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Does My Kirby Vacuum Have a Lifetime Warranty
Good question. And also a frequently asked one. First, let me make clear that we are not a Kirby dealer and we are not affiliated with the Kirby company in any way. So, as with anything you read on the internet and elsewhere, do not assume that this post is 100% accurate. I am writing only in reference to what I have experienced over the past 20 years. Do your research, check other sources and come to your own conclusions.
A lifetime warranty means to me that no matter what happens to a product, for the time that I own it, if it breaks, the manufacturer is going to fix it. I have never heard of the Kirby company honoring any such warranty. If there are any Kirby owners who have had a different experience, I would appreciate your comments.
It has been my experience that a new Kirby, at least in the last 20 years, carries a 3 year warranty. This is of course a limited warranty. It does not cover Kirby vacuums used for commercial purposes. It also does not cover obvious abuse, or damage from weather, fire or other natural occurrences. That’s what homeowners’ or renters’ insurance is for. Kirby, as with most other vacuum cleaner companies, also does not cover wear items such as brush rolls, belts and bulbs.
So, why do so many Kirby owners think they have an unconditional, lifetime warranty? Here’s my opinion. For many years, Kirby has done a superb job of rebuilding old machines. When you bought your Kirby you received your sales contract. Somewhere in that contract in a statement that says something like: “For as long as you own this Kirby vacuum model xxx, we agree to do a complete rebuild of your machine for $xxx.00. For whatever the price was that you agreed on at the time of sale, when you return your vacuum to the Kirby factory, they will bring it back to like new condition. They will replace brush roll, belt, furniture guard, outside bag and other parts as necessary. Your machine is completely taken apart, cleaned and serviced. They also buff the aluminum outside surfaces so it looks like it just came off the assembly line. In other words, it is effectively a new machine. This may be where some owners and sales reps get the term ‘lifetime warranty’.
For more information on the Kirby warranty, visit www.Kirby.com or call them at:
US and Canada 1-800-494-8586
United Kingdom: 0800-328-1247
Europe: 00-800-5472-9272
South Africa: 0800-203-222
Russia: +81080054729272
Don gulley
November 2, 2018I bought a kirby classic in 1971 , it a
Was rebuilt the last time in april 14 1998 lol and as stated in warranty it came back as new , I still have it and working . The address was burns st whitby ont . Warranty reads will be rebuilt as new cost 37.50 plus gst and pest .. warranty is in Pat Gulleys name
Arthur Mezzles
December 27, 2018We think there is a lifetime warranty all parts covered because at least when i bought mine, that was what the sales team that was un my livingroom do the demonstration told me and my wife. And that was the main reason we bought it.
Heather Shelp
February 7, 2019I’m not sure what happened to mine honestly it worked fine til a friend borrowed it now it starts smoking out the bag??? I have no money to fix it not know where to take it to..
David Whisnant
July 15, 2022Replace the belt. While the front is off check the blades for obstructions.
Josh
February 15, 2019I bought a Kirby upright about 5 yrs ago and my house burnt 3 years ago and I don’t know why but I think in my contract it said something like if home was to burn and vacuum was disstroyed that it would be replaced. I can’t get the contract bc it was burnt in fire but the place I called in energy Illinois said they can’t get the contract is there any truth to this.
David Lindsy Stadler
February 24, 2019I was a Kirby sales rep a long time ago and the warranty is a life time one due to as long as you own it you may take it back and her is what the warranty is, the price to have it totally re-built stays the same, the only thing they keep is the outside shell or the main body of the unit in witch they make that look new. so the warranty is on the price that was aggregated apron to have this done. at the time i was doing it it was 60.00 $ and as long as those people own it that price will never change and they will get back essentially a good as new vacuum, that will be cheaper than any vacuum you can get of same quality or less as most vacuums you will pay upwards of 60 dollars and they are no mach to a Kirby and if I had the moneys I would have one today.
