost that much to make, the real thing is how much money everyone in the company makes off of it. its a numbers game. many "distributors" who are nothing more than ascended "dealers" make in excess of $100,000 a year. its straight on sales, there is no investment in a retail store, advertising etc. rather a massive number of hardworking individuals doing unpaid labor with a few lucky breaks. i was conned by a deceptive classified employment ad into the business..."GREAT opportunities, guarantees, etc" supposedly, but they dont hold water in real practice unless youre a snake. its all about getting the sale, the high pressure tactics are real. as long as you word it right supposedly its not lying. Posted by: guy who works for kirby on June 9, 2003 02:42 AM

This is a long discussion board, placed on Mart 2002 and still people are reacting. I am suprised by the reactions and prices for the TriStar. Since 2000 I am a distributor in Europe for TriStar, therefor I was a Distributor for Kirby. I switch to the TriStar becourse of the selling price. The TriStar cost in Europe 1695 Euro (about 1600 dollar) no more but also NO LESS.There is also a normal hose with attachments to it. I am selling vacuum cleaners for 14 years now and I know that there are salespeople, I don't want to visit me. Even as a officeholder you don't know everything thats happend on a demo. A demonstration can be "a pain in the ass" by the sales person BUT ALSO BY THE COSTUMER. More then 5.000 demonstrations I've don, so I know were I am talking about.Afcourse I gonna tell you that I am not anoying on the demonstration and the costumer have a choice after 45 minutes if he/she is interested in the product, if so we show in another 45 minutes the rest of the product and the way of paying. The costumer received a nice present from us and we get everywere leads to make new appointments.We are working very hard for good service to our costumers becourse we are also selling other products, and its still...if the costumer is happy about your office, they will buy more products from you. For that reason we give every 2 years service for almost free (the bags are a little bit more expencive)at the Tristar.If you want to see more information you can look at our new site (under construction)www.vortexeurope.nl A lot of questions I have read on this pages will be answered there about HOW TO ..... and FAQ. If you want to have the service and happy sales people (most of them are woman) you will have to move to Europe. Posted by: Ton on June 9, 2003 03:54 PM

We have a Kirby G-6 and I would not trade it for nothing. I love a clean house and I love the convience of shampooing in just a few minutes, whenever I want. Yes, the vacuums are expensive, but they are really worth it. Why buy 5-10 vacuums when you can buy just one and have it forever. Posted by: Tracy on June 12, 2003 11:38 AM

I saw an ad in the paper for TriStar reps, and I took it since I didn't have a job. I just graduated from high school, I went through two days of training yesterday and today, and I decided I needed to research this company, because I had never heard of it. I must say, these comments have given me a lot to think about. The trainers told me I'd get $500 a week, plus weekly and monthly bonuses. On top of that they had all these prizes I could win for selling this weekend. It did seem unrealistic to offer a trip to the top executive's house in the Keys just for selling five cleaners. Something that just didn't fit was that the product is supposed to help with allergies, asthma, and breathing in general, and all the guys in the office are heavy smokers! My dad is a top sales rep for a solid company and he told me from the beginning that the job probably wouldn't pan out, and that they probably did a lot of firing and hiring (high employee turnover). I guess now I know what he's talking about. I'm just glad I did the research to see what other people had to say! Seriously, thanks -- I'm going to quit. Posted by: Ex TriStar Trainee on June 12, 2003 06:19 PM

I just have to laugh my ass off at these pukes!!!!! (Sniff) "The customer didn't lay out a red carpet for me and beg me to sell them my product!!!!" Waaaaaaaaa..........Good god! Call it what you want. Disguise it as company blah blah blah.....YOU ARE WEAK! Period. What's the mark up on a car? A house? ANYTHING???? Do you really want to know? What is quality worth? If you WANT quality, then you will PAY for quality. You will find customers that accept nothing other than quality and then you will meet pigs who will give you a reason to wallow in the filth. Period. If you can't convince a pig to stop rooting in the muck........then leave the pig to his filth. Now if you can't convince someone of sound mind to get rid of the dirt in their own home.....I got no pity for you. You have no place as a salesman. But DON'T try and sound like you're above a company that has the only machine that can cure the problem. A skateboard and a Porche will get you from point A to point B.........What are you driving? You want quality, then you pay for it. You quitters can wash my Porche. Posted by: Blah on June 15, 2003 04:02 AM

I also have had a tri-star demo at my house and although the thing seems to work well, ~$2K is just too damn much for a vacuum cleaner, period. I was a Filter Queen salesman and the Tri-Star presentation is dalmost the same, damn near verbatim. So who's telling the truth? Both? Neither? Just don't pay that much for a vacuum. They're on ebay for around $300. I'd pay that much for one though. I repair and service vacuum cleaners for a living, and ALL vacuums that have filter bags, or canisters with filters, have decreased airflow within seconds after the machine is turned on. Has a salesperson ever had an airflow meter attached to prove to you that airflow is not diminished at all after the thing was turned on? No, because they can't back up that claim. And you can run any other vacuum over a spot cleaned by another vacuum and still pick up dirt. You can always pick up more, it can always be cleaner. And hepa filtration is a damn joke. Unless your furnace filter is HEPA, you're not cleaning the air in your entire home by simply running your vacuum cleaner a few hours a month. Ductwork holds dead skin, mold, etc. and cannot be cleaned very well, despite what Stanley Steamer might have you think. So unless your vacuum is going to be crawling through there and cleaning them out, your $2K vacuum isn't going to live up to the hype that sold it. On a side note, the comment about it being "illegal" for someone to sell tri-star outside of tri-star is B.S. If that were true, you'd never find a chevy at a ford dealership, and vice versa. Posted by: Rob on June 16, 2003 09:58 PM

I had a Tristar rep visit today and decided to go for it @ $1811.25 ($2357.32 after financing for 3 yrs). I really liked the vacuum and have already put it to the test and it does clean great BUT after reading some of the posts I realize that I am paying to much so I am signing the "notice of cancellation" and going over to the distributor HQ to drop it off with the vacuum. I will keep everyone posted. I will buy the same vacuum from ABC Vacuum (http://www.abcvacuumwarehouse.com/xq/asp.vacdetails/DBID.639/ID.TriStar+EXL+Demonstrator+Model/qx/abc.htm) for $895 and I am sure it will also do the job as the model I got. As for the salesguy, he did a great job presenting the machine and did not use pressure tactics. I asked him if he was commissions based and was very honest about it. In fact, the only pressure we felt was saying no because the machine performed so well. I just wished I had negotiated some more on the price. I did get him to agree to throw in the air purifier with the deal. Posted by: ed on June 19, 2003 10:48 PM

im looking for info on the filter queen vaccuums just purchased a used one with no books i would like to have an idea on some of these attachments thank you nee Posted by: nee on June 20, 2003 08:24 AM

ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO GET A FILTER QUEEN IN HOME DEMONSTRATION DONE IN YOUR AREA ? Posted by: JIM on June 20, 2003 08:40 AM

I bought a TriStar EXL a few months ago and simply love it! Unfortunately, the power from the hose to the powerhead has been interrupted. It initially acted like there was a bad connection, then it just quit. I didn't get any paperwork when I got it to register it or contact the manufacturer. Please, no sermons. Anyway, anyone out there that could help? trucking@writeme.com Posted by: Linda on June 20, 2003 12:22 PM

i just bought a Kirby Ultimate G vacuum from a salesman for $800. Did I get a good deal or not? The starting price was $1800. Posted by: Dana on June 30, 2003 12:44 AM

I bought my TriStar 14 years ago for $600.00. I had a Kirby before and hated it, had to have it reconditioned twice then just gave up on it. My Tristar has been in service for these 14 years with minor problems that I could fix myself. Love it! Best purchase I've ever made in a vacuum cleaner Posted by: debbie on July 1, 2003 11:41 AM

Thanks everyone for your comments! We had TriStar rep in our house today. We were thinking about buying it because it sounded like a good vacuum and they cut the price in half. But after reading your comments I see that the price is still too high. Also they told us that you NEVER have to replace the bag or anything else! And now I read that I'll have to replace bags! Now I can't trust them, and I'm not going to let them trick me! So thanks everyone! You really helped me! Posted by: NB on July 8, 2003 03:09 AM

I am a Tristar rep in Tenn and have read all the posts on this site and can say only one thing. Pick 500 people and ask them which is a better truck; Dodge, Ford, or Chevy? The thing with the representatives from tristar dealers is that they are all individuals and an individual can only be trusted individually. All salesmen are not pigs and not all pigs are salesmen. There are things about the office that I work out of that I do not like and 75% of the time I close a deal myself. I warn the people whose home I am in that I do have to call in and if I have been told that they are not interested in owning a Tristar I tell them that my manager can be pushy. I have gone into a home the same time as a Rainbow salesman and had to get the homeowner to talk the guy into trying to show the Rainbow head to head against the Tristar. Wonder why the Rainbow guy was so reluctant to do that? I sold the unit I had. Go figure. Yes I am a salesman, the guy that sold you your car was a salesman, the person who connected your cell phone was a salesman. GEEWHIZ! On a final note, If you can't talk to people then don't work for a sales based organization, and when you figure out how to put a price on your body then let me know so I can sell my units for that amount.....Until then I remain professional and courtious to the people whose home I am in and no does mean no. Posted by: Andre on July 8, 2003 12:26 PM

NB.......Congratulations!! You have made your commitment. You have proven that even though you are a shrewd customer that you are still willing to commit to the filth. How happy you must be. The "Inner" liner should be replaced as needed. (Usually about 4-6 months) however the CLOTH liner can be washed and used indefinetly. Just remember the next time you push around that dirt squirting pile of garbage you have now, how lucky you are not to have a clean home........until next year when you have to buy another one. When is a vacuum broken? When it stops making noise, or when it stops picking up dirt? Remember that when you buy your next plastic fantastic piece of crap. And then try and remember what we showed you right in your very own home. Your home costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.........so it only makes sense to protect it with a hundred dollar plastic vacuum huh? People like you do not deserve a clean home and I'm glad you didn't fall for our "Tricks" But luckily all of our VERY satisfied customers, can't see your house from theirs. TriStar is the best machine there is....PERIOD! Posted by: Blah on July 9, 2003 04:01 AM

this is for Blah.... Ok guy, it is the attitude like yours that makes some of our jobs difficult. Here you are blasting ppl because they didn't want a Tristar and putting them down. I can honestly say that if I knew you and you showed any of the attitude you post here in my home I would throw your arse out...the window! I have not sold every home i have been in but I have made some friends and those friends get me into their friends homes. I understand that you need a place to vent but idoicy is not a requirement for venting. I don't know about you but I encourage my clients to look into Tristar and find out for themselves about the product, not just from the demonstration but from any source they can find. You, my fellow distributer have issues and maybe need a bit of counseling. Get over it man. Posted by: Andre on July 9, 2003 10:28 AM

Andre, I don't like argueing on the internet because it is pretty pointless, but listen up sport. I was selling TriStars in Baghdad when you were still in your dads bag. We don't have "Clients" okay. What are you a broker? The only person that put someone down was you. And I work for the same company as you. When someone puts down MY company, I stand up for it. You should maybe do the same. I've never "Tricked" anyone into getting a clean home. And if the truth sounds a bit rough .....so be it. The bottom line is keep the TriStar or keep the dirt. Remember that on your next demo champ. Posted by: Blah on July 10, 2003 11:28 AM

Good word Andre! I wish all salesmen were like you! Good attitude and respect for other people. I probably would buy vaccuum from you, but I wouldn't buy it from Blah! I'm surprised they didn't kick him out from the company yet! I have a question for you Andre! What TriStar vacuums do you sell: EXL or MG1? Could you tell me the difference between them? Thanks. Posted by: NB on July 10, 2003 03:23 PM

Thank you for your notice NB. I am not familar with the EXL model. I only distribute the Mg1 as well as the ministar and the purestar. I will be distrubiting the drystar also. I will check into the EXL and post what I find out in a day or two. As for individuals such as blah, Attitude is ecerything in this business and the ones that don't have the proper kind eventually fall face down and go back to saying "would you like to make that a combo?" So that is always a good thing for everyone involved. OH and blah if you still read this, I do look at everyone who buys a Tristar from me as a client. These people all have my card, my email, and my office and cell phone numbers. This way if they have a problem or wish to utilize their $2,500 certificate then I can help them. So I will be available to my "clients" as long as I represent Tristar. Obviously you can't say the same. Sad!! Posted by: andre on July 13, 2003 04:06 PM

well, we just bought one(cannister type) and for the usual $1698. I'm not a shy person and did complain about the price but whatever.... They gave us an extra $100 off for giving them 20 nonperishables for the food shelf. Do you think I should cancel the sale? I never wanted to spend that much for a vacuum but I also realize that all the big name fancy vacs cost in that range. Perhaps I could get one cheaper from a secondary dealer like ABC but I'm concerned about what sort of value I would be giving up by doing so, on the other hand if they work so great I shouldn't be concerned about a warranty right? As for the sales tactics, not pleased about the way they got us to schedule an appointment. Spouse was told that we would be participating in a short survey about a product, scheduled it on a busy day with no idea that it was a 2 hour sales presentation. That was rude and sneaky of them but no different than many sales tactics from many other companies so I don't believe TriStar is uniquely evil in that respect. As for the salesperson, I did not feel terribly pressured and if I had I would have told him to leave, like I said I'm not shy and if I was I could have just let the dogs in, bet he would have left then, LOL. On the other hand we were an easy sell since we were desperate for a decent vac (6 animal home) and the low end $250 Hoover we had was a piece of crap right from the start. I was casually looking to replace it but feeling very doubtful about how happy I would be even if I bought a $600 dollar Kenmore or Hoover etc. I wanted a machine that cleaned exceptionally well and wouldn't fall apart (cheap plastic) and wasn't godawful heavy and awkward. The TriStar seems to be just the thing. I am impressed with the cleaning power, appalled at the amount of fur it got out of my rugs and couch with just a few swipes, and it's really light and manueverable and very sturdy. I don't think I can break it. I'm sure it's a great product, just wish it didn't cost so damn much. That is really worrying me, I would peacefully pay around $1200 but this is $1800 including the tax. DAMN!!!! that's a lot of money. I could still cancel it....... Posted by: K*** on July 14, 2003 12:34 PM

Dear k, First off let me say congrats on getting a Tristar into your home. I do agree that the price of a new unit is up there, and you could get a cheaper unit from a second hand dealer. Yet a secondhand dealer cannot honor any of the warranties of a Tristar no matter what they say. And no you shouldn't be concerned about the warranties. But isn't it nice to know that they are there? Did you recieve the $2,500.00 cetrificate? And did the representative tell you about the fire warranty? That is your insurance for the everyday "just in case" scenario. There is not much to tell you about your purchase except if you sit down and add up all the things you have already bought for your home in cleaning supplies since you have lived on your own, meaning away from your parents, to include Frebreeze, incense, candles, love my carpet, air freshener, vacum bags, vacums, and other such disposable products then you can start to see how much money you have wasted on products that were temporary and how much you would have continued to spend on these things. Now you can forgo many of these purchases for decades and know that your home smells just as clean and IS just as clean if not cleaner. Would it help you any if you looked at the Tristar in your home as an investment and not just another purchase? Since this is something that you will have and will work 25, 30,35,50,60, years down the road it is truly an investment in your home and for your health. The primary reason for this investment is located on this site. See what you've been missing all these years. http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/factsheets/013-97.htm This will take you to the University of Nebraska Then do a search on Dust mites and read what you find. It will surprise you.. Posted by: Andre on July 15, 2003 11:05 AM

Dear NB..... The difference between the exl and the mg1 models of the tristar are few but significant. Basically it comes down to new ideas and innovations in technology. The EXL is an older less powerful model with less suction and a heavier casing(about 2.5 lbs heavier than the MG1). An Mg1 will out perform the EXL on every test we do, including removing particles as small as .2 microns from carpets and furniture. At the same time it will not allow anything larger than .3 microns to pass thru the filtration system.. Hope I awnsered your question. Posted by: andre on July 17, 2003 11:12 AM

Take it from someone who used to carry an EXL to the door. The MG1 is much lighter. It is also 4 decibels lower in noise output. The body is now scratch resistent. The air filtration is exactly the same however. In fact if you look on your after filter it still says EXL. The most significant reason for owning an MG1 is that no TriStar dealer sells EXL's anymore. So if you were to buy one now, it means you bought it from an outside source. Meaning TriStar Enterprises L.L.C. will not honor the warranty. The MG1 carries a lifetime motor replacement benefit where as the EXL carried a 25 year warranty. The EXL was a great machine and I had lots of success selling them. However, the MG1 is even superior to that. My attitude in the house is always friendly and always professional. However I will never take pity on someone who puts down my company or a customer who chooses to live in the filth. If you can't afford it, I understand. If there's not gonna be a good time in the near future for you to own a TriStar.....it happens. I understand. But if you are capable of affording it and truly understand the investment of owning a TriStar yet still choose not to get one just because you don't wanna spend the extra money. Good! Keep your dirt. TriStar is not gonna go out of business because someone actually chooses to waste money on crap that never works. You will pay more to keep the dirt in the long run than it costs to get rid of it. And I have no pity for dummies. Posted by: Blah on July 17, 2003 11:25 PM

Andre, thank you for the information! I think this will be also helpful to others, especcially to those who don't want to buy from salesmen and planning to buy one from ABCvacuums. I was confused about it too. I thought it was the same vacuum, but ABCvacuums have old EXL which is not as good as MG1. That's why I wanted to know the difference. Also their warranty is not good enough. And if something brakes, and you need to fix it, who wants to travel to Texas to fix it under the warranty? Because nobody else will honor that warranty. So I finally bought MG1, and happy with it so far. Blah, your information was helpful too, but you don't have to be so rude and so mean. It will not help convince other people to buy the vacuum, but it will turn them away from the company. You represent your company, and you should show the good side of it. Because of people like you people hate salesmen. May be your business is good now, but if you change your attitude and try to be nicer, I'm sure your business will be much better. Just try it for a change! Posted by: NB on July 18, 2003 03:15 PM

Thank you for the 411 blah. Personally i still think you have issues, but I do wish you the best in this field of work. Glad to help you also NB. Welcome to the Tristar family. Posted by: andre on July 18, 2003 03:28 PM

I wish to thank all the people who attended this years fair in Montgomery Co. Tennessee making it a success once again. For those who were wondering, the injured driver will be ok. Your prayers are appriciated. If you registered for the PT cruiser I wish you the best of luck. Once again, Thank you. Posted by: Andre on July 21, 2003 11:55 AM

HELP!! Looking for information on the TRISTAR MG1, more specifically a fair price in Canada. Posted by: diane on July 21, 2003 01:47 PM

ok, I kept it. didn't want to spend the money but didn't want to give up the vacuum either LOL! I've just decided to vacuum like crazy all the time and get my monies worth! One criticism, I wish they would have put some kind of comb on the upholstery attachment. It's hard to vacuum fabric with any texture without it, at least when you're going after hair. Posted by: K*** on July 21, 2003 08:40 PM

In Canada the TRISTAR's MRSP is $2698.00 Posted by: oliver on July 23, 2003 11:12 PM

Can anyone tell me the manufacturers number? where are the tri stars made? I remember many years ago, they were made in anahiem, ca. then they may have moved to Texas? got the number? Posted by: carl on July 26, 2003 02:15 AM

Yes, we used to have our manufacturing plant in Anaheim CA, then moved it to Bristol VA. Recently however the plant is now closer to our headquarters in Dallas. El Passo TX. I do not have the toll free # on hand at the moment but as ALWAYS.....go to TriStarclean.com and you can contact them for whatever question or concern you have. Posted by: Blah on July 26, 2003 11:29 PM

I love our Tri Star EXL, We have a houseful of kids and my husband who have severe allergies to dusts, pollens, animals etc, we have no indoor animals and had been in our new home 3 months with brand new carpeting and everyones allergies were in full swing, using the Tri Star for a month daily made a huge difference in the air quality in our home, it seems to have virtually eliminated all allergy symptoms!! I vacuum everyday and have used it for over a year now and we love it!! The salesman was great, we got a decent price especially for the allergy trade off..my house feels cleaner whenever i vacuum! Thanks Posted by: Tara on July 27, 2003 10:58 AM

Thank you Oliver for providing the price on the MG1 in Canada. Had a in-home demo and although not an impuluse person by nature thought I'd gotten sucked in. Long story short could have returned the unit up to & including today but have decided that it does in fact clean better than any vacuum I've ever owned. My husband thinks I'm somewhat of a neat freak but after seeing what the Tristar picked up my goal is to go on a vacuuming marathon to ensure my carpets, furniture & mattresses really are thoroughly cleaned. My husband has both asthma & alergies so I'm hoping over time with regular cleaning this will reduce his risk of attacks. The salesman was quite good overall and not really aggressive. The only thing I didn't appreciate was his thinking I couldn't make a purchase decision without my husbands approval. Our household may be somewhat traditional in the domestic sense (translation I do the cleaning, laundry & related chores) but come on this is 2003 not 1950. I do feel I paid a fair price and only hope I outlive the machine/warranty. And that I'm just as satisfied in years to come. Posted by: Diane on July 28, 2003 11:32 AM

Diane......Just for your own peace of mind. We definetly respect your ability to make a decision without your husbands approval. However, it's not a small purchase. If I was to ask you without any of your knowledge of the TriStar to buy a $2,500 vacuum....would you do it? No. Why would you? Now consider the same scenario. I just showed YOU how and why this machine will actually SAVE you money and at the same time do the job you always thought you were doing. But (Without your husband having seen the demo) You said "Honey we're getting a $2,500 vacuum" He would think that you're outta your mind. Marriage is a 2 way street no matter who wears the pants. We would never show a demo to your husband if you were not there either. Feel better? :) Posted by: Blah on July 31, 2003 02:00 AM

Hm, re: Canada... salesman let me guess the price of the vacuum with the promise to win it if the price is correct. I guessed $2,695 (as oppose to MSRP $2,698) which was not good enough for winning it. However the best trick used by the salesperson (Brandon in my case) is to call his manager... "ooo, we can do that, sir?... I didn't know that... that's excellent news... you are really let me do that... but that would be under our cost!!!!.... hm I think it's a great news for Mr. and Mrs. ABC..." I am sorry I did not use redial after that (since he used my phone), I would almost bet he talked to some automated service machine... Nevertheless price dropped to $1,397 after the call with "Manager". Btw. he never mentioned that paper bags are needed, he used some kevlar bag (washable)... Posted by: Ashstone69 on August 4, 2003 11:28 AM

I appreciate all of the information that was available on this website. I had an in-home demonstration done a couple of years ago, but was unable to afford the price offered (even after the negotiation). I am now in a position that I can afford the price offered, but am finding it difficult to locate a dealer that will sell it to me without another in-home demo. Anyone know how to do this? Thanks. Posted by: Brett on August 7, 2003 11:36 AM

Oops - forgot to mention that it's the TriStar product that I'm interested in. Sorry. Posted by: Brett on August 7, 2003 11:56 AM

Have never bought from "survey"/free gift scam before. In fact was very firm about not needing anything but when salesman arrived & I realized it was a vacuum, I was interested as I've always wanted a decent one. Ended up buying - deferred payment - discount (approx tax) of old vacuum which they took. Have read postings and am still skeptical even though Tristar MG1 looks good - am more concerned about newness of distributorship (Toronto, Ontario area) and potential for its disappearance and therefore no warranty. Gut tells me to cancel and yet postings seem to indicate product is good. Another issue is this bag question. Why was someone asking re paper? It was presented nothing further was needed than the kevlar...anyone have answers? Posted by: jill on August 8, 2003 11:35 AM

Jill, just to ease your mind the MG1 comes with a MANUFACTURERS warranty. Meaning that even if for some reason your local distributor goes out of business. The manufacturer will still honor your warranty. As far as the cloth bag......yes it's all you need. There are the inner paper liners that you can buy but are not needed. They do however keep the cloth bag in better shape longer and customers like to be able to just toss the bags when they are done with them. (Usually 4-6 months)As far as you Brett........where are you located? Send an email and I may know the distributor in your area. Posted by: Blah on August 8, 2003 12:54 PM

thanks "blah" (nice name!), still want to return my MG1 as I'm sure I have paid too much. Also, as much as you assure a "manufacturer's warranty", where is the evidence? I don't have one in my posession. If I had one, I'd have absolutely no problem. My salesman was clear, concise and to the point, even if he was biased! I'd be perfectly happy to have company warranty - now to obtain one........? Any ideas...?jill Posted by: jill on August 8, 2003 05:46 PM

When you recieved your machine it came with an owners manual. Inside it you will see all of your warranty info. Also (Lifetime motor replacement benefit) We've been in business since 1937. We're not going anywhere anytime soon. Posted by: Blah on August 8, 2003 08:06 PM

Hi Blah (sure there's a story behind that one ha, ha). Not really on board with you rationalization. I do agree with you that marriage is a 2 way street but honestly don't think having the husband around for the demo is necessary unless of course he's the one that will be using the machine. When my hubby found out the demo salesman was coming he beat it out of here real quick ha, ha! He was back before the demo was over but opted out on sitting through any of it. Once I had decided I wanted the unit I did consult with him re the purchase only because as you said it's a 2 way street. My concern at this point in time is that I over paid for the unit. Does Tristar have any kind of price guarantee/protection and if so what is the time limit? Thanks in advance for your response. Have a great day. Posted by: diane on August 9, 2003 02:13 PM

Prices will vary from state to state.(Country to country) Some states it simply costs more to operate and do business in. Therefore the cost has to be adjusted to stay in business. Over time however the price is really negligible considering how much money you save in the long run. As far as you being able to make a purchase without your husband having seen the demo.....Great! But it's been our experience that the percentage of people who are able to do that (Husbands too) is very small. Therefore we must have both parties present in order to proceed with a demo. :) Posted by: Blah on August 9, 2003 08:43 PM

Gee, imagine being allowed to make this decision all by my little self (separated)! I'd also love to consult the "book" except all I was given was a video which I will watch but I definitely want a book. It is much easier to look something up when needed. I was also told no further costs would be incurred but notice the warranty says $2000 value - $499. I certainly don't plan to pay anything further and was also definitely told I would not have to so will call tomorrow but it is details like this that raise the antenna of a very skeptical buying public. I was just going to return the vacuum as I really can't afford it anyway but my ex wants to pay for it if I want it! My son works with a fellow who sold Tri Star and he insists I could do better price-wise. Just don't know what to do.....jill Posted by: jill on August 10, 2003 01:25 PM

Hell if your ex is gonna pay for it.......get two!Seriously, all I can do is assure you that you're covered. You shoulda got an owners manual with it and it may have just been an oversight by your rep. Visit TriStarclean.com and ask the manufacturer direct if it will make you feel better. The bottom line is that there are no tricks in our demo. All of the dirt that came out of your house was real. If you give up the TriStar just remember what you're going back to. Posted by: Blah on August 10, 2003 11:18 PM

Hi Blah, Appreciated the response but felt you avoided my question re a time limit on price protection. If it were just a matter of a few dollars no big deal but from the feedback I'm getting I've over paid by about $500. As good as the machine performs that's just too much of a discrepancy for my likings. Your honest response would be very much appreciated. Thank you, Diane Posted by: diane on August 11, 2003 08:11 AM

I bought a tristar compact 25th Anniversary Edition in 1987. I been very happy with it's performance. It just recently had the belt break on the rug beater and the hose has split. When I called my salesman, I wasn't surprised that the phone wasn't him anymore. After all, it has been 17 years. However, I tried to call Interstate Engineering in CA which was on my brochure, but couldn't get through to them either. Then I went to the internet and finally did find a Tristar on the east coast and they gave me a number of a distributor in Grapevine, TX. A little frustrating that the local yellow pages doesn't have a listing for a tristar dealer. I've left the distributor a voicemail. I guess I'll see how it turns out. OH, also, I stopped by a Evans Vacuum Company showroom and they have tristar parts & bags. I bought some bags & a belt, but they wanted $200 for the hose. That's why I was looking for another source. Regards, Terrie Posted by: terrie woodard on August 13, 2003 11:05 AM

Dear Dianne, I am not sure about the price garauntee(sic) that you mentioned, but I will look into it as soon as possible. As a platium recruiter and trainer for our area I am assured that I can find out that info for you. That is if Blah doesn't give you the info first. We feel that the price of the Tristar is fair, considering the service certificate you get plus the lifetime warranty and the fire warranty. If you are anywhere in the kentucky area or in Tennessee feel free to contact the Summit Air Group and speak to one of our staff, we will be more than happy to assist you however we can. I travel all over both states to assure new and old Tristar owners that they are not forgotten. Give me a day and I will find what I can for you. I would hate for you to have to go back to the condition that was there before our rep showed the solution to the pollution.As a new member to the Tristar family my job as a representative of our company is to take care of you. I hope you give me the chance to do so. Thank you. Posted by: Andre on August 14, 2003 06:41 PM

We had a demo for a TriStar EXL today. Last night's initial phone call mentioned a $150 free gift for agreeing to see a demo and answer a survey on an air filtration system (no mention of a vacuum cleaner). The salesman did a reasonable job of presenting the product, nice demo with the "15 lbs" of sand in the bag to show how it stays efficient in cleaning. THere was no survey for us to answer, however. The Cdn list price was $2698. We were offered $400 on our old cleaner (Sears Whispertone) on trade. We didn't purchase because of the money and the fact that we aren't in the market for a vacuum cleaner and I wasn't prepared to buy anything without research first. I am surprised that on the 'net I have found precious little in the way of consumer reports/reviews on Tri-Star products. I would appreciate it if anyone can provide links to solid reviews (not just testamonials). Posted by: paul on August 16, 2003 02:28 PM

Hi Andre, Thanks so much for your response. Unfortunately I don't think your going to be able to assist me as I live in Canada and am certain the policies differ somewhat. But hey if you can find out anything that would be greatly appreciated. I truly am pleased with the cleaning results of the machine, but still question the business ethics. Overall the experience has left me feeling like I was taken advantage of. I do admit guilt in that I should not have acted on impulse but instead taken the route of doing my research first not after the fact. Reason being the more I look into things the more red flags are being raised. I chalk this up to one of lifes lessons and most certainly have learned mine. In the future I won't allow myself to be put on the spot and will do my homework before making any purchase decisions. Posted by: Diane on August 16, 2003 02:30 PM

Hi Paul My situation was similar to yours (except I did purchase the vacuum) in that I couldn't find much info on the product either. As per my message to Andre (right below yours) what I'm questioning at this point is the business practice of the distributor. Seems there's a different price point for everyone. I understand that retails can differ slightly from one province/area to the next but in my case were talking more than just a few dollars. Anyway good luck with your research if you come up with anything solid please share the information. Thanks Diane Posted by: Diane on August 16, 2003 02:42 PM

Sorry I haven't responded sooner Diane (Had some personal issues) All I can tell you is this, as far as "Life's little lessons"....you're absolutely right. In your life, you will never have to buy another machine again. (Period) It may seem like you spent too much now, but honestly when you're an old lady (ha-ha)you'll look back on this stuff and thank yourself for making a very wise decision. It's actually very true. Although the machine has greatly improved as far as materials and warranties and so forth.....I have personally met customers who have bought 40-50 years ago and wouldn't trade their old (Pig) for anything. In fact I have sold NEW machines to (Green pig/Compact)customers but they INSISTED on keeping the old one just so they could give it to their grand children. The bottom line is that you will never have to go back to pushing around something that doesn't work. As far as you PAUL.......You had an EXL demo? TriStar doesn't sell EXL's anymore. (Not that it's a bad machine) but TriStar now only sells the MG1. As far as reviews well.......It's kinda like this. (Consumer Reports or even the Better Business Bureau for that matter) make you REGISTER just for the privilage to be reviewed by them. By registering, I mean paying. TriStar obviously is a great machine, but in comparisson to our counter parts ie: Hoover/Dirt Devil/Panasonic etc.....we are not sold in stores, and therefore not mass marketed. Independant distributors sell TriStars, so in effect we are not included in "Popular" reviews. Hopefully the TriStar demo was so obvious that you can see for yourself the benefits of owning a machine that works. Posted by: Blah on August 17, 2003 01:08 AM

I just interviewed for a job with EP Distributors in Wixom, MI. They sit you down and run you through how THIS IS NOT A SALES JOB but when it comes time they say you be a "Display Consultant". They tell you, your not a salesman over and over, so who is going with me to sale, if all I am doing in setting up....LOL They pay $14.95 per customer, plus $5 per customer for gas, They claim you make $300 a week at least. This is whether you sale or not. They cover a 30 mile radius. If you make a sale (but wait I thought we are not suppose to sale) you get $100. They said the min you make would be $700 as they claim 1 in 4 people will buy their product. Then in 4 months your promoted to a manager position, then after that your running your own outfit. Managers make $40K-$60K a year depending on where you live, Running your own place you make $80K-$100K. Sounds way too good to be true. I wrote down shit I saw on the board and on the walls. "IAQs Associate six levels of success", "Filter Queen Family", they claim to be a part of HMI Industries located in Cleveland, OH. At the end, they tell you to wait in line and meet with the manager Jon. Then he ask what job you applying for, of course no one is picking the crappy jobs (like answering phones)...they all want the $14.95 Display Job. I do not even think they have phone jobs the building was soooo small. I think they say that to weed out people. They told everyone to call from 5:30-6:00pm the same day and they want you to start the next day for training...LOL 3 days of training. I plan to call and see what they have to say. Sounds like a crapy gimick to me. Oh, plus little hints of how crapy it is all around the differant rooms, guy repeated he used to work for a church, photocopied checks on the wall with large amounts ($900-$1,600). Also the people that were there were around 20 years old. I think a lot of them do not have anything to loose in trying the job, I myself am on unemployment and I get a good pay fromt he state, not going to risk lossing my unemployment for a gimick. (248)591-1506 Oh, also he said this was dealing with Air Filtration Systems, not vacuums...Glad I wrote down what I saw on the walls. Posted by: Gwardy on August 19, 2003 01:47 PM

I was a salesperson for TRistar and they ARE scammers. They tell people they are getting the best deal in the world and then go next door and offer it to them for hundreds of dollars cheaper. They take advantage of their sales reps by making them put in ALL of their money and time and then they don't pay them. I'm not saying this happens in all offices but it happened to me and at least 3 other people that I know of. So next time you have a TRistar salesman come to your door, please do feel sorry for them but don't support the company. It's a sham. Posted by: Ripped Off on August 19, 2003 01:56 PM

I called back, Jon asked if I could start the next day for training. I said sorry sounds like a sales position to me, he then stated "depends how you look at it"...I was like sorry but no thanks. I wonder how many people called them back? Like Is aid before if I was younger and just needed a job I would take it, nothing to loose to try it. You did not have to put down any money, so at least they are not scamming the employees, but then again who knows if you get paid on time. I think I will stick to the Information Technology Field. Posted by: Gwardy on August 21, 2003 01:09 PM

I started with tristar recently and am a little concerned about some of what I've read here. Why did they tell me it was an air purification system on my initial response to the ad? Is this what Tristar tells potential customers? Do these people know that the pitch will take as long as it does and that I will need to use their phone? They gave us a script to use and we are supposed to urge them to buy the machine right then. I am pretty uncomfortable with that part. Are these common practices or is this a local thing? I am really impressed with the product. I would buy one if I had carpet. I have hardwood floors. Two grand is a lot to pay for a carpet cleaner and I can understand people wanting some time to think about it. If the Tristar works as well as it seems to and the warranty is really good for 25 years and it's such a good investment as I believe it is, then why all the scripted high-pressure sales? This seems like a pretty sketchy way to do business and all the promises about money and vacations and bonuses are almost too good to be true...I've been guaranteed $500 a week provided that I go on 20 calls which the company provides. I was told not all would be demonstrations that some will be service and delivery calls. True ? Also I've been promised compensation for gas and vehicle maintenance. All sales are to pay bonuses above and beyond all these "guarantees" with no apparent limitation to potential income. hmmm... I would appreciate hearing from anyone... I could really get excited about this opportunity and would love to be a proud represenative of Tristar but as you can see I have reservations about some of the issues I've mentioned above. Thanks Posted by: tryingtristarinindy on August 21, 2003 09:04 PM

Fuck a vagina with cannon barrel. Posted by: shit on August 22, 2003 12:48 AM

Yeah, what is the deal with using customer's phone? We had rep in our house, she had cell phone with her, but wanted to use our phone anyway. Why is that? Company is making a lot of money and can't afford to pay for cell phone calls??? I think it's very embarassing for the company, but they don't seem to care. Blah, what's your answer? Posted by: New on August 22, 2003 01:34 AM

I always use the customers phone. (I don't know what anyone is complaining about, the calls are local so what's the big deal?) The purpose of the calls are to let the office know that you're through with your demo, the situation of the demo, and if needed, authorization for any help in purchasing the unit. .......By the way I liked the guy who said he didn't want to jeapordize losing his unemployment checks. Classy! Hold on to your dreams bud. Posted by: Blah on August 22, 2003 03:06 PM

Blah - I am a professional (CIO), they told me I was interviewing for a professional job, not a low wage job. Sorry to say but Unemployment pays more then the Vacuum scam does. It is a scam when I read all over the net how they scam old people out of $2,000-$4,000 for a Vacuum which a good $300 one from a major store will do just as good, wont be as Heavy as an old school canister vacuum. This whole thing reminds me of the movie: Super Suckers Also Blah to me working a dead end Vacuum job is way below me collecting unemployment because my company went under. Not sure about you but I still enjoy Filet's. LOL LOL Posted by: Gwardy on August 25, 2003 12:15 PM

tryingtristarinindy - Remember in this world you do not get something for nothing. You are probably only getting bonuses if you sale a shit load, but how many really buy $2K vacuums, I never buy things from door to door salesman, do you? Even if you make $500 a week, that is still only $26,000 a year...not good enough to pay rent, car payment, and other things you want and need in your life. If your in High School then why not give them a try, but go to college and be a doctor or something professional and make a shit load over $500 a week...$500 a week, man thats befor tax...good luck. Posted by: Gwardy on August 25, 2003 12:21 PM

Well, I can tell you (Personally) how many people buy TriStars. 2 outta 3. Granted I have been doing this for many years. If it was a dead end job I woulda left a long time ago. And to be honest, I can't remember the last time I only made 500 bucks in a week. Some of us don't have the time or money to be doctors and lawyers. And what is a CIO? I know what a CEO is but am drawing a blank on CIO. The point being.....Sales, be it vacs, cars, houses, whatever, are not for everyone. If you are un able to sell, it means you are un able to project confidence. Confidence in yourself and confidence in your product. To me, selling TriStars is very easy. But as far as people who never even gave the company (Or yourself) a chance. Giving critisizm to something you know absolutely nothing about is ridiculous. TriStar has made some very good people very successful and will continue to do so. But again, (Like anything) it takes work. But at least it gives them a chance. And for alot of people, a chance is all they need. Posted by: Blah on August 26, 2003 11:50 AM

is tristar going to screw me if i dont sell any vacuums within the first month are they going to pay me my 1800 even if i dont sell there friggin vacuum. Posted by: smerh on August 27, 2003 09:35 PM

CIO = Cheif Information Officer. So if you been in the business so long, why do they pull screwy tactics just to hire someone. Why don't they tell you up front the damn thing is a vacuum? Why not call it a sales position? A somewhat honest position would do a one on one meeting with you and say okay you do not sound good....it just seems they were willing to take anyone that called them that night. Not like this is the only place that was scretchy on what they do that I had been too. I met with a place in Detroit that claimed they do not solicit but when it came down to it, that was what they did....door-to-door getting people to switch to Ameritech. I got to go with them for a few hours to see if I wanted the job, when I asked the girl what about the signs on the door that say "No Soliciting", she just laughted and said nope this is a courtesy call. Courtesy call my ass, call it what you want it is soliciting and most businesses hate that, plus they had no business cards and it was just so scretchy to me. For a place that claimed they had $4 Billion in business and need people the office looked like shit. My point is no place of oppertunity should pull these tactics to hire people, just makes me wonder what they pull on the customers. As for Sales, no problem there, not a hard thing to do....Circuity City wanted me at a point 4 years ago to sale computers, they even wanted to counter offer me pay...LOL I just said nope, found a 9 to 5 job...after all I do have a life. Hey, maybe I am judging all vac salesman because of one scretchy place...but I bet there are few somewhat honest vacuum salesman around just like in any other sales industry....be it cars, homes, boats, planes, TV's, or whatever it is hard to find that one honest salesman...those are who I try to buy from and those are who get repeat customers. Posted by: Gwardy on August 28, 2003 08:48 AM

smerh - What do you think? It is a sales position, if you do not sale then of course in time they would get rid of you. The sales are were they make their money, not by you not selling anything. Posted by: smerh on August 28, 2003 08:51 AM

I have read a lot of comments from a lot of people discusted with the way they have been sold a tristar. Tristar has a five year warranty on their motors and limited life warranty on their casing. There are good and bad in all professions.Vacuum cleaner salesmen get a lot of flak because of a few bad apples but you have bad apples everywhere. The job of a salesman is to sell a product to earn a living and keep factory workers working and making a living. We must look closer at who is selling you and not be gullible at the drop of a hat like so many I have read are. Posted by: vacman on August 28, 2003 09:06 PM

the company is full of lies they told us we made 1800 a month and that we are paid for training. until the end of the second training day they tell you your income is up to your sales and then try to get you to sell them to your family. Smart but they must of hired me because i looked nieve anyways i dont like wasting my time,money and ink out of my pen and than not getting paid for it and they want us to repersent there fuckin company Posted by: smerh on August 28, 2003 09:08 PM

TriStar comes with a lifetime replacement benefit on the motor straight from the manufacturer. Posted by: Blah on August 28, 2003 09:12 PM

Do you really think the Mg1 is worth 2200(cnd) its worth about 1000 rippin people of constantly happens but this is ludicris Posted by: smerh on August 28, 2003 09:12 PM

blahhhhh that cost more noney on top of the money you would have already spent Posted by: smerh on August 28, 2003 09:16 PM

Tristar and MG1 distributors can eat my shit but it is a good vacuum i must say Posted by: smerh on August 28, 2003 09:18 PM

I work for Kirby in Bryan, TX. Make OK money but still have alot of bills. Posted by: Fred Matthews on August 31, 2003 10:30 AM

