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5/15/2008 - trudy writes:
I GOT MY MONEY BACK!!!!! <br /> I hope that other people will fight the fight that is worth it. Don't give up, you should contact google.ca and type in "the consumer protection branch" even though they are in Toronto, Ontario,in Canada,they have really excellent information on how to file your complaint. They will give you suggestions on how to write your letter. If you are in Ontario, you can file a formal complaint with them but you must contact Direct Buy by registered mail and do not have any verbal conversation with Direct Buy whatsoever, because they will just be resentful and delay any type of response. The consumer protection branch can help you take them to court if necessary or they can guide you to whoever you need to complain to in your area. It takes about 6 to 8 weeks for the gov't to assign someone to your case. But I was one of the lucky ones who did not have to wait that long. Direct Buy does not want any major bad publicity, so they should cooperate. DO NOT BACK DOWN. Don't forget to look up the successful money back court case in British Columbia. 1) in the column on the left you will find JUDGMENT DATABASE (click on it) 2)under search this database:<br /> type in "Fernando Roa Vs. UCC<br /> 3)below this select 2002 judgments<br /> 4)highlight and click on the title to find the 6 page lawsuit. Print a copy and review the clauses in the judges decision. You will find that your contract is probably written with the same illegal clauses in it. So keep this for ammunition but don't tell Direct Buy how much you know. There is also a successful law suit in the states. I could not find this case but I do not know how much of this you have to type in to get the info. It doesn't say what year either. If you are determined, I am sure that you will find it. The judge called the membership "grossly unconscionable" and a cleverly disguised method of selling hopes and dreams.<br />

5/15/2008 - glenna writes:
You do save some money upfront but the amount you have to spend in legal fees out weigh it. The lack of customer service is unreal. Most of the products we purchased were damaged and they will not help get them repaired or replaced. Have even contacted the company just to be told they are out of warranty. These people are rude and their behavior is unprofessional. Do not even bother with a "visit". Not worth the headaches!

5/15/2008 - Lori writes:
What a CROCK!! DO not waste your time or your gas driving to their scam pad in fraking woodbridge - they told me the lifetime membership was $5100.00 - yes, fifty one hundred dollars to join their direct buy scam for the privilege of looking at thier "secret" direct buy catalogs with their "secret" prices ... give me a break!! Run fast and far and save your money for the real deal - not these piss poor irritating scam artists! GO!<br /> <br /> Next call I am making - the better buisness bureau

5/14/2008 - Jane Smith writes:
Thank you for this site. My husband and I bought a house in March. We had to do ALOT. We checked into Directbuy but I was not able to make it to the store. My uncle has a membership so we spoke to him and my aunt. They never used it so couldnt say much. My husband received a call about this "key" promotion and he said yes we would be interested as we have a ton more that we plan to do to the house. We received the flyer with the key and a promise of 2 BONUS GIFTS just for coming. We went to a 7 o'clock presentation. I had just lost my job and was not planning on joining at the moment, only checking it out to decide if it was for us (if we liked, we planned on joining later after I resumed employment). We sat through the presentation and then we being pushed to join. We told the salesman we are not joining today and would not have come in had we known it was a today or not today deal. He persisted to push and I calmly explained to him we just bought a home, put $10,000 into it already (still owed) and I just lost my job. I was NOT agreeing to anything at this time. Oh but he pushes and pushes and pushes about how we have to have things done and this will save us. My husband explained to him we will not be doing any work until I resume working and how can we save until then. Oh but it pays for itself. I told him, bottom line I'm not agreeing to anything because I do not know what will happen and will he pay my bill if in 3 months I am still not working. He says no (lol I thought that was funny). They then try to sell us on a $100 "holdover" fee. My husband was ready to give it to them, but I said NO, I handle the finances and $100 might not be much but when you have as many bills as we do at the moment and I am not working, $100 could be the difference between a tank of gas and food or 2 small bills. I was NOT giving them money, if they wanted me as a customer they could wait. My husband quickly agreed with me after that (they were starting to talk to him alone after I resisted and he wasnt). My husband said I would much rather pay the higher rate when we have the money than paying you all this when I may not use it anytime soon. I also told the young salesman (after his continued but but but but), look the only way I can pay anything right now is from my savings and NOBODY is getting that. He said oh but your only getting a small interest on that and this is saving you. So my husband told him, if we do not have the money to make the improvements we save NOTHING. He was really beginning to annoy me. Im persistant and stubborn in my ways, and food and shelter is my number one priority at the moment, not a membership. So I told them you should tell people this before they come in and we could have all saved our time. After we left, I realized, hey we did not get any of the two bonus gifts and did not get to "turn the key". What a crock. I decided to look up the company just to see what was said and boy am I glad I did. It sure seems like great savings, but having to pay the s&h AND 8% handling AND having to wait, just not worth it. Just a side note, we ended up talking to a real nice manager who helped us out and even said I wouldnt recommend you joining right now with your situation. THANK YOU. I know this was long but I was so annoyed after leaving and then reading this.

