Sometimes, having a blog seems like a lot of work. Sometimes it’s wicked fun. And every once in awhile something jumps up and bites you in the ass (er, I mean, surprises the heck out of you).
This was the case this fall when out of the blue, I got an email at my school address from Sara Shragal, Sr. Communications Coordinator for DirectBuy, Inc.
Almost a year ago I wrote a post about my experience at a Direct Buy showroom. Over time that post made its way to Google’s front page for the keywords “Direct Buy” as well as “Directbuy.” So now, depending on Direct Buy’s advertising schedule I consistently get between 150 and 200 visits a day to that post.
But that’s not to cool part. The cool part is that so far, 59 people have also shared their own Directbuy stories–both positive and negative–in the comments section. So I think, if you want a fairly even handed comprehensive report on the Direct Buy experience–from presentation, to sign up, to customer service–you can get a pretty good idea right at that post. One stop shopping.
And now–Direct Buy itself would like to weigh in.
Instead of telling you the whole story, I think I’ll just share with you the correspondence that Ms. Shragal initiated early this fall, which culminated in the interview at the bottom of this post.
Enjoy:
Act 1: An Email From Direct Buy Corporate
Hi Chris,
I work at DirectBuy’s corporate headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana and wanted to introduce myself. Based on the discussion taking place on your website, I would love to schedule a time to talk so I can provide you with additional information about DirectBuy and answer any questions that you or your readers might have.
Given that you have already taken the time to visit one of our showrooms, I thought it might be useful to provide you with some additional information on our company, and allow you to ask questions of me. With some of the recent posts to your site, we also would like a chance to directly respond and provide clarification on our business and our policies.
In the meantime, I encourage you to visit www.directbuycares.com to see for yourself how some of our members have used DirectBuy to build, remodel or furnish their homes, and also how our franchise owners are giving back to the community.
Let me know what day/time works best for you. I look forward to speaking with you.
Best regards,
Sara Shragal
Sr. Communications Coordinator
DirectBuy, Inc.
act II: I reply. or–What the hell?
Hi Sara,
Your email intrigues me on a number of different levels.
So first I have to ask: How did you find my blog? I’m always interested to learn how people have come to find me. And since I don’t remember leaving this email address on my blog–how did you find that? And finally, why bother with little ol’ me and my blog? I mean, c’mon–it’s not like I’m Barbara Walters.
Mine is not a consumer awareness blog. I don’t really have a niche. So when I wrote that particular post, I never expected it to get the traffic and spark the discussion that it has. And I certainly never imagined it would catch the attention of DirectBuy corporate. Yet despite the traffic the post attracts, I really haven’t given DirectBuy much thought since writing it. I read the comments, but I don’t encourage (or discourage) the discussion. Heck I rarely even take part in it, other than to say something like, “Interesting. Thanks for stopping by.”
But, after getting your email last night, and thinking about it a little more today, a sort of follow up article might be interesting. From what I understand from your email, it sounds like you’d like to directly address some of the ideas, conceptions, or misconceptions about Directbuy that are floating around.
(I then basically brought up the idea of me interviewing her)
Act III: Direct Buy lets down its guard, takes a chance with an independent blogger, and agrees to an interview it has absolutely no control in publishing
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your note! I hope you weren’t too frightened when you got my initial email – we actually found your blog and your email address on Google. Here at DirectBuy’s headquarters, we are always on the lookout for outlets – online, media or otherwise – that are interested in our company. Since you have quite a bit of space devoted to DirectBuy, I thought I could offer some helpful insight into our business.
(She then went on to accept my offer for an interview and explained a few of the things you’ll find below)
Kindest regards,
Sara
The final act: Chris Wondra goes head to head with Direct buy in a no holds barred knock down drag out interview that may, in the end, bring the corporate giant to its knees and award the first ever pulitzer to a blogger.
Not really, of course, but a guy can dream can’t he?
CW: Tell us a little bit about your position with Directbuy. What are your responsibilities and how long have you been with the company.
SS: As senior communications coordinator at DirectBuy, I spend a good portion of my time educating consumers about DirectBuy’s business model, because it’s different than what many people are accustomed to. As such, my focus is primarily public relations, branding, and internal communications. I started working with DirectBuy in May of 2001, and since that time, I’ve seen our company evolve and most importantly, grow! From the day that I’ve started, we’ve more than doubled the number of franchised locations we operate, and our members have increased their purchasing by over 500%!
CW:What are some things that you enjoy about your job?
SS: I’m naturally an outgoing person, so I love that I get to speak with so many people from so many different areas in a given day. Throughout the day, I’ll speak with many of our franchise owners, media representatives from newspapers, television, radio, and the Internet, and prospective and existing members from all over the U.S. and Canada. By far, the best part of my job is hearing from our members! Their experiences are so important to what we do. Just recently, I spoke with a family from Chattanooga that built a home, and purchased most everything they needed, from flooring, lighting, plumbing and cabinetry, to furnishings, appliances, and outdoor furniture, at DirectBuy. They were absolutely thrilled with their savings – in fact, they saved so much on their purchases that they were able to buy a brand new truck with the savings they incurred through DirectBuy!
CW: What are some of your biggest challenges?
SS: As a communications coordinator and spokesperson for DirectBuy, one of my biggest challenges is managing communications issues across our growing network. I’m finding myself traveling more and more to attend new showroom opening events, franchise owners meetings, video shoots. Just last week I was in Palm Springs for one event and then Columbus for another, to highlight some of our new showrooms. It has been difficult to keep up, but a lot of fun as well.
CW What would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about Direct Buy?
SS: Some of the biggest misconceptions I’ve seen and heard about DirectBuy are that:
1.) DirectBuy’s sales process is high-pressure; and
2.) DirectBuy members don’t save on their purchases.
First, to address claims that our sales process is high pressure, it’s important to fully understand our business. Briefly, DirectBuy has a unique business model that requires prospective members to attend an open house and learn about the company, savings and product selection. The information shared during this session is confidential, and therefore we require consumers to make a decision to join during the open house. While this format is non-traditional (and somewhat “foreign” to most consumers), it is required to protect our manufacturer relations and ensure incredible savings.
Next, is the misconception that DirectBuy offers no savings on merchandise. Again, the answer to this question requires a little insight into our business model. DirectBuy requires a membership fee that is paid upon joining. In return, members are able to purchase merchandise at manufacturer’s prices. Since we derive no income from the sale of merchandise, this means that members will receive substantial savings on the majority of products offered through DirectBuy, including furniture, cabinetry, lighting, flooring, plumbing fixtures, etc. One point of clarification is that some products, such as appliances and electronics, tend to be very competitive amongst retailers. In such instances when we are advised by a manufacturer that their products may be similarly priced at retail stores, we notify our members via a label on that catalog that explains that the pricing on the products in the catalog, such as electronics and appliances, may offer only marginal savings.
Chris, I continually receive testimonials from our members all across North America, and I know we have tens of thousands of satisfied members who are saving significantly on a wide array of items for their homes. I’d like to find a way for your readers to understand that. I’d also like them to keep in mind that DirectBuy is not for a person who just wants a good price on a faucet or a television. We’re ideal for homeowners who are planning to make multiple home-related purchases in the near future.
CW: That’s interesting. It sounds like you’re saying that, in some cases, a DirectBuy membership may not be able to save you much if anything.
SS: Our business model enables us to offer savings in every product category we sell. The key is that savings on certain types of merchandise is more significant than others, because retailers tend to mark up certain products more than others. That said, our members still find savings on products with smaller margins because they buy them at manufacturers’ prices. In some cases, savings on merchandise with smaller margins is not as much as the savings they would find on other products. I mentioned how we communicate this to our members by labeling our catalogs. When prospective members visit DirectBuy at an Open House, we also make sure to tell them where they will find the most significant savings.
CW: What sort of person would get the most benefit from a DirectBuy membership? In other words, what sort of items would a person want to buy through DirectBuy to save the most money?
SS: Well, any homeowner planning to make major purchases for his or her home over the next ten years would benefit from a membership. However, the families who benefit the most and in the shortest time frame are homeowners who are redoing a room, building a home, or moving into a new home. For example, members often save tens of thousands of dollars on remodeling their kitchens by purchasing items through DirectBuy. The savings on kitchen cabinets alone is typically thousands of dollars. We do not pretend that we are for every consumer, and our marketing efforts are designed to reach out to people who will benefit from our savings.
CW: Let’s talk a little about that so-called “high pressure” sales tactic of requiring a member to sign up on the spot or be banned from the showroom for 4 years. In my original post, I made a pretty big deal about being able to get and print out an invitation for another showroom appointment even after I’d visited once. What would happen if I had actually shown up for the appointment?
SS: That’s a good question. When you sign up for an Open House appointment online, your information is added to a database and then sent to the appropriate showroom so that they may follow up with you to confirm your appointment. If you had signed up and attended an Open House previously, the database would recognize the duplication, and you would be contacted by a representative from the showroom.
CW: You say,
“The information shared during this session is confidential, and therefore we require consumers to make a decision to join during the open house. While this format is non-traditional (and somewhat “foreign” to most consumers), it is required to protect our manufacturer relations and ensure incredible savings. “
Explain how this arrangement “protects” your relationship with manufacturers.
SS: The relationships we have developed with top manufacturers is one of the elements that provides our members with outstanding value and makes DirectBuy a success. Out of respect for the retail community and our manufacturers, the information shared during the Open House session is confidential to prevent individuals from using our prices as leverage at traditional retail outlets. Without this policy, our pricing could adversely impact our manufacturers’ relationships with their other retailers. For example, if a store has a price match policy, and consumers continually visit the store with lower DirectBuy prices that the store is obligated to match, it would hurt their business. That store could and probably would complain to the manufacturer about DirectBuy advertising and delivering on much lower prices, and that could ultimately hurt our relationship with our manufacturers.
CW: You also say,
“ . . .we derive no income from the sale of merchandise.”
Yet I’ve also read (in comments on my post and elsewhere) that in addition to the manufacture’s cost, you charge an 8% “service fee” above and beyond shipping and sales tax. Can you explain this?
SS: To ensure that our members receive the items they requested in ideal condition, our product service staff receives and inspects each piece of merchandise ordered through DirectBuy. Some items include a 6-8% charge to cover this. As I mentioned, this is not an aspect of our business that we profit from, but a service that we provide for our members.
CW: What would you say to those who call Direct Buy a scam?
SS:We have a 35-year track record of serving tens of thousands of satisfied members, and we are continuing to grow across North America with new showrooms opening each month. DirectBuy continues to have success because we offer our members a unique opportunity to save money on items for their home. With any company, there are going to be isolated incidents where customers or members have issues or difficulties. That said many of the individuals who criticize us are not members and some have not even taken the time to visit a showroom. At the end of the day, I am proud to work for a company that helps so many families enjoy and improve their homes.
Interesting. I wonder what she would say about the $130 dollars in shipping they wanted to charge me for a $120 dollar office chair. That is only one of many problems I have encountered so far with DB. A 7 month wait for a front entry door manufactured 20 miles from my house. I am still waiting for a complete kohler order made 5 months ago. I have dealt with kohler directly many times, they have less then a week turn around for any product they carry. If you consider your personal time to be worth 2 cents an hour, then join Direct buy and reap the benefits of endless headaches and “we will call you back with and answer to where your products may have been lost.
Don,
Wow! Thanks for sharing.
Chris
I can tell many of the comments on this site are from uneducated people who have never actually visited a DirectBuy. To say it is a scam shows their ignorance. A scam is something like sending money to Nigeria. This is a real business with showrooms selling real merchandise. Do you think Samsung, Whirlpool, Ashley, Kohler, Pergo and 700 other manufacturers would allow DirectBuy to sell their products if it was a scam. Of course there are shipping fees on products. How do you think the product gets where it is supposed to go…on wings of doves. It costs money you idiots. Don’t you think a retail store pays for shipping and then passes it on to you…well in case you are clueless of course they do (or maybe you think retailers do use pigeons to ship their applicances, etc. from the manufacturers to their stores. Why not do a realisitc, un-biased analysis of DirectBuy. Sounds like this Wondra idiot is some guy sitting in a dark room in his underwear blogging mindlessly about any stupid thing he can. Get real people. I am a real member who is happy with DB, it’s not perfect but it is not as you want to say is a scam, but if that makes you feel better….go back in your closet…
How did you know I did this in my underwear?
Well contrary to that statement, I am an educated person and consumer with a masters degree and could “smell” the scam before the presentation was even finished. Then the astonishing $5000.00 membership confirmed my suspisions. The representative trying to sell us the membership absolutely refused to show us any proof of the savings they were promising us. They showed us a few ads from their mail and verbally promised what their price would be, but after several requests for solid documentation of just one item we were interested in purchasing, we gave up. We are building an entire house and we were so ready to purchase a membership, but we were not ready to throw away that much money after their persistent refusal to show us any catalogs or absolutely any proof of their promises. An intelligent, educated consumer knows better than that. Furthermore, a good, reputable business doesn’t have a problem showing documentation of their claims . When we made the appointment for the open house, we were promised we would see prices of items we wanted to purchase; yet another deception. To prospective buyers, don’t waste your time even going to the open house.
Directbuy is a scam, and if you are educated than you already know that. We are all aware that things need to be shipped. What make this a scam is the fact that Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Ebay, and many other retailers have better prices than direct buy before, and after figuring tax and shipping. Also, the fact that they say there is no retail mark up is false advertising, considering their 8% “service” is not optional. Not to mention the fact that they charge so much for shipping and most of the time it comes to the store, and not your home. Do you pay Amazon to ship something just so you can make an additional trip into town to pick it up? I have a list of 5 things I tried to purchase today, and Directbuy was more expensive before their tax, shipping, and handling charges, than the other retailers were with delivery included.
DirectBuy is not a scam. As a member (4-plus years), there are definitely savings to be had. But it does, as clearly stated in the DirectBuy response here, depend on what you are buying and what manufacturer. Discounts at retail depend on a host of factors, including decisions on both the manufacturer’s and retailer’s part. As an avid A/V electronics guy, I can tell you for a fact that Amazon and other authorized retailers of A/V equipment cannot match the savings on higher-ticket items such as large TV’s and expensive A/V receivers. The cheaper items have less margin at retail, and that is a known fact and something to be aware of. As a franchise business, I do hope the local showroom you visited uses fair and legitimate sales practices to prospective customers. I have purchased thousands of dollars of furniture and home improvement material through DirectBuy, and the savings have been significant over anything offered through retail (using online research). Again, it does depend on what you are buying and how much you plan to furnish/improve your home. Finally, as for the service fees there are people that are employed in the warehouse that inspect the deliveries and such….I would imagine they have to cover that cost somehow. The membership fees essentially run the franchise, including the showroom, the consultants that help make purchasing decisions (there are plenty of them in my local showroom). It’s definitely not for everybody, but that does not make it a scam.
Lori,
Out of curiosity have you ever heard of something called an authorized dealer? Amazon is not an authorized dealer of many manufactures which for you means,sorry no warranty. As an educated consumer I am surprised that you have not heard of that before. As for Walmart, they contract with the manufactures to make the products sold the “their specs”, which for you means, cheaply made. If you need further proof of my previous statement, take a look at poor Rubbermaid ans all of the employees who were hurt by them selling their goods to Walmart. Anyway, my husband and I have been members for years and try to buy everything we can thru DirectBuy! After being in the middle of a kitchen remodel when my husband lost his job, we would not have been able to finish the project had it not been for our membership! In these hard economic times we as consumers need to stretch our dollars as far as possible and by being a DirectBuy member we are able to do that!! So to all of you reading this post who have not visited you local showroom, I highly encourage you to do so!!! Get out there and see for yourself how buying better quality merchandise at build it yourself prices would help your family!!!
Lori Lori Lori, Really Lori???? Did the boss man give you a big raise for that review? Prolly not, Do you know why??? because you were not at all convincing that you are a member. Please name one NEW item that is sold by Amazon without a valid manufacturers warranty. I believe Amazon is more of a reputable company than your DB.. They have free shipping on 90% of their products that cost more than 25 dollars… NO TAX NO SHIPPING FEES NO ORDER FEES. And best of all they deliver to my door step. I don’t have to pay them for shipping while they ship my product to the other side of town.. REALLY LORI?????
Your an idiot… Dude really???? Did the boss man give you a raise for that BS review??? When I go to another retail store. They dont show me one price then add shipping and other charges at the register……plus I get my product then and there without having to wait 6 or 8 months to recieve it..
I am so disappointed with DB and you are right about the shipping cost plus their fee. The items themselves are 20-30% off retail, but add back shipping and their “inspection”fee and your almost back to retail. I can find the exact items on sale via the internet (with free shipping or lower shipping rates) cheaper. I’ve been a member for two years and tried to buy TV’s, bedroom sets and living room furniture. After I add the shipping cost and fees from DB – I can get it cheaper & quicker from Sears and the local furniture store. The shipping fees were never disclosed in the open house- they only gave us the cost of the product to show what we could save. We were mislead. I think we all should get together and form a class action suit.
If you like a new kitchen with highend cabinets, this is the only area I’ve seen people get significant savings. You can save $4K plus here, but you’ll still spend $25-$30K just for cabinets. Daily customer service is pretty good at DB.
After two years, I’ve only bought one thing from DB- a blu-ray player…..I spend lots of dollars -I am very thrifty and I know what things cost. In two years DB beat the local or internet retailers one time. I saved $35. I paid my membership in full because I was mislead. If I was shown the shipping cost of the goods, I would HAVE NEVER signed up.
If their product was so wonderful & membership grows so much each year, they should buy back their memberships at reduced rate from those of us who do not like it & feel cheated. Then resale the remaining membership at a discount to those in lower income backets or for a trial period ….another way for them to make money…, but they do not and will not. Why, and this based only on the people I know – people will not renew their membership because of the shipping & inspection fees. They have to fleece the public from the very beginning.
For DB to grow, they need to reduce their shipping or fees and increase shipping time…maybe open their own DB warehouse for items offered as Club Exclusives. This way all members can really save and participate in DB without extravagent shipping+fees. I will not renew membership when it comes time if something isnt done. I will never refer anyone I know either.
OMG ! IN ONE WAY GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT THESE EXPERIENCES AS MINE ARE THE SAME. MEMBER SINCE 2007 AND ONLY PURCHASED A SMALL SILVER PLATED HEART SHAPED RING BOX. I TOO AM A GOOD SHOPPER AND JUST FOUND OUT WE HAVE TO PAY 200.00 A YR RETRO (IF MISSED YEARLY DUES NOT PAID) TO BE ABLE TO EVEN ENTER THE BUILDING.
I ALSO WAS UNAWARE WHEN STARTING UP AGAIN IF CHOOSING SO, YOU HAVE TO GO BY THE MONTH OF ORIGINAL SIGN UP, NOT THE MONTH YOU ARE STARTING UP AGAIN. THIS IS NOT A SCAM, BUT A BIG RIP OFF. I TOO THINK LITIGATION SHOULD ENTER THE ARENA.
DIRECT BUY SHOULD BE CLOSE DOWN FOR MISLEADING CONSUMERS, YET THEY ARE STILL IN BUSINESS AFTER SO MANY NEGATIVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SERVICES. BBB LAWYER IN WEST PALM BEACH SUPPORTS THEIR SERVICES SO YOU HAVE TO WONDERS IS BBB REALLY FOR THE CONSUMER
OMG! I wish I had found this site before I even went to Direct Buy!!!!! After paying my $4000 membership fee, during a “pay or never return” open house, I have found this to be an expensive lesson on beware of “To-Good-To-Be-True” scams. Their merchandise requires lots of work to find in their catalogs, you have to pay up front for your order and then don’t expect to ever see what you paid for!!!!! I ordered a simple Kitchen Aid Mixer accessory December 7, 2010 that was to be shipped directly from the manufacturer. Oh, there was to be a little delay and, for sure, this Christmas present was to be delivered by JANUARY 18. Disappointingly delayed but OK. The busy Christmas season right? WRONG!!!!! There is still no word of my kitchen aid pasta maker attachment after 5 MONTHS!!!! The only recourse offered to me was perhaps Direct Buy could TRY to get my money back. I’m positive this is not the way Kitchen Aid handles customer service, could it be Direct Buy????. The next date promised to my by Direct Buy was, again for sure, before April. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED APRIL OF WHAT YEAR????????
Huge Bummer! So sorry!!
I believe Direct Buy could be a great purchasing tool, however, it is not. Shipping costs MORE than make up for the amount you will save with the item cost. More distressful for me has been the extremely poor service. I have been doing major remodeling in my home, tiling throughout, new tub, shower, toilets, living room furniture, thousands of dollars of items. Almost every order was screwed up in some way, some in a major way, costing me a tremendous amount of money, time, and headache.
The Albuquerque Direct Buy, to whom I paid $5000 for a membership, has the worst customer service of any company with which I have dealt. A short list of the problems…
1. Toilet was ordered by Direct Buy in wrong color, would not take back.
2. Steam shower I ordered was not sent, a different model was sent. We placed plumbing based on blue prints, nothing fit when shower came in. Still pending settlement of that problem. Shower sent was cheaper than the one I ordered and paid for. Took 7 months to get and it is still wrong!
3. Tile order was placed twice, fortunately, I caught that and let them know to cancel the second order.
4. When I ordered my stove top, I was told by Direct Buy staff it was a complete unit. When I got it in, it was only the unit for the counter top, no burners were included. I had to order all that extra, extremely expensive
5. Multiple times, I would place an order and DB would send me the PO for payment and there would be mistakes in the item numbers, color, or item itself. It took five times back and forth to get my stove top correct.
I would NEVER recommend DB to anyone. It does NOT save money, and at least the Albuquerque Direct Buy has incompetent people who do not care to do a good job. As soon as they get their $5000 bucks from you, you become less than dirt.
I was reading all of your information on Direct Buy and I am one of the many people who feel like they were scammed. Negative reports are all over the internet about Direct Buy, in my city alone I have spoke with many people who feel as though they were stung.
Has anyone ever sued them and won, they seem to have many attorneys working for them, if this many people are dissatisfied, then something is wrong. I am going to court because I was pressured into signing the contract with my wife. Then when we tried to cancel they would not do it. Now they have a lawyer coming after me! Now what! I get bad credit and a judgment.
KEVIN,
I AM SITTING DOWN W/ AN ASST. A.G. TO SUE D.B. UNDER FALSE AND MISLEADING STATEMENTS W/I THEIR CONTRACTS AND THEIR REFERRALS OF CONTRACTORS DOUBLING , IF NOT TRIPPLING, THEIR PRICES OVER THE COMPETITION AS”SEARS” WAS $15,000.00 OVER ANOTHER CONTRACTOR THAT WAS INSTALLING 3/4″ HARDWOOD FLOORING THROUGOUT MY HOME. I AM NOW DEALING W/ AN ASST. A.G. , THE B.B.B. AND THE GOV. OFFICE OF CONSUMERS AND CHANNEL 10 INVETIGATORS. MY SUIT WILL BE FOR “MONETARY , COMPESATORY AND LEGAL EXSPENSES” WHEREAS I HAVE GREAT STANDING AS I HAVE DOCUMENTED PROOF THAT CANNOT BE REFUTTED AS WELL AS TAPPED COVERSATIONS THAT WERE MISLEADING, FALSE AND IN CRIMINATING.
I’LL ADVISE THE OUTCOME TO ALL
Outstanding! Please keep us posted.
Chris
Please let us know how you fair as I will want to follow your lead. I just bought the internet membership b/c I didn’t want to spend the extra money for the in house option. I took my list of things I wanted to buy to my consultant only to learn that those top brands weren’t brands that DirectBuy does business with and then my showroom closed and they dumped me in a showroom about 2 hours from my home. They wouldn’t even let me cancel my membership when they couldn’t get the brands I wanted or when my showroom closed.
We joined Direct Buy about 4 months ago, because we were redecorating 2 rental units and converting our garage attic to living space. Like everyone else who has added to this blog, we were given the same pressure to join before or never come back. We obviously joined thinking that the savings would be substantial. They are, until they add on the Handling fees, shipping fees, and taxes. I have ordered an entire unit of furniture from them, and it seems that you could double the price you see for each product to get a true idea of how much you will spend. We joined the New Orleans franchise but have been working with the Baton Rouge franchise since our projects are there. Baton Rouge just changed hands, and no on really knows what, or where anything is…including our money for items that the manufacturers discontinued! I did order my last item through the New Orleans franchise and it has actually arrived and awaiting pickup in Baton Rouge…before the first order placed at the Baton Rouge franchise! My theory is that it depends on the franchise. The New Orleans folks went out of their way to accomodate me when I went there complaining that no one would answer the phone for 2 weeks. They informed me about the “change of hands” for that franchise. To date, I am still waiting for more that 50% of my orders, not to mention my refunds. I’ll let you know how the story (nightmare) ends, if that ever happens!
Thanks for visiting and sharing your story Judy.
I truly hope everything works our alright for you. I can’t imagine the stress of having to deal with two different franchises. At least it sounds like the folks in New Orleans care. You’re theory that it depends on the franchise (at least when it comes to service) sounds valid. People are people. Some work hard for you and some just don’t care.
Please do stop by to update us on your progress.
Thanks again for sharing your story.
Chris
I forgot to mention, that we would be interested in a Class Action Lawsuit as well! We’ll never recoup the $4000 investment.
I joined Direct Buy in Palo Alto, CA several months ago and I would like to cancel. I have visited their showroom once in all that time and found them quite cumbersome in even trying to find what/how to use them. I have never purchased anything through them. Since no service/product has been bought, why can’t I get a refund. Is anyone starting a class action lawsuit? If so, I want in. Any thought, comments would be very helpful in this direction.
Hi Chris:
Perhaps you explain the warped thinking of Direct Buy.
My daughter made an appt with D.B. When she got there with her best friend and her interior decorator, she was told they could not come in with her. To make a long story short, they told her that she could bring in a spouse, significant other, boyfriend/girlfriend, but NOT a friend. She asked: You mean if I had a gay lover, I could bring her in? The answer was “yes.”
She asked: You mean if I said BOTH of my friends were gay lovers, they could come in? “Yes.”
She left.
A few days later she received a call asking if she wanted another appt since she missed the first one. She told the person, “no, I didn’t miss it,” and proceeded to tell her what had transpired.
This person said, sorry, but that’s our rules.
Needless to say, my daughter DID NOT make another appt.
I want to add, my daughter has a DDS, an extremely lucrative dental practice, a 900+ credit rating, and LOTS of cash money to spend.
And this is the way DIRECT BUY TREATS HER???????
I would like to hear from D.B.HQ, exactly what the hell is logical in this kind of thinking, NOT TO MENTION DISCRIMINATION.
Hi Mary,
Marketers have done sophisticated and extensive research on all things related to motivation. My guess on that one is that Direct Buy did (or found) research that indicates a person is less likely to buy if they have an impartial friend with them. Kind of like they won’t let you bring your kids.
Just a guess.
Regardless of whether it’s fair or discriminatory, what do you think? From DB’s perspective do you think that would that make sense?
But that totally wouldn’t make sense if this was also an interior decorator!?!? You’d think bringing in an interior decorator would be a win win win for everyone. Too bad. Sounds like DB might have just missed out.
Thanks for sharing your story Mary, stop back again.
Chris
There is no such thing as a 900+ credit rating
Well I understand some of their business model but not the financial part. Sara states “ . . .we derive no income from the sale of merchandise.” She also states “the 8% “service fee” … is not an aspect of our business that we profit from, but a service that we provide for our members.”
So just how does DB derive a profit? A kickback from the manufacturer based upon the volume of business? Other hidden charges? DOes anyone know?
Steve,
Thanks for the question. I wish I would have thought to ask it of her.
I thought Direct Buy made a profit from the sale of new memberships. That would be the biggest source of revenue. But I’m starting to wonder if that service fee is another way to bring in a few extra dollars.
What do you think?
Thanks for stopping by Steve.
Chris
This is most likely old and maybe “a dead horse” but thought I’d comment on the 8%. It seams to me the key is that it’s a percentage of the price. Is DB saying that they’d rather me order a $50 watch instead of a $500 watch? Let’s see…the inspection is the same; watch shows up, they look at the box and put it on a shelf until I come pick it up. They make $4 on the $20 watch and $40 on the $500 watch….uuummmm, I’m thinking they’d rather sell more $500 watches. The same goes for high end furniture, appliances, cabinets or anything else they sell. The higher the base price, the more they make for the exact same “service.” Speaking of which, that service does not happen in many cases. For example, cabinets are most often delivered to your home. What the heck did DB do to charge me 8% for something they never touched. Another example is tile. One will typically go to the tile store, put the entire order together and have to go back to the tile store to pick it all up when it’s ready. But, you’re still charged 8%. So yeah, I think they do make profit when a member orders larger quantities of more expensive stuff, weather or not they ever put their hands on it. All this I say with direct buy experience, so to speak, and as a relatively happy member for the past six years. I just don’t like that they unconvincingly try to deny the fact that 8% of $500 is a lot more money than 8% of $50.
oops…I meant, $4 on the $50 watch, not $20 watch.
