Home | Tell a Friend | Donations | Resources | Blog

6/21/2008 - Mike writes:
I have been a member for a few years now. I am remodeling my home. I have saved some pretty good money.
I am not going to write a book but I must say if you are not doing a major remodel its not worth the price of membership.
I was able to save 58% of retail for [] products. I saved a little under $10K for cabinets for 2 kitchens per liner foot.
I saved about $10 sq ft. for Granite. So weigh your options. Before you go to DB go to retails stores and get item numbers and cost. Then when you go in for your meeting you have a guide line to follow.
Also I bought my sister a bedroom set. I saved about $500 from Direct Buy. [] had it for more money.
Well like I said do your homework. Everyones reason is different for using or not using DB.

6/18/2008 - grace4 writes:
I am appalled at the individuals who are making complaints about Direct Buy. I was first a member of Direct Buy several years ago, but lost my membership due to a problematic personal situation. In addition, I initially was very skeptical of the company and the fact that one had to pay a good bit of money for the membership to shop and see the costs of items.

What a big mistake and time wasted back then! After I recently purchased a new home, I found that I needed to make a number of repairs and renovations that I didn't initially plan for, so my now husband and I decided to opt for a Direct Buy membership after much discussion, but not prior to me going "bargain hunting" and hitting "sales" and other places for "good deals." Well, in total it turned out that in my hastiness and anxiousness, we ended up purchasing furniture for our recreation, living and dining room areas at "bargain prices", but a lot of the stuff had not so noticeable defects, costing us well over $5,000 for second run stuff. If I had been patient and took the time to find out about Direct Buy BEFORE I purchased the stuff, I would've found out that I could've bought the same stuff, (furniture and all), same exact items, directly from the manufacturer at the price that the retail stores pay for the furniture, which it turns out to be SIGNIFICANTLY LESS than even what I paid at the bargain prices, for NEW ITEMS! You see, what people don't understand is that for the membership fee that you pay, you probably already spent that just by going into a retail store, and purchased. Retailers mark up stuff SO MUCH, that even their sales are really not sales, because the sales prices still have to cover their store overhead. What I found at Direct Buy, is that the costs of the membership is instantly made many times over just by getting your items their, because you pay for the item at the cost of what manufacturer costs to make it. This is the honest truth, and I am not a very trusting person, but Direct Buy is the truth. I can no longer go into a retail store and honestly pay those prices when all I have to do is go home and go on my membership site or go into the DB showroom and look at the real cost in the catalog and I get pissed to go into a retail store, because it tells me how much stores are swindling us. If you want to pay retail, remember you are paying for the cost of the store to run, for the cost of the employees, for any other markups and for whatever profit they are trying to make over the true invoice cost. I can't do it anymore because I'm not rich, but I sure like to make sure my money is truly worth it and stretching. Direct Buy does just that. I'm sorry for those people who think it (Direct Buy) is a scam, because it is not. I once felt like them, but I opened my eyes and really took stock and Direct Buy is phenomenal! It is truly worth the price of the membership. If you want to pay for the convenience of having something RIGHT NOW, by all means, go to the retail store and spend your hard earned cash, but if you savor your financial well-being and feel that you can do the membership fee, and understand what it means to be patient, then go for the gold and do Direct Buy. I did, and I'm changed forever. I am doing things to my house that I could NEVER afford at the retail cost. You've heard it from me, the #1 skeptic in America! Direct Buy is awesome!

6/15/2008 - Lawrence writes:
Direct Buy is what used to be known as United Consumers Club better known as UCC. I join UCC back in late 1980's for what I believe was a 490.00 membership fee. In the early 1990's I began working for UCC as a "Public Relations Director". While both then and now the membership fee may well seem exhorbant, the concept of what the club is designed to do is well worth the money almost everyone. However the biggest benifits are reaped by those who a preparing to major household expenses like funature, appliances, carpeting etc. Although I no longer work for UCC or now Direct Buy and havent for over 15 years I would seriously encouraging anyone looking to make serious large purchases over the next few years to look into this with an open mind.

6/14/2008 - Lee writes:
I'm now into my second Direct Buy membership. I lost my first one when my husband and I got divorced. Waaaay back then, the initial membership cost $1000 to join. We were building a new house at the time. Our first purchase was for a washer, dryer, refrigerator and stove. We saved half our membership fee with that purchase alone. Almost all of our furniture came from Direct Buy. Yes, we had to wait for our products to be shipped, but we knew that, and didn't mind because of the savings. Another major savings was a 1 1/2 carat saphire ring. Our cost was 1/3 retail.