5/14/2008 - DR writes:
Direct Buy tells you there's no markup and you will pay wholesale but the reality is there's an 8% markup as well as rediculous shipping charges. The individual store owners charge the 8% markup, though this can vary slightly from store to store, but the corporate office is responsible for the extremely high shipping charges.<br /> <br /> There are many items you can actually save a lot of money on but unless you're willing to spend $40k to $50k on those items the savings will not add up enough to cover the $6,000 membership, which is only for two years, and on some items where the savings are not so good you will have to spend substantially more to justify the annual membership fee.<br /> <br /> The reality is you would be better off waiting for sales because the savings are not as good as they claim, especially after factoring in the excessive shipping charges.

5/13/2008 - Voice of a Blind Employee writes:
DirectBuy is a unethical and a bad company to work for. I am a former employee (employed 2 1/2 months) and I am outraged with this company professionalism. On several occassions I was praised for my efforts and my high level of production in this company, however, to be honest this brought upon discomfront due to the fact that the Owner of the company would compare myself with other fellow employees which in terms made others feel bad and incompetent. Needless to say, I learned that I had been used as an example during a weekly meeting, that I was unable to attend. During this meeting I was used as example of an employee that would soon lose my current job position because of appointments that potential members scheduled but where no shows (which is out of my control). This within itself was very upsetting to me, because that same day I was let go, I'd been commended for my great performances and motivating other employees that had been there far longer than myself to bring their production up to par. Also, in several conversations with the Supervisor she mentioned perhaps moving me into a assistant supervisor role to release her from some her responsibilites, because she felt that I brought a strong Management background to the Call Center. I don't have a problem excepting positive criticism, if I am not performing, if this was truly the issue (which it wasn't)it needs to be discussed one-on-one and not in a group setting. This is an example of poor leadership skills of DirectBuy and what the company represents as a whole. When I arrived to work the next scheduled work day after the meeting, I knew the situation regarding the meeting had been discussed with the Owner. Later I found myself in the Owners office, where he made remarks that the individual that told me what was discussed in the meeting would be fired (not even knowing who this person was).In fact he assumed and chose someone out of the Call Center and truly FIRED someone. He used an exceeding amount of profanity during our meeting, which was consistently used amongst all employees. A couple of days later I was called in the office to be told that I was being let go because of production (which is also not true). How can someone that brings so much to a company and a good example as mentioned above be let go at the drop of a dime? I'm not writing to try to gain anything from this situation, I'm just putting this out there for others to see what type of company this is. I am a team leader, hard worker and dedicated to doing my job to the best of my ability and know how. I just do not understand why a company such as DirectBuy should be able to continue to flourish and stay in business with this type of reputation. In reading some of your comments, I can truly say that the company is a SCAM. Because I've always been a dedicated employee within any company I've every worked for, and also as a new employee at DirectBuy, I tried to give DirectBuy the benefit of the doubt, however I was VERY disappointed. I hope my message serves as an example to others that may be wishing to seek employment with DIRECTBUY!