I joined DirectBuy 10 years ago it was UCC then. My experiences were all frustrating with wrong size blinds due to their so called expert not knowing what he was doing. Of course no returns. Wrong color couches, they said it was my fault should have known do not expect blue couches in the catalog to be blue they were green. Of course no return. Ordered a sink for a bath room I was remodeling excellent price even with their extra charges for handling. It came broken they took so long to return it, I was forced to pay double the price at a plumbing supply so my contractor could finish the job. Took months to get my money back for the broken sink. Ordered 2 leather couches and a chair good price but the aggravation of renting a truck and getting a friend with his truck to pick the items up at DirectBuy was hardly worth the savings. I have paid a hundred and something dollars for 7 years to keep my membership hoping I would someday save enough to get back the cost of my membership. I receive a letter from DirectBuy that my 10 year membership is up and because I am such a good customer I can join again for only $2500. Well when I joined no one told me it was only for 10 years, so I was quite surprised.
Bottom line do not waste your money you almost never will save enough to justify your membership. The frustration you will endure is hardly worth the supposed savings as anything that you get and are not happy with you are stuck with it no returns.
Wow … I just made an appointment to go to an orientation or whatever they call it, and decided to do a little online research … I’m really glad I found this site! I am going to cancel my appt. I surely don’t need the the headaches, or another way to get ripped off of my limited and hard-earned money! As a previous responder said — and WHY don’t I remember this all the time! — IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!
Hey…I found your site, because I have been finding clients touting the costs from DB…I work in the Custom Electronics field…Having previously been a Purchasing agent for a company and dealing with many manufacturors, this is typical of how business IS done on the back end…product deliveries are between 4-12 weeks and most have minimum amounts to even ship, hence the high shipping costs on smaller (at least to a mfg) orders…anyhow…keep one thing in mind..COSTCO…do some research and you will come to a conclusion on your own…but I have heard that Costco operates on a fixed margin of somewhere around 6 to 7 % …so it looks to me like the extra 1 – 2 % DB charges puts them into the same “Profitablity” category as Costco…but Costco’s membership fee’s are between $ 45.00 and $100.00….granted the selection may not be as huge, but I just wanted to illustrate the similar pricing structure….NOBODY want’s to deal with manufacturors direct….that is what retailers are for, and ordering thru mfg catalogs can be very risky….Retailers at least make their catalogs readable for the everyday buyer…but that has a cost also…
Mike,
Thank you so much for that perspective from a purchaser. What you said about profit margins and Costco is totally new information for me. Very cool to know!
Thanks for your input!
Chris
Chris!!!
Get real. This is a scam, stop pandering! Your playing nice with a company that would pull the rug out from under you on a train platform!
Thomas
How can Sara from Direct Buy NOT be very concerned about the negative comments? In my work, which is the same as hers, I have to make sure the customer is taken care of, sometimes at the risk of losing some profit short term. If any of my customers had the experience eith me as I had with Direct Buy, I would be out of business. Wouldn’t it be “ethical” to refund at least a portion of the membership fee? Their business model makes no sense. It cannot work, long term. Can it?
Wow!! My husband and I, too, have an appointment today to go to a Direct Buy orientation meeting and I am canelling that appointment as I write. Life is too short to have to deal with the aggrevations I have read in the comments and one doesn’t need any more stress in this day and time for a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars. As one of the other comment writers wrote, we’ll stick to Loews, Costco, Home depot and Websites and save the exorbitant joining fee and ongoing membership charges.
I am a member of 2 years. I’m yet to find promised savings. It got to the point that Home Depot prices were BETTER then DirectBuy. There were other instances of false advertising as well. Is there a possibility of a class action suit? I would gladly participate. This membership is an absolute waste – you can do better with local vendors – by the time all the “service charges” are added – you are better off in a local store!
Cough Cough she’s FULL OF SHIT if you’ll pardon my french.
This is coming from someone who has a Direct Buy membership and has not used the $4000 paperweight (kidding, the day they give me anything as substantial as a paperweight, pigs will be flying) in the entire two years I’ve had it. The reason my membership has not been used once? Their prices suck. Plain and simple. You can find nearly everything you want for a cheaper price at a regular old retail store. Not to mention that itty bitty 8% handling fee. By the time you add that, AS WELL AS the exorbitant shipping, you could have bought two of the item you’re looking for. Also the fact that their employees can’t remove their heads from their respective asses long enough to learn how to fill out an order form, find the item for you, or to help you in ANY WAY tends to put somewhat of a damper on the “Amazing Deals” available.
The fact that Ms. Shragal would even dare to say that their sales pitches are NOT high pressure has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING(!) to do with the fact that their practices are confidential, blah blah blah. From the looks of it, Ms.Shragal talked in circles throughout the entire interview, as I’m sure she was well trained to do. The instant you walk in the door of one of their “showrooms” to the instant you walk out you are pressured so much I’m sure they see some people pop and give in within 10 minutes. They constantly repeat that if you don’t give in and shell out four grand you will not be allowed back for X amount of years so much that I’m sure some may break into tears, albeit not as many as those who actually shell out the four grand break into tears later at the total waste of hard earned money they were just forced into.
Direct buy uses absolutely every psychological tactic out there to try and force you to fork over your life savings. From shaming you (indirectly, of course, “How would your family feel if you left them out of this great deal?”), to making you feel as if you’re about to miss the last ship off of an apocalypse bound earth, to treating you like a leper as soon as you seriously mention anything about leaving.
In short, Direct Buy IS (let me repeat IS!!!!!) a huge scam that has absolutely no interest in saving you money, or helping you rebuild your kitchen, etc. ALL they want is that $4000-$6000 upfront fee and then you might as well go hump a lamp post as it’ll get you about the same amount of savings, though I think the lamp post actually might win out in the end.
(BTW, in case you’re asking what we’ve tried to get cheaper from Direct Buy as opposed to everyone else, the list ranges from everything from matresses to pianos, and Direct Buy was more expensive every time)
So to anyone contemplating going to an appointment at Direct Buy, DON’T, unless you happen to enjoy pouring thousands of dollars down the drain.
Tim
Just signed contract to the tune of $5100, what did we do? The comments and reality is setting in… that your really not saving and they don’t say what the shipping charges are they just stress retail saving and not whey the tack onto your purchase… is there a way OUT! They do pressure you…now or never so you loose the saving. But afterwards I realize they never really compare apples to apples or show you real invoices of what customers actually save during a purchase.
I don’t think anyone has $5100 to throw away… if you are told you will save…then reading here you really never save, bate and switch. I wonder what they say if there script and selling was recorded. They to use pressure! and I feel that to say you are not allowed back now or never is really a threat.
Nightmare in MD!
Thanks for the feedback everybody! After reading this I’m no longer interested in looking at Direct Buy.
Is there a lawyer out there reading this. I’m got duped I know I’m stupid. I only paid $500 dollars up front but now i’m stuck with an installment contract for the $5000 dollar balance. Would somebody offer a solution for as to how to get out of this situation? Is there some law against uncancellable memberships? Help Please!!!!
I have been a member since September of 2007 and consider myself and my husband good business people, but clearly made our decision at the heat of the moment and wanting to build our dream home. Since that time, we’ve have unbelievably poor service at our location in Tinley Park IL. Last night we were literally accosted by the owner in the parking lot. I had spoken to him on a few occasions about the stress level of his staff and how they were lashing out at one another and the clients. He basically told me I was the cause of one of his employees quitting, since I told her in front of him that she needed additional support to do her job. He was furious and told my husband and I, he didn’t need members like us (that was after collecting our $5k and a cool $23k in products last evening. Any GOOD and SMART business person would love to have customers like us. I am filing a complaint today with the Better Business Bureau and telling everyone I know to beware. I’m also contacting a lawyer who is successful in engaging consumer reporters.
It is very true that there marketing ploys are not accurate and are extremely misleading. I have been treated extremely poorly and have witnessed many members in this showroom being serviced extremely poorly. Their are so many policies in place for this showroom that are in direct conflict with what they “profess” in their “open house.”
We went to the “orientation” yesterday, 01-26-08, a.k.a. high pressure sales tactic, at DB. I develop commercial real estate and have several close friends that develop residential real estate. When the sales pitch came through about the cabinets I had not heard of one single company brand they presented. In fact, the brand Brookwood they touted as “high-end” and sold in other big boxes at substantially higher prices, is not sold anywhere but DirectBuy which makes an apples to apples comparison impossible. The sales person told me to bring in the quotes I had received for cabinets we were pricing for house which I did. Upon arriving at DB and hearing the presentation though they would not do a price comparison unless I joined, at $5,100. When I asked the sales person, who happened to the be franchisee, if I could get a refund, full or partial, if I was not happy with their concept or it did not live up to their promises and he said no. So the gist of their presentation I found to be this; trust them though you don’t know them, you will save money though they won’t give you time to verify it and sign up now or we won’t let you come back. High pressure is entirely what their presentation is designed to be. If the “know” you will be happy with their service and no one can match what they are doing then they have no reason to demand you sign up now or lose the opportunity. If DB’s concept is really that good you’ll come back and sign up once you have had an opportunity to verify it.
I also went online and it appears DB has filed lawsuits against a large number of people to collect their intitial membership fee. Why so many lawsuits if they “guarantee” their customers will be happy? There will always be people who are delinquent but given the number of lawsuits DB has filed to “recover”their initial membership dues (especially when DB has really incured no expenses on behalf of the member) makes you think there has more to the story than a few deliquent customers.
My advice, ask lots of informed questions, and never give someone or some business thousands of dollars until you can verify factually, from an outside source unrelated to them, what they are saying is true.
Good luck to all and be careful.
J~
Firstly my wife and I would like to say how much we have enjoyed reading your blog on this issue and the associated posts. I have never been so stupid in my life as to fall for such an obvious setup as I did last night at DirectBuy. Yes my wife and I buckled under the pressure of never ever ever ever seeing the DirectBuy’s Holiest of Holy’s innersactum of amazing savings unless we paid the mind boggling $5560.00 for a 3 year membership. It is amazing to me that even though they couldn’t or wouldn’t give us a specific answer to our direct questions on what this product or that product would cost us we still signed up. Unlike some people we were fortunate. I didn’t sleep at all last night and at 3:00 am this morning I called VISA to see if we could cancel this rediculous membership. Thank God they said it would be no problem to cancel the charge if the merchant refused to refund us. I will give the DirectBuy franchise here in Washington credit, it only took us 4 calls today and the threat of a lawyer to get the promised return phone call from the head cheese in charge of memberships. To our delight and surprise we were told to bring in our copy of the contract and the membership brocher and we would recieve a full refund, they understood that the holiest of holy savings were not for everyone. Shocked I did just that and praise the lord we were free at last, thank god free at last! With major stupidity corrected and only minor psychological damage here are some observations. The contract- Unbelievably we didn’t read it until we got home and nearly had a corinary. It basically said that anything any representive said was not binding unless it was in writting. Meaning none of what we were told about the merchandise the potential savings or returns could be trusted because it isn’t in your contract!
The Secret Pricing- There logic is that by attending the open house you now have insider knowledge that is damaging to the retail establishment and therefore you are obligated to now protect that information by paying a huge membership fee. Yet in truth no such information was really ever made available. Sure they show you retail adds and tell you that you can get the same product for less. But at no time were we shown an actual catalog with the manufacturers pricing. In fact when we asked do you carry Vermont Casting wood stoves? No but we have these brands. Can we see the catalog to compare models, price and specs with what we know we want? No we can’t show you that information. Do you carry Rennai or Bosche tankless water heaters? No but I think we might have a manufacture that makes something like that. And no we won’t let you see anything that would let you make an informed decision.
The bottom line for me – is that a vaccum of information is intentially propagated to force your decision to be made from emotion rather than the evaluation of facts. This to me is not a business that I would ever feel comfortable trusting.
Thanks for the heads up. I have a scheduled appt with DB, which I will be canceling. I am so glad I checked the web regarding DB before going to the showroom. I appreciate sites like this one to let people know about the unscrupulous business practices of DB. Good luck to those of you trying to recoup your losses. I do hope a class action suit is filed for this purpose. No one can afford a loss such as this, especially now when our economy is on shaky ground. Thanks again for saving me time and money.
Hey DB employess, MA’S (marketing associates) (the ones that call for the appointments) what kind of training have you been giving and do you love going to work?
We’ve been members for just over a year. I’ve yet to find promised savings. It got to the point that Home Depot, Lowes, Sams Club, Circuit City and even Best Buys, prices were BETTER then DirectBuy. There were other instances of false advertising as well. In order to place an order the “staff” is unaware of the products and how to fill out the forms, at times there would be 2,3 even 4 staff people we would have to chase down to complete the paperwork, not just one time but everytime we’ve had to place an order, mindboggling. Is there a possibility of a CLASS ACTION SUIT? I would gladly participate. This membership is an ABSOLUTE WASTE – you can do better with local vendors – by the time the 4-8 weeks lead times for shipping and all the “service charges”, delivery fees are added – you are better off in a local store! Sara is a glorified PR person selling DB’s brand of BS!!
I’ve been a member for years – with a few exceptions – satisfied. My wife and I saved our membership fee in kitchen cabinets for our new house. They were less expensive ($6k) and an upgrade from our home store quote. Everything since then has been gravy.
Furniture, high end appliances and cabinets are where we’ve seen the real savings. If you can call them savings. Because we can buy better things for less we usually end up spending the same as we would at a retail store but getting a lot more. We did save literally $50 each on 6 higher end toilets and $300 on a single high end kitchen sink – delivery charges did not add up because it was one big order from Kohler.
I’ve found four things important when using my membership. First, go to the club prepared. Visit a store that carries what you want or at least the manufacturers web site. Go in knowing the colors makes and specs. Next, make sure you really want it. There are no returns in this kind of shopping. Third, if it’s a lose leader at the home store (or they sell 40,000 of them a year) buy it there. I’ve found the real savings in buying direct to be on higher end and designer lines. Last be patient. Unlike the home store they don’t keep 10 of what you want in the back.
We’ve never use the club for building materials becasue we find what we need at auction. And I’ve never found them to beat the internet on electonics so we just never go to DB for them.
Chris,
Great posts, thanks for taking the time to write them.
When I read about DB’s “must decide on the spot or be banned” membership policy I thought it was an effective but ethically questionable closing tactic. I was pleased to see you ask Sara for clarification on the “protection of confidential information claim”. Great question! But then you let her response go unchallenged. Sara claimed prospective members would use multiple visits to collect confidential pricing information and put pricing pressure on retailers. Why not have a policy that reveals confidential pricing only on the first visit? Or bar folks from returning until they becomes members? This would allow a prospective member to only get one bite at the confidential info, same as they get with the current policy. The big difference would be prospects could go home and think about whether or not this big purchase is right for them and then sign up after they were confident they were making th right decision. By Sara’s own admission, DB isn’t for everyone. Doesn’t DB want it’s customers to be sure they’re making the right decision?
It seems to me that any legitimate business concerned about customer satisfaction would permit customers to sufficient deliberation time to be certain of big purchase. Anything less would obviously lead to unstatisfied customers. But more importantly, the explanation for the current policy just doesn’t have the ring of truth. I find it much more plausible that the existing policy is exactly what I originally thought it was… a closing tactic. I find myself asking… if I don’t believe the explanation they’re offering for their membership policy, how can I trust any of their claims?
Anyway, thanks again for the great posts. I’m certain you’ve helped a lot of people with this information.
Great comment Mike,
If I were in DB’s sort of business, I’d certainly let folks back in order to sign up after they’d had some time to think about it. Most high pressure closing tactics give you a reward for signing up “today,” like a significant discount. I wish I would have followed up with a question like that.
Good idea Mike.
Thanks for stopping.
Chris
Thanks for saving us thousands in membership fees. We’re about to move into a home needing work but since we’re not looking for extreme high-end merchandise I think we’ll pass on DB. Great discussion site Chris!
Man am I glad I found this I had been contemplating setting up an appointment AND taking a friend. Dont think I will bother. Thanks!!!!!
Broke down and went to DB on Saturday to get the pitch. I kind of had an inkling of what DB was all about by the following red flags: (1) you must bring your spouse or significant other with you. This says that there is going to be a significant surrender of funds and they don’t want you saying “I have to talk this over with my wife.” I just registered as single. (2) You are hearded into a separate room to hear 1.5 hours of infomercial interspersed with “interactive sales pitch” where the sales honcho asks you to read competitor ads for the group. This is designed to suck you in. I simply declined due to poor eyesight. (3) When you enter the showroom it looks like a “boiler room” with tables, chairs and calculators. You may think that is to help the members, but its really to calculate your membership payment schedule. (4) You only hear the dues cost AFTER spending 1.5 hours there. If you heard $4K to start, how many would even come by to hear the pitch?
The funny thing is that after being paired up with a salesman (a happy DB customer who was buying a franchise and was there to “observe” a successful showroom, I started doing net present value calculations based on the $4K front load to determine how much I would have to buy and how fast to recover my heavy investment. I said, “So, assuming a 25% discount available through DB, basically I have to buy over $16K of stuff in two years to break even, right?” He said, “Ah, well, I guess, [Doh!].” I said, “Well okay, lets look up a few things, like a washer-dryer combo.” What was suprising was that this satisfied customer who was buying his own franchise could not use the DB showroom materials to get the price. Finally he got it from someone else. Total DB price? $1500. Total Best Buy price (today)$1450. By this time the guy was pretty sure I was a no sale so when I told him I did hot think DB was going to work for me, I got no hard sell.
The really sad thing is that there were two couples that just should not be fronting such a steep membership fee signing a financing agreement to become members. I pulled one of guys away to has his opinion on a display grill to advise him of the bare numbers related above. He had not thought of it that way and he said that they could not afford $16K in purchases over the 2-3 year future. He then collected his wife and we all left together. One good deed for the day.
For those who have endured a time share sales pitch to get the B&W TV free gift, the DB orientation experience is real close.
For those who signed a contract, and want to back out, see about your state’s “cooling off” period. Some places its three days so you can cancel your contract in that time and walk away without paying anything. Each state is different though, so call your State Attorney General’s office for details — usually a comsumer protection division or something of the like.
Someone said it before, if it is too good to be true, it probably is, and you don’t get something for nothing. In the DB case, you are very likely to nothing for something!
Rick,
Your exercise to figure out how much you have to spend to recoup your investment (assuming a percentage discount) is great! I wish I would have thought of it. At any rate, thank you so much for sharing it. It takes a lot of mystery out of things and takes the emotion totally out of the decision. Genius.
Thanks again Rick, both for stopping by and for sharing a bit of wisdom.
Chris
I recently sent for a DB open house invitation. I spoke to a friend of mine and she told me her aunt said the membership fee was several thousand dollars. Upon learning that I did some internet digging and found many complaints. Needless to say a Rep has been calling my home. I do not take the calls I screen them via caller ID and the answering machine. My invitation came in the mail this week and it went into the shredder unopened, and the next time they call I am telling them I am not interested in their scam and to remove me from their call list. For that high of a membership fee I can put that money into making some miner home improvements and updates in more then one room of my house. I will stick to local business. Thank you for this blog.
Thank you, thank you , thank you!! To everyone who posted on this blog. I’m about to start construction on my dream home and just sent off for the DB open house packet. And after reading your comments it makes my decision easier to not be a statistic.
Good I googled about DirectBuy before making any decision to visit the store.
So glad for the internet. Thanks for the blog – sounds like a total scam!
Chris,
This blog is awesome!! We were feeling awfully stupid for having signed the DB Contract. I didn’t realize so many folks had been caught up in this scam…not that that makes it any better. The fact that we were duped is maddening, but even more infuriating is the way we have been treated and the out and out lies we’ve been told throughout the process. I like many others have stated, would be interested in participating in a class action suit. Someone mentioned that they had tried to get a DB person to call them back. I, too, had a difficult time getting someone to talk with me. It took at least a m0nth of calling before anyone returned my calls. After the experience we went through, and are still going through, I know we won’t be making this kind of mistake again. And we weren’t even looking for a refund…just the opportunity the exit the membership and go our seperate ways.
I must say that I did join DB back when it was UCC in my local area. My wife and I had just moved into a new home and we knew we were going to spend a lot of money purchasing furniture over the next 10 or so years. We had a friend recommend it to us so we thought “Hey – might as well give it a shot!” We ended up joining and we haven’t had any regrets. Our first major purchase was an entire set of dining room furniture and our savings was more than the inital joining fee (which was much less back then). Since then we’ve furnished about 3 other rooms and our savings have been substantial. Since everybody’s situation is different in terms of what they will be spending over a 10 year timeframe – you have to consider that. It does however require planning purchases in advance since it can take quite a while to recieve shipments. But in some cases – not much longer than if you had to order custom from a usual retailer. So the lesson I guess is that it’s definitelt not for everybody but it is for some under similar circumstances. If I was asked to join now I would think twice (or more) but we’d have to think about our plans for the next 10 years. Is it for everyone? Definitely not.
DirectBuy members get option to back out
Thursday, February 14, 2008 3:24 AM
By Tracy Turner
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Ohio consumers have gained the right to cancel a contract with DirectBuy, a national membership club with a showroom in central Ohio, if they change their mind within three days.
The agreement was struck between the Ohio attorney general’s office and DirectBuy even though Ohio law doesn’t mandate such a provision, said Melissa Wright, an assistant attorney general.
DirectBuy is a company that sells consumers a membership that allows them to buy home products, electronics and furnishings directly from manufacturers and suppliers. Memberships range from $3,000 to $4,500 for a one- to three-year period, Wright said.
The company agreed to offer Ohio customers the right to cancel their memberships after 90 of them filed complaints with the attorney general, Wright said. Most complaints targeted sales practices that left consumers feeling misled because certain terms and conditions of membership were not disclosed, she said.
“Consumers were told they had to make a decision on the spot after a sales presentation and weren’t allowed to look over the product catalogs before joining,” she said. “They were made to believe they’d get these great discounts, but later realize the savings aren’t as great.”
Wright said consumers also weren’t told that problems with the products or the product delivery would be handled through the individual manufacturers.
She said that the club is “not a scam (because) they do offer a service; our concern was the high-pressure sales tactics” the company used to get customers.
The agreement will “allow consumers more time to make more of a wise decision, see the product catalogs ahead of time and understand that the company doesn’t handle customer service,” Wright said.
“The voluntarily agreement was a huge step that will cut down on complaints,” she said. “We worked with them instead of filing a lawsuit.”
DirectBuy, based in Merrillville, Ind., has more than 90 locations nationwide, with five franchise locations in Ohio, Wright said. That includes a showroom at 2188 Citygate Dr. that the company reopened in October.
A message left with co-owner Mark Lankford was not returned.
Consumers experience this most often with companies that have similar upfront sales practices, said Kip Morse, president of the central Ohio Better Business Bureau.
“While it’s unfortunate that the (company) needed the attorney general’s office to intercede in order to come to this agreement, we think it’s a good move that’s fair to the company and for consumers,” Morse said.
The agreement also calls for DirectBuy to pay the state $20,000 for materials to be used to educate consumers on financial literacy and protecting their rights, Wright said.
Tracy Turner
tturner@dispatch.com
Cancellation periods are measured in business days, and generally they do not begin until the consumer receives written notification of the right to cancel. Business days are Mondays through Saturdays. Sundays and legal holidays are not included.
To cancel a contract, send the seller a written notice of cancellation. You can cancel by mail or by personal delivery. If you cancel by mail, send the letter via certified mail and request a receipt as proof of cancellation. Cancellation is effective upon the date of postmarking. If you personally deliver the cancellation, take it to the appropriate address of the seller and bring a witness. It is not acceptable to send the cancellation notice by fax or by e-mail.
Source: Ohio attorney general’s office
Thank you all for taking time to alert other consumers. I had an appointment and am very, very, thankful to have found this site. You all saved me, I cancelled my appointment.
Same here. Thanks for the blog!
Chris
We have been members for 22 years. Our initial investment at that time was $1000 and a $55 yearly fee. It was like $4500 feels today, a huge decision. Certainly not a short term investment as many who write seem to think. With all the information floating around at these sites, nothing should be a surprise once you go for your presentation, so I do not know why one would cancel. My guess is they simply can’t afford it.
As far as our personal experience has been, we have recouped our membership many times over. If a person has an immediate plan of furnishing a couple rooms you are well on your way to recouping your costs. We recently replaced our original purchase of couches and loveseats in our living and family rooms and saved $3000 after all fees and delivery. We visited a very popular discount furniture store in our area and found the couches and loveseats that we wanted, made our best deal which was 20% off of their already 40% sale. But get this, that price was good until we walked out the door!! Sound familiar? We went to our showroom and realized the savings I just wrote. Other major purchases in the last few years included a 72″ TV and a beautiful dining room set that we could have never afforded out of a store. It simply is not for everyone, especially those who need instant gratification. For us to have to wait 6-8 weeks for our furniture and to have to pick it up ourselves is well worth $3000.
I do not know of all of the current particulars of a new membership but we have never in 22 years had to re ante after 10 years. Our yearly membership has risen to $175 but other than that we have seen nothing but improvements in the showroom. Also, I do not expect the people in the showroom to be experts as they would be in the store, just that they could get me timely answers to any question I may have, which they have done.
I do not like high pressure sales tactics myself but I am sure many of their reasons for using them are valid. Again, if one has gone into the presentation prepared there really should be no pressure. I also have seen some of the people being shown through the showroom and have seen sales reps showing people savings on items they are thinking of buying in the near future. So I think that maybe this varies from store to store. And as far as some of the so called internet savvy buyers that say that they can beat any price one could get, they are wrong. I have spent hours trying on our larger purchases.
In the end it boils down to being able to afford it and how much work you want to do. We do not buy anything without finding it in a store first. If you know you will be making significant purchases in the next 10 years I personally think it is a no brainer if you can afford it. The membership will only cost more 5 years from
now.
As far as all of the accusations of this being a scam, that is ridiculous. A company does not last 35+ years and continue to add showrooms each month without many satisfied members.
All that is well and good… and may be true… If you have a certain amount of ready cash available or are building a house from scratch or even doing siome major renovating then it can be a good thing.. If however like most of us you are an average Joe Schmoe working stiff with kids in school etc… it becomes questionable.. but the fact that they run that get it now or you miss out bit and the fact that they give you a VERY hard time about cancelling.. even if you go back and weigh the cost and come back the next day to cancel… makes their motives suspect at the very least. And yes.. I know… Let the Buyer beware…. be careful what you sign… etc… but if I am going to lock in a few hundred grand on a house… I can still cancel within 3 business days… yet these people will not allow that. To me that smacks of shady business practices. If they are so legit then they should allow for error on the part of people whose business they are trying to get and keep….
Hey Chris, I haven’t gotten through all the posts yet, but after reading posts on infomercialscams.com , I typed in lawsuits against Direct Buy and went through each one. Most of them Direct Buy won, but there were some that the consumers won against Direct Buy and there was one specifically that I believe most customers would be interested in. http://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca/judgments/pc/2002/01/p02_0197.htm (It is Canadian but could apply to the United States). The judge in the suit wrote out his opinions and they are a basis for just about everyone. So the people got their money back and their attorney fees paid. The internet has so much information we can use and if people will just take the time to some research they can find help (or in the cases of Direct Buy, some “relief”, lol). There are so many lawsuits listed and I’ve only just begun, but I’m sure there are more “winners” to be found. Good luck to those who have been burned by Direct Buy, thankfully I was unwilling to hand over my hard earned money so quickly, something I’ve always taught my son. If you really want something, wait a week or a month and see if you still want it so badly. 9 times out of 10, you will keep your money.
My husband had also signed up for their “open house” for this Friday and after reading all of the horror stories from “ACTUAL” members unlike Miss Sara claimed that most complaints were from non-members, but anywho we read into so many complaints from this sight as well as MANY other websites that we have also cancelled our appt. I am sorry that others have lost so much of their hard earned money but I am grateful for all of your posts in order to save the rest of us from losing our money. Thanks!
I’ve had the unfortunate chance to experience DB recently. I decided I wanted to setup an appointment and see what all of the these infomercials are about. I about quite savvy typically in detecting scams. DB sounded pretty darn good from the presentation, but I knew in my mind it would be hard to beat Costco and the like.
I was floored. You want me to spend $6k without even proving out the savings? I said, “You’re insane, who’s really that gullible?” AND I was not allowed to crack open any catalogs or validate any of the claims before signing. Very, very shady.
Well, I read my contract. It was apparant that my location in Roseville, CA has a well written 3 day cancellation policy. I decided to plunk it down so that I could do the research. When I was just sitting there asking questions for nearly 2 hours, the sales person finally said, “go ahead and have a look around”. I was shocked. Anyway, I didn’t see any massive savings right up front.
I went straight to electronics, because I know there is severe competition and low profit margins already. Faggedaboutit. Costco is cheaper.
Headed to backyard, hardly any Gazebos and structures. They had very few to choose from. Costco is better, or just head to a local lumber yard/mill and have them help you spec one out.
Awnings – they only carry sunsetter. Costco is cheaper.
Tropitone outdoor furniture – a mere 19% savings from the msg.
Telescope Casual outdoor furniture – ahhhh 50% off. I actually found a deal. Still, I picked up a better deal myself when my local California Backyard was dropping the Telescope line and wanted to liquidate.