Tristar's are an excellent investment, but do yourself a favor and buy them off Ebay.com. I sent mine from the "pushy salesman" back and got a refund after buying a 635.00 machine off ebay.com. You can buy a new 2003 machine for 899.00. There is a guy selling motors for them for 50.00 that's about all that can go wrong. Posted by: AZMike on August 31, 2003 11:16 PM

i am 18 i just started selling tristars but i don't care what any one says the tristar is teh best system out there and at teh door pitch we do not tell you its only gonna take 15 minutes we only tell you it depends on the number of questions you have which is a true statement CRAIG Posted by: michael on September 1, 2003 10:06 PM

to rob i recently started selling tristars and they gave me a choice to whether i wanted to sell to friends and family on my first weekend working there for practice and i turned it down and was pressured in no way to do otherwise plus whenever we demo one the customer gets the choice of keeping the demo model or having another unopened one that we give to them right there on the spot the same day we do the demo Posted by: michael on September 1, 2003 10:11 PM

this is my last post for now until i see some more dumb fucks postin shit i just gonna put some shit to rest, i been there three weeks and have made more money there then any place i have ever worked before, and when my boss tell us he is gonna give us a bonus for a days worth of work or three months worth of work he gives it to us and does not try to lie to us at all hell he worth more than half you sorry fucks who like to post stupid shot he does not have to even work for tristar the mans loaded he does it to help out people like you and me don't believe me come down to valdosta georgia and i will show you first hand the reason most of you didn't make any money is because you pussed out and quit to quick so don't bitch go get another job and do something you may be good at like flippin burgers because sells is obviously not for you Posted by: michael on September 1, 2003 10:24 PM

sorry about the puncuation, i was just tryin to get it typed quick Posted by: michael on September 1, 2003 10:26 PM

As a platium recruiter and gold trainer for our area office I can say to all you whip ass crybabies who would rather sit on their arse and collect unemployment or get a "real" job, GROW UP! Even as a bottom rung consultant for tristar i made more in a few months than I have at many past jobs, even the ones where I was paid more than 10.00$ an hour. Tristar is a company for people who have always had the desire and the guts to want to work for themselves but only lacked the right product and capital. It is an engine for those who want to succed and get out of the apartments they live in and own their homes. It is a company for those who are willing to sacrifice and put forth the energy to make a good income. IT MEANS WORKING YOU LAZY FUCK!!!!! So quit your bitching and moaning and go ask your mom if you can borrow her car to go to your A.A. meetings 'cause I don't think the bus runs that late. As much as I hear ppl cry about not getting an hourly wage I have yet to see anyone whine about making over a thousand a week. Okay I'll tell you what,, when I run into one of you ppl in the restaurant when I go out to eat with my family I will leave a good tip, I know you need it. Posted by: Andre on September 2, 2003 07:04 PM

The tristar is not a vacuum it is called a sweeper. Posted by: Heather on September 5, 2003 01:58 PM

Actually a sweeper is a long stick with some straw attatched to the end.(Also known as a broom) The Tri-Star is referred to as a cleaning system. Posted by: Blah on September 7, 2003 09:42 PM

LOL.....blah. that is exactly it my fellow distributor..by the way, are you planing on the convention in las vegas in april? Posted by: andre on September 8, 2003 01:33 AM

I haven't missed a TriStar convention in over 10 years. You can spot me easy though.........I'm the guy wearing a cape with a big S on my chest! :) Posted by: Blah on September 8, 2003 11:55 PM

My wife got a call saying that if we sat through a 30 minute sales pitch for a "home cleaning system" (read overpriced vacuum) then we would get two nights stay at a resort hotel. Of course she forgot about it and then one night two guys show up at our door and proceed to give us the standard dust sucked into filter paper routine. Two hours later at 9:30 in the evening I finally had to shut them off and tell them to wrap it up. They then show me a price of $3000, and of course the buy right now price of $2500. I almost shit my pants. I could keep my 20 year old hoover that still works fine and buy new carpet for the entire house for that kind of money. Having once before sat through a Kirby sales pitch with my parents and seeing the price come down to $700 I figured that I could get a better deal, but as I didn't want a new vacuum any way I sent the sales guys packing. After checking out the $900 dollar models online I am extremely thankful that I am neither elderly and confused nor mentally challenged. I am also extremely glad that my wife was not home alone. Posted by: notquitesuckered on September 9, 2003 12:39 AM

This has got to be pretty much my last post here. TOM.....I'm sure you had no idea your little thread would render so many replies. I myself stumbled upon this site. But after reading so many posts, and understanding that alot of them are actually from the same person posting a different email address........it's now just become a joke. Again, to the last guy......or whoever you claim to be. I've seen "Hoovers, Royals, Kirby's, Filterqueens, Panasonics," Whatever. That were "Working". Again, when is a machine "Working"? When it makes noise, or when it picks up dirt? It's funny to me that so many "Clever" folks are out there who wont be "Taken" by those saleman types. Yet Disneyland, The American Lung Association, countless airports and over 10,000,000 homeowners have all embraced the TriStar. If you don't want a clean home, fine. TriStar is not going to go out of business because you are clever. In fact, you are keeping the carpet and upholstery industry in business. But please refrain from insulting the intelligence of people who actually grasp the idea that keeping the dirt and filth out of their home is a good idea. If you've seen our demo, then the truth was right in front of you. If you think you're gonna get a better deal cuz you're "internet savvy"........You wont. TriStar will NEVER honor a warranty from ANYONE other than an authorized distributor. In short, keep the TriStar or keep the dirt. You decide which is a smarter decision. If any of you have VALID questions you may reach me at my email. Posted by: Blah on September 9, 2003 01:29 AM

well I will be in the bright red pimp suit with the magic stick so i won't be hard to find either. look forward to not seeing you blah, but you can catch me in the tristar news. this was a bit informative but not enough to make me keep coming back. I make a damm good living selling "over priced vacuums" so i think I'll stay with it for a bit. Maybe some day one of these "smart" ppl who keep the hoover, etc, will find a way to put me out of business but till then , i'll just go see their neighbor and the guy across the street. good showing people. Posted by: andre on September 10, 2003 12:17 AM

I am not saying that the tristar is not a good vacuum. I realy like the design and it did have very good suction. In an industrial environment I am sure that it would be a good purchase. (If you talked the sales guys down to a more reasonable $1200 or so) There are really two issues here. Applicability to home environments and sales tactics. Fo instance, airports also frequently use boeing 747 jets. I would love to have one for my own. It would be much faster than my currect car. It would take me places that my car can't go. It is exceptionally reliable and a very good design that has withstood the test of time. However, I don't really need one. As for sales tactics, I understand the job of sales people. If you are buying something where repeat business is common, the salesperson's job is to get you to buy something you are happy with at a price that you can live with so that you will continue to buy from him/her. This is applicable to many things in an industrial/business environment, but not many in a home environment. The job of a salesperson selling a homeowner a once in a lifetime product (as they claim the tristar is)is to get you to buy the product for as much money as possible. While I agree that the tristar would get my house marginally cleaner than my current vacuum, it would never be worth $2500 to me. As I said before, I can get new carpet for that price. Also, the fact that the tristar can suck some carpet lint and dirt from my carpet has only little to do with its high sucking power. I snagged one of the paper filters from the salman before he left. I then cleaned out my current vacuum and placed the filter paper in the normal filter trap and ran my vacuum across the floor a few times. Guess what? I picked up some dirt, dust and carpet fiber. I am sure that the tristar is a good machine. I am sure that not all tristar salespeople are assholes. I am sure that many assholes make a lucrative living selling tristars. I am sure that if I did not have a vacuum that worked well and that if I had a very large house with lots of carpet I would consider buying one at a resonable (less than $1200) price. I am also sure that anyone who paid more than $1200 dollars for one got seriously screwed and that no homeowner who doesn't have a mansion, a maid and lots of disposable income should ever pay $2500 for a vacuum cleaner. Its that simple. Lastly I am sure that if all tristar salespeople came to your door and offered you the tristar at a non-negtiable and resonable price, there would be many fewer posts to this site talking about how some saleperson came and ripped off their vulnerable relative. By the way, I am not a "repeat offender" to this message board. I hate that as much as I do slimy sales people. I came across this board the other day while researching tristar. One more note to all you tristar defenders. If tristar salespeople scamming and ripping off vulnerable buyers was not a big issue why are there so many pissed off people talking about tristar on the internet? Just try and find a website talking about ripped off Hoover owners. A Hoover might not suck as much as a tristar, but then again the hoovers don't suck as much as tristars do. :) Posted by: notquitesuckered on September 10, 2003 01:07 PM

one more thing. Why would I need a warranty if I can buy 3 non-warranty vacuums for the price of a single warranty vacuum? If I am lucky and the tristar is as good as stated then I shouldn't need any repairs during the 5 year warranty period on the parts that are likely to break down. If something ever did break, I could throw out the old vacuum and get a complete new one and still be $700 to $900 richer for my effort. Posted by: notquitesuckered on September 10, 2003 03:12 PM

Geez, just when I think it's time to leave, someone DRAGS me back in. Lets see here NQS. You seem to be fairly intelligent so lets go ahead and see if you understand things using your own course of logic. You don't need a 747 but you would like one. "Getcha there faster and all that" Guess what, in your very own home there are tons of things that you don't need. Televisions, Microwaves, electric razors, etc.....but you do have them. Why? Makes life a little easier don't they? You could survive without them though couldn't you? Yes. You lost me on the repeat customers thing. So if there was such a thing as a razor that was sharp forever and never needed to be replaced but it cost over $500 you wouldn't buy it? Even though in the end you'd save thousands? I understand that you are used to buying vacuums over and over again. But using that same logic doesn't it make financial sense to buy the best one just once? If wasting your money on inferior products doesn't bother you that's fine, it is after all your money. But do you generally like to waste time as well? Why do a job half assed? You really think you're cleaning your home when you use a Hoover? I understand you conducted a little experiment of your own with some filter paper and found some dirt. Just wondering........did you happen to put 15 pounds of sand in your Hoover before you did that? Let me answer that for you, no. If you did, you'd be back at Wall Mart looking for the next $150 plastic motorized broom. (They have em now with DUAL headlights) Did you even pay attention to the demo at all? Do you not understand why the TriStar works? It can't plug up and lose power......EVER. No matter how much dirt you put in it, it still works the same. Upside down, satanding on its end, how ever you put it. It's impossible for the machine to lose power. You've also never seen a website that puts down Hoovers? I can pull up sites that put down the Pope! But in all the internet you couldn't find one despariging word on the Hoover? Nonesense. Maybe not at Hoover.com, but dig a little deeper, they're out there trust me. (Just as Kirby, Panasonic...etc)And as far as getting 3-4 machines for the price of a TriStar......HUH? WHAT? "When one breaks throw it out and get a new one"? Again, using that same logic........Instead of buying a nice new Lexus, why not get 3-4 Good running Gremlins? Think of the money you'd save? And when one breaks down, toss it and pull out the next one? It really amazes me how so many people "Understand" sales. You guys wanna here the job description of a TriStar saleman? "Try to convince the customer to keep the dirt and filth out of their home." That's it. If the TriStar can't convince you, and all of the dirt can't convince you.......keep it. I can't see your house from mine. But lets not make it sound like it's a good idea. It's a choice. Keep the dirt or keep the TriStar. Posted by: Blah on September 11, 2003 02:52 PM

Hi guys this is pretty interesting stuff. Just stumbled on this site today. I'm a distributer in Buffalo I used to be a manager in ontario for 4 years. This bussiness is great wouldn't want to do anything else. Posted by: crushr on September 11, 2003 08:16 PM

Oh ya see u in las vegas. Posted by: crushr on September 11, 2003 08:17 PM

OK Blah one more for me too and then I will be done as well.----- The hoover that I own is 20 years old. I have no particular affinity for hoovers in general, but mine has been a very good machine. I will freely admit that it does not pick up as much dirt as a tristar would, but it still does a pretty good job. I am just questioning whether that extra dirt will ever be worth $2500, you are absolutely right its a choice.----- The other non-warranty vacuums that I was refering to were tristars for sale on the internet that range in price from $700 to $900 as compared to the $2500 dollar one that the salemen tried to get my wife to buy.----- As I do not live on the beach, of course my bag was not full of 15 pounds of sand. Anyone who does vacuum with 15 pounds of sand in their bag should probably be examined by a medical professional. :) ---- Posted by: notquitesuckered on September 14, 2003 11:15 PM

found the ad and i made it to the training for tristar what should i do try it out or go look for another job i really need money now Posted by: mike on September 16, 2003 09:54 PM

I just stumbled onto this site looking for parts for my tri-star, but I have owned my tri-star for over 15 years and would not trade it for anything. I got rid of a Kirby when I bought my tri-star. This is the best vacuum I have ever used (and I have used a lot!) and it sucks up the dog and cat hair like you wouldn't believe! Right now I am looking for parts because I have really abused this vacuum over the years and I'm not going to get a different one that doesn't work as well. If this one were to give out, believe me I would spend the $ and buy another! Posted by: luvmytristar on September 17, 2003 01:20 PM

I just had the demo the other day for the TriStar MG1. I pretty much told her not to bother because we already have a central vac. It was incredible the amount of dirt that came up. I am an absolute clean freak and was disgusted by the dirt not to mention that the dirt is destroying my carpets which are really expensive. Yes the vac cost a bit more but is worth it to preserve other investments (read carpets). I love it and will promote it to all my friends. Posted by: Shannon on September 19, 2003 09:27 PM

Stumbled onto this site. Been in the vacuum business a long time. Here's some facts that no Tri-Star salesman will ever tell you. #1: Tri-Stars were not always called that. In 1947, when the first machine was launched, it was called the Compact. Same sales story, same direct selling methods, same 'air over dirt' selling line. Interstate Engineering started in 1937, so a '20th anniversary' model Compact would be a 1957 model. The Tri-Star was launched in 1982 (red in color with polished aluminum lid and 2 speed motor). Nothing changed except the name from Compact to Tri-Star. Eureka built Tri-Star power nozzles for years. In 2000, Interstate Engineering was BOUGHT BY ELECTROLUX. "EXL" models WERE MADE BY ELECTROLUX. Today, guess what? It's still an Electrolux. Electrolux makes three different models of canister vacuum. The Tri-Star is based on their mid-line models (selling for $500). Any Tri-Star MG or EXL owner has only to LOOK at the Electrolux and you'll immediately know you were ripped off by Tri-Star. See the Electrolux power nozzle. Why does it exactly the same as the Tri-Star? Because Electrolux made it. The brush roller, belt, motor, hose, cord, attachments, ARE ALL ELECTROLUX PARTS. They will even interchange between Electrolux and Tri-Star because they come off the same assembly line. Tri-Star vacuums are just a motor within a case, a bag (which DOES clog with dirt - of course, it's still a BAG) and a cord. The wholesale cost of a Tri-Star is LESS THAN $500. The markup is 4 times the wholesale (which is WHY people think they are getting ripped off). Here's something to think about. YOUR HOME IS NO CLEANER WITH A TRI-STAR THAN WITH ANY OTHER VACUUM. Too much depends upon the consumer. If they let the bag fill more than half way in ANY vacuum (including the Tri-Star) you are NOT getting all the dirt. Period. I had a Tri-Star salesman do a demonstration several years ago. He was a lot like 'blah', a real jackass. Since I know how to remove the three screws that hold the Tri-Star body together, while he was on his little 'phone call' to the office, I took the machine apart (takes about 2 minutes). There were the two halves of the case, the bag, the cord and the motor sitting there when he came back. Of course, he freaked out. I asked him WHERE the $2000 was, because all the machine was MADE FROM was a $50 motor, a $3 cloth bag, a $5 cord, and some aluminum for the body. I asked him 'how do you think the trips you guys take are paid for?" Out of the consumer's pocket. I told him that the only way I'd buy his product is if he were including a trip to Europe with it. Don't be fooled into thinking the Tri-Star is a better vacuum cleaner than others. It is NOT. It's not worse, but it's no better. Just a bag and a motor. The amount of dirt in a home depends upon the person who cleans and NOT on the vacuum cleaner. A fool and his money are soon parted, and the Tri-Star salesman sees customers as fools. Sure, the salesman was the first FOOL (he was conned into believing his Tri-Star was better than anything else) and then his JOB is to FOOL YOU TOO (into parting with your money). Come on people, it's a VACUUM CLEANER. The best vacuum cleaner a person can buy IS THE ONE THEY WILL USE FREQUENTLY AND THAT THEY GET ALONG WITH. The Tri-Star has it's place, right next to the Hoover, Eureka, Dyson, etc. It's NO BETTER than any other vacuum. Posted by: tommy on September 20, 2003 09:18 AM

One final indignity foistered upon the hapless buying public by the Tri-Star salesmen: Sand is NOT the same as dirt and dust. It doesn't act in the vacuum bag like normal household dirt. It is used because they are trying to convince you that the Tri-Star does not clog up. Untold misery has been brought on people who believed this, they have been lied to AND ripped off. Anyone with a Tri-Star can prove it to themselves: here's how. Measure out one cup (8 ounces) of talc or body powder, or corn starch, or even flour. These are the came consistency as the fine particles of dirt in our furniture, air, curtains, ceiling fans, etc. Turn on the Tri-Star and feel the suction with your hand. Suck up the powder. Feel the suction again. MUCH weaker. Open the lid, and you'll notice the powder is evenly coating the inside of the bag. With the machine running - pull the paper bag collar inward towards the middle of the bag. HEAR the tremendous amount of air NOW rushing through the machine. Let the bag go back to it's original position, and HEAR the airflow drop. THE TRI-STAR BAG IS A BAG LIKE ANY OTHER. IT'S GOING TO CLOG. It's really amazing so many people are dazzled by sand in the bag. Sand is NOT fine dust. It doesn't clog the bag's pores. ALL Tri-Star's lose power as they pick up dirt, just as a normal vacuum cleaner does. When I was a child, my mother had a Compact (the same as a Tri-Star). My job was to vacuum the basement concrete floor. Starting with a clean paper bag, I could easily pick up little bits off the basement floor. As the bag clogged out with dirt (1/4 full) the little rocks from the garage only 'clinked' in the wands, they were not drawn up any longer. The bag was by no means full, just clogged out. A change of the paper bag, and we were back in business again. That ANYONE would believe the Tri-Star bag doesn't clog is silly. It doesn't pan out in use. The old cloth bag of the Tri-Star is really outdated. The first vacuum cleaner in the world (the Hoover model 0) used a satin pillow-case as a bag. The 2003 Tri-Star STILL has a cloth bag that MUST be shaken outside. Just like in 1908 when Hoover invented it. Posted by: tommy on September 20, 2003 10:08 AM

Thanks for opening my eyes Tommy!!! I just had the demo yesterday. I himmed and hawwed many times until the price was lowered to $1,498 Canadian and then i gave in and said "yes". The salesperson "Paul" would not give me any options to buy later, it had to be now and he many annoying phone calls to his so called boss who was probably an answering machine like someone previous had stated. He treated me like I was some kind of idoit, and now I feel like one!! Tommy, the contract i signed is actually for an EXL Vacuum, do you think that that will be enough for me to cancel my agreement with no hassels?? I now plan on checking out all other vacuum options before I get pressured into something I do not want and can not afford. I am a single mom living in a poorer district and I actually laughed and told the guy he wouldn't get many sales around here. But now that i have been shafted, I wonder how many others were too?? Anyway, thanks Tommy, I hope to hear from you soon! DJ Posted by: Djbubblz on September 21, 2003 06:30 PM

I hate to break it to all you Electolux lovers, but they don't exist anymore. Six years ago they merged with Tristar. Elctrolux had the best powerhead in the business and Tristar had the best Vacuum. Now it has by far the best vacuum. Oh and by the way, if you guys ever were to investigate the inner workings of Kriby's Electroluxes, etc. you'd realize that they really don't work all that well. All it takes is a layer of dirt on their bags to clog them up. No the bag doesn't need to be full, it just needs that layer and voila, no power. Posted by: Chris on September 21, 2003 11:44 PM

Anyone have problems with Rainbow Salespeople or products? Posted by: Caitlin on September 22, 2003 05:20 PM

hey all im an actual salesman for tristar and im 19 yrs old...ive seen demos for all the vacs and tristar is by far the best in every which way...we sell them for about 2298 which is 600 profit split between the company and the salesman...for 100 bucks a month it is a great deal for the customer...never buying another vac....and caitlin rainbows are really messy and hard to use...basically dont work well... Posted by: Exodus on September 23, 2003 11:05 AM

Had a Tristar guy come over last night. Did his speech with a new guy. Talk for close to 3 hours. While he went out for a smoke, I went on the Net to try and find some info, no luck. He did say that the Net is always wrong and shouldn't go by it. We needed a vacuum and after some talking he said for about $2600cdn, minus $400 for our old vac. So we signed the papers and after talking to his boss (with our phone) said we didn't have to pay for a year. He left, went back to the Net found this site and had a big change of hart. Called the office the next day and wanted to retrun it. The sale guy came over again with our old vac and wanted to talk some more. Didn't look to happy. He took another $1000 off for a total of $1400. Still said no and he left. Maybe if he would sell it for around $700 I would say yes. Maybe, maybe not. Posted by: Steve on September 24, 2003 12:14 AM

I have had my TriStar for a little over 5 years now. I think it is a wonderful vacuum! We had a Kirby salesman come to our house last winter and demonstrate their vacuum. What a joke, they wanted me to buy their vacuum for $1000. I told them I already had a great vacuum. They said they would give $100 for it, which would lower the price to $900. I think the guy started to feel that there wasn't going to be a sale so he called his supervisor. She came right over along with the other 2 sales people they had in the area. She told me they would buy my vacuum for $100 and lower the price another $100 so I would end up paying $800 for their vacuum. I told her that I would be paying over $2000 for vacuum cleaners in less then 5 years. I would have to be crazy to do that. I could buy a nice used car for that amount of money. Then she asked if I had ever seen the golf ball trick. I told her that I had. She pulled out a golf ball and proceeded to show me her trick. I pulled out my TriStar and showed her that it could make the golf ball go higher. I think I made them mad cause they packed up their stuff and left. I am not very nice when it comes to sales people in our home, but I have to say Thank You to the gentleman that sold us our TriStar. Yes it was a lot of money but I feel it was worth every penny. Posted by: angie on September 24, 2003 11:49 AM

Whats the golf ball trick? Posted by: Steve on September 26, 2003 01:30 PM

hello please someone tell me I want to buy a rainbow similar system vacuum cleaner but cheaper then it Posted by: david on September 30, 2003 04:07 AM

I've been a Filterqueen sales rep for a few weeks now and I was curious what others' opinion of the Filterqueen Majestic is. In my opinion, it's the best vaccumm cleaner on the market, but I haven't seen direct comparisons to the TriStar, the Rainbow or other products either. When we do demonstrations, the Filterqueen always wins because we're usually comparing to a Hoover, a Dirt Devil or an Electroleux...obviously not a fair fight. I also have concerns that many others seem to share regarding the deceptive nature of salesmen and marketers. I used to set appointments, and I actually became a sales rep because I was tired of trying to presure people into setting apointments. I never lied or said anything blatantly deceptive, but the very fact that we call people up saying they're entered into a drawing rather than simply explaining we'll give them a gift for looking at our product is troubling. Regarding salesmen, I think they take too much of the blame. Some of them honestly don't know any better. We only take what information we've been given and regurgitate it to potential customers. If the people that trained us were deceptive, we'll end up being deceptive. If our manager lies to us, we'll end up lying as well. I have a potential customer who's looking for a new vaccumm cleaner and air filtration system. After doing a demo, she was interested and said she could afford the system on a payment plan, but wanted to make some last minute comparisons before she'd sign a contract. Before I left she asked what the interest rate was on the contract, and I said I didn't know, but I'd ask my boss. My boss said this was the right thing to say, then told me to keep telling her this until she signs the contract. So, why can't he just be upfront and tell me what the damn rate is so I can tell the customer? I doesn't seem good business sense to resist telling someone the interest rate until the last second. More than likely, the result will be that they'll find out we were trying to hide something and cancel the sale. Posted by: Robert on October 2, 2003 12:23 AM

I started working for Kirby a week ago and as of today I quit. Like many people I saw the provacative ad in the local paper which "guarrantees" $425-825 a week. The company was called SZ Enterprises. At the first interview I was introduced to the General Manager who was employed 10 months ago. I was told that this was a computer company at first. The interview was short and later that night I was employed. It was not until the next day I learned that we sell Kirby vacuums. Regardless of whether we sell the product or not we make 400. That is as long as we do 15 appointments, which they promise to set up. To my luck I had the good fortune to meet an ex-employee who told me he worked for Kirby for 3 months. He claims he lost more money on gas driving to peoples houses. He learned that their calling service lies to its customers to get sales people in the door. They offer people a "$70 gift certificate" for a "free housecleaning". Believing its a cleaning service people oblige expecting a professional cleaner in a van. Instead they get a man in a 3 piece suit with a "new" vacuum and they realize your a salesman. Many will slam the door in your face angry that the caller lied to them. If your fortunate enough to be let in they train you not to give a "full house cleaning" but a partial one. Your ordered to shampoo a section of the carpet leaving the rest dirty. If the customer wants the rest of his rug to be cleaned he has to buy the product. The man I spoke with told me he saw many doors slammed in his face the 3 months he worked there. There was one week where he had manged toget 14 successful appointments and the management encouraged him not to set up anymore appointments telling him he did great for the week and would be payed. Payday came and went with no check. The management lied to him so they wouldn't have to pay him for his effort!! Yesterday I learned some more disturbing info. If someone is not a homeowner it does not count as an official appointment. The MOST DISTURBING I learned yesterday is that if one makes a SALE which is the PURPOSE of an appointment it does not count as an appointment!! In otherwords if one were to make 15 appointments and SELL a vacuum in one of those appointments it counts a 14 for the week. $160 commission for one sale $400 for 15 appointments It is possible for one to make less money that week if he/she actually sells one! BECAUSE A SALE DOES NOT COUNT AS AN APPOINTMENT!! This is information I had to inquire from my manager!! When I brought my dilemma up to him he told me "I don't want you to think that way. Think of selling vacuums" I couldn't believe it. If your thinking of working for Kirby heed my warning. To quote the words of a man who worked for them for 3 months "I would rather work for McDonalds than go back to Kirby, atleast I know I'm guarranteed a paycheck at the end of the week" Sincerely Brendo Posted by: brendo on October 5, 2003 01:05 PM

hey me again i been making about 1200-2000 a week for almost a month now tristar is an amazing product and i believe cuz i see people jump on the deal...for all the people that dont know there are 650 different vacums and 649 work on a inline system and can be classifed as a upright,canister and tube...they all have a basic intake-bag/filter-motor-exhaust...the tristar solved this problem of bringing air over the dirt rather than thro it ..this is why it works..this is why it sells like crazy...this is why its number 1!!! Posted by: exodus on October 13, 2003 01:56 AM

Tell ya what smartie...... I sell tristars and since you TOMMY are sooooo sure of how they don't work i will put up the title of my 1960 pontiac catalina 4 door vista hard top agianst you buying my tristar for cash that you can't out perform the unit with your ...whatever. made that bet twice so far and i still have the car. what gives buddy! by the way the catalina is 75% restored with all original parts and the original 389 tripower engine with a hydraglide automatic trans so i think it is worth a little more than the tristar. Wanna put your money where your vacum is? I will! Posted by: Andre on October 18, 2003 02:50 PM

by the way tommy...... you are a lair, simply because in our demo book THE VERY FIRST PAGE TELLS THE HISTORY OF THE COMPANY....duh...... how bout that bet BUDDY?????????? Posted by: andre on October 18, 2003 02:54 PM

This one is for Blah: you sound like a seasoned, bloodsucking vacuum cleaner salesman. In fact, you sound just like the guy who spoke at the training class I recently walked out of due to disgust. Not only are you guys shifty, but you don't even explain to future employees at a job interview what the hell you are about. You lie to everyone!! Had the distributor explained to me what the hell I was getting into, I wouldn't have "wasted their time" as they so put it! Not that they just wasted my time. Oh no, not at all! People, these guys are shiftier than used car salesman. And the tactics they teach you to get someone's money is absurd. How do these crooks live with themselves? They have no conscience. And like all good vampires, they probably cast no reflections in the mirror either, because our trainer looked like he had never seen a mirror!! Good bye Tri-Star!! What a waste of human flesh your people are!! You be ashamed of yourselves. I can find better, more honest ways of making a living! Posted by: Joe Dirt on October 23, 2003 10:00 AM

Hey Joe dirt ( aptly named no doubt) Working with tristar is not a J.O.B. it is an opportunity for those people who have always had the drive and the desire to own their own business but have never had the product or the training to go after it. You must hate car salesmen and realors and furniture salesmen and cell phone companies and.......the list goes on I bet. Want something for nothing then go on survivor. The rest of us work for a living. I have trained and sold and recruited many of people in this business and the rewards are great. but then that's why I drive a new car and pay my bills. If you are ever ready to earn a living and be a leader then take the time to understand the business. But then I am sure that this is not the first thing that you have walked out of in your life. Fast food is always hiring! Posted by: andre on October 25, 2003 02:22 PM

How long did it take you to respond with that lame-ass come-back? Again, you sound like a brain-washed idiot who follows the rest of the sheep! And yeah, you're right - I do hate salespeople. Because you people are always pushy looking to make the bucks any way you can. And you have no regard as to how you screw everyone else, as long as you make that sale that'a all that matters to you. Well, I'm sorry if you don't have the brass balls to go to school and really accomplish something. You're in the business of making a quick buck any way you can because your ass is way to lazy to get a hard working job like the rest of us. Instead you sit on your ass until someone tells you "Hey, go take your demo to this push-overs house. I'll bet they just don't have the spine to say NO when they hear your pitch!" And don't give me your shit about how you drive a BMW and you go on 2 cruises a year and you make $5000 a month, because that's a bunch of crap too! You want to start a real business you lazy fuck? Then how about getting off your lazy asshole and actually contact your local government on micro-enterprises and get the seed money to start one. Follow your dreams of running a real business that people can stomach - not a shoddy sales job that gets it's money from people who don't have the balls to tell you to get the fuck lost!!!!! But then, if you're making as much money as you people always claim to make, starting a new business should be easy since you are such a brilliant sales/marketing guy and you obviously have the monetary backing! Posted by: Joe Dirt on October 26, 2003 07:14 AM

Does anyone know what the resell value of a one year old TriStar would be? I can't say I have anything against the machine-it works great; but not for the price I paid! I'm sure they could sell these much cheaper and still make money on them. Posted by: Pat on November 1, 2003 10:22 PM

HEY joe dirt. You ARE as stupid as you sound. I do run my own business, a graphics design shop for personal graphics on cars, boats, and even helicopters. And I also Tattoo at a local shop 3 days a week. I sell triple scented candles to area businesses and have been a member of the jaycees for over a year now. I am listewd in the greater area Chamber of Commerce and am a member of several local charity groups. I have a bachelors degree in commercial graphic design and another one in liberal arts from Arizona State University. Yep I am a pretty lazy guy. Guess that was evident when I don't have time to come in and respond to this every day in the morning. My income is enough for me to do the things i like and get my wife the things that make her happy. But then there are only 3 types of poeple in life joe, those who watch it happen/ those who wonder what happened/ and those who make it happen. I know which one I am, do you. Sounds like maybe you need to make up with your parents or something and look outside and smile. People sell and people buy, my product (tristar) is something that everyone I have sold to is happy with. In a town with less than 70,000 people and mostly military i run into them quite a bit, and have had very very few unsatisfied. Sorry you couldn't cut the grade man. I hear that managers at restaurants make a pretty decent wage working for other people. Have a nice life Joe. Posted by: Andre on November 4, 2003 12:45 PM

Hey I am in my third day of training at tristar and after reading all these comments today i don't know what to think...i am very estatic about the job and i truly do believe in the tristar as i have seen the demo a few times! Am i really being scammed like these people say or not...i have learned not to trust everything you read on the internet, but the offers just sound too good to be true! $500 a week no matter if any are sold or not?! is that true? Weekly and Monthly bonuses for selling them? Am i really still going to get the $500 if i just go on the 20 appointments a week or will i be fired if after a while the sales don't go good? I am not a bloodsucking rep. i just love to talk to people and if they say no i can respect that...i just want to know if this is a good deal for sure?!thanks! Posted by: tristar in munce? on November 6, 2003 07:12 PM

So far, from what I've seen, Tri-Star will pay you what they say. The trick is that you probably won't get 20 appointments in a week. In the last week I've gone on 6 or 7. Since the phone room didn't do their job, I had several bomb. So I only get paid for 4. You only get paid if you take the machine out of the box on a salary system. On a commission system, you get paid per sale. I heard my boss mention offhand that 3 per day was likely as many as you could do (since you can't show people who aren't home, working or whatever.) I've never gone on more than 2 in a single day - and the entire morning is spent hanging flyers on doors. So I've worked 65 hours this week, and my pay equals $1.67 an hour. Don't count on $500 a week unless you sell at least two machines and are on the commission plan. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on November 9, 2003 03:01 PM

Howdy folks - very interesting topic, especially since it's lasted this long! Here's my story: guy came to our house on Saturday to "drop off a free gift" because my wife did a phone survey. Alright, whatever - compared to the knife salesman we had a month earlier this Tristar thingy actually piqued my interests. You see, we had a Fantom Lightning for a few years and it was a wonderful canister for the price. Unfortunately the vacuum just barely outlived the company themselves and we were left with a broken vac and no support. So we bought an upright Eureka and have hated it ever since; it's a pain on the stairs, weighs a tonne, and shoots more crap out behind it than it sucks up. The headlight is cool though. Anyway, I digress. My wife and I hadn't openly discussed it, but there was no love lost on our upright and when we saw this MG1 we thought, hey! It's like Super Fantom! To make matters more sticky, Danielle actually found out that she knew the salesman (his mom taught her piano). Anyway, by the end of the presentation we were very interested in the vacuum and when the guy, who was very nice and obviously well trained although he was only 3-1/2 months on the job, told us the price I nearly keiled over. Phone call, blah blah, trade in, blah blah. In the end, with Ministar attachment (it's quite good!), we were looking at $2500Cdn plus taxes. That's about $2000US. Anyway, I have to say again that this little sucker really did impress us, enough to agree to it on a 12-month no interest no payments option. The kid was very clear that if we weren't happy we could cancel the order - though he was noticeably careful to hide the 10-day notice when he sealed the receipt in an envelope and licked it shut "for safe keeping". :) Kudos to whomever trained him. Anyway, two days later and full of buyer's remorse (I vacuumed 5 times and felt no better, though the house was indeed spotless). I went to EXL to excercise my rights today, and the guy was there with his boss when I walked in. Very cheery though I knew he figured he lost a sale - which I wasn't happy with; I'm not mean. It means he lost his comission and he did put on a good show for us. Better than dinner theatre! So I talked to the boss, and after all was said and done, he came down. LOTS.. WAY lots. $1000Cdn lots, which given the savings on tax as well equates to about $750US savings. So now a $1400Cdn vacuum with $99 Ministar was much, much more pallatable (with 6mo. no interest no payments). I still said I'd think about it. Tomorrow I'm going to phone and seal the deal. For under $1100US I think we'll actually get our money's worth out of this little piece of metal, plastic and whateve bowling balls are made of (the back wheels). To the local distributor, I say Kudos for training this kid so well; ditto to the kid. The boss actually said that one of his reasons to sell so close to cost and not just give up on the sale was that the kid deserved his commission. We all shovel someone else's sh*t to make a living; I have respect for people who are good at what they do, even if it's trying to take more money than I'm willing to part with. To Tristar, I also tip my hat and just hope this company will be around to see the end of my warranty (any takers on that, by the way?). Take care everyone, and caveat emptor! Posted by: Canuck on November 12, 2003 10:45 PM

DO NOT BUY THIS VACUUM. I was a salesman for this stuff awhile back when these people were doing the same crap with a different brand name. Same stories, same cyclonic action, same crappy High prices. They start by conning young neive people into working for them with promises of tons of $. But the "sales-manager" (aka the con-show manager) makes all the profit on the inflated prices. These vaccums are no better than alot of good ones out there that cost a ton less. I sold it, I know. Then they try to sell it not as the vacuum it is but as a "air cleaner" and make it out to be the microscopic cleaning solution for all your needs. ITS A VACCUM. Pure and simple. As an air cleaner it is noisy as hell. YOu can get 3 vaccums and an Ionic breeze or two for this price. IF YOU MUST have a TRI-Star (older models were the Majestic Filter Queen), then goto Ebay and pick one up for a couple hundred dollars. Trust me, I was in the "ring", and got out as soon as I saw what the deal was. Geez, these guys are not even up front with their soliciting. They dropped notes off on everyone's door about a "package" they had waiting for you and the number to call to get it delivered. What they have is a very cheap "toss-away" gift they got in bulk from a dollar store. THis is to get in the door and to make you feel obligated after they show you the "miracles" the machine can perform. DON'T GO THERE!! Posted by: Russell on November 13, 2003 05:10 PM

Hi. This will be my 4th year in this business. I will agree with a few of the comments made earlier about the practices of some of the distributors out there. I have worked for 6 different distributors and I unfortunately started at the absolute worst one. All the practices affore mentioned were done there. I didn't get bonuses, paid on time... believe me, it was hell. There's always one bad seed in any company and I got to work for him. The good thing about that year is that I sold more machines than anyone else on the planet did. Now, before anyone starts trying to harp on me... let's get some things VERY clear. My Grandmother raised me, so my morales are totally different than the norm these days. I don't drink, drugs or gamble. I live by the Ten Commandments and am as honest as a Pope. People purchased from me because of my honesty and because of all the independent research I've done on health and the causes of our breathing problems in the United States. 1 in 13 children now have Asthma. They spend 90% of the first 2 years of their life 5 inches from the carpet. Then it becomes their play ground for the next 8-10 years. Our homes have 70-80% more fabric in them, they're sealed up with no fresh air and we aren't getting rid of the filth in our homes. 78% of the dust in our homes is organic material, ie. skin, molds , mildews, bacterias, rotting material brought in off of our shoes. Just think of when you go to the movie theatres, restrooms, your own yards and what you step in. Then you go home to a dark, damp, warm enviorment and track that stuff into your homes. Here's a teaser for you... Would you ever LICK your own shoes? Isn't that what's on the floors? If the pores on your vacuum are plugged with material no air can come in. If no air comes in, neither does the dirt. Read the disclaimer in an Orecks manual about Disposable Bags, or the Kenmore canister disclaimer on their bag. "Don't put fine dust, powder, plaster or cleaning agents or CARPET fuzz into" the machine. Let's see... Dirt, Dust, Skin, Carpet Fresh, Dander or Fur. Hmmmmmm. Then what is a vacuum for? Vacuum means " a void or absence of air". Question 1. Doesn't a vacuum use air to pick dirt up off the floor? Question 2. How do you clean with an "airless" cleaner? Vacuum cleaner is actually an oxymorn: what we think it means is the opposite of what it really means. Like Jumbo Shrimp. Kinda silly, but true. The American language is full of them. Also, the tighter the pores are the faster a filter will clog, that's why Intel stages the filters for their clean rooms, so that the cost is as low as possible to produce the computer chips. One dust mote can ruin 1 to 6 computer chips. That's some expensive "dust". Lastly, Yes we do get a commision, but it's figured into the top. Everytime someone gets a "deal" they are taking the kids money. If I asked you to take an 80%pay cut, would you stay? So the next time you ask a sales person for a better deal, remember, your asking them to not feed themselves. Oh ya, for those of you considering this job, It is what you put into it. You go half assed at it,guess what, you won't get anywhere in it. So practice, smile, and have fun. And if anyone sees or applies with an ED BERGLUND in Vegas or an ED REIMER in Colo. Springs, (owner and manager where I started) RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!! They will rape you like they did me. Tri-Star kicked them both out. I'm still in it because of all the other people I've met since that time of my life and I know the way that I am and the way I will run my future Distributorship. I know I will have happy and well feed reps and long standing relationships with my future Tri-Star owners that I will earn. I stand by my code of ethics, integrity, accountability aand professionalism instilled in me by my Grandma.(god bless her soul):) Have a wonderful evening and good housekeeping. Chris Posted by: Chris on November 13, 2003 11:52 PM

A little advise to prospective Vacuum owners. If you spend fifteen minutes and THINK how a vacuum functions , you wouldn't waste you money on any of them. You might as well use a rake. There is a reason there is a disclaimer on them. It was proved, in Federal court no less, that after 5 to 15min. no vacuum has enough airflow to pick up even surface dirt. That's why there's a disclaimer on them. So you the customer don't figure this out and sue them for wrongful representation. (misleading) You ever notice that they show you them with either clean(new) filters or that they bipass the filtration systems all together. Do you realize that the concept of the vacuum hasn't changed for 101 yrs. The only difference is that yours is made of plastic, has a light and is pretty. It stil does exactly what it was originally designed to do... beat the dirt into and under the carpet. If your vacuums worked, Why is there dirt under your carpets? Throw rugs?.. Why is it that the older your house gets the more you dust, the more you clean the carpets professionally, the more allergies you get? We're never getting rid of it!!!!! It went obsolete in the 40s, when we started nailing the carpet to the floor. The only problem is that we had been using it for over 30 yrs. We are a society of habit. We still use them because our mothers did. Also, does a vacuum cleaner smell good. NO. Mother nature makes things smell bad for a reason. Unhealthy... Warning... The EPA found that vacuums pollute more than they clean. EX. If your friend came over ever week for the game, and while you were in the restroom he chucked dirt in your wifes face, honestly, what would you do about it? What if he'd been doin' it for weeks, would your reaction be any different? And yet we tollerate a VACUUM doing worse to us everytime we use it, we just choose to ignore it. Sad, yet true. Why do you think Asthmatics can't be around Vacuums? 'Cause they put out perfume? It's the stuff on your shoe being shoved up your nose, plus millions of other unmentionables. When is the best time to stop Asthma, Before you get it or on the way to the emergeny room because your child can't breath?!!!! I know this sounds bad, but I take Asthma a little seriously. You would too if you watched a kid die because of an asthma attack and a grown man become a vegetable because he'ed "grown out of it". Bullshit. Once you get it, you GOT it. The only thing that happens is that your lung capacity gets larger. And if we had Honest Allergists out there they would tell you how to get rid of your agitators instead of giving you life long meds to siatate your condition and not really prevent it. $$$$$$$$ It's a Billion dollar industry. I could go on......... Any ?'s about where I got my info just holler. Smile. :) Chris Posted by: Chris on November 14, 2003 12:36 AM

