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11/26/2007 - Judith writes:
Please use caution when considering a DirectBuy membership. I went through orientation with my fiance' and was skeptical; but he wanted to join after listening to the savings pitch. We have been unable to utilize our membership for several reasons. First, our area did not have a DirectBuy distribution center. The Naperville center said we should join anyway and they would waive all charges for storage, etc., due to our distance away. We even asked to speak with a manager, who assured us all fees would be waived. You guessed it, shortly after we ordered items, they sent us a rather nasty letter explaining anything not picked up within 36 hours would begin incurring a storage fee. Of course, I cited the promise; which stupidly we did not get in writing. They are very good at promises. Not so good at keeping them. Then we were delayed in getting our membership card for weeks. Promises about the website went unfulfilled as well. The website ordering was supposed to aid people such as ourselves who live two hours away. As I my frustration grew, I did more checking. I took an extensive list of plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures (with pricing from internet vendors) to the Ordering Center. I spend two hours driving, five hours painstakingly looking up items and pricing. The total DirectBuy cost was HIGHER than the internet totals from two vendors. Then I spent two hours driving back. The worst part of our experience has been the attitude to staff at DirectBuy. Staff even changed our password without notifying us. They have been defensive and unhelpful when we did attempt to place a lighting fixture order. Staff did not return calls several times. In addition, items shipped directly from the manufacturer (which we paid a premium for) took MONTHS to receive and countless telephone calls. Of course, the manufacturer(s) were paid in advance. One manufacturer sent six expensive exterior lamps - five broken. We waited three months for delivery and another three months for replacements. Three of the replacements were broken. It took another three weeks to get those replaced. Basically, we got the impression the manufacture did not care for this arrangement with DirectBuy, and; therefore, put us at the bottom of their list. This experience costs us thousands of dollars with virtually no ability to recoup it. I believe our total savings to date after two years is $203.00. This may not be an actual legal scam; but there is certainly not any way to save money. My advice is trust your instincts and walk away. It is virtually impossible to produce enough savings to even get your membership fee covered. Beware.

11/25/2007 - kris writes:
I have been a member with Direct buy for a year and its been HORRIBLE! A year ago when we bought our first house we stumble upon the direct buy tv commercial. Since estimated completion of the house will take about 3 months, me and wife decided to attend the presentation with the hope we can get savings for the cost of the furniture. Sadly we submitted to the idle threats of the sales person that we wont be able to join if we will not make a decision at that time. That is the worst mistake that we did. We basically donate the $4,500 to them. They told me that I can order online but I found out that feature is very limited. You have to their warehouse to order and browse at their very confusing catalogs. Prepare to spend at least 2 hours when you order. Their actual prices are reasonable but you will lose the savings once they add the handling fee plus the shipping. Then you will really lose out because you have to rent a u haul to transport from their warehouse to your house. In my case I have to pay extra $300 for the u haul plus my time to get the furniture. I could have gotten a much better deal if I have purchased it from a local furniture store. The most painful of all is the house was finished, we have our house warming, we still did not get our furniture. We did join 3 months before the house is finish because we figured it out that it will be the normal lead time when you order furniture. It took them SIX MONTHS! 3 months late. Recap: 1. $4,500 membership fee 2. Very limited online ordering. You have to go to the warehouse to order with very confusing catalogs and prepare to spend at least 2 hrs. 3. Exorbitant shipping & handling fee 4. Rent a Uhaul plus use your own time. 5. 3 months late Their excuse is they dont have any control with the manufacturer. Well I guess this the service you can get from them with $4,500 membership fee. Its been 6 months since I order from them and I thought maybe I will give them another chance. My wife is pregnant so we order a crib through direct buy. Our nursery is complete except for that crib. At this time its been 2 weeks late and my latest conversation with them they told me that the manufacturer said that they are waiting for a part which will arrive at January 08. These guys are nuts! They actually think that it is okay for me to wait that long! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED!!! To all of you out there, beware of this company. You will lose your money, you will not get the savings and you get a lot of headaches and stress.