John Boos blocks – heeeyyy! another deal. 50% off retail. This actually proved out to be a nice deal.
All in all, I found about 10% of the specific things I was looking for over my 5 year outlook of intended and dream purchases. There was no way that I was going to plunk down $6k just to wind up saving a thousand or two on the very few items that I could find on my list. Now, that’s even before considering shipping and handling fees so after reading the above, I am skeptical that I would even have saved as much in the end.
Anyway, after I spent the next morning researching all of my potential purchases, I am happy to report that I was promptly refunded my submission fee, er, I mean initiation fee. They didn’t even give me any hassle about it.
All in all, I lost a night’s sleep after reading over testimonials the night after I signed, but in the end was treated pretty well during my endeavor.
I am so pleased I did not sign and become part of this ‘club’. I am very sorry for those of who signed up and were not able to find any savings. It is just terrible to see thousands of hard earned dollars go down the drain.
I feel that if DirectBuy were truly ligitimate (which I feel they are completely full of BS and themselves) they would instead charge no initiation and instead charge a hefty annual fee instead. It would make more sense and it would prove out their business model, because if they truly had such an amazing system and set of prices, they would be flooded with members just like Costco. Since they are unwilling to go this route, it speaks clearly that they are nothing close to what they claim to be.
Direct Buy has a very impressive, slick, and interest peaking infomercial, which as I write this, has been running every Sunday morning here in the Washington DC metro area for quite a while. I too was going to jump at the opportunity to take advantage of “buying direct” and realizing substantial savings. They make their infomercial appear as if their showrooms are beaming with merchandise , clients, and oh-so-friendly sales reps, not to mention their “satisfied customer testimonials”. I decided to research the internet first and thank goodness I did, as it saved me precious time and money. From all the information I’ve been able to gather here and all the other consumer web sites and blogs I’ve visited, there’s no way on God’s green earth I’ll ever set foot in their establishment. For those consumers who’ll be spending a lot of cash for a home purchase or major remodeling project, you’ll recoup your initial membership and make some good savings, with some caveats to consider that I’ve listed below. You’ll also need to consider what type of schedule you’re going to be on as it could be awhile before you receive what you ordered. God forbid if its damaged or not exactly what you ordered. You could be stuck with the order or have to expend much effort, time, and money to place a new order and receive it. For the average consumer though, Direct Buy isn’t likely a good choice. Here’s my take:
Considerations:
1) Expect 2 hour sales pitch ending with a high pressure tactic that you must become a member and decide now and also pay the membership fee ( ranging from $4,500 – $6,000 ). If not you’ll be banned from joining for 7 years. There’s also a $200 or so annual membership fee for years 4 – 10. After year 10 you’ll likely get a renewal fee offer of $2,500 or who knows what.
2) The signed contract states that anything any representive said was not binding unless it was in writting meaning none of what you’re told or promised about the merchandise and the potential savings or returns could be trusted because it isn’t in your contract. The fine print in the DirectBuy contract says you cannot return items, cancel orders, or terminate your membership.
3) They’re tacking on an additional 8% “handling fee” plus shipping to every order. Delivery is at least 6 weeks or more. You also have to pick up the merchandise from their center.
4) Customer service and assistance after signing the contract is questionable and dubious.
5) Quite simply, as stated from Rick in a post above, lets say your contract is $4,000. Lets also say that your savings on purchases you intend to make average 25% including fees and shipping. That means you’ll have to purchase at least $16,000 worth of merchandise to at least recoup your membership fee. Do you intend to at least do this? Is the lead time to get your order and likely aggravation really worth it?
Actually folks, retail isn’t as bad a thing as Direct Buy wants us to believe and demonize and so states on their infomercial as “wasting money when you buy something from a store”. Direct Buy’s infomercial correctly states that “retail is the second largest industry in the US”. What they don’t say is that it employs people, provides a living, provides insurance, pays taxes, keeps our economy going, and improves our standard of living. Retail provides a multitude of choice, competition, and instant receipt or delivery in most cases of what we want or desire. Stores even quickly replace or refund your money if we’re not satisfied. Their has to be incentive for someone to make or invent something and provide a service. This isn’t a communist country. It isn’t going to come for free. That’s why there’s some risk utilizing Direct Buy which includes the long and low priority delivery times and possible screw ups on orders, plus their membership fees. Direct Buy is a business middleman like any other retailer buying from a manufacturer. They charge the upfront membership fee to the public plus 8% and the shipping fees to utilize their capability to buy wholesale through their license. They offer the great prices because they have no overhead and no stock. Retailers have to charge more because they do.
Lets be honest. We all want to save a buck. A savvy shopper with determination and patience, plus don’t forget internet access ( thank goodness for the internet ), can still save a bundle. I also use those 1 year no interest fee plans a lot of stores advertise all the time. When I first bought my present home, I went to a local, independently owned furniture store and got a heck of a bargain. He had shelves of furniture books to browse through from all the manufacturers. We eventually went to a local major chain store, wrote the make and models of what we wanted and took them back to him and saved thousands. We even got 1 year with no interest payment. We did, like Direct Buy, have to wait 10 weeks to get the 3 bedroom suit order in. It did have slight damages but he deducted for that and also delivered and set it all up.
As I’ve noted above, Direct Buy can be an effective way for some to save a lot of money. Just be prepared and informed as other people here mentioned. Don’t be fooled by the slick advertising and pressure tactics of Direct Buy whose infomercial is now hosted by Tanya Memme and has Christopher Lowell’s Direct Design Center selections feature and assistance now being touted. If you’re intending on making a large purchase, and don’t mind the tedious researching at their showroom plus the long lead times on delivery and self pickup, Direct Buy may be for you….
Chris,
I wonder if you’ve ever checked the IP addresses of the satisfied DB customers. Seems like they doth protest too much.
This was the best, direct, informational, non-biased opinion I have seen about DirectBuy. They should hire you in public relations.
Thanks everyone for all your comments. We were booked in for this weekend’s open house but after hearing all this, I’m going to cancel. Never mind the member fee – totally outrageous, but all the extra fees and hassle getting the products. I think I’d rather have a root canal!!
WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!! Thanks for saving us all the time, hassle, energy and babysitter fees. We will not be going to our open house appointment on Thursday. Sounds like DB is for house flippers/contractors or people with a lot of money who like to completely redecorate often.
We’re scheduled for an appointment later this month I’m cancelling based on what I’ve been reading here.
While DB doesn’t sound like a scam per se (because it does provide a service), I note with interest that Ohio now provides a 3 day cooling off period. Ohio used to have this for contracts signed in consumers’ homes, but pressure is pressure in home or in showroom, and this sounds like a good step in the consumer protection direction.
I’m surprised to discover that from this reading I’ve also developed a new respect for retailers. Their prices might be a higher, so if you’re looking for savings it might take some shopping around, or waiting for sales, or searching the internet for good prices, but if retailers cushion small buyers from the vicissitudes of dealing directly with manufacturers, maybe that’s worth a couple extra bucks.
Bottom line: Based on the stories I’ve read here, I’m thinking think DB would have to pay me for the time and trouble I’d have to use to shop their “deals”!
I joined by falling for the high-pressure pitch – join now or walk away forever. I cannot find the promised savings and am kicking myself for joining. Local vendors and even Home Depot/Lowes prices are better than DirectBuy because DB tacks on the handling and steep shipping costs. If there is a 3-day cancellation window why can’t there be a 1 or 3-month window to cancel also? If there is the possibility of a class action suit, I would like to participate. This membership is an absolute waste of hard-earned money.
Help! My husband and I joined Direct Buy at the end of August. We were getting married in November (married now!) and knew we’d have a lot of work to do on building up our house (remodeling the kitchen, new furniture, etc.). We both usually have VERY smart heads on our shoulders, but we feel victim to this scam. Alkl the bedroom sets we like, they don’t sell. The kitchen quote just came in and it’s INSANELY above retail. We are not saving money. It’s now been months since we joined. We still have not bought anything. Has anyone been able to get their money back? It cost us $4500 and being newlyweds (or any normal person!) this money would be well put towards something else.
I am very glad I found this posting. Thank you Chris and everyone for all the information. I feel I can now make an informed decision. I am building a house this year and thought this would be a good idea. I have also been in the construction industry for 25 years and I am not reluctant to deal with manufacturers directly. That being said on just principle I could not sign on with a company that has (in at least some of it’s locations) such low level business practices. I could almost understand the high membership fee. I do not understand the sign up now or we are going to ban you. I can only see one explanaton of such a practice and that is simply they want to get your money as soon as possible and they could care less for the customer and if they have that attitude beforeI give them my money how are they going to treat me once they have me locked in to a contract. So for me it’s more of an ethics thing then a savings thing. To Mike from above you are wrong that only people whoe can’t afford the membership fee would feel scammed. I can afford the fee but I would not enjoy having someone take my money under a high pressure sales pitch, not allow me to comparison shop, and refused to refund any part of my fees if I find out that it was a bad deal for my needs and in my area. I did not appreciate your condesending and judgemental tone. However I am glad that in your area and for your needs DB has worked for you.
To Mary Lewis, get over yourself you can not have a 900++++ credit score I don’t care how many dental patients your daughter has. Your anger makes no sense. Is it the gay thing???
PLEASE, Do not ever purchase a Direct Buy Membership it is a SCAM and all the postings I read sound exactly like what I have encountered….Direct Buy needs to be stopped!!!!!! Once you join you can NEVER leave and they treat you like CRAP!!! This is not a beware posting it is a DO NOT EVER, in this lifetime purchase
Hi
I just wonder why people can’t accept their own bad decisions? I could easily see at the open house that you would have to shop through catalogs, you needed to have money upfront, and that you needed to make a lot of purchases to recoup the 5k joining fee. Its like why would a single person join COSTCO to buy meals for one?!? DB was the right choice for my husband and I because we had just bought a new home that needed cosmetic renovations and all new furniture. I went to the open house after having shopped out the best prices on the furniture and cabinetry I wanted. DB even with fees and shipping beat them. I am sorry if people feel scammed but it is really because you didn’t take the time to see if it was the right thing for you. Most states have a cooling off period for you to cancel in too.
Chris
..Not once have I ever felt taken. You dont just join and then STOP being a smart shopper. Sometimes you still have to research a little. Nor do you just shut your eyes, place an order and hope for the best. I’m sorry but these complaints to me hold no weight with blind results.
The only thing you’re doing here is ,letting people(most not all) who don’t want to be responsible for there decissions cry about it and just like many people, they want to blame someone else. This is foolish and very misleading on the part of your readers. Based on what I have read here
Direct Buy has been very upfront on what they do and why.I have never seen an add that proclaims that if someone joins Direct Buy they just hit the lottery .Has any of these people ever offered there lost savings in written proof(apples to apples)? The feeling I’m getting here is that they couldn’t. An thats exactly what a court would want to see. Buy the way the amount of intellegents a person claims they have dosen’t mean their SMART!!! Don’t believe me?? Would you like to talk politics
To Happy DB Shopper: You can’t be that smart, you don’t even know how to spell correctly. Nor do you care about other people, as long as you get what you want. Well, I feel sorry for people like you. Direct Buy is a royal rip-off and is taking advantage people. The number of negative comments FAR exceeds the number of positive comments. And for good reason.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
That is gospel to all consumers these days. You are just plane silly if you do not research before
you consider any product or service. The funny part here is the same goes for Direct Buy.
If DB where truly smart, they would continue this dialog with Chris. What Chris is doing here, and what Direct Buy can leverage from this whole experience is what we call in the marketing business “crowd sourcing”. The word was first coined by Jeff Howe in a June 2006 Wired Magazine article. Wikipedia has a great definition for it here.
“Crowdsourcing is a neologism for the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people, in the form of an open call. For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task, refine an algorithm or help capture, systematize or analyze large amounts of data
In some cases the labor is well-compensated. In other cases the only rewards may be kudos or intellectual satisfaction. Crowdsourcing may produce solutions from amateurs or volunteers working in their spare time, or from small businesses which were unknown to the initiating organization.
Perceived benefits of crowdsourcing include:
* Problems can be explored at comparatively little cost.
* Payment is by results.
* The organization can tap a wider range of talent than might be present in its own organisation.
The difference between crowdsourcing and ordinary outsourcing is that a task or problem is outsourced to the public, rather than another body. The difference between crowdsourcing and open source is that open source production is a cooperative activity initiated and voluntarily undertaken by members of the public. In crowdsourcing the activity is initiated by a client, and the work may be undertaken on an individual, as well as a group, basis.”
So you see, Chris has graciously or perhaps unknowingly volunteered and channeled the collective wisdom of crowdsourcing to Direct Buy. That is free research to a smart and marketing savey company such as DB.
I am willing to bet Sara Shragal, Sr. Communications Coordinator for DirectBuy, Inc. has been in many a meeting where the board poors over data on the investments made to influence and make consumer impressions of the Direct Buy Brand in order to increase it’s equity in the marketplace.
I bet DB has payed for expensive research and expert insite on their web presence and their consumer experience at retail. Those very expensive television spots are not entirely funded by franchisees right? So corporate office bears the cost burdon somewhat in defining and owning the brand known as Direct Buy.
This blog and the opinions on it are an opportune avenue for Direct Buy and it’s franchisee community to allow the consumer to shape their Brand and business model for future success. They need to change their perspective on this dialog here as an item that has to be dealt as an uncontrollable yet normal business reality. I am guessing that is why they hired a well qualified professional such as Sara. No offense Sara.
Come on Direct Buy, live in the twenty first century with the rest of us. The ill informed consumer base that seems to be funding your company, filling up your complaint box and keeping the legal department all frenzied is dwindling. More each day, smart people like Chris are taking back the power of communications for the consumer.
Don’t let old business practices like boiler room sales tactics and selective information sharing lead to ill informed consumers making wool over eye decisions they regret later.
I’m sure this type of consumer behavior is driving record profits for now but ultimately it will just lead to consumer driven anger and backlash partied with judicial rulings shaping your business operations. That is not smart.
Not to be a huckster but take a minute and look at http://www.dellideastorm.com/. That is how you handle a customer. You listen, you take your lumps, you respond in an open dialog, you change and in doing so you make an advocate customer for life. After all isn’t that what retail is all about? Higher profit over longer periods of engagement and transaction with pass along word of mouth recommendations?
Heck, who knows, if you did this right you might even change the manufacturing business while you are at it. Think about that!
If DB had the home improvement masses behind it by listening to them and refining their business model to the their needs, you could turn to the manufacturers (ala Wallmart) and demand they stock exactly what the franchisee needed at the distribution warehouses, and I’d bet they would give you shipping free so franchisee and corporate could turn profit on that instead of having to rely on the hidden inspection fees and large down stroke at consumer sign up.
If manufacturers are upset that other retailers are complaining bout more business going to DB, fine. They can choose to turn away from the DB pipeline at thier own lose. DB is much better off in the trust of your tried and true customer base. Their loss for their old school business practices.
Now I might be a bit of an business idealist here with these views but let me ask you. What will business look like in 10 years? how aobut when our children are building and buying house and furnisings?
Did Michael Dell win in the PC arena by sign up fees and long waits on delivery? No, he innovated a new business avenue within a growing business opportunity. He used the pervasive tools around him combined with vison, just as they are doing now with that website mentioned above. they are crowdsourcing.
Revolutionizing something that existed for a while, improving upon a business in a radical new way, that is what successful business is all about. Sam Walton did it. Why i put forth that this idea is as old as man himself. Abraham innovated by bucking the common business trend of fellow nomadic herdsmen in ancient times by settling in one spot, land owning, and raising riches that far exceeded man of his time. now, good ole Ab did not crowdsource back then, he had one voice leading him, but he innovated unlike any other goat herder doing the same old same old of his time.
So, keep it up Chris. Who knows if youfound your way onto the first results page of the keyword Direct Buy just think what you could do for all us consumers if you expanded your nomadic instincts.
Cheers.
matt
Matt,
Ok. You win.
In the category of Most Intelligent Comment the award goes to . . .
Matt Ciampa!!! (polite applause)
What else can I say here but thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Those are some big ideas. As a teacher of 21st century skills, this is exactly the type of creative thinking I’m all about. Web 2.0 opens the gates to consumer data industry has never had access to before. Innovative companies who aren’t afraid to engage in a dialog, listen and adapt will surely blow by those who would rather be right as opposed to successful.
Thanks again Matt. Now that I have your email, don’t be surprised to see a note from me. Not being the sharpest tool in the shed myself–I thoroughly enjoy the company of creative geniuses such as yourself.
Chris
My wife and I joined 2 months ago in Rockland, MA. I wish that we would have read through this blog, or any of the others out there, prior to joining. Outside of the high pressure sales tactics they fall apart on member service. We were told that DB is like a “Private Country Club” for shopping. On the weekends we’ll find every sales person and associate on the floor helping the open house clients. If we go to the show room during non-open house hours the place is a ghost town.
Thus far we’ve experienced extremely poor customer service. This is by no means a “Private Club” for shopping. In addition, we found that after the order was place the prices paid for the items varied significantly from the listed member price.
The PR rep’s response to questionable sales practice is the exact same you’ll hear at the presentation. They can not truly believe they are selling a good product. Because if they did believe this they would have no problems letting you leave and come back to purchase at a later date… Don’t fall for the scam. Buy direct from retailers, at least you know what you’re getting.
I had been hearing about Direct Buy for a couple years now and had finally went in to see what they were all about. My wife and I instantly thought we were back in Vegas and getting suckered into going to the Tahiti Village time share presentation but without $100 in Flamingo chips and the $100 dinner voucher. I actually “excused” myself to take a quick look around prior to the presentation because I wanted to see it they had the “party balloons” that members “pop” after joining for additional gifts. I saw nothing of the sort and thought maybe this was a legitimate opportunity. That thought lasted until the 1st video was over and out “sales manager” pulled out laminated advertisements from local stores so that he can show us the savings. Long story short, both my wife and I ended up joining and plunking down the $4900.00 membership fee. I can honestly say I was not jazzed about this but didn’t balk when my wife pulled out the credit card. My “spidey senses” were going off but not enough to say “no thanks” and walk away. Come on, who doesn’t want to save money on home furnishings and the like. We only joined because we were thinking of the long term house projects and we had to make a decision that night. Neither one of us had buyers remorse initially but it slowly crept into our thoughts. My wife woke me up at 4:49am this morning and asked if we did the right thing. I said “no,” grumbled a little and went back to sleep. We only joined because it appeared that there may be some benefit to being a member if you are doing a major home remodel, building a house, etc.
I spent the better part of the morning comparing DB prices to “store” prices and have found that initially DB is cheaper BUT you have to add in freight (which I would bet DB pockets as a profit center), the 6% handling fee, the fact that you need to go down to their location and pick up or you can pay an additional shipping charge to have them deliver to your door. From what I found today, the last 5 items I bought for my home were cheaper at the stores than at DB after you add in all the “extra” fees. As of 3:30pm today, April 2, 2008, we are no longer members of Direct Buy. I thought that there would be some sort of confrontation when I said I wanted to cancel but they surprised me and quietly called the store manager. He quickly led me into a back office and canceled our membership. He issued us a refund and handed back our credit card carbons, too easy. He did ask why I told him that in the future DB may be beneficial to us but not at the present moment and it was too bad that we can’t come back……………………………….
Here is the direct quote from the DB manager after my reason for canceling: “Oh, you and your wife can come back and join whenever you want since you did not decline our offer of membership. The doors are always open for you to sign up even though you just canceled your membership, because you joined initially.” What kind of BS is this? I hope they don’t keep the doorman waiting for me to walk back in. Just glad to be done. Learned my lesson.
I would rather go to the store to be able to see, feel, smell the items I want and take them home that very same day. Not go to some industrial office park and sit in a small, dirty office with wall to wall catalogs and “actors,” I mean DB members, diligently doing research and placing orders. Thanks but no thanks.
Haaaa haaa haa! You can tell the real people on here from the DirectBuy employees like night and day. (Honestly, there probably are some normal people who post with neutral/positive comments because they either 1. are trying to justify in their own minds that they weren’t taken, or 2. actually don’t know how much money they lost. Some people do shop at the mall and think they’re saving money.) I was suckered by another buying club, Uniway, that operated in exactly the same manner I see here. That was 15+ years ago and I’m still mad about it. I paid only $1200 then, and at 5%, it’s still worth only $2500 or so today, so it sounds like my “school of hard knocks” lesson was a great bargain! Hey – they really did save me money after all – LOL! Excellent site, Chris. Great work!
Hello Chris
I just want to say thank you. I had made an appointment to attend the DB presentation, but after reading your blog, man you have just saved me three ours of my time by not going to the presentation; and God knows how much money i save by not signing. The reason why i was considering DB was, i though it was hassle free, now i see that is not the case. I’m better of buying ONLINE. I get endless selection of retailers. I don’t have to spend gas driving from store to store, or dealing with mean sales rep that didn’t get any the night before.
Thanks again. This blog is very educational
Dear Chris and Friends
Your web site and all the “Respondents” do justice to the American way of speaking honestly. I am glad that you began this project and wish the best of luck to all the people who feel cheated by DB. I too have a story to tell, although it has a happy ending (thanks in most part to your respondents comments).
It all started with that TV commercial. Sounded good. My wife and I are remodeling a 60-year-old two-story Cape Cod here in Tidewater Virginia. By now the landscape is 99% completed (just trimming bushes and pulling dandelions… a never ending chore), the house outside is 85% complete (just rebuild 2 decks, its railings, and install 4 new entrance lights) but the inside has some major projects to complete, especially the kitchen. We saw that kitchen in the commercial… WOW! And asked ourselves… “Should we refinish the kitchen cabinets or replace them? Does the kitchen counter stay or go? (A no brainer) Do we pick out a new stainless steel sink or have one as a component of the counter. And what about the dishwasher, electric stove, and refrigerator? How much to spend and where to buy…SEARS or Lowe’s?”
Major questions we had not addresses yet and thought maybe…maybe… DB would mean BIG SAVINGS.
So I got on line, selected the hot button and applied for an appointment. We live about 3 hours from the store in Richmond and 3 hours from the store in Norfolk, so I called their customer service and explained that we could not confirm a date. The service representative understood and sent an “Open Invitation” anyway. They explained that when and where we decided to go, just call the store before we leave the house and they will be looking forward to seeing us. Well that was 8 months ago and the invitation just sat on the steps to our staircase. Finally three weeks ago we were going up to Richmond and I said, “Hey, lets leave an hour early, swing by DB and check it out.” So that morning I called the store, was passed around, and finally got the manager.
I explained why it took us so long to use the “Visitor Pass” and that we were interested in looking at his kitchen models, and that maybe DB could save us some money. That’s when his sales pitch began and I realized what a mistake (my opinion now!) I was getting into. According to him, we would go through an orientation program first, then have to commit right then and there (sign the membership) before he would let us see his kitchen items and there were no “Kitchen Settings” to look at but catalogues. And the way he spoke to me, I felt like he was challenging me to show I had money to do this.
I vaguely remembered that it was a large sum of money to sign up (and only now know it is several thousands of dollars), so I baulked. I told him no thank you. I can buy a lot of kitchen improvements for the membership fee.
I happened to see the TV commercial again tonight and decided to investigate DB and see if they are genuine. I went to Google, typed in Direct Buy testimonials, and found your site immediately.
I am so glad I let my better judgment lead the way. After reading the first 8 respondents I see I made the right decision. Thanks for having this web site open to everyone and I hope all those who feel cheated get some resolution.
Sincerely
CRG of Gloucester
Do you realize only 13 of 61 postings are from actual members?
Fiona, what’s your point?
There are a lot of people who don’t post, and some are so humiliated to have been taken to the cleaners that they will not say anything.
In a sense, I’ glad I found this site and the other ones where all people agree that Direct Buy is a big scam but I can say that even if I attended their presentation, there is no way I would have agreed to pay anything more than $100.00 for their membership, and that is if I thought it was really worthwhile. Thousands of $$$?, No way!
Now, about the cooling period, most of the states have a 3 days one.
To the people who have been cheated, try to find an attorney who is willing to work with you and start a class action. These people have to be stopped.
My wife and I went to DB sales pitch meeting. They are very cunning in their presentation. All basic, gut level psychological ploys are in play. My wife said after the presentation, “sleazy”. One and done is not sound business, it’s a disposable (disposable buyer) mentality, one that smacks of a con.
We were of course allowed to finance the balance over 2.5 years for only 17.99%! We walked.
Johanna, should everyone who got sold a timeshare they dont use file a class action suit too? Everyone has a sales pitch. I made a shopping list of what I needed for my home renovation and had priced all of it at wholesalers, stores, and internet and direct buy’s prices (including their annoying fee!!) beat them and we have saved about four times the joining fee. I know their sales pitch is strong because I overhear them give it to visitors every time I’m there. When I over hear the small amount of stuff some people want to buy I want to pull them aside and tell them that they are morons if they buy the mebership. Direct Buy is great if you want to do a remodel or renovation or if you flip houses…if you just want to redo a bathroom..go to home depot or something. Do you want to know why there is no class action suit..because caveat emptor.
Hi,
My story with DirectBuy is the following:
I visited the showroom in Greenville, SC. I was intrigued by the business model. Heck, wherever there is a good deal, I’m always eager to explore it. After all: One dollar saved, is one dollar earned.
So this is how it went for me:
I had only heard of DirectBuy from an infomercial.
I make an appointment and show up by myself. I was greeted by a woman at a desk, logged in, given a name tag, and asked to sit in the little waiting room.
An older couple enters and does the same.
After about 10 minutes a gentleman appears, introduces himself, and asks me to follow him.
I follow him as we walk through a big room, with many desks, shelves with catalogs, computers, some props (i.e. doors, windows, etc…), and even a room where children can play while parents are doing “business”.
Again, keep in mind I had no prior bias or knowledge of this business so I didn’t know what to expect. I did however expect a large warehouse to the like of Home Depot, etc… Not having that intrigued me even more.
So we sat down, the sales person across from me at one of the desks.
He looks at me and I look at him in silence. I break the silence by reminding him that he is the sales person here and I’m here to listen to his pitch. He wakes up.
So he begins the way any sales person should begin: he builds rapport. In plain english that means he’s trying to find a common denominator to make me feel at ease with him. In its simplest form the benefit of this is that it makes the customer more open to listening to what you have to say. After all, we’re more eager to trust those who we like – if we like them, they most likely like us, and a person who likes me wouldn’t want to cheat me — or would they?
So I find out the one thing we have in common is New Jersey. He comes from NJ, I came from NJ (keep in mind this is the Greenville, SC showroom). So we have some small talk.
On to business…
He explained to me the format: his role, followed by a presentation, and finally after the presentation I would come back to him with any questions.
He then went into how much money I would be able to save with DirectBuy. The picture he painted sounded as a pretty good deal. But as we know, if a deal sounds too good to be true… well you know.
Upon asking him one or two questions to how the business worked he would dodge the questions by telling me that everything will be explained to me in the presentation that was to follow.
Remember that I did not know anything about DirectBuy coming in. The skeptic (and business person) in me used common sense and figured that this is a business, and any business needs to make a profit. So the question was plain and simple “how do you make money?”
The answer was for me to wait till the presentation.
Well… having business experience myself, I used the rapport that we had built in my favor. I continued telling him that if they don’t make any money on the merchandise then there must be some sort of membership fee. It’s simply business logic: money has to come from somewhere. I was thinking along the lines of big box stores (i.e. Sam’s Club, BJ’s, etc…) where you pay a small membership fee to be able to get the savings.
Having brought up the membership fee he again said to wait for the presentation. I continued by telling him that I’m sure there must be some sort of membership fee because you gotta figure that someone has to pay for the showroom, all the way down to his salary. When I broke it down like that he blushed and smirked. I asked him if he can tell me if it’s more than $50, where he really smiled and told me to hold on for the presentation.
So on to the presentation…
We walk into a room with rows of seat. There are no other distractions other than a flat screen TV, desk under the TV, a DVD player, and white walls.
The room fills up to around 10 people including myself plus the speaker.
We watch an informercial explaining how DirectBuy works (their business model), testimonials, savings, etc… but what I was really waiting for was “the catch”. I paid attention to everything because I didn’t want to miss anything. I was waiting for something along the lines “and for $50 membership fee, you can…”
So the presentation goes on and nothing is revealed. Just happy customers.
The speaker then does his thing and tries to get everyone involved. He puts people on the spot, asking simple questions that he thinks he will get predictable answers.
He then asks me something to the likes of “when you go to a car dealership, and you see a nice car in the showroom, that is the car you want right?” Thinking if that’s what I really would do I replied to him something to the effect of “no, I would not. I would make sure to shop around, compare, and get the best deal for me”. Needless to say, he never called on me again because I could derail his evangelism.
Finally he popped the membership fee of $4,300 or $4,500. It’s been about a year ago so I don’t recall the exact number, but I know it had two too many zeroes. Yes, I almost choked upon hearing the number. I couldn’t believe people in the room were still considering… the room almost had the aura of “wow that’s a bargain”.
The speaker continued on a little whiteboard doing some math on how much the savings were gonna be, and that the membership fee was merely a fool-proof investment.
After the presentation which had a brainwashing feel to it, we were picked up by our guides (in my case the guy from NJ). I just remember him because he had funny ears.