Hi chris, i was just wondering where you got your information cause i am a rep and those are all good facts that could be used. Also, I am new and i have not yet sold a tristar, do you have any tips on getting people to commit? That is my biggest problem, I can make anyone love the product, but they are always shocked at the price and ALWAYS need to think it over and let me know the next day, every call back i have had has said no, i think because they don't want to say no to me directly?! How can i become a better salesperson, you mentioned that you had a pretty high average, so i have come to you for help! thanks Posted by: andrea on November 15, 2003 11:43 AM

Without giving a class on sales(not enough time), here are a few tips. Rapport is very important, the machine will sell itself. Since your new, you need to pull up Hoffa( Dig lots of dirt). As for price shock: Start letting them Know how much the others cost at Mini-Vac, giving examples at each style (ie. $60DirtDevel,$300-$900Oreck,$1500-$3000Kirby.) Quality comes at a cost. Ask any man where he buys his tools. Walgreens or Sears? I recommend a red book written by Zig Ziggler. Yes, I know he's OLD school products, but a lot of his examples can be used with everything. Also he's not a crammer. The #1 thing is have a good time, learn some good jokes, make the people laugh and have fun, the longer they use it the more they will see the need for it. Do people want it? Yes. Do people need it? Yes. Then it comes down to one thing, can they afford it? Is there one, good, reason for people to keep the dirt? NO? How about getting rid of it? Money saved, living in filth, health! Are you giving people an education or just wasteing their time? No? How often do you walk into a door before you figure out that it needs to be open first? ( Buying a vacuum) Cleaning is a neccessity not a want. Email for more descriptive methods. None will be hard core. Good health and cleanliness. Chris Posted by: Chris on November 15, 2003 10:12 PM

As for my info. The EPA posts stats on their site and there is plenty more at the American Lung Associations', MIT has lots to. I spent my down time at the local Library either on the Internet or reading the Medical Journel(a weekly) or anything I could get my hands on. Look up the history of vacuums, it's in the junior section of the libraries. They were originally invented to replace the "outside" carpet "BEATERS". In 1917, there is a full paged add for a Hoover stating "It's the Beater, then you Sweep." (with a broom) In the 40's and 50's they changed it's nickname to the "sweeper". Once again, we are a creature of habit, and easily brain-washed. Do you know anyone who likes to clean? That's another reason why none of us conscider how a vacuum works before we lay down our hard earn cash for a toy.( Looks like it, acts like it, doesn't do it. ie. Matchbox Cars.) Vacuums give illussions of clean. 1. Turn on and make noise. (ex. Little brothers or sisters, bosses:) ) 2. Rake the floor so it looks pretty. 3. Make everything that you can see disappear. 4. Lastly, they do actually fill up. (90% carpet, 10 % other goop.)( Just tear open ANY bag and analize its contents. If in the house, be sure to use newspaper.) Allright, I've got to go. Have a lot of fun and pull a lot of dirt!!! Chris :) Posted by: Chris on November 15, 2003 10:47 PM

Kudos Chris. Info is the tool of the salesman. And Andrea, As long as you saty in this business always remeber one thing if you forget all else, If you don't believe in the product then how is anyone else supposed to believe in what you say about the product. Posted by: Andre on November 17, 2003 11:13 AM

WOW! Funny story - my friends 25 year old son was just laid off from a large auto supplier here in Detroit, and somehow was "offered" an amazing opportunity to make MINIMUM $300 dollars per week, by doing 15 appointments set by the company ($20 bucks a pop) to "show" the filterqueen product. Now I'm not against salespeople, or young ones trying to earn a living, and I agreed to let him come to my home to (practice, I was told) give me the "pitch". Knowing full well I was not going to buy anything, I said "sure". When he got to my home, I had no idea what it was he was going to "show me" (*a little tip, when a company STRONGLY teaches recruits NOT to tell people what the "presentation" is about - be very sceptical) I listened to his canned presentation, which I tried to give him tips on, and help him out (I'm a master closer too Blah - grin) considering he was my friends son, and I've known him for many years. After the presentation, I will admit - I thought this filterqueen was a GREAT product, but definitely (to me anyway) NOT worth $2000 (just for the vacuum)(it sucks dirt, its a vacuum). He told me he had to call his dispatch, or whatever - the guy on the phone talked to him for a minute, then wanted to talk to me - the funny part is, he couldn't close me -(for folks who don't understand sales, a "closer" is a person who actually pushes the sale, arguing every single objection you have NOT to buy - in fact, EVERY reason you give the closer NOT to buy, is ANOTHER reason he'll give back why you should buy! (*and by the way Blah, be honest, the TRUE reason any company wants BOTH husband and wife together for the presentation is so the MAIN objection of "Gee whiz, I can't make a decision without my husband" is already dealt with). The filterqueen IS a very nice vacuum, and I probably would buy one, but I DO think it's very wrong for the company (any company) to brainwash these kids into thinking it's as easy as they claim. And their presentation is VERY misleading too, as I'm sure ALL those type vacuum sales cons are. OH! after the presentation, THEY ARE TOLD they MUST get 10 names FROM the homeowner for the company to call on and make new appointments. that wrong. call it what you want - but if I want to purchase ANYTHING, I'm going to look to the internet to research, and make my decision on my own time - with no pressures. And on another note - grin - if "dirt" is SO important for people to rid themselves of, maybe they would start by quitting cigarettes, or drinking alcohol, or ridding themselves of pets..or swimming in the ocean & lakes...come on..do you think the world has evolved all these years cuz a few people have good vacuum cleaners...hahahahahah Posted by: detroitguy on November 18, 2003 04:29 PM

I just bought a Tristar last night for $2697. I thought it was an excellent product and was so excited to have it, but after reading postings complaining about the price at $1697 I am irate! I called my Tristar office and they tried to convince me that the price everywhere is what I paid! Any company that would dupe their customers like that cannot and will not have my business, and should not have yours unless they come up with a more honest policy and a better price! I just cancelled my purchase and I thank everyone who posted their malcontent with Tristar! Posted by: Kwilliams on November 19, 2003 05:45 PM

Kwilliams....What city did you purchase one from? The most that ours sell for is 2000, and payment plans can make that lower we will also give you 200 for your current vacuum! if you liked it and would like one in your home i can hook you up email me and let me know! I can possibly get you a great deal on one!adf_shootingstar@yahoo.com Posted by: andrea on November 19, 2003 06:41 PM

We bought a tri star 16 yrs ago from a salesman - yes we paid way too much, BUT it is a great machine, it still works fine. Even use it as a leaf blower. Giving it to our oldest daughter in college, bought a used new one at auction. Same great quality - one eighth of the price. Lived in same town for 23 years -the company wouldn't honor the warranty for as long as advertised, even though they are here... just changed their name so as to get out of the contract. Good long lasting machines just don't buy at such high prices. Posted by: Rhonda on November 20, 2003 10:45 AM

Tri-Star sells their machines to authorized distributors. The amount that the distributor charges is up to them. However, each distributer signs a contract to only distribute within his region. That's why it's illegal for a distributor to offer the Tri-Star over the Internet, on Ebay or anywhere else. (If an owner wants to auction it off, that's their business.) There are several lawsuits pending already against Ebay sellers. Also, if you don't buy from a distributor, you don't get the 25 year warranty with free yearly servicing. So Andrea, before you make a deal over email, you might want to ask TJ about it. Also, each distributor is an independant company. If you purchase a machine from any distributor, retaining the original contract, then any distributor is obligated to honor it. If you can't get warranty service on your Tri-Star, and you have the contract, then perhaps you should go over the distributor's heads. www.tristarclean.com Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on November 21, 2003 09:30 AM

And if anyone had tried to sell you a "new" Tri-Star EXL since 2001, you got scammed. The current model is the MG1. Any EXL is several years old. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on November 21, 2003 09:32 AM

who is TJ? Posted by: andrea on November 23, 2003 02:28 PM

I still do not understand why people are spending $2,000 and acting like a $400 vacuum is not as good...LOL I think $400 is too much for something that cost $50 in parts to make. Andre – Sad that all you can compare the vac gig to is a $10/hr job….if I made $10/hr I would be starving…lol My main problem with the company in how they lie to people in what the position is that they are hiring for. They claimed it was a sales position of air cleaning products for big corporations and that no one could live without it…hmmm why not just say it is a Vacuum selling position? No one has yet answered this. By the way I drove by the place to see if they were still there, nope they are gone already. I have to admit I have not done a presentation. But if I get the chance the kid will be sad when I tell him to take a flying hike to use my phone to call his boss. To that I say bring your own damn cell phone…if your making $500-$1000 a week you can afford to have Verizon and for $100 a month make more calls then you will need to make and look professional and not like a dip shit that could not afford a cell phone. Of course we all realize this is just to get the boss to close the sale. There are some messed up people in this world to drop $2,000+ on a Vacuum cleaner. I have made a ton of money and shit and I be damned if I buy an overpriced paper weight. Oh, and if I wanted to haul a canister around (too old fashioned for me) I would just buy a big shop vac and pull that around the house. Posted by: Gwardy on November 24, 2003 12:14 AM

I bought my TriStar almost NINE years ago for about $1000 -- sure, I could have chewed :-) him down on price, but that darn vacuum has been worth every penny. I had it for 8 years before it needed a service and a new roller bar. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for - whether it's a vacuum, a car, or a paper weight. *Whatever* price you paid for your TriStar, if you think it's worth the value, then it's worth the value. It's the whole "price vs. cost" argument...you can buy a vacuum that's cheaper in price, but it will cost you more in the long run when (1) the vacuum breaks down just after its piddly 3-year warranty, and (2) you have to replace the carpet in your entire home sooner than if you invested a little more money in a vacuum that can actually do what it's named -- VACUUM. Here's how our TriStar gave us a nice return on our investment: We put our 7-year-old house on the market late last summer during a slumping Denver housing market; after 72 hours we had an offer, and after another 2 days of negotiations, we were under contract. The average home was sitting on the market for FIVE months -- so, we saved ourselves 5 mortgage payments. Word of mouth was that our house "looked like a model home" (and the location *sucked*)! WHY DO I MENTION THIS? AND HOW IS IT RELATED TO A FLIPPIN' VACUUM? Because most homeowners are told they should replace their carpet when selling a home. We didn't have to, and I truly believe it's because of that stupid vacuum I own, the one that looks like a pig on wheels. We didn't upgrade our carpet when we built that home; so, it wasn't the best stuff...but it maintained through 7 years and 2 pets and looked pretty damn good because I had a vacuum that worked well. So, my point is, it doesn't matter what you paid for your TriStar or whom you bought it from - if you feel it's worth your money *in the long run* (PRICE vs. COST), then, you did well. BTW, Gwardy, my husband bought a shop vac for the garage, and gave it to Goodwill after a year. You say you "have made a ton of money" (congratulations) - shall we sit down and do a price/cost analysis on a shop vac that you say you'll pull around the house? (Hey, great idea...I think today I'll my dust my furniture with the LEAF BLOWER! and THEN I can launch into a lecture about being "efficient" vs. "effective"! RIGHT ON!) Posted by: dee on November 24, 2003 12:25 PM

KWilliams only paid 2294!! Just so the story is straight. My best friend sold it to her and she has more integrity than anyone I know.. I bought a Tristar from her and I have loved it for the Last 2 months!!! I am sure I will being enjoying my Tristar for years to come!!! P.Pan SLC, UT. Posted by: Penny Pan on November 24, 2003 07:01 PM

I sell Tristars to put my husband through school and support my beautiful family!! One question,, DO ANY OF YOU KNOW HOW BUSINESS WORKS?? Go buy a car or house or t shirt for that matter and then try to state your case.. Comon. Come into the real world and join us would ya. Posted by: Bessie Mac on November 24, 2003 07:06 PM

Andrea: TJ is your boss. Gwardy: The reason reps use the customer's phone is so that the rep's location can be verified with caller ID. Dee: You go girl! Also, the price isn't the same everywhere - for example, the state of California requires Tri-Star distributers to pay a passel of taxes and license fees, which raises the price. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4L on November 26, 2003 10:52 AM

dee - Okay I called up family to see what they all use and if they were happy or not. My Grandmother uses a Eureke and has had it with 5 years no problem, she also has a Hoover that is 10 years old and some 30 year old Hoover canister vac. They all still work like new. My parents have Hoovers and they have them going back 20 years, they have 5 a few are broom vacs and they all work just fine. One of my many aunts have a Eureke from 1965, still works fine. She also has a newer Eureke that is 8 years old. The argument of a cheaper vacuum breaking is just silly. Yeah, I also believe cars are way out of line...$36,000 for an Explorer when in 1991 it cost $22,000...no it is not worth it. Then again you can see the automakers hurting now and having more ont he lot then they know what to do with, enough of that though. hmmm...a Tristar is an overpriced shop-vac...and actually the shop vac will probably have more power to suck then the Tristar and do a better job...what does that have to do with a leftblower...oh your trying to tell people why would you want a shop-vac in the house that is a garage item...LOL Yep, good try...you must sell a lot and know how to get people to look at things differantly. But there is no differance in a shop-vac and a Tristar...they are both Vacuum cleaners. If your happy blowing $2,000 or even $1,000 on a paper wieght then that is fine. Amazing how vacuum people can get their panties all twisted in a knot over a vacuum...LOL Do you feel you spent too much and that is why you have to argue that it was worth every penny. Posted by: Gwardy on November 26, 2003 10:57 AM

dee - Change your carpet to sell your house. What market are you in. I have a few realestate people in the family and they said you should not change your carpet as that is not a selling factor of a home. The next guy will change the wall colors and carpet...a ton of people hate to move into a used home and walk on the old owners carpet, plus it is not usually what the new owner would of picked out. Just from experiance I know this is true...first thing I did was new carpet, and the owners had just put this in before I moved in...oh well I wanted something differant. Same with room colors, I did not want the colors they had in the rooms so I changed them. I doubt your vacuum had anything to do with selling your house...good try....still trying to reach for something people can relate too to justify their overpriced items. Oh wait, a trailer...yeah you might want to change your carpet in that as the thing is worthless after a few years and very hard to sell to begin with....but if your in a trailer and spend $1,000-$2,000+ on a vacuum can I just shoot you and get rid of one more idiot on this world. Posted by: Gwardy on November 26, 2003 11:08 AM

I called the number I posted months ago to see if they were still around as I had posted that I had drove by and they looked to be gone. Well they are, the number is no longer in service. So if they are now gone who would I then take the vaccuum too for service or warranty work? Yep, it was a shady operation for sure, as the place was a new complex but shows you anyone can rent then just pickup and leave after a few months. Posted by: Gardy on November 26, 2003 01:21 PM

Yay! The 30 year old vacuums are still running! And they're still leaving dirt in the carpet! And no, the Tri-Star is not a "shop-vac." You're confusing us with Rainbow. Shopvacs blow as much back out as they pick up, as people who actually use them know. Shopvacs have more power? Kewl. So pick up 20 pounds of sand in one. Then flip it over. It's weird, when people who know absolutely nothing about a particular subject pose as experts. It seems pretty clear to me that the Tri-Star is not a vacuum. (Anyone remember what that word means? Yes! ABSENCE OF AIR! Move to the head of the class.) I wouldn't spend $2000 on a vacuum either, especially since I know that no vacuum is going to pick up the dirt. And as I believe I've already said, any distributor will honor your warranty. If you can't find one, call the manufacturer. www.tristarclean.com Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on November 29, 2003 12:51 PM

Tristar Vacuums will cost you what ever you are willing to pay. If you hold out long enough with the salesperson you should be able to get them down to just Under 1000. Still to much to pay for this machine or any vacuum for that matter. The in home demo that amazes all the people who buy them has been perfected over the last 95 years. You say that tristar hasn't been around that long, you are right but all door to door vacuum dealers use the same kinds of tricks to convince you that their machine will out clean any other on the market. Kirby, Electrolux, Rainbow, Filter Queen etc all want lots of money for their vacuums but because its our first visit and because you are such a nice family and because the moon isn't out or because the moon is out we'll let you have it for (your price goes here). Oh you can't afford that then let me call my boss and see what we can do. Does any of that sound familiar to any of you who have bought any of the machines I listed? Yes the machines listed will clean better then most of the machines at the local department stores but not for a 1000 or 2000 or what ever you happened to pay. Oh but they last forever and have 25 year warranties. Yes the 25 year warranty on the DIE CAST METAL BODY is good but useless when you think about it. The motors are 5 years and the rest of the parts are 2. When those parts (not if but when) go out and the distributor you bought from 5 years ago has retired to a beach in the south pacific (not hard to do when a tristar cost them $379 from the manufacturer and they sell them for $2000 on average) the hose will cost around a $100, motor $100 etc etc. How you ask do I know this well I used to be a warranty station for them. We would receive the old vacuums that were traded in as compensation for doing the work the first 2 years under the warranty. After which time we could charge them for all parts sold. The funny thing is that in the vacuums that were traded in we would find other 2000 dollar vacuums like Kirby, Electrolux, Rainbow and even old compacts which was the name of the TriStar before it became Tristar. Same vacuum just a different name. So if the TriStar was built to last forever why did we find Compacts in the trade in pile. Most of you who have bought the Tristar will not believe a word I have said here but when you go to replace the hose, motor, rollbrush, powernozzle neck, or what ever part does break after the two years remember you read it hear first. Posted by: Someone whocares on November 29, 2003 11:00 PM

Yes I was told that fantom has gone bankrupt and I am looking for a dealer that might have the bottom plastic part of the vacuum that the release buttom for the handle is attached. I has become cracked and catches. The other thing that i should warn people about is the new fantom that are out. I have been told that no one is fixing them that they are a throw away vacuum. Just so no one gets stuck like me. Posted by: Sharon on December 1, 2003 11:17 AM

I am trying to locate a electric hose for a tri star model a 101 no one seems to carry any parts her in the Atlanta area. Could you please help me locate parts.Its a great machine but not worth ---- if you can not get parts. Thanks Joe Posted by: joe on December 3, 2003 04:50 PM

Looks like someone has an X fetish - and a maturity problem. Joe, try the Tri-Star website, www.tristarclean.com. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on December 4, 2003 04:49 PM

Some interesting comments in here about the Tristar vacuum. I'm, I guess what you would call a vacuum junky, I buy every vacuum around to see which is the best. I bought the Tristar from a door to door salesman (I got suckered), but it is the best vacuum I have ever had. I've had it since 1995 and it still works like a champ. The hose has some kind of problem at the moment but if I twisted a certain way it works and even my mother thinks it is amazing. I have three very furry dogs and when I vacuum not one hair is left on the carpet. I recently tried the Roomba, wow, what a piece of junk for our house anyway(sent it back). Sorry for being long winded- had to have my say. Posted by: Liz on December 8, 2003 08:05 AM

I need to find Tri-Star's corporate office. I sold tri-stars when I was 17 and 18. I made good money when I sold them, but it's not the margin you all are talking about. See, it's not like they sell the vacuum to you for a set amount. Like the guy said, if it costs us 1200, and we sell it for 2500, we keep 1300. Anyway, when I was selling them, we got a percentage. The particular dealer that I was working with was a scam artist. He shut down and moved, then shut down and moved city to city, once sales were high, so that he didn't have to pay all of us. Ok, all that said, I still believe the tri-star is the best vacuum that I have personally ever seen or used. Also, I STILL NEED the corporate information because my in laws bought a tri-star before I ever even knew them, and the bearings went out. Does anyone have that information? For corporate or headquarers? Just email me at iamchrisstone@aol.com Thanks! Posted by: chris on December 11, 2003 12:45 PM

Go to www.tristarclean.com. You should be able to find a dealer near you. The office is in Dallas, Texas. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on December 13, 2003 08:25 AM

I have had a Tri-star since 1995, however, i bought another one a couple of years ago, and need to get rid of one of them. I only need one. They work great, anyone interested please contact me. Thanks, Cynthia Posted by: Cynthia on December 16, 2003 08:30 AM

Hello again from the middle of nowhere tennessee.lol..... Well to all of the satisfied Tristar owners who happen here I would like to say happy holidays, and to all the unhappy people who happen here i would like to say........Happy Holidays. Hope that all is as well as you wish for the Holiday season. For those who think that their VACUUMS still work,, when you finally get tired of that musty smell in your house that frebreeze just won't cover or the sight of your baby on their hands and knees with four dirty fingers and a clean thumb from the dirt STILL in your carpets, furniture, curtains,lampshades, and so on. Feel free to contact tristarclean.com to get a rep out to your home to get rid of that situation. Merry Yule All......... Posted by: Andre on December 20, 2003 05:32 PM

My first question is, why would anyone pay 1500 plus dollars from a seller when you can get tristars for less then 800 on ebay? My second question is, my dirt devil piece of crap vacuum broke so I need to get a new one. Should I get a Kirby or a tristar? I know people that have both and they all swear by both of them. I like that the kirby ultimate G has a shampooer so I feel like I am getting twice the deal. Ebay has the Kirby Ultimate G for 500. Please just give me honest advice. Thank you! Posted by: Kimberly on January 2, 2004 02:09 AM

Oh and one other question, many people on here say you can get the same kind of vacuum like tristar and Kirby etc for a fraction of the price but no one says which vacuums those are. If you have any suggestions please let me know. Thank you. F.Y.I for those of you that are looking to make money in sales, if you want to make good money and not do the door to door thing, become a loan officer for a lender. I have been in the mortgage business for years and only speaking about the money you can make a ton of it. Just a suggestion. :) Posted by: Kimberly on January 2, 2004 02:15 AM

Kim> The reason TriStar gives is that you won't get the 25-year warranty with free annual servicing if you don't buy from a manufacturer's representative. And if you can, arrange to have a Kirby in the room when the TriStar is demonstrated; the TriStar's 8amp motor can reverse the flow of the Kirby's 12amp so that the bag of the Kirby will deflate (while the motor is running.) TriStar dealers also have available a dry carpet stain remover, which works a lot better than a shampooer (because all the shampooer does is get the dirt in your carpet wet, not out. Wet dirt stinks.) I was an assistant office manager for a TriStar dealer; however, the owner started scamming a lot of people and his contract to distrubute was cancelled. Now I'm fighting the Regional Distributor to give me the money he still owes me for contracts I signed three months ago. So yes, buy a TriStar, but don't sell them unless you can go for 6 to 12 months living with no steady income. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on January 13, 2004 11:04 AM

I have a TriStar EXL I've had for about 3 years. * * * *I bought it at a garage sale, for $5. * * * * Power head, and all the attachments. * * * I've since bought extra bags, and I need to replace the filter thingy on the tail end - whatever is supposed to hold in on is gone. I really like it - It is a good cleaning machine. When I read here how much $$$ is being paid for these, my first thought was "ARE THESE PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR MINDS???!!!!" $1500 for a vacuum cleaner?! Yes, it is a very good product. But come on! I feel like I got a really good deal, and have had good use of it, but I will probably sell it this spring.... on ebay! Posted by: Sara douglass on January 13, 2004 09:58 PM

well i have read alot of these post massages and i have to disagree with alot of them!i have been around the vacuum business for almost 20 years and i honestly do feel the tri star by far for the price performance and service in p.a. has out done and out cleaned any rainbow ,filter-queen, electrolux, and certainly the worst on the market kirby!if the consumer wants to go buy vacumms from wal-mart and the other disposable stores every 2 to 5 years and spend 200 a shot and in 30 years have spent 1000 to 1500 on junk that did not clean any-way so be it !!but i own and forever never pay again a wonder well worth every pennie( tristar) and my family 4 boys 1 girl and a lovely wife do not and will not breath sweeper bacteria ever agin because if you would not eat your sweeper bag then why do you let your family breath it and do not tell me your sweeper does not leak bacteria cause the carpet fresh would not smell if it did not go from the carpet first and then through the sweeper and bag and then you breath it !good luck all you tight wads buying junk hope you breath well at night!!!! i know we will------ we own the best there ever will be (A TRI-STAR)THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME! Posted by: michael on January 18, 2004 11:43 AM

I've done one day's training today at a new Tristar dealer in eastern Canada. I am impressed with the product - but not with the "manager" in the office and some of their sales "suggestions". In general, I am an awesome salesperson (have sold lots of different items ovet the last 20 years) - but my real interest is in real estate and I am currently studying for my real estate license ( 12 month course from a major university). I basically went to the training as I am looking for a job for "living money" while I study the real estate courses by correspondence. And basically, I didn't have any other job offers at the moment. Anyway . . . because this is a brand new office they have also said that they need a warehouse manager - basically somebody to deal with stock and shipments (which I also have experience doing). Not sure of the cash they are offering for this. The deal as a sales person is that they will guarantee $1800 a month minimum and will send you out on 3 or 4 demonstrations daily. Then you get your commision on any sales (over your base pay). Are there any current or ex Tristar sales reps out there - especially from Ontario, Alberta, or British Columbia - that can share their first week's experience with me AND if they can close well without "calling the boss" at the end of the presentation. When you first start - is it really realistic to sell 1 in 4 demos? Is it likely that you will get 4 demos a day? Will you really sell one a day? In order to do so, do you have to resort to pressured sales to do so? If so, what percent of the time? Another concern is how the telesales people set up appointments. I'm not clear on what is said in this office yet - but I am concerned about some of the posts here where people were told that they were going to see an air filtration system or that they were going to take a survey. And leaving pamphlets on doorknobs saying that you have a parcel waiting. These seem like very dishonest tactics and I would not be comfortable doing them. Also, to the sales agents currently working for Tristar ( or to people who have recently had an agent do a demo), have you been successful being totally forward with people, not resorting to sales "tricks", (even giving them a few days to think about it and calling back if they really don't want to bu on the same day. ) Feedback please One of my concerns is that if I go into different people's homes in the area - and people feel like they are over paying or are being put under too much pressure (re: phone call to boss for closing), I wonder if it may affect my ability to go into real estate locally (would you trust a house sale to a vacuum sales person - whether you were satisfied or not with your Tristar?) So I'm thinking that the warehouse position might be a better option. Any comments would be appreciated. By the way, I do think the Tristar MG1 is a great product and worth the money. I saw a head on demo against 2 other manufacturers models (as well as their warranty voids for using these other manufactuers' product on dust. Huh?), and the Tristar does really kick ass. In fact, if you had a serious problem with allergies to dust - especially in the praries or Ontario, a Tristar might be 100% essential. Regarding the price, a good comparison might be to that of cars. Would you rather by a crappy Dodge Neon for $13,000 that will constantly break down, is unsafe to drive, and will last only 5 years or so. Or would you rather own a Toyota for $20,000 that will go 400,000 kilometers and last 20 years. Still, some people insist that their Dodge, despite problems, is what they want. Anyway, my issue is with working as a Tristar rep - not the product itself. Advice please. Thanks! Posted by: MXL on January 22, 2004 04:33 AM

MXL - I completed my second day of training yesterday and am supposed to attend my third one today. Unfortunately I have just spent the last 5 hours researching Tristar because my gut was telling me that some thing just doesn't feel right. The product is great, I'll give it that but its not about the product for me...its about the company that wants me as a sales rep. Here's the things that make me nervous: 1. The building, in Mississauga, has no real identification about who they are. 2. The job I was applying for had already been filled and only the sales jobs were available. I live in Brampton, ON and was replying to a help wanted ad for warehouse work paying 16.85 - 22.45/hour. 3. Why would they ask for my SIN on a pre-application form? 4. The sales job guarantees $1800/month if you don't sell anything ($11.25/hr) and if you do make any sales your commission is deducted from the $1800 until it exceeds it, then the $1800 is waived altogether and you just get the commission. 5. One of the earlier postings above mentioned that everyone is a heavy smoker. This is also the case in this place and smoking in the office is actually encouraged. 6. Our trainer keeps telling us we will meet our "Manager" but he conveniently always seems to be out of the office when I ask when I will be meeting him. 7. Except for award plaques and posters, I've yet to see any concrete evidence that they are a legit business. (i.e. a Business Licence or even a company name) 8. Our trainer says he's going Montreal in a month and his boss says he'll be going out west...where does that leave us sales people since they are the only one's we know? 9. We started with 30 people on the first day of training and are down to 6 by the third. ...and, finally, the 10th and most obvious reason that it probably isn't a good idea for me to be a sales rep for Tristar: I just spent 6 hours researching the company on the internet!!! There are many other things that "bug" me and I could go on and on but its late now (7:00am) and I want to go to bed. I guess, to sum up, between all the postings above from Tristar sales people and customers, the complaints I found on the "complaints . com" website and information I researched on the Gov. of Ont. website, morally, it just doesn't feel like its something I can put my heart and soul into. My understanding is the first batch of people we will be selling to are all retired folks... what does that tell you? The other thing I noticed is that I've yet to hear any "politeness and professionalsm" from the Tristar sales people who have posted a message. Venting or not, you should always be professional when you are representing your company/product. Everyone, even at the training office, seem to be very young and very immature. The product is great. Its everything else that feels shady...but, hey, that's just me. Posted by: I'm Saying NO on January 23, 2004 06:18 AM

I use to sell compacts some 30 years ago. I still own one, used in the garage for sawdust, that is approximately 50 years old. I recently purchased an EXL off ebay. As far as engineering and ability to suck in dirt with minimal external contamination from exhaust there is no better product on the market! Everyone pays different prices for different products its the American way. If you think you paid too much for one of these great machines then you probably paid too much for your car, cloths, home and especially your education. The copact/tristar is good value only if you shop wisely. I certainly cannot say this for the some of the other VAC VENDORS i.e. Kirby. As for me I believe these little sweepers are the best in their class that money can buy...... Posted by: Mike on January 24, 2004 12:31 PM

tom....i am in search of the beater bar for the power head for a rainbow....can you help? Posted by: Patty on January 25, 2004 12:03 PM

KIRBYS ARE HORRIBLE!!! I had this cute girl come banging on my door, trying to seduce me trying to get herself into my house to do a demo of the Kirby vacuum cleaner. SO after looking at her body, I gave into her and let her into my house. She did this dumb litle demo and showed me how dirty my house was. Anyhow when it came to the end she wanted me to buy it. I told her I really wasn't interested. The next thing I know she is calling her boss from my phone, and then she hangs up and takes her shirt off. I was like holy sh*t I am going to get with this cute little vacuum saleswoman. I mean hell she was prolly only about 18. That darn girl told me that if I gave her a order for a kirby vacuum she would get it on with me. So, me being the adult that I am of course you know what I told her..... She was great but her sweeper is a piece of junk. So in the end I did get some but I also had to pay $2395 for a heavy piece of sh*t vacuum that I can also paint my car with. I just this that it is wrong that they have to do that to make money. I mean, the girl would make more money is she were just a prostitute, and I would at least be paying for something that I actually want Posted by: Big Jonny on January 29, 2004 07:20 PM

I am two days into the training for TriStar and I have to say I am impressed. The only thing I have a problem with however is the price fluctuations, how one customer can pay full price, and another customer can get it for up to $700 CDN less!! I don't agree with gouging people for whatever you can on a product that is worth a fixed amount. I agree it is a superior product with a superior design that has been patented since 1946, (vacuums are not a new invention people) and all the possible configurations were tried way back then, and TriStar happened to be the ones that came out the winners. But I think the price should be fixed, sure it's ok to give a discount for their existing vaccuum, but here in Canada they start at $2798, give you $400 for your existing vacuum, so now we're at $2398. There is still $850 comission on that. Now if the boss on the phone trick lowering the price down up to another $750, down to $1698 that only leaves $100 comission which is split so $50 for us. I wish the prices were fixed so I don't feel like I am stealing from the customer, and these stories about people getting ripped off by their employers make me worry too. Am I wasting my time? I do believe it is the best vacuum on the market, but I will have to give some serious thought to this over the weekend. They want us to do 6 "practice" demonstrations over the weekend to friends and family members, that don't count towards our monthly demos, but they do want us to phone the boss at the end so the talk to the friend/relative to try and close the sale. I will definitely demand a copy of the legal contract/ agreement whatever between myself and the company and read it extensively over and over to make sure I am not going to get shafted for making someone else a bunch of money. Posted by: Rottweiler2004 on January 29, 2004 11:06 PM

I have faith that the tri star is great and worth the money and so on bla bla bla. BUT!!!! I worked for a tristar distribution center for almost two months and they left the city without EVER paying me SHIT. They owe me and the others ALOT. IF ANYONE KNOWS a so called JASON PENDER CONTACT ME. I WANT WHAT IS MINE. good vaccuum though, wish i kept my demo model instead of leaving it at the office that last day. peace, 'bittner' flamingo_madness@hotmail.com Posted by: bittner on January 30, 2004 04:47 PM

I feel depressed. I just bought a MG1 which I am cancelling on monday. It was $2844 CAN and they took money off. I was extremely impressed with the machine but the price is just not feasible. I was just wondering if other people were told that if I cancelled it would cost my sales person 250$ to cancel my warranty. Can anyone tell me is that true? I felt bad when I decided today that I really wanted to cancel, because I would be costing this guy money. You don't have a job to lose money. Does anyone know? Posted by: Jill f on January 30, 2004 09:06 PM

Get a rainbow :D. Any vaccuum on the market uses the whole bag or canister deal, but the rainbow uses water. 99.997% of all organic matter including the ashmatic disturbing dustmite is eliminated by washing the air with water without getting anything wet, and with the new E series, the neutralizing filter eliminates the .03 microns able to escape the water killing bacteria on contact. If you are near a rainbow distributor, I'd look into checking them out. Kirby kills, tri star kills, its very very easy to kill any vac with the rainbow because its the only system using the water concept, and when wet dust can't fly or be stirred about....whats to compare??? The water catchs the dust, and at the same time has the power nozzle attachment that can follow a tri star, kirby or whatever it may be and pull up a rather disturbing about of filth and dirt while cleaning the air with water, and it has triathalenglycol in a product that you can put in the water to sanatize the air, while washing the air, and with 10 choices of fragrances to deodorize the air. I mean honestly, what is to compare, oh yeah, you can VAPORIZE the air with the eucalyptus. So if you are sick with a cold and congested, you can santaize the germs, vaporize the air to clear up your nasal passage, wash the air from dustmites, trap allll dirt and particles, all while sweeping up more dirt and dust than any tri star or kirby could ever imagine, allll while trapping it all in WATER not a typical bag or canister. I mean HONESTLY whats to compare. Posted by: Aaron on January 31, 2004 01:37 AM

And by saying it can pick up more dirt than the other vacs, is because simply,,,there is no bag to be clogged, and you can't clog water, so with that being said. Exactly when does the rainbow lose its airflow and cleaning power???? When it gets turned off is when it does. You'd definatly have to see the presentation done by a rainbow rep to see what the machine can do. Posted by: Aaron on January 31, 2004 01:55 AM

I have owned a Kirby for over 6 years and love it. I haven't had any problems with it and would recomend it to any one. It cleans well. I have had a tristar rep in my home a few years ago and he would not leave. I was told that I won something and someone would be by to drop it off. They were asked to leave several times. They refused and used our phone to call the office several times. They told us that if my hubby really loved me he would buy the vacuum and we should get rid of the Kirby. Needless to say I contacted the company and we kept the Kirby and will for many years to come. A tristar rep will neaver be allowed in my home again. Posted by: gabby on January 31, 2004 12:32 PM

Does anyone own a rainbow here?? I've seen G4 and G5 kirby's, tri stars and filter queens, put the rainbow up against them and the rainbow seemed to pull more dirt and have the most power, I put a credit card at the end of each hose, and the rainbow pulled the card off the kirby hose, but the kirby couldn't pull the card off the rainbow hose. mainly because I'd say is the kirby has a bag that causes loss of power even though it has a 14 amp motor, and the rainbow has a 10 amp motor, but has water as its filter so there is no loss of air flow which means no loss of cleaning power. haven't done that vac kill to a tri star or filter queen yet, but I bet it'd be the same outcome. Posted by: Aaron on January 31, 2004 01:55 PM

also, one of you reps, straight forward, what do you guys make per sale? When I was in the field it was 400 a pop. But when you believe in the product, its a good feeling to give someone something very helpful to their health, and you feel you did a good deed by introducing them to such a magnificent machine, but when you have a over powering extremely persistant boss that pressures a sale, that ruins it for you. Just curious thats all. Posted by: Aaron on January 31, 2004 02:35 PM

A friend gave my name to a rainbow salesman in Philly. Thinking I was getting an air filter I let him in. He lectured me for two hours about the evils of dustmites. What's up, are y'all dust mite nazi's. Their good folks that have lived with mankind as long as we have had shelter. First the Jews and now the dustmites. For those of you that think this is a scam, get a life. For those of you that sell this crap, get a real job. Common sense question: If someone is willing to pay me 400 bucks a week to go out and not make sales is there a catch. Posted by: Bill on February 2, 2004 01:59 PM

When you have someone call in to tell you your product has helped them stop using an inhaler and that they can breathe much easier now. Or to have someone with chronic cold catching tell you they haven't had a cold in over a year, dustmite nazi or not,that feels good, and how do you put a price on health improvement?? If your doctor told you to be healthy you had to buy an extra gallon of milk a week would you do it? We listen to doctors, and we rely on them to make health decisions for us. Why can't we do that for ourselves and look at the big picture and not just what we want to see? Yes the dustmite has been around longer than we have, but so hasn't those symptoms we suffer from. Whats wrong with improving the situation rather than being so negative about it to say who cares or "I've been fine this long, why change it now"? If thats how you feel, don't buy the product, its your life, your health, your decision, but don't tell someone who may enjoy selling this feeling good about a product they sell, and making damn good money while they're doing it to get a real job. whats a real job to you??? something everybody else does, something you like??? Whats a real job to you? Do you tell the guy working at honda making 15 dollars an hour to get a real job??? Considering most of the people in this field that are actually good at it probably average out to 30 an hour, alot doing more. I was making 5 grand a month when I was in the field and loved the product, and loved selling it. So why not be positive about the situation rather than show such negativity hmm? Posted by: corvette C5 on February 2, 2004 08:01 PM

When you have someone call in to tell you they stopped using and inhaler and your product has helped them breathe easier, or to have them call and tell you they used to be a chronic cold catcher and haven't had a cold in a year, dustmite nazi or not, that feels good, and how do you put a price on health improvement? I know dustmites have been around before we have, but our symptoms we suffer have been too, allergies and ashtma. Not saying the mite causes it all but for the most part, they play a large factor. And not saying it takes complete care of the situation but a significant improvement is what this is. If the doctor told you to be healthy you had to buy and extra gallon of milk a week, would you do it? We rely alot on what our doctors tell us for our health concerns, and rarely do ourselves. So maybe you don't care, so don't buy the product, its your life, your health your decision, but don't be so negative about it to say get a real job. Whats a real job to you?? Something you go to school for? something you like to do?? something everyone else does?? Would you tell the guy at honda making 15 an hour to get a real job?? Considering most of the people in the field that are good at it average out to more than 30 an hour, me myself cleared 5 grand a month my first year, selling a product I loved, and believed in. so lets try and be more positive and not so negative about the situation hmmm? Posted by: C5corvette on February 2, 2004 08:09 PM

When you have someone call in to tell you they stopped using and inhaler and your product has helped them breathe easier, or to have them call and tell you they used to be a chronic cold catcher and haven't had a cold in a year, dustmite nazi or not, that feels good, and how do you put a price on health improvement? I know dustmites have been around before we have, but our symptoms we suffer have been too, allergies and ashtma. Not saying the mite causes it all but for the most part, they play a large factor. And not saying it takes complete care of the situation but a significant improvement is what this is. If the doctor told you to be healthy you had to buy and extra gallon of milk a week, would you do it? We rely alot on what our doctors tell us for our health concerns, and rarely do ourselves. So maybe you don't care, so don't buy the product, its your life, your health your decision, but don't be so negative about it to say get a real job. Whats a real job to you?? Something you go to school for? something you like to do?? something everyone else does?? Would you tell the guy at honda making 15 an hour to get a real job?? Considering most of the people in the field that are good at it average out to more than 30 an hour, me myself cleared 5 grand a month my first year, selling a product I loved, and believed in. so lets try and be more positive and not so negative about the situation hmmm? Posted by: Aaron on February 2, 2004 08:10 PM

hmmmm Posted by: Aaron on February 2, 2004 08:11 PM

I bought my Compact vacuum cleaner in 1958 and I still love it. When I couldn't get bags for it, my husband bought me a Hoover. Waste of money. I found bags via the internet and now and then I take a dust cloth to the Hoover because I never use it. Replaced the power cord on my Compact once, years ago, and the hose about the same time, but that's all. It's still a treasure, and now that I have two Persian cats, it's still working hard but gets up that cat hair like nobody's business. Posted by: jc1 on February 9, 2004 07:01 PM

Hello Everyone.. I worked for Tri-star Systems inc. Didnt enjoy it at all.. To tell u the truth i believe the whole thing is a big scam.. I went in the first day and the manager who becuase i dont want sue'd will remain nameless, told me that i had the management position and that he would start training me the next morning at 9am.. So i was happy by the end of the meeting. And i was promised all this money for doing this and this... A number of us were actually and we were all looking at the same thing.. THE DOLLARS.. Well the next morning comes and we find out that we just signed up for a vacuum cleaner sales person's job.. So we did it for a week.. By the end of it.. We found that no one was getting paid.. a number of people had sold and we suppose to make commisions and they never recieved a cent.. AND BY THE TIME EVERYTHING IS DONE WE FIND OUT THAT THE MANAGER AND HIS GF/WIFE IS LIVING OUT OF A HOTEL AND HE IS RENTING/ LEASING THE Vehicle.. SO!!! If u ever have a tri-star person come into your home.. DO NOT BUY IT!! it may not be a scam but the person that i worked for lead us down a lie .. so if he is lying to us.. Just imagine what he is willing to tell you.. Posted by: Andrew D DeMerchant on February 13, 2004 01:51 PM