The membership paid for itself many times over.

This time, I've only made 2 small purchases so far, but now I have a 150-year old home that needs over 40 new windows and an updated kitchen. I have no worries that we won't get our money's worth from this membership.

6/6/2008 - Lita writes:
I would never defend this company but I chose to write in this section because I have been a customer of Direct Buy for 5 years. What this company lacks is customer service. The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. The local offices just accept instructions from the corporate office and cannot explain it to the customer. I had a $3400 furniture order that should have been delivered on 6/6/08 but on 6/3/08 I was called and told that they cannot fill the order because they're missing the dining room table. This is on an order that was placed on 2/14/08. I probed and found out that their contact person in Pulaski Furniture knew that the collection was discontinued. On 2/21/08 she had my dining table and 8 chairs but did not have the sideboard. Instead of contacting me so I can determine if I want the first part of the order, they used what they had to fill other orders and hoped that the sideboard would become available. On 6/2/08 when they got the sideboard they had no pedestal base for the table. The direct buy customer service did not do anything to try and find other distributors that might have the base. I was stuck on my computer for 3 days trying to find out if other places could supply the table. The corporate office solution was to choose another set (no other Pulaski collection was appealing to me) or to mismatch the set by choosing a table from another collection which clearly was darker (although they tried to convince me that it would look great). Ultimately, Joan, the Edison office’s problem-solver canceled my order without my knowledge and credited my card because they didn't want an open PO in their files. Prior to that I placed a 3 piece order from Kincaid, I received a call that the item was discontinued so only 2 of 3 pieces was available. I agreed to take the 2 pieces. It took 3 months to refund the money for the piece that was canceled and that was after 2 months went by and I called them demanding my refund. The customer clearly does not matter. There are some nice sales people in that office but the administrative staff is horrible. They do whatever they want because you have to pay in full and have limited recourse because you cannot contact the corporate office or manufacturers (though this time around I did because I thought it was egregious)..

6/2/2008 - Jean Georgianni writes:
Bought my membership about two years ago and have already saved twice the cost of initial membership since joining. Bought a leather sofa, a backyard grill and granite countertops. Some of the items that they carry can be bought at comparable prices from retail stores. For instance, you don't save much on those items. However, our sales presentation told us that information outright and they advised us to price shop. Like another writer said, this is not for everyone. If you're not going to be buying much with the next 10 years then it wouldn't be worth your $$. For us and thousands of others it's a good deal. No scam. Just not for everyone. You get good service and bad service at every retail store so why wouldn't you expect to have the same experience at Direct Buy.

5/28/2008 - Carmel writes:
My husband joined Direct Buy in 2002. So far we have purchased way beyond the amount we paid on membership. This product is not for everyone. We are in the military, with moving furnitures are not guaranteed to survive on the move. If you plan to in the future build your home, I would recommend you join now! We have a friend that joined in the 80's when the membership was $400. When my husband joined, membership was $2000. They have a great product which sells itself. If you like high-end merchandise, this is a product for you. You will save so much money that you would become a walking advertiser for Direct Buy... Guaranteed!

5/19/2008 - Shannon writes:
I joined DirectBuy 2 years ago and saved 10 times the amount I purchased my membership for. I bought kitchen appliances, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, master bedroom mattress, hard wood flooring and carpet during my remodel. I kept track of my savings which was well over $12,500. I love directbuy.... You need to do your homework when purchasing but when you do you save lots of money.

5/16/2008 - Rob writes:
I couldn't disagree more with this being a scam. I joined 7 years ago and at that time the fee was $2,500. Since then we have saved 10 time that amount in purchases. It's not for everyone I'm sure. In the last few months we completed a kitchen with high quality cabinets and granite and can tell you that it was 50% less in cost. (Fact not Fiction) Also, if there was ever anything wrong with a piece.. Drawer, dresser, mirror or kitchen cabinet door, they exchanged it without hesitation. However, I need to make one comment. Like every individually owned company I can only attest to the South Jersey branch that I do business with.