5/13/2008 - Former Employee writes:
I am a former sales employee for DB. Its quite amazing how many of the complaints come from people that didn't even join. Maybe they take the time to complain because they are questioning their decision. DB is not for everyone and they do their due diligence on screening people to make sure they are making significant investments before letting them into the tour. I've recently recommended a good friend to join the club since he is doing major remodeling; kitchen, windows, flooring and 2 bathrooms. There will always be products that you can find in retail that won't have much or if any savings. Some stores must give stuff away if they've been holding inventory. When it comes to remodeling products, flooring, cabinets, plumbing, etc the mark-ups in retails are unbelievable. Its not for everyone and this is what i told my friend. I would however being doing him an injustice if i didn't recommend to see DB for himself. I have family members that are contractors and I've estimated he would save approximately $20,000 and at the same time upgrade the quality of the products. This is a lot of money. Again, if you are not doing major remodeling, don't waste anyones time. For all the complainers that didn't sign up and are upset because of the "here, now, today" pressure, it's business. The marketing structure is genius from a business position and is successful because the business is legit.

5/13/2008 - linda writes:
Don't forget you have three day right of recision!!!! I plan to use this right TODAY to cancel. Thanks to all of you!! I also went to a high pressure sales event on Saturday, 5/10/08...I will let them know right away....runnn

5/13/2008 - Cyndi writes:
I have heard about Direct Buy on TV and I have seen the commercials for this company and the testimonials from so called happy customers. Never really thought anything of it.<br /> Monday evening, I received a call on my cel phone, while I was at work. I was in another room and missed the call. I listened to my voicemail and even though my voicemail clearly states whom you have reached, the lady was dumb enough to go through and leave a message for the wrong person. I tried calling back as a curtsy, to let them know they had the wrong number. Couldn't get through, as I didn't have the extension of the lady who called.<br /> Later that evening, just 2 minutes shy of 9pm, I am still at work and the number rang in again to my phone. This time I was able to answer, to let them know they had the wrong number. "Hello Ashley", this is Shawnte from Direct Buy. I responded that she had the wrong number and that there wasn't an Ashley at this number. She went on and asked if this was the correct number, while yes she dialed my phone number, I had informed her that I have had this number for the past 3 years and that there has never been an Ashley at this number. She went on to ask me if I knew Rick or if I would know how to get in contact with either of them. Hello, did I NOT say you have the WRONG NUMBER. She asked me if I lived at the address and I stated to her that I have never been to College Park and don't live anywhere near College Park and again she has the wrong number and I DO NOT know who she is calling for. She went on asking me if I knew of another number to get in contact with either Ashley or Rick. Again, how am I suppose to know how to get in contact with people that I don't know and have never met. I explained to her that they must have given the wrong number. She then apologized and said OK thank you.<br /> A week later, 2 minutes shy of 8pm. The same number that had called a week earlier called again, while I was at work. Sounded like the same lady who had called a week earlier and the same I had told she had the wrong number. She once again asked to speak with Ashley. I asked "WHO"? She asked again if she could speak with either Ashley or Rick. I once again told her "Like I told you last week when you called, you've got the wrong number and I do not know the party you are trying to reach.<br /> This is call number 3 from this company. There staff is not very professional, especially when they have been told twice that they have the wrong number within a week and they keep calling.<br /> For the record, I DO NOT know the party this lady here in Georgia is trying to contact. It is most annoying that this company calls as late as they do asking for the wrong people and they have been informed that they have the wrong number. Apparently they feel that I am just giving them a line when I tell them that they have the wrong number and that whomever they are trying to make contact with does not exist at this number.<br /> I had filed there number with the Do Not Call registry, as I have my number registered and I have never authorized them to contact me, nor have I ever contacted them for services. Hopefully this will put an END to them calling and that this will be the final "HINT" that the couple they are trying to reach is not at the number they are calling.<br /> I have seen the commercials for this company and have been intrigued. However, I am glad that I found this website and have read all the stories others have experienced with this company. Also having dealt with one of there employees on the phone 3 different occasions, I'd rather buy from a company in the future that is reputable. Though I have never contacted this company for services before, I have no intentions of ever contacting them in the future.