Hi like the guy sayed above. i was not all the way in to it but just like him i so money but i figured it out after two days because it does not matter what the produc is they just scam you a lot they just give you lines to say to the people they are good lines they just doit in away you really dont know what is happing before it is to late Posted by: T T W on February 19, 2004 08:14 PM

Hello All..... Id like to start off saying Tri-Star is a great Vacume, and this is coming from a Kirby dealer.But in all honesty the price is insane compared to a Kirby that opperates as a Upright, ( Kirby is famous as a upright ) a canister, two different shapooers ( carpet and upulstry ) a floor buffer ( great on laminent and Tile ) and so many nifty attachments it'll drive you nuts.I sell mine for $1699.00 and that price includes the shampooer, Floor buffer and the famous Zip Brush. Ofcourse the price is always negotiable, but im a firm believer in being honest with a customer.I let them know my cost right up front so they can see how much I make for their business.Oh yes, I get my balls busted by veteran salesmen for not going by the factory standard for closing a sale, but hey, its my machine and im not spoiling the market. Those guys at abcvacume do not sell brand new in the box Kirbys.So im geussing they dont sell brand new Tri-Star, Rainbow, Electrlux eather. FYI, if you want a realy cheap version of a Kirby you can always buy a Royal, lol.. If anyone in the Seattle area would like an honest no-pressure demo ( 45 minute minimum ) Id love to come deep clean ( takes about 20 minutes just to remove the sand from the carpet pad ) and shampoo a room for you. Posted by: Aaron on February 21, 2004 08:37 PM

BTW you can email me at aaronspj@msn.com or call 425-760-1630 ( my business cell ) for an appointment...... Posted by: Aaron on February 21, 2004 08:39 PM

FYI, there are two different Aaron's posting in this forum.. : ) Posted by: Aaron on February 21, 2004 08:42 PM

BTW In response to the guy that said a Tri-Star has more power then a Kirby..It sure does, I have a air flow meter and it shows the Tri-Star along with another competiter as having a better airflow as a canister.But Doh, Kirby did not design their vacuume to be the #1 Canister in World.However, as an upright it is in a leauge of its own, and the fact that it can break down as a comparible canister type vacuume is a BIG + for anyone getting ready for spring cleaning. And FYI to all you Kirby owners, if you decide you want a Demo done from one of our competiters, make sure they dont touch anything on your Kirby other than the on-off switch. And to all you salesmen from Tri-Star, Electrulux, Rainbow etc.Theres a good reason Kirby is the #1 Door to Door Vacuume sold in the World.And im not knocking your canisters in any way, as a canister they are wonderful, but thats just it, they are canisters.Come check out a Kirby for yourself, you might find theres more of an opportunity and better money coming to the dark side........ Posted by: Aaron on February 23, 2004 09:40 AM

I was thinking about joining the Kirby company, but am not to sure because of all the flack. Is there anyone who has anything posotive to say about this company? I was told as well that as long as I did 12 appointments in a week, that I would be paid 325 dollars. Is there something that in the contract that says otherwise? I was very interested, but was a little suspicious when they hired me in the same day. It was like they told me a little but not too much information. Mabey that is for a reason. I know how sales work and as long as the products good, it can usually sale itself. If someone can post some info i would appretiate it. thx! Posted by: KZ on February 23, 2004 05:06 PM

KZ Dont think a 2k vacuume sells itself on a regular basis.Infact for Rookies your lucky to get 1 out of 6 demos to buy and even then you may wind up with very little money to show for your hard work. My suggestion would be to find a good office that takes care of its Rookies and feeds them leads rather than making them knock themselves in. I got lucky and wound up training with a 20 year Kirby rep, not everyone gets that kind of benefit. And you truly shouldnt even think about that supposed geuranteed pay, you do 12 demos and you'll have alot more than $350.00 at the end of the week. Remember, if selling a 2k vacuume was easy cheasy then paople would be lining up to get a chance.Fact of the matter is, if sales isnt something you planned on making a career then dont bother. This is the hardest kind of sales, but benefits those that are willing to listen and learn, but also smart enough to see through the bullshit pep talks your Distributer gives at the sart of each morning. Think positive and good things will truly happen for you, but dont ever think its easy, you'll just get let down in the long run.. Good luck if you decide to join the Kirby family, I look forward to meeting you at a future Pro Club..... Posted by: Aaron on February 23, 2004 06:59 PM

Well, been awhile since I've been by here. I concur with most of what's been said here about the Tri-Star: 1) It's a great, wonderful, excellent machine, the best in its class. 2)It's severly overpriced. 3) The reps are, as a whole, immature and irresponsible, and one step away from being crooks. Consider this: Every time a Tri-Star dealer gets in trouble, he closes his LLC (Limited Liability Company), moves to another town, and starts up again. Someone else comes to his old office, with a new name, to start over. In 2 years the city of Muncie, IN, has been through Home Healthcare Systems LLC, Healthy Homes LLC, Prostar LLC, Airodyne LLC, and TVS LLC. (TVS recently moved to Anderson, IN, with the name "Speedway Solutions," and to Greenwood, IN, with the name TVA.) Each of those companies, with the exception of TVS/TVA/Speedway, went out of business for one reason and one reason only: FRAUD. Unpaid bills, money missing from accounts, bounced checks, un-honored warranties, etc. I know; I was the Assistant Manager for AiroDyne. I'm still owed $100+ that I'll never see, and I had to threaten a lawsuit to get back $103 from a payroll check that bounced. (I still don't have it back, but I've been told that it's almost "in the mail.") My immediate boss, the Office Manager, is still owed around $2,500. The "Bronze" Distributer is currently working for the "Gold" Distributer to pay off his debt to his superior. But who's going to pay his debts to the people of Muncie, Indiana, that he scammed? Who's going to pay his debts to his employees, that he lied to and robbed? Who's going to pay his debts to the customers who purchased a Tri-Star in good faith, and now are left hanging without support, like so many other customers before them? Dont' get me wrong, the machine is wonderful. If you can, get one. If you buy it from a distributer, jew down the rep. Sure, it cuts his commission, but in all likelyhood (unless he's been working for under a month) he's already discovered the truth: You will NOT get 4 "shows" a day. You WILL spend 10 - 11 hours a day on the road, in people's houses, and walking down the street hanging flyers on people's doors to get them to call (Free Ham or Turkey! Free Coke or Pepsi! Free Gift! You May Have Won! etc.). While working as a Tri-Star salesman, I had a closing rate of about 40%. That's above the national average. In two months I'd earned about $2,000, working 10-12 hours a day. At the end of this, I was told that we'd be on a two-week Christmas-New Year's break. I came back after the 2 weeks to discover that the office was closed and that the money due us had disappeared. That was all we were ever told "officially." However, my manager told us what of the truth he could; how T.J. Glover, the owner, hadn't payed his bills, hadn't paid his workers, etc, and $25,000 had mysteriously disappeared from the company accounts - and with it, our only hope of ever getting paid. Meanwhile, Glover's boss, Greg Reece, who's the boss of most of the offices in Indiana, decided to reposess all the machines that hadn't been sold cash or gotten 100% financing. (Did I tell you about that? When you sign a contract to sell a Tri-Star for $2000, the contract is sold to the highest bidder among a group of finance companies. They can pay as low as 40% of the sale price for the contract. Then, you only get comission on the 40%.) So we repossessed all the machines we'd sold in the last month, since Glover had made us sell primarily to lower-income families who didn't have perfect credit. Result? There went another 50% of our earned commissions, because Reece wanted to make sure he got his money back. He told us earlier he had 9.3 million dollars, and the $2000 he wanted to collect meant more to him, the rich guy, than the $100 I wanted to collect. Result? If my mom hadn't let me toss a palet down on the floor in her basement, I'd be living on the street right now - not necessarily because of TriStar LLC, who didn't have a thing to do with anything (except that they approve of this sort of distribution,) but because of T.J.Glover and Greg Reece. If you want to work for TriStar, do so at your own risk. If you want to buy one, don't pay more than $1200. The minimum price is determined by the dealer's cost; the machine from the factory costs about $250. The "Platinum" Distributer (Carl Gassoway in Indiana/Michigan/Illinois) then sells it to the "Gold" distributer for about $375. The "Gold" guy sells it to the "Bronze" guy for about $450-500; and if anybody owes anybody else money, the price goes up as the Big Guys take their cut. Our office was buying machines for about $700. Therefore, our lowest price EVER was $800 - and you had to pay cash to get that. If you had good credit, you might could jew down to $1000. If not, perhaps $1250 or so. Why am I telling you all this? Because I'm tired of people getting ripped off by a bunch of scammers. I didn't sign a Secrecy Clause when I was Assistant Manager and Inventory Manager and Maintenance Department, so I can tell the truth about how the business works. In other states, taxes and such might make the price go up; in California you probably won't pay less than $1200 bottom dollar. In Canada, perhaps the same in US dollars. If you want one, and don't mind giving up the 25-year warranty for a lower price (they're insanely easy to fix anyhow; almost foolproof. The cost-savings in in part cost) buy one from eBay. You can get a new machine real cheap, and all you loose is the warranty. Do not, I repeat, Do Not try to work for a TriStar distributer unless you're prepared to go for 6-12 months working long hours with low pay, and perhaps risking getting burned like I did. If you want to know how to fix your TriStar, email me; I used to do it for what passed for a living. Posted by: }-{3X4D3C1M4]_ on February 25, 2004 10:19 AM

About the Rainbow - Yes, it's a very good machine. It cleans the dirt as good as a TriStar. However, unless you have a hepafilter, it doesn't clean the dust and such out of the air. Don't believe me? Turn on your Rainbow and blow cigarette smoke into the intake. It will all blow right back out the exhaust. Here's some other tricks: Use a Kirby to suck up the sand in a Tristar reps' kit. With the Kirby still running, you can put the Tristar's hose up against the Kirby's and suck all the sand _right_back_out_. Not convinced? Place a driver's license or something similar on the Kirby's hose, with it running. Now put the Tristar's hose up against the card as well - and it comes off on the Tristar's hose. Still not convinced? PLUG IN THE BAG and then see which one cleans the most dirt. Kirby mfg's recommend changing the bag _every_12_minutes_. Ridiculous. The only way a Tristar will loose to a Kirby is with the dirt meter attached to the Kirby - because it's got big holes to let the air back out, and it disconnects the bag. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on February 25, 2004 10:28 AM

URGENT...Kirby reps advice/comments wanted!! I'm going to start as a Kirby rep this Friday, Feb.27,2004. I live in Vancouver,BC Canada. Please give me some good tips as a new person in the field and what to expect following all training and a positive,(non-fake)mind-set. Thank you for your help. PS... I chose Kirby because I've researched many competitors and done my due diligence.. this was my personal pick. Kirby is a fantastic company and opportunity to rise(way)above mediocrity..despite all the negativity out"there." PPS...If I had to make a decision as to what company to sell for based on these personal letters and experiences...I'd probably sell painted rocks. Why? Because there are so many negative people and opinions. I would like to know how many of you could tell us something positive. Finally, since when did slamming competitors become part of professional sales? Ans: Never! Positive attitude + Professionalism(in all things)=SUCCESS............See you at the top! Posted by: Positive Attitude on February 25, 2004 03:36 PM

i was a tri-star distributor for 6 yrs. it's not the product, the door to door sales, etc. that makes this a bad deal....it's the b/s that gets piped down the ladder from money hungry corporate guys that run the company. These guys have bounced from one company to another milking it for everything it's worth. They have no morals, no values, and are out to get what they can...then move on to the next company. I ran an honest distributorship and not only had great success finacially-but personally as well. many lives were changed for the better by teaching PMA. I closed the offices ( i had 4) because I saw the blood suckers taking it for everything in 2001. 1 yr later - the manufacture closed in Bristol,VA and sold to the highest bidder - Eureka now makes the EXL in TX. To sum it up - take the sorry, fat, blood suckers out of the pic and you had a damn good business!! It changed my life. I'm still financially good and father to 4 kids(and still married to my wife). I thank the industry for the education on life though. If you're looking to buy one - 1287.00 is a fair price.(this covers advertising, equipment, payroll, commissions, and overhead). Why be in business is you can't cover these things and make a fair profit!!! Posted by: craedjo on February 25, 2004 09:20 PM

My husband and I bought a Kirby sweeper 9 years ago. I use this thing to sweep everything( I have three little girls) there isn't anything this thing won't sweep up. It cost alot but in the long run it has been worth it. Some of the stuff I sweep up with my Kirby would break any other sweeper! I only wish the thing ran its self. Posted by: Nicky on February 27, 2004 12:46 PM

i work for s@l a distributor for tristar,just started 3 weeks ago. thats in elyria ohio,i have only sold 5 thats it. got any good ideas how to be a better rep for more sales? Posted by: larry on February 28, 2004 05:46 PM

I am new to the Tri-Star family and I'm kind of feeling around in the dark at the moment. I'm very confident in our product, regardless of what other rep's from Kirby, Rainbow, etc., may say about how "great" their product is. The problem with what I hear is... well the fact that it's B.S. Anyone can do what I'm doing right now, speak their mind. But that's just what it is, speaking "their" mind. Just because some Kirby dealer in Wichita says "Tri-Star is a rip off" and Kirby's are the best product out there doesn't mean it's so. My "boss", I say it like that because he feels more like someone who is helping me get my finances in a substantially better place then they were a month ago, is taking a vastly different approach to bringing me along in this company then many of the "horror" stories I've read on this sight. We know no other product available today can clean carpet, furniture, and even the air we ALL breathe in the way we do. No one is in the same game, never mind the same ballpark. Sorry Kirby. Our approach is to show the benefits of our product and let the person seeing it for the first time make their own decision. Personally, I've never pulled the Tri-Star out of the box without the person becoming physically excited and willingly admiting that there is NOTHING better. We are not rude, obnoxious, or condescending in anyway. When I walk away from my demonstration it's ALWAYS with a hand shake, a smile, and occasionally a hug. Posted by: CB on February 28, 2004 09:01 PM

I am a new mom, and have been told that my baby may be pron to allergies latter in life. I recently had the tristar vac guys here, but I am at a stand-still. I have seen it clean great and it acctually fillters the air in the house, but i hesitate to pay 2 grand for a vaccum! Its a vaccum!! I could fly to London for that. What do you think is it worth the money? Posted by: littlemama on February 29, 2004 11:53 PM

Calm down there Tri-Star dealers.Im a Kirby dealer and at no point do we tell anyone Tri-Star is a rip off. Kirby has no competitors (I rarely see Tri-Star in homes anyway), Kirby is known for its upright, not as a canister.Yes Kirby breaks down to a comparible canister and doesnt have the airflow of a Tri-Star when the hose is attached, but with the power head on its unbeatable. We dont go to clinics to learn how to Kill Tri-Stars, Electruux, Rainbows and Filter Queans.We dont even talk about it, but we know all the formentioned do spend time finding ways to Kill a Kirby. There is no vacuum that is even in the same ball-park as a Kirby as far as engineering.Sorry to all the canister dealers out there, but thats all your selling, just a canister. The Kirby G series was developed and engineered by Nasa, can anyone say the same.Kirby is also owned by the second richest man in the World ( Warren Buffet ) and has 90 years of engineering and design experience to back it up, thats why we dont worry about anyone else.Kirbys also sell for a considerable amount less thanks to the new president of Kirby. But you guys keep on trucking, Im sure you'll find someone that will switch from Kirby to somebody else, but that fact that 1 in 500 homes in America owns a Kirby speaks for itself.... Posted by: Aaron on March 1, 2004 10:20 AM

Correction, thats 1 in 500 homes owns a NEW Kirby!!!!! Posted by: Aaron on March 1, 2004 10:26 AM

Go Sears-Kenmore! Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on March 1, 2004 03:15 PM

I purchased a tri-star for $2,300.00 last year. It broke two months after I purchased it and I have been trying for over a year to get a tri star repairman in the Salt Lake City area to call us back so we can get our machine repaired. As of yet, we have not received one single call back. We have even threatened them with a lawyer and they still won't return our calls. When the machine worked it was a good vacuum but I feel totally ripped off. I have a useless vacuum that I can't get repaired. I have taken it to other shops and they can't get the parts for it from the local tri star rep. What a rip off! Posted by: Susan Harker on March 3, 2004 10:12 AM

I'm starting a discussion group specifically for those who've been scammed or ripped off by TriStar or their distributors. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unethicaltristarpractices/ and post your story. Perhaps if we band together, we can get something done about this nonsense. Posted by: ]-[3X4D31M4]_ on March 3, 2004 03:00 PM

we bought a tristar sweeper from door to door salesman--was supposed to be 25 year gaurantee with free replacement parts and bags--now we cannot find anyone to honor our contract--can anyone help me?? Posted by: pearl gregory on March 4, 2004 03:40 PM

If anyone could please help me. I just bought a majestic filter queen vacuum and I need instructions on how to use it. I have been looking on the internet, but I can't seem to find anything. Posted by: Heather on March 4, 2004 06:17 PM

People, If you absolutely refuse to go Kirby, then look into Rainbow or Electrulux.BTW, we give great trade-ins on any of those vacumms... Posted by: Aaron on March 7, 2004 04:36 PM

Does anyone know if it makes a difference whether you use "genuine" tri star paper bags or "generic" bags made by companies like envirocare? I read somewhere that you have to be careful about using the correct size, but the generic bags state they are specifically for the compact / tri star canister vacuum. Thanks for any info you may have. Posted by: jae tam on March 9, 2004 03:43 PM

My mother and father in law recently received a visit for a tristar sales rep. After doing a demo and having Anne, my mother in law, sign a "survey" he ensured them that all they needed to do was call a number, complete a survey and then they would be mailed a brochure of several hotels that they could choose from. They will be able to stay at their hotel of choice, no cost to them of course, for 2 nights, 3 days. The salesman insisted that there would be not purchase necessary and no other obligations. I am very sceptical and am looking for any anecdotes or advice re: this "visit". Thanks, Concerned Daughter-in-law Posted by: Janie on March 9, 2004 10:45 PM

As far as I know, the free vacation package is legit. I've handed them out before. There's a $50 deposit to reserve the rooms, but that's refunded when you show up - to make sure that people who reserve rooms do show up. It's cheesy, but it's valid. I think. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on March 11, 2004 12:10 PM

As far as bags go - the paper bag is only for convenience. It's not really needed - it just helps keep the cloth bag from wearing out, and makes it easier to clean. You could probably use any brand of paper bag, or even no paper bag at all (but then you need to machine-wash the cloth bag every time you empty it, if you aren't already.) Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on March 11, 2004 12:13 PM

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WARNING!!!!! I USE TO WORK FOR TRISTAR. I STARTED OUT IN SALES AND MOVED ON TO WORK IN THE OFFICE. THERE ARE THINGS YOU SHOLD KNOW. FIRST I BOUGHT THE MACHINES DIRECTLY FROM THE CORPRATE HEAD QUARTERS- THEY ONLY COST $400.00!!YOU PAY AROUND $2,000.00! THAT IS THE GODS HONEST TRUTH I HAVE NO REASON TO MAKE IT UP. ALSO I DON'T KNOW IF OTHER DISTRIBUTERS DO THIS BUT THE ONE I WORKED FOR DID ILLEAGAL THINGS CONCERNING THE CONTRACT. IF THE CONTRACT WAS WRONG AND NEEDED TO BE RESIGNED HE WOULD FORGE THE CUSTOMERS SIGNATURE. HE SIGNED THEM HIMSELF TO AVOID GOING BACK TO THE HOUSE AND RISKING CANCELLATION. I YOU PLAN ON CANCELING YOUR CONTRACT DURING THE 3 DAY COOLING OFF PERIOD SIGN THE CANCELATION ON THE CONTRACT AND MAIL IT ASAP. IF YOU TRY TO CALL YOU MIGHT GET SCREWED. MY EMPLOYER WOULD AVOID THE CUSTOMER TILL AFTER THE 3 DAYS AND THEN TELL THEM TOO BAD.NOW NOT EVERYONE IS LIKE THIS BUT SOME ARE SO BEWARE! Posted by: Warning on March 19, 2004 02:15 AM

PS IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW TRISTARS SELLING SECRETS, TRAINING PROGRAMS ECT LET ME KNOW Posted by: WARNING on March 19, 2004 02:20 AM

I work for kirby. Hello Tristar people. I do a simple test in homes against other vacuums. One is with the baking soda. I open up a new box of baking soda and dump it on your carpet and then proceed to rub it in a foot wide. I make sure your machine is unclogged and has a fresh bag for maximum power! If you have a tristar, rainbow or any high dollar vacuum i usually take 50 slow strokes over it, back and forth. Then about 40 normal strokes and then I let it sit over it to get some suction and slowly go over it. Once I do this I take the kirby, and put it over it, turn it on and POOF, a heavy pad of baking soda. I pull about half the box back out of the carpet untill i get it all out with the kirby. The 60 dollar hoovers do the best in this test compared to all the other vacuums. The vacuums that do a very horrible pick up job are the canisters with a big hose attachment with a nozzle on it. Which are usually kenmores, rainbows, tristars and electroluxes. The vacuum that leaves behind the most baking soda after this test is the Rainbow, they are absolutely the worst vacuum in the world for cleaning carpets. Then you have your kenmores, electrolux and TRISTAR. Tristar is in the top five canister vacs that can't clean worth a crap on carpets. With everyone vacuum that isn't a kirby, it can only clean so deep. Once the dirt is rubbed in ITS LOST TO YOUR VACUUM. Of course you pick up the top stuff and then some but its not enough to take it all out. Kirby doesn't use tricks. All we do is push the other vacuum over the rug, that is it. We dont get hoses or whatever and make the kirby bag deflate. The motor doesn't reverse, but if it did. Whats the point? It will never do that on the carpet. Fools, Tristar people are idiots. This is like telling your customer the kirby cant breakdance SO ITS NO GOOD! This tells them nothing about their needs! Your tristar, your hoover, your dyson. Your eureka, your rainbow. What ever it is. It leaves behind alot of dirt. You could vacuum one spot for five hours a day, for 365 days. Then here comes the kirby dealer, puts the kirby over that spot and pulls an easy 30 pads of filthy scummy dirt. WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS TELL YOU? YA MORONS. STOP THE INSANITY, If the tristar did what the kirby did and the kirby did what the tristar did and I saw that? I would switch sides because i dont want to be selling a piece of junk. They are all over priced, way overpriced. But atleast my overpriced not made out of recycled coke bottle kirby does the job and then some. btw, My boss sold a kirby to david Orecks brother haha!. Here is something to think about, someone did a report on what is the best cleaner for your home, as in vacuums. So this reporter went around to different vacuum stores and asked what is the best. They all boast about what they could sell brand new in their store. They were asked what they used at home and 90 percent said a kirby. Most steamcleaning companys (its really hot water extraction) have kirbys in their homes and they dont steamclean their carpets, they use the kirby dry foam shampooer. I'm not a brainwashed dealer, I'm going on three years experience of seeing all these vacuum cleaners leaving behind a total mess when i come in which allows me to pull more dirt than 50 tristar demos can put together. My first year in kirby I made an appointment to shampoo for a lady. She thought we were just doing free shampoos and didnt know it was kirby. She did get a free carpet shampoo. Nothing wrong in that. I told her that all we hope is she will consider doing business with us in the future. So I get there and not an hour later after showing her the kirby she tells me she has an appointment to see a TRISTAR DEMONSTRATION, HER MOTHER HAS ONE AND SHE LOVES IT! My response, Never heard of it!. AND I hadnt at that time. In kirby our biggest objection is not overcoming a tristar so bare with me. HAHA. They showed me how a hoover works when they trained me and told me EVERY vacuum works like this, no matter what it is. The kirby is different. And as you turn over every vacuum, they do look and work horribly the same. Be it the 50 dollar hoover or 1500 tristar. So back to the lady waiting for her tristar demo, she said she loved the kirby and wants to see the tristar to make a decision. So guess what. She said LETS COMPARE THEM! The man got there, looking in his late 30's and got upset with me. There I was, a nineteen year old kid going "oh mannnnn!, i want out of here!" I killed his tristar big time just by the baking soda test and pulling one dirt pad with thick cat and dog hairs, and dirt on the bottom of it. He went over a spot about 50 times and said. "Theres no way HE can take much dirt from there!" I set the kirby on it, and I turned it on. I said "One, two". Turned it off and had this narly pad of dirt. Do you know why? The tristar can only clean about this --- deep. We clean with our eyes and thats what the tristar and all the other vacuums are designed for. The tristar guy was disrespectful to me, I hardly even talked. I just showed what the kirby can do. All the while he put down the kirby over and over, telling the lady that i'm using tricks. He embarrassed me and all I did was push the kirby around making his look bad. When I did the baking soda test i did push it over it 100 times, and he did it an extra 20 or so pushing the nozzle down on the carpet with his feet saying "Im just making sure theres not one bit. It already did the job long ago". To make a story short, he said this tristar must of been demonstarted a few times before and got damaged and that he is willing to come back another time and show her (while the kirby aint there to kill it) E-mail me, turock@saber.net I don't care if you have a kirby or decide to choose a tristar, that's your problem. I just don't appreciate people saying stuff that isn't true. Everyone is so rude to me that is from rainbow or tristar. I met a lot of them and all they do is talk negative. Btw the kirby has a lifetime rebuild plan for you and one other person. Which means if you bought a kirby today you could have the whole thing rebuilt, sent down the assembly line in the factory, and then sent back to you like the day you got it. It cost 175 dollars and the price will never raise from what it says in your warranty. Kirby has been around for 90 years. James kirby invented the spin and rince cycle in the washing machine for christ sakes, he invented the VACUUM CLEANER! How the hell can these guys go around saying they have a better one when kirby was the only and still is the only. All the other brand x are VACUUM DUSTING MACHINES. duh hut banana butt. He even invented the rainbow vacuum but sold that idea because it was crap. Posted by: Zane on March 21, 2004 01:04 AM

I just reviewed my post, it is sloppy and I just made myself look crazy. LOL. I also finished reading that these are dead end jobs. If you are selling a kirby, tristar or rainbow. You make money, and that is the purpose of a job. To all you tristar sales people, if it works for you. Good for it! But I don't do demonstrations anymore, I run a team out of my vehicle. I have three dealers and I am the team leader/van master as they call it. I get a 10 percent over ride of the whole sale if its cash and 8 percent for a financed deal. My team sells about 3 a day on average, sometimes just 2, not so often none!. But if you looked the month over it will be an average of 3 a day. My paychecks are around 1800 a week. tristar people are told they can make up to 100k a year running an office!. That's crappy money for how much they sell the things for. In kirby, a good distributer can make half that in a month. 50 grand a month. The whole point of working is money, and if kirby makes that money then YAY. Posted by: Zane on March 21, 2004 02:01 AM

I just bought my Tri-Star tonight I paid close to $2,000 for it, so far it seems to be doing a hell of a lot better then any of the other vacumes I have ever had, and I have had some good ones including the Ero Pro's. As a pet owner I have 5 dogs and six cats plus 4 birds it seems to breeze right though all the pet hair that I have down on my carpet. The person that came out to my house was nice and explained everthing to us and answered all of my questions. As the price yes it is on the expencive side but if I don't have to buy another vacuum for the next 20 years then it was well worth the price I paided. I also don't know how ABC can sell the vacuum but I do know this I have a 25 year warrenty on this one. I don't know any other vacuum manufacture that even comes close to it. Posted by: Joel on March 23, 2004 11:49 PM

Folks, I see many comments for and against Tristar. The one that really caught my eye was the Kirby guy. Kirby works just like a regular vacuum, fact is it has a bag that is going to clog up and theres no getting around it! If you read closly on the bag disclaimer, it even tells you there stuff dont work! All tristar reps are independent, so price can vary. As for any help needed, Tristar has a web site www.tristarclean.com and also if you look under your tristar there is your serial number and also a tollfree customer support number located in your owners manual that came with your tristar when purchased Posted by: Dave on March 24, 2004 08:17 PM

Hope the company's still around if you ever need that warranty work, Joel. The "independant distributers" have a funny habit of disappearing whenever you need them to do something. I had to threaten TriStar with a lawsuit to get a bounced check issue resolved that should never have happened in the first place. You can get one on eBay for a couple hundred dollars, and it's not that hard to fix if it breaks - all you need is spare parts, which you can get from TriStar (or eBay.) Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on March 25, 2004 02:59 PM

I realize that most people out there say that they hate saleman or door to door salesman, but lets really think about this is there where no saleman at your place of business would you have a job? All business revolves around some type of sales. For myself I am A Salesperson for TriStar and very proud of it. I have helped thousands of families invest in The BEST Cleaning System out there. I have several people that have purchased because the tristar was the only machine they ever remember having in thier home while growing up. What really bothers me is the recently I was made to paid for what another salesman in another state had done to someone I never have met because a customer found this sight and read such horrible things. I am here on this sight tonight to say that most TriStar distrubutors and salespeople that I have met are very good honest people we all get up each day and go to work just like others in the U.S.A. do, funny thing is we also buy houses, go to movies, buy cars, shop in malls, see doctor.... are you getting my point we all are normal everyday people going off to work to make a living for our family and I believe that I should be judged for the person I am and not what Joe Blow in who know where did to someone else. NOT ALL TRISTAR distributors are the same we only buy from the same manufacturer.And truly TriStar LLC is a wonderful company I would invite you to have dealings with them they are honest, caring devoted people that have millions of happy customers, distributors, and reps. TriStar also happens to manufacture the best system on the market, followed by a manufactures warranty. The TRISTAR is the best invest you will ever make and the last machine you will every need to purchase. Posted by: Just doing my job!!!! on March 25, 2004 11:50 PM

We had a visit tonight from a tristar saleperson. The demo went fine and we were very impressed with the product. When we asked the price, he told us $2100. We said it was too much and didn't have that kind of money for a 'cleaning system'. We had been told we would just need to hear the presentation and fill out the survey to get a free hotel stay. He got angry when we told him we weren't going to buy, and made comments about how we wanted to live in a dirty and unhealthy home. When we said we were paying for kids in college, he started to tell us that college was a waste of money. My wife took offense at his comment and he had the nerve to argue with her. Then he kept talking and arguing even when I told him he should stop. We couldn't believe it. Earlier he said he would be paid regardless of a sale or not, but he proceeded to get angry when we said no. I finally asked him to leave. Unbelievable. After browsing for a while, I found this site. Very interesting. Posted by: Greg on March 26, 2004 12:17 AM

After reading many of your comments I feel bad for consumers that are are getting taken over the hot coals. Some of the remarks sound like they come from the opposition to stir things up and many are honest. As for as the Kirby man is concerned I have beat out Kirby salesmen several times in the past few months with my Electrolux. I have been in vacuum cleaner sales for 48 years and the young people today do the companies an injustice by the way they take care of customers in their demos and the way the consumer is treated in their home. If a salesman treated me with the disrespect they gave some of the consumers in this forum I would tell them they have less than five minutes to pack up and leave or I will call the Police.I also lay blame on the ones that hire these people that don't train them properly. Posted by: john on March 28, 2004 12:53 AM

"NOT ALL TRISTAR distributors are the same we only buy from the same manufacturer." I don't doubt that there's good apples in the barrel - it's the huge numbers of bad apples that turns me off. That, and having the Manufacturer's Representative for Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky and his underlings basically tell me to go perform biologically impossible sexual acts with myself after they ripped me off. I just hope that what happened to me doesn't happen to you, pureair65200. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C14]_ on March 29, 2004 12:13 PM

http://hits4pay.com/members/index.cgi?modette This will explain more: If you didn't check 10 things under your intrests when you signed up for the Hits4Pay, log into the sight and do so; it will make sure you get more emails and more emails means more money (you might consider changing these every couple of weeks). It might take a couple of days before you start getting emails, then all you have to do is open the email, click on the link at the bottom of the email and it will open a new browser, then when it says "Your Entry Has been Validated for Hits4Pay!" you can close the window. You don't have to actually read the page or even stay on the page, you can do other things while it is creditting your account. So, open every email and click on the link in each eamil and we can both make a few bucks with this. The biggest thing though, is that you have to get people to sign up under you. You get $.03 for every email you read, .02 for every email read by someone signed up under you, and .02 for ever email read by someone signed up under those people. So, do the math and it CAN quickly add up. But if you don't get those people under you and if they don't get people under them, then you won't make money as fast, but you will still make money. The only emails you have to worry about are the ones that say "Hits4Pay Paid Email" everything else you can unsubscripe to because it doesn't matter. They are the result of something you checked when you first signed up, I did the same thing without realizing it. Posted by: Free Money on April 16, 2004 12:55 PM

I HAD A TRI-STAR SALESPERSON COME TO MY HOME FOR A DEMONSTRATION AND HE DID A GREAT JOB.I INFORMED HIM THAT I WAS NOT WILLING TO PAY MORE THAN 1000.00 CAD. FOR THE MACHINE.HE PROCEEDED TO INFORM ME HOW TO GET A DEMO FOR AROUND 1200 CAD.FROM ONE OF THERE REPAIR SHOPS.I WENT TO THE REPAIR SHOP TO GET ONE AND THEY SAID THE MACHINE IS 6 MONTHS OLD WITH 2HOURS USE FOR 1200.I TOLD HIM I WOULD BUY IT FOR 800 AND HE AGREED SO I WOULDN'T PAY ANYMORE THAN 1200 CAD. FOR A BRAND NEW ONE.JUST LETTING YOU ALL KNOW HOW MUCH MARK UP THERE IS IN VACUUM CLEANERS. Posted by: alvin on April 17, 2004 12:07 PM

Yes , Im looking to get out of the car biz have been selling successful for yrs , One of my customers sells for tristar and invited me to a meeting im going soon was wondering experinces with other reps out there and how they have enjoyed the company? thanks guys!! Posted by: Robert on April 24, 2004 03:09 PM

I have a slightly older purestar it has a hard case dark gray in color with a green backround for the switches and the exhaust area. What i need is a picture of the wiring for the power switch for the machine if you could provide me with any thing that could help me hook up the power switch that would be great. Posted by: chip on May 1, 2004 10:22 AM

hi all! thanx for this topic - it's quitely indeed.. Posted by: michel on May 9, 2004 07:05 PM

I just wanted to say for all the " Air Filtration Salesmen" I have been all the way to the top of Tri Star's food chain. I was a dist. a "Chosen One" in Louisiana. Did I make money..Yes all the time, NO. Can you do well? I was one of the best trainers the companey had. This means I was the guy who promiced you the world in thirty days and delivered nothing but bulls@#t most of the time. Is it high pressure, YES Push till they cry. B. Tracy says "Timid Salesmen Have Skinny Children". As for all the people I shoved the Tri Star down their throughts I am sorry. Hear is some advice..Don't ever belive someone will call you random out of the phone book to deliver you anything for FREE!!! Is their a light at the end of the tunnel for ex vac salesmen and future "Air Filtration " Reps YES...Go to college and don't waste anymore of your precious time tring to get rich quick. The same four years you spend tring to move up the Tri Star food chain, you could be in school getting an education that WILL pay your bills for the rest of your life, and not depend on lying to make a living. Although, if high pressure VACUUME sales and not always being able to paying your bills is your cup of tea, keep doing your thing. Ohh you pay your bills..wait you will see. I know your "the chosen one...." Posted by: Marcus on May 11, 2004 12:01 PM

BEWARE OF HELP WANTED ADS LOOKING FOR NEW FACTORY OUTLET HELP. VARIOUS POSITIONS NEEDED YOU"LL GET STUCK DOING TRAINING FOR DEMONSTRATING HEALTH-MOR FILTERQUEEN DEFENDER AIR PURIFIER AND MAJESTIC VACUMN CLEANER FOR PURTECH, EASTER ENTERPRIZES OR OTHER BOGUS DISTRIBUTERS AFTER A FEW DAYS YOU WILL FIND ITS ALL A RIP OFF>THEY LIE LIE LIE YOU WILL BE CHEATED OUT OF PAY AND THEY EXPECT YOU TO CHEAT OTHER PEOPLE NAMELY FAMILY AND FRIENDS DON'T RESPOND TO ANY AD OF THIS SORT OR IF YOU DID GET OUT NOW Posted by: BEWARE on May 17, 2004 11:05 PM

I have been an independant rep. for tristar for some yrs nows and I've done it all from the little guy to the top.I am writing to help clear some things up.First of all if your a new guy in training and have read all of the above don't get discouraged about other peoples experiences!If your worried about getting ripped off don't be.If your asking if they are crooked people in the business,I've ran into a couple but they are few and far between.It would be neive to think otherwise just like in any other part of life,there are crooked people in all walks of life,car salesman,real estate agents,politicians etc.How do you know the ad you answered isn't for a crooked distributor-you don't take for what it is an oppurtunity just like in all of life.If you see an attractive person sitting alone at a restuarant or bar thats an oppurtunity,on the one hand you could go over there and offer to buy them a drink and talk for awhile and they could either spit in your face and tell you off or on the other hand they could say yes,you could start dating then going out then marriage and kids, the next thing you know your the happiest person in the world.Take life for what it is, an oppurtunity.There are three kinds of people in the world those that watch it happen,those that wonder what happened and those that make it happen.So make a cognitive decision on what you want in life and go an get it!!! Posted by: The Machine on May 19, 2004 02:56 PM

Tristar has it's roots in a company called Interstate Engineering Corp.It started in 1937 and what it primarly did at that time was have design and manufature contracts for the U.S. goverment.Now there was a particular planes fuelauge it produced and naturaly they had to clean up after each shift and one thing they used was a vacuum cleaner.Now they had the same problems with vacuums that everyone else did back then like blowing lots of the dust it sucked up right back out the other end,clogging up and losing power,most parts of the vacuum breaking easily and often,and an insufficent air flow problem.All of those are still problems with "conventional vacuums"today.Now being aeronautical engineers they studied and tested these problems until they came up with their own design called the compact and it was called so until the 80s and they changed the name to tristar Posted by: The Machine on May 19, 2004 03:20 PM

who reading this has worked for tristar for awhile and has had positive results in pay, incentives, experience etc. ? I started last week, finished my training yesterday. (ride alongs, that sucked because i felt completely confident and ready to go. But i start the real thing tomorrow and am very ecstatic cause im very personable an feel that i will do very well. I want to know your experiences,? no biased opinions please. Posted by: mike on May 26, 2004 05:02 PM

I recently purchase a Tristar for 2400. It has been less than three days. Is there anykind of way I can go back to the seller or Authorized dealer and request for a lower price? Any help. Thanks Posted by: Peace on May 28, 2004 10:15 PM

Just had a TriStar Rep leave our house after demonstrating the MG1. I was impressed with the cleaning ability; however, being the meticulous consumer. I opted to search for reviews before making any decisions. One thing worthy of note, from reading some of the previous posts, I can tell you that some of these "posters" are in fact TriStar representitives. Their posts are identical to the sales pitch I just received. TriStar reps, don't attempt to muddy the waters for those of us that want a genuine review. So far, I am not impressed with the lack of information on TriStar products. Posted by: Rex on June 2, 2004 11:08 PM

I'm a tristar rep. Its completely understandable that the money is a lot for a way to clean your home, car, etc. It is also 100% true that many people in sales are ruthless greedy vampires, we've all been taken from time to time. I ended up working for the company on a fluke, and if I had known that I would be demonstrating this product for sale I wouldn't have stuck around. I've done sales before and didn't like them. I hated door to door and telemarketing. But after seeing what it could do and how much money the product saves the owner over the years I have absolutely no objection to doing what I do. I have no objections because I know that all I need to do is prove that this a better product than all others on the market.(I don't even consider myself a "salesman", I'm a "demonstrator.") We don't have a "spray paint" attachment... but we CAN promise to remove more than 90% of the dust in your home if you use the tristar on a regular basis. And yes, dust does come back in when you open a window or a door or walk across surfaces with shoes... etc, but if you clean regurarly it goes away. With a low-quality machine this dust cakes on surfaces, more dust-mites breed, we breathe this in, and health decreases. Simple logic. I feel like I'm helping people, and believe me, if I was taking home 90% of the customer's cost I wouldn't work for the company. But quality equals money and thats what this comes down to. If you're thinking of getting one keep in mind you'll never need another as long as you live. period. If a tristar rep ends up in your home that is because YOU invited them in, and not because THEY knocked at your door or phoned you themselves. If you don't want them there, don't ask them to be, hang up on the telemarketer if you don't want to talk to them. Salesmen have it bad, but we don't bash doctors, nurses, and surgeons for working in the health industry and charging outrageous prices for perscriptions and visits, do we? $65 dollars to be told I have a cold? cmon... but we tolerate the medical industry because it protects our health... so does tristar, and our markups are nothing in comparison to medicine. This is a capitalistic society folks, and without that, our country is NOTHING. Capitalism is why we all get to enjoy many of the luxeries in America that most of the world doesn't. For example.. affordable transportation, food, housing, clothing... etc. I have not written any of this to put down anyone, only to say that honesty is the best policy. If you do not want a product do not purchase it, but be mature and take accountability for your own judgements and actions. Posted by: anon on June 6, 2004 04:30 AM

Hey Rex!you won't find any real reviews online only used vac shops propaganda vieing for your business.even though some of the posts are from tri-star reps does that somehow make facts abouts the tristar less true?I've been doing this for 7yrs I'll tell you anything about any vac out there and how it compares to the tristar Posted by: themachine on June 7, 2004 09:53 PM

Hey Rex!you won't find any real reviews online only used vac shops propaganda vieing for your business.even though some of the posts are from tri-star reps does that somehow make facts abouts the tristar less true?I've been doing this for 7yrs I'll tell you anything about any vac out there and how it compares to the tristar Posted by: themachine on June 7, 2004 09:55 PM

Anybody want to know anything else? Posted by: the machine on June 7, 2004 10:02 PM

I love my tristar,LEC,especially that i found it a a goodwill for 14.99 plus tax and it is in mint cindition with a carpet powe head. It performs very well and i i got a great deal on it. david Posted by: david on June 16, 2004 10:38 PM

I have a Tristar EXL and the hose extensions are wearing out. I wanted to get new ones from our local fix-it shop but the told me I had to order them directly from the manufacturer. How do I find the manufacturer? They don't have a local office any more. Are they on the internet? Tristar vacuums pulls up too many hits on google to easily search for them. By the way, I love my Tristar EXL. Posted by: Atika on June 26, 2004 10:33 AM