5/8/2008 - john writes:
Ok, I am a member of Direct Buy, and since this is not to slam the whole Direct Buy company most likely it will not be posted. Anyway, I read through most of these complaints and laugh. Let me ask, out of the almost Million Members of Direct Buy, how many of these people are actually members? Sure, if you are looking for a TV, or a toaster, maybe the cost of the membership wouldn't make sense. Or, if you are poverty, cannot afford the cost of the membership then you probably cannot afford to do your projects in the first place, and may want to stick with []. Furthermore, one thing i read about this guy saying you cannot save money??? huh??? Would Direct Buy have almost a million members if people were not saving money? I mean, is it just me, or does that seem logical to you who read this garbage? Are they comparing exact Model numbers, because first of all if they are not members, i can promise you they never seen the pricing unless they had an exact model number. Is it the same quality, or does it just look the same? These responses are hilarious...In addition, people getting all upset about pressure sales or having to make their decision, i did, had no problem with it, but then again i am not just a dreamer looking for salvation army quality. On my Windows alone i saved $10,000. So you who read this, before you make judgement you should at least take a moment to ask someone who actually is a member, and utilizes the membership, as opposed to those who are comfortable shopping at [] and [] for the rest of their lives...But, don't just take my word for it...make your own judemgent, if you are comfortable with the Retail Market spending thousands extra, stay there, this is definitely not for you, if you are content with Salvation Army quality, this isn't for you either, don't waste your time.

5/7/2008 - jeff writes:
I am a member and I came across this page one day thinking, "I have been a member for along time and I like it, but what do other people think." Then I read for awhile what is on the page and what I see is alot of propaganda and b.s. and I wonder, have I been snowed? It seems like I am a member of a different club. How could all these people be so angry with a service that has saved me so much money? Are they ill informed? If all these people are so angry why didn't they talk to the owners of the company or write the corporate office and get results. If I was ever upset I wouldn't post a website, I would go to the people that sold me and get answers to my concerns. I have saved alot of money and actively promote DirectBuy cause why would you, put your family in a position to pay retail when you can go direct to the manufacturer? I made a decision the day I joined and am glad I did and I am glad they don't just let anyone join. I I keep saving money and you keep paying retail!!!

5/5/2008 - Paul writes:
I've worked at DirectBuy for 2.5 years. I've had over 600 families look at the DirectBuy concept and join after I sat with them and explained the concept. It's not for everyone and we are not all things to all people but for those who are buying retail, paying the 10%-200% mark up, the folks I've helped become members are saving tens of thousands of dollars. The members at our center are saving hundreds of thousands of dollars per month on purchases they were going to make in retail stores. I could fill this web site with accounts of members who've saved tens of thousands of dollars. I've saved about $3,000 on just window treatments, shoes, gifts, small apppliances, and a ring for my wife for our 30th wedding aniversary. I paid $720 dollars for a .75 carat diamond ring that sold retail for $2,050.00. We remodeled before I knew about DirectBuy and I know we could have saved around $40,000 on our $140,000.00 project. I sign up families most every day and some really bristle at the "decision today" issue, more than the cost of the membership, but it's the best way corporate has found to protect the confidential pricing found in manufacuturers catalogs. If someone sees the value of the membership they can get past the "irritating decision today"rule. If you just need an area rug and toaster DirectBuy will not make sense for you, but if your making major purchases of furniture, window treatments, cabinets, flooring, plumbing, decorative stuff, and much more, don't fail to go to an open house, with an open mind, and you decide what you want to do. We treat everyone well regardless of whether they participate or not. I feel great about helping 600 families sign up and buy direct from the manufacurers. They keep the retailers profit in their pockets. We encourage all who sign up to respect the retailers as they are in business to make money, that's just fine, but you can shop the sales to reduce the profit they make or buy direct and keep those dollars for your family. In summary, we make mistakes here, were human, and some unhappy members may be writing negative stuff, but their are hundreds of positive testimonials from our members,on the walls at our center and thousands of members who thouroughly enjoy the experience here. I meet them day after day after day. It is the height of painful for me to sit with a family who is building a house, or doing a major remodel, and have them walk out because of the negative comments of some chronic whiners and negative people who have nothing better to do than go on a campaign against a great company and great concept. I watch them leave knowing they will be writing checks for merchandise they could have had here for hundreds and thousands less. PAINFUL. Paul in Ca.

4/30/2008 - Ed writes:
I have read many of the complaints against Direct Buy, and am curious where some learned to read. The admittance to the open house clearly states you need to be prepared to make a decision at the end of the Open House whether or not you wish to join. To those people who joined and complained a day later, did the D.B. representative hold a gun to your head and force you to join?

Direct Buy is certainly not for everyone, but anyone saying it is a scam probably does not know how to
use the service, or joined on an impulse thinking they would recoup
their membership fee immediately.