What I thought was funny was that we were told not to ask any questions during the presentation and leave it till afterwards. Of course, I thought, it would be too inconvenient if someone like me was going to start think up questions others might not even have thought of. In other words, they did not want a “bad apple” (in their eyes) to spoil it for them… To them I’m a “bad apple”, to consumers I’m merely cautious, and want to be as educated as possible. After all, I thought, if I’m to spend over $4,000 (four thousand dollars), I have the right to ask questions until I turn blue, as I have the right to get satisfactory answers. Until that happens, my checkbook stays closed.
He asked me what I thought of the presentation.
I answered to him that as I had predicted there was a membership fee. I felt somewhat happy that I was right, but expressed to him that the fee itself is ridiculous.
So he challenged me to test the whole DirectBuy process. I thought that was a great idea! So I told him that the day before I had bought a bed in Ashley’s Furniture. Luckily, one of their merchants is Ashley’s. Great! So I told him I just had to drive home to get the invoice to get the part number, and he said that I couldn’t leave. Once I leave I can’t take advantage of it anymore. (So the whole protecting the merchants, etc… is a load of bullshit because in this case I just wanted to go home and be back in 5 minutes… why would I want to do a business who doesn’t trust the potential customer so blatantly?)
But anyway, I gave the collection name and a description of the unique design features. We went through different catalogs and finally after a good half hour of looking, we found the collection with all the design features I described (so he knew I wasn’t pulling his leg) with the bed itself missing. They told me they didn’t have it! They asked me to look for something else. Okay, I’m always up for the challenge…
So I asked them to look up a recently purchased mattress. Okay, so I had doubted them with the Ashley’s Furniture that yielded no matches. After the mattress was not found I just bursted out laughing and asked that “this is what you guys want $4000 for?”
Alright, so at this point I was still sitting there. The guy in front of me was quiet again, just staring at me.
So I wake him up again, reminding him that he has to try to sell me. He then continued as if there was nothing wrong with the picture, as I had told him to. I gave him another chance at selling me: “In the presentation you had multiple happy customers… I would like for you to pull up some of these customers’ accounts on the computer so I can look at an average member’s savings.” I got the “sorry cannot do that out of privacy to the client”. So then I said “ok, fair enough. The customers in the video however have agreed to swear up and down how great DirectBuy is… let me talk to those same people.” Not possible. Strange? I thought so too. I mean if I was happy with someone, giving a testimonial, sure, have them call me, I’d looooove to rave and brag about my great find and savings. In other words, there was no way for me to speak with one of their happy customers, no see any numbers, etc…
I recapped the whole thing to him in plain English: “So you want me to spend $4,000, without being able to go home and grab an invoice to try to find the exact item, without giving me time to think about it, not seeing any real savings by customers, without contacting your happy customers?”
I noticed his gold wrist watch. So I asked him whether or not he bought it. He said yes. I asked him if he picked it randomly? He said no. I asked him whether or not he was blindfolded when he picked it? He said no. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this, but he was quite oblivious to it. So I continued telling him that he can correct me if I’m wrong, but that he picked that watch after having shopped around, so he got the best deal for the watch he wanted. He confirmed. So I asked him how that is any different from what I’m asking for? Again, I got the same blank stare at me.
I mean come on! The DirectBuy excuse that they do this to protect the merchants is a load of crock. Sam’s, BJ’s, BigLots, etc… they do the same thing just with other products and you don’t see other stores like Bilo, ShopRite, WholeFoods, etc.. go out of business. The real reason is just like the not being able to ask questions during the presentation: “It would cause waves and make the card tower collapse that they worked so hard to build.” In simple words: the more time they give people to think about it, do research, become educated, the less likely they will be able to convince people that this is a good buy.
He asked me if I’d like to signup. He obviously had not read between the lines.
I left happy knowing I just saved or earned (depending on how you want to look at it) over $4,000!
It does bother me though to see this company expand. That simply means they are successfully cashing in on people who want to save. People who want to save that bad are probably the last people who can afford to be “ripped off” (for a lack of better word). In addition to this these are the same people who may not have the financial brains to think this through – real victims. It’s almost like watching a herd running towards a cliff as you stand too far away from them to hear you say “DON’T DO IT! STOP!”
Hi,
My story with DirectBuy is the following:
I visited the showroom in Greenville, SC. I was intrigued by the business model. Heck, wherever there is a good deal, I’m always eager to explore it. After all: One dollar saved, is one dollar earned.
So this is how it went for me:
I had only heard of DirectBuy from an infomercial.
I make an appointment and show up by myself. I was greeted by a woman at a desk, logged in, given a name tag, and asked to sit in the little waiting room.
An older couple enters and does the same.
After about 10 minutes a gentleman appears, introduces himself, and asks me to follow him.
I follow him as we walk through a big room, with many desks, shelves with catalogs, computers, some props (i.e. doors, windows, etc…), and even a room where children can play while parents are doing “business”.
Again, keep in mind I had no prior bias or knowledge of this business so I didn’t know what to expect. I did however expect a large warehouse to the like of Home Depot, etc… Not having that intrigued me even more.
So we sat down, the sales person across from me at one of the desks.
He looks at me and I look at him in silence. I break the silence by reminding him that he is the sales person here and I’m here to listen to his pitch. He wakes up.
So he begins the way any sales person should begin: he builds rapport. In plain english that means he’s trying to find a common denominator to make me feel at ease with him. In its simplest form the benefit of this is that it makes the customer more open to listening to what you have to say. After all, we’re more eager to trust those who we like – if we like them, they most likely like us, and a person who likes me wouldn’t want to cheat me — or would they?
So I find out the one thing we have in common is New Jersey. He comes from NJ, I came from NJ (keep in mind this is the Greenville, SC showroom). So we have some small talk.
On to business…
He explained to me the format: his role, followed by a presentation, and finally after the presentation I would come back to him with any questions.
He then went into how much money I would be able to save with DirectBuy. The picture he painted sounded as a pretty good deal. But as we know, if a deal sounds too good to be true… well you know.
Upon asking him one or two questions to how the business worked he would dodge the questions by telling me that everything will be explained to me in the presentation that was to follow.
Remember that I did not know anything about DirectBuy coming in. The skeptic (and business person) in me used common sense and figured that this is a business, and any business needs to make a profit. So the question was plain and simple “how do you make money?”
The answer was for me to wait till the presentation.
Well… having business experience myself, I used the rapport that we had built in my favor. I continued telling him that if they don’t make any money on the merchandise then there must be some sort of membership fee. It’s simply business logic: money has to come from somewhere. I was thinking along the lines of big box stores (i.e. Sam’s Club, BJ’s, etc…) where you pay a small membership fee to be able to get the savings.
Having brought up the membership fee he again said to wait for the presentation. I continued by telling him that I’m sure there must be some sort of membership fee because you gotta figure that someone has to pay for the showroom, all the way down to his salary. When I broke it down like that he blushed and smirked. I asked him if he can tell me if it’s more than $50, where he really smiled and told me to hold on for the presentation.
So on to the presentation…
We walk into a room with rows of seat. There are no other distractions other than a flat screen TV, desk under the TV, a DVD player, and white walls.
The room fills up to around 10 people including myself plus the speaker.
We watch an informercial explaining how DirectBuy works (their business model), testimonials, savings, etc… but what I was really waiting for was “the catch”. I paid attention to everything because I didn’t want to miss anything. I was waiting for something along the lines “and for $50 membership fee, you can…”
So the presentation goes on and nothing is revealed. Just happy customers.
The speaker then does his thing and tries to get everyone involved. He puts people on the spot, asking simple questions that he thinks he will get predictable answers.
He then asks me something to the likes of “when you go to a car dealership, and you see a nice car in the showroom, that is the car you want right?” Thinking if that’s what I really would do I replied to him something to the effect of “no, I would not. I would make sure to shop around, compare, and get the best deal for me”. Needless to say, he never called on me again because I could derail his evangelism.
Finally he popped the membership fee of $4,300 or $4,500. It’s been about a year ago so I don’t recall the exact number, but I know it had two too many zeroes. Yes, I almost choked upon hearing the number. I couldn’t believe people in the room were still considering… the room almost had the aura of “wow that’s a bargain”.
The speaker continued on a little whiteboard doing some math on how much the savings were gonna be, and that the membership fee was merely a fool-proof investment.
After the presentation which had a brainwashing feel to it, we were picked up by our guides (in my case the guy from NJ). I just remember him because he had funny ears.
What I thought was funny was that we were told not to ask any questions during the presentation and leave it till afterwards. Of course, I thought, it would be too inconvenient if someone like me was going to start think up questions others might not even have thought of. In other words, they did not want a “bad apple” (in their eyes) to spoil it for them… To them I’m a “bad apple”, to consumers I’m merely cautious, and want to be as educated as possible. After all, I thought, if I’m to spend over $4,000 (four thousand dollars), I have the right to ask questions until I turn blue, as I have the right to get satisfactory answers. Until that happens, my checkbook stays closed.
He asked me what I thought of the presentation.
I answered to him that as I had predicted there was a membership fee. I felt somewhat happy that I was right, but expressed to him that the fee itself is ridiculous.
So he challenged me to test the whole DirectBuy process. I thought that was a great idea! So I told him that the day before I had bought a bed in Ashley’s Furniture. Luckily, one of their merchants is Ashley’s. Great! So I told him I just had to drive home to get the invoice to get the part number, and he said that I couldn’t leave. Once I leave I can’t take advantage of it anymore. (So the whole protecting the merchants, etc… is a load of bullshit because in this case I just wanted to go home and be back in 5 minutes… why would I want to do a business who doesn’t trust the potential customer so blatantly?)
But anyway, I gave the collection name and a description of the unique design features. We went through different catalogs and finally after a good half hour of looking, we found the collection with all the design features I described (so he knew I wasn’t pulling his leg) with the bed itself missing. They told me they didn’t have it! They asked me to look for something else. Okay, I’m always up for the challenge…
So I asked them to look up a recently purchased mattress. Okay, so I had doubted them with the Ashley’s Furniture that yielded no matches. After the mattress was not found I just bursted out laughing and asked that “this is what you guys want $4000 for?”
Alright, so at this point I was still sitting there. The guy in front of me was quiet again, just staring at me.
So I wake him up again, reminding him that he has to try to sell me. He then continued as if there was nothing wrong with the picture, as I had told him to. I gave him another chance at selling me: “In the presentation you had multiple happy customers… I would like for you to pull up some of these customers’ accounts on the computer so I can look at an average member’s savings.” I got the “sorry cannot do that out of privacy to the client”. So then I said “ok, fair enough. The customers in the video however have agreed to swear up and down how great DirectBuy is… let me talk to those same people.” Not possible. Strange? I thought so too. I mean if I was happy with someone, giving a testimonial, sure, have them call me, I’d looooove to rave and brag about my great find and savings. In other words, there was no way for me to speak with one of their happy customers, no see any numbers, etc…
I recapped the whole thing to him in plain English: “So you want me to spend $4,000, without being able to go home and grab an invoice to try to find the exact item, without giving me time to think about it, not seeing any real savings by customers, without contacting your happy customers?”
I noticed his gold wrist watch. So I asked him whether or not he bought it. He said yes. I asked him if he picked it randomly? He said no. I asked him whether or not he was blindfolded when he picked it? He said no. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this, but he was quite oblivious to it. So I continued telling him that he can correct me if I’m wrong, but that he picked that watch after having shopped around, so he got the best deal for the watch he wanted. He confirmed. So I asked him how that is any different from what I’m asking for? Again, I got the same blank stare at me.
I mean come on! The DirectBuy excuse that they do this to protect the merchants is a load of crock. Sam’s, BJ’s, BigLots, etc… they do the same thing just with other products and you don’t see other stores like Bilo, ShopRite, WholeFoods, etc.. go out of business. The real reason is just like the not being able to ask questions during the presentation: “It would cause waves and make the card tower collapse that they worked so hard to build.” In simple words: the more time they give people to think about it, do research, become educated, the less likely they will be able to convince people that this is a good buy.
He asked me if I’d like to signup. He obviously had not read between the lines.
I left happy knowing I just saved or earned (depending on how you want to look at it) over $4,000!
It does bother me though to see this company expand. That simply means they are successfully cashing in on people who want to save. People who want to save that bad are probably the last people who can afford to be “ripped off” (for a lack of better word). In addition to this these are the same people who may not have the financial brains to think this through. It’s almost like watching a herd running towards a cliff as you stand too far away from them to hear you say “DON’T DO IT! STOP!”
I answered to him that as I had predicted there was a membership fee. I felt somewhat happy that I was right, but expressed to him that the fee itself is ridiculous.
So he challenged me to test the whole DirectBuy process. I thought that was a great idea! So I told him that the day before I had bought a bed in Ashley’s Furniture. Luckily, one of their merchants is Ashley’s. Great! So I told him I just had to drive home to get the invoice to get the part number, and he said that I couldn’t leave. Once I leave I can’t take advantage of it anymore. (So the whole protecting the merchants, etc… is a load of bullshit because in this case I just wanted to go home and be back in 5 minutes… why would I want to do a business who doesn’t trust the potential customer so blatantly?)
But anyway, I gave the collection name and a description of the unique design features. We went through different catalogs and finally after a good half hour of looking, we found the collection with all the design features I described (so he knew I wasn’t pulling his leg) with the bed itself missing. They told me they didn’t have it! They asked me to look for something else. Okay, I’m always up for the challenge…
So I asked them to look up a recently purchased mattress. Okay, so I had doubted them with the Ashley’s Furniture that yielded no matches. After the mattress was not found I just bursted out laughing and asked that “this is what you guys want $4000 for?”
Alright, so at this point I was still sitting there. The guy in front of me was quiet again, just staring at me.
So I wake him up again, reminding him that he has to try to sell me. He then continued as if there was nothing wrong with the picture, as I had told him to. I gave him another chance at selling me: “In the presentation you had multiple happy customers… I would like for you to pull up some of these customers’ accounts on the computer so I can look at an average member’s savings.” I got the “sorry cannot do that out of privacy to the client”. So then I said “ok, fair enough. The customers in the video however have agreed to swear up and down how great DirectBuy is… let me talk to those same people.” Not possible. Strange? I thought so too. I mean if I was happy with someone, giving a testimonial, sure, have them call me, I’d looooove to rave and brag about my great find and savings. In other words, there was no way for me to speak with one of their happy customers, no see any numbers, etc…
Just wondering if anyone know how to get ahold of anyone at Direct Buy? We recently bought a small table through my sister from DB. Not a big purchase – only $166, but once assembled – one chair isn’t correct and requires the replacement of one small part (one leg). We are happy with the product, but need a new chair leg. The DB member has called DB 10 times now to inquire on the return or replacement part – no call back. We even sent an email directly to the manufacturer who told us they couldn’t deal with us directly. This is DB in Calgary Alberta – of course there are no email addresses listed – and no other way of contacting them. Does anyone no how to get to the franchise owner or corporate office for help? It has now been 10 days – 10 phone calls – and no call backs!
It’s a sad state of affairs when in this day in age , after all the information out there, we find ourselves in such a mess. My mother has recently purchased a membership for herself but mainly for me since I was doing some major remodeling soon. I immediately told her get your money back . Later to find they dont have any type of satisfaction garauntee . Stuck to say the least. Savings are too minimal to justify this expensive membership. High pressure on an Elderly lady got her!!! If any Class action Lawsuit starts Count me In… Long Beach Ca..
I joined direct buy one year ago and have never looked back , i have bought a Home and completely renovated it from top to bottom saving myself about $20,000. I got the local kitchen store to come in and price a new solid wood kitchen including granite counter tops , they priced me $30,000 i got the exact same kitchen for $12,000 with direct buy. I also bought a 52″ sony bravia plamsa tv at direct buy for $1800 the same tv on sale at best buy was $2599 it was priced $1399 on the net.I have recouped my memebership fee 3 fold just with these 2 items and our showroom staff have been excellent ,they are always helpfull and courtious. Direct buy is not a scam it is for people who have major refurnishing or renovations to complete and who have cash readily available to purchase the items. With all my purchases I first research them on the internet and in stores and even with tax , shipping and handling i still get my items cheaper at direct buy ,some with only small savings but others like my kitchen with big savings. im glad i joined.
to people who are sceptical on joining direct buy
make a shopping list and take your prices to the show room and compare them and then make up your own mind most people on this site are biased because a .they cant afford the fee or b. they joined and find that they only need some small items and will never recoupe the fee because they went in unprepared and got taken advantage off i feel sorry for them.If you are only buying a small amount of furniture for a room dont join , but if you have major work to be done remodelling etc. Direct Buy is worth it.
Happy DB Member
Hi all:
This is the same Don from the first post. After reading all these posts I felt I had to chime back in. My wife and I have been involved in a total makeover and addition to our house. I am a contractor by trade. We have had many headaches with DB but we have recouped our membership fee and more. We did this by doing our research. Both of my kids have new bedroom furniture. One set was bought at a large retailer, and the other at DB. I buy my Kohler products from the internet and Pacific sales, I bought my wood flooring from a dealer in L.A. I have found that there are some wholesalers ( Tile ) where you can go directly to them and buy at DB prices with your membership card. I just bought a 57″ plasma from Costco, mainly from price, but also I can’t imagine having a product like that go through the DB warehouse. We are almost done and I am in the middle of building an out door kitchen. I will be getting those componants (BBQ ect from DB because of the huge savings). The 7 month front door was 2k in savings from the door outlet around the corner from my house ( internet prices also, same exact door and manufacturer).
I guess what Im trying to say is that there are no wrong comments, pro or con about DB in this thread and I wanted to document to everyone that not all purchases can be made at DB if you do any research at all. If you have a large project and time to drive around and look at what you want to buy, then go to DB and check prices and availablity, then weigh the costs. You could recoup your fee and save some money. But as I stated above, time is money also. I have heard the # of 16,000 to recoup 4000 in fees but in real life I would put the number at around 60,000 to see any real savings due to the fact that as I have stated above, to get the biggest bang for your buck, you will be doing alot of shopping around and buying at least 30k of merchandise from the internet and retailers. For a way around the DB employees lack of knowledge and sometimes apathy. My wife and I have found that we try and go back to the same 2 people whenever possible (in person and on the phone) that has seemed to help alot.
Someone has posted that people need to quit whining an talking about class action suits and take responsibility for their own decisions but I believe that my wife and I were lucky that we were intending on making alot of large purchases in a short time frame because the presentation that we received during our first visit to DB was a hard sale with some less then upfront statements.
I hope this post helps everyone. Those already suckered in, those who have dodged the bullet, and those that may acually be able to save some real money by joining DB. For those of you who are already members, do your research on products that you may want to buy, We have found some things to not be worth the time to drive to DB twice, but others to be well worth it. Oh yea, DB website hahahahahaha, for heavens sake DB trolls reading this post, put some of these peoples membership money into updating, and making that site about 10 times more user friendly. About the only thing that site is good for is the link to the manufacturers websites, and even then your missing about 60% of your venders….sheesh, someones 16 year old kid could put together something better then that disaster. How cool would it be to be able to acually see product, prices, and order without having to set foot in a DB showroom. I would even give up the open house cookies for that!
DB made false claims, we have yet to make a purchase from them. By the time shipping and handling is added, the price is higher that buying locally. I don’t understand how they can continue to make unsubstantiated claims and stay in business. $4,800 down the drain!
Myra
My wife and I joined almost a year ago. I am a sales person and I can say that the pressure to purchase now at DB is pretty high. Be that as it may, we chose to join because we felt that with the remodel of our house we would save enough to justify the membership.
First off the shopping experience at Direct Buy is not condusive to how most people shop. Looking at catalogs and guessing on quality is not a good way to shop. Consumers determine the value of products based on how it looks in person. We want to be able to hold it and see it to determine if it is what we want. You cannot do this at Direct Buy.
Beyond that DB is NOT much cheaper than others. Our first project was windows. First off, no matter what DB says, they do not sell windows. We were sent to local distributors to get pricing on windows, siding, gutters, and doors. So after the distributor quoted his marked up price I had to take the bid back to DB to order. When I did DB marked it up 8% and then tacked on shipping and handeling. I called back to the distributor to ask if his price included shipping and handeling, he said yes. So DB was trying to charge me a phony s & h charge to get more money.
I ended up buying higher quality windows elsewhere for about 15% less. DIRECT BUY IS A SCAM. With a little of your own research you can find it cheaper elsewhere. DB is in business to make money. They make it off the membership fee, the mark ups, and any other way they can.
I just asked Direct Buy to quote a large order of Peach Tree windows for a new building. This is the first time I tried to purchase anything from DB. It took 2 weeks to get the quote back and it was significantly higher than Lowes for the same product. I ended up buying higher quality Andersen windows from Home Depot for less money. I am extremely disappointed since the whole pitch was that one could save substantially if buiding or renovating through DB’s direct purchase program. I would be very interested in participating in a class action as their practices are clearly deceptive.
Here is what is scary–from the BBB of Colorado files.
************************
Name: Direct Buy of Colorado Springs
Phone: (719) 591-0700
Address: 4815 List Dr #112
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
Original Business Start Date: January 2000
Principal: Ms. Brooke Ellis, General Manager
Customer Contact: Ms. Brooke Ellis, General Manager – (719) 591-0700
TOB Classification: Wholesalers & Distributors
BBB Accreditation: This organization is a BBB Accredited business.
Additional DBA Names
U C C Total Home of Colorado Springs (former)
BBB Accreditation Status
This company has been a BBB Accredited business since August 2000. This means it supports the BBB’s services to the public and meets our BBB Accreditation standards.
Program Participation
This company participates in the BBB Accreditation Identification Program and has agreed to use special procedures including arbitration, if necessary, to resolve disputes.
Customer Experience
Based on BBB files, this company has a satisfactory record with the BBB. A satisfactory record means a company has been in business for at least 12 months, and properly addressed matters referred by the BBB. The company does not have an unusual volume of complaints, or any government actions involving its marketplace conduct. The BBB understands and has no concerns about the company’s products, services and type of business.
****************************************
Wow! scary! The BBB has “no concerns about the company’s products, services, and type of business.”
I guess the BBB has not yet sat in on a sales pitch! In truth, unfortunately when it comes to the BBB, a company can buy a good rating. In exchange for membership dues, the BBB looks the other way.
This same scam used to be run by a company named Unimart, which then changed names to US Direct in the 1990′s. The company is now out of business. Those lifetime memberships Unimart sold for $1200 aren’t worth anything now.
The business model does eventually collapse. The reason Direct Buy is expanding so quickly is out of necessity—-in a few years, they will have saturated the marketplace, and will not be able to find enough victims to pay the membership fee.
The marketplace will even the score in time, but many will be ripped off in the process.
“SS: To ensure that our members receive the items they requested in ideal condition, our product service staff receives and inspects each piece of merchandise ordered through DirectBuy. Some items include a 6-8% charge to cover this. As I mentioned, this is not an aspect of our business that we profit from, but a service that we provide for our members.”
So why is it then that you have to pay the service fee on kitchen cabinets, that ship directly to your residence? You are required to inspect the cabinets yourself – this is written on the drawings and paperwork produced by DirectBuy.
THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ha ha ha ) so we turn key adn of course it did not work but we got a fake gold bracelet adn to go travel in Bahamas just have to pay 30$ , and then we had that orientation which they promise 90 min but actually it was 3 hrs adn 15 min. and my husband was late on work , plus they said 4,000 k for membership and we filled application because honestly we started to believe that they are cheap !!! we have to bring that money by tommorow(because my husband saud he will take money from bank in cash and bring it in ) but they can dream about it they are not getting it.
Thanks God that I did research fpr this crap of DB.
Here is my story :
Today me and my husband went on orientation to try our key that we receaved in our mail (they said if the key turn we can get 50,000$ in home make over or in cash
so my advice dont go on that oriantation they are scammers, and yes they act so nice, they bring you damn dringsd thet act nice, everything perfect but they dont mansion all that liying of course!!
TAHNKS ALL FOR SHARING1!!!!
My experience was actually very nice at DB. I did not join because I was not making enough purchases (living in an apartment), to make it pay off.
The staff was professional. I did not feel pressured. I guess that can vary from location to location??
What I don’t understand is why people get so mad if they didn’t even join? You always have the decision to say no. Maybe they just couldn’t afford it and have to rationalize it by venting?? Who knows?
I too told them I was already in the process of renovating my kitchen and could not see the advantage of joining. However, the salesman gave me the strong pitch of think of your children, your friends, your family can benefit etc etc, I fell for it but went back a few days later and begged to be refunded my money. They did at least give me back half of the 4000 dollars. Their excuse was that they had already paid the Corporation their fee and could not refund more.I left in tears, Darn sometimes even when I have a gut feeling something is not right I still fall for the song and dance. I have tried to buy from DB via the internet but have never found a lower price with their vendors. There are so many other resources with better prices. I suffered financial loss and I think any company with pride should refund someone for a sincere reason,
Nice! I am glad there are bloggers out there who actually care to warn others. I was getting ready to go to that place, but many things seemed off to me, so I looked up “direct buy testimonials” and bingo: your blob came up. I am glad I read all herein… Definitely not going now! I had no idea those people were daring to ask for all that money! Would have been a lost of time!
We wish we had found this site before we went to the presentation for Direct Buy- we also are amount the dumb ones. We went to the one at Richland WA on the 19th then did some research on them and found all of the negative comments. I contacted the WA State ATG office and did as they instructed. Sent them a certified letter which they got yesterday July 22. We post-dated a check for Aug 5th for $250.00 (which we will just put stop payment on) and pd $250.00 cash for the other part. If we don’t get our $250.00 back we will file a formal compliant against them. Beings that we post-dated the check we never recieved the membership packet or the copy of the contract. I guess if we never get our other $250.00 back it will be cheaper than paying the whole amount, and a lesson learned!
Found your site afetr looking for an old buddy of mine that Might be one of the owners. I worked for UCC back over 30 years ago in Highland, IN. although there were some challenges with orders and deliveries, I recall signing up individuals that had saved thousands of dollars off of their best price in shopping for a car. In two instances I recall saving a customer over 5K on a Cadillac and over $3500 on the price of a Mustang. We had customers that loved us and we had those that could not be pleased no matter what. Overall I know that we served a great purpose to the majority of our members.
Me and my girlfriend are broke! We have been trying to get a house for some time now. We got invited to our local showroom and got blown away by the sales pitch. It seemed like there were more than a few members in there and they were all happy with thier membership. So thinking we could save more cause we are broke I thought it would be a good idea. I even thought heck I could buy some watches and sell them on E-Bay or something and get my membership fee back. So we signed up and they took all that I had. Right after we walked out of the door the good angel on my right shoulder told me this was a bad idea anjd to cancel right away. I tried to cancel just a few min after I signed and they locked the door on us. I called my bank to try to stop them and it already went through. Im really in a jam now so if your reading this DONT SIGN ANYTHING! Let them pressure you and tell you all they want. Just take the gift cards and drive away….fast
We have been members for 11 years. Signed up when the enrollment was only $1500. It has been a struggle to break even on the costs. They don’t have the manufacturer you want, they don’t have the model you want, they don’t have the up-to-date prices etc. The cost savings don’t factor in the hours you have to spend hunting and researching to see if you are actually saving money or not. We saved big on a sectional couch for the family room. Bought a snow blower for a theoretical savings of $200 and walked into Home Depot the next week and saw the same model for the same price and no waiting for delivery, freight etc. My wife just walked out of the showroom earlier today after trying to buy a Panasonic 50″ plasma TV. On the Panasonic website, Future Shop, etc the MSRP is $3000. At DB the MSRP is $3600 and the discounted price is $2950. Hence the walk out after asking the staff to confirm and being told the DB price was accurate. Also just received a letter from them saying I have to buy a new membership even though I was told the first time that after the initial membership I had a locked in annual fee for the rest of the 10 years and then I would pay an annual fee set at the time (which is what I did last year as it only went up $50). Last year my wife bought a tread mill I had found on their web site that seemed a good deal. Except she ended up paying $150 more on the base price than the price listed on the DB web site. So, in summary I would say it used to be better than it was (much easier to save $1500 than $4000-$6000!), no where near as good as advertised, and you must be rich and planning major renovations to come out ahead. Needless to say we are not buying a ‘new’ membership for the low low price of $1800!
Here is a copy of my complaint to the BBB in Barrie Ontario….sorry to take up so much space, but if I can do anything to persuade someone not to make the same mistake I did…
Good evening,
I am writing because I am highly disappointed with my Direct Buy membership, and am at the point where I feel I have been scammed out of my money. While I am aware that many of the complaints against Direct Buy are related to buyers remorse shortly after purchase, this case is not. I have spent nearly a year trying to make use of their services based on their promises with nothing coming to fruition.
While I normally research any purchase of this amount and with a time commitment thoroughly before agreeing to sign a contract, at the sales presentation we were told that this was a one shot opportunity – specifically “if you don’t buy now, you will never be able to come back again” speech, and on this alone I should have known that this was less a than reputable proposition, but based on the claims made to us during their seminar I thought it would be worth the buy-in.
I could not have been more wrong.