Atika, check out www.tristarclean.com, that's the website for the manufacturer. I went through the Tristar training program in the last 3 days and had my skepticisim all the way since I was driving towards my first interview, all the way to the very end. But I have to say that I feel pretty confident in my local distributor here in Calgary to be a fair and ethical business. They havent taught us any high pressure sales tactics and have presented us with a product which is in my eyes truly well made and a worthy investment with a solid warranty which is backed up by the manufacturer, so even if the local distributor ever goes down, the main company will still support it. The contracts that we signed made us legally bind our selves to be fair and ethical sales people. Tristar has a 19 page contract which explicitly asks us not to do the kinds of things which undermine the company's reputation. I also believe that local distributorships are bound by a similar contrat with the main company. To be honest I respect the corporation because its one of the only businesses I've seen which put an emphasis on things beyond dollars and cents. I read the things people have said in this forum and I was kinda worried that it would reveal its self during training but it never has, all the way up to the final contract signing, I have no reason to object to the company and no reason to not work for them. To the consumer, I say if there is a tristar rep or a distributorship in your area which is doing those bad things, contact the main company from their website. People like that undermine a perfectly good business and cause damage to people's lives and the society as a whole. But I really think those people are an exception rather than the rule, and I've worked for scam companies like Granton Marketing and DS-MAX before. Tristar is nothing like them. -Neil Posted by: Purple on June 26, 2004 12:52 PM

I had an in-home demo just a couple of days ago. While the Tristar 'appears' impressive (I know a lot of it is gimmicry), what I resented was the entire approach. It all started with a phone call about a prize that would be delivered direct to my home - absolutely free! ALL I HAD TO DO was give my honest opinion on "it". Of course, I thought the "it" was the prize itself - a set of Ginzu knives. I was assured it would only take 2 minutes! Well the earnest young man arrived with his big cardboard box and I'm thinking, "that must be one HUGE set of knives"! Two minutes for me to give my opinion? NO - more like 2 HOURS for his vacuum demonstration! We were going out to dinner so told him to get on with it and stopped him after one hour. We have a firm rule in our house - we do not make hasty purchases exceeding $300, and do not purchase ANY appliance before checking with Consumer Reports. Of course 'earnest young man' had to call his boss. My husband left the room to help our daughter study for her literature exam and I left to take a shower - leaving the fellow on the phone with his boss and no audience! Very effective for dealing with unwanted salesmen. IF the product is as good as the salespeople say, and IF it is worth the $$ -- forget the BS to get your foot in the door. It is dishonest. Posted by: Cynthia on June 28, 2004 11:04 PM

By the way -- I did get the gift of 3 Ginzu knives, although they were not in a block that sits on the counter. Posted by: Cynthia on June 28, 2004 11:07 PM

I bought a Tristar CXL at least 8 years ago and it is still going strong. What I find is the vacuum shops that try to "stick it to you" for repair appalling. I'm a bright enough woman that I dismantled the unit myself, by removing the housing cleaning the filters and reassembling the unit. The suction is no different than when I bought the unit, in other words excellent. I did pay a fair amount and no I'm not ashamed to say I paid $1200 cdn which is approximately $888 us but you know the old saying " you get what you pay for." So if it means my air is cleaner(which it is) then bonus for me. Posted by: Jodie on June 29, 2004 12:20 AM

I don't understand some of the comments about replacing the bag. We were told that it lasts for years - you just wash it "once in a while". Yet several people have written about the high costs of the "bags". What is the truth? Posted by: Cynthia on June 30, 2004 06:51 PM

Cynthia it used to be years ago that we would knock on your door tell you we had a great product to show you and you let us in.If you liked it you bought it if you didn't like it you didn't buy it but before too long dishonest and corrupt business people caught on that what we do was sucessfull and they started doing the same except they would rip people off and leave town so door to door got a bad reputation.Many areas started a Green River ordinance where they don't allow door to door.So then we went to phones and the same thing happened we were sucessful and big corporations caught on,before you knew it everybody was getting a hundred calls a day from companies selling everything.So now there is a nationwide do not call list.Now if your in the very small percentage of people not on the list and we called you up and said hey I have a vacuum cleaner I want to show you and it will only take an hour or so you would like 99% of people hang up.In society there is a structual idealogy that all things should be sold in stores and advertised on tv but if you went to the store and saw the tristar on a shelf with a sign that said something about our cyclonic action,lightweight design,25yr warrenty and only for the low price of $2398.00 you'd probably just keep walking.At the same time if you saw the demonstation on tv you'd think we used graphics and camera tricks.If you've seen the demo when we filled it 90% full of sand and turned it upside down with the lid open and only a tiny pinch of sand fell out you know it is real,you saw it in person and know it wasn't a trick.When you saw all the dirt it picked up out of your house you know it was real Posted by: themachine on July 1, 2004 02:09 PM

Cynthia about the whole "it will only take 2 min. thing" tristar offices have phone rooms that are responsible for setting appointments and sometimes a new phone person under pressure to set an appointment will tell you that so you'll allow us to come over.Now they are not supposed to say that and are supervised but unfortunatly the supervisor cannot listen to everyone at the same time to ensure they are telling everyone correctly.About the bags the tristar does have a cloth bag that you can wash .If that is all you use you should probably wash it every month or so depending wether you have pets,kids lots of traffic etc.We also have paper liners "bags" you can use for ease of use and more sanitary emptying if you use bags you should still wash the cloth bag every six months to help save the life of the bag.In my area we charge $18.00 for a 12 pack of bags.In my house I clean once a week,every week my bag fills completely with some dirt and lots of dog hair so in a year I spend $72.00 on bags.I would not consider that high.That is like buying an expensive sonic toothbrush and complaining about the high cost of toothpaste. Posted by: the machine on July 1, 2004 02:51 PM

the machine: Thanks for the info on the bags - and I agree with what you've said about sales. I remember the days of "The Fuller Brush Man"! Unfortunately, as a polite society, we find it difficult to ask someone to leave our home once we've invited them in! Of course, home demo salespeople know this and count on it. My home is my sanctuary and my time is valuable -- I resent either being "invaded". Posted by: Cynthia on July 3, 2004 09:31 AM

I received my tri-star in 1997, and believe it or not, I was able to convince the Sales rep to trade me the vacuum for a second hand car I had(85' Mitsubishi Tredia), and was good for both of us. I got rid of the car (didn't have to sell it) and he got rid of a vacuum. I haven't had one problem with it at all. The belt on the power head just went out this week, but is less than $10.00 to replace. It is the best damned vacuum I've ever had. The retail price from the rep for the vacuum in 1997 was $1500. That is what you called ripping each other off, and yet you both come out shining. Posted by: Randy on July 6, 2004 04:08 PM

Tristar may or may not be a good product. The sales people in this part of Florida are lower than dog vomit, however. A friend who has dementia had one of these vacuum cleaners shoved down his throat by the scumbag with whom I subsequently spoke. We asked nicely that he rescind the contract, and he explained that he saw no medical condition that would mitigate the purchase. (Do these clowns have medical degrees?) I would like to have the phone and address for the corporate office, so that I might discuss recission of this contract for a $2330 purchase by a man who won't live to use his non-transferrable warranty!!!!! Please post that contact information. Thanks, STUNNED Posted by: Stunned on July 12, 2004 03:45 PM

STUNNED please do not take offense to anything I say as I am only trying to help.First of all I would like you to consider that even if an 18yr old buys a tristar they cannot expect to outlive the warranty becuase all diecast parts have a lifetime warranty and most offices have a 25yr service policy and many people still buy the tristar thinking they will not outlive that policy.Also please consider that although your friend suffers from dementia that is not necessarily the reason he bought the tristar as it is an excellent product and anybody can see the value.off the top of my head I forget tristars offical policy but I think they will honor the warranty to the next generation.In any door to door transaction you have three business days (exclude any holidays or sundays)to cancel so for example if he bought it on Saturday the tenth he would have the 12th,13th,and 14th(the day of doesn't count and niether does sunday the 11th)If the cancelation notice isn't postmarked by midnight of the the third business day it is a legally binding contract and becomes between you and the finance company to resolve.I hope that helps and tristars corpprate # is 1-800-854-6185 listen to the promts. Posted by: themachine on July 12, 2004 11:29 PM

"if you went to the store and saw the tristar on a shelf with a sign that said something about our cyclonic action,lightweight design,25yr warrenty and only for the low price of $2398.00" ----> The TriStar MG1 sells from the manufacturer for $300. The top distributer (Manufacturer's Representative, who usually is the Top Man in a large district comprising several states) then sells it to the next guy on the pyramid for about $450, who sells it to the next guy for about $600, who might even sell it to the next guy for $850 before the representative comes to ask $2199.95 (what we asked when I sold them) for it. The rep can't make a profit on a sale that's under a thousand dollars, usually, and the machine is worth every bit of five hundred. Go figure. * * * * * "sometimes a new phone person under pressure to set an appointment will tell you that so you'll allow us to come over." ----> The last time I heard a phone rep say "two minutes," it was the distributer's wife. Who, incidently, had no front teeth and was very hard to understand over the phone. Even though the distributer, of course, had already "gotten rich" selling TriStars... and didn't even own a running vehicle. * * * * * "I would like to have the phone and address for the corporate office" ----> TheMachine has the number there, and you can also find their site (and a few other sites helpful if you want to make a complaint) linked from my Yahoo discussion group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unethicaltristarpractices/ * * * * * "If the cancelation notice isn't postmarked by midnight of the the third business day it is a legally binding contract and becomes between you and the finance company to resolve." ----> Although, you might take it up in court. I'm not sure how successful you would be - I'm no lawyer. I do know that I had to threaten with a lawsuit before a distributor would repay a couple of paychecks that had bounced. * * * * * TheMachine, you seem to know your stuff. Check out my site for possibly disturbing information. Are you a Distributor, or just a Rep? (I was Inventory Manager/Asst. Office Manager) Posted by: Michael ( ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ ) on July 19, 2004 01:10 PM

As an aside... does Tom Pohl even exist anymore? The only part of his site that's being updated is this forum... Posted by: Michael on July 19, 2004 01:12 PM

Another aside, while I'm at it - has anyone seen the new Dyson sweeper? What's it like? It claims to be the first sweeper that doesn't loose suction (which we all know TriStar claims as well (and probably Kirby/Rainbow/Etc)). Anyone have firsthand information on how the Dyson and the TriStar compare toe-to-toe? The Dyson retails for considerably less ( $450 - $550 compared to TriStar's over $2,000). Posted by: Michael on July 19, 2004 01:19 PM

I am a sales man and used to sell the tristar, and here are my thoughts on the matter. If you buy one you have more money than sense, would you like to buy some pixie dust as well? and I have the bones from the Lord Jesus Christs hand in a box if you would care to buy them as well....... All of the managers of the company i used to work for have Dysons. I went to sell a TriStar to an old lady earlier this year and she had a Dyson. And she made a fool out of the TriStar. I went through all the sales tricks (and they are tricks) and she insisted that she try the same with her Dyson. The Dyson matched the TriStar. When I tried to tell her that the TriStar would last for years she pointed out that she was 85 and she would not be around in 30 years. When I said that it could be handed down through the generations she said that she would hope that in 30 years vacuum technology would have moved on and the TriStar would be obsolete. She also pointed out that if a Dyson only lasted for 5 years, and every 5 years she spent another £250 on a Dyson by the time 30 years came round she would have spent approximately £1500 and would have a Vacuum that was at most only 5 years old. When I got back to the office and told my manager i was told to go back and (quote) 'Sell that old b***h a f*****g vacuum or dont come back'. I never went back. Posted by: A Smith on July 22, 2004 01:09 PM

The Tristar is a piece of shit, over priced vacuum. What idiot pays $2K+ for a vacuum? Posted by: Modette on July 25, 2004 04:51 PM

A SMITH on a personal note the most likely reason your boss told you that is that you were probably a poor salesman and after hearing you complain about your lead ,as you probably did many times,he gave you an ultimatum as an indirect way of firing you,After saying that to you, you had two options.One realize that what you just said was completely off base,and on the verge of retarded and do an 180 degree turn in your attitude and actions(ability to sell) or two not come back.Also know one that sells tristars has a dyson at home otherwise they would be selling dysons.You call youself a salesman but that old lady just sold you!!! Posted by: TheMachine on July 28, 2004 12:35 AM

The dyson is plastic and can break easily although it weighs an incredible 20lbs the tristar is diecast alloy that can withstand 5,000lbs of pressure and only weighs 12.1lbs the brushroll on the dyson has a smooth belt so if anything gets caught in the intake (edge of a rug,a sock etc.)the motor is still running and your belt will burn out.On the tristar the belt is geared just like one in your car and made by the same people who make the belts in your car it has a safety switch so if you pick up a sock or something since it is geared it will not slip and burn up and it will automatically shut off the power head to prevent any damage to the motor.The belt itself is warranted for 5yrs!!!and what was the dyson whole unit warranted for? 3yrs.The suction hose on the dyson(connects the brush area to the canister)is on the far right side making it harder for air friction to reach any dirt on the left side so even if the tristar and dyson have the same cleaning ability you'd have to make twice as many strokes to get a clean area.the tristar has its suction tube in the middle so as it will have equal access to both the right and left side.on the dyson it has a hieght adjustment,it doesn't work!!!if your reading this now and have a dyson or most any storebought vacuum go try it,right now,lay it on its back and twist the lever,see any movement.I didn't think so as far as the dyson's claim to be the first vacuum that doesn't clog-give me a break the company like many others plays on the general public's ignorance of how vacuums work through their marketing!how do they portray mr.dyson?as a poor working man who one day got sick of bad vacuums so he studied it,poured his blood sweat and tears into,fought many legal batteries with big greedy american companies and finally won and now he's just trying to advance vacuum technology for the betterment of man kind?what a crock of---- what else did he invent a better wheel barrow who gives a----.The founding company of tristar was interstate aircraft and engineering corp who started in 1937 and was a major contractor for the goverment and other companies that also contracted with the goverment.they made aircraft fastners,actuating cylinders for the bombay doors on the B-29s,hydralic landing gears for a variety of aircraft,machine gun chargers,bomb and tank shackles,the hiller helicopter fuelslage,the l-6 grasshopper a liason and scout craft that was used the war,the navy's AD-6 Skyraider fighter plane which was use all the way until the vietnam war,guiding systems for the polaris submarine,the out shell and 128 working components for the titan 2 ICBM which some have credited has being the single most important deterrent on the cold war,some contracting for NASA as well as hundreds of other products for private companies so win it comes to the aerospace industry we are well versed Posted by: TheMachine on July 28, 2004 01:43 AM

On the dyson air comes inside and supposedly spins around using centrifuge and the dirt drops to the bottom.If it were a true centrifuge the dirt would be plastered to the sides of the canister.Have you ever been to a theme park?most places have rides that demonstates this principle the one I am familliar with is called the mine shaft.it is the one where you stand in a circular room with your backs against the wall then they start to spin the room then they drop the floor but everyone is pinned against the wall that is centrifuge so why doesn't the dyson do what it claims ,it is not true ,then the air is suppose to go through that plastic screen into a straw to the top of the inverted cones then more centrifuge which separates the smallest dust particles at 200,000 G's.in reality the air and dirt would come in the heavy dirt particles would drop to the bottom the small particles make it through the plastic screen while the medium particles not heavy enough to drop but not small enough to make it through the screen would then clog the screen.Now all of us studied these principles in high school but since then haven't given it a second thought.since g force is calculated by the weight of what is subject to the force and individual dust particals and virtually weightless 200,000 g's proportionately is really nothing but for the person who doesn't know that the "big words"dyson use sound really "scientific".and if that last separation really occurs "all dust" then why do they have air pass through a filter after it leaves the canister?and a washable true HEPA filter?anybody that knows anything about Hepa filters knows you can't wash a hepa filter and have a true hepa afterwards.in nasa's clean room or microsofts or an pharmaceutical lab do you think they have lifetime hepa filters that you just have to wash once in awhile?what a joke!!! Posted by: TheMachine on July 28, 2004 02:24 AM

Just bought a Tristar MG1 last week. We had a Kirby and I had just cleaned the carpets. I spend alot of time cleaning the carpets and the bag was ~1/2 full (the recommended height). The amount of dirt the Tristar pulled out of the carpet was amazing. The cost was alot, and was told I would only have to make minimal credit card payments. I refused, because I was damned if I was going to spend 18% interest on a vacuum. Then he said I would not have to pay for one year, and then I agreed. I can make this amount trading stocks easily by that time frame, so this is on point that was a seller for me. Alot of money for a machine, and I do not want to take away someones livelihood by haggling them down to nothing. All in all, the materials in the construction are exceptional, and proper care and maintenance will ensure a lifelong item. We have kids and dirt appears everywhere. The vacuum does work well as an air cleanser, especially after cooking a curry meal. Posted by: Dave on July 28, 2004 11:39 PM

I should add.........my Kirby motor was going, as I vacuumed drywall dust etc. etc. Wether that was the cause of the motor going who knows. I do know that when I bought the vacuum 5 years ago, I was told the motor was $450 Canadian to replace (BTW, the beater brush was $170 to replace). With a dying motor I did need a new vacuum. So.......spend a little more up front and have a great vacuum that should have little problem? Online parts for the vacuums are cheap on the internet for the TriStar, while I know first hand Kirby parts are expensive. The Tristar attachments are engineered well. That is obvious at first glance. I found the Kirby attachments I had made of inferior plastic material. I did own a Fantom Fury that died (surprise surprise) so I combined parts for cleaning the floor.......I called it a "FIRBY". My only complaint about the Tristar is the lack of a proper cleaning tool for concrete floors. The floors will generate enough friction to to damage the wooden floor/linoleoum brush, so the best solution I can see thus far is using the upholstery brush. The Fantom Fury did have an excellent floor tool on wheels. Basements are often overlooked, but up here in Canada, every home past 1940 in cities usually has a basement. So....If I likely will MaGyver something up to use it. One other thing to consider.....my friend is an Engineer who had past jobs doing price configurations for development costs. If we all knew what it cost to manufacture a drug (I work in the Biotech field), a new car, a new vacuum, a new anything, we would likely never want to purchase anything else again. If the TriStar were to land at WalMart, then the vacuum likely would sell for $600-800 Canadian. Why the reduction in price? VOLUME. If an infrastructure is present to sell an item to the masses, the price comes down. This is why scientific equipment is pricey. If the markets are smaller, the manufacturing costs go way down. With companies, there is the business infrastructure to support, rent, personnel. I will use generic drugs for instance and drug companies. Most people say that drug companies rip people off. They obviously do not understand what they are talking about. Clinical tirals are required for each drug going to market and for each new disease the drug will treat. The trials are very expensive (100's of millions of dollars for new drugs) and several fail. When a giant drug company has a blockbuster drug, it must make up the money lost in other clinical trials....that is business). Apply that to the person selling the vacuum. They likely waste 10-16 hours doind 5-8 demos before they get a bite. Even though they do not get paid, the vacuum fee is worked into the equation. IF the payment plans were better defined, with no interest payments, then they might sell more. I will have the money one year from now for mine, so it never was an issue, but for a newlywed couple with a new home, they are likely to not be able to afford one. I bought a 2004 Kia Magentis for $30,000, and would likley get $20,000 if I tried to sell it. That is the cost of buying something new. The metal vacuum shell of the Tristar was the sell feature for me. All companies are switching to plastic, due to the cheap molding costs. My Grandmother had a Kirby for 30 years until her motor folded, and she always stressed the point of getting a good vacuum due to dirt slowly grinding away carpets. She bought an Electrolux after that as did my father. They were both plastic, and my father broke his mothers in trasportation during a winter in the cold (-30oC). The Tristar would likely never suffer this damage, except the hose possibly. There, done finally Posted by: Dave on July 29, 2004 07:05 AM

The above should say "When a market is smaller than usual, the manufacturing costs go way up" Posted by: Dave on July 29, 2004 07:07 AM

I've been looking for a Tri Star repair center in Wyoming. Can't seem to locate one. Is there a website of authorized Tri Star repair shops? By the way, I've had my Tri Star for 10 years with no problems. I'd like to get it fixed instead of buying something else. Posted by: DY on July 31, 2004 03:12 PM

What part of Wyoming? there is a authorized repair center in Cheyenne-I forget the name but it's the oreck dealer on east Lincoln Way.There's also one in Gilette and I think they recently opened up offices in Rock Springs and Basin but to be sure call corp.#1-800-854-6185 M-F 8-5 EST Posted by: TheMachine on July 31, 2004 06:16 PM

Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. Posted by: DY on August 2, 2004 06:47 PM

This past February, we got a call about winning a special prize, a grill, movie tickets or hotel room...we just had to sit through at 20 minute air purifier demonstration. Well, these two young men arrived and proceeded to try to make small talk with us. I was up front and told them company was coming shortly, so let's get things rolling... They did and we were impressed with the demo and product until the price...$1800! With that, we expressed our disinterest and asked them to pack up and go. The presenter said, "well, when do you want to get the dirt out?" I replied, "Now, please pack up and go." I think the real meaning of that went over his head, but they did pack up eventually - even if they were rude to my wife! I had said something about them being rude, and the person (I hate to say man) replied, "are you kidding me, we'll be laughing about this all night." Well, we got the last laugh however. On the way out, they got stuck in the ditch at the end of our driveway and were there for several hours...it was late on a very snowy night in upstate NY and AAA was busy...and even when I offered to help (the good samaritan in me), they were rude again. I continue to consider the product, but I will never let someone into my home to sell something again. Posted by: AJS on August 3, 2004 11:02 PM

Would anyone have any idea where a repair shop for a TriStar would be in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. I want back to where I bought it and they were not there anymore. Also, the phone has been disconnected. My guess is they went out of business. However, it is a franchise deal so there should be more locations somewhere. If you have the phone number to a local or headquarters (and maybe a web site address) it would be helpful. Posted by: sTeve on August 4, 2004 01:37 PM

So funny to see people actually waste money on a Tristar....LOL I have family that still have 20+ year old Hoovers...lol I agree a good vacuum will cost more...but a good vacuum to me is a $400 Hoover, not a $1200+ Tristar. Why do I want to lug a canister around? Reminds me of a shop vac. The argument of dirt eating your carpets away is just funny. How long do you plan to live with the same carpet? I expect 5-8 years and to get new carpet anyways, after all it gets old (style). Posted by: Gwardy on August 4, 2004 02:32 PM

Gwardy, I have gone through a Fantom Fury and a Kirby since 1997, or $1000. If I pay a little more for a vacuum that will last 20 or more years (yes there will be servicing required or new parts required) then I think it is worth it. I vacuum 3 times a week, and with the Kirby I had, we were constantly dusting. With the Tristar, There has been no need to dust, especially if the vacuum itself is left running for 30 minutes in hte house to purify the air. Replacing carpets every 5-8 years.......let me guess, you are an American. The way your country runs things and the personal debt with mortgages and credit cards etc. replacing carpets will be every 15-20 years. What would you think if I told you housing prices are likely to drop 30-50% in certain areas pending how high the real estate bubble was carried. I generally try to buy the best made items available, because it is cheaper in the end. For someone where I read about Warren Buffet owning Kirby so trust him........he bases his purchases on the general valuation of a company, and its potential market penetration etc., not on the engineering of the vacuum. I am glad I got my TriStar MG1, because of the solid construction, ease of use with the tools etc. Posted by: Dave on August 4, 2004 02:41 PM

I do not believe a Kirby or a Fantom are any better then say a Dirt Devil. Credit card debit? yes, I am American and yes we do tend to live on credit cards but do pay them off every month (at least I do). I know what you mean though; a lot of people seem to "live" on them instead of with them. Still there is no way I would spend over $400 for something that is used to pickup dirt. Do you really want to keep your carpets for 15-20 years!!! Man, your house must be like an old persons where they have 30 year old furniture/carpets/kitchen/bathrooms that look like shit and when they go to sell they wonder why they can not get the higher end of the price for their home for their market. Carpet is not all that expensive, even for the really good stuff with really good carpet pad. Posted by: Gwardy on August 4, 2004 03:32 PM

For a great vacuum: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=APPL&pid=02033899000 For all of: $329 I can get almost 4 of them for the price of a tristar at $1,200...lol Okay so the Tristar last 20 years, so will a Hoover...but even if it last say 5-7 years thats still at least a new vacuum to look at with newer technology. Do you want to really keep the Tristar with old technology around for 30 years...people will come over and be like "man yous till using a canister"...LOL Posted by: Gwardy on August 4, 2004 03:42 PM

I have a feeling most on here are dealers or in the business of selling these. Otherwise why push a $1,200 down others throats. (with lame reasons) I first came here because the hiring practises looked kind of fishy. They wont even tell you they want you to sell "Vacuums". Then after 2 months the place had packed up and left town when I drove back by....guess they sold enough in that area and it was time to hit a new area. I'm glad I did not go with that scam. Posted by: Gwardy on August 4, 2004 03:48 PM

Gwardy, I am in my mid-thirties, and our house is quite nice. I have done some renos, and it would cost $10,000 to upgrade our carpets. I am focused on reducing debt levels, so I am not planning on upgrading our carpets that are in excellent condition. The TriStar technology that makes it better than other vacuums is the ability to have no loss of the motor power due to dust blocking pores of the bag. I burnt our Kirby motor out from normal vacuuming. I am just an owner of the vacuum, nothing more. I will say we have NO dust at all, and with two kids, the house has never been cleaner. The vacuum is simply superior to other product out there. I have looked around our area for years and have NEVER seen a Compact/Tristar vacuum. I prefer something new, with the warranty etc and know that it will be kept in mint condition as long as we own it. Some things are worth paying for. I live in a place of over 600,000 people, so they are not likely to leave town. Posted by: Dave on August 5, 2004 09:18 AM

Gwardy, One more thing.......your attitude of well we simply will replace the carpets, or buy 3-5 vacuums during the same time frame is a typical North American attitude that is drivng the US towards bankrupcy. The old days saw people buy something of quality and make it last. The disposable society we live in demands cheaper prices. This is accomplished by the manufacturing base shifting to countries like Mexico and China. IBM, HP etc have moved a significant portion of their businesses to China and India. To keep in line with this Vacuum forum, Hoover recently had 1000 jobs removed from the US. Electrolux, a company recently bougth out by TriStars parent company is moving their 1000 job factory to Mexico due to a lack of sales for a high end vacuum. Personal attitudes add up to a collective, and the North American (global) attitude is that of disposable items. We all will pay for socities love affair with cheaper priced junk in the coming years. Posted by: Dave on August 5, 2004 10:35 AM

A simple fact is a $1,200 vac today wont be as good as a $1,200 vac in 20 years. I would hope they update along with techological progress. Then again maybe they are like Harley-Davidson and can keep marketing an out of date product. So by being able to buy 3 or 4 of what one Tristar cost, I am able to get that newer technology every 5 years or so....sounds like a better deal to me. I do not care where things are made, this is a global market....most of the stuff made in America is not of high quality. Yes, I own a Ford, have owned many now and they have nothing but problems...why do I keep coming back to Ford. Because I get the A-plan, if it was not for the A-plan I would of left them a long time ago. So I am not sure why people want to buy American! A good book to read: Kaizen Teian 1 Developing Systems for Continuous Improvement Through Employee Suggestions. Explains why the Japanese have a higher standard of quality and the Americans do not, very good book for a business owner. Posted by: Gwardy on August 6, 2004 08:33 AM

GWARDY if you knew anything you'd know that vacuum technology has never really "improved" The vacuum was invented about one hundred yrs. ago and it was nothing more than a fan attached to a potato sack.Since then it has not changed other than that now there are thousands of molded plastic and cast metal designs to hold a motor"fan",and a bag "potato sack" other than that there is no vacuum improvement.However the tristar (formerly compact) was designed by aeronautical engineers (experts in airflow and design)Now if you want to live with the dirt go ahead but stop "shoving" you unsanitary house habits "down peoples throats!!!" Posted by: TheMachine on August 6, 2004 06:14 PM

And Yes they sell the TRISTAR in Japan and lots of them because they know quality design and precision manufacturing when they see it! Posted by: The Machine on August 6, 2004 06:19 PM

Would anyone have any idea where a repair shop for a TriStar would be in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. I want back to where I bought it and they were not there anymore. Also, the phone has been disconnected. My guess is they went out of business. However, it is a franchise deal so there should be more locations somewhere. If you have the phone number to a local or headquarters (and maybe a web site address) it would be helpful. Posted by: sTeve on August 6, 2004 11:10 PM

Would anyone have any idea where a repair shop for a TriStar would be in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. I want back to where I bought it and they were not there anymore. Also, the phone has been disconnected. My guess is they went out of business. However, it is a franchise deal so there should be more locations somewhere. If you have the phone number to a local or headquarters (and maybe a web site address) it would be helpful. Posted by: sTeve on August 6, 2004 11:11 PM

i just wanted to say all u people that think your hoover, kirby etc. are just as good as a TriStar MG1 that u are on crack u just don't know what u are talking about. why would u pay $500-$1000 and up for one of these mach. that only pick up 35% of the dirt instead of $2500 for one that gets 100% of the dirt. is it because u like to push one around for the exercise or just the fun of it. i use a vaccum because i want to clean. and i would rather not spend $2600 on a kirby that is better used for an ancor. but hey thats me, if u want to save $1500 and live like a pig i supose that is up to u. but frankly i would think that if u don't under stand why the MG1 works better u just don't have the brain power to understand High pressure and Low pressure, i guess u are also worried about how those big metal "birds" stay in the air. Posted by: Pedro on August 7, 2004 03:06 PM

Thanx all for the info on the MG1............still not sure if we should keep our new "cleaning device"?!? So maybe someone can clear this up. We paid $2757Cnd for it, 5 days ago(aug4 04),weighing on givin it back. But need to know correct method of the return. Can we still give it back if used for 1 hour, say??(sales rep didnt leave copy of contract either) And can she maybe give us a better price to make the sale?, cause we still are impressed with IT, not the price.thanx Brett Posted by: Brettly on August 8, 2004 07:02 PM

Brettley, you have 10 days to return the MG1. I have done some research and there are equivalent home air purifiers that get connected to the return air duct of a furnace/central air. The unit is ~400 USD, and cleans air with UV/ozone/ionization. While an air purifyer only cleans one room, this cleans all the air in your house. The TriStar vacuum is the best design for vacuums on the planet, but for air purification of a home, it is best to have a unit hooked up to a furnace rather than limiting an air filter to the confines of one room. Notice the price pending on the unit is a fraction of the Purestar. Some TriStars appear on ebay for 1/2 price, so if you want a used one, this is the area to gettem. The warranties are not transferable from the company, so be careful......the thread is below: http://ecopath.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=78 Posted by: Dave on August 9, 2004 10:07 PM

Can you back up your claim "The Machine". Sound sliek you have a dirty house Pedro....LOL Posted by: Gwardy on August 10, 2004 05:50 PM

????????????????? Posted by: The Machine on August 10, 2004 11:49 PM

"And Yes they sell the TRISTAR in Japan and lots of them because they know quality design and precision manufacturing when they see it!" So you can back that up??? The Machine Posted by: Gwardy on August 13, 2004 03:40 PM

Hey, I just got finished with one of the Tri-star salesmen. For starters, he refused to call the Tri-Star a vacuum, kept calling it a cleaning system and trying to compare it to "vacuums" saying the whole vacuum concept doesn't work! And as for price, let me tell you he tried to sell us a MG1 model for $3300! To give you an idea of the profit markups, as a joke I told him MAYBE I'd be interested if it was $1200, and he went ahead and said okay. Almost 1/3 the price. Imagine going to a Honda dealership and after seeing a new CRV for $24,000 telling the dealer you'd take it for $8,000 and have 'em say yes. The very fact he was amenable to that tells me the original mark-up price was a HUGE scam. Don't care how good the cleaner is (and it did look impressive), just out of principle I had to say no. What worries me is alot of elderly or simply non-intelligent folks can easily get sucked into the scare tactics (all the sand and germs are destroying your household and will cost you $50,000 in expenses I was told) and get rushed into the deal. Our salesman was extremely insistent we take it tonight, to the point of us actually having to ask him to leave after saying no thanks 5 times. Caveat emptor, it's a great vacuum, but not selling them at legit stores and relying on door-to-door salesman is ruining the reputation of the company. Posted by: Denny on August 13, 2004 08:12 PM

How do you want me to back that up? Posted by: TheMachine on August 14, 2004 12:29 AM

DENNY I don't know how to put this without insulting you so here it goes-Assuming you didn't have someone that can read and write post what you said you can read and if you can read you should be able to find a dictionary and look up the definition of the word vacuum.My dictionary says "a space from which most of the air has been removed (as by a pump)" so if your calling the tristar a vacuum as in an american slang for any appliance that cleans the floor than yes the tristar is a vacuum but technically (as defined) the tristar is not a vacuum.Ideally for a "vacuum" to work air goes in then drops,if you will,all the dirt and dust and the air leaves but that is not how they really work.A motor with a fan moves air and creates what we call air friction(what actually allows us to move things with air )and if placed properly in a molded design we can then "harness" the ability to move air and pick things up.where it becomes a problem is how we seperate the dirt and dust from the air(i.e. the exhaust,bag)now we know that the dirt must follow the air.If the wind if blowing from north to south and you pick up a hand full of dirt and throw it into the air which way will the dirt go? "ah!?north"DAH! so if you were to take a bag to a microscope it would look like a piece of cheese cloth all the dust particles small enough to fit through the holes would go through back into the air we breath while the medium particles attempt to go out but are too big and clog the holes and the large particles drop to the bottom or bounce around so if the medium particles clog the pours of the bag (not allowing most of the air to ecscape)than how much air comes in?and if little to no air comes in how much dirt can follow that?so inside you have created a space in which most of the air has been removed in effect also what we define as a vacuum.now all vacuums work to an extent otherwise we'd still be sweeping but as it was clearly demonstrated to you your current vacuum has been picking up some dirt and rubbing the rest back into the carpet(what we pulled up with the tristar)so would you call them a vacuum cleaner or a vacuum dirtier or perhaps a dirt reorganizer? Posted by: TheMachine on August 14, 2004 01:26 AM

Secondly I have never heard of any office selling the tristar for $3300.Maybe along with learning how to read you should have you hearing checked?The salesman probably knew you weren't going to buy ( knew you were a cheap skate)and just threw that out here to watch you squirm.Also mark ups like that are in everything today!If you buy a $275,000 dollar house do you really think that they made it for $225,000 and sold it to a real estate company for $250,000 and sold it to you for $275,000? Your $24,000 car wasn't made for $20,000 sold to a dealership for $22,000 and to you for $24,000?A $10 shirt isn't made for $8 sold to the store for $9 and to you for $10.There is money in everything and yeah you can say that a $10 shirt is different because its only $10 but as you so aptly put it "by principle" it is still the same! Posted by: TheMachine on August 14, 2004 01:47 AM

Yeah the other day I was at he dentist and he tried to tell me that by eating lots of sugar and not ever brushing my teeth it would cause plaque which would eventually make my teeth rot out and that it could easily cost me $20,000 in bills to fix or pull all of them for dentures,then I took my car to the mechanic and he tried to tell me that if I don't change my air filter periodically in could eventually ruin my engine and could cost me about $15,000 to fix!So I have concluded that it is all a HUGE scam!!! Posted by: TheMachine on August 14, 2004 01:55 AM

The reason he was so insistent on you buying that night is our companies 67 yrs. of experience with just such an instance.Think of it like this you at a bar talking to a bar a girl and you eventually work up the courage to ask for her phone number and she says no but tells you she will give it to you in a couple of months.If she didn't give it to you when you asked than 99.99% of the time,no matter how consciously she thinks she hasn't made up her mind,she has.How many times do you have to see the tristar before you say "yep i've seen the tristar 3 times now and I've decided that i'm finally sick of the dirt,I'm tired of pushing around a vacuum that pretends to clean and I want to stop wasting my time"When we show you you'll either like and get it or you'll like it and tell yourself "oneday" but will never get it.As far as him offering it at $1200 if anything us "door-to-door salesman"deserve more credit because we are willing to make a deal.Car dealerships and real estate companies aren't willing to budge much if at all.They are greedy if you want a house for $200,000 than you'll have to buy a house they're selling for $200,000.It is normal to be a little skeptical today but realize a good deal when you see it DENNY! Posted by: TheMachine on August 14, 2004 02:16 AM

using legit stores has nothing to do with it.It is because ignorant people like to distort the truth and tell everyone they know and raise their children with that ignorant thinking pattern then they all slander our reputation on the internet-that gives us a bad name! Posted by: TheMachine on August 14, 2004 02:21 AM

DENNY DO YOU REALIZE HOW STUPID YOU SOUNDED?ITS RATHER IRONIC THAT YOU CLASSIFY YOURSELF AS MORE INTELLIGENT AND KNOW BETTER THAN THAT DON'T YOU THINK! Posted by: TheMachine on August 14, 2004 02:25 AM

Machine, just a little word to the wise, I would not respond so much to an individual who appeared to be posting an honest story. Slamming him for his discussion rather than educate with non-slurring is the approach to use. If I were to buy a vacuum from someone like yourself, I would want to be educated, not someone tell me how dirty my home was. In all honesty, if the guy who sold us a TriStar could not believe how dirty our house was (when it is emaculate) I would have thrown him out on the spot without a demonstration. Psychology 101, positive feedback works better than insults and scare tactics. Also, one question now that I have researched air filters, WHY does TriStar charge ~$1800 for an air purifier when a unit can get hooked up to a furnace for ~$400-600 and it cleans ALL the air circulated in a house. If TriStar were to develop a unit for a furnace, it could would be more effective no? The argument made comparing Tristars to other vacuum cleaners could be made with furnace units to room air purifiers. Dave Posted by: Dave on August 15, 2004 09:11 AM

The Machine - Denny had a legit post and you just made yourself look like the typical door-to-door vacuum idoit. Posted by: Gwardy on August 15, 2004 07:21 PM

The Machine - Do you not know how to read? You stated that they sell a ton of Tristars in Japan. Where is the proof, stats and anything that might back that up???? If TriStars were any good they sell them in the store...I would never buy a thing from a door-to-door salesman. Posted by: Gwardy on August 15, 2004 07:24 PM

DAVE thank you for your comment and you said it he "appeared" to have a legit complaint and if he did than fine but to people who don't know there is alot of "spin" in the world the most convicing of which is a wolf in sheeps clothing if you will but that is a another coversation altogether!I would also like acknowledge that a person with common sense(and who isn't desensitized to this kind of slang speech)which I think you are would when comparing his logic to mine use the adverb "slamming" to describe my rebuttal.I'll also have you know that when I am in a home I am nothing but polite,friendly and agreeable to all in the home.Iwould also like to politly point out that I never actually said he had "a dirty house" that is only what you have deduced.So maybe I crossed the line and got sarcastic and I know that 2 wrongs don't equal a right but I also know that a wrong and a right don't(at this point)equal a new customer.I am all for what you might call constructive criticism but different people learn differently than others just like a dog and cat learn differently and if you've ever owned both you know exactly what I mean.Also i believe that you are perhaps misinformed Tristar makes an air filter called the PURESTAR and at my location is sold for$329.00 and can be left running 24hrs. a day and yes it is designed for one room.However its easiest to look at it for the problem solution point of view.You have alot of dust in a house in the air and yes installing a hepa filter in your duct system will greatly reduce the amount of dust in the air but dust in the air is only the symptom of the problem the problem is all the dust in the house gets in the carpets and stays there stirred up on every step etc.How do we get the dust out of the carpets?The TRISTAR How we keep any dust out the air the PURESTAR and yes I would recommend people to have their ducts thouroghly cleaned after they invest in a tristar but I wouldn't say people should get an air duct filter system per sey,not because I'm against them or anything but with the previous should be sufficient enough to get dust out and keep it out but to each his own.Tristar couldn't make better duct filter systems per sey without installing a section that diverts away from the continous construction in that section(because of the angle required to have a non clogging filter system)so if we did I don't think it would be what some people call affordable.Also if you are indeed an honest man with a tristar just trying to better its effectiveness than I commend you however if you read your last post it is easy for a person to reason that you are a promotor of just such a furnance system who stands to financially gain from other peoples common interest in the matter and I hope in the highest sense that you are indeed not Posted by: TheMachine on August 16, 2004 01:49 AM

GWARDY I realize at this point this is the only leg you have to stand on but come on can we really call it a leg? how about a toe?I am not a tristar employee.We are all independent contractors mostly for legal reason so no I don't officially (nor imply that I do)speak for tristar its parent group or any subsidaries so any information is tristars sole propriety,but lets say I did post proof Does that mean that you would ,upon such proof(that the Japanese race indeed buys tristars),go tomorrow and buy a tristar from your local dealer?I think not.When the tristars were first made they were for a short while in stores and sold poorly because if you see it next to other vacuums you might see a sign that briefly explains its features and its only $2400 you wouldn't buy it either.Now you might say to advertise on tv but in 1947 tv wasn't what it is today.Even hoovers were sold door-to-door back then and when other competitors started to gain dominence in the market they decided to go the other route.We believe then as we do now that word of mouth advetising is best so instead of paying millions in commercials(and increasing corperate overhead)we pass the savings on to you through gifts used to advertise and a better price.In a house demo it gives up the opp. to show the customer in person all the advantages of the tristar as well as let them push it around and see how they like it and answer any questions personally and promtly.Originally the scientific community coined the actual vacuum effect of a vacuum but the business of the time overcame the name if you will in 2 ways.one by embracing it by anding cleaner to the end and two by getting people to called it something that sounds heplful and everyone needs"a carpet sweeper"What does your grandma call it!Now as wall to wall carpets became more common so did vacuum cleaners until like today it is part of society.Today they estimate that the average person is exposed to 1200 advertisements every waking hour of the day(until they brainwash you)with what to eat,what wear,what drive,what to do for fun etc.At this point vacuum cleaners are socially acceptable.Did your parents ever sit you down and say "Now look,I just want you know that vacuums don't really work the way you think and their long term affects are damaging.They blow dust into the air,they rub alot of dirt back into the carpet and over all just have a poor design and lack of craftmanship-over time they can and will help in neglecting your carpets wear and tear bacause they don't pick up sand very well,blow alot of germs and bacteria all over that can make you sick from time to time and aggravate your allergies and asthma they also break easy and will make you buy more and more of them never really cleaning the carpet!So as your parent I think you should start to save money for a better cleaner that won't do those things and will over all make your life easier and happier"I never got that lectuer did you?So big vac companies play that people associate tornados,cyclones and hurricanes(spinning powerful air)and if you don't know better cyclonic sounds really technical but they dont ever actually explain it to you they just rely on your ignorance.We actually show you in person that we invented,patented,and use true cyclonic action(which is more or less a byproduct of the air pressure zones below and behind a airplane in flight)They build them cheaper so they'll brake and you have to buy more.and yes GWARDY the vacuum gods have all smiled on you because you have a hoover that still turns on after 20yrs.but the bottomline remains that you buy a vacuum to clean and if you're not actually cleaning with your vacuum what are you doing?Wasting Time! Posted by: TheMachine on August 16, 2004 03:05 AM