5/12/2008 - Steve writes:
My story is just about the same as the rest: high pressure sales pitch;<br /> the "Now or Never" threat of exclusion and $5,500 "membership fee".<br /> <br /> Our rationale for not taking the bait was there is no way of knowing if the model that BB has is the same one you want. You have to take what BB gives you.<br /> <br /> The testimonials that you see are from people who were duped, made the mistake, spent their money and have to rationalize the BB rip-off as an "investment" or face the fact that they were slicked.<br /> <br /> I hope you won't fall into this trap. <br /> <br />

5/12/2008 - Anonymous writes:
I am a former employee of DirectBuy. I left the company for several reasons. I agree that the company uses questionable tactics to get people into the showroom. The sales presentations feel like car or condo sales high-pressure sales. It was painful to sit in the showroom working with members and listen to the sales staff trying to strong-arm guests into joining. The company always sights the rule made by the corporate office that decisions must be made same day (as the open house visit) or you forfeight the right to join. If it is such a problem for people you would think the company would see what they could do to amend the arrangement to make it more palatable to potential members. <br /> <br /> Anyway, I left becuase the owner, who is wealthy, couldn't bear to buy me a phone. I was on the phone all day and had to stand over other people and use their phones. The owner couln't provide a computer and printer that worked and my job required me to be on the computer most of the time. My internet access frequently was down. I wasn't trained on the company policies. I worked in the middle of the showroom trying to have meetings with members. was drowning in work and the owner refused to hire more help. I delt with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of detailed orders per month- and was frequenlty the brunt of member abuse. It is understandable that people were mad and I tried my best to help resovle problems that started before I joined the company. I got no support at all from the owner. It goes on and on. As the owner built a new showroom they missmanaged the construction and ended up in debt and paying us with credit cards! When the owner began demanding I also fix the probloms with the displays in the new showroom I decided enough is enough and I quit. I feel sorry for the people that joined that location. Most of them join for remodeling. Based on my professional experience the cabinets, countertops, and appliances are not less expensive overall and the service, at least at my location, was horrible because the owner didn't care about anything but selling the initial membership. I heard is straight from her mouth. As a former insider- I wouldn't waste my money on DirectBuy.

5/11/2008 - Jim writes:
Just finished going through the Direct Buy presentation yesterday in Houston. Got hit with the "you must make a decision now" I did it was see you later. Price for membership was 5,400 plus an on going yearly fee of a couple of hundred dollars. Then everything you ordered cost an additional 8% handling fee. Products were all delivered to their showroom. Then you had to make arrangements to get them to your home. I did some quick math at the presentation and figure it would take at least 50,000 or so in purchases to break even. That's a lot. But even bigger issue is always after the sale customer service. Example recently bought a refrigerator. It was delivered, installed and the old refrigerator moved downstairs to the basement as a backup all for 50 dollars. Now the company is there to call if service is needed. Don't ever forget that service after the sale is a huge part of buying something. The truth is there are a lot of hidden additional costs at Direct Buy and when added up, saving money is possible but only with large amounts of purchases and with less customer service after the fact.<br /> <br /> Anyway I agree with most others if it had real value they you wouldn't have to make that decision right away. So understand what you getting or walk away!

5/10/2008 - trudy writes:
Unfortunatley, I did not go to google.ca before I got scammed, just type in "direct buy complaints" there are over 260,000 complaints. After reading several complaints they are shockingly accurate. You do have some recourse to cancel, but be very careful, make sure that your first attempt to cancel is within one year after joining. Your first letter must be by REGISTERED MAIL.<br /> Very helpful is to find the successful money back law suit in British Columbia, Provincial Court.<br /> <a href="http://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca" rel="external">www.provincialcourt.bc.ca</a> you will have to find the Provincial court section and I believe it is under the section judgments - you will find "year 2002" The case is "Fernando Roa ... Vs. Bonanza Ventures Ltd. + UCC Total Home.<br /> Trust me, PLEASE PRINT A COPY of the case (6 pages) The reason it will not look relevant is because "UCC" is Ucc of Canada Inc. is the corporate ofc. for Direct Buy in Canada<br /> Check this at 1-800-827-6400 But they are in Merrillville, IN. See the court case decision,likely your contract has the same illegal clauses that they are enforcing. It violates the Consumer Protection Act,2002,(partIII) the Trades Practice Act and the Sales of Good Act. Tell them by reg'd mail that you would like to rescind the contract due to the fact that it violates the Consumer Protection Act, and that you would like a refund in full. Just the fact alone that there are no refunds under circumstances violates the law. consumer supposed to know without this legal information. Good luck WILL FOLLOW UP WITH MORE INFO. RAN OUT OF TIME