Ever since joining, I have been to their showroom on a number of occasions, and each time is a lesson in futility and frustration despite the sales promises that the showroom and catalog system is easy to navigate and that their staff is highly trained and knowledgeable. The staff at the Barrie, ON. location is inept and for lack of a better word, useless. Let me provide you with a few examples related to our most recent visits to purchase a range hood:
• On numerous occasions, my wife or I have had questions and when we contact the showroom we are told someone will call us back. Of course, no callback is ever received.
• When continuing to call, if we do manage to get someone to assist us over the phone, we are treated as an inconvenience and are simply referred to their website which does not answer the questions we are asking. We simply want to make sure that we are ordering all the pieces that are needed for our range hood, yet no one, including their home experts, seems to be able to respond with any certainty or ability to truly assist me as a customer to ensure that my purchase is complete. Quite honestly, I have seen more product expertise from the weekend help at Sears.
• During our sales presentation we were explicitly informed that they offered craftsmen to assist with purchases that require installation. Their sales staff informed us that they have a list of reputable local tradesmen available to assist, and we re-confirmed this with our presenter on multiple occasions during the sales pitch. However, after paying the fees and joining, whenever we have requested this list it seems to be unheard of or unavailable. Additionally, anyone that their store has recommended to us for services has made appointments, yet on more than one occasion they haven’t even bothered to show for these appointments. While I understand as a corporation they will refer back to the standard “we don’t make any representations about independent contractors” speech, but it is inappropriate to make that statement after you have failed to live up to the promises made when their company was luring us in and stealing our entrance fees.
• After nearly 6 months of trying to determine what I needed, as well as obtaining a contractor (outside of Direct Buy) to install the range hood, I finally located the hood I required through their website and through the assistance of the contractor the parts I would require. So armed with this information, on Tuesday the 12th of August my wife and I went into our Barrie showroom ready to order a range hood from Thermador. When a representative was finally free to assist us with placing our order, we learned that the manufacturer of the item we wanted is no longer an option with Direct Buy. To add further insult to injury, instead of assisting me with finding a suitable alternative, the representative just walks off leaving me with no options.
This is but one example of several where I have left the showroom unable to find what I need, unable to make heads or tails of the catalogs, unable to determine what the parts required for a complete order are, unable to obtain knowledgeable assistance, etc. Up to this point, I have been able to get absolutely no use whatsoever from my membership. Let me provide you with a couple more examples:
• When trying to purchase crown molding, their staff was unable to answer any questions with regard to the products and was only able to hand us a catalog and send us on our way to try and locate the information ourselves.
• When trying to purchase locks for our home, we had questions as to what items were necessary to make an order complete, but in true fashion, no staff was able to answer the questions and the staff that supposedly could answer the questions was not in that day.
• We have addressed these issues with the staff only to get quizzical looks and no response, or if speaking with management, the responses are one-sided and not of any assistance – basically leaving you on your own without any guidance or concern.
My experiences as well as the experiences of others we have come across in our research, only serves as strong evidence that Direct Buy has seriously misrepresented the benefits available to their members as well as the levels of service that can be expected, when compared with the actual levels of service and the manner in which they are presented, conducted, and provided. Their “knowledgeable” staff cannot or will not verify the accuracy of an order. Additionally, as part of the agreement we hold with Direct Buy, we are not allowed to bring our own contractors to the showroom and let them view the catalogs without a tremendous amount of unnecessary hassle, nor are we allowed to show them the Direct Buy website because of their pricing. This mandates using their staff and risk obtaining an incomplete or incorrect order due to their severe lack of knowledge. Because they have a stringent no-return and purchase at your own risk policy, I am responsible for any errors in the order whether made by me or any of their staff, so it makes it an excessive risk to actually purchase a product for fear of losing your money if things go wrong.
Long and short of it is this…Because of the misrepresentations made by Direct Buy during their sales presentation as well as the excessive financial risks and high potential for error associated with placing an order through Direct Buy, I am unable to take advantage of the benefits they advertise and have promised in their presentations and contracts.
At this point, I am requesting the return of any membership fees and taxes paid in addition to the dissolution of the existing contract.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Hi everyone,
After 9 years and 11 months of membership, we received a letter from our local centre informing us that our membership will be expiring and that we would have to re-join Direct Buy.
They offered us a similar deal to when we first signed up. The up front investment and then annual renewal.
When I asked, we had always been told by the former franchise owner that we would continue to be members at the end of ten years providing we were in agreement to pay a higher annual fee that would be in effect in the future.
Reading this blog, it seems that some folks are being asked to re-join and pay the 3 year up front renewal fee with optional annual membership renewal thereafter. And some are required to continue to pay the (adjusted) annual renewal fee only.
I intend to pursue this with DB HQ and I would appreciate hearing from folks who havent been required to pay a new joining/initiation fee at the end of ten years.
Thanks.
Dear Chris & All,
So interesting… I joined Personal Consumer Services, Inc. D/B/A Direct Buy back in 1997 in Smyrna, GA when they were located on Cobb Parkway. Talk about a scam! I was fresh out of undergrad and got bamboozled into buying in on this nonsense. They used high pressure sales tactics and made it sound too good to be true. Well, like mama always said… Anyway, I paid $1300 for a membership that I was told could be used anywhere their showrooms are located for a lifetime. Then all of sudden, they disappeared… until years later when some name showed up on my credit report, in good standing, of course, and I called to see if it was them. And what do you know? The phone number was Direct Buy’s corporate number!!! I asked them if they could send me a new membership and guess what? They had no record of me. They asked me to find my contract and send it to them. I have since found it, but wonder if a lawsuit is better. They scammed me out of $1300 and I NEVER even used the showroom. How disgusting is Direct Buy? Extremely. I think all these angry people that subscribed to the BS should sue the pants off of these con artists and bring them to their greedy corporate knees!
After trying to get out of my contract less than 24 hours after having signed, I was informed by DirectBuy Austin that I had BEEN RECORDED thoughout the duration of my visit (which was hours) WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT. Although legal, I find this to be unethical and would never knowingly do busines with a company that uses such tactics.
Wow…I just wish that I had read about Direct Buy before going to Savannah to join. We were remodeling and thought this would be a great opportunity to save. First of all, I could not find anything that was truly of a higher grade for less than what I could buy at the most expensive furniture store in Charleston which is where we live. Secondly, after checking out their website which we were told we would be able to purchase items online, we found that most items that we did find of any value online, didn’t have a price and we would have to drive to Savannah, Ga. to check out.
Waste of money, waste of time, waste of gas and heartache over being such a sap and loosing $5,000. I should have known better! Anytime one is told you have to decide right then and there and you can’t sleep on it, the read flags and bells should be going off. Never again! What an expensive lesson!
We joined to DB in Ottawa almost 3 years ago. We really haven’t found much in the way of savings.
We did save $300 on a washing machine, but only because we found one manufacturer (Whirlpool) who didn’t charge shipping costs. Those that did charge for shipping tended to be more expensive than the retail prices.
We are redoing a room right now and, so far, we’ve found it was both cheaper and far more convenient to go with retail.
I’ll report back if I find any savings, but I’m not too hopeful.
Direct Buy sound a lot like Unimart. My wife and I bought a Unimart membership back in the 80s. High pressure sales pitch. Have to buy now or never. We were gold until we signed. Then we were dirt. It was very time consuming to find what you wanted in the catalogs and the service was non existent. Even if you were buying something it was like pulling teeth to get them to move. It was as if once they got the sign up fee they really didn’t want to deal with you again let alone sell you anything. Maybe that is the problem with that business model. There is no incentive to sell anything. I think we saved about $30 on a cook top. We were going to get marginal savings on a hard wood floor but the waiting period made it not worth the wait. Then one day I went down to the store to look for an item and they were closed. We had no notification. To this day I don’t know what happened. I keep seeing these adds on TV for Direct Buy and every time I see them I think of Unimart, so today I put in “direct buy” unimart in to google and found myself here.
Good blog.
Is anybody planning a class action suit? Again, I am one of those who fell for the high-pressured sales pitch. Have been a member for almost a year and not bought anything. The funiture manufacturer I planned to order from quit doing business with Direct Buy shortly after I bought in, so I purchased furniture from a local furniture store. I still owe $ 2500 for the membership and don’t want to pay it! Please let me know if there is a class action suit.
I was wanting to do some upgrades in my home, and fell for the DirectBuy scam.
As sevearl have already asked; has anyone or is anyone going to file a class action sit? I to would like to join in.
I got caught up in the direct buy promise of saving loads of money. I think I paid about 4k two years ago. We were originally planning on buying a relatives house and it needed a lot of work. We bought the Direct Buy membership and then didn’t buy the house. By the time you add the 8% fee and shipping on a lot of items you can get the item cheaper at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, or a furniture store. I went to look at a Sony LCD last month and it was $50 more at direct buy before fees then at Wal-mart.
As someone else said I did by a fridge because it had free shipping. I waited 6 weeks and saved about $70 by the time I paid shipping. For a purchase you make every 10 years it will take while to make up my 4k.
Also the sales pitch was very high pressure. They told me I could never come back to protect the manufactures. I know the manufactures regardless if I joined or not so I’m not sure how that protects anyone. I was never made aware you had to make a decision till that night. They say they tell you, but it must have been in fine print in the brochure.
The thing that makes me upset is they make it sound like the middle class family that may be making 50k-80k a year can save tons of money. I have made two purchases and probably saved $300 dollars. If you are remodeling your house and spending 50k you can probably save some money. However with big box stores offering free installation on things like carpet with a purchase and other incentives by the time you pay for labor to install the direct buy purchase you are way in the hole. They also say they can beat sale prices. With how infrequently I use direct buy I would rather look for a sale, probably get a better deal, and not have to wait 6 weeks.
Chris-
Man-o-man did you open a can of worms. I think it is funny. This is why poor people are stuck to the TV watching rich people live their lives. I feel dumber for reading most of the things written on this DB blog. This will be mins of my life i will never get back.
I joined DB a long time ago. And as i read these simple minded opinions it makes my heart swell with joy that i am a member. Lol. My family is wealthy. Wealthy in love, wealthy in family, wealthy in knowledge, and just happen to have a lot of money. Simple people who cannot see beyond 5000-6000 bucks…. well… cannot see. We as a nation spend so much on such simple things. Look at the nation as a whole. We (my family) will still be rich in all areas after the stock fall and while other look to cut coupons, pinch pennies, so that they can moo with the crowds in Costco, thinking they are doing there best yet have no idea. These are the same people who blame the life they have on others. He did this to me, she did that, i didn’t get a chance like so and so. He grew up with a silver spoon. Yak yak yak. Poor you. It cost money to make money. It takes time and understanding to reach a goal of wealth. This is why the poor stay poor and the rich get richer. Now is the time to buy stocks not sell. Now is the time to join DB, not curse it. These same neg folks will be the same and in the same place a year from now. 10 years from now. Broke and sad. Thinking 5000-6000 is a lot of money.
I whip my ass with 5000!
DirectBuy is not for everyone. Sara was right. It is for the many who know. The many that know how money works and can see.
Today is October 21st 2008. get your heads out of the sand and grow some balls people. You that complain are weak and mild. I wish you the best of luck. Although it seem you have poor luck. Call me a snob, a snob I might be. But many of you see me and my life and wonder how some are able to do what other cannot. It comes down to this. I will tell you like I tell my kids. We don’t try. We do!
Don’t forget to vote!
My son and I tried to get an appointment at the Birmingham Direct Buy. We stopped by the store and were told we would have to call. We went out to the car and called. They said they would take our name and number and call back in five minutes. Fifteen minutes later we called again. They said the scheduling department was in a meeting and they would call us back in five minutes. We were sitting in front of the store. The scheduling “department”, read that as person, must have been having dinner. The man in the store was not willing to tell us when the presentations took place but after some heavy questioning we pinned him down to 2, 6, and 7. We were trying to get into the six o’clock “show”. After another 15 minutes we called back again. Again, my son was asked for his name. This time they wanted to know if he was married, where he worked, and his home address and then they would call us back in five minutes. By this time I was rather upset. Why do they need our address to tell us if they can allow us through the doors at 6 pm? It is now 5:45. We asked again could we come to the 6pm presentation because we were sitting in the parking lot and might not be available another night. Besides, we were available now! The lady on the phone said she could not set us up with an appointment without a valid address and again asked for the address. My son asked if she was going to get him into the 6pm showing. She said he should come some time next week. He told her he would be out of town. Her response was,”So, YOU DON”T WORK IN BIRMINGHAM”. My son laughed and said that he did indeed work in Birmingham but that he traveled a lot. It is 6pm. She again asks for the address. I told him to tell her no thanks. My son is a single professional with perfect credit looking for a home to remodel and we are in the process of remodeling several kitchens and many bathrooms and we couldn’t get through the door of Direct Buy. We won’t try again. After seeing this web site we feel that the incompetent behavior of the employees at Direct Buy was a gift to us. We only wasted and hour and a half on Direct Buy.
To those of you who found a place to vent and have shared your experiences with others, please know that some folks do care about your frustration. And those of you who believe that the rich would throw away $5000.00 don’t really understand what it is to be rich.
Why don’t some of y’all (excuse my southern accent) who want your money back simply take a Saturday (and a little dignity) and do a picket of Direct Buy. Get some signs, include your family and friends, print up some flyers to pass out, and make sure the info you share on the signs and flyers is absolutely accurate (to avoid lawsuits). I’ll bet you get your money back within three hours!
More proof that DB is a dishonest and deceptive business-
They have created fake consumer review websites that give themselves 5 stars and are full of positive consumer reviews. If you search Google you will find they are paying for Google ads for these sites:
http://www.userbuzz.com/direct-buy
http://www.consumerreview.org/direct-buy
Both of these sites are clearly fake review sites and are not legitimate at all. It’s 100% pure deceptive advertising.
My wife and I had an appointment with DB at 1:00pm on Sunday 10-26. We sat through the 1.5 hrs orientation with all the sale pitches of high savings and the outrageous retail markups which probably sounded valid to my wife but not to my dubious mind.
After the orientation, I asked the sale person if I can browse through the catalogs for the items that we plan to purchase for the new house.
The first item was a Sony 52″ XBR6 which is $3099.00 at Bestbuy plus you get a free massage recliner that worth about $400. DB’s price is $2989 plus shipping and the “8% handling fee” ….. enough said.
We saved a lot of money by walking out of that DB office without “signing up now or never”.
Thank you, thank you, thank you…..
I’m building a new house, got overwhelmed with the thought of all the items I need to purchase and got the bright idea of doing all my shopping in ‘one place’. Those infomercials are seductive!
Made my appointment for this Friday….did more research and found this blog. OMG – I have cancelled that appointment so fast. It is true… “If it looks to good to be true – it probably is”. I’ll put my $5K to a better use. Thanks.
Well, an avid reader I am. I just read every post and now must add our story – which thankfully ends with us keeping our ink in our pen. We suffered a complete loss of our home and everything we owned on August 1. We now are in a furnished rental.
We expect reconstructing our 3600 foot custom home will be in the 600K range and furnishing and stuff to add a lot more. We were lured by the potential saving on the furniture and maybe some home finish stuff like wood flooring, etc. We aren’t really interested in cabinets, etc. since we live in a small county community and prefer to give that work to our friend and neighbors. But, no one here make hardwood floors or furniture.
We are not dummies nor ignorant to retail. We own a True Value Hardware Store. We also like quality things. Our favorite furnishings were Thomasville, Drexel Heritage, etc. and while they are more costly, the workmanship and beauty make them investments that you can hand down through generations. (more on quality – or lack thereof later)
Having seen the commercial with the Gulota Award Winning Home and the most casual mention by Teri about saving 2000$ on here dining set we wondered if there was such a store near us, Viola, only 75 miles away in Fresno. Did the internet thing and got an appointment for last Thursday at 1:00, with the admonishion that we be there at 12:55 for coffee or tea. Hmmm…
The showroom is reasonable large – say 15,000 feet, but was woefully devoid of furnishings. 1 bed – some giant 4 poster that was gaudy, some kitchen models, a bath model, (also gaudy) and manufacturer’s displays for carpet and flooring, and a huge number of folding style tables for you to browse the catalogs.
The “Pitch” started about 1:10 in a special room with a large screen TV, a whiteboard, a bunch of ads laminated with various annotations to demonstrate savings, etc. and about 4 or 5 couples. The “Pitch” alternated between spoken word and video testimonials. Near the end the whiteboard was used to demonstrate the savings we could realize if we did not eat, use gasoline, or incur any other expenses, and has some mythical amount of money to spend yearly on stuff DB membership will allow you to save on.
No questions were permitted, so the whiteboard presentation, which made little sense got no challenge. This was over soon, and Shirley and I went into the showroom. I went wandering for a bit but was summoned back to talk with the “MANAGER”.
We asked for and received the book of vendors, which at first glance seemed impressive. But since we were most interested in furnishings – chairs, sofas, tables, and such, the list got less impressive. One manufacturer’s name (can not remember which) came up so many times in my search for furnishings that I asked MANAGER to show me something on their showroom floor from that company. He went about trying to find some data that would direct him to this stuff, but was, alas, unsuccessful. Meanwhile I was successful.
I was looking at an ‘end’ table and pulled out the drawer where a medallion was glue showing this be be from the main furnishing manufacturer company. This was clearly a piece of junk. Admittedly I’m tainted by great old names, but I removed the drawer to examine the workmanship and a piece poorly crafted wood, which was even more poorly glued on, fell off!
The entire drawer looked like a junior high shop project – absent the teacher’s input. Very, very poor quality. Wouldn’t last a week unless only used to look at.
Ditto for their big armoire. Ill fitting doors, hinges that look worse than third world, and clumsy finish work ruled out any possible purchase of this dubious piece.
Not that kitchen cabinets were of interest, but since they had them, and my perception of the quality was severly diminished by now, I check them out. I’ll call them 15 footers, meaning they look great from that distance. The fit and finish was not as disasterous as the other two things, but nonetheless, poor and ill fitting.
My poor wife got most of the sales pitch as I stayed one step ahead of the grip of MANAGER. She finally cornered me and told me about the NOW or NEVER policy and that she had told him that probably was not gonna work for us.
All in all, the only quality items were of the sort that you could probably do as well as Sam’s or Costco – refridgerators, dishwashers, BBQs, stoves and the like.
Unless you want pure junk for furniture this is not the place to buy it. I’ll admit that their sales pitch is good and had I found any quality or access to name brands whose quality I trust we may well have signed up.
As it stands we did not but reserve the right to go to another showroom 90 miles away – join – and the do our business at this particular location. Crazy? Yes.
Small selection, poor quality, high pressure, and strange business model made this the wrong choice for us.
Troy
I was trying to find more info on that company. After reading all of of this, I don’t want to. I am not one to spend money to save money.. Just doesn’t make sense! I can see joining SAMS and paying $30 a year, but $5000?? Come on now. I just want new cabinets at a discount.. I don’t want to spend 5000 to “try” and get a discount. Thats throwing your money away.
Thank you for your insight. Interesting and entertaining…and with all the recent Direct Buy commercials, I’m grateful to have had an “inside” look without wasting my time.
Re: the letter from Sara Shragal, Sr. Communications Coordinator of Direct Buy, Inc — In my more than 70 years on this planet, I have learned that when people use certain phrases (“..as such”; “…that said,” “..at the end of the day…”) they are reaching in two directions — down, to tug on your leg, and up, to pull the wool over your eyes.
Re: Happy DB Member’s comments — “The only thing you’re doing here is ,letting people(most not all) who don’t want to be responsible for there decissions cry about it and just like many people, they want to blame someone else. This is foolish and very misleading on the part of your readers….Buy the way the amount of intelligents a person claims they have dosen’t mean their SMART!” ) (misspellings and grammatical errors reproduced as written). I almost concluded this posting was a sarcastic joke. But, I fear not. So, although I might have been a potential client for DB, as such, I have concluded that, at the end of the day , I will not be one of those lured in by empty promises. That said, I am grateful to you for airing these posts and helping me to come a conclusion, I am picking up the phone and cancelling our “reservation” for the “open house” next week.
Several have said it: their ads are persuasive. Bottom line — CHECK IT OUT. Thank God for the internet.
Thanks for this conversation, everyone who wrote it. You have saved me from wasting my time and money.
Chris,
I am a retailer, in a small town, there is a reason I charge what I do for “white” and “brown” goods we sell. My margin is 25%, I employ 4 people to make sure my customers are TOTALLY satisfied. As you have said in your posts you get what you pay for….service included. In the last year I have eaten, as a retailer 4 appliances that did not meet my customer’s expectations additionally I employ 2 service technicians to provide the service my customer’s expect. I know that in today’s retail world, we must all compete, I wonder if people understand that buying appliances or any other commodity from DB or any Big Box score is so undermining the “service” industry to as make it obsolete?
I guess my question is if we allow only price to control our buying habits, and totally toss the service that has ALWAYS been provided by your “hometown” retailer did we win the battle and in the long run lose the war?
When you are 65 and want the guy to deliver it to your house and actually hook it up and make it work, did you win? Or do you now have to hire a hauling company, to get it to you, and a $100/hour plumber to install it?
Retailers have our place. We know the manufactureres policies and shipping dates. We employ people from the local community to service our customers requests.
Yes, god forbid, we make money doing this job. In this case less and less anually, however, we do the best job we can do in both sales and service to meet our customer’s unique desires.
I guess my observation overall is if the sale is all we are concentrating on savings of 8% may well be significant. However, service after sale, delivery, set up, warranty and after warranty service should be considered in the total cost of all items we buy. It may well be the case that your local retailer, taking the chance he does in this economy may be your BEST OVERALL BUY.
I think one other thing that hasn’t been addressed here is that when you are building or re-modeling with a builder/contractor, they generally have access to much better prices than you the consumer as they have built relationships with the various local stores…they don’t pay the MSRP and usually pass some of those savings on to you, their customer…so to compare DB’s prices to MSRP is misleading at the start. When we’ve done our remodeling projects, our contractor tells us to go select what we want then either he orders it for us or has us put it on his account and he picks it up and installs it, passing a portion of his savings on to us.
I just like to point out that anyone serious about a class action lawsuit, need to start their own:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=class+action+lawsuit
Look in the advertisements.
There are lawyers that will work for free if there is a real case, and they will simply take a chunk of the money off the settlement verdict instead for their risk of time in taking the case. This also means they will only target cases that they can win.
Chris,
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
I am looking at buying a complete set of appliances & had seen the Direct Buy ads on TV. Seemed a bit cheesey, but I thought I’d give them a look. Went to the website, made a request for a person to call me for an appointment. Just got off the call a bit ago. The guy really gave me the sales pitch – WAY beyond just making the appointment. Then added a few points of fine print…needed to bring my wife, had to stay 90 minutes…etc. Alarm bells started going off in my head from the last Vacation Property sales pitch I had. He originally made the appointment for tomorrow – I had him push it out a couple of weeks so I could “do a little research and come more prepared”.
I started searching the internet for Direct Buy and the only things I could find were contrived consumer report like testimonials of praise for Direct Buy. This REALLY made me suspicious and I became more determined to find some more candid reviews. I am so thankful I stumbled across your blog! It has totally reinforced by intuition, and it has saved me AT LEAST
I want to thank John for his comments (12/27/08). This string has not only convinced me to cancel my Direct Buy invitation, but John’s comment as a local retailer has also convinced me to make that one of my first stops tomorrow. I’m currently pricing out cabinetry and appliances for a two unit building I’m purchasing.
JOHN – if by chance you’re in the Chicagoland area, please post your store name and location.
Thanks everyone!
It seems to me that Direct Buy is great for people who already have a lot of purchasing power (those who can afford to lay out $4K – $6K WITHOUT financing) and have even more cash to “recoup” that initial investment.
I am assuming that the compliants are coming from the average working class stiff, like myself, who wants to save money because we don’t have much to spend!
I think Costco and Sam’s are the buying club for the middle class…
Great post! I was looking for information about the cost of DB and this answered all of my questions. I received the invitation call yesterday to set-up my appointment. When the caller told me I could not bring my children and would spend 90 minutes reviewing the showroom, I told him “this sounds like a time-share presentation”. He discounted my comment by saying “yeah, we hear that all the time, we just don’t have accommodations for children” I asked him if there was a membership fee and he said “yes there is a marginal fee but I would recoup this with my first purchase.” Skeptical I asked him what the fee was and he said “it depends on your income to debt ratio.” This really perked my interest and insisted he give me some indication of the cost I would be asked to pay. He told me he had no idea as he just sets appointments. I said “I think you do know and just don’t want to tell me.” He told me all my questions would be answered when I toured the showroom. I told him I would not make an appointment unless he could give me some indication of the cost. He said “alright then” and said good bye. I could hear a beep in the background during our conversation which in California is required when a call is recorded however he never mentioned he was recording our conversation. DB may hold some savings opportunity for me as I plan some major remodeling, however I absolutely hate the secretive or confidential hard sell business approach. Thanks for the information.
I just recently had the opportunity to go to a Direct Buy presentation. Not knowing any specific information other than the ads I had seen on T.V. and one family friends comments. I came across this site as I was trying to locate a number or address where I could mail a letter of complaint about the treatment my husband and I received at our presentation. I have NEVER in my life been so appalled at the lack of respect a sales person showed toward potential buyers. Of course the poor treatment and the rude comments did not come until it was questionable if we were interested in becoming members. I have been at high pressured sales presentations before and have never witnessed the lack of respect and total disregard of any form of manners our salesman displayed when we were waivering on our committment to become members.
I would warn anyone who attends these presentations to be prepared for anything including rude comments, arugmentative statements, and what I would consider to be bullying.
Needless to say – my husband and I did not join nor would I ever consider joining based on the way we were treated at the presentation.
I went to a Direct Buy presentation. DB treats a $4500+ membership fee as an impulse purchase — and it’s now or in a few years.
Amazing!
Well, my wife and I set up an appoitment with DB and today, just drove 75 miles back from Gurnee, IL. We sat through the presentation and asked certain questions about shipping, drop-shipping, and installation availablity.
We knew there a 8% tax if picked up in IL, and we didn’t know about the 8% handling fee until I read this post. When asked about the shipping charges, they only said it depended on the items being shipped and never gave us a concrete amount. We knew before we left that there had to be some membership fee, but not $4,990 for the 1st three years and $200 for the next 7.
After deciding that we were going to spend 30k-40k on three rooms (kitchen, family, and game room) of our house that it might be still a good deal for us to join.
But there was one set back. Being self-employed as a iron worker, working from March thru November, and working for two major road construction companies and a local sand and gravel company, as an outside hired contractor, I have to wait until mid March to find out how much work is out there to invest in an major home remodeling projects. I asked if we could come back at the end of March to sign up and pay the $4,990. They said, “NO” And it was final, even when my wife and I pleaded for almost a full hour, that if we would have known this before today that we would have waited until the later part of March to sign up.
I feel that DB doesn’t need people who are not committed to spending the $5k or are not impacted by todays economic downturn.
Glen
That’s funny. DB’s stance on this is hard to believe it’s so ridiculous.
Thanks for sharing Glen.
Chris
Up dated……. As I was typing my previous post, the local saleswoman called and told my wife that she saw they put us on the no-show list and we should come back in March for another presentation.
My wife asked her about the nonrefundable pre-payment of all orders for the 8% tax, 8% handeling fee, and the shipping charges. Why would we have to pay an 8% tax if the items are dropped shipped to Wisconsin where there is only a 5.25% tax? And if they could show us a receipt that they actually paid those 8% Illinois taxes.
The phone went dead……… Case closed.
This is our own experience of DB and is not to deprive anyone else who wants to be a member of DB.
I am a former DirectBuy employee and current DirectBuy member. I would like to add my two cents to this on-line conversation. Let me start off by saying that DirectBuy does have some serious problems, having said that many of the issues described in this forum are not the fault of DirectBuy. Lets take an example of delivery time, as members know the catalogs provide an estimated shipping period ( usually 6-8 weeks after the supplier has received the order) I can speak from personal experience that over 95 % of orders arrive either on time or actually early. Many times the delay’s with the remaining 5% are due to dificulty the manufacturer is experiencing ( some examples I experienced were that a specific production run failed a Q.C. test, or a labor situation at an over seas dock delayed the loading of merchandise, or that simply the supplier had increase in orders for a specific product and that their manufacturing facility could not accomodate, or even a train derailed). Aprrox. half of the 5% off the orders that have issues or 2.5% off all orders have issues due would be the fault of DirectBuy. I currently work for a manufacturer that supplies traditional retail stores as well as DirectBuy and I can tell you that these delays do occure with traditional stores as well, however customers do not see these issues due to the fact that retailers place large “booking orders” at least 6 months in advance of the selling season, which allows any of the issues I noted above to be resolved before it impacts the end consumer. Retailers also employ sophisticated computer systems that monitor the sales volume of specific SKU’s. Retailer use this information to provide us with smaller ” fill-in ” orders to replenish their shelves of merchandise that is currently in season.