Hi Machine, I work at a Biotech company, and I have nothing to gain by recommending a furnace system. The one I located on a thread was one example. There are probably better units out there, but from a reductionist point of view, I think a furnace unit is more effective than a single room air filtration system. For apartments I think the filter units are a good idea, but generally the Purestar and Tristar are sold to home owners. The technology for removing air particles from a furnace to me seems the most logical approach to keeping air clean. The return air ducts as you mentioned should be kept clean, but a furnace with a high efficiency air filter (electrostatic with a middle foam layer) and a post ionization/electrostatic unit (~$400-600) should be enough. Our HE furnace filter requires to be cleaned every two weeks. Like you state, the dirt unless removed from carpets will just continue to act as a sink for dust. If the Purestars are only $329/unit, then that is reasonable.......but I swear someone i know was given a demo for a unit worth $1500-1800. All in all though a furnace unit is the best from the engineering stand point of a home owner, since ALL recirculated air if "forced" through the home. I believe the furnace unit I read about did not have a HEPA filter.........would that be critical, since a HE air filter should remove most particulates, and leave the smaller stuff to the after unit?? We have HEPA filtration in clean rooms at where I work, and the entire air handling system there cost $1-2 million. For a home owner, I assume a scaled down version would cost alot. The unit I described produced a low-level ozone layer, that is monitored by an ozone sensor. If that went, then the ozone levels in the home could become sky high.....regular testing would be required. There are problems with a furnace system, and the reason I am researching it so much is I want to have cleaner air after reading the TRISTAR website. I do not want to spend money buying 6 different PURESTARS for each corner of the home when a furnace unit would be more practical? SO, would you have any suggestions? The unit I mentioned (Forget the name, I posted hat last week) requires weekly cleaning and I am looking for something that does something like the PURESTAR, but only one unit (if they even make it). So machine, I do not have an agenda, and politely speaking, you work for TRISTAR and seem to be pushing them. It is the best vacuum I have ever seen, and that is why I posted information to that regard. However, a single room air purifier does not make sense if a furnace unit exists to remove most dirt etc exists. I hope this clarifies my earlier points. I am a reductionist, and think it is better to kill 2 birds with one stone. Dave Posted by: Dave on August 16, 2004 04:02 AM

Machine and others, word to the wise, Keep 10-20% of your net worth in gold bullion via coins, Gold Eagles in the US, or Maple Leafs here in Canada. The government can not confiscate them since they are deemed legal tender. The S&P and major markets are set to have a severe decline in the coming years (Boomers start retiring on mass in 2008). Owning gold stocks and energy stocks are places to park money. The best gold company on the planet is GoldCorp (no debt, no share dilution, no screwing share holders). Uranium and oil stocks are the best best to make money since oil production is set to top out (Imperial Oil, Devon Energy, are the top oil companies, Cameco is the top Uranium play). I am 35 so owning large chunks of the above companies is impossible....mutual funds set to gold or energy stocks is the best route for most. The world needs energy, and most will come from nuclear in the future....we have no choice. This is not investment advice, do your own research. Hope this is not out of whack for a vacuum forum. Listen to the thread below. I listen to this every weekend, and the guests they have are exceptional. The commentaries go way back. They do not offer stock selections, but just comment on the market conditions. kind of scary, but it is an eye opener.http://www.netcastdaily.com/fsnewshour.htm There is a site www.vectorvest.com that will review stocks if one picks them I think it gives away 50 free picks. www.stockhouse.com allows one to review forums to find out which stocks have good potential (watch for pump and dump plays). Posted by: Dave on August 16, 2004 04:36 AM

Machine, I have a technical question......how many years can pass before it is necessary to replace the beater brush of the TRISTAR? I also bought the MiniStar, and it is a nice add on feature for the vacuum (I vacuum every day). Stairs, cars, and chairs get done well. My only complaint is the swivel part of the beater unit is plastic. It seems this part could require replacement if one is not careful with the unit. Also, what the heck is the Dristar? Is it simply a powder sprinkled on the carpet? Is it similar to other products on the market, and what is the price in US or Cdn dollars? Thanks in advance. Posted by: Dave on August 16, 2004 05:21 AM

STEVE, re: Repair Shops - Of course they're gone now. They all do that eventually, or they'd get burned down by irate customers. TriStar's biggest scam is the pyramid franchise system. I have links to TriStar's site on my discussion group, along with links to other resources that might help you resolve any issues you might have. ------------------------------------------------- THEMACHINE, re: markups - Will you please verify the factory cost of the TriStar MG1? Last time I checked, the Manufacturer's Representative paid about $300 for the MG1. He then sells it to the next guy in the pyramid for about $550, who sells it to the next guy for about $800, who must sell it for over $1000 to make a profit. At least, it's that way in Indiana/Illinois/Michigan, where Great Lakes Financing (Carl Gassoway) is the Manufacturer's Representative. (And they still owe me payroll.) -----------------------------------------------Mike, former Asst Office Mgr, TriStar Franchise Posted by: Michael on August 16, 2004 11:45 AM

DAVE I did not want to come across as accusing you of selling them I merely want to point out that one could reason that you were in regard to your previous post and I just want you to understand that no harm,no foul.Yes it is more practicle to have a good furnance system but before I talk about that in my office as in many others we have a referral program where for every four qualified names you give us that merely watch our in home presentations you can earn a purestar or mini or dristar etc.So if you liked the salesman's presentation you can give him these names and numbers,talk to your friends or relatives about letting him come over(they do not have to buy just watch)you can earn more tristar products.The problem with ducts is that even in new homes after the framing is done usually the next part is installing the ducts after which they are exposed to the outside air and dirt then are exposed to the rest of the process (drywall,paint and potential VOMs in the paint etc.)This will put at least a small amount of pollutants in your ducts then you move in and of course use the furnance.Ideally I think it is best to have some kind of layered filter system that the motor on your furnance can push air threw easily enough.First I would recommend some sort of pre filter to help catch the visibile dust particles that can be washed and yes a true HEPA(High Efficient particulate Arrester)should be used.In most cases a 95.00% is enough but if you have asthma you should use a 99.97% (used in clean rooms)The FDA regulates these as well as claims of HEPA filtration.Most people don't know that a ozone machine only really just adds a 1 O molecule to O2 and in effect only actually helps to filter out smell and does not actually "filter" air.and you should get a ion machine that charges the air post filtration.and Thank You for the sound financial advise! Posted by: The Machine on August 16, 2004 03:02 PM

DAVE in 1999 tristar had a significant redesign and came out with the EXL and in 2002 they came out with the MG1 both of which had the same or almost the same brush roll and I can tell you that in the past 5 and 1/2 yrs. I have only had to replace those a couple of times usually due to what you would call misuse and abuse on the part of the customer as opposed to normal ware and tear.So with a little care and preventitive maintenence it will last you a life time.The part I replace more frequently is that neck or elbow you are referring to.It is a doulble edged sword if you will while it makes it easy to operate and use at the turn of the wrist it can also break fairly easy.However it just depends I've had tristars 5yrs old and never had to replace it and 2yr old ones that have had them replaced it seems to be partually luck of the draw and part care.The dristar is an accessory for dry cleaning your carpet.Some offices use wet some dry.We use dry and heres why,You have what you might call two kinds of dirt-the kind you can pick up with a vacuum(dirt,dust,hair,lint etc.)and the kind you can't(oils from our skin and pets,stains,odors)Now if you didn't have a tristar and you added soapy water to the carpet(full of dirt)what do you get?a big muddy messy.you can get alot of the soap out but soaps are made from animal fat so any soap left behind will bond with the fibers of the carpet and dirt acting like a glue.this especially happens with people who shampoo too much-most people know someone that does-ever notice their carpets is usually matted and nasty looking?thats why.in dry cleaning we use a protein enzyme that you pepper onto the carpet then brush into the carpet using a motorized machine or a dristar.while in the carpet it stars to break down the oils and etc. and about an hour later you use your tristar to suck it up.Offices can put their own price on it but I would expect most to sell it for 3-500 dollars it just depends Posted by: TheMachine on August 17, 2004 01:39 AM

Hi Machine, Thanks for the information on the dristar. I had no idea it was a separate item that had to be purchased. Posted by: Dave on August 17, 2004 05:59 AM

Hi Machine, I have a question, If I were to get the dristar powder, how much would it cost? Further, If I were to take the hose and plug it into where the exhaust filter resides, would the normal beater bar be sufficient for "beating" the cleaner into the carpet? The opposing air force should counter the direction of the beater bar focusing the powder right? I hope that is right, because I think it would work. What do you think?? Posted by: Dave on August 17, 2004 02:05 PM

Still your logic is f'ed up. They could sell the MG1 in a store, the store could sell it for $500...if it as good as you claim then it would have no problem standing on its own to sell agaist other $500 vacuums. I have seen many prices on this site stating the manufactor sells them at $300-$500 each...assuming they sell it to say Walmarts for $300 each...that is a $200 profit they could make on the vacuum, there would be no reason for the store to sell the MG1 at $2,400. Besides more people would buy the vac meaning more sales. More sales means more money. I have a feeling they do not do this because they know no one wants a canister vac. Posted by: Gwardy on August 18, 2004 08:22 AM

I would like to know why the salesmen starts at $2,400 and then jump down to $1,200. That is pretty weak and out of principle I would not buy either. It is like when I bought my HDTV, they offer me a warranty. They start at $500 for the extended warranty, when I tell them no they jump down to $200...why the heck did they not say $200 to begin with and I might of taken it. Posted by: Gwardy on August 18, 2004 08:28 AM

It is also bad practise on the salesmen part to just toss out a figure just because he does not think they will buy. I think your BS'ing and trying to grasp for something there. No salesmen is going to toss a BS figure out there if they do not expect to get it. I still do not see why they use the home owners phone...I see why...but I guess too many idiots out there let them...I be like go get your own cellphone...your selling $2,400+ vacs and you can not afford a company phone...LOL Be funny if they came to my house to give a demo, I have no phone, that is what Cellphones are for (why have both). Would they expect me to lend them my cell...not a chance. Posted by: Gwardy on August 18, 2004 08:32 AM

Just seems like the whole door-to-door vac job is a SCAM. From the hiring to the selling it is just one big SCAM. It is just to get the older and the uneducated to buy a vacuum that cost $1,900+ more then it should. Oh, and you keep saying that they have to charge that to make money...LOL I think not. Even if your paying $300 from the manufactor (not my problem if this is a pyrimid and you paid more from another middle man) I would think you could turn them around for $800-$1,000...sell more of them (you do understand economics 101, right!!!). The shops these places run out of are fly by night locations, meaning cheap rent as they are located in crappy areas (at least the ones I have seen so far). With a $1,900+ prfit margin I would think that these sales guys are making $400 a vac, that still leaves $1,500 for the boss on each vac. But fromt he looks of the rusted out cars the sales guys drive I think they make only $20 a vac....oh, wait how do I know this, I went to the interview for shits and giggles...LOL So pretty much if your a sales men you backup a company that gives little to you and taken a ton? I bet your more like the owner of a crappy vacuum shop trying to feel good about themself by posting how wonderful a MG1 is, when in reality it is no differant then a Dirt Devil. Posted by: Gwardy on August 18, 2004 08:44 AM

Gwardy........speaking of uneducated and dumb........reading your posts leaves this impression of you in my mind. Do you understand the engineering of why MG1's are better than the competition? You seem just to try and stir the pot, but do not back anything. Just go back to your porch sucking on your lemonade and complaining about the teenagers invading your neighbourhood. Posted by: Dave on August 18, 2004 09:15 PM

>Gwardy........speaking of uneducated and dumb........reading your posts leaves this impression of you in my mind. < Strange. Everything they've said is true. A salesman at the bottom of the totem pole (just starting out) will make, if I remember correctly, a 13%ish commission (I think I have that wrong, but not by much.) When I was Assistant Manager, I made 17.5% commission. But here's the catch: If you sell a machine for $1,999.95, you may not make commission on the entire price. The TriStar dealer turns around and auctions off the sale to a couple of financing companies. They don't pay full price unless the buyer's credit is very good - for a person with bad credit, the dealer might only make around $1000 for a $2000 sale, and the financier pockets the rest. The salesman gets his commission from the amount the finance company buys the sale for, not the amount he sells the machine for (unless, of course, the purchaser can pay cash/credit card or pay in 90 days, etc). So he's going to sell it for as much as he can, 1) because otherwise he won't make any money and 2) because if he doesn't start at full price and his boss finds out he's fired. If the salesman works for a third-tier distributer, he probably won't go under $1,200 or so unless the purchaser pays cash. (The cheapest machine I ever sold was for $850, to the sister of a woman who bought one for the same price during a "Sale-A-Thon" when we would sell them for a song. When I started my mandated money spiel, she stopped me, told me what her sister paid, and said she'd pay that much and no more. She was a smart person.) Anyhow, at 17.5% commission, on a good financing or cash deal for full-price ($1,999.95 (plus tax!)) I'd make about $350. On a sale that was at or under $1000, I made an automatic $50. In between, it depended on how much the finance company paid for the sale. With twenty "shows" a week, the average sales rate was 20% - average income about $200 per sweeper, so $1000 a week. Sound good? Don't worry, the most "shows" I ever ran in one week was 12, and usually I got 6 to 8. You see, the boss had this nifty clause in the employment agreement: If he didn't give you 20 appointments a week, it wasn't his fault. Despite this, we'd spend 8 to 10 hours a day walking door to door, hanging flyers ("Win Bingo Scratch-Off! Win Draw Poker Scratch-Off! Win Free Christmas Ham or Turkey! Survey: Coke or Pepsi? 2 Free 2-Liters!") and then spent the rest of the night on appointments. So here's the final numbers on how much I, the Assistant Manager who helped train people how to sell TriStars, made selling: for about 70-80 hours a week, about $400. And then the boss spent the payroll and we'd go for weeks without money while he made excuses and promises, before his company folded (the fifth in the town in about ten years to fold) and nobody's responsible for the money he owes me. Sorry for the long rambling post, but now you know The Rest of The Story (and my particular beef with TriStar.) No doubt Dave and TheMachine will tell me that A) it was my fault for not making money and B) My boss was one bad apple in a barrel of good, but from what I've seen reading this board and talking to people on my discussion group (click my name in the signature) the corruption and weasel-ness is a lot more widespread than they'd like to admit. Bottom line? TriStar rocks. It pwns. It r0xx0rz. Get one. But don't pay more than $500, if that. Posted by: Michael on August 19, 2004 11:23 AM

DAVE the only problem with that is that it won't supply electricity to the power head.You should try your local office.If they don't have the dry cleaning supplies try racine industries of racine wisconsin they have it all! Posted by: TheMachine on August 19, 2004 02:20 PM

Hi Machine, Out of curiousity, I did some surfing on the weekend about Rainbow and Filter Queen vacuums. How do they compare to the TriStar, and what are their faults? The FQ add on their site said they used cyclonic action....basically it sounded like a Tristar with more possible attachments. Thanks in advance Posted by: Dave on August 22, 2004 02:33 PM

DAVE lets start with the rainbow.At one time it was actually outlawed from japan because of the potential hazard of it's design.Think about it your holding a metal handle-connected to a canister of water-and its plugged into the wall-not a very wise combination.The power head is only average,theres no cogged belt.There are lots of wires to plug into each other to use it.HEAVY.it can be very top heavy and easy to knock over.In the owners manual explains that after each and every use you are suppose to take apart the motor and clean it with the toothbrush that slides on to your finger.This is because although they claim that the water filters the air when the dust enters most of it bounces off the top of the water and condensates on the motor wearing it down(try to throw a hand full of flour on a pot of boiling water-same effect)I have a copy of a letter from corporate rainbow to their distributors talking about from time to time we recieve complaints that consumers are being told that the rexair rainbow is an air filter,while we believe that a sucessful distributor can and should extoll all the goods the tristar has to offer referring to it as an air filter is deemed to be a misrepresentation,such misreputation can end up in the recission of contracts by consumer protection agencies as well as the disciplinary action though the company and the proper authorities.futher more to be deemed an air filter the rexair rainbow would have to comply with the stringent restraints of the food and drug administration.Since Rexair Rainbow is not and does not desire to be so registered calling it an air filter is misreputation........not long after some models came with a hepa filter that the air passes through before it enters the air again.not to mention a poor manufactures warranty and reputation.also is the issue of dumping the used water-not the kind of thing you want to dump down the sink,tub or on the lawn as well as it has the potential to help increase humidity levels which is linked to dust mite population and futher agitation in asthmatics Posted by: TheMachine on August 24, 2004 10:25 PM

i have a 1937 hoover uprite vacume cleaner and wondering if was worth anything Posted by: robert on August 25, 2004 04:26 PM

Who's foolin you guys, Did you know that Tristar, Electrolux, and Eureka are all built by the Eureka company in Mexico!! What, don't belive me check it out! TriStar has been built by Electrolux since TriStar closed their LA, Calif plant in 1992, The Electolux company just closed their last plant in the US in June 04 and farmed out the manufacturing to Eureka, Eureka just closed their plant in El Paso, Texas and they now build them all in Mexico. Posted by: Bob on August 29, 2004 03:19 AM

Wow! I've never read so much negativity in my life. Ok, first off, if anyone here sees the tristar as a vacuum, I would like to first ask you what your argument is? "Does it pick up dirt?, cuz that makes it a vacuum!" Yeah, ok. If you are honestly open minded when looking at the machine, instead of being closed minded and negative it makes sense. I have a vacuum. I bought it to get the dirt out of my carpet. When I turn it on, the motor pulls air toward the bag, which pulls dirt. Once the dirt hits the bag. all the little tiny bits of dirt smaller than the pores in my bag fly out into the air. All the rest of the dust particles coat the pores, then air cant pass through the dirt. Then I lose power, and the motor pulls less air, hence, I pull less dirt. Ok, I've got two options. One, keep pushing it, even though I'm getting less and less dirt. Two, change the bag. I dont want to change the bag every 10 minutes. I dont want to clean to get out 10,50 or even 90 percent of the dirt, I want it all out. Posted by: If it dont make dollars then it dont make cents on September 1, 2004 09:57 PM

Next, the tools. If I have a flat tool, and put it on a flat surface, then i dont have airflow. Well, that wont work, cuz i need air to pick up the dirt. Maybe i can tip the tool. Well, thats pickin up some of the dirt, but im losing power, so im leavin some behind. i really have no intention of cleaning to get out half the dirt. maybe its ok, cuz not every1 has a tristar, so there are other homes like this too right? yeah, but i dont vacuum to leave dirt behind, i vacuum to get it out. well there is dirt there, but it looks pretty clean. on the other hand tho, i guess there is no such thing as half clean huh, either its clean or its not. is there dirt there? then i guess its not clean then is it? the tristar does have cyclonic action, so it always has airflow at the bag. plus the tools have air vents, so no matter what surface its on, it will have power, airflow, and be able to get all the dirt, all the time when i clean. I guess from what ive seen to, if im blowing dirt back out, i really cant be doing a whole lot of cleaning honestly can I? I guess nothing really does compare to the tristar then does it. They all have a bag, filter, cup, cone, or something, so air will have to pass through somewhere wont it? and if i have a flat tool, it will leave dirt behind. if all vacuums pass air through dirt, all vacuumslose power and leave dirt behind, there really is no good reason to pick another vacuum over the tristar is there? Posted by: if it dont make dollars then it dont make cents on September 1, 2004 10:06 PM

As far as distributors go... yeah there are some assholes out there. these guys are totally scum. i should just assume that every distributor, mr, and even sales consultant is the exact same way. there all just out there to make a buck and rip me off of my hard earned money arent they!? still, i know a lot of cops who are dirty. i know a lot of mayors and politicians like that. i know a lot of priests im not proud of. every day you hear about dishonesty, and cheaters, i probably know some at my own normal job dont i? but if every1 lumps you and the lying stealing coworkers you have with you, how would u feel. im sure there are bad apples out there, but does that mean every1 in tristar is the same way? probably not, right? Posted by: if its dont make dollars then it dont make cents on September 1, 2004 10:10 PM

pricing...1997, wow i could by a car for that much money! they should sell those things for 500-1000 dollars, they would make a lot more money! Ok mr economics, let me ask u a ?. If you were tristar... you have the one product out there in ur product line which actually is designed to work the right way and will get the dirt out, you give tools which make the job easier, you give it a lifetime warranty, you are going to service it every year for free, plus u give a professional shampooer to use with it, but the best part is you are giving your customers a clean home for the rest of their lives, how much do u charge? people can buy 12-15 hoovers for 1 tristar, but which do u want, the 12-15 of something that leave dirt behind, or the one that gets it out? its marked up too high, its a big pyramid scheme... ok, how much do u honestly think it costs to make a car, build a house, make a computer, or any product out there. i used to work at a store that sold furniture, and saw how they come up with the prices. they say ok, we bought this sofa for 671 dollars. the pricetag will be 2684. everything is marked way up! thats what makes this world go around is money. dont be lazy, get up and go get some for yourself. Posted by: if it dont make dollars then it dont make cents on September 1, 2004 10:18 PM

this is a scam... ok, if u are a new rep in the business of tristar, and all u keep hearing about is how this is a scam, keep ur eyes open and decide for urself if it is a scam. My family and girlfriend, and her family used this site as a reason not to buy a tristar, and why i shouldn't work for tristar. i shouldnt have listened to them. the company near me has been there a long time, and still is there. there are people who really put a lot of work into being successful, and if u just go out there with a positive attitude, give it ur best, always try and improve, u will see that any1 who wants to be successful can and will be if they just give themselves enough time. my buddy did it, and i cant believe how well he does. he doesnt scam any1, he just goes over, has fun with them, shows them how vacs work, how the tristar does, and asks them which they want to use. if they want it, they will get it. u have to show people the benefits of having a tristar tho, not just the features. if any1 has 1 good reason why not to get a tristar, id love to hear it... Posted by: if it dont make dollars then it dont make cents on September 1, 2004 10:25 PM

p.s...... if any1 out there uses this site as an excuse y not to by the tristar, you are ridiculous. does it really make sense to u to push a vacuum that leaves dirt behind every time u vacuum for the rest of ur life just cuz of what u read on the internet? and if u buy the tristar off ebay instead of from a consultant who showed u the benefits, shame on u. some guy wasted his gas and time to show u how to improve ur household, and u wont even pay him for helping u out. be careful with ebay too, i know tristar wont touch it if its off ebay, and as for those discounted models u see at vac stores online for 500 bucks, i know this elderly couple that bought one and a couple weeks later it broke(u never no what ur buying off ebay anyway) so they took it to a local tristar service center to have it looked at, and it came up a stolen unit. i dont no if the people pressed charges or not, but at the least that couple was out there 600 bucks with nothin to show for it a couple months later, when they could have invested a little more and had something to clean and protect their home for the rest of their lives. Posted by: if it sont make dollars then it dont make cents on September 1, 2004 10:31 PM

My problem with the Tristar cleaning system is the lies that are used to sell the product. A nice young man turns up to give us our free gift and then promises a quick demonstration where he will not be asking for any money. Ok I think as like many people today, I will buy a product ONLY after researching it. An hour and a half later after numerous tricks, I was tired and hungry. The demo started at 5:30 pm and it was 7:00 and had not eaten yet. After playing with numbers, the saleman who alleged he was merely a university student and there to assist us, told us the price that was $2,899 Cdn. He went on the phone and talked to his boss and went through the whole sales pitch again with his boss. I told the salesman and the boss I do not like to get rushed into making decisions and especially one worth over $3,000 when taxes are added. The boss made the mistake of giving me two options, buy this incredible machine that night or live with dirt and germs the rest of my life. A good product at a good price is the same the night of the sales pitch or a couple of days, weeks, months later. So feeling that this was a scam, told him I pick option two to live with dirt. I should add I could have paid for the full price of the machine that night and we are looking for a new vaccum cleaner so the timing was perfect. Reading the above posts confirm what I thought - the demo guy is actually a commissioned salesperson but lied about that. He lied to get into the door, he lied about the length of the demonstration and lied about asking for a decision at the end of the demo. Now I found out he lied about the price as well. One more point, he vaccumed our TV - do you watch dirty movies joke. The next day my wife took a white cloth over the TV and picked up the same amount of dirt as the Tristar. My problem is that if it such a good machine, why all of the lies and pressure to sell it. Should not the results speak for itself. PS - if they would have given me their best price first, I would have owned a Tristar today. Posted by: David on September 6, 2004 04:33 PM

Hi Machine, wondering if you could post info on Filter Queen and why it is not as good as a TriSTar. I think all the extra attachments they add on to the vacuum is a dumb idea, like a back massager etc. etc. A vacuum should be for cleaning not making coffee. The Tristar does have a better design than the Filter Queen. I am uncertain on how much it weighs, but it looks like over 12 lbs. I am sceptical of their continuous flow design like the Tristar design. Posted by: Dave on September 6, 2004 06:49 PM

Hi Machine, wondering if you could post info on Filter Queen and why it is not as good as a TriSTar. I think all the extra attachments they add on to the vacuum is a dumb idea, like a back massager etc. etc. A vacuum should be for cleaning not making coffee. The Tristar does have a better design than the Filter Queen. I am uncertain on how much it weighs, but it looks like over 12 lbs. I am sceptical of their continuous flow design like the Tristar design. Posted by: Dave on September 6, 2004 06:49 PM

It is funny that the only come back they keep giving is "Well if you want to live with dirt"....LOL I don't live with dirt now, and the other sad argument about keeping your carpet for 30 years sounds boring to me. Posted by: Gwardy on September 12, 2004 11:11 AM

Then the argument of justifing a $2K+ machine (Vacuum cleaner). By stating that it is sold from dealer to dealer for a markup...sounds pretty dumb to me, and a load of BS. You tell me no distributor buys the vacuum straight from the company (TriStar)? I mean if the vacuum cost say $300 to make and for Tristar to make a profit, then I would think at most it would cost between $700-$800. It is not my fault the local Tristar rep does not buy directly from Tristar. So this argument does not fly for a reason for the local TriStar rep to charge $2,800. Posted by: Gwardy on September 12, 2004 11:17 AM

Go to this site: http://www.complaints.com and search for TriStar, there are sooo many complaints on how they treat people. Thought you all would like. Posted by: Gwardy on September 12, 2004 11:55 AM

I've read most of the messages here and find that the main area of concern is the cost of the unit. I'm considering buying a Tristar and was wondering whether the performance is really as good as the salesmen described. A light-weight and powerful machine, life-long warranty, with a clean air filtration capability. Can someone respond please. Posted by: Sweetie on September 13, 2004 08:57 PM

Sweetie: Really the thing here is no proof on if the TriStar is that much better then any other vacuum. No proof has been given that it justifys paying $2,500USD for it. I have seen no Consumer report stating it is better. I guess if you have the money and can get a TriStar for $800 then why not try it!! Most people I have found ont he net really can not afford the TriStar at $2,500 but get suckered into paying it through financing...a vacuum is something you should not have to finance...LOL That just makes my head spin thinking people are willing to finance a $2,500 vacuum at an high APR rate 20%+. Not when you can get an excellant vacuum for $300-$500 in most stores. Posted by: Gwardy on September 14, 2004 09:09 AM

I found some Reviews/Comparisons. http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/compare-vac.html ...... http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Large_Appliances-All-Vacuum_Cleaners/submitted_form_~ultrafinder/ultrafinder_submitted_~%20Go%20/skp_~1/search_string_~vacuum/linkin_id_~/sp_~/search_vertical_~all ...... http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/upright_vacuums/ ...... http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/canister_vacuums/index.html ...... Posted by: Gwardy on September 14, 2004 09:21 AM

ABSOLUTELY LOVE my Tri-Star! Now if you try calling the company in California that manufactured them you will find they have been out of business for two years. I've had my Tri-Star for 7+ years and have only had it serviced for the cord wearing out. Until recently I have not had the need to get it repaired, the wood roller bearing finally wore out and I had to have it replaced. I am having a hard time finding the HEPA filter by itself without having to buy the entire outer filter casing. I love my vacuum but my 25 year warranty is no good now. Not that I expect to have lots of problems you are still able to get them fixed, there is still plenty of parts available out there. But I would be cautious if you are buying a new machine, check on the warranty and make a call to verify its ligit. I still love my vacuum and I found my reciept I paid $1000 new for it in 1997! Posted by: Laura on September 14, 2004 04:32 PM

Thank you for your comments, Gwardy and Laura. Will check out the comparisons. As for $1K in 1997, is that US$? I live in Canada and the salesman started at $2698 and I was able to bring him down eventually to $1898 Can$. I still find this awfully expensive. I wish I could try it out for a week before buying. re the HEPA filter: when I asked an employee at the training centre if the unit had a HEPA filter, he said no ... but mentioned another type similar to a HEPA. Is this true? And what is all the talk about replacement bags? Is the Tristar unit any good for vaccuming mattresses? I sneeze and blow my nose a lot first thing in the morning and was wondering if it would efficiently suck up dust mites. Did anyone see The Oprah Show recently? omg ... seeing mites under the microscope running around was so disgusting. And what about the air filtration ... is that any good? Sorry - so many questions!! Posted by: sweetie on September 14, 2004 09:09 PM

LAURA: The company's not out of business - and the headquarters is in Texas (the machines are built in NC or some similar place). You can see their website at http://www.tristarclean.com. ~~~~~SWEETIE: Yes, it is awfully expensive. If you scroll up a bit, you'll see my analysis of how the TriStar is priced. ~~~Hepa filters: The machines I sold had HEPA-knockoff filters, but sometimes the ones we had for replacements were real HEPA. Sometimes they weren't. They appear very similar, but I don't know if they -work- similar (not having access to all the equipment that would be necessary to test it...) ~~~Bags: You don't need to replace the -cloth- bag, only machine-wash it every time you empty it. The -paper- bag liner you should throw away and replace, but they're really optional; it's only for a little more convenience when you empty the cloth bag. ~~~Mattresses: I'm suprised the salesman didn't volunteer to clean your pillow or mattress, that's what we were supposed to do. :) Yes, it cleans a mattress just like it cleans the floor. If you use black filter paper instead of white to test it, the lighter-colored dust in your mattress will show up better. ~~~No, I didn't see the Oprah show, but I have seen photographs of mites. ~~~Air filtration is good enough to remove cigarette smoke from the air; I don't have any scientific analysis for you, but if you stuff a paper towel in the filter and blow smoke into it, it goes in the filter and not into the air. Rainbows can't do that (at least the older filter-less ones); if you blow smoke in the intake it all blows right back out. ~~~Hope this helps you!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite them, and little fleas have lesser fleas; so on ad infinitum. Posted by: ]-{3X4D3C1M4]_ on September 15, 2004 09:27 AM

Purchased a tristar. The sales person was a friend to my daughter in law. I was her second attempt to sell a machine. She was told from the start I would not buy one. But we actually cleaned my house with my Hoover then with the tristar and had to empty the tristar bag twice because of the dirt it was pulling out of the carpet-two weeks later the motor quit working. The local dealer replaced the motor with no questions asked. The machine does a great job. Walking barefoot through my house I can feel the difference in the carpet. Keep in mind I have 2 dogs, a cat, and a bird plus 5 people in my house and live in Nevada where the soil just shifts its location daily. After a month of vacuuming every 3rd day I empty the bag once every cleaning. My only problem has been with so many creatures I would like to have more paper bags and have asked for them for over a month and still have not received them. **so my opinion-great machine but the local dealer needs to learn service.** Posted by: Marcia on September 16, 2004 11:13 PM

Hi, Try this thread below. I got my the ordered items in 5 shipping days. I know this is a Canadian web, but they probably would serve you, or give you a web address for service from the US. Hope this helps. http://www.tristarvacuumscanada.com/map.html Posted by: Dave on September 17, 2004 06:31 AM

i just finished my first day working (and last might i add) selling the tristar MG1 (as i guess it may be known in canada). i have to say i was impressed with the device, but the business practise they have is rediculous. and another thing, in canada (well calgary where im from) they hire ANYONE to do this. i have NO sales background whatsoever (my last job was working at a warehouse) and they ask regular joes to sell it. im not sure whether this is because they want to touch customers on a personal level, or they want stupid people selling them. today was my first day (never even tried selling to anyone, was just an orientation) and will be my last. Posted by: Hex on September 23, 2004 01:57 AM

My husband used to work for Kirby a few years ago and became an Area Distributor. They are great machines, unfortunately the company isn't that great. They retail for about $2200 (atleast back then). The distributors buy them for $325 and the Area Distributors buy them (from the Distributor) for $550.00. Unfortunately, the sales guy only makes $50.00 (if your credit is bad) up to maybe $300.00 if you really get hosed. Not only that, if you don't pay for your Kirby (and you have good credit) any money the Kirby office got paid from your contract by the finance company gets charged back but the Kirby office that sold you the Kirby, cannot come take your Kirby. The finance company will sue you and damage your credit. If you have bad credit, they already expect that you won't pay for it, the distributor gets to keep your deposit and gets paid $550.00 from First Credit (or whoever the company is) and then the Kirby office gets to repo your Kirby. Things may be different now but just in case you wanted to know... Posted by: FYI on September 26, 2004 12:40 AM

My wife and I recently recieved the visit of a Filter Queen salesman. After what seemed like a pretty good demonstration (albeit over 3 hours) he dropped the bomb. At 2600 Euros ($3120 USD), we both thought it was a bit much for a vacume cleaner even here in Europe where prices are generally higher. Would you believe he offered us a second generation lifetime warrenty (didn't know such a thing even existed?). Furthermore the financing offer worked out to be about 20% was also a bit much compared to current interest rates, not to mention that we had never considered having to resort to financing to buy a vacume cleaner in the first place. Thankfully my wife and I are pretty sober in our financial decision and decided to sleep on it rather than fall prey to the typical "buy now and get a free gift tactics". The next day I took some time to search the net and was rather surpised to find one year old Filter Queen vacume cleaners on EBay for $499.00. Perhaps it indeed is a great vacume cleaner but I seriously question pricing. I'd be curious to know how much it really cost to manufacture, seeing that it is essentially and electric motor, certainly no high tech chips here. I feel sorry for those who are easily taken in by such sales tactics, as they are probably the people who can least afford it. Posted by: Jonathan on October 1, 2004 01:25 PM

i have a 1937 rexair vac, and i was wondering if someone could point me in the right deretion so i can find out it is worth.thanks!~ Posted by: stoneman on October 5, 2004 11:29 AM

I am a Tri star rep, and i've seen what hundereds of different types of vaccums do and the fact is they are based on a hundered year old system. there are people on this site complaning about how the tri star is almost 3000 dollers but u don't complan about Filter queens, kirbys, rainbows and the fact is these mach work just as well as a $200 kenmore. but the tri star gets 90% to 98% of the dirt out of your carpet and comes with some of the best warrantys, i personaly think it is worth more than a kirby but we sell for less. another thing Tri Star doesn't do is lie to people we show how this mach is going to work at its worst i put 12 LBS of dirt and crap in my mach and it still works better that ANY other clean mach out there. not like all the other companys they pick up little metal balls, nuts and bolts and stuff like that, now i don't know about u but i use my vaccum to pick up dirt not nuts and bolts and little balls. the reason they do this is beacause dirt will stop there mach from working as well, but they can fill the bag with little balls and the air can still pass through, they are tricking u, im pretty sure kirby doesn't even show u with a bag they put a little glass ball so u "Can See the Dirt" they do that so it doesn't clog up there bag. Not tri star when i do my show i pick up dirt with a dirty bag just like i would at home no tricks no gimmicks. another thing, i don't care who u are, u are going to end up spending about $3000 on vaccums over 25 years if u just buy convetional vaccums (bags, filters, replacement vacs, Servicing, Etc.) and u are still not going to get all the dirt out of your carpet with the tri star u pay $2398.00 never have to pay for servicing, never have to buy bags or filters and u only need one mach that will last 25 years and then u get rid of the dirt, which is why we push around vaccums in the first place. but of course there are always going to people who think that as long as they can't see all the dirt in the carpet they don't care if they get it all, but those are the people that only wash the parts of there body they can see i guess not everyone washes there ass or behind there ears. it all comes down to one thing you can't sell soap to a pig Posted by: pedro on October 6, 2004 06:30 PM

I bought a Tristar vacuum cleaner last May 2003, can anyone tell me where I can buy replacement filters, and where I can get warranty work done? I have called every single number in the book I received with the Tristar vaccum and the first number was a USA number, who gave me a Canadian number, who gave me a local number of a business, to call for the replacement filters and to get the vacuum checked out. THE BUSINESS HAD BEEN OUT OF BUSINESS FOR FOUR YEARS!!...when I called back, it was recording after recording after recording...I then looked into the Yellow Pages of the biggest city in the Province of British Columbia, and called that number and given another number to call, and that business was also out of business. HELP!!!! Posted by: Corinne on October 6, 2004 11:24 PM

Hi, Try this thread below. I got my the ordered items in 5 shipping days. I know this is a Canadian web, but they probably would serve you, or give you a web address for service from the US. Hope this helps. http://www.tristarvacuumscanada.com/map.html Posted by: Dave on September 17, 2004 06:31 AM Posted by: Dave on October 7, 2004 05:59 PM

I had a Kirby guy come by the house & do the demo against my Oreck. I was impressed but not going to part with my money for the price he was asking. And he kept pressing me & wanted to take my Oreck & my Bissell steam cleaner with him. I figure to pay that price I wasn't going to give up my not cheap Oreck for only a small trade in price. I did get a gently used Kirby Ultimate G at a fraction of the cost. I even was able to get one of those demo devices they use to show you how much dirt & dust mites it picks up. So now I am seeing what comes out of the matress & couches. Well I was so happy with my Kirby when I get to see this Rainbow demo. Well I asked the Rainbow salesperson if we could do a side by side comparison with the Kirby thinking my Kirby is going to win. Well I vacuumed my couch with the demo tool & could see how much came out. Well the salesperson took a filter & put in over the end of the Rainbow hose then put the attachment over it. Then revacuumed the area I had just done. She picked up more. That day I had just vac'd the house & she redid the areas & I was impressed with what was in the water & the smell it left in my house. I am an asthmatic who is allergic to mold & fungi. It cleaned the air. Left my home smelling so fresh & clean. Well I was a convert. Having breathing problems all my life, this was the first time after vacuuming that I felt great. Plus it is lighter to use than my heavy Kirby. I liked vacuuming my matress but the Kirby is so heavy that it was such a chore to do it. With the Rainbow its a breeze. I have had a Panasonic (which lasted 3yrs & I paid $200 for it), Eureka which lasted 4yrs but didn't do a good job at all. An Oreck (costly vac not as good as the Kirby) which did better than the Panasonic. The Kirby which did better than the Oreck & others & now the Rainbow which I feel is the best for people with asthma & allergies. I have never seen a tri star but won't do the bag thing again. I like the idea of using water & dumping it out instead of storing dirt in my house. So I am a Rainbow Convert. The Rainbow sales people aren't pushy like the Kirby guys were. When I said I had to think about it, I wasn't pressed into a decision that day. Hey I hate housework as much as the next person so having a tool which actually makes my house clean & not make me sick after from the dust coming out from the bag makes housework much easier. So I actually don't hate vacuuming anymore. I realized why I hated it so much before- it made me sick afterwards from the flying dust. Wet dust won't fly!!! Posted by: Rainbow Convert on October 11, 2004 10:36 AM

I'm one of the suckers who got hosed by this company. We were just married, didn't have two pennies to rub together, and 'invested' over 3K into this 'cleaning system'. The 'gift' was a farce, as always, but, for what it's worth, we learned a great lesson, and now recognize most of the sleazeballs for who they are, before they show up or come to our door. Also, phone surveys are a no-no. My beef is that this stupidity is perpetuated. I cannot believe that there is not a class-action lawsuit against whatever company actually runs/owns/distributes/sells these things. If it were to ever start, I'd be there ASAP. I read through a lot (too much actually) of this posting which is truly impressive, and the pattern which emerged is very disturbing. The set-up the closing, the free gift, the phone call etc etc. I am currently looking to replace the handle on the hose.....$75.- used, or $120 aftermarket, with a new hose. WHAT!? The salesman tells me it's a $3K machine, so parts will be expensive. I told him a machine that sells for 3K shouldn't need parts, or should come with a comprehensive repair package. I also told him that the machine sells new for $850, if the buyers are more assertive and lass gullible. He agreed. This stupid vacuum has been an embarrassment for me everytime I look at it, and I've spent more on repairs for this heap than I spent on a whole vacuum cleaner, prior to this one. How is it possible that this company has not been exposed, fined, shut down, tarred feathered and run out of the continent? Incidentally, I bought a $14 all-steel handle, remounted it to my original hose, got a 10" pigtail extension, for $6 (the powercord is inside the original handle), and for $20 I'm back in business, but not before finally going so far as to look up this website. If anyone out there is looking to mount a lawsuit, please let me know on this site. I'd be interested. Ticked, in Canada Posted by: Ticked! on October 14, 2004 11:58 AM

"Ticked"...Don't feel bad so many here have been ripped off. I myself am just trying to expose these people. Funny how reps are going to claim how great the machine is...I would too if I was getting a paycheck...LOL Am I really suppose to believe a rep on this site, I think not. Funny part is the machine would not even cost $850 in a store, more like $500 at the max...LOL Posted by: Gwardy on October 15, 2004 05:12 PM