Brenda Nasby
March 22, 2019Just purchased a kirby. I was told by the Rep that there is a lifetime warranty on everything besides belts, bags, brushes and cleaning supplies. Comple rebuild cost $175 and goes up each year based on cumulative increases in the consumer price index (CPI-U). Owner is responsible for shipping costs.
James A. Carrington
July 18, 2019I have owned many Kirbys throughout my lifetime, and I can assure anyone reading this, that in my mind, anyway, they do indeed come with a lifetime warranty,
as I have had several Kirbys rebuilt over the years, usually after 20-plus years of heavy use. From my parents’ first Kirby, a 1968 model Dual Sanitronic 80 to most of the ones I’ve owned myself, I have sent them up at one time or another for a complete overhaul, and the machines have ALL come back looking brand-new, AND, complete with new sets of attachments. Yes, there is a relatively small cost (compared to buying a new one, not to mention that when you add up all the cheap, plastic garbage vacuums out there that you WILL have to replace every 2-3 years, even with the every 20 year rebuild, you’re STILL money ahead than if you kept buying new junk vacuums during the same time period!) to having your Kirby rebuilt, but TRUST ME, this is money WELL-SPENT. I won’t trust my carpets to anything else, either. When I had new carpet installed after 23 years, only because I was tired of the type and color, not because it was worn, and in fact, it still looked great…anyway, when they pulled the old carpet up, there was absolutely NO dirt, sand, or grit underneath, on the wood floors….my Kirbys have been cleaning my carpets literally from BELOW the backing to the padding and floor!! There IS no other vacuum on the planet that will ever clean as well…PERIOD. So, to everyone out there who claim that the Kirby cleans no better than a Hoover or a Kenmore, well…..they’ve either never used the machine correctly, or they gave the machine little to no maintenance, many times, right down to the original belt that has usually worn out and broken years before and is usually missing!! I have actually seen this many times….people assume that if the motor comes on and the bag inflates, then it’s working fine, when in fact it is NOT. I’ve been very disappointed with many appliances I’ve owned over the years, appliances that I paid good money for, but my Kirbys, NONE OF THEM, are on my list of dissatisfaction. They’re worth every dime.
Joseph Hoffman
October 15, 2019They have a lifetime rebuild program. It is not a warranty and it starts at $175.00 for a brand new one and goes up by the cost of the consumer price index every year, the inflation rate. Second you have to pay to have it shipped which can be expensive as it is heavy and a large box to put it in, shiping cost both ways. Anyone that has a 5 year or older Kirby will be paying at least $300.00 with shipping. And the older your Kirby is the more it will cost. You are better of buying a used newer model that was sold to someone who couldn’t use it because it was to heavy or complicated.
Lynne Cody
November 26, 2019I bought a Kirby 1.200.00 first the pull stopped,took it in got 20 bags. Several other problems, had belts replaced at Kirby dealer. Last man said it wouldn’t be worth fixing, should buy his rebuilt. Four different shops. No one ever said they would fix, rebuild. Still have vacuum, just died totally.
Dennis Rodriguez
January 2, 2020The salesman convinced you with the lie of lifetime warranty and until something happened to your vacuum, you would not know. I always say, they get me once, but not twice, no matter how good the vacuum is, because I paid a lot of money for it, that should cover you for life, because regular vacuums do not cost that much and can last as long.
snowball
September 30, 2020Having your vacuum completely refurbished when you take it in for a set (cheap) price is a lifetime warranty. If you don’t think so, then you should have read your contract. No one fooled you or lied to you, stop blaming your stupidity on others.
Dennis Rodriguez, if you think regular vacuums last 20 – 60 years. Go ahead, try it. I’ve had mine since 2000 and it may have been a bit ridiculous for a 20 year old to buy at the time but 20 years later it’s still just as amazing. I’ve never had to take it in to be serviced – it’s so well made, it’s easy enough to simply replace parts yourself. Meanwhile, those around me have purchased dozens of vacuums, wasted lots of money, contributed way too much to the landfills, and ended up borrowing mine. I also have a brand new Dyson that I use for light vacuuming, it’s awesome but nothing compares to a Kirby.