Many people have also complained about the “lack of savings”. It is true that some categories or merchandise do have lower mark ups, these categories include items like appliances ( both small and large), electronics, and camera’s. Having said that in many instances the lower mark-ups are on the basic models, if an individual prefers a higher level of product within a specific manufacturers line the savings are many times impressive. I also feel that it is important to compare identical items when comparing prices, many people will question the price of an 8mm laminate floor that DirectBuy may offer for $1.80 a square foot and show an ad for a competitors 8mm laminate floor that may sell for less then a $1.00 a square foot and complain that DirectBuy is more expensive. Many times people do not ask what type of “core” the less expensive laminate has, or what type of protective finish the floor has,or how the interlocking joint is constructed. To put it another way would it be fair to compare a Ford to a BMW? both are cars, both produce suv’s, sedans and coups? I think everyone would agree that there are distinct differences between these companies and the quality of the product the produce.
Having said all that I do feel it is important to point out That DirectBuy does have SERIOUS ISSUES that need to be addressed and that people should be aware of.
1) the service staff receives very little training on the products available. In most instances a new catalog is sent to the center with a brief 1 page introduction about the supplier. No training is provided.
2) Most centers pay their service staff very little, I am a firm beliver that you get what you pay for. Most centers are very profitable and could afford to pay their staff better, this higher wage would increase the rentension rate of the better service reps.
3.) Some suppliers will take calls directly from the individual DirectBuy centers, others will not prefering instead that all communication goes through the DirecrtBuy head office. In my opinion Manufacturers must be required to take service related questions from the individual centers.
4.) The DirectBuy head office is located in the central time zone, and due to this most off the staff leaves at 5pm, this is fine however 5pm in Indiana is only 3pm in the Pacific Time Zone. I feel that DirectBuy head office should make staff available until, a reasonable time on the Pacific time zone, ( I know that DirectBuy was in the process of doing this when I left, however many of the staff members working the later shifts were junior staff that did not have product knowledge about a specific brand to assist ur members and certain departments were not staffed at all after 5pm central).
5.) In many instances such as issues involving freight damage staff at DirectBuy head office will take the suppliers side in a conflict rather then fight against a supplier. I can remember instances where a piece of furniture ould be delivered, the packaging would be spotless, not a crease, dent, scuff and almost clean enough to eat off of and a mark would be in the finish of the table. We would take pictures and provide the supplier with the required documentation and the supplier would deny it was a defect and say it was freight damage. Please Keep in mind that I worked for the organization for over 9 years so I knew the difference between the two and the time it took to fight with the manufacturer and our own head office was very fustrating and did not provide our members with the service they deserved.
I have tried to be unbiased in my post, DirectBuy can provide savings however DirectBuy MUST IMPROVE or it’s exsistance is in danger!!
See, this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I kinda thought this was the story… Thanks.
Thank you for all of this information. I just called to cancell my appointment with DirectBuy. I had hoped to save money on my kitchen cabinets and appliances which need replacing, but after seeing the membership fee I realized I would never get it back. Thanks again.
Thank you all for all the information. I went to one of their presentations last week. I am very skeptical about this kinds of deals and had already made up my mind that i am not going for any membership. So i went, sat for the presentation….and it was goooood…like always
…Anyways, so i had been searching for hardwood flooring that i wanted done and this was the only thing i had an idea about prices out there…so when we sat with the sales person after the lecture i asked them
Me: “so what is the price per sq. foot of Santos Mahogany 3/4 thick and 5 inch wide?”
She looked through the book and said…
Sales Person: “Oh, what was the best price you got?”
Me: (I was honest) well the best i got was 5.97 but the best place i would like to get it from gave me a quote of 6.97…
Sales person: Oops, we can do 8.18…
I mean i know for a fact that DB cannot save you money in every category…
Anyways, bottom line i did not join…
Now i have been looking at a particular dining set and the best internet price i came up with was 3559 + assembly(150)…shipping and tax inluded.
While shopping i found out that one of my colleagues is a member of DB so I asked him to price the same set from the same manufacturer with the same options and he came back to me with 2309 + shipping…I mean that is significant saving…
All in all unless you have a whole lot of things you want or you can club some other family member with you it may be worth it…
Remember as much as people say they dont make a penny off you…its a lie…they are not “non profit” organisation and all this giving to the community is BS coming from people running businesses for the most part.
Obviously your concern should not be whether they make profit or not its about are you saving?
As someone else pointed out please do your homework, get pricing exact make and manufacturer and by all means visit their presentation…you never know…
Wow isn’t the internet great? First of all what was your door prize? Ill bet you got the car, congrats. Second does it strike you funny that so many sattisfied customers post to this site? How is it they end up here? I was just curious about the cost of membership, Google search, what were they searching for? Any thoughts/ Maybe you should link to the part about the buyers remorse at the beginning. Dont get me wrong I enjoyed reading all the stories and all but maybe you could get some poor guy his money back . Ill bet some folks are pretty frazzeled when they reallize what they just SCREWED . Just a thought. Hey thanks for all the time youve spent on this . Paul
We were contacted by a class action attorney who wants to get a case against DirectBuy going forward. I hope, I hope, I hope they get the punishment they deserve……..
I honestly don’t trust ANYONE anymore and that is so sad. I am researching everything about anything I am getting ready to do to find the facts, and thank God I have read all of this. I only need a dishwasher and microwave and a bed and dresser. I am glad I didn’t waste my time in a 3 hour presentaton, and I do not have $5,000 to give to anyone. Thank you all who have had the experience for the warning.
I hope those of you that were robbed will have a class action lawsuit and win for the deception.
One last thing. The BBB isn’t a lot of help on much of anything. However, each state’s Attorney General’s office is. It may take awhile, but they do get back to you if the complaints are in great numbers, and with so many scams and good people being duped today, the AG’s office is your most powerful tool against society’s thieves and deceptors.
I am really surprised to hear these comments. I have been a DB member for 3 years now and have been very happy. The associates there have been so helpful and we have saved a lot of money! It is not for everyone–you need to be doing a lot of work in your house–not just one room. In my case we have the ENTIRE house to do. We have no furniture, and all bathrooms and kitchens need to be redone. First of all, i don’t understand why everyone is upset with paying sales tax and shipping. You pay for that when you purchase furniture and make purchases online too. Also, reading the catalogs, is not hard at all and if you need help, there is always somewhere they to help you. You do need to do your homework, but don’t you do that with any purchase you are going to buy? With my budget, I could have gone to Lowes and Home Depot and even the cheapest stuff is expensive and not well made. And has anyone ever dealt with Home Depot and their mistakes and inexperienced sales staff?? Being a Direct Buy member, when I am shopping for bathroom items, for example, I am not limited to what is carried in Home Depot or Lowes, I have SO MANY manufacturers to choose from. Also, because of the prices I can then choose to purchase more higher end products which I could not even think about doing if I weren’t a Direct Buy member. THe catalogs are marked with a notice saying “marginal savings” and you know that before you place the order, check around and you may be able to get the items at around the same price as the stores–so don’t buy from that manufacturer. I am a very happy customer and maybe it is some Direct Buy locations are better than others–as is the case with ALL retail outlets. I must admit i didn’t like the pressure to have to buy into it that night either, however I did my homework beforehand so I knew what we were getting into. It really has been the best decision we have made.
hello
i knew this was a bunch of bs from the first commercial I saw> Hubby was interested and sent for a brocuhre and made an appt. I told him no way-not going. This was about 2 years ago. Still see the commercial all the time so decided to look up the fees and found all of the info I needed to confirm what I knew from the start-that is was a rp off. I thought the fess would be $500 or so, wow, what shock at the true membership fees! anyway, anything that comes off as a secret society as Db does, is usually a big red flag!
WOW….I am so thankful I came across your site, I too was right now in the process of scheduling an appt. on their site because we are remodeling our kitchen but was concerned that they do not advertise there is a membership fee and the ads are so appealing…What was a red flag too was that if you are married your spouse has to also be there , hummm, anyways, after reading the outrageous amount of $$$ they would be asking, I am going to skip on the presentation. I am not going to be a big spender over the next 2-10 years and I’d rather get 4-5 competitive estimates and help small business. Wouldn’t you think that with the way the economy is that they would be smart and reduce their membership fee (something like Costco). I mean it would even make sense if they want to obviously make money to add a % to the manufacturer pricing. I bet they would make alot more $$$ that way because they would get a ton more memberships/more traffic and much more purchases………if anyone is a member of Costco, it doesn’t matter at what time you go those stores are packed to the max with buyers……wake up Direct Buy, as you can see from so many posts, you are losing out.
We are another victim of DirectBuy, I just wanted to ask you all guys, does anybody had a luck cancelling their membership with Directbuy? Please email me – birutpatel@hotmail.com
Thanks,
Birut
Hi, my name is Charles, and my wife and I have been scammed by DirectBuy. I am currently asking (very politely by the way) for a refund, but the only thing they have offered is a $250 gift certificate. I too would like to know if anyone has sued them yet or has any other information concerning a possible law suit?
In response to Maureen Schoenberger:
I am trying to renovate my house so it’s not just one item or one room. Your comment about sales tax and handling are bogus too! Of course people pay sales tax and S&H, but the amount versust the length of time is total BS! I could go on and on, but your post just purely angers me. I would truly like to see a list of items that you ordered and saved w/ using DB other than maybe cabinets because you surely can’t on door hardware, windows, attic ladders, etc.
Wow! Glad I saw this tonight. Had an appointment for this weekend. Not anymore. This sounds like a timeshare scam. I belive there are people that work for DB posting on this site as well……..some “sound” like sales people.
Just joined today….and I, too, feel scammed…..Foolishly decided to do this research AFTER the fact, cause truthfully I couldn’t sleep over my decision, and now my worst fears are confirmed. Wish I could cancel.
Soooooooooooo glad my husband encouraged me to surf the net a bit before going to one of their open houses. We had a tentative appointment for this coming Sunday. So funny, she was so chipper and happy and nice and laughed at all my non-jokes. That should have told me something right there. Thank you Chris. Thank you!
We are about to remodel our kitchen. My husband is a real estate agent and while previewing homes met a homeowner who sings the praises of DB after remodeling her kitchen. I went online to set up the appointment and got distracted searching for reviews.
Chris, the initial review, interview and all of the posts have really helped. We will spend a lot and so we “might” join but I realize we need to proceed with caution and do our research. Prior to my husband bringing up DB I was leaning towards Home Depot because of all the great incentives they’ve offered lately and they are excellent in the customer service dept.
I gather by the comments I’ve read that a key factor might be in the quality of the DB franchise and the integrity/competence of it’s employees and owner/manager.
Does any one have experience with DB in the Dallas area?
Anyway, thanks for the help!
My story is a positive one…I joined Direct Buy a few months ago because I was in the process of buying a new house and knew that I needed to furnish it. I spent a few hours researching what furniture and appliances I wanted for my house and received help when I needed it. To make a long story short, I furnished my whole house, bought 5 appliances and spent close to $15 000 plus my membership fee of $4500. I priced out what I would have spent at retail stores and saved at least $15000. I received my orders within a month of ordering them and am very happy with my membership. I know there have been a lot of complaints but if you are in the market for furniture and have the time and patience you can save money at Direct Buy.
Cheers.
Thanks for the info,
We are moving into a new home next month and I had an appointment at DB on Saturday. I will not go after reading about the $4000 – $6000 fee. I am a handyman and can do almost everything myself. I do not intend to purchase enough products to recoup the enitial cost. I have other ways to save some money here or there through my contacts. So in closing I would like to thank you for saving me 2 -3 hours of my life that I could never get back.
***IF YOU SIGN UP FOR DIRECTBUY AND GET SCAMMED YOU MUST GET YOUR REFUND IN” 3 ” DAYS -WEEKENDS COUNT! THE CLOCK STARTS TICKING THE DAY YOU SIGN UP! (MAKE SURE YOU GO ON A TUESDAY SO IF YOU NEED TO CANCEL THE WEEKEND WILL NOT EAT UP YOUR”2″REMAINING DAYS)
YOU NEED TO GO IN PERSON AND GET A WRITTEN SIGNATURE(snap a picture of the person if you can) OR SEND A LETTER Certified MAIL!..
DON’T THROW YOUR MONEY AWAY IN THIS ECONOMY!
You can buy an energy efficient car for the price of 1 membership!
I found this interview so interesting. We went today for our “open house” and I walked out after 30 minutes completely pissed off and offended. The people were trashy, rude, obnoxious and downright stupid when talking to us. Either they have all drank the Koolaid or they are making a boat load of money.
I found it most interesting about their “way of protecting their manufacturers.” I worked in retail and I worked in purchasing and never were there any agreements or stipulations by the manufacturers to hide prices, etc. This is solely a DB requirement and a sales ploy to try to make people feel like they are getting in on a secret that no one knows about.
Chris – thanks for having the blog. I hope folks read it before they go visit DB. I am glad we didn’t get hooked and glad I didn’t waste too much time there!
I fell for it too. But I signed up on Saturday and the contract says I can cancel up to one business day after the date of signature. Thank goodness! This reminds me of “phishing” on the internet…I fell for that too! I guess I am just too trusting. Thanks for all this info. I will be driving to their location tomorrow to cancel. I do have to admit, I did not feel a lot of pressure to join…but I think here in CO they do get a lot of members so they don’t have to pressure you too much. There were 2 couples and myself at the presentation and I saw one of the couples sign up (maybe that was planned?). The main reason I am cancelling is because I am only redoing 3 bathrooms and I don’t think I can make up the membership fees on faucets/tubs, etc. They did carry Koehler which is what i would have purchased so that did attract me. But my kitchen is new and I don’t need any furniture, right now anyway. Live and learn.
Funny, if you google Maureen Schoenberger (sparkling comment about direct buy) she actually has a blog about her direct buy renos…hmmm i wonder if she is an employee….
I am an attorney and am in the process of
doing advertising on my firm’s Class Action
Law Suit. It should begin in September.
We have filed the requisite papers and already have 103 clients.
dfm
Thank you Thank you Thank you. My daughter has been talking none stop about her father (my ex) getting SUCH great deals at DB I was wondering if I was missing out. Now I understand how he was duped.
Wow! I wish I would have read this before I went to an open house. Because then I would have not gone.
I ended up getting the membership the night before I went on a two week training for the military. It was about one hour after closing when they dropped the bomb on me. “Now or Never” I was told that I become a member now or never. For course I fell for the pressure and now regret it. They had my sign everything quick because it was late. No one told me about the three day cancellation policy, plus the salesman knew I was leaving out of town for two weeks.
I’ve tried to cancel my membership, which by the way I am getting charged 17.75% APR because I did not have the money up front.
And I thought I was securing the future for my new family. But instead I buried us one a whole that I can not seem to get us out.
Can anyone get me the phone number for Donald Jeffers?
Thanks many times. I wont be attending one of their open house session. I had a thought that not all was roses and all these post confirmed my hesitation.
it’s too late!! we joined and not one order has gone right! it’s been 6 weeks and we have no dryer to match our brand new, we saved $100 washer. i called coporate today.
if you need it here is the info:
Business Contact and Profile
Name: DirectBuy, Inc.
Phone: (219) 736-1100
Fax: (219) 648-7339
Address: 8450 Broadway
Merrillville, IN 46410-6221
Yahoo Map
Website: http://www.directbuy.com
Original Business Start Date: November 1971
Principal: Mr. Scott Powell, President
Customer Contact: Mr. Joe Yast, Vice President – (219) 736-1100
Incorporated: November 1971, IN
Employees: 300
Type of Business: Catalog Showrooms
BBB Accreditation: This organization is a BBB Accredited business.
Additional DBA Names: UCC Totalhome, Inc.
United Consumers Club
Hi Everyone,
I am a former employee of Directbuy of Baltimore North. I was a customer service associate. Now yes I was fired but I was fired for what I call a stupid reason. I was fired for caring too much about the clients. But I am not here to talk about that. Directbuy is and is not a scam. If you are planning to remodel your home or our building on from scratch then yes sign up for direct buy. But if you are just going to buy a few things here or there then dont waste your 5,000 sign up fee. I enjoyed my time at DB and I cared about my clients.
I would love to get more information on class action against DB. I have had similar issues and would love to talk with Donald Jeffers
I should have done more research before becoming a direct buy member. I have been a member for over a year and the 2 times I have used them for products or services. I was truely disappointed. First, I could have saved money and time going directly to a local vendor. I would not recommend direct buy to anyone. I wonder if anyone has ever gotten their refund???
Does anyone have information about any class action lawsuits for DB for New Jersey? I would def like to jump on board.
Directbuy is for people who want the NAME-BRAND stuff at wholesale cost – YES you can go find something similar at a cheaper cost but NO you cannot compare apples to apples and not save with DirectBuy. People get on here and listen to this hour long article and it is rediculous. If you want to OVERSPEND on JUNK then dont join!!! If you want NAMEBRANDS at WHOLESALE cost then go buy a membership. You wouldn’t hear the author complain if he had just saved 10k on his cabinets or 2k on appliances now would you…..Stop listening to what everyone else has to say and go try something out for yourself for once.
Hey. I joined Oct. 1 , 2009. That day should be called April 1 (april fools day)! After and only after New Member Meeting did I learn that the savings were only good for persons wanting to spend A LOT OF MONEY! I called asking to get out of contract and refund because unless I win the lottery I will not recoup my money! No go! Gave me the run around (save us where you would not save money) I gave them proof she told me I could save $5, 10 or even $30….for $5000 not at all worth it for a family of four living off less than $50,000.00/yr. THEY REFUSE TO LET ME OUT EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOT MADE A PURCHASE IN THIS MONTH AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD TOO.
@ R you can’t even return an item if there is a problem. You can’t even cancel an order if you need to. You have to spend hours and hours finding the product looking through books before you order….if you find a product you have to find the price further back in the book! Come on….it may work for you but for those that work and have a family!…NOT
Hi I look up direct buy on the BBB and got a A- score. for jacksonville fl. I joined I wish I had not. I don’t have the time to drive 3 hours . look thur books. and then be afraid to buy because I like to look at what I buy before I buy. I wonder if the BBB was not the real BBB?
I joined. It was $4,000. We were going to build a house. I ordered a bed and 2 night stands. It took months to get delivered. I ordered a couch, it was ok, it was like sitting on a brick. You have to buy sight unseen. They told us we could get leather coats for $20 in the meeting to get you to join. We went to buy those coats. “Oh we don’t sell those anymore.” All the great buys they bragged about we no longer for sale. It is hard to look up items and if someone else has the books (They stack them up on tables around them) you can’t look at them. The savings on the cabinets, was no savings. Their quote was the same as Home Depot. We asked about computers, when we went to buy one, it was the same price as the stores. But if you order, you do have to pay an extra 8 percent and shipping and wait 2 months to get the thing.
I didn’t pay the extra yearly membership fee when it came due.
Hey All – first of all – I am not, repeat NOT an employee of Direct Buy. And yes, you guessed it, my assessment of them is mainly positive. To beat a dead horse AGAIN, I’ll give you my experience. So far, my experience with DB is good. I will be honest, I had my fair share of “Oh *#*#, what did I just do” moments. Everything about them cries out Scam — so much so, that I began to doubt that it was. Make any sense?? Probably not. Anyway, signed up despite the red flags..because what I was shown the day of the presentation was a hell of a sales job. And I should know. But..I have to say, I have not been disappointed thus far. But – I’m building a house. I realize that there are people out there who might see this as a false hope–and for them, that is true. You will not save money short term unless you have a heck of a purchase (building,remodeling, own a castle in france, etc). But — if you have the money, and are going to make such big purchases anyway – and you want quality — not just brand name — but quality – You will save. If you want cheap $@@ cabinets from your local home depot – don’t go to DB. There is nothing wrong with wanting cheap cabinets – that is your choice (maybe you are doing a rental) but that isn’t what DB carries. If you want well made cabinets – it is more than worth the membership cost. DB is not magic – it’s not too good to be true — you are basically doing the leg work involved in the retail business yourself. If you are too busy, tired, or lazy – DB is not for you. You are your own company. You do the legwork that the salesmen usually do in the retail stores. That’s why you’re saving money. If you want someone else to do the work for you – hire someone – it’s called the retail store. DB service people are not experts in the merchandise, nor do they put themselves out there to be (at least not in the Colorado Springs Store). It is a sacrifice. You are saving money by doing the work yourself. Can you find a cheap mattress, cabinets, or toilet for less money somewhere else? Perhaps – or for just a few dollars more. If that is you – it makes no sense to make a $5000.00 investment. But if you want better quality – and are willing to do the legwork (since you are taking out the middleman) AND you are planning on making $20,000 – $30,000 in purchases over the next several years – my advice – GO FOR IT.
“heyemilym@comcast.net” p.s. I’m a firefighter/paramedic (not a DB employee) : )
And Booker – did you spend $5000 and actually think that you would get your money back without spending a lot of money? ??
Hi, I dont recommend joining this club. if you want to get stressed out then, help yourself!! I joined last Sep.09 bec I had to buy furniture for my new house. today is 11/10/09 and guess what? I had a call from direct buy of north boston telling me that the items I ordered where canceled. wow!! after 3 months of waiting, this is the result i will get. not to mention that i call them every week to follow up for the delivery. i was too furious because i am going to have my friends and relatives coming to my house this christmas eve. i think i would have them sit on the floor. by the way, nobody wants to talk to me now from the office/ showroom because they themselves don’t know what to tell me. they are now useless..after getting your money!!! THANK YOU DIRECT BUY FOR STRESSING ME OUT AND RUINING THE JOY OF BEING A NEW HOMEOWNER!!!
(to the blogger- I hope you could forward this comment to Sara (SS) from the corporate office of Direct Buy in Indiana. Thanks.
I meant to say, today is 12/10/09..
I also bought a membership to DB a year ago. After a couple of purchases I am convinced it will take over 15 years to recoup my investment. The savings, if any minimaL AND i ACTUALLY CAN FIND BETTER PRICES BY DOING THE EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF EFFORT/RESEARCH IN THE OPEN MARKET.
HOW CAN I JOIN THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT???
lc
Wish I had found your website two years ago. I joined Direct Buy back then. I was recently widowed and knew that I had a lot of updating to do to my house. Since my husband had previously done all the work himself, and I knew I was now going to have to pay a handyman, I thought it would be helpful to save money on the materials. And I was roped in by the “sign up now or you’ll never have the opportunity again.” (At our site, they didn’t say you could come back in 4 years. They said NEVER.) Long story short, I have NEVER bought anything through DB. I went to shop for a couple of electronic items, and found the entire process confusing and the sales staff totally unavailable to help me.
I started to search for info on Direct Buy memberships after that and found multiple web sites with disparaging information from members. But I’d already learned an expensive lesson. I paid $5000 for my membership, and I’m trying to just look at it as money I spent to wake myself up and learn to be a more aware consumer. I will never again fall for such a sales pitch. Now, my local franchise is offering a “free 30-day trial.” That does tick me off, because if I’d had a trial membership, I don’t think I would have ever joined.
I just got my first membership renewal bill. I have no intention of paying that. No use in throwing good money after bad. But I do know that by not renewing, I’m ensuring that I will never be able to recoup any of my $5000. An expensive lesson indeed.
Americans are so gullible! We believe the B.S. that has been pumped by Consumer Reports and other Consumer information sources that “every” retailer makes 300-500% “profit”. You people need to get real! I cannot tech an MBA class here, but the bottom line is that because you GROSS a huge profit does not mean that you “NET” any profit!
For the ignorant out there (and there seem to be millions) “Net profit” is what the owners or shareholders put in their pockets AFTER everything is paid! When ANY company has ZERO inventory, there is NO cost of inventory, NO “money” tied up in products that someone “might” buy, then ANYONE can sell for much less! Direct Buy’s entire business model is predicated on this! They get $4000-$6000 plus taxes up front or as Accounts receivable, for which you get access to a showroom full of catalogs that they get free from the manufacturer. You search for hours through material that is written for factory reps and other informed people to find what you think you want, then you order it at what you think is a good price, (You must spend more time to shop other places to confirm this)! You order the item, pay 8% “handling charge” (for the uninformed, this is most or all of the “net profit”). And are content to wait sometimes weeks for delivery to a warehouse to which you must drive for many miles to reach in your own vehicle or rental truck, with your own gas, you pay the shipping charges and then get to take you stuff home. How does this work out to a “good deal”?
The bottom line is that Direct Buy makes a VERY good profit on the sale of the product because they have NOTHING invested! NO Inventory, NO Shipping, NO one that can give you a quick replacement for your item if it arrives damaged or wrong, NO one that can interpret the manufacturers’ catalogs, NO samples to look at or to compare, and they damn sure should make a profit! MOREOVER, people PAY them for “access” to this wholesale wonderland!
GREED is what drives this whole scheme, DB is Greedy and wants your money with the minimum of interference or interaction with their “customer” and the “customer” is greedy by wanting to get “Something for nothing” by “cutting out” the retailer! Why is it “wrong” for a “retailer” to make a profit? Why is it “right” for Direct Buy to make a profit? Why does that appliance specialist or flooring specialist at LOWES, HOME DEPOT or the place down the street NOT deserve to be paid for their product knowledge AND their time in answering your questions or fixing you problems? Why does the owner of the local appliance store NOT deserve to earn the right to make a living for themselves and their family? Why is it perfectly OK for any person to expect generous compensation for their efforts or expertise and in the next breath, begrudge others when they demand the same consideration? Why does a doctor (who might save your life) deserve a premium wage or salary and the mechanic who can fix the ambulance (which gets you to the doctor) when it breaks, or the EMT who can keep you alive to see the doctor; deserve much less? This is a picture of what is destroying American from the inside!
We gave the model number of an oven to our friends who were DB members, and they looked up a price. The prices at Lowes and Sears were about the same, but both of these stores offered free delivery and installation, as well as $10 disposal for the old oven. The DB handling and shipping fees made the end price over $400 higher! Plus, both Lowes and Sears will accept returns.
Hi Chris,
My wife & I joined UCC (now Direct Buy) in 2004. We really didn’t (and still don’t) like the “make a decision now” sales tactic. In fact, less than a year after we joined, UCC was kicked out of North Carolina due to this tactic which was made unlawful in NC.
Still, we joined because we were preparing to build a house that I designed and felt we would be able to recoup the membership fee. Probably the greatest savings we realized were with our cabinets. We saved over $14,000 over the next lowest price estimate on cabinets alone. Quality wise, our Brookwood cabinets were mor comparable to the highest end cabinets we priced. Compared to those, we saved over $35,000 on cabinets alone. We also bought many of our major appliances, the fireplace, several plumbing fixtures, our water filtration system, ceramic tile, some light fixtures and a few other miscelaneous items through Direct Buy. All told, we saved roughly $27,000 (less the membership fee), so our membership was a good investment.
I did not find shipping & handling fees to be out of line, and I have only the highest praise for Heidi Arnold, our personal sales associate who handled all of our orders. In many ways, we benefited by not having an office in NC, we were able to use the computer & phone to place orders and we were able to use a credit card. When they were still in state, all payments had to be cash or check.
Overall, our experience has been positive. Everyone should understand, however, that the only way a Direct Buy membership will pay for itself is if you plan on making a lot of purchases as you do when you build a house. You can often do much better on small appliances and electronics by shopping locally. The five to six week waiting period is also a hassle, however, if you build it into your construction schedule, it isn’t really a problem. In construction, many items (roofing, framing, HVAC, etc. may have as much as three month lead times. Their furniture prices are also very good, but we live in NC and comparable furniture prices may frequently be found locally.
In short, I really don’t consider Direct Buy a scam, but I also would only recommend it to people who can really use it. Those being, people who are building or remodeling a house. Their cabnitry is top notch and that alone can easily more than pay for a membership. I do seriously dislike their business model, though.
Hi,
I like reading the comment on your site.
We just join direct buy last week, and I am very regret this. We was planing to fix our house up, so my wife decided that this would be a good ideas, i didn’t want to join his DB but my wife was very into it. I ask the sale person that we would like to try the 30 day free pass, he said that we could try that but we decide to join then we would have to paid a $1000 more then the discount price that we’re getting right now. That make my wife join right them since she said that she will pay for the membership fee. After we got home I told her that with that $5000 fee and we add $5000, we could have done our carpet and flooring in the dining room and bathroom already, because we are not looking for high end items. Hopefully thing goes well for us or moneys goes down the drain.
I have worked at a db location in the past. The “pressure” tactic is for the sole reason of the relationship with the manufacturers. I know this because I have seen manufacturers back out of directbuy due to complaints from retailers who have had customers complain to them. This is in fact real! Also, you will most definitely find better prices at home depot for certain items. For example, generic brand kitchen cabinets are cheaper at home depot than designer manufacturer’s cabinets at directbuy. However, if you compare the exact product, you will see the savings. There is always a cheaper/no name option for any item you want to buy! You can’t compare a vanity from wal-mart to a vanity from kohler/neptune/tidal etc! Apples to apples is the key. I have seen issues with manufacturer ship times, but I know that the staff and directbuy corporate office does anything and everything they can to resolve any issues with the members and keep the members informed at all times. There is a strict 2 day follow up process. You can be assured, that as a member, you will hear from directbuy every 2 days until the issue is resolved! Friends who are not members are not allowed in the showrooms for the simple fact that directbuy prices are confidential, if they let friends of members in, how can they justify calling themselves a private member’s only showroom? Interior designers are allowed in the waiting area and members are allowed to consult them and show them products in catalogues, but the pricing is not allowed to be shown, for confidentiality reasons as well. Also, directbuy centers employ interior designers, who you can consult with for a small fee, or no fee at all. The concept of directbuy is something that requires an open mind and patience. If saving money is worth a bit of your time, then it’s the place for you! If you would rather spend more money on products and have little patience, don’t join! Everyone had their own feelings and needs, and directbuy is not for everyone!