The bottom line is that I am currently building a new house. Just on my windows alone I recouped
more than my initial membership fee, and I have only started buying. I still need cabinets, flooring, carpet, fixtures, etc.

Is D.B. for everyone - No.

Is D.B. a scam - Absolutely not!

Is D.B. a windfall for my own situation - Absolutely Yes!!!

4/24/2008 - Sam writes:
I'm a relatively new member who remembers the ridiculous sales pitch. I also remember doing some leg work before going in to talk with them. We talked with a current member (who had remodeled their kitchen) and trusted that their story about great savings stacked up. We remodeled our kitchen and saved ourselves somewhere around $10,000. While not everyone will save that much, if you're thinking of doing a major remodel (think cabinets, appliances, flooring, and such) then you're definitely going to save a substantial amount.

Direct Buy might seem scammy, but its really not. Just ask a member.

4/24/2008 - Mike writes:
Good grief. I look at the rants page and it looks like people just don't think or do research. I have been a member since '85 and have remodeled, built a new house, etc., saving lots along the way. Yes, it costs about $6,000 to "join" ($600 in '85) but if you are building/ remodeling you get that back in no time.

DON'T buy electronics, appliances or low margin items.

Furniture, blinds, tile, etc. are great buys.

The ONE problem is that you need to buy from catalogs (mostly), so expect a different shade, etc. when you get what you ordered.

If it is broken, they will ship it back and replace it. BUY SMARTLY. Just because you are in a club like this doesn't mean you can check your brain at the door.

4/24/2008 - Carmela writes:
My husband and I - grandparents - joined DB in Edison NJ this year. Thought the sales pitch was a bit bogus, especially the \'now or never\' part, but we\'re renovating a new home and will be buying lots of products and decided the savings would eventually exceed the membership fee. Then when we got home, we checked the scam reports on DB... and freaked out at the negative experiences reported here.
However, to date we\'ve saved $1100 on Whirlpool Duet washer/dryer over the lowest sale price anywhere else, and it was delivered to our laundry room by the manufacturer for $14 delivery charge. Then another $1300 savings on hardwood flooring, and yes we did our homework and checked everywhere from showrooms to home remodeling centers for the same product. Next was a 52\" Sony TV, and as DB had told us, the electronics field is very competitive. [] was a few hundred more, but [] a couple hundred less, and they deliver and install it and provide maintenance support. We saved on air beds, living room and bedroom furniture, ceiling fans, you name it. And the personnel at Edison are most helpful and courteous, never had a problem there. Many things have no 8% \'handling fee\', some do and we consider that in determining whether we\'re saving, and we pick up a lot at the center in our truck, however delivery, if needed, is reasonable. We have now made back our membership fee, and we have more to buy - playscapes for grandkids, gifts at holidays, patio sets, bathroom remodel, etc. We calculated that the initial fee, plus the yearly renewal from years 4 to 10, average $60/month over 10 years - worth it to us. I notice that the main complaint is the sales pitch, which could be improved, and the fact that the customers have to actually do some work themselves - so if you want someone else to do the work and cater to you at a retail center, pay them retail to do it. If you want to save money, suck it up and go do the legwork yourself, sitting in the DB center looking thru books is not much fun, but worth the savings for us.

4/22/2008 - kathleen writes:
Wow... there was a lot of negative stuff in there! We have been members for about 7 years. I know the price has gone way up since then, and you have to count the cost. Direct Buy is NOT for lazy people. You have to do some foot work. If you are looking for a sofa, go to a furniture store, find the maker and then go to the catalog at Direct Buy. Know the model number of the mixer you want...It takes a while to figure out how to find the price and place your order. But there are very friendly and knowlegable people there that are happy to help you. We are building our own home and Direct Buy has paid for itself many times over. But, again. Count the cost. Don't join to save money on Christmas shopping...

4/18/2008 - Bill writes:
Been a member for over five years, cost to join was around $3k (CND), and then annual fee for years 3-10 is around $200. Agree initial sales pitch is a little agressive, but once you join, their wonderful. Our club has very stable staff (most have been there for five + years) we are on first name basis with most. There are not big savings on appliances or home electronics, but you are getting current products, not the year old or out of dates places like [], [] etc sell. Big savings on most home furnishings, flooring etc. Yes you can get better deals at the big box, but not the colour, or style you want. Savings are bigger on the higher priced items you go. Its been a great deal for us, saved $15-20K over our five years.