5/9/2008 - Tommie writes:
I am writing to complain about one of the phone representatives.<br /> <br /> I recently registered myself and my fiance' to take part in one of the open houses. We are interested in re-furnishing our home, and were looking forward to see what they had to offer.<br /> <br /> The phone representative called me to confirm our reservation and to provide us with a confirmation number for our appointment the next morning. <br /> <br /> First of all, he made the mistake of calling my fiance' Mrs. when I answered the phone. Ok! It was an honest mistake. I accepted that.<br /> <br /> We proceeded and he gave me a confirmation number, which I had written down as he called it out. He then asked me to state the number back to him. However, during the process we were cut off, because my cell phone battery drained. I was not at home at the time and had no charger available. I simply figured that the representative would either call back and leave a voice mail or just simply let it be, since I he had already given me not only the confirmation number, but his cell phone number as well.<br /> <br /> I later returned home and checked my messages only to find an insulting message from him telling us not to bother to attend, that we were not confirmed, and simply " . . don't bother coming out. We only accept serious inquiries from serious customers<br />

5/8/2008 - Mary writes:
The Scam of it all.<br /> I went to Best Buy by Bucks Co, PA with the in-laws who joined and raved about it. They thought we could use some new furniture and other stuff for our house and said that it was a deal.<br /> They spent over $5k on their "membership" and while looking through the "catalogs" we wrote down several things of interest... we went home to check the prices for retail of the equal item and BOOM the prices were identical. <br /> The staff was nice while we where there, but they watched us like a hawk. <br /> Their prices are no better than anywhere else for the same stuff, you are just paying for the privalge to be treated differently.

5/7/2008 - Roxanne writes:
Our good friends are members of Direct Buy. I thought I would see how it went for them before we would try it. ONE WARNING from someone who who has heard it all from her friend, almost anything thats "popular" is on backorder. They have had to change orders for living room furniture 3 times before they got some almost 6 months later, and now the baby is due is guess what? NO CRIB!! on backorder and was told only one month before. This place does so not seem worth it unless you have a lot of time and are maybe building a house, but it won't save you on everyday items.

5/7/2008 - Larry writes:
Has anyone disputed the charges to your credit card company?<br /> <br /> I paid the $4995 fee with my credit card and want to have the charge removed from my account.<br /> <br /> Please let us know how to dispute.<br /> <br />

5/7/2008 - Steven writes:
My wife and I unfortunately bought into DBs scam when we lived in OK. Right after we joined, we went to the showroom to shop...the showroom was closed! Weeks later, we found their new location (accidentally), but it was closed for the day...every day that we went to check...then it moved again. We were never able to find a shop open (when we could find one at all), so my wife called their home office, and the man on the line told her we could shop out of the catalog...what catalog? The one in the store that was never open? We sure never got any in the mail! I sent an e-mail about my problem, but all I got back was a free pass to the showroom nearest me! What a (not funny)joke!