They offer a 30 day refund. Yea, right. Just try getting it back. They tried everything under the sun to get me to change my mind including delaying tactics. Guess what. After THEY delayed the request and “negotiations” past the thirty days, they said, “NO! Your 30 day trial has expired and no refunds will be allowed!” If you get suckered into this one, make sure you get documents that are dated INCLUDING the date you make your request for a refund! Protect yourself from my experiance! Jay
I am an employee of a Direct Buy Club here in Colorado Springs, CO I have been trying to get a contact name at corporate for a few weeks now. The club here run by Donnell Britton is not paying it’s employees. Over the last month both of our pay dates have been missed 1 of which was paid a day later but the most recent one nobody knows when we will get paid. I don’t know about others but to say Direct Buy cares I am definitely not feeling any love. I have rent and a car payment that are due and I work hard for the things I have and yet I will be unable to pay because my friendly Direct Buy location is not paying me, and the owner don’t even sem to care is there any help out there for someone like me? Any corporate contact information to help me in obtaining the money that I have earned so not to be evicted??
I worked for direct buy for about 3 months in their call center, that ended yesterday. I was one of the ppl calling you guys saying you’ve been selected as a semi-finalist in our promotion for a $50,000 home make over! They wouldn’t allow me to say how many other semi-finalist there were (aloooooooot) and once they get you in the door, they try to sell you a membership one of the cheapest being around the $3500-$4500 mark, I helped make their company thousands of dollars within my short employment there. I was fired from the direct buy of myrtle beach for going to the bathroom…they started a new little rule saying we had to ask permission to go to the bathroom…imagine that a room full of adults asking permission to go to the bathroom…So I politely stood up in from my little cubby looked at my manager and said “May I please go to the bathroom?” She said no…No? I cant go to the bathroom? I’m a grown woman and you’re telling me No I am not allowed to go pee? But…being that I really did love my job, I sat back down and tried to hold it…an hour went by…I stood back up tried to get her attention again..she ignored me…another 20 minutes went by and I saw that she allowed another girl I work with to go…SO I stood up again trying to get her attention only to be ignored…So not being able to hold it any longer I got up quietly and went to the bathroom, I was gone for less than 3 minutes, and when I was walking back, my manager said for me to wait for her in her office So I did…once she got in there she proceeded to tell me that I did not have permission to go to the bathroom, I apologized and told her I tried to get her attention 3 different times and I really could not hold it anymore , Sorry it wont happen again I said, I truly couldn’t hold it. Then she told me to wait there..she went to get this Lady Meg…one of the 3 owners there..a real jerk if I do say so myself…Meg stormed into the room slamming the door open yelling…”Get your stuff we’re letting you go!” I was really taken off guard and it took me a second to process it..I looked at her and I said “you’re firing me because I went to the bathroom?” she yelled at me saying “Its not up for discussion!” mind you I didn’t even really know this lady, she’d said maybe two words to me since I’d worked there..and she was speaking to me in a very rude and nasty way…with no reason to be…they didn’t even make firing me a private matter, they humiliated me in front of the entire call center…firing me in front of EVERYONE..and after Ive helped make this company thousands of dollars its not up for discussion? you cant give me a reason as to why? I’m already losing my job which has huge effect on my life no way to pay my rent or bills, i have a 3 year old daughter and firing me is effecting my whole family in a negative way and you’re going to tell me its not up for discussion and completely humiliate me in front of everyone? she followed me to my desk while i got my stuff and I asked again…”you’re firing me because i went to the bathroom” I got in response…”its not up for discussion..Do you want me to call security?”…I’m a 23 year old female that is not intimidating at all..extremely sweet and shy…and shes going to call security on me? My heart was broken..I had tears coming down my face completely embarrassed…How could they treat me this way?? I loved my job…I worked hard for them…sitting in a tiny cubical for hours and hours and hours everyday..not giving them any problems…she walked me to the door making it even more humiliating like i was some kind of big threat…talking to me in a very mean way..belittling me….so I got home…Knowing that direct buy has an open door policy…it says it in their employee handbook…I called to try to speak to one of the other owners …Wes…I really wanted to clear this up …I wanted my job..I couldn’t make it make sense in my head that I was fired for going to the bathroom…So I called and asked the receptionist to speak to Wes..she said sure hold on…Then guess who answered the phone? Meg…the lady who completely humiliated me…She said Hi Lacey you need to stop calling…(this was the first and only time i called)”THIS IS BOARDER LINE HARASSMENT” she said… I said..I called to speak to Wes..and she said..you’re not going to speak to Wes…I said why not??? and she says…Because I said you’re not…I don’t want you to think you have any chance of getting your job back, I’ve discussed it with Wes and we’re all fine with it..you’re free to go to work any where else..I said to her look..i don’t even know you….we’ve said maybe two words to each other since I’ve worked there…and I’m losing my job…so I’d like to speak to someone that actually know and respect, the person who was my boss, Wes…and she said well I’m glad you respect Wes but you’re not going to speak to him, I’m going to have to call the cops because this is harassment….Sooo I hung up the phone. I go to the bathroom one time……take maybe 3 minutes…and I get fired for it? and not only fired…fired in front of everyone that i had worked with side by side for months, in a very loud and mean way…….and I’m not even given an explanation? and I’m not even allowed to speak to my boss with their “open door policy” So if direct buy will treat the people who work for them like this then imagine how they will treat their customers…they lie to you to try to get you in the door…then try to pressure you into buying a membership…and if you don’t buy in at that open house…if you decline it for the time being…then you’re not eligible for a membership for 7 years…you’re not allowed back into the club…….I feel like I’ve been completely wronged…I wasn’t a bad employee…I loved working there…I loved my job…I worked very hard for them….I never stepped out of line…I was always nice and polite to everyone and did my job…just because that’s me…who I am…when I first started…there was a girl i worked with…that got mad at me after making fun of the dress I was wearing…she got mad at me for me telling her…You didn’t have to be so public about it…if you had a problem with my dress you could have told me…and she threatened me…to beat my ass in the parking lot after work…called me a bitch…guess what she got…? suspended for a day with pay…I’d never been in trouble there…and I get fired for going to the bathroom? this same girl had also came into work drunk one day….completely sloshed…and she didn’t get fired but i get fired for going to the bathroom? my heart is honestly broken….How could they treat me like this????
so…in conclusion…STAY AWAY FROM DIRECT BUY!! especially direct buy of myrtle beach ..
Lacey, I know this is a late response, but I hope that you contacted your state’s Department of Labor and sought a labor attorney. This is type of behavior is illegal in most states, if not all. I would still contact them and seek a consultation with a labor attorney regarding the statute of limitations on a lawsuit for this unconscionable behavior. Good luck to you.
I live in Vancouver BC and went to an appointment with my wife. I signed up because the salesman told me I could get a specific product for a specific price that he had checked up on their computer. When I went in there to order the product 2 days later the actual price before shipping, handling and tax was three (3) times what he had quoted. The salesman lied to get me to sign up. Thank God that in British Columbia, Canada you can cancel any contract within 3 days. Needless to say I cancelled and will never go back.
My husband and I spent two hours of our lives at DB in Cleveland, that I wish we could recoup. My mistake was not checking into the various blogs prior to the presentation. While I expected the presentation to be a hard sell, I found myself irritated by the salesperson’s comments, innuendos and her indignant attitude once she heard, “no… I am not going to give you a check today even with the wonderful $1,000.00 discount (as fate would have it, a discount for that day only)”. She was amazed how we could miss the opportunity and that we failed to see the logic. Considering that between my husband and myself, we have three masters….I’m not thinking that logic is our problem.
My suggestions to anyone thinking about going to a presentation is to research first and to always remember… a deal that sound good today should sound even better tomorrow. Always be suspect of a company that pushes for the same day purchase commitment.
My suggestions to DB is to look at your business pratices and better educate the sales staff. There really are individuals who appreciate ethics and even a few of us are able to realize when being manipulated. I’ve seen better salesmanship in St. Thomas working in time-shares.
THANKS FOR ALL OF THE COMMENTS. IT HAS HELPED ME AVOID THE GREAT POSSIBILITY OF LOSING MONEY PLUS GAINING MANY HEADACHES BECAUSE MY NEIGHBORS AND MYSELF WAS ABOUT TO JOIN DIRECT BUY. I WILL NEVER CONSIDER THEM NOW NOR, IF ASKED, WILL I EVER HAVE ANYTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT THEM.
THANKS AGAIN.
I recently got a membership through DB of Lancaster.
This was March 15 when i signed up.
I have contacted that store as well as the corporate Headquarters of DB,
I have gotten nowhere, i was treated like i was a dog ( not to mention i am in the military and they know that) when i contacted them to get out of the membership only after leaving 3 messages on there “General Managers” phone, getting a call 2 weeks later of course this was out of the 3 day cancellation period.
I was told by “Nick the manager ” that they would contact there legal department about me wanting to cancel my membership. What HR department does that.
Personally i am now stuck with a 4500.00 membership that even if i wanted to use it i cannot because they have not sent me any information including the Membership ID’s to gain access to the showroom.
If anyone else has had this issue with the DB of LANCASTER Please feel free to contact me.
I am wanting to file a suit and will be contacting JAG for advice
We had a quintessential Direct Buy experience. My husband and I had no clue about all the reviews before we visited their showroom, but we smelled a rat as soon as we walked in the door. With fancy titles like “marketing director” when the sales reps probably hadn’t even completed high school diploma, they ushered us into their grandiose showroom. They didnt allow any questons during their rehearsed presentation which was strike 1. They also suggested that we could walk into a retail store to check out a TV or a washing machine that we were interested in buying and then buy it at DB. That to me was a big strike 2 because that is exploiting the retailers blatantly. While we were walking around their showroom, we saw members hunched over the tomes and tomes of catalogs, none of whom looked content with their choice. The last thing I want to do is order through a catalog after driving to their showroom miles away and spending $5000 on the membership. Heck – I think with that kind of an investment, I would expect the sales reps at DB to do my laundry, clean my cat’s litter and maybe even wash my feet with rose water everyday!! When it came to the now or never decision at the end of their sales pitch, we picked never. Never. We pay a premium at retailers for the convenience, the unquestionable return and exchange policy and the sheer fun of looking around their displays and above all, touching things we want to buy. I don’t even buy an apple without touching it, let alone an expensive TV or a kitchen cabinet. Maybe I should have picked out my husband through their catalog – maybe that is something they could look into in the future. Catalog spouses. No returns.
Thanks for sharing that Alice! That was one of my big problems with Direct Buy as well. All the research we would have had to do looking through catalogs and (maybe) little sketches of the products. Add to that a questionable return policy. The risk outweighed the reward.
Chris
Well this blog seems to keep on living and alot of that is due to Direct Buy and its marketing tactics. I recentally just had a “Direct Buy” experience that I’d like to share.
My fiance signed us up for one of their saturday showroom visits friday night because we just bought a house and have started decorating it. So we tried to squeeze it in a 2hr window before another engagement with no time to reasearch the company, BAD IDEA. We sat through the 1 hr sales pitch and video intro and then were matched up with an associate. At this point we had just under and hour to make a decission. I asked to do a few “apples to apples” comparisions of recent purchases we’d made (a washer dryer set, computer monitor and watersports equipment) and wasn’t blown away at all by the prices let alone any possible shipping fee’s. None the less my fiance pointed out that we would need tens of thousands of dollars in home furnishing over our lifetime and that this would simplify our lives and pay in the long run. I am equally at fault for not letting my better judgement take over and agreeing to a split second decision involving thousands of dollars, I did refuse to spend my own money however. Ultimatley she decided to pay our membership out of her own pocket as she chooses most of the furnishing anyway.
Well she couldn’t sleep that night and woke me up at 4am and asked if I could go on the internet and google Direct Buy which is how I end here and numerous other sites describing people’s horror stories and a few good ones with Direct Buy. I gave her the run down in the morning and she agreed that it was a poor choice.
I called today when they reopend and was met with a slightly apprehensive sales director who began down the “we don’t do refunds road” but changed his tune quickly when I was adament that I wasn’t taking anything less for an answer. No threats of lawyers or BBB were nessecary just a firm resolve to be refunded. I walked into their showroom 2hrs later with a cancelation letter per Washington state law signed by my fiance and her credit card and they promptly and quietly gave me a refund.
I can happily say that Direct Buy atleast here in Washington is run by honest people, they believe in their product and want to share it with others. Now as to what consumers think of their product is on an individual bases, I personally no longer see savings having done a bit of research on the internet but would not be so rude as to out right label them scam artists or liers. They treated me reasonably given the circumstances. Obviously I was lucky, had I waited a few months, days even or made a single order I can see where they would have been unwilling to do any type of refund. This really goes to show that a person has to do their research before making large decisions. Trying to squeeze the appointment in last minute not giving ourselves anytime in the showroom to think and talk things out really hurt our decision making process. Together my fiance and I have purchased cars, a house and dozens of expensive items and never once felt scammed or that we’d made a bad decision, we’ve even walked out of a few situations previosuly. But going into something ill prepared is the hallmark of disaster.
I find it funny reading this blog and any blog that people come to vent on when there is no one here that can actually answer your questions or concerns but other people with questions and concerns. If you want to know about a Company why don’t you go to them directly (no pun intended) and find out yourself. It’s either for you or it’s not… you either believe what they say or you don’t it’s that simple…OR you can waste your time complaining to other people who have no clue what they are talking about or believe the ones that claim they are or have been members. I’ve been a member for 8 years and I rent…I’ve saved well over my membership fees and have no complaints. I spent a lot of time talking to other members when i did go in and shop because I was still a bit leary of what I got myself into and never heard any serious complaints…maybe waiting for stuff to come in but thats it….I don’t mind waiting for most thing the savings are for sure worth it.
Oohhh an 8% service fee..if that’s your biggest worry go educate yourself on markups and retail….You pay for that in the retail stores AND you pay the retail mark-up on top of that…at least at direct buy you are only paying the 8% and not the other 30-60% ON TOP that retail stores charge you lol…jesus.
I forgot to mention the service fee isn’t even on everything oh and to the guy above my last post you did a price comparison on the lowest marked up products you could have chosen. I probably wouldn’t buy appliances there..altho I did talk to someone who got some high end ones and saved a few grand but if you’re not going to spend a lot on appliances there isn’t a huge mark up…as far as furniture goes i saved $1500 on a sectional couch…it was my first purchase I even went to the store since there was one just down the road that had this brand..I picked it out and went and priced it at direct buy I was shocked and very happy with my choice of joining from that point on. ..I just recently got tires for my car and saved $500…the tire shop i priced them out at quoted me on a sale price too.
http://cbs5.com/consumer/direct.buy.club.2.1699434.html
avoid
The continuing theme here is that there is NO recourse from DirectBuy after your initial 3 days of joining their membership. Let’s see, at $5000 per person times how many people can you get signed up equals….a whole lot of money, and money always talks. Yes, we are very unhappy with our membership. Yes, we would love to get my money back, even a portion of it. We would NOT recommend joining DirectBuy!! We have tried every aspect to try to save money…I don’t know where it can be found. We felt very high pressure to join, and like others were told not to share what we had learned. Almost sounds like a mafia transaction, if you know what I mean. Would join a class action lawsuit in a heartbeat. By the way, who does sign Sara’s paycheck? Does she actually ever order from DirectBuy? She knows who butters her bread. I totally regret ever letting my husband talk me into joining this scam. All of our hard earned savings is gone to pay the down payment and they are still taking money each month for the membership. We are so done!
My wife and I recently attended a Direct Buy open house in The Woodlands TX. We received a packet in the mail with a key to see if we can win a free 50,000.00 home make over. It also noted that there were free door prizes (there were none) and a free 3 night 2 day vacation…I’ll get to that in a minute. We drove 2 and a half hours to get there. There were only 6 attendees counting ourselves. We sat through a 20 minute video discussion and shortly after our salesman stared going through price catalogs from different retail stores. (lowes, best buy etc…). He then started asking questions and as we sat there we noticed that he was picking people off that looked like they had money. After the discussion we ,ade a quick tour of their “warehouse” (which was about a 30X30 building in the back of there little office. The “warehouse” was just a place where people that were members got their stuffed shipped to, to pick up. Shortly after that, we were told to pick a table to sit at and we will have our own representative help us with a decision to join and answer any questions we had. After being told that the membership was going to be 5995.00 we quickly decided “NO”. Then the salesman offered us a SENOIR PRICING of 3995.00. WTF?! Were in our freaking late 20′s! This guy really pissed me off after that. Worse than a car salesman. I turned his offer down needless to say. Anyways, back to our FREE VACATION…No, it was never mentioned, nor was my offer to turn my key in a lock to see if I won a makeover. I had to ask them but after I said no to the membership they acted like I was a nobody. the next day (today) I called the lady that had to set our appt. up for our visit to the Direct Buy location and told her everything. She was appalled and said she will work on gettin our free vacation for us. I guess time will tell…
FACT:
Maybe I shouln’t have worn flip flops, shorts, and a tee shirt.
FACT:
At least we went somewhere nice to eat afterwards.
FACT:
It cost me 50 dollars in gas to het there and back.
FACT:
To the guy who was sitting in the back asking all the questions….How come you got to have th OWNER be your sales person and why did my sales person open a catalog to the pool tables?
Ya jerks! Funny how that guy didn’t buy into it either.
LAST FACT:
Maybe I shouldn’t have noted that I am in sales on their little questionaire?
I just returned home from a Direct Buy open house in Elmsford, NY (Westchester County). After an hour-plus long presentation, very much like a real estate time share sales pitch, I left the building in tears. Before attending the presentation, we were not aware that we had to either join that evening and commit to the $5000 initiation fee, or be banned from joining or visiting this or any other Direct Buy location for 7 years (we scheduled over the phone and received a conformation number, but did not receive any printed material in advance of the open house). After the presentation, the salesperson assigned to me and my husband was trying his hardest to convince us to join. We were truly considering joining, but felt uncomfortable making this financial decision on the spot. Since the salesperson couldn’t complete the sale, the franchise owner, Larry Grossman, approached us and was being extremely friendly and agreeable. He even invited his wife into the conversation to help convince us to join. After much back and forth about our need to evaluate our finances, and then how we felt extremely pressured, we made our final decision – we would not join. At this point, Mr. Grossman became sarcastic, obnoxious and rude. I tried to explain to him several times that it was the sales pressure and our financial situation that was preventing us from making a quick decision, and he insisted that this wasn’t the case. He proceeded to infer that we were lying – that of course I should know my finances and if this was affordable within our budget right there on the spot, and that my husband was the type of person that wouldn’t accept any deal that was put in front of him. When I insisted that I wasn’t aware of the buy-now-or-be-banned for 7 years policy, he once again concluded I was lying and said “but it was written on the fine print of the invitation.” Mr. Grossman’s unprofessional and sarcastic comments displayed extremely poor salesmanship and complete lack of integrity. Not only did I leave in tears, but I left with the worst impression of the entire Direct Buy chain.
WOW!!! I am exausted fromreading ALL this info but glad that I did. I have been hounded for over 2 months to come in for my “open house” but I find in odd that if its an opn house WHY DO I NEED AN APPT???? I am thankful to all of you posters for your info. I truly believe that you have saved me from making a HUGE mistake. I will be eternally greatful to all of you for your help…
Chris; I just found this website info RE: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST DIRECTBUY!!!
Direct Buy Complaints – CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT INFO
Review all Direct Buy complaints
Direct Buy
Posted: 2010-01-16 by lcnatx
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT INFO
Complaint Rating:
Company information:
Direct Buy
All locations
United States
Phone: All locations
I found this information when researching Direct Buy and wanted to post it where all posters alledging Direct Buy is a scam in their post. I have no affliation with this class action lawsuit, any parties who filed the lawsuit or direct buy. This is for informational purposes only.
241 days ago by DirectBuy Victim 0 Votes
DirectBuy is a nightmare & scam.
Help spread the word…
A Federal Class Action lawsuit against DirectBuy has been filed by Izard Nobel LLP. Contact information is as follows
Lead Attorney – Jeff Nobel
email – jnobel@izardnobel.com
toll free phone# – (800) 797-5499
Please contact them so justice may prevail & we can get our hard earned money aka “membership fees” back
I am a finance guy and I did a basic analysis of what you would need to spend over the 10 years of your membership in order to break even.
I found that if you pay for the membership without financing, you will need to spend close to $30,000 on top of $6,333 in membership fees.
Initial membership fee = $5250
After three years = $190 per year for an additional 7.
Assume you could earn 3% per year on the members fee had you invested it.
The NPV of the 7 annual membership fees of $190 discounted at 3% = $1,083.
Total present value of the membership cost = $6,333
The future value of the $6,333 membership cost earning 3% per year is $8,511. The future value is what you would have by putting all of the membership cash flows into a savings account earning 3% per year. You would earn $2,178 in interest.
Scenarios:
1) Spend $2k a year and save an average of 25% after all fees.
-You save $500 per year: At the end of 10 years you have lost $2,068.
2) Spend $3k a year and save an average of 25% after all fees.
- You save $750 per year: At the end of 10 years you have saved $65.
You would need to invest about $30,000 over the life of the investment to break even on top of the $6,333 in fees.
*Assumptions*
- You spend the same amount per year for each of the 10 years.
- You average 25% in savings after fees. Could be more or less depending on what type of purchases are made.
- You earn 3% per year on your investments. This could be higher/lower depending on your investment. Assuming a 7% market return, you would need to spend about $3,600 per year to break even on top of the $6,333 in fees.
My husband and I just joined after doing our research. Most of the negative comments seem to be from folk who did not have a lot of need to buy the deeply discounted items. We also spoke to several personal friends who have enjoyed immense savings. We went to the presentation with a list of merchandise and prices of items we’d like to buy then compared them w/ the DB prices. That sold us alone. We could have skipped the presentation and would have joined based on the prices for the items we want alone.
We paid $3,000 for a 3 yr membership and will recoup our membership fee with the first purchase. Since we have a 4 br house to furnish, the savings will be significant for us. If we did not have a lot to purchase, the membership would not be worth it.
DB is def a good place to get high-end furniture from deep discounts. DB is def NOT so good for electronics so we will continue to use the internet for those purchases.
Bottom line, if you do not have discretionary cash and do not have a need to purchase furniture and some of the higher end applicances, DB IS NOT a good idea. If you do have some discretionary cash and have a need and desire to purchase higher end big ticket items, this is a good deal.
You probably can save quite a bit of money, if you know what you’re looking for and have the savvy to do the research. However, I won’t do business with them strictly for the “do it now or you’re banished” mentality. I absolutely refuse to let go of even a dollar of my money until I’ve gathered all of the facts and made all of the comparisons I need to in order to feel comfortable with a purchase – especially a high-end purchase like we’re discussing. That’s just being a responsible consumer, in my view.
DirectBuy does itself no favors with such practices.
all i want to do is make sure my direct buy account is closed before the 10 days are up and no one seems to know how to do this
I didn’t read all of the comments. However, I will tell you this. Direct Buy CORPORATE makes its money from a cut from the membership fees that franchisees collect. ($400-$ 500 per membership). They also make money based upon volume done with a manufacturerlike any other retailer. Franchisees make their money from membership fees as well as the service fees(although maybe only 2%-3% of the 6%-8%). Franchisees also are rebated cash and or product dependent upon the volume of sales that they do with a manufacturer . If you’re buying kitchen cabinets/ granite countertops/furniture/lighting fixtures/ flooring, you will save significant money over comparable or same brand items purchased elsewhere. If you are buying high end plumbing fixtures that are NOT a stock item at one of the big box stores, you will save money. All special order items at a big box stores are almost always more expensive than DB. Other items such as appliances(unless its 6 burner stoves or a 72 inch refrigerators), electronics, you are better off buying at a local store. So… unless you have plans to construct a new kitchen , 3+ baths or need a houseful of reasonable quality furniture(not Broyhill/Ashley/ Lane et al.), DON’T waste your money or time at DB.
my wife and i went to a presentation one night. it was late and not many businesses were open to compare the DB prices to. Our son was at home with a friend running a high fever and we were pressed for time. Thats when we found out it was “join now or you cant come back” approach. i personally cant stand high pressure sales pitches. i fell for this one because we were building a home and we wanted to do good for my family, so we joined. we soon found out that we could find better prices on every aspect of construction than we could get through direct buy. we even purposely didn’t tell the granite countertop company they sent us to that we were members so we could see how much we were actually saving. after they gave us our price, we told them we were members and they told us we had to talk to a particular rep. well the price went up for us then. thats correct, up! we bat DB prices on everything. i could not be more unhappy with my membership. sombody please give me my money back, after all we havent even used it at all for anything.i want someone to put me in touch with the right people at the corp. office because i am sure that they would not want their company represented this way. please help, you have my e-mail address.
When I joined Direct Buy they never informed me that I would havto go to the location where I joined to pick up the products I purchased. I live in Wisconsin and I would have to drive about 7 hours, rent a truck in order to pick up my stuff and drive back to Wisconsin – I believe the membership fee at that time was $4500 – put $500 down, financed through Beta Finance $4000 and my balance is still $3600 and I joined appx. 18 months ago – I need to get out from under this useless contract – any ideas how to do that? Thanks. Please respond to me at my email address
dhughes60@yahoo.com
Sorry to say, we folded under the threat of not being considered to join for five years, so we signed up and our experience is like a constant nightmare.
We order an outdoor fire pit which was over $900.00 dollars, months pasted and still no fire pit. In the mean time I’m calling and calling, getting the same message it’s on it’s way. I finally got fed up, and ended up calling my credit card company and having the charge reversed. It is now over a year and it still hasn’t shown up, it indeed was on a slow ship from China.
The second problem we had was with a bathroom faucet, which was delivered to another location, in California, and it was the wrong part. The person who picked up for me was told that it was the wrong part but to take it and try and see if it would work. Bad! Bad! Bad! Choose! When it didn’t fit they had the nerve to say, that they didn’t say that it was to wrong part, and it was a hassle to get them to take the faucet back. Never take a part that they say try it and if it doesn’t fit we will take it back, NO PROBLEM. There isn’t until you try to take it back to them. To make a long story short, I again turned to my credit card company, to get the charge reversed, by law they can’t have both.
Once that was done, I was informed that I could no longer use my credit card to purchase products from their store, in Tucson. I don’t know how other people buy things but it’s usually on credit.
I’ve also been informed by e-mail that the owners of this particular store won’t even meet with us to discuss this outrageous matter.
It seems that they don’t care how long they have your money, and you’re left waiting and waiting for you item or items to be delivered. It will take months before you receive your money or credit back to your credit card . I tried to do it their way, but it was too long and drawn out for me. Take it from one who has been there DON’T JOIN, it’s not worth it. If there is a case action, sign us up.
I am so glad I found your website, I had an appointment for this aftermoom. but after reading up on this company, and their practices have decided I do not need the headache. Good luck to those that are trying to get some reimbursement and thank you so much for your feedback.
We just joined DB today. If you look at the fine print, lawfully we can cancel within three business days by sending them a cancellation letter by certified mail. I hope they give us back our full refund.
Lots of luck with that membership refund. We are revoked our contract within the 3 days by taking it personally to the service manager at the Orlando club. She happily accepted it and was very nice, promising a refund to our visa card in approx 10 days. That was over a month ago, apparently she no longer works there and our daily calls to speak to the owner have gone unanswered – apparently he is never available. I filed a complaint with BBB, I am one of many. Guess the next step is a lawyer, I am definitely in if anyone wants to start that class action lawsuit. Just trying to find their corporate address online is a nightmare you keep getting sent back to the local showroom!
I hope that this post finds it’s way to Sara Shragal,
Sr. Communications Coordinator at DirectBuy Inc.
I’ve been a client of Direct Buy for just over 10 years so I have a lot of first hand experience on what works and what doesn’t from a customer point of view.
As a professional marketing consultant, I see several ways in which to improve the overall experience at Direct Buy. I welcome the opportunity to speak to your CMO in an effort to introduce our dealer experience solution directly to the one person who can champion and initiate positive change for your organization.
I can be reached via email at joe@cyclonecreative.com
Folks on the blog have already pointed out the most obvious flaws in the Direct Buy model. As a business owner I can see some others that haven’t been addressed yet. Why would a company that can sell millions of dollars of its products to major retailers suddenly give an individual buyer a much better price? Does Direct Buy really think that major retailers don’t know all about its business and its pricing? These folks aren’t stupid and they can certainly have somone sign up to test the pricing. No there is no need to keep anything secret from the retailers. Unless you have something in writing from a competitor no one will give you a lower price. Direct Buy could let people see prices but not give them written confirmation. Another hole in their skewed logic.
No reputable business has a sign now or else policy. Period. End of story. If you want to try to by pass retailers for major items there are numerous options – such as finding the rep for the brand and seeing if they will sell to you or hiring a professional decorator, who for the service fee charged by Direct Buy will be glad to order at a discount. State regulators need to get after this company pronto. Let’s see how long it stays in business if it has to compete fairly based on facts and not high pressure sales tactics.