I'm not sure how far you'd get with a lawsuit, sadly. The way the scheme is set up, nobody is responsible for anything. The manufacturer sells the machine to a "Manufacturer's Representative," who has a monopoly on sales in a few states, for about $300. He sells it to the next guy (who, of course, takes a cut), who sells it to the next guy, who may sell it to yet another guy before it gets sold to you. So when you go back to find who's legally culpable, nobody is: it's a nice thing we have called an LLC (Limited Liability Company). The guy who sold it to you has only to shut down his company, move to a neighboring town, and start up another to continue the same scam - and then, someone else might move into the first town and sell machines under a different name. Consider Muncie, Indiana: I worked there for a man who called himself AiroDyne. Before us was a man who called himself Prostar, and before him was a man who called himself something else (I've forgotten now.) The current (as of 6 months ago) sales company is in nearby Anderson, under yet another name. The company I worked for owes me paycheck money, but there's no one left to get it from: the man behind the LLC isn't legally responsible for what the LLC does, if the LLC no longer exists. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on October 18, 2004 10:44 AM

I can not belive people are paying $3000 for a vacuum cleaner. You can buy a heavy duty comercial vaccum cleaner, designed to run for several hours a day seven days a week (do you do as much vacuuming as a hotel?) and last for years. If you are worried about dust get a certified HAZ-MAT vacuum with a certified HEPA filter. these are designed to pick up things like asbestos, mold, lead paint, etc. and they trap 99.97% of --ALL-- particals .3 microns and larger. none of this 99.9whatever by weight weight is not relavent. Even a certified asbestos vaccum will be less then the $3000 often way less. Posted by: ron on October 21, 2004 04:35 AM

a good friend of mine has spent 6 weeks working for this company. to my knowledge he has only made 500.00. he has been promised to make loads of money by his trainer who doesn't have a car, a home, a liscence, and dresses like a hillbilly hobo, never has any money to his name, and is 35 years old. i have been getting the vibe that this is a scam from the beginning. How am i suppose to believe all this guys promises to my friend when the proof ain't in the pudding. i have tried my damndest to convince him to run before he wastes any more time in this, but its like he has been brain washed into a cult of vacuum salesmen. when i told him what i have read on this sight he just says that the people who are complaining didn't put in enough time. That's there explanation of him not making any money yet. but he spends 10 hours a day messing with this company in some way or another. isnt that working pretty damn hard. How can I make him see the light before it's too late? Posted by: amber on October 28, 2004 05:04 PM

Amber, It takes a Doctor 8 year's to get a degree, and it takes a Lawyer 6. What makes you think it can only take 6 weeks to be a pro salesman making six figure income? Posted by: Tyler on October 29, 2004 01:52 AM

Amber, It takes a Doctor 8 year's to get a degree, and it takes a Lawyer 6. What makes you think it can only take 6 weeks to be a pro salesman making six figure income? Posted by: Tyler on October 29, 2004 01:52 AM

Amber - I worked for a TriStar distributer for 3 months. I was promoted from Rep, to Field Manager, to Assistant Office Manager. In that three months, averaging 12 hours a day, I made a total of about $1000 - and I was the second-ranked salesman in the office (the first was not only first in our office, but first in our state). I quit a decent job to sell TriStar sweepers and lost my house and car - and while some might say that it was because my boss was crooked (he embezzled from the company, etc), what I've seen and heard from other people has convinced me that this is the rule and not the exception. Yes, it's a scam, especially if he's in Indiana, Illinois, or Michigan. The only way to succeed in the business is to be crooked yourself - you'll either scam or be scammed. * * * * * * The sweeper is a good machine, though. It's worth every bit of the $350 that TriStar sells it to the distributors for. Yes, that extra $1700ish is all markup. Every bit of it. And the salesman is lucky to get a couple hundred of it - the rest goes to the people above him in the food chain/pyramid/totem pole. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on October 29, 2004 11:31 AM

First of all tyler, i am not expecting him to be making six figures, but in six weeks putting in at least 50 hours a week would be 300 hours. $500.00 divided by 300 hours equals out to $1.66 an hour. Who can survive or even put gas in your car for a 1.66 an hour. and i was giving it a generous 50 hours a week. most likely more than that. Slave labor!!!!!!!!! I have asked for some proof of someone making money. Have you noticed how high the turn over rate is? Doesn't that tell you something. It doesn't take a degree or a genious to sell these things or a genious to figure out that this is a bull shit scam to make money for "the man" and none of the people that actually do work and put in the hours make any money. Posted by: amber on October 29, 2004 01:35 PM

yep and your friend at 300 hours @ $8.50 an hour could of made $2,550....LOL And making $8.50 an hour is pretty easy to do. Hell for my wife that is $12,600 bucks...yep go to school and get a degree. Even when I was working that was $4,350 bucks...LOL This is why I am back in school to get my law degree. Posted by: Gwardy on November 1, 2004 09:42 AM

VACUUM SALESMEN HAVE A BETTER REPUTATION THAN LAWYERS DO! Posted by: THEMACHINE on November 3, 2004 08:19 PM

Buyers, sellers of cleaning systems say they were sucked in By MICHAEL McBRIDE mmcbride(at)thestarpress.com After scratching off a winning combination, Nick Young thought he had won a prize. However, after a lengthy home demonstration of a TriStar cleaning system that cost nearly $2,000 new, the rural Portland man learned buyers of demonstration models did not qualify for the free prize. Still, Young said he paid $1,000 for a used machine after discussing the special deal with Indianapolis regional distributor Greg Reece over the telephone -- with the understanding that he had three days to change his mind. Young said he did change his mind, but the company had already cashed his check. He carted the machine back to the Muncie office of ProStar, then a local TriStar distributor. Young said he was still waiting to see a refund check in the mail. 'The law should issue warrants for their arrests, put them away and keep them from stealing other people's money," Young said. 'I've got no money, no time, and no resources to hire an attorney. 'I only make $9 an hour before deductions, and I'm working as much overtime as I can to try and make up for the thousand dollars." Officials responsible for sales of TriStar cleaning systems in Indianapolis, Muncie and all of Indiana say the company will respond to any complaint. 'It is unfortunate when it does occur," said Carl Gasaway, regional director of sales for an area including all of Indiana. 'We get bad apples, but we straighten it out when we find out about it." ProStar, now Air Tech, had been the Muncie distributor -- and the name at an Indianapolis office -- for the nationwide TriStar brand, based in Dallas. Dallas referred all questions to Gasaway. Gasaway, in Merrillville, said the company answers all inquiries from Better Business Bureaus and from State Attorney Generals' offices. 'TriStar? We've known about them for years," said Linda Carmody, President and CEO of the Central Indiana Better Business Bureau. '[The bureau] has nothing negative to say about the vacuum cleaner. We felt it was a decent product. We questioned the sales techniques." The bureau began an undercover investigation last spring of an Indianapolis office called Blue Skies. Days later, Carmody said company employees began answering phones with ProStar -- also a name used in the Muncie office until recently. During the first call to a number listed on a winning scratch-off card, the company three times assured the BBB employee that she would receive her prize the night of a home demonstration. The sales person was at the house more than two hours, Carmody said, even though the investigator repeatedly mentioned that she had children to attend to. She did not receive her prize, nor did she get one at an Indianapolis office on a subsequent date. 'She gave up," Carmody said. The encounter made the bureau's hot topics list for May. So far this year, the bureau had fielded more than 250 inquiries about two Indianapolis stores, including six unanswered complaints about a store on Allisonville Road. 'I'm not saying that there was not a sour apple there before -- he got too big, and he could not control every angle," said Greg Reece, a regional distributor for TriStar cleaning systems in Muncie and in Indianapolis. 'You can have a change of ownership in any business." The prior owner of the Muncie franchise is now selling machines in Illinois, Reece said. Reece said he is still looking for the former owner of the Indianapolis store, whom he said still owes him $19,000. Reece also said that he typically had his attorney with him when talking to a reporter. 'It's his business. He sells the product, and the only way we are related is because I am the regional supervisor," Reece said. 'My job is to make sure there are no complaints. 'We've been in the Muncie-Anderson area for 15 years; we average 50 sales a month up there, and I have to keep somebody in place." TJ Glover has headed up the Muncie store, in Lyndenbrook Plaza for the past few years. Glover previously worked for the company in Fort Wayne. Reece scoffed at mention of the BBB's investigation, stressing that it was a private organization supported by dues' paying members. 'I've never been invited to join, and I won't be," he said. 'What people consider high-pressure [sales], who knows?" Reece added. 'Depends on the person." The attorney general's office also has fielded complaints, according to deputy press secretary Summer Burgin. A few came from former employees who claimed they had not been paid; and a few came from people, like Young, who claimed to have been cheated. 'I called the attorney general. They said get a lawyer," Young said. 'I called the Better Business Bureau. They file it away and do nothing. I'd like to put a stop to this thievery." Contact business reporter Michael McBride at 213-5826. Companies use cards as hook to gain access to customers Amanda Hudson's fledgling marketing career spun off in a direction she had not anticipated this fall, days after the Winchester resident answered an employment ad in The Star Press. According to Hudson, she did not learn until the last day of a four-day training class that she would be selling TriStar healthy home care systems in peoples' homes, rather than training others to sell the machines, which -- like vacuum cleaners -- suck up dirt. Hudson, a single mom, said paychecks began to bounce, affecting her credit rating, shutting down her checking account and raising questions from officials responsible for child-support payments. She quit working for ProStar, then the Muncie distributor of the TriStar brand, based in Dallas. Curious after she quit, Hudson and her brothers scratched off all of the scratch-off choices on leftover Bingo game cards she and other employees had been leaving in potential customers' doors. Call a telephone number on the cards -- like on Draw Poker cards the company also distributes -- and people who qualify are told they can receive their prize by agreeing to an in-home demonstration. 'Everybody is a winner; every card is the same," Hudson said. 'They all had the exact same numbers in the exact same order." A Ball State University professor said marketers of items that consumers might not ordinarily buy need a hook to get inside homes, and time to show the product's benefits. He called the in-home come-ons stealth marketing. 'Even though we are in an economic recovery, unemployment remains relatively high," said James Lowry, a former chairman of the Miller College of Business's Marketing Department. 'Because of that, more individuals might be willing to try this kind of job." Another former employee, Marc Withers, claimed that he had had to file a police report before getting paid. 'They don't tell you that it is a sales job until the third day of training," the Eaton man said. 'Then we were told to stay in homes for as long as it takes to make the sale. 'I did not enjoy lying to people, and I just want the public to know how the company operates." Both Withers and Hudson said training for handling phone call inquiries and conducting home visits centered around committal questions. On the phone, employees assess 'prize winners'" financial situations before committing to an in-home visit. Vacuum cleaners are never mentioned, Hudson said. 'First they tell you they are not going to try to sell you anything, then they try to sell you a vacuum cleaner," Withers said. He sold one machine; Hudson sold several. 'How could I have been so naive," she said. 'People tell me that I am intelligent, but I wasn't intelligent working for them." Reece and his wife drove a Corvette and BMW automobiles to Hudson's training session, Hudson said, impressing the trainees. 'Looking back, it was actually pretty sickening," she said. If she could find a used TriStar vacuum cleaner on eBay for $450, however, Hudson said she would buy it. If you are a winner: Sellers of TriStar brand cleaning systems try to gain access to homes by convincing potential customers that they have won something. Be aware that the come-on is a sales pitch. Know the conditions -- but if there are no conditions listed -- be firm, and ask for the prize. Central Indiana Better Business Bureau The machine: The www.TriStarclean.com Web site describes the cleaning system. Unlike canisters, it does not pull air through a bag. The powerful TriStar motor directs the incoming air flow over the bag; impurities are caught in the bag because of a process called cyclonic action. In Dallas: (800)854-6185. In Indiana: (888)756-6300. In Muncie: 254-9238. Getting on the list 'Since the state's no-call list [for telemarketers] began, lots of companies have become creative about finding ways to keep prospects' lists up," said Rod Russell, public information officer for the Indiana State Police. 'Getting folks to respond to gimmicks, claim free prizes, or register for free drawings is a technique companies use to bypass that list. 'You're saying to them, `Hey, it's OK to call.' Remember to use good judgment, because nothing is for free." Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on November 5, 2004 12:54 PM

The previous post is a copy of a Star Press (Muncie, Indiana) news article that appeared November 30, 2003 (about a month before we shut down.) T. J. Glover was my direct boss, and he stole money from the company, including me. To read it with formatting, click the link in my name below, where it appears on my Yahoo! group. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on November 5, 2004 12:59 PM

I am a tristar consultant and I own my self, I paid the same price for mine that people I sell too pay. I sold mine to my husband. Are you trying to say i was stealing from myself? It is proven their is NO other machine out their that purifies while it cleans. The tri star is NOT A VACUUM! The word vacuum means void of air, the tri-star uses AIR FLOW to clean, it is a room medicator, air purifier, aromatizer and cleans you home. It is a FACT that vacuums do more indoor polluting than cleaning and the tri star takes away indoor pollution. If you can put a price on your family's health than shame on you!!!!!!!!!!! Posted by: Jamie on November 10, 2004 05:20 PM

Wow. I answered an ad in my local newspaper that said, "Local distribution company needs 25 people by (date) up to $22 \hour. General Labour, Customer Service, Setup \ Display, Warehouse, Management. Call xxx-xxxx" I call, get an interview, go to interview next day in a building with no sign. Just a marker scribbled note on the door, "Apply upstairs for work". The interviewer scribbles on my resume and says to be home between 5 and 6pm. He tells me I am suitable for Management. Great! No problem. He calls and tells me I absolutely got the job as a manager in training for "air care products". I show up for training the next day in a room full of chairs and 20 year olds who still live at home. Something is fishy. There is a Tri-Star poster on the wall. What is Tri-Star I wonder? The dude next to me has scribbled on his sheet that he is a manager too, selling "air purification systems". What? So, Mr. Big Mouth enters the room and says he is a trainer and that we can be gazillionaires if we put our mind to it. Then another gazillionaire comes in to show off the 'Air Care Product'...its a flippin vacuum cleaner. I sat there and laughed to myself. Then they tell us the pay structure, $1800 a month guaranteed, $300 per vacuum commission with bonuses and incentives. I am going to be a gazillionaire!! Wait a minute. Selling vacuums in other peoples homes for $2698 each? In a blue collar town? Right...the room is full of gullible teenagers. Got it. The clowns pump the room with dollar signs and the kids are stoked, they can finally pimp out a lincoln and move out of mommies house. The trainer and the gazillionaire showcase the Tristar (which I have to admit is pretty slick) and pump more dollar signs into the room with talk of Miami and Vegas and $$. I see through this like a clear lingerie. A telemarketer lies to an unsuspecting cold-called person about a great free gift. But the word FREE is gold to most, they accept. The newbies embarass themselves by selling a product they know nothing about to people who dont want a vacuum. But, lies of filth and SIDS and dust mites and high-pressure selling tactics yield a sale, MAYBE. But wait! 1:4 sell themselves and that means that if you get 72 appointments a month thats like $5000 a month!! No wonder the kids are having a coronary. I am skeptical and enjoyed my time, it was fun to watch the naive. I will continue my search for a FT job that actually has a contract and a paycheck. Phooey on TriStar...what a joke. Posted by: Manana on November 12, 2004 03:37 PM

Amber, i'd like to apologize for what i said. You're right, I've been at tri-star for 3 months now and I too have only made $1000. I was a suckered kid, Im only 18. and I was suckered in. At first I was all over tristar, i thought it was the best thing in the world, But now after 3 months taking a step back and looking at the ammount of time and effort I put in for the reward of $1000? Not worth It. I'm sorry for what I said, i was just really into tristar at the time but after seeing all the lies I have been given and lies I have been forced to tell people, I can't do this anymore. Sorry. Posted by: Tyler on November 19, 2004 01:41 AM

Amber, i'd like to apologize for what i said. You're right, I've been at tri-star for 3 months now and I too have only made $1000. I was a suckered kid, Im only 18. and I was suckered in. At first I was all over tristar, i thought it was the best thing in the world, But now after 3 months taking a step back and looking at the ammount of time and effort I put in for the reward of $1000? Not worth It. I'm sorry for what I said, i was just really into tristar at the time but after seeing all the lies I have been given and lies I have been forced to tell people, I can't do this anymore. Sorry. Posted by: Tyler on November 19, 2004 01:42 AM

Amber, i'd like to apologize for what i said. You're right, I've been at tri-star for 3 months now and I too have only made $1000. I was a suckered kid, Im only 18. and I was suckered in. At first I was all over tristar, i thought it was the best thing in the world, But now after 3 months taking a step back and looking at the ammount of time and effort I put in for the reward of $1000? Not worth It. I'm sorry for what I said, i was just really into tristar at the time but after seeing all the lies I have been given and lies I have been forced to tell people, I can't do this anymore. Sorry. Posted by: Tyler on November 19, 2004 01:42 AM

After reading most of this page, I have realized just how many untalented sales people that are out there. First of all the Tristar is hands down the best cleaning machine (not a vacuum jackass) on the market. It stands in a class all its own. Anyone who can not sell a Tristar and calls themselves a sales man is a jackass. Not only can I sell a Tristar any day of the week I can sleep well at night knowing that the customer purchased a product that will last longer than most purchases they will make in their lifetime, and the most important part is that it works! It actually gets the dirt out of the house. So as far as feeling deceived by certain hiring practices, sales pratices, the fact of the matter is that you can't sell shit anyhow! The bottom line is that you will get an hourly job and complain about the pay over there too. You are a weak complainer with no staying power. I'll bet that you have a problem wherever you go to work. The training you get at Tristar would cost you more than a college education if it were for sale. For those of you who have quit the business, you are just that, a quitter. I have seen a lot of people like you you come and go in various industries, always complaining and never amounting to anything. Posted by: scott on November 23, 2004 03:38 PM

Tyler, you are a LOSER. I can't beleive that you expect anyone to listen to your appologies. Look, nobody respects you, you say one thing and then another. Make up your mind! If you can't hang in a real direct sales job then admit to yourself that you do not have what it takes and move on. As far as trying to appologize for your comments, nobody cares! Nobody is listening to your war stories. If you are right and everybody else is wrong then why does the product sell and the people love it? I'll bet you can't land a job that pays more than $8 an hour. Posted by: scott on November 23, 2004 04:11 PM

Amber, just because you do not have what it takes to succeed in business, why try and ruin it for other people? One thing is for sure is that you will never be a business owner nor a motivational speaker! I will be willing to bet that neither you, nor your mental twin, Tyler ever bothered to pick up a sales book from the library to try and learn something like a true pro would do. Instead you write back and forth to each other spreading negative energy. Has it made your life any better? I Did'nt think so! Perhaps you should take this advice, so you might be able to eek out a meager existance for yourselves. Posted by: scott on November 23, 2004 04:26 PM

I can't believe in this day and age that people not only pay thousands of dollars for a vacuum cleaner but their dumb enough to believe...actually believe, its a "good deal". Come on people it's a freakin vacuum cleaner. It's not rocket science.computers don't even cost that much any more and that technology in lightyears ahead of a vacumm cleaner.If you can read grab an old copy of popular science and see just what goes into the construction of a vacuum cleaning machine. Pretty simply stuff.The technology has been around way to long to warrant those kinds of prices.If you can read then just take one apart and see for yourself how few parts there are and how simple the vacuum making process is. It's idiots out there that buy these things who have jacked up the price of a truck to $40,000.00. If you'd stop being suckers and paying those ridiculess prices then the price would finally come down within reason. Hell, if I'm gonna drop 2 grand for a vacuum cleaner then it literaly better be capable of sucking paint off my house or a volkswagon thru a culvert. Now I know I'm gonna take heat for this and I totally understand because deep down inside you all know how right I am but you have to justify your poor decisions making abilities but firing a volly back at me... makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Posted by: Crispen Even on November 25, 2004 07:30 PM

if you're looking for a small portable convenience vacuum cleaner, it would be a good idea to keep looking because you sure haven't found it! (Model # 08240) granted, this small vacuum does make noise like a vacuum, and is shaped rather like one would ... Posted by: W. Remington on November 26, 2004 04:44 AM

I need to find replacement bags!!!!!! I have a Tristar EXL, can anyone help?? Thanx... Brian Posted by: Brian on December 6, 2004 06:03 PM

The TriStar vacuum has more virtue than their sales people. Sadly, that says it all. For the love of humanity, their devious sales tactics should be rejected by all of society. Posted by: World Citizen on December 8, 2004 07:31 AM

I just purchased a TriStar MG1, for better or for worse, and have found that the motor seems to get quite hot through normal use. Does anyone else experience this, and/or is this just because of its cyclonic exhaust system? Posted by: No Tech on December 9, 2004 12:30 AM

We just had a Tristar salesman come to the door that picked up our address and phone from a drawing. He left a worthless knife set as a gift. He came the next day and said he would be there for a few minutes. After a hour and a half he was just getting warmed up. We had to ask him to leave. He was going to give us $600.00 for a Rainbow that we overpaid on a few years ago (that is gathering dust in the garage) and was going to sell the unit for $2,295.00. What a bunch of bottom feeders! What a scam! Next time they come to the door they will be looking down a Glock. Posted by: Roger on December 9, 2004 02:57 PM

No Tech-when the motor gets hot don't worry it will at first.It is equipped with a thermostat so if it ever gets too hot it will automatically shut off and will not turn back on until cool enough-it is approved by UL and CSA so don't worry,any other questions? Posted by: TheMachine on December 10, 2004 11:34 PM

Hi Machine, May as well post something to try and keep the crap off this forum. How does the new Filter Queen compare to the Tristar? My only complaint about the Tristar is that the vacuum wands should have been constructed out of metal rather than plastic. DAve Posted by: Dave on December 11, 2004 10:02 AM

What I find amazing is the people that sell this stupid vacuum actually beleive in it! How dumb, sorry, naive, do you have to be? I would rather be on welfare that do what they do.... Posted by: Manana on December 13, 2004 09:09 PM

I have been sitting here for quite a while reading all the posts listed. I had a lot of fun listening to all the yays and neighs everyone had. I am a tristar rep and my family owns a tristar distributorship here in Oregon. First and foremost there are definatly some salespeople out there with bad ethics. When you hire from the human race you are going to run into some bad apples. If the average Joe would sit back and consider for one minute what a vacuum salesperson goes through in there daily life. The amount of rejection endured in one day. You go into people's private lives. No matter what the situation be like you meld into the scene. Working solely on commission there is no hourly wage. You have to have some self discipline and confidence especially this day and age. None of this would be worth it unless you truly had a product that changed peoples lives. I have been in vacuum sales for 8 years I am a granddaughter of a man who has been in it for 48 years both my parents and aunts and uncles have done door to door vacuum sales for 20-30 years. For years we were in Kirby. We believed that was the most amazing machine. 3 years ago we came across the Tristar and Purestar home systems and they are nothing less than amazing. I have severe allergy suffering customers that have called me thanking me saying they can breathe and smell again. A lot of people are over looking the fact that these are not just "vacuum cleaners" they are truly clean air machines. As far as "selling" the machine I think the machine sells itself. We are just there to become people’s friends. I guarantee customers confide more in me sometimes than they do there therapist. To get people laughing that probably haven’t laughed in months. When you have a good person showing a good product it is a win, win situation. If there are people out there thinking door to door salesmen get rich doing it your crazy. For some of us it’s not about the money. I have got to visit with some of the most amazing people in the world in this field. I have heard life stories that have changed my whole way of thinking. I am blessed to have such and amazing product to show off. I would not think of doing anything else. As far as service goes we have a fulltime service man always ready to help with whatever you need. We have all the supplies and parts you need. If anyone out there has question about the tristar and how to use it or anything else please feel free to e-mail me I can help you. No matter what you paid believe me it is worth every penny. They are truly amazing machines I have a long list of customers that would agree. NatashaRomas@earthlink.net thanks for reading. Posted by: Natasha&Allison on December 14, 2004 11:08 PM

Yep, everything you said is correct, but if you wouldn't mind: I'd like to get a comment on the markup from $350 that the Manufacturer's Representative pays to the $2199.95 that your customers are asked to pay? I know it's not the rep's fault, because he has to make a living and the system won't pay him much of anything if he doesn't sell for full price, but the system is flawed when the product undergoes a 600% markup and the rep makes $25 on the sale because the customer has bad credit. Regards, Mike - former TriStar rep, still owed money by Carl Gasoway and Greg Reece. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/unethicaltristarpractices/ Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on December 15, 2004 10:47 AM

Well have you ever looked at the mark up on cars and realestate???? Do you wanna talk about a mark up. Sales is what keeps America ticking along. Every single bussiness in this world wouldn't be going without sales people. Tristar sales people help keep the economy going. I mean buddy I don't know what your big problem is but leave well enough alone. Coustomers are happy if they don't wanna pay the 1,800.00 which is what we sell most of ours for then don't. If you looked at a machine say the Dyson they probobley cost 10.00 to manufacture and sell for up around 600.00. gimme a break. If you looked at any product like that and let it fire you up they would have to lock you up. If you got burned by a bad distributor take it up with them. Don't get on the net and cause hard working sales people that are good loving honest people out there trying to make better lives for thereself and there family. Going door to door and genuinly want to show off there product that really helps people. Spending hours putting there heart into a demo and woring there butt off cleaning a customers house and making friends with someone. Then get kick out's because you on your soap box making people think we are a bunch of scam artists out rip off the public and steal all there money. Tri star is a good old fashioned meats and potatoes door to door bussines. I don't know about sales in your part of the country but everyone in our office is honest and out to please our coustomer. Most of our bussiness is word of mouth. So next time you are all fired up to kick out someones deal. I would consider the Karma you are facing. This job is stressful enough sometimes without this kinda stuff. Posted by: Natasha on December 15, 2004 11:46 AM

DAVE all the filter queen is is a "pretty" shop vac with a carpet cleaning attachment.It's the same as any other vac it just has a different body shape,it does however have more suction than any other vac except the TRISTAR.Same thing in the past couple of yrs. they have been telling everyone that it has cyclonic action however we remain the only one on the market that will actually show you-to your face-the true cyclonic we have had patenet since the late 1930's.I can even give you those old patent numbers and you can look it up online on the patent office web site.We also offer more convience- it still has all the plugins everywhere just like the rainbow and electrolux-now aerus-and yes we even did until 1999.In my going on 7yrs in the business half of the people say they like the plastic the other half says they like the metal and before we even had the plastic wands everyone who had metal wands wanted plastic-thats how it goes.Also please keep in mind that it is made of lexan plastic which is the same stuff used to make football helmets and bulletproof glass so its pretty tuff stuff,that doesn't mean you can run it over with a car but its still really strong!In fact during my time there have been two instances where a vehicle and a tristar have met.One time this guy brought his tristar after he accidently ran it over with his full sized truck.the rear differential hit it and all it did was poke a small hole in the lid of the cannister,any other vacuum would have been completely ruined!Another time someone had their tristar in the truck of their car when then were rear ended by a jeep cherokee.their brand new toyota sedan was considered totaled by their insurance company,and believe me I saw it,the entire rear end was completely smashed but the only thing it did to their tristar was put a hair line bend in the side of the cannister about an inch long!any other vacuum would have been crushed!!!In addition to that it has been my experience that most filter queen people are corrupt in their business dealings.We had a little display in our local mall and the local distributor called the mall and told them we were friends and that we had ok 'd him to take out our display to put his in-the mall didn't fall for it so no big deal but how dirty can you get?!Not to mention we have a much better parent company!!! Posted by: The Machine on December 15, 2004 10:39 PM

Hi Machine, Thanks for the information. When we got our TriStar, it was either we get new carpets or a good vacuum. It should pay for itself in the next 5 years alone on extending the life of our carpets and our hardwood floor in the foyey. Posted by: Dave on December 16, 2004 04:38 AM

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/unethicaltristarpractices/message/18 I don't have anything against the TriStar or against the people who sell it, Natasha. My only beef is with the distribution "pyramid" system. Yes, you're working hard to sell your machines, working 12 or 14 hour days hanging fliers on doors and doing demonstrations. I know; I was there. And your boss's boss's boss gets paid $200 or more for every machine sold in his region. My "big problem" is that I've been inside the business and I've seen what goes on in a crooked organization - and I came out of it burned, broke, and nearly homeless. It may be that the TriStar people in Oregon are honest; I hope they are, because the people in Indiana are crooks. I'm not trying to get you kicked out, but I am trying to keep anyone else from getting ripped off. I'm not the only one who has been. Posted by: ]-[3X4D3C1M4]_ on December 17, 2004 12:19 PM

Get a life Natasha. Coming on the net does not cause you harm and if it does, too fucking bad for you. Still no one has posted any sort of proof that a $1,800 vac does a betetr job then say a $400 Dyson, or even a $300 Hoover. I doubt it cost $10 to make a Dyson..LOL Plastic injection molding is not THAT cheap. It probably cost $10 an hour alone for the one person at that machine not to mention the guy keeping it loaded with plastic pallets in the hopper. Plus the mechanics that change the dies, and keep the machines going, they usually get $15-$18 and hour. Then you have the whole front office that you have to factor into the cost of that machine, and the utilities, plus there are some metal parts so those are being made elsewhere with all the same overhead. I would guess a Dyson cost maybe $120 to manufacture....over time if no change is made to the machine I could see it costing $60-$80 to manufacture. Posted by: I Fucked Natasha on December 24, 2004 10:22 AM

I doubt the small market of TriStar, Filter Queen and any other $1000+ Vac keeps the economy running...LOL Don't try and act like your job means anything in this world. What are you 18 and think the world revolves around you?? I hope you like the virus I emailed to you...LOL Posted by: I Fucked Natasha on December 24, 2004 10:25 AM

Well Merry Christmas to you too you fantastic example of a human being. I am not 18 I am 25. I have been selling vac's door to door for 8 years and have made a good living for myself consistantly. For anyone who has even done this line of work for a day can say that is not an accomplishment for the weak or meek.I do infact pity anyone that has the extra time you have on your hands to send viruses to strangers on a tri-star message board. Not to mention making up figures in your head on what someone working in a Dyson vacuum plant makes an hour??!! needs to either 1-GET a job or 2-check thereself into the nut house. I think what you need is a hug bud and I will say a little prayer for you tonight. You must really have alot of pent up anger rolling around in you to react like that. Sorry for your troubles. Wish you the best. Natasha Posted by: Natasha on December 29, 2004 02:49 AM

To the moderator of this message board I really did get a virus sent to me. This is terrible if anyone can read this don't leave your e-mail what a bunch of wackos out there. If there is anyway to delete my info from the board please do so thanks. Posted by: Natasha on December 29, 2004 02:56 AM

I started my direct sales career when I was 19 selling rainbows. I then went to filter queen about a year later. My career in vacuum sales lasted till I was 30. Had my own distributorship for almost 8 years. All the direct sell vacs have their value points and flaws. From both ends of it....No matter how you are affiliated from the work side or the consumer end user, I think it's one of the best experiences for all involved. No matter how it turns out. My association with the direct sales industry (door to door, vacuum sales) with out a doubt was the most valuable experience of my life, from a career aspect. It's given me the confidence to succeed easily compared to others without it. I'm a showhost for a shopping channel currently. In no way is this "tooting my own horn", the numbers I post is so far above hosts without it...you wouldn't believe it. When you reach a level selling door to door is easy....believe me, there's not much I've found you can't do. Posted by: showhost on March 23, 2005 06:33 PM

Hi. Can anyone out there recommend a good BACKPACK or HIP vacuum?? I want a quality vacuum that is lightweight & built to last. I don't want to pay a small fortune either. Any suggestions on brands/models of backpacks would be much appreciated. If you have any suggestions, please post or email me directly at thelongs@tbcnet.com. Thank you in advance for any help! Julianne Posted by: mom22 on April 2, 2005 12:03 PM

Hello-Just found this site with a search engine trying to find out about Tristar. I am planning on signing up with a distributor in Austin named Beth Hanson. Anyone have any experience with her. Also any recomendations on getting a good start?She says her people work entirely on referrels. I am a soft sell person. Can I make it being honest and soft sell? Comments apreciated Posted by: Kyle on May 9, 2005 11:43 PM

Kyle, the answer is, YES! You will do a much better job working referrals if you come across as an honest and soft selling professional. But remember, there are FOUR basic things needed in the pursuit of referrals. First, the customer has to like you; secondly, the customer has to like the product (who doesnt fall in love with the TriStar afer they see it?), Thirdly, there has to be something in it for them, and lastly, there has to be something in it for YOU! As far as the first and second points go, that is entirely up to your presentation of yourself and the machine. If you've got a people person personality, you shouldnt have any trouble with this; also, the TriStar sells itself... as I am sure everyone who has ever bought a machine would agree with. The third point, TriStar has been doing a good job with. TriStar Enterprises has been designing several different ways to entice the customer to reccommend them. There's the PureStar, the Ionizer, cash gifts, and so on. Get with your distributor to find out exactly what he or she uses. Lastly, if you show the customer that referrals are your ownly source of business, and your job security, the customer will most certainly help you out if they like you. P.S. Honest people are the easiest type to like! Posted by: SalesLeader on May 30, 2005 10:55 AM

Wow, I don't think I've had this much fun reading people's bitchfests as much as I have here!! haha, it amazes me how incredibly stupid people are lol. All this crying bullshit about "those goddamn distributors mark up their shit way too high"--come ON! People are in the direct sales business to make money and GOOD money. I should know, as I'm a sales manager/recruiter in the FilterQueen business, and have been with it for a year. I've, no lie, made $105,000.00 in the last year and could not be happier--and I'm not even a distributor. To those of you who laugh and say "thatz a bunch of crap", at least I know that I'm honest. To "I Fucked Nathasha", first of all who cares who you fuck, and second of all it doesn't matter what you buy, the manufacturing price is always pennies compared to the price it's sold at (you don't think your precious TriStar is marked up Natasha? You're stupid). We all know that, so quit trying to prove a point that has already been beaten to death throughout this forum. And to "The Machine", the FilterQueen as a "pretty shopvac" with lots of "suction", but not as much as TriStar--if you knew ANYTHING about cleaning abilities with whichever machine you use, suction doesn't mean SHIT without AIRFLOW which creates AIRPOWER, or the ability to clean. All this bullshit about SUCTION SUCTION SUCTION you are so fucking stupid! Know your shit before you open your mouth! And please tell me how you have cyclonic with a bag in your machine? Maybe it's just me, but I don't see how that is possible. Oh, and I loved your stories about the guy who ran over his TriStar...he liked the machine so much that he had it laying outside in his driveway?? hahaha that made me laugh...and the person who had their TriStar in their trunk...did they seem to need quality time with their vacuum and brought it along for a joyride? And just so happened to total their vehicle but not the mighty vacuum? lol...then why don't we make vehicles out of the indestructible material of the vacuum? That's funny. I would love to hear the thoughts of others on that. Also, Dave, as far as the FilterQueen goes, all vacuums have either a bag, a flat filter, or sometimes both. The FilterQueen has neither, as it uses a one of a kind filter cone, with 100 cu. ft. of air per minute continuously washing around the outside of the cone, preventing it from plugging. Vacuums with bags and flat filters allow air and dirt to slam into the walls, forcing dirt through and quickly plugging. Just a little info. I'm not here to bash any machines, just had to put in my two cents worth. Posted by: fordtruckgirl on June 11, 2005 01:43 PM

Oh, and one more thing. One of the comments was about the fact that the Distributors make all the profit...well, hullo?! Who is taking all the risk?! The Distributor is fully responsible for his inventory, employees, customers, etc...if you own your own business, whether its a vacuum business, construction business, fast food restaurant, etc...the owner always makes the bank...duh. That is why people open up their own business in the first place. Sorry, had to throw that in. Posted by: fordtruckgirl on June 11, 2005 02:58 PM

FilterQueens are the same dirty vacuums like all the rest. They do not have suction capacity like the TriStar. I had a FilterQueen and Replaced it with a Kirby and now a TriStar. The carpets have never been cleaner, the ease of switching tools is amazing etc. The entire point of the Tristar is to have increased airflow in all of its cleaning tools to the suction never stops. I would say the bags can be around 90% full before their is any compromise in the suction power of the machine. Vacuuming up pure dirt from the garage or drywall dust will see the suction capacity dwindle at 60%, but try that with any other vacuum. The filter Queens and Kirbys do not compare, this is from first hand experience. We needed new carpets, or extend the life of the vacuum, we got the vacuum. Throw in an Electrolux carpet cleaner (3 spinning components) and the carpets look brand new. Sorry FordGirl, I am afraid your vacuums do not compare. Actually had someone try to sell us an Filter Queen, I vacuumed before they came over and they could not find any dirt. I told them the vacuum we had was ok. She tried to explain the benefits. She threw down some dirt on the carpet and told us to vacuum it first with ours. I got the Tristar, threw on a new bag, just to make the competition fair and vacuumed. She looked worried when I brought it out, vacuumed and let her vacuum up the residual. There was a smidgeon, but that would be expected anywhere. Lest to say, she went home very frustrated. Posted by: TriStarRules on June 18, 2005 01:09 AM

This is to all the Sales Persons out there. This is valuable for you. I've worked for the kirby company almost six years now. I am here to say it doesn't matter which vacuum you sell. I won't dispute which is better. This will work for all vacuum sales. Kirby has been doing it for so many years, they perfected the sales method. 1. Make a Friend. When you go in a home you HAVE to make a FRIEND. With out a friend, you have no sale 98 percent of the time. They have to like you. I've had ladies tell my team leader/field supervisor that im so nice they want to adopt me. The men? its a love hate/relationship. I have to win them over with hard work and good ethics, especially if they are old. Always make the guy laugh, and include him. If he isnt being sold, sell the wife more. 2. Your Contest. you have to have a contest. This is your now factor. Buy now factor, So you don't look like a money hungry vacuum salesman. Set up your contest so you can use it as a close through out the whole demonstration. Sometimes you can close them half way through the demonstration. Its easier when they say they will take it and then make it rock solid when you impress them even more. Let them know you are out there working hard for a goal. Your contest, if you don't have a contest you are going to hear "Maybe in a few months when a few bills are paid. Or maybe next year! hah!". You need to create a buy now factor. My boss use to say, If you go into a home with out a contest close its like going out on a date and forgetting your dick. That just doesn't work. 3. Create a Need When you are in a home, you need to create a need. Ask questions. Every little tool you pull dirt with, ask them a question. How do you normally do this sort of cleaning?, they will tell you. Then ask them do you think you could use this?. Odds are they will say "YES". You need to sell every piece of that machine in their mind. You never know whats going to sell them. You want to hear "YES". This is creating a need, and they are being sold. If you aren't doing this, again you will hear "I want to think about it" or "I'm not paying that much money for a vacuum!" Sometimes they will ask if "Can I sleep on it?" Your answer to this should always be "I don't know mary, its awfull lumpy. Won't that be uncomfortable?" Remember to always break the tension, you dont want to pressure them now do you? 4.Put them in the market Putting your potential customer in the market isn't exactly meant to make their vacuum look like look like junk and no longer work. You need to put them in the market for ALL vacuums. All opposing vacuums shall no longer work in their mind.After they have seen how much of a need they have for this vacuum, and how hard you are working for your contest it all comes together and makes the close for this sale much easier. 5. Dirt. Lots of dirt, i'm not sure how all the vacuums pull dirt to display for the customer but you better have a bunch of dirt that you took out of their carpet, furniture, mattress. Lamp shades. EVERYWHERE! Everyone has a dirt tolerance level. In kirby we have a little round white filter. A person could be sold with just one dirt pad laying out on the floor. While another person will need to see 100 of them laying out on the floor! Don't get lazy and hope you found the person who only needs one dirty pad with your fancy dancy reinventing the wheel demonstration that doesn't work but you still do it because it put together a few easy sales that we call LAY-DOWNS in this business. I could go into this further but I have to get to get ready for work. Posted by: SalesManiac on June 28, 2005 07:40 AM

I was a distributor for tri-star for about a year, and I'm still paying for it. Don't ever work for them or be associated with them. It will come back and bite you in the ass. My boss directly above me was a liar and a theif. I was on the news and now I just read he was indicted on three felony counts of bank fraud. These are the kind of people you will be working for. Good luck. I don't knock sales people its noble work, but only for the right company. Posted by: kittykat on August 29, 2005 07:45 PM

Kittykat, sorry you worked for a "liar and a theif". Just because of one bad apple don't knock the rest. I too started working for a distributor that was not the best in the world, but i have since started working for a different person with TriStar and things could not be better. TriStar itself is a good. Posted by: cub on August 30, 2005 02:44 AM

Hello to all you want to be employees for Tri-Star. Let me let you all in on a little secret about these guys. I once worked for them as a Distributor. I know what kind of bull they pull. They place an ad in the newspaper for employment usually like this needed 25 people to fill office positons or they'll make it sound like its a factory. $500 dollar sign on bonus, call this number (phone #) When you call the phone number you will talk to a girl who works in the phone room. She'll ask you questions like name, are you currently working and if so would you be able to start asap if you are hired by our company, also they ask your age (why isn't that discrimination) yes it is exspecially the reason they ask your age is they try to keep the age level between 18 and 29. Because they say the young croud are better looking and that helps for sales. If you don't answer there questions right they will tell you a blow off pitch like this, well right now all our positions are filled but, if something does come available we will keep your name and phone # just in case. If you do meet the criteria then they will give you a time to come in for an interveiw they even tell you to dress up or look nice meaning no tennis shoes or blue jeans. They want to make sure you are good looking for this position. Then if you are hired that day you do go through training class then the weekend after the training class you do what they call a practice on your friends and family weekend where you run as many appointments possible all weekend long and you get bonuses for how many demos you do and if you do sell to family and friends you will get so much money. The distributor will also shock you and your family when you call them to let them know you are done with the demo with a crazy price for the machine like usually it costs 1900.00 well since its your familty or whatever we'll knock 500.00 dollars off the price and so fourth. The guy who was the actual distributor in this office I helped run also, like pretty phone girls. He had a family he moved far from their home town just to open this business. But, that didn't stop him from having affair after affair. He would after everyone was off there appointments would buy alcohol for everyone even the miners almost every night they would sit around and drink till wee hours in the morning like 4:00am. I also walked into Mr. xxxx office to find cocaine on his desk, his office manager tried to cover it up with some papers so i wouldn't notice. Needless to say the distributor himself lost that office one reason is because he has a child he don't want to pay support on. But, months later he reopened another one in the same state. Then again he folded up his stuff and moved again to open another business. Also why I worked there the Main head quarters would lie for their distributors so they would'nt have to pay ungodly amounts of child support to their children the big boss and the other distributors would stick up and say that so and so are just a customer service rep and they barely make any money that way the child support division couldn't take money out of there checks to help support their children. Also the Muncie In. office there was a guy who worked there that liked to keep his stash of drugs in his desk. Sometimes there would be guys come in and go in his office and they'd be in there for a little bit who knows what kind of stuff went on behind closed doors dealing of drugs your guess is as good as mine. If anyone out there wants any info on this Tri star company from Indiana and surrounding areas feel free to email me cheadawn@yahoo.com Posted by: cheadawn on September 8, 2005 06:38 PM