5/7/2008 - Steve writes:
I work at Direct Buy. Basically, the owners have no integrity toward their employees and it's such a popularity contest that how you do the job matters little. So, here I am. Direct Buy is not wholesale, it's cost. Wholesale means you're buying at bulk. Big box stores buying 10,000 of one type of washer for all of their retail outlets buy at wholesale. Our bosses actually tell us to tell people that, after they become members, of course. You realistically have to spend about $27,000 to break even. Why? Well, for one, most of the products are only about 40-45% off to begin with. Next, you pay shipping and an 8% handling fee. Now you're getting your stuff for about 28.5-34.5% off. Next, you have to wait for your stuff, and if something gets sent broken and you end up having to wait 6 weeks for a replacement, the attitude is "oh well." This causes construction delays, and that costs money. I have more than two valued members that I serve who are eating every meal out because they don't have a kitchen. Then, there's the fact that many items have almost no savings. If you're looking for an appliance or a television, you might save 20% to begin with, and then you pay shipping and handling. There are so many delays and so many items become discontinued after the fact it's just disgusting. Direct Buy uses this computer system from the 70s to manage it's inner workings. If a supplier discontinues an item, it can take 3-4 weeks for that to reflect in the catalog. If you order during that time, you're SOL. Finally, you have to do everything yourself. The membership buys you access to the catalogs, and while there is some help there, people in my position are pretty much helping you to help yourself. You have to spend hours looking at the catalogs. Doesn't that time equal money? If you save $150 on something, but you spent 7 hours getting the order done, what's your real savings? Finally, there's no service. The people who work my position (service) have little background and mostly (except for me) no education. They don't know anything. During the sales video, Direct Buy acts like people are going to help you plan your remodel, and that's just not the case. To do that, Direct Buy would actually have to spend money on people with the background to do that sort of thing. Not to mention, at least half of us actually do something. If there's a problem with your order, it can sit in limbo for two weeks if an idiot took your order. I take care of problems in 48 hours. Some product specialists take two weeks because they couldn't manage the workload of a second grader. Finally, there are dunce suppliers. Some suppliers are great. The Whirlpool companies will ship your major appliance to your home for $15, and it will take about a week. Kohler ships any size order for $45. But many suppliers charge more than the 15% standard freight, have bad prices, treat their relationship with Direct Buy like crap and give zero service. It breaks down like this. If you're about to do a major remodel of a whole house or a big portion of it, or if you're building a new house, you can save a lot. If you're going to be spending upward of $50,000 dollars or the membership is probably for you. I have about 5-6 valued members who are saving so much that they could care less about the headaches. But that's only because they're spending so much to begin with.

5/7/2008 - Margaret writes:
I'm so thankful I found your website. It confirms what our gut feelings were trying to tell us from the beginning.<br /> <br /> Before viewing this website, I saw the infomercial on TV for DB and called to get more information. The man that called me back INSISTED that my husband would have to join me at the presentation. I told him my husband worked long hours and it would be nearly impossible, that I was perfectly capable of listening for both of us. So, the conversation ended with me telling the guy that we would not be able to attend at all.<br /> <br /> A week after that, we begun receiving numerous phone calls at various times of the day/weekend, however, no one ever left a message - we have Caller ID, and when I saw it was DB I didn't answer.<br /> <br /> Last week, we received a solicitation in the mail which contained a key. Supposedly, if our key turned the lock, we could win a Home Makeover of $50,000. or other prizes.<br /> <br /> I thought, oh, what the heck, and called the Burbank number on this flyer. NO RESPONSE...I called again and NO RESPONSE. I thought, that's funny, they sent me a flyer to get me to call and make an appointment, but they won't call me back?<br /> <br /> My husband and I actually drove over to the DB Burbank store on Sunday to get more info. and ask why someone hadn't at least called us back. We asked a lady at the front desk if we could talk to someone right there and then. She picked up the phone and was told that everyone was busy and we had to have the presentation first. We asked why no one had called us back and she explained that we should have called another location to make an appointment for the presentation. (So, why did you send us a flyer with the Burbank number?) I asked if their store answered phone messages, and she said yes, but couldn't tell me why someone, just out of courtesy, hadn't called and directed us to that other location.<br /> <br /> We then asked for a Manager, but none were available. We left our name and phone number with her and she assured us that someone would call us back. To date, no one has called back.<br /> <br /> Fortunately for us, we did not even get to the "presentation stage" and after reading all the negative comments on this website, we won't do business there at all. We were lucky to not get suckered into a scam.<br /> <br /> Real businesses answer all your questions and don't charge you an excessive up-front fee for the privilege of buying from them. These folks are slight-of-hand flakes.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

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