4/18/2008 - Adam writes:
I have to admit, I never thought I'd be defending Direct Buy, after having read all the complaints on this site. But I digress... Allow me to start at the beginning. While on a cruise to the Bahamas I ran into a friend who I hadn't seen in over 10 years. He had since married and bought a house, and in the course of our discussion about his renovations, Direct Buy came up. He told me how he and his wife had fallen for the hard-line sales pitch, but figured that (over the next five years) they will have gotten their money's worth. This was, aside from the TV commercials, the first I had ever heard of Direct Buy. It was also the first time I had ever heard of it operating like some kind of "time share" scam. I was intrigued, and a week after getting back from the Bahamas I did a little on-line research and discovered this site. When I read the complaints, my suspicions were confirmed---I thought "Direct Buy is a scam, for sure." I've always been a bit of a jerk, and I decided to give them a call, in the hopes of getting an invitation to their showroom so that I could witness the hard-sell for myself---just for fun. I phoned their 1-800 number (or was it a 1-888 number?) and gave my information. A week later a flyer arrived at my house, complete with full-colour photos of the glorious showrooms and thousands of products for sale, as well as member testimonials. It looked pretty decent. Less than a week later, I got a phone call from a woman who identified herself as Christina, who wanted to arrange my visit to a local DB showroom. At this point, all I was interested in doing was messing with them. Christina took all of my information, as well as that of my "fiancee" (actually my girlfriend, but I had heard that DB won't allow boyfriends and girlfriends in their stores). We arranged a meeting time and then Christina asked me a question: "What are your plans for your Direct Buy membership?" I asked her to elaborate. She said, "What exactly are you planning on buying? Are you renovating a home? Adding a room to a home? Building a home? Looking to purchase appliances?" I choked back my laughter and said, "Actually, we're only interested in buying a satellite dish." (It was the first thing I could think of.) Then I said, "I've heard that Direct Buy has good prices on electronics." Christina paused, then said, "Well, Mr. [my name], if that's all you're looking to purchase, this probably wouldn't be right for you. You wouldn't save enough money in order to recoup the costs of the membership fee." I acted shocked, and said "Really? So you have a membership fee, huh? What is it, like $100?" She gave a polite laugh, and said, "No, it's more than that." I replied, "No way! Are you telling me that your membership fee is like $150?!!" Another polite laugh, "No sir, it's more than that." Again I tried to fish it out of her, "Are you serious?!! Your membership fee is, like, $200??!!" Finally, she cracked, and said "No, Mr. [my name], it's in the thousands." I let out a "Whoa!" and then said "Well, if I spend $1000 on just the membership, then I probably won't save anything in the long run on my satellite dish." I was hoping that she'd correct me again, and let me know that the fee is MORE than $1000, but alas, it didn't happen. After that, I thanked her for her honesty, and told her that if I'm ever looking to do an extensive renovation over $30,000 that I would call Direct Buy again. Throughout our entire exchange she remained EXTREMELY polite, and really did seem to have my best interests at heart. I truly do feel bad for the people who feel shortchanged by DB, but buyer beware! Do your research before you commit to ANYTHING! If you're not planning on EXTENSIVE renovations, then DB is not for you!

4/17/2008 - David writes:
I just joined tonight, so we will see what happens to us in the long run. Because that is what Direct Buy appears to be about. The long run. And as the salespeople said, it's not for everyone. All the complaints I read can be grouped into four categories: (1) Sticker Shocked; (2) 17.5% Interest Imprudents; (3) Franchisee Failures; and (4) Mark-up Misfits. I only feel sorry for the Franchisee Failures, they're stuck with a raw deal. The other two groups should have just walked out the door with no hard feelings. Direct Buy is a group of franchises, not a single corporation, so aside from the "rules" and the "now or never sales pitch" the rest (like customer service) is up to the individual franchisees. And if you get a bad franchisee, you probably need to find another location, and/or complain to corporate. As for the Interest Imprudents, you should have left, they tell you it's 17.5% , or at least they told me what it would be. And if you sign on to that, or sign anything without reading it, you deserve what you get. As for the Sticker Shocked, you're just upset you're not in a position to take advantage of the deal, walk away, it's not for you, be quiet. The Mark-up Misfits are buying the items you are specifically told are not the best deals (e.g. electronics and appliances). The items that allow you to recoup your membership costs are the notoriously high mark-up items like furniture and carpet. Direct Buy is not for everyone and it may not even be for us. We will do our best to find out.

Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8