Oh yah I almost forgot something. The company has a name for their special program of hiring. Called the Turn and Burn program. On the 1st weekend with family and friends you have to sell sell sell and do as many appointment you can. If they do decide to keep you on they will run you about 2 appointments a day commission only because on the last training day they make sure you sign a contract to work for commission only. That means you don't make the 25 dollars an appointment and you lose the 500.oo sign on bonus. They have a very good pitch so you decide to change to management trainee as they call it. If you do decide to try out a position with them and they give you the contract to pick between the 25$ an appointment or the pitch where if you sign the mangement trainee contract you could make 1000.00 or more a week don't sign the contract and if they ask why say well that way I am guaranteed 25$ an appointment whether or not I sell a machine. The next thing that will happen to you is you'll be fired. They will figure out a way to fire you. 2-3 weeks later you will see another ad for the same company in the newspaper. What they do is hire you until you sell alot of machines for them then they find a way to fire you, so they can hire a new bunch of people in and start from scratch all over again. This process like I said above is called Turn and Burn ask your distributor about it, he or she will now exactly what i'm talking about. Also, for anyone out there that has been jerked around by this company please write me and let me know. I know the phone # of the main headquarters in Indiana, it may be of some help to you and I also know of some locations they might be working out of. Like one of the people wrote above in the forum. They like to open and shut there doors often and use different names each time the reopen just like the muncie indiana office did and the richmond and new albany and probably angola just to name a few. Posted by: cheadawn on September 8, 2005 08:09 PM

I BOUGHT (was not sold) a TRISTAR EXL about 4 years ago from CARLSON TECHNOLOGIES in Des Moines IA. The door-to-door guy got my info from a "phone survey" that my wife did a couple months previously. I'm in sales, so I knew going into it that it was going to be high-pressure sales. That fact is, I just happened to be in the market for a kick-ass vacuum that I hoped to have for a while. Per the advice of my mom, the one household appliance worth spending $$$ on is a "vacuum". The Kirby upright she bought (for more than double the $1,100 I spent on the Tri Star) almost 30 years ago is still used. I asked around, and pretty much knew that I was going to buy it before the guy showed up, assuming that I could talk him down to what I was comfortable paying. I made him do the whole dog and pony show, and was even more impressed. He really focused on the quality and touted the warranties, particularly on the powerhead. To make a long story short, I got exactly what I wanted until about 2 days ago. I have a broken powerhead, a dirty house, and a TRISTAR distributor that, according to the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU of DES MOINES, has apparently been driven out of business, as the most "current" phone # for Carlson Technologies is conveniently disconnected. All I want is my once kick-ass "vacuum" fixed. WAS I LIED TO ABOUT THE WARRANTY? IS THERE ANY RECOURSE ON THE WARRANTY, I'd like to know how to get my EXL back up and running. Principalities will not allow me to spend 1 dime more on what now appears to be nothing more than a $1,100 piece of shit paper weight. I will not pay to have it fixed, but rather buy another kick-ass vacuum from a more "established" local distributor. By the way, I highly recommend to everyone reading this to find "Super Suckers", staring Jeff Daniels, at their local BlockBuster. Posted by: ochosmonte on October 27, 2005 07:37 PM

Sorry but i have been reading most of this crap and see who is under the ether and who is a freak and so forth ....heres the deal i have been in this business for 25 years and sold more machines than all you freaks dns'd (demo no sale) i never crammed one down a customers throat and i have sold them for 2875.00 american most recently to 1000.00 american as of old, most old dog vac pukes try to get paid everything over a 1000.00 comission but most newbees pukes make between 200-650.00 p. deal. id like to see one price for all i really would but ya know what you so called savvy fags wouldnt beleive that was the bottom line cause of all the vacuum sales crap over the last 50 years and still try to steal the reps commision, also i might add there is no such thing as a call back sure its an immotional sale but i tell you this if your not motivated to get the DIRT out when you see it what makes you think youll want it out when the dirt pads are thrown away and the pud is gone .i love the we have to research your company bullshit too...if you took the time to research your current vacuum you wouldnt have bought it cause its a piece of shit.now lets talk price on these guys ....a golden tristar distributor or whatever thyere callin it now buys the pieces of shit for 440.00=540.00 american but now lets talk about leads it takes phone bitches who suck that get paid 10.oo an hour to sit around and do nothing but try to set leads (so basically it costs about 50-60 bucks to drop off some gifts to you moochers not including the commission only reps gas,and the national actual REAL percentage of good sales is 1.5 good deals per week for 12 demos run on a new puke so do the math) office overhead gifts to give you pukes that want something for nothing advertising for reps all the time cause people treat them like shit in the houses and they quit the trainers override for lying to the classes the free machine bonuses to sales reps that sell 10 in a month or more depending on the lying scank distributor hes working for finance company percentage hits for offering you freaks 90days to 6 months s a c cause you dont want to part with your money on the spot....shall i continue ...its called direct sales a car on one lot identical will sell for a different price on a differnt lot bonuses overheads, parts of the country volume,commissions to play with, play a part .kirby doesnt use a bag cause it clogs when they demo !tristar using sand in theryre demo cause powder and dust will clog the shit out of it and sand is porous dugh... rainbow says dirt goes into the water but gives you a tooth brush to clean the seperator fins that get dirty after everytime you use it and they sit atop the water figure that shit out! and you can fry an egg on the top of a filter queen.as for the indusrty 90% of the people init i wouldnt let in my neighborhood let alone my house the other 10 per cent are so taken in by the bullshit they have been taught they are under the etherlike a goddam moony cult as i like to say.Bottom line ive sold them all and the all are NOT worth the money but thats the way it goes you have to pay for the extra bullshit invloved and your paying for the song and dance entertainment performed in your very own living room.you need to look at your budget way the pros cons of all of them and the prices and FACTORY warranties NOT dealer WARRANTIES and then go buy your self a SILVERKING VACUUM even though the owner is a ripoff lying piece of shit hes got one hell of a vacuum or buy a watermatic closet thing to a sk for half the money! Posted by: exvacmag on November 2, 2005 02:52 AM

I went today for an interview from an ad that was placed in the newspaper. The ad read "Need extra Christmas money? Guarrented pay!" I replied to the ad and filled out an application. I was told the job was for Tristar home cleaning systems. She said I would not be selling but displaying the systems in home that the appointment were already set up. She assured me I would not be selling but setting up the equipment in a customers home. I was told I would make $200+$50 gas for the 1st sale and the same for the second sell. The 3rd sale and the on I would make $300+$50 gas. She said on average 1 out of every 3-5 appointments is a sale. If I went to 29 appointments in 2 months and nothing sold I would still get $800. Sounds like a sales job to me. She assured me It was not a sales job that when I got thru with the my part of the appointment the sales person on the phone would handle it. Also she said after I got experienced I would need to come in the office to help set up appointments after she had already assured me the appointment were prearrange by referral only..no telemarking. She showed me on a pamplet where she had been the world's best seller making over $1800 a week for three weeks. She assured me the job was very easy and I could work as much or little as I wanted. Is this too good to be true.? She told me she would call me back between 5 & 6 today and she did to tell me she approved my application. I would like some imput before I waste my time on 3 days training. I need advice from someone experienced with TriStar. The name of her company is A & M Allergy Relief. Posted by: LouAnn on November 17, 2005 11:28 PM

Tristar salesman Ryan came to my home last Monday. He did his demonstration and when we said no about buying it today, that is when he came up with the financing terms of $50.86 a month for 3 years. I asked him what interest rate that was and he said 21%. Ryan said I would only end up paying $50.86 x 36 = $1,830.96 total payment. I am an accountant so I told him that is wrong. I told him to go to the web site http://www.investopedia.com/calculator/FVAnnuityDue.aspx. What Ryan was talking about was simple interest not compound interest. If you use $50.86 as the payments, 36 as the time periods and 1.75% (21% per year / 12 months)you will get $2,565.05. Ryan argued with me and proceeded to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about. He actually said "Honey I've been doing this for seven years and you are wrong". Then he wouldn't leave the house. He kept asking to use our phone for his "next appointment" but the person on the other end kept telling him things to say to get us to buy. I finally had to tell him I was done talking and he had to leave. He still kept trying to get me to say yes by asking how much I would pay today for the Tristar vacuum. I finally had to say $100 so he would leave me alone. My husband made the mistake of telling Ryan he had breathing problems. Then Ryan told me "Don't you care about your husband?" and he also had the nerve of asking my husband if he wanted to buy the vacuum!!! My husband correctly said "my wife is the boss when it comes to finances; you have to talk to her". I told Ryan that it is not a good tactic to try to cause a fight between husband and wife. Then he didn't even want to give us the prize for listening to his demo. He first said no but then gave us the prize. If the vacuum clearner is so good, why does Tristar use such high pressure tactics to sell one? I do not like companies or individuals that survive by taking advantage of other people. I have registered a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Affairs Dept. I think there is a law about full disclosure when it comes to credit terms so I will also file a complaint with the District Attorney of Texas (where Tristar is) and Arizona (where I live). Posted by: Deborah on February 1, 2006 11:48 PM

Hello everyone.. I see that this has discussion has been going on for some time.. I want to ad my two cents in.. First, allow me to introduce myself. I am a trainer for Tri-Star. I started selling vacuums (a different brand) in 1995, at the tender age of 16, and was very successful at it until I joined the military at 20. I am now 27, and have recently gotten back into it.. Here's what you need to know. First of all, does a salesman make a commission for selling you a TriStar? OF COURSE!! You have to be realistic here, people.. No matter what product you buy, or where you buy it, the person who sells it to you makes money for doing so. Do they make hundreds or thousands of dollars per sale? NO!! There just is not that much markup in a product that is built the way Tri-Star is.. That magnesium alloy that the product is made from is not cheap, nor is Lexan, the plastic that is used in it. Think about this, however.. When the rep comes to your home, he is spending his time, putting wear and tear on his vehicle, and using his gas to show you a product. He should be compensated for that! As to the bad salespeople out there... I have went to WalMart and gotten both great and horrible customer service. Same with Starbucks, Jiffylube, McDonalds, and pretty much every where else I shop. That is they way it works when you are dealing with people. If you experienced that with a TriStar rep, I am sorry. I will tell you this; My reps are honest from the get go. They do not lie to get in your home, nor do they lie to get your business. If my rep is in your house for an hour, it better be because you asked him to stay. I train each rep that comes out of my office, and they do a powerful product show in aprox 25-30 minutes, depending on your questions and level of involvement. Are there exceptions? Of course! I personally have done a 3 hour presentation, and ended up in the family's home for almost 5 hours total.. Because they where interested, asked a ton of questions, then the husband asked me to stop so he could run somewhere for a half hour and he didn't want to miss anything.. They purchased, and then they invited for dinner, which I accepted.. That is the exception, not the rule! I want to address the question of why the sales people are so adamant about you purchasing TODAY. First, the salesperson should not try to talk you into buying if you have stated you are not interested. If, however, you have indicated interest but for whatever reason want to wait or can't afford it right then, it is his job to try and figure a way to help you make the purchase that day. The reasoning behind this is simple... If a good presentation is done in the home, we know that we have about a 30% chance of making a sale. If you do not purchase that day, we have less then a 2% chance of earning your business.. If you do not make a favorable decision with the dirt and machine in front of you, then you probably never will.. They are not, or at least should not be, pressuring you into getting something that you are not interested in owning. If you are interested, however, it is their job to make it as affordable and easy for you to purchase as possible. If you want them to go away, simply tell them that you do not want the product. Finally, as to the product.. I believe that I have dealt with every vacuum on the market today, and I have seen two vacuums that I would personally use in my home, the Tri-Star, and the Silver King. The Silver King is water capable, the Tri-Star has better filtration and is easier to use, either is a fantastic product. The tri-Star is amazingly durable, very simple to use and maintain, is 100% effective, and will last you a lifetime. I would recommend it to anyone, and yes, I do own one! One last comment.. I have personally reversed the motor on the Kirby by hooking the two hoses together, so to the gentleman who claimed that that is not possible, I am sure you had the best of intentions in that post, but you are incorrect. No offense intended. Questions? Comments? Contact me via email at mapeterson@yahoo.com Posted by: TheSpasticOne on February 6, 2006 03:01 PM

This is all a load of shit. I bet when the sales team are trained they are taught that carpet extraction or steam cleaning is shit (rubbish the carpet cleaners). well, this is the best way to clean shitty carpet. You wash your clothes and see the dirt go down the drain. Why not wash your carpet and see the same result. I bet they give you the vacuum test. Where by they use a styrafoam ball and hold the wand tight down over the ball and turn the machine on. To your surprise the ball is still there. Lets see this happen when you force water into your carpet while holding the wand tight down on the carpet and dragging it over the water. Oh yeah it creates mud, apparently. What a load of shit. It is the only effective way to have cleaned carpets. Not their so called dry cleaning or crap foam that gets the stains from the top of the pile. What about underneath where the dirt is. Oh yeah, the brush beats it out. It is still dirty dickheads. Wash the fucker. What about when you spill a sticky liquid and it sinks to make mud. how does the dry cleaning from these crap machines or the brush get this crap out. to stop the airborne dust from travelling through the machine, wet it and drag it out with the cleaner, IE carpet steam cleaning. Oh but us guys stretch the carpet or leave it to wet. Fuck off we clean it just like clothing it is damp if done right and will dry in the breeze. At least it will be cleaner then any form of dry crap cleaning. Check out a carpet cleaners drum or collection barrell after he has cleaned your carpets and see the sand and grit and black water. Even after these crappy high priced machines have been over it. What a joke. Like a prior post said. We live on the earth it is dirt everything is dirt lets go outside and vacuum all the dirt and shit up otherwise we will get asthma or some shit. Well i have news for you it is everywhere, outside inside. Our ancestors lived in dirt and shit before these machines were invented and they lived to ripe old ages. We seem to be getting cancers and diseases more these days then ever before and it isn,t from dirt. In fact the fuckin carpet itself is probably the cause with all the chemicals to manufacture the shit. Fuck me some people are docile, You a fed bullshit to sell it then the customer is fed bullshit to buy it. I ask you to clean your carpet with your high priced machine. Lay on it sneeze your arse off then have a carpet steam cleaner come and clean it and lay on it and feel which is cleaner which is fresher. Then make a decision. Buy a cheaper extraction machine and learn how to use it. Clean your carpets each week dry vacuum and every 3 months with a washer.hell you can buy one for less then these fucked machines and it will have 2 or 3 motors and have 3 times as much power. Wait on the power isnt what works. its the brush. Fuck off. Forcing water through and sucking it out is the best brush to use. These machines do both jobs dry cleaning and washing, You can even add a powerhead to them and beat your dirt out. In fact for a couple hundred you can have an Italian powerhead that works the same. Try the salt test. It will bounce just the same as these $2000 machines. Talk about over priced shit. We all need jobs but, aren,t you sales guys sick of telly marketers and door to door pushers. I am FUCK OFF If Kirby, tristar and all the other crap are so good why after 10 years of owning one of these machines do you pull dirt out of your carpet each week, when they tell you it will be all gone after 3 months of using it. It shit, thats why Posted by: whocares on May 12, 2006 11:34 AM

Well, Seems to be a lot of interesting things said in here. First, I would like to introduce who I am. I've been working with Tristar for approximately 3 years as a representative. In this time I’ve run across a lot of different people. Just so you know, I do not use any high pressure sales tactics but use a laid back approach in which I let each couple I demonstrate think for a few minutes with out me present on what they’ve seen and if it’s something for them once I’ve finished my demonstration. When I come back, inevitably the information I have presented has allowed them to come to their own conclusions and want to invest in the Tristar for their home. There are usually only two outcomes. Either it’s something they can afford now, or it’s not. Every customer I’ve had has been extremely happy with their purchase and has paid MSRP because that’s what the Tristar deserves for the difference it makes in their home. The only exceptions to those who haven’t paid MSRP was one couple who had a fairly new expensive machine they had purchased recently and they were allowed 100$ more trade-in allowance. Consequently all of their referrals were allowed the same trade-in on whatever vacuum they were eliminating from their home. But about MSRP, there’s a reason for that price, and if you are a seasoned salesperson, you know you didn’t stay in the business because you kept dropping your pants with the lowest price you could. You’ve understood from the beginning that to make a career out of sales, you need to focus more on the quality and benefits of the product and not how “low you can go“. For all those out there thinking rep’s should all sell at some ridiculously low price, I have a word with you. If you were to go to work today and you manager was to say, “How would you like to get paid 1/4th of what you were promised pay for today?” You’d tell him to take a hike. Everyone has to make a living and I will honestly tell you to make a living you have got to sell at MSRP or you won’t stay in the business for long. I have never gotten rich off of selling someone at MSRP. But it has allowed me to take care of my family and pursue my interests in music and physics that otherwise I would have not been allowed to pursue. One argument from managers and salespeople alike is, “What if you run into a home where they want it but they will only pay a certain amount?” I’ve run across many a person like this and I will tell you that every time they still bought the Tristar at MSRP. Hold your ground because if you’ve done a proper demonstration, you’ve already built the value and they are already willing to pay well above the MSRP. If you don’t, then you are forcing yourself out of the business. Also, you’ll find your customers will be more satisfied with you and the demonstration if it’s sold at MSRP. Otherwise they’re always second guessing whether they could have gotten another hundred off. That’s why car salespeople are disliked so much. I would like to also talk about the design of the Tristar. First, there’s a misunderstanding out there clearly shown from these posts. All vacuums have either a bag or a filter in them. Aerodynamics inside of all vacuums allow for there to be higher air pressure in the bag or around the filter and lower air pressure outside of the bag/filter and in the pores. That is why dirt goes into the pores and clogs up all vacuums due to this problem with aerodynamics and design. In the Tristar, the 16 degree angle allows for there to be higher air pressure on the side of the bag closer to the motor, and lower air pressure on the side of the bag furthest from the motor. This allows for a clean passage for the air to get thru when there is dirt in the bag. Let me quote an Oreck manual: Disposable Paper Filter Dust Bags Disposable paper filter dust bags play a very important role in the efficiency of your ORECK vacuum cleaner. The purpose of the paper bag is to trap dirt, but at the same time it must be porous enough to allow air to pass through. If the paper bag becomes clogged, no air can pass through the cleaner and cleaning cannot take place, regardless of the cleaner’s power. To keep your cleaner operating at maximum efficiency, change the dust bag frequently. It says “change the dust bag frequently”, not when it’s full. What they mean by frequently is every 1-2 minutes. There may be other vacuums out there with more power that I have not heard of and I‘m sure there will be more in the future, but the problem isn’t power like Oreck clearly states here. The problem is with getting those pores plugged up which can lose 50% of the vacuums power in 2 minutes and 95% of the vacuums power in 10 minutes. That is why there have been so many who have invested in the Tristar, because they are sick of vacuums leaving all the dirt behind. As I said before, I’ve been in a lot of homes throughout my work with Tristar. One home I was at had a 32 year old Tristar(labeled Compact at that time). I was curious so with their permission and went around their house and took samples of dirt. I found that in their carpets was an insignificant amount of dust and their carpets were about 20 years old. You may ask what I mean by insignificant. Usually a home with 20 year old carpet has tons of dust and sand come out. But my pads came up clean with the exception of some dust around the edges of the pad. I would also like to comment that they hadn’t cleaned for a week. It was also less dust then I pulled off of their TV screen. Another interesting thing that’s been said here is that dust in your home is natural and “good” for you or at least not harmful. Clearly you haven’t spoken with a doctor on this one. Our lungs are designed to breath air from outside. Air from outside is relatively clean and everyone would agree, very refreshing. However, ever since the air conditioner and new technology for insulating homes, we have also kept the air in our homes far more polluted then any industrialized city could ever be. You can see it when the sunlight is coming through the window. If you wish to argue this further please visit http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ and tell the government and many doctors they are wrong. As for shampooing carpets, wait ‘til you pull that carpet you’ve shampooed up when you put a new one in. You’ll see all sorts of stuff underneath. Just because the water in the drum is dirty doesn’t mean you’ve gotten even close to all of the dirt. Also, if you use common sense, dirt is much harder to pick up when it’s wet then dry. Wet dirt/mud will stick to materials much more then dry dirt. Comparing carpet cleaning with washing a tee-shirt is a far stretch. Washing a tee-shirt involves something that you can run water through from all sides. Carpet you can only put water down and try to pull it all up. The closest thing you could do to wash carpet like a tee-shirt would be to pull it all up and take it outside and hose it all down thoroughly. But that’s not very practical. Regarding salespeople, I’ve also seen a lot of different sales people. Some, I would agree, are like what some have described here. High-pressure, pushy, dishonest, and rude. But that’s also the same in the car business, or any sales for that matter. If you don’t like the representative, don’t buy from them. They don’t get commission, and go do something else. But there’s another side to it. I’ve ran across a lot of people who are rude for no reason whatsoever(probably just caught them at a bad time). It doesn’t give you a right as a salesperson to be rude back. Just be as polite as you can, give them their gift, and get out of their house so you can get to another appointment. They’ll just be a headache and a discouragement if you try and show them anything. If you’d like to e-mail me about any questions or comments of what I’ve said here, please feel free at therealjjj77@yahoo.com. Posted by: Jeremiah on June 5, 2006 01:52 PM

Hello! I am former FILTER QUEEN distributor. I was a distributor for 8yrs. I was a sales rep for two years after wich I became a regional distributor, then following a "promotion" I became a "master distributor". Let me be as clear as possible about my personal experience. The entire operation is a big huge scam! Yes! You read that right...A BIG SCAM! From the unethical hiring practices of young people to the telemarketing scam to get into peoples homes and of course the most disgusting "near thieving" sales practices inside the home. I know it all!!! Any questions? Please ask! I know it all because I lived it! I left the industry a few years ago. Toward the end I felt like I was loosing my soul! I'm not kidding. However I wish that there were more info out there exposing this industry. I know Ripoff Report has some stuff on Filter Queen. However most of the stuff I found involves other brands such as Kirby, Tri-Star, Rainbow, etc...Although all door to door vacuum sales operate the same way. I wanted to ask to see if anyone out there knows of other "venues" that exposes this type of stuff specifically Filter Queen? Posted by: ariel on June 13, 2006 12:25 PM

I just bought a TriStar from a rep that came to our home last night! He was WONDERFUL!!! Very, very polite and informative - and I never go for that whole sales pitch thing! Now I am having buyers remourse after reading all this...we paid over $2200 - and now I am thinking we could have gotten it cheaper! Any suggestions??? Should I try and do anything about it?? If it is REALLY & TRULY worth it then that is one thing - I am just so nerous because thier are so many kimicks. Any feedback would be appreciated. Posted by: kaidensmom on June 23, 2006 11:58 AM

Interesting reads here. Obviously I am biased. TriStar is a fantastic product and am very proud to work for them. Currently we are looking for experienced TriStar reps who have worked or would like to work in our northern CA office. Feel free to Contact me at TriStarDealer@aol.com if interested. Posted by: TriStar on July 4, 2006 04:13 PM

Ok, folks. Here is the bottom line, real world truth about vacuums. I was a Kirby salesman, won trips, the whole bit. I was a Rainbow distributor, I sold Filter Queens in my undergrad days, and spent four years as an Electrolux branch manager. Because we always took trade-ins I kept abreast of the competition. I learned a lot. The reason a new, expensive vacuum always pulls so much dirt is that people vacuum infrequently, too quickly, and DO NOT MAINTAIN THEIR VACUUMS! When was the last time YOU vacuumed ONE spot 40 times with a new bag, belt and brush in your vacuum? Any canister vacuum will lose efficiency over time because the hose wears on the INSIDE! Do you honestly believe that sand that is shredding the customer carpet will not abrade the interior of the hose over time? I saw repeatedly, hundreds of times, that a new hose on an old canister vacuum immediately improved the efficiency of the vacuum. If we, as Electrolux salesmen, could not sell a new unit, we did the 'steel balls' test on the customers old unit with a new hose. A hose sale was better than NO sale. That was one advantage to being associated with Electrolux. The salesmen made money on bags, parts and service, and so had a vested interest in servicing the customer AFTER the sale. All canisters are sucking all the dirt through a long tube assembly, not very efficient. A single, open fan upright is much more efficient. The belts and brushes are easy to change, keeping the efficiency high. Yes, the fans can break, if you are careless about what you pick up. Yes the bags are porous, but you know what? If you change them often the leakage is minimal. If you remove more dirt you auromatically remove more allergens. Do the math, folks. An 1600.00 vacuum financed for 24 months, with a 300.00 dowm payment will be paid off at 80.00 per month equalling a total cost of nearly 2200.00. Take the 300.00 downpayment and buy a decent upright, and spend one payment a year on bags, belts, and a new brush, and use the dang thing, for crying out loud. How do you think Kirby trades people into a newer "more powerful" machine every 5 to 6 years? They put a new bag and belt on their old unit, but neglect to replace or even adjust the brushroll. A basic, no frills upright (Koblenz is an excellent example) and a good straight suction canister (several out there for 200.00) with proper usage and maintenence will keep a home cleaner (and your wallet fatter) than any expansive vacuum that is seldom used and poorly maintained. No one likes dirt, and no one likes to be thought of as someone who would not want a cleaner home. That's what makes it so easy to sell a $2000.00 vacuum to educated, otherwise frugal, sensible people. Think about this: Without all the hype and hoopla that EVERY door-to door vacuum company has to use to brainwash their salespeople common sense would overcome the impulse to spend that kind of money on vacuum. Canisters are not designed to clean carpet and uprights are not designed to clean with a hose. Buy a moderately priced unit of each type, change the bags, belts and brushes often and take a well-desreved vacation with what you save! Posted by: Vaccrazy on August 16, 2006 07:22 AM

The Tristar is a nice vacuum,but it is not worth the money u pay for one.I am a former employee and I know that the salesman is only out there for profit u may pay $2400 and your neighbor will only pay $1500.The call customers Suckers,if the saleman dont like the way your home or vehicles look most the time they wont even stop.Befor you bye one from a rep in your area check and see if they are independent that they are a member or the Better Buisness Burue and a member of commerce.The one in Seymour Indiana is neither! Posted by: PISSED OFF on August 25, 2006 02:30 PM

Let me begin by saying that Tristar is not a bad product, but its selling price is just not worth it. we has a salesman show up on a sunday morning(WTF???) we were half sleep and annoyed by the fact that he was aware that we were not interested in buying a vaccumm for that price.(we asked the price before he even said a word, when he didnt answer we figured it was more than we could afford). this guy was a good guy, but he kept talking about how other houses were in worst conditions and dirtier (we have 2 toddlers and although i cleanup after them, there will always be a mess and toys everywhere). he went outside like 3 times for a smoking break(at one point he even asked me if it was okay to smoke in my house!!!!WTF, thats when i was ready for him to go, he told us not to let his boss know that he had been smoking. anyways my husband was lured into buying on "really cheap" after 3 hrs of him letting us know how much dirt we had in our area rug...WE HAVE HARDWOOD FLOORS FOR CRYING OUTLOUD!!! I still cant believe we fell victims to something like this...my husband had promised me a Dyson (which wouldve cost him alot less) for Xmas and now im stuck with this expensive, unwanted, piece of machenary that i cant even stand to look at. IT COSTS MORE THAN MY EFFING CAR!!! Posted by: madmex on October 8, 2006 12:48 PM

wow. i really can't believe how long this post has been going. I recently became an employee of tristar. The dealer is based out of Red Deer, AB, Canada. Now i agree with so many things that everyone has said. As far as the salesperson(s) go, yes it's the same as any other type of business where you're required to be in personal contact with the customer. It is selling though, no matter what way you put it. displaying, demonstrating, etc. If you didn't go into the home, would there be any sale??? And the phone call at the end of the "demo"? true it is to try to get the customer the best price, but, it's still not in the customers best interest. when i went to the interview nothing was mentioned about a vaccum cleaner, it was an "airflow product". yeah ok, so it's a vacuum cleaner that you can so called "purify" a 10 by 12' room with too, and oh yeah, if you put a few drops of your favorite scented oil on the discharge filter it becomes an air freshener while you vacuum. now there's an attachment where you put the hose onto the discharge of the vacuum and put a little sprayer on the end, and voila!! you have a dust mite and odor neutralizer. ok, don't get me wrong these are maybe all nice things... but they're glorified wayyy too much. Yes i do work on a commision. and after the way things went today, i will not be working for this dealer anymore. i've only been there for a week, and realize what i signed so i don't expect any money from them. but today i tried calling the company 5 or 6 times in the morning to tell them that i wouldn't be coming in, no answer, ok, fine, i'll explain it tomorrow right? well the message i got from my cell phone when i got home went like this. "hi this is your boss, i guess you don't want to return my phone calls or return my kit, buddy. i'll break your fucking legs. i'd recommend you get it back here NOW!" THIS WAS AT 11:30 PM yes PM. Then i went out to my vehicle to get the "kit" that i was supposed to get my legs broken over. (which consists of a few papers, a binder with pictures, blah blah blah, and a 15 lb container of sand) to my amazement i found that my side window had been smashed and the kit gone. now what am i to think when i have cd's scattered everywhere but none missing, a $5000.00 stereo system that never got touched?? hmmmm... i don't think that takes a rocket scientist to figure out. I'm not saying that all tristar reps are this way but after reading through all of this i'm even more sure of my decision to walk away and also to press charges and damages. little do they know that my neighbor has had a surv. camera installed on his balcony since last month which overlooks both our vehicles because his mustang was broken into and gutted. between that and the message left on my phone i know i have a very strong case. anyways, all i have to say to anyone thinking about joining this type of venture is to make sure that it's what you want to do and that you're not letting yourself be screwed over, look out for yourself in this kind of a business. fuck the company, you're working for a commission so if you're making money so is the company, don't let them tell you different. here are a few of the ads for hiring in this company: this one is for telemarketing: UP to $2000/mo. $500 in bonus/month * Full time *Overtime available * No selling * Training provided * No exp. required * Phone staff 346-0333 email: supair@telus.net the one i replied to was similar only said that guaranteed $2400.00 a month. but what it doesn't say is that it's not guaranteed at all... you have to do 72 demos per month to get that... and if your commission goes above that you only get your commission.. you don't actually find this out until you're done your training on the fourth day and get the contractors agreement to sign. and you can earn your "gas money" of up to $30.00 a morning by running door to door in selected areas stuffing bingo cards into mailboxes. not hourly though, because if you only deliver 200 of them in 3 hours you only get $20.00 even though they tell you that you get paid $10.00 an hour. guess my calculator must have been broken when i tried figuring 3 X $10.00.?? now i'm done my ramble. but even as the company states it "educated consumers make the best decisions, RIGHT??" i couldn't agree more with that statement. Posted by: dstar on December 8, 2006 07:22 AM

oh and one other thing about when i was hired. before i went to my first interview i was told that there were a number of positions available. funny thing is that there weren't any options mentioned. it was just to become a contractor under the company when everything was all said and done. and yeah, got the whole line about dressing "sharp" for training (why??) and after signing the contract was told that i couldn't work for them if i didn't have dress pants, and didn't wear a hat. i realize that you want to look presentable, but that's going a little extreme and to most customers in this area that i know, they would rather see someone in blue jeans as their equal, it's more like buying something from a friend that way, not like getting hit up by "slick" tryin to sell the fake rolex's. Posted by: dstar on December 8, 2006 07:51 AM

Wow, I can't believe what I'm hearing here...we've owned a Tristar for over 8years!!! It's the best vaccum we've ever owned and my mother tried to "steal" it from me!!! I've used Rainbow's, Kirby's, Kenmore's, and this is the BEST!!! I use it on carpet, tile, wood... I dust everything with it too!! Please don't regret buying it, it's worth every penny!! Posted by: afriendindeed on December 17, 2006 09:38 AM

Why the hell do they have to use YOUR HOME PHONE to call "their boss?" The guy had a cell phone clipped on his hip. When they finally left (2 1/2 hours later) I Lysoled my phone and vowed to my husband that I would never let any salesman into our house ever again. We redialed the number when the guy left and someone said "hello..." we swear it was the salseman (who called his own phone from our house phone).....I kept telling the guy that our 11 month old had to go to bed and he said "one more second.." One second turned into 2 hours!!! The lady on the phone who set up the appointment said this all would take 30 minutes... PFFFT!!! NEVER AGAIN. TRI-STAR YOU SUCK!!! And your vacuum is ugly. My 100 dollar vacuum does just fine. Posted by: taszka on January 15, 2007 11:37 PM

oh and one other thing... your 3 days and two night vacation thing that got you into my door in the first place is also a scam. SCAM SCAM SCAM!!!!!!!! I can't believe how many gullible people out there actually bought this thing. The salseman almost started to cry when we told him NO about a thousand times... Posted by: taszka on January 15, 2007 11:40 PM

yesterday, we received a scratch bingo card in the mail, and after my wife scratched it, we had won!!! Wow, how stupid do I feel that when I phoned to receive my prise they told me all I had to do was listen to a pitch about a vacuum, and I would get one of the prizes listed. I somehow knew exactly which prize I was going to win, but I figured that for a half hour demo, the worst prize wouldn't be so bad after all. Anyways the guy came in the door and for the longest time he was the most pleasant ever, he started demonstrating the product taking his jolly old time, and to be honest with you I was getting interested in the product, because I will admit it does seem like a very good high quality product. So when he finally finishes his speech, he starts asking questions about whether or not we owned our house, getting hints about our income etc etc. stuff that the average sales person does not need to know. Then he finally presented the price somewhere in the range of $2600...but they would take our vacuum in trade (and give it to the needy) for $400. So I think to myself, this is starting to sound a bit weird. But more importantly, way too expensive. But since we had never purchased a vacuum, I didn't really realize how much too expensive. Anyways, we told him it was too much money. So he asks what it would take for us to buy it, and I say at least $1000 less. So he asks to use our phone to phone his manager, and after some useless jibber jabber, all of a sudden they could sell us a demo vacuum for about 1600, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to get it at this price, and we would be the only people in the world who would get it this cheap. my wife and I go upstairs to discuss this new price, and I take a peek at Ebay to see what this vacuum is worth and if it is as good as he says it is. Wow same vacuum for 300 on ebay, thats interesting. So we go down stairs and tell him we are not interested. Then he starts getting really pushy almost to the point of "I'm not leaving till you buy this thing" So he has to do the phone the manager thing with our phone again and he starts asking how we will pay etc etc. I usually have a high patience level, but I was running out of patience, We no fully realize what kind of awful scam this is, and we give him a final NO. So he SLOOOOOWWWWLLLLY starts to pack up his vacuum. and then he gives us our prize...$100 travel certificate that we can only use by making a long trip and phoning 3 months in advance. Afterwards we felt sooooo stupid for allowing him into our house and wasting a total of 2 1/2 hours of my time which I could have spent using our other vacuum...O did I mention the only carpet we have in the house is a small area rug, the rest is hardwood. Never let one of these useless salespeople into your house, they will do whatever it takes to rip you off. Including Lying to your Face Posted by: jeremyw111 on February 28, 2007 11:28 AM

It took me 2 days to read this thread and now I want to put in my 2-cents about overpriced vacuum cleaners and the low-life scum that try to peddle them door to door..A couple of days ago, I was at my girlfriends house on the computer..I heard her talking to somebody in the living room and thought she had company show up..Then I heard a vacuum cleaner,I got up from the computer to see what was going on...A tri-star salesman was giving a demo..I waved my girlfriend over and asked her WTF is he doing here..She said she heard a knock at the door and 2 guys were there...She said only one of them was doing the fast talking and talked her into letting the quiet one in to do a demo..I told her to get rid of him or he would never leave...She said "ah, I'm too nice to tell him that"..I figured, WTF,I'll just be sure she don't buy it..Anyway, before the 2 guys showed up, my G/F had just put a meatloaf in the oven..Well, 2 and a half hours later, my supper was cold and the demo guy made a call and the fast talker showed up at the door..Me and my G/f started eating our supper and the fast talker started with all the high pressure tactics..He said the vacuum cleaner was $2900.oo and asked if the payment was gonna be check or cash..My G/f said WHOA,I can't afford that and she told them she wasn't interested..The fast talker then started asking all kinds of questions about her credit..I called my G/f into the computer room and told her thats it,get rid of em..She then told me that they wouldn't leave..I am a prison guard at the state pen and trust me..They were fixing to leave one way or the other..As soon as my G/f went back in the living room, she received a call from her daughter saying that she was in the emergency room with my G/F's 6 week old grandson..As we were getting ready to go to the hospital, the fast talker more or less told my G/f she was a liar about not being able to afford the vacuum cleaner..they finally left because they saw that we were going and it was no use anymore to sell the vacuum cleaner..All I got to say is..Unless you call one of these companies or you really want a overpriced vacuum cleaner bad..Don't even invite them in your house..Be polite and tell them you are not interested..Slam the door in their face if you have to..I can get a tri-star Vacuum cleaner on e-bay for $200.00..Who cares about the warranty..Instead of paying $2900.00 for a new tri-star..I can buy 2 or 3 of em used on e-bay and when the 1st one tears up, use the other one and have the 1st one for parts or something..I know everybody has to make a living but why would anybody want to be a vacuum cleaner door to door salesman?..When they answer the ad in the paper about the job, they don't even know what kinda job it is because the company gives a bullcrap description like a management job,air system or office job..The company don't even have a sign outside the office of the company name, just a street number..Uh Duh..You see any red flags yet?..Can you imagine how hard it would be to sell a product that costs $300.00 new from the factory and try to sell it for $2900.00?..Might as well take a carnival barking job with a travelling circus or pick up coke and beer cans up off the side of the road..Thats like me buying a box of cookies from a girl scout for $3.00 and going door to door and resale it for $42.00..Unreal Posted by: Dash_Riprock on May 31, 2007 02:31 PM

Ok, let me state that the price does seem steep. I was impressed with the demonstration, however I have never had an in home demo, by anyone previoiusly. The sales man did offer some finance options, but did not barter. When I stated that we were not interested in making a purchase today, there were no arugements or calls made, however I wish he would have left his card. I did ask what his sales ratio was and he claimed 53%. I felt the extra monies were for the bi-annual service, access to the carpet cleaner etc. In reading this lengthy post, I was shocked and disappointed that so many individuals could not express their passionate feelings without reverting to foul language and insults. I run a large call center (not sales) and am always embarrassed for both parties involved when someone can no longer express thier concerns without cussing or insulting either intelligence or status. Have some respect for your fellow human, you can express your frustration or passion without reverting to these improper, unethical tactics. If you feel that you were ripped off, post the reason. If you feel you love the product, tell us why. If you feel both, state it. If you experienced deceptive practices, explain what happened and what could be done to reduce this negative feeling. If you are going into the sales staff, remember all feedback is good. There is plenty of feedback here. If you feel that your morals are being compromised, leave. You can not have a sense of accomplishment in success without keeping your morals. Posted by: From the Outside on June 3, 2007 10:09 AM

dont work for the cleveland akron or canton ofices in tristar. they lie to their employees. you get a 1600 month guarantee that is worthless. i know i worked for the company. the reason it is worthless is there is no way you can hit 55 demos. they will not let you. they say they will, but there was a guy named mark who ran 53 and sold 6, 4 were secondary(25 dollar commission, no 200)and he sat in the office all day hearing how slow we were today. you will not see any 3 demos a day like they promise. i once heard the akron distributor say to a rep after 90 days, if you want benefits find your own. paid vacations you have to earn by selling 8 tristars or 12 in a month. you spend your life chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. the only way to get it is to lie cheat or steal. ask charlie. you can sell drugs and still be own your own business. the girls lie to the people on the phone to set the appointment. it will take 45 minutes my ass.they sometimes say 5 to 10. the reason the job sounds so good is they can practice on people every other week to do what they dont want to. they make you go out and sell to your friends and family your very first weekend, and high pressure them on the phone and piss them off. they promise you the world but when you need them all that you will have is your friends and family whom you just pissed off.they take anyone who isnt smart enough to see them for what they are. crooks. charlie and timm are both crooks. how do they look in the mirror after what theyve done to people. i gave them my best and they gave me nothing. please dont get ripped off. you cant take the money with you when you die and the only way to make it in tristar at onyxx group 1 or mapas is to cheat. i wasted over 3 years and it was for nothing. i ended with less money than i started, and was broke the whole time. dont do it. just say no. Posted by: laxgoalie43 on August 9, 2007 11:12 PM

Just so everyone knows I am involved with Tristar as an independent contractor. Yes, I read the contract and agreed to the terms so I knew what I was getting into before I signed up. As a matter of fact, after doing a bit of research and finding this very site I still decided to see for myself what Tristar was about. I can tell you that I am quite satisfied with my decision and believe wholeheartedly in the Tristar cleaning system and believe it is worth every penny you pay for it, no matter what it is. For the people who can not get over paying $2000 + for a "vacuum," all I can say is it doesn't matter what it is. If it was a broom that was $2,000 +, as long as it does what it says it is supposed to, then it is worth it. If you do a cost comparison/price analysis you will find that in the long run the Tristar will save you more money and give you a cleaner home more efficiently than any other machine. Anyone will any comments/questions can feel free to contact me at mhsparr@yahoo.com. Any comments or questions containing profanity will be deleted and those senders blocked from my account. Posted by: mhsparr on October 24, 2007 04:42 PM

I am a Tristar distributor and have been for several years now. I originally started in our business when I was a full-time college student. I worked part time and it eventually became a full time career. I love our business! Let me share with you some basic facts about human nature. If someone is happy with something (i.e. a purchase they made, services rendered...) it rarely gets talked about. Let's just say most people are happy to be happy. On the other hand, if someone is unhappy or upset about something you can be sur