Steven allsmith
March 22, 2022Hey I don’t know if you use shady business practices in your own line of work, but if you have sales people saying one thing and the company doing another, that’s alled lying. Regardless of what the contract says. It may be legal buy its still messed up. I can’t think of why you would defend someone pulling a bait and switch, no matter if the contract rebuts their claims of “lifetime warranty” or not.
Alvia Cabico
January 24, 2020I Bought my kirby gs4 in 1995. It cost $1800. Now I need to have reset button checked and brushes..This authorized dealer for Dyson, Kriby, etc wants $300 to do that. How can you justify that kind of money to find out
why my vaccum was working fine yesterday and then shut off after 20 minutes and won’t come back on. I live in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area. You would think that I could get someone to fix it for less than that. I am a veteran.I am on a fixed income and they want almost 1/4 of my check to fix it. They checked the cord and other stuff but that is way to much to pay when they aren’t even sure what is wrong.
fixitman arizona
June 14, 2020I currently have two Kirby vacuums, one which I rescued from a dumpster! That one looked like it had never been used. The other was my wife’s mothers, built sometime in the 1960s. Both were worth at least a thousand dollars new BECAUSE of that “lifetime warranty” (excluding belts brushes etc.)
Here’s the thing: they ARE worth fixing, because they were built to last. BUT, why pay for shipping to have a simple motor brush replacement, or put in a brush roller, repair a torn outer bag, or tape up a hose? These things are so simple, you can do that yourself for next to nothing, you don’t need a repair shop to do that for you.
That’s something you won’t find on the plastic models with the cheap Chinese motors in them. Those will typically last a year or two before something irreparable breaks, and you’ll be spending hundreds to replace one. Over the course of 20 years, you’ll find you’ve spent much more than just getting a rebuilt older Kirby.
Now, if you need fancy stuff like HEPA filters, a retractable hose (because you don’t know how to switch from a carpet sucking machine to a hand tool machine) or if you just can’t lift a Kirby, well, have at it.
I used to run Kirby’s commercially and never had problems with them then, either. Sold them off when I retired from that business. I’d get several hundred dollars for one that LOOKED all beat up! But I tell you, put new belts & bags, maybe a roller bar in ’em and they last forever even being used 8 hours a day.
Perrius Maximus
January 21, 2021I bought a Kirby G4 back in 1993. I have animals that seem to shed incomprehensible amounts of fur…so a powerful vacuum was a given for us. I literally tried every vacuum out there. Hoovers. Shark. All manner of big box store plastic vacuums. I even borrowed a Rainbow vacuum from one of my siblings for several months. With the exception of the Rainbow (which provides you with a tankful of watery, stinky carpet sludge with each vacuuming) No vacuum has ever come close to the Kirby in it’s ability to pick up dirt and fur. My wife became tired of the Kirby’s weight and bought a Dyson Animal. I love the canister feature of the Dyson, but the simple truth is that none of the Dyson’s promises are true. The Kirby picks up everything that the Dyson leaves behind….which is a lot. My Kirby literally pulls the rug up as it passes over it, lifting the entire carpet mat. Thats how powerful it’s suction is. I just reached out to Kirby about having our G4 completely rebuilt. 20 years of trouble free service. $175 for 20 more. Seems like a bargain to me. Call it a warranty or don’t. No other vacuum maker offers this program.
Elaine Izzo
February 17, 2021I have the opportunity to buy a g4 model Kirby that’s been well maintained for £30 i know these models are really old so is it worth buying?
Kathy Kondrla
March 30, 2022my husband bought a Kirby in 1980 a Kirby Tradition before we were married in 1996 after we were married we sent it back to have new hose and new cord put on it only thing we paid for was the postage I’m thinking around 57.00