The new D.B. TV commercial says “Pick up the phone and call this number now and we will send you a KEY and if your KEY opens it up, you WILL win a $50,000 Home Makeover, Call Now! (BTW, there is a period at the end of that statement)—-OK, I did, and I was denied my KEY.—THE ADVERTISEMENT IS A LIE!—
The woman on the phone ran me through a pre-qualification questionaire and then told me I was not eligible to receive a key. After reading this blog I am going to cancel the appointment that the D.B. web site just gave me. You know I love my country, but our legislators are just as guilty as the scam artist that are allowed to continue their stealing. But then of course we all voted them in office. Let me tell you now, DO NOT FALL FOR THE DIRECT BUY BAIT AND SWITCH SCAMMING FOR DOLLARS SHOW!–
unless of course, you feel lucky…….Do you feel lucky? I was blessed to find this web page.
I can think of ONE good logical reason why my recent comment no longer appears on this sight and that is it most likely because this web site belongs to Direct Buy and we are all fooled into thinking it is someone that is not connected with D.B.—-I expect Chris, that you will remove this comment too……hope you all find your way, you too Chis.
Strange that my first comment showed up after I put the second one in…….I apoligize, this site most likely is un bias and will be very helpful to any one comtemplating joining D.B.—-
Wow! What typical answers. It is clear that Direct Buy has major issues and no one is doing anything about them!
The reason Direct Buy takes all the fee’s on top and takes 6 to 8 weeks to delivery products is because they go through other manufactures and have to pay them a commission.
I had a problem with my Panasonic Vent Units and when I called Panasonic HQ for warranty they said they refused to work with DB. Upon taking this matter to DB managers, I was forwarded to the company they do buy from which is like a Hardware store for other Maa & Paa stores.
They admitted to me that they do get a ‘cut’. Why else would anyone give us something at cost.
I didn’t have time to read all of the posts but found what I did read interesting. After a total home remodel, we saved more than our initial fee but had to be very well prepared before ordering, have our own truck/trailer, and had to have lots of time to wait for delivery. Interestingly, we found shipping costs to be very negotiable.
What I find most interesting is that Sara Shragal’s e-mail is no longer accepting e-mails. I cc’d her on an e-mail to my local Direct Buy but it was returned to me as undeliverable. This was possibly addressed in a post I didn’t read but wanted to share it. Your dialogue with her may have given her more opportunities “to communicate” than she wanted! (smile)
My wife and I joined Direct Buy on 1/15.2011.We have tired to reach Our sales person to cancel for two day’s now,to no avail.We have also sent two faxes,and have yet to receive a call back or a fax .
I called and was told that the first fax must have been miss-directed.Call’s to reach my sales person has not been returned.
We realize we have no big project’s and there is no way to justify nearly 7,000 for three+1extra year (thrown in).
Well, with honest and hopeful intentions I did sign up for the sales pitch and attended the presentation. I now see that Direct Buy has 1 objective: To get your money! (via their hefty membership fees).
Upon my arrival at the presentation showroom I was told by the lady at the front desk to sit in the waiting area and someone would come to get me. I quickly sensed that all the employees have an oddness about them, and they are very firm in telling you what to do, and when. Beware….For some reason they strongly encourage the coffee!
When they finally got around to speaking with me, they went about their pitch telling me what they wanted me to know, and at the end, they drop the high pressure “Now or you will be banned” pitch which as most people clearly recognize, is one key component of any high pitch sale. . .. here’s my experience in more detail:
I was first prodded by the representative in a pre-screening interview (before the group sales pitch) for information about what were my plans are to renovate etc. in the foreseeable future (which I intentionally avoided answering).
During the group presentation I found myself feeling like I was at a brainwashing meeting and several times began laughing (at them, not with them). In my opinion, their group presentation has two objectives: Make you feel like they (Direct Buy) know what they’re talking about (a very carefully scripted repetitive price comparison process with a few local flyers), and as the presentation goes on, one clear goal emerges which is to get you to participate in the meeting so that you begin to “buy in” to the scam. Trust me, the representative gave constant encouragement to any person in the group who said anything positive, or was in any way encouraging toward the direct buy rep. (psychology 101). meanwhile, they are also watching you to see how “sold” you are!
So, after the presentation to the group was over, the representative told me to look around the showroom until he finished meeting with other people in the group (I guess the rep saw other easier targets to make his quota for the day).
With dwindling interest, I waited around for over an hour, and then I left. Too bad because I wanted to grill him about Direct Buy’s fishy set-up and very odd atmosphere. I found myself afterwards thinking that the way they handled me as a customer (I admit I was not an easy sell, but I would have joined if I found Direct Buy to be a sensible decision). They are very coy, and definitely discriminating.
Was the way I was avoided after the presentatiion intentional? Why did they not answer my calm and composed emails afterward when I followed up for an explanation for being left in the showroom for over an hour waiting? Why did they later send me and email stating “We are sorry you have chosen not to join” when in fact, I never made any such decision?
I recommend to anyone considering Direct Buy: Don’t waste your time, they just want your multi-thousand dollar membership fee money!
We did a major renovation on our home a few years ago and, for that reasons, signed up for Direct Buy. I believe we saved the money we paid for the membership fee with just the savings on the kitchen cupboards.
My concern is that they are primarily after your initial fee. There is very little help with selecting the different products. We were lucky and our sales person was someone we knew from church and he was a renovator.
So he could give us guidance on toilets, showers and other goodies. Without his guidance I would not have been able to figure out what we need in the plumbing areas.
It was also a challenge getting the deliveries and the long waits for things to be delivered. This is a very “hands on” process and requires a lot of patience and lots of time.
I suspect that our contractor may have been able to secure some of the same pricing on some of our purchases (with a contractor’s discount) and we might have been able to get some things on sale. But I do believe it made it easier to get all the deals in one place.
It is not recommended for people who are not doing a major renovation. I would be hesitant to use the program for the purchase of things like furniture because you can’t try it out before purchasing.
I suspect that most people who join do not end up getting their monies worth – so buyer beware.
Linda
Why does this sound so familiar? Perhaps it is the same as a timeshare sales pitch.
I have been a member of d.b. since 2007 . Finally paying off my 5000 intial agreement. I felt that i can now order and save some money. I went to the member only website to find out the store i visit in Buffalo ny is closed without warning. I already live 2 hours from Buffalo. Now the closest is 3 hours away in Rochester ny. I am very disgusted with this. Some of their manufactuer you cannot get into thier website to look without being a dealer. I feel as though i have to fin for myself now in order to save a few dollars.We the members of the d.b. in buffalo should be compensated. I feel like i have been rip-off by them.
NO CANCELLATION COVERSATION
All those replies do sound so very “corporate” but the scam most people are talking about was not really addressed:
Things like,
1.what if you never purchased anything, why should you still have to pay membership fees.
2.Why is it so hard to get them on the phone to discuss cancellations
3.If you never purchased anything past the 3day mark why cant you get a refund.
Sounds like once again DB is ducking it’s head in the sand.
Now the next step is for me and others like me to start ‘ANOTHER” civil lawsuit for this company practicing the definition of :
EXTORTION
The use, or the express or implicit threat of the use, of violence or other criminal means to cause harm to person, reputation, or property as a means to obtain property from someone else with his consent. USC 18
( yes, DB can cause harm to your reputation under this defination when they list it on your ‘CREDIT REPORT” even though you have signed a document but never used their services or made purchases.)
I look so forward to hearing why DB feels a person should pay if they decide later they are not going to make a purchase due to the high prices or unsatisfactory of merchandise available after the fact of signing the contract.
How very interesting reading this …… my husband and I are scheduled to attend an open house this coming week and I was doing some “pre-sales-pitch” research.
Needless to say – we will NOT be attending any DB open house any longer!
Thanks for the helpful advice.
Incidentally – we are home owners and have daughters at University – we have learnt to live frugally – to wait for the bargain – and to often enjoy the adventure of making something ourselves rather than purchase it.
I so totally agree with all those who say it is useless and a first class scam – I will never recoup my $4,000 or the time spent sifting through all their awful catalogues. I have never bought anything and after reading of all their time delays will never do so. If there is ever a law suit brought against them, count me in. Stella Willett
I have just received the information packet from Buyers Direct, and I am so grateful to have stumbled upon this blog. Although I will not be attending, I have to admit that I would love to go with my husband and see his response to their high-pitched sales tactics. Needless to say, I’m sure they would eagerly escort him (and me) out of the door! I get to laughing as I picture this whole scenario in my mind. Thanks for the heads up.
I found this blog becuase I have been looking to find a corporate address or customer service email for DB. I am convince that it does NOT exist, otherwise that mailbox will be flooded with complaint emails.
I have been dealing with the one DB in North Texas (Coppell) on an order that I have placed since Oct 2010. I was told that it’s backorder for month and so finally I have requested them to cancel my order in Jan 2011. I was told that the refund was processed in Feb 2011. As you can see from this timeline, for FIVE months I was not able to get my refund. Given any other retailer in the US, your refund be processed instantly without delay. I called them almost everyday for the last two weeks, they NEVER have a person that will answer your call. The trick is they will leave me a message and said that they wanted to talk to me about my issue and so I need to call them back. What is the point to make a call when they do NOT intend to answer the phone to begin with.
As I was thinking over this problem in the last two weeks, I thought the best way to handle them is to use a blog as I’m sure that there must be many UNhappy members out there. I have not seen such POOR customer service in a long time, especially as so many people has stated here… after paying the handling and service fee PLUS shipping. You have to wonder are you actually saving when you have to ADD the many hours you have to deal with DB?
I was hoping to find Sara’s email from this thread. It appears that is another NOT working email. The truth is, you don’t get to talk, email, communicate, contact a real person once you become a member. Do we have to take a desperate mesure to show up every weekend while they’re “selling” to new member and to make our voice matter?
Here is a copy of an email sent to our Congressman Rep. John Duncan:
Rep.John Duncan, Jr.
2207 Rayburn House Office Building,
District of Columbia 20515-4202
April 20, 2011
Dear Representative Duncan,
This letter concerns a consumer issue involving a nationwide business known as Direct Buy and two gullible consumers, myself and my wife.
Over the airwaves Direct Buys advertises about calling into get a key that will open a lock to a possible $50,000 home makeover. My wife called in for the key and they called to set up an appointment to come to their showroom in Knoxville, TN to try it. Of course, the key didn’t work. We also were shown a presentation of all the wonderful benefits of low prizes being a Direct Buy member. After that, couples sit down for their sale pitch about how wonderful a membership will be and how we can purchase items at amazing low prices beating out all competition.
Well, we didn’t have the money for the down payment. They said that’s okay we can take post-dated checks, which amounted to a considerable sum and after that the full benefits of membership would begin. Somewhere in all of this presentation both of us came out believing we could end our membership if it didn’t work out. So, we sign papers to this wonderful opportunity.
Before going any further, I continue to hear their ads on the airwaves. To this day I wonder if anyone has won the makeover? Also how many makeovers have been done? If they have given them out, what are the chances of winning one? Both my wife and I believe this is scam that needs to be stopped. Given the amount of money to gain a membership, the supposed savings is lost in the membership. It would take many years to recoup that money if then. What is the business income percentage is product sold to membership payments? What percentages of members actually make full use of it? If the membership remained stagnant or limited membership, this business would die. That is the key question. It is the new memberships that drive this business.
Direct Buy knows that their glitzy presentation will hook a certain percentage of listeners. It all sounds good till the reality of paying comes to be. All of what Direct Buys offers can be found with good research.
If Direct Buy is such a wonderful bargain and legitimate company, why don’t they offer membership like Sam’s Club and Costco. Millions of members paying low yearly membership dues would be the same as the huge sums paid by a few. They don’t because they require a continuous drive to gain huge sums for membership to keep the doors open. The benefit of lower prices is nothing but a scam, new membership dues pays for cheaper prices for those that buy, salaries and the owners of the business. It requires gullible listeners. This is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme.
Communication with this business is non-existent. They are more interested in collecting money than customer relations. No one called to thank us for joining and when my wife called about ending the membership, it took several days before a return call came. In that call they said there no quitting. My wife told them to do what they had to do, for we are paying no more.
We feel that all moneys should be returned to us and there should be an investigation of their Ponzi scheme business practices. It is our hope that you will look into this matter, not only for us, but also for all foolish people who fall for this scam.
Respectfully,
Charles and Brenda Suppus
3668 Camelot Dr.
Maryville, TN
I became a memeber with direct buy on 3/11/11. It was a presure sales talk. She made us feel like idiots if we didn’t sign up that day. She said ” that only an idiot would pass this up and I know your not idiots” thats what she said to us. They don’t mention anything in they contract about a cancelation clause. We signed up on a friday and we didn’t get acess to the website till wed 3/16/11. Once we saw the website and nothing was worth anything and the saving wheren’t that much we tried to recide the contract. They know are saying that we are passed the 3 day cancelation period and they won’t do anything about it. We are stuck. Does anyone have any suggestion on how to get out of this????
My husband and I also where idiots and joined DB 4 months ago. We payed the $5000 up front. One day 5 we tried to cancell the membership but were told we had exceeded the 3 day cancellation clause. But they did cancell the membership. We got NOTHING but they have our $5000 dollars. Can anyone out they who has had any success fighting this help us. Are there any class action suits? Donna
Charles and Brenda I am Shirley Collinwood and I live in Utah. I want to join a lawsuit against DirectBuy because we were ripped off to the tune of $4000.00 and when I tried to get my money back they of course said “no” and they were very disappointed in me because they had helped me soooo much. Right! Well, Everything that has been said in your letter is true for me as well. Our lawyer, who happens to be my sister-in-law said they did nothing illegal and the burden of proof is on me in the state of Utah to prove any wrong doing. I want my money back because they have NOT saved me one penny. I have found everything I needed for my re-model elsewhere. I am so upset at myself for falling for this program. Is there any way to get justice here? Thanks, Shirley Collinwood
DirectBuy is not a reputable company, and that’s an understatement!
They are about to charge me for 9% Canadian Duty for an office desk that was made in the USA. Hello, remember a little thing called NAFTA???
Even after we have pointed it out they still refused to acknowledge the mistake. Online order for another desk from the same serie and same manufacturer has NO duty added. But here’s the kicker, after several days and an inquiry, the response we got was “the website is wrong”.
Meanwhile I have the manufacturer’s printed brochure for this desk right in front of me that says this desk is designed in Scandinavia but MADE IN USA. Unbelievable!
I’ve been a DirectBuy-Dutchess County, NY member since 2004. I have spend well over $60K in purchases. All went well with the exception of my current (LAST) order with Direct Buy. Yes, you save over MSRP but my latest & last experience has been a horrific nightmare! Incompent and uneducated Customer Reps!!! Purchase Stanley Furntiure set for my nephew’s first birthday and the order is a complete mess. Missing parts, cracked amore base & etc. This is not the 1st piece of Stanley Furniture I purchased. Customer Rep has the nerve to tell me to take the cracked amore home. According to her “its only a minor crack”
I have filed a complaint with the BBB and have hired an attorney. This nonsense has to stop!
I have worked in a DB as a local vendor and i have wtinessed the owners making closed door transaction to make large amoiunts of profits that directly goes against all that they say “we dont make anything from merchandise”. I am trying to get a hold of corporate to expose this very misguided company and try to help the general consumer. I would appreciate any help available to help inthis matter.
It has been 3 months waiting for our credits from Direct Buy? I contact the manager at the Coppell, Texas location and he will not give me an answer when I will recieved my credits. Do we have to contact our attorney to get this situation resolved?
I wish I’d seen these comments before we spent the $4,000 on our membership. It took months for me to get a refund (and not even a full refund) for a hammock that came direct from the manufacturer DIRTY, BROKEN, AND WITH LEAVES AND TWIGS rolled up in it! I’m still waiting on a refund for a range that came in the wrong color. It was the manufacturer’s fault, but we had to take it back to our local club where it is still sitting because the manufacturer hasn’t scheduled a pickup. My local club says there’s nothing more they can do. That was 3 months ago. It’s worth spending more money for excellent service. DirectBuy has been nothing but a hassle and I will never recommend them to anyone.
I WENT TO A OPEN HOUSE ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO AND READ THROUGH ALL THE BULL REAL FAST I DID NOT WIN THE 50000.00 HOME WORKOVER BECAUSE MY KEY DID NOT TURN THE LOCK SINCE I WAS TURNING 60 THEY OFFERED ME A DISCOUNT AT 3900.00 I RAN QUICKLY TO GET MY 200.00 MEAL CARDS THAT I USED TO GET ABOUT 350.00 OF RESTAURANT FOOD FOR ABOUT 70.00 DOLLARS AND WENT ON CRAIGS LIST AND SAVED THOUSAND OF DOLLARS WITH NO HASSLES
Hi i have been a member of DB since 2004 when i purchased my home and i have to tell you i have saved alot of money on furniture from stanley to Aico to Ashley. I furnished my whole home my sisters and my brother inlaw.. This is the deal with this place you have to be very patient and self sufficient.. You have to sit in the show room and research the products on your own and fill everything out yourself cause the staff in my club elmsford, new york isnt that great. When i joined it was 3300 something and it was only a 6% handling fee also i have noticed if you get nosey and question the shipping fees they all of a sudden get lower. The bottom line there is a ton of leg work you have to do to save money from ordering to research to pick up to delivery to put it together.. No savings on electronics and appliances but they told me that during the initial appntment.. Wouldnt join again to expensive know also there fees and handling are getting more expensive
The Direct Buy showroom in Baton Rouge LA used the high pressure tactics of which I had never experienced before. They will not get my money ( as I had reluctantly agreed to their financing) . As soon as I called 4 days after my showroom experience to explain my unwillingness to participate in this program-attituudes towards me changed drastically and became the enemy. I was shoved into this agrreement and would not be let out. Well there is more than one way to skin a cat, These folks will not get my money using there scandalous tactics-I’ll not be beaten by these underhanded people! Direct Buy is a scam and they should be taught a lesson!
I have been trying to get an email address for Direct Buy corporate. I have been having major problems witht he kitchen department at Direct Buy of Bergen County. I’d like them to know how horrible the service is at that location but cannot find any contact information. Can anyone help with an email address for corporate?
Just a follow-up, I did find an email address for Direct Buy corporate: memberrelations@directbuy.com. Not that it did me any good. I emailed them a month ago and still no resolution.
Another update: Unfortunately, I need to join the ranks and warn everyone NOT to join Direct Buy. Although I have found a Direct Buy location (Edison) who is willing to work with me, and don’t wish to speak derogatory of them in any way, I feel the need to voice my concerns of Direct Buy in general due to the lack of service from the corporate office themselves. I have emailed the Corporate office with hopes of some assistance, with the poor service offered by their Paramus – Bergen County location, several times in the past month. Each time I receive a response that they have forwarded my email to the Paramus location for resolution. Since I have yet to hear from the Paramus location it is oblivious to me that Paramus Direct Buy does not care about the poor service of their Cabinet department. It is also oblivious that Direct Buy Corporate only cares about obtaining franchises and not how the franchises they obtain treat their customers or they would have taken further action against this location. In my option, yes Direct Buy does “overcharge” for delivery and handling fees which can drive the cost of some lower priced items to equal or higher then retail. However, if you are doing a major remodeling and are willing to put in the effort you can save money. Is the money you save worth the aggravation? I honestly have to say NO! I have been going through an ongoing battle with the Paramus office since February. My remodel will be done this week, less the cabinets, which will arrive sometime in January due to the efforts of Direct Buy – Edison and the cabinet manufacture themselves. If I had not reached out to the Direct Buy in Edison (which I need to travel 35 miles from my home – would have never joined a location that far away) and the cabinet manufacture themselves God only knows when or if my cabinet order would have ever been placed. If you do not know for sure the service level of you local Direct Buy please do not join as the Corporate office will not assist. It’s not the quality of service the franchises are providing only the quantity of franchises. If you are considering purchasing a Direct Buy franchise I warn you to consider my comments as well as others, a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch, and the corporate office you might be representing does not care what “bad apples” are included. If you already own a franchise and really care about customer service, I urge you to contact corporate in regards to their customer service policy.
My fiance and I joined Direct Buy on 10/14/11. On 11/11/11 we received an email that our Direct Buy was closing 11/17/11!!! We have tried to call our local DB to no avail. We have called every phone number we can get our hands on for DB: the President Scott Powell at 219-755-6267, Customer Relations, etc.-No Response. We have sent emails with no response. Basically, the owners Debbie and Dave Taylor, have stolen $2490 from us and we are not giving up our fight. I have contacted our attorney General and am currently blogging every site I can find on which to do so. I will contact Dateline NBC, 60 Minutes, our local news network and whoever else will listen in order to expose these scumbags! If DB is not a scam, then why do they have a huge Class Action lawsuit pending, and by the way, the lead attorney for the case is Jeff Nobel 1-800-797-5499. Anyone who needs info or wants to join the effort email me at downwithdirectbuy@gmail.com
Yes I agree! Even if you try to contact Direct Buy corporate (memberrelations@directbuy.com) you will get no resolution, they only care about obtaining franchises NOT the quality of the franchises themselves. Here is my posting: Unfortunately, I need to join the ranks and warn everyone NOT to join Direct Buy. Although I have found a Direct Buy location (Edison) who is willing to work with me, and don’t wish to speak derogatory of them in any way, I feel the need to voice my concerns of Direct Buy in general due to the lack of service from the corporate office themselves. I have emailed the Corporate office with hopes of some assistance, with the poor service offered by their Paramus – Bergen County location, several times in the past month. Each time I receive a response that they have forwarded my email to the Paramus location for resolution. Since I have yet to hear from the Paramus location it is oblivious to me that Paramus Direct Buy does not care about the poor service of their Cabinet department. It is also oblivious that Direct Buy Corporate only cares about obtaining franchises and not how the franchises they obtain treat their customers or they would have taken further action against this location. In my option, yes Direct Buy does “overcharge” for delivery and handling fees which can drive the cost of some lower priced items to equal or higher then retail. However, if you are doing a major remodeling and are willing to put in the effort you can save money. Is the money you save worth the aggravation? I honestly have to say NO! I have been going through an ongoing battle with the Paramus office since February. My remodel will be done this week, less the cabinets, which will arrive sometime in January due to the efforts of Direct Buy – Edison and the cabinet manufacture themselves. If I had not reached out to the Direct Buy in Edison (which I need to travel 35 miles from my home – would have never joined a location that far away) and the cabinet manufacture themselves God only knows when or if my cabinet order would have ever been placed. If you do not know for sure the service level of you local Direct Buy please do not join as the Corporate office will not assist. It’s not the quality of service the franchises are providing only the quantity of franchises. If you are considering purchasing a Direct Buy franchise I warn you to consider my comments as well as others, a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch, and the corporate office you might be representing does not care what “bad apples” are included. If you already own a franchise and really care about customer service, I urge you to contact corporate in regards to their customer service policy.
These people call me at least 10 times a day…..and for what? I have never called or stepped foot in a DB store. I just left a message for them to never call me back….we will see how that goes!
Thx for all the good info; this was an eye opener. My sympathy goes out to all of you who bought this membership in good faith; but like someone else said “If it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck,looks like a duck, then it must be a duck(in this case a SCAM). My wife is cancelling our appointment with DB as I am writing this.
Does anyone have a number for the corporate offices? I was able to get through one time but now can’t find the number. I looked on the Direct Buy Cares website. Apparently they don’t care enough because there is no phone number listed!
I too am sick and tired of being harassed by the DirectBuy marketing people. I relented one day and agreed to an in home virtual tour to satisfy their desire to make a sales pitch. Nothing but a waste of time and bandwidth, I must say. All it consisted of was a guided tour to look at all the pretty pictures and absolutely no answers that made any sense to any human with an IQ in the double digits or above. I asked for details of the price of membership, the prices of items being shown to me “at fantastic savings”, shipping costs, and delivery details, and even the simple detail of brand name with model number of the products that flashed by. I had many other questions but I soon realized I was being stone walled by this sales rep. She kept urging me to come into the local “Wholesale Club” to put me into the vise to squeeze the answer out me me they wanted.
Sorry DirectBuy, I do not like the way you do business, and you will NEVER get mine.
Please quite pestering me with offers of a “30 Day Free Trial” to get me inside the doors under false pretenses!!
My Husband and I attended an open house at a direct buy on Queens Blvd in Queens NY tonight. We were badly treated by the saleswoman because we decided not to buy at this time. We were offered an android tablet and a restaurant.com certificate for participating. When we said no thank you we were not interested ,the woman became quite snide and nasty. She then handed us a tablet with the disclaimer they come from china so we cannot guarantee they work which of course it does not. I am so glad we decided not to buy into the club as the actions of the saleswoman gave us a clear understanding of what we avoided by not joining this club. We will be sharing our experience all over facebook because instead of hitting the like button we will hit the tell it like it is button. .
also if anyone knows how to contact corporate headquarters can you post the email address?
DirectBuy, Inc. has paid it’s protection money faithfully through many years and therefore have the BBB fielding complaints of any nature. If you would still like to make contact with (Headquarters) you can try this but be aware that this email is primarily established to solicit new business – “get-a-quote”
http://www.bbb.org/northernindiana/business-reviews/catalog-showrooms/directbuy-in-merrillville-in-40470/get-a-quote
“BBB ACCREDITED BUSINESS SINCE 12/30/1974″ with an “A” rating and only 27 complaints filed within the last 3 years.
Lea: From the Better Business Bureau
http://www.bbb.org/northernindiana/business-reviews/catalog-showrooms/directbuy-in-merrillville-in-40470#bbblogo
DirectBuy, Inc. (Headquarters)
Phone: (219) 736-1100
Fax: (219) 648-7339
8450 Broadway, Merrillville, IN 46410-6221
This note is to let you know, we were turned around several months ago in Texas(location) Sunnyvale, Texas. Your company violated our civil right. We paid 20 dollars at the site at Cowboy St. However we went to the appointed time and was told to get out.
Therefore, if you contact us again I will play the tape recorded conversation that I had with your manager. We do not want anything from you. We have 2 project cards one from Home Dept for over $8,000 and one from Low’s. We were ready to do business due the fact we have just got a loan for 14, 000 for our 401k. It your lost. Yes we are redoing our house and back yard. So take me off you e-mail. 9724958495
So glad to have found this blog. I am actually supposed to be attending the introduction meeting this coming weekend but thought I’d do some research first. I won’t be going anywhere near Direct Buy after reading this! Thank you so much for your site, and so sorry for the people who have been taken advantage of.
My wife and I joined DB over 2.5 yrs. ago and about a month ago we ordered a package deal from LG. I went down to our warehouse to pick it up and they asked if I wanted to check it out before taking it home and I asked if they had checked it already and they said yes and I said then until your trust is broken,that was good enough for me. Big mistake, The item had a 22″ crack in the screen, but in their defense,it was invisible unless the TV was turned on. Well, during this month long process of trying to get a replacement,I’ve since returned the TV in it’s original package and told the warehouse worker that next time I will be checking out the screen personally since you folks told me it had been done before I arrived and he said that we don’t check the screen.I should’ve guessed since the wrapper wasn’t disturbed when I got it home..Anyway, I’m still without a TV and no retribution has been offered to date, just excuses. The fact that I’m going to have to drive back to the warehouse which is 35 miles each way and pick it up again whenever, is disappointing me quite a bit since it will be a total of 210 miles I’ve driven for this DEAL. No one has offered to compensate us by having the TV shipped to my home without cost. My wife and I are a little, no, we’re totally put off with the lack of satisfaction with our first order from DB. We’re not blaming our DB rep so much as we are LG, but it definitely reflects upon DB and what they’ll do to compensate their members
If DB makes no money from sales, and initial membership fees and dues is their only source of income, what then is the motivating factor for DB to maintain quality customer satisfaction levels?
If I could get away with it, I would round up the Direct Buy SLOB liar Mormons and seriously beat them and torture them for the next several years and deprive them of toilets, and feed them just enough dog food in dirty water to keep them alive for the next round of beating and torture.
I heard so much blah, blah, blah from Directbuy at one of their open houses that I attended today, April 12, 2013. To summarize what they said: You’ll save a lot of money…you’ll pay manufacturers’ prices…you’ll be able to recoup your membership fees over the term of your membership if you spend enough and buy the right products…we’ll save you money… Really!!!, couldn’t they come up with something better than what we hear every day from every advertiser. And then after hearing what I hear every day from every advertiser, I hear, now give us $4,900 today for only a three year membership – during your visit now – because you can not leave our store to investigate us or think about it. Just trust us that you’ll save some money and that we will not go bankrupt or go out of business over the next three years. If you don’t give us the money now, your banned from our store and company. Black-balled because we don’t want you to use confidential information that you got today (like I couldn’t use it anyway once I left with or without a membership if only there was any worthwhile information given to me besides the aforementioned blah, blah, blah). Whoever gives such a substantial amount of money on such blind trust and terrible advertising is not the average consumer and is either stupid filthy rich or just plain stupid (or are some of our sweet and dearly beloved senior citizens who don’t understand things clearly at times and are being duped and conned with the blah, blah, blah, pay or we won’t like you approach).