11/23/2007 - mary writes:
I bought a DirectBuy membership two years ago. At the time we were getting ready to close on a property purchase where we are now building our retirement home. Due to unforseen occurance the building of our home was delayed 2 years. This property is located a 4 1/2 drive from where we now reside and where the DirectBuy location where we took out our membership exists. When we went to the open house to hear their pitch we were surprised to be told that if we didn't purchase the membership (to the tune of $4000) that very night we would never be invited in again. A red flag should have gone up right then. The woman who toured us through this location and gave us the sales pitch was told of our future move to the other side of the state she assured us that there is a DirectBuy within 50 miles of the city that we were moving to. We trusted what she said and after looking and comparing the prices of various materials we needed to build our future home we signed up. Two years have passed (a membership last 3 years), we are building our retirement home. I went on the internet at Yellow Pages.com to locate the DirectBuy that will be close to our new home. Guess what? No DirectBuy in that location. In fact there never has been. When I called my local DirectBuy about the false information I was told, they told me in so many words I was a liar. Too bad for you as you signed the contract and they have no obligation to do anything about it. I was told to transport the materials myself a 4 1/2 hour drive. I would need to hire a moving van to transport all the materials that would be required to build a home which would cost more than any savings I might gain. Beware when you go to the evening where they give you their sales pitch you only have a couple hours to decide. I'm sure most people are unprepared for this. We were told it was our responsibility to look in their manuals to find out where other locations in the state are. It' okay for them to lie or be innaccurate. It is no loss for them if you sign up and then find out the information is false.

11/17/2007 - Fawn writes:
I just went to this place today with my sister. I signed the contract and now I am feeling sick to my stomach to know that it is a scam. Please someone tell me how to get out of this contract.

11/17/2007 - MARILYN writes:
Well, I was suckered in. Now I'm paying over $140 a month (because they have easy financing for those who can't spend the money upfront !!!) and it kills me every time I write the check. The interest is outrageous, too! I tried to cancel my membership for several days after I took the bait. First of all, I never got an email or call back, then the owner of the franchise finally called me, saying I just had "buyers remorse". He was so "nice", but told me he wanted me to honor my commitment. Being someone who wants to be honest, I'm now "honoring" my commitment. I have never once had the occasion to use this service. First of all, the online ordering is not convenient at all. You still have to call them to place the order and have the money upfront. Also, most of us in this busy world, run to whatever store we need at the time and pickup the items we want on sale. Well, there's no "sale" here and it takes weeks to receive what you need. This may be ok for a long range plan, but, like I stated, in this fast pace life, we need it NOW! I wouldn't do this if I were you. Don't be stupid like me. I dealt with the location in Indianapolis, IN.

11/17/2007 - Terry writes:
I have been a member for about 5 years and would not recommend Direct Buy to anyone with a brain. Once you pay the current membership fee of $5,000, then you get to shop through the catalogs and will find that many of the products by each manufacturer are not available through Direct Buy. I believe that over half the so called manufacturers are actually distributors whereas you can buy those products cheaper on the net. Add in the 8% handling charge, sales taxes and shipping, and how much have you really saved? Their website is horrible. It seems that maybe only 15% of their products can be priced on the website making it necessary to drive to the showroom that may be 20 miles away. This is a bad investment for just about anyone. The time that it will take you to recoup your $5,000 is not worth the hassle. If you finance the membership, look at 21% plus rates. I just ordered some dishes from the Directions catalog and they were priced at $160.00 for the set. By the time all the goodies were added, my price jumped to $215. I was looking for some appliances for my brother and he found lower prices at a store in his city. Really made me feel like the fool.

11/15/2007 - Janet writes:
We went to the Akron DirectBuy showroom on 11/13/07 for their "Open House". Some Open House! 15 minutes late and you won't be let in, no access to anything to prove what they are saying. My husband said he refused to be threatened by the join now or be banned for 7 years tactic and walked out. There were many things that raised red flags: insincere sales people who are pumping you for information, no supporting documentation to any of their claims, buying only through catalogs and waiting 2-14 weeks for delivery. Yeah, if my hot water heater quits tomorrow, I am going there to order and wait 2-4 weeks for delivery to saving $100! I took receipts of recently purchased items, limestone tiles, stacked washer/dryer, Lane swivel recliner. I asked for them to show me how much I would have saved if I was a DB member. They couldn't give out that information was because it was confidential and only for members. I saw this website after going there. I only wish I had read about DB before wasting 90 minutes.

11/13/2007 - Judith writes:
I also fell for this company's spiel. It has taken over 3 months just to get my membership card. I had paid off the contract before it came. Each time I called about the membership card, I was given a different story and no one seemed to know anything about my prior calls. Finally, I did get the card, but I wonder if it is worth ordering from this company at all. I am concerned about all I have read here and wonder if I would just be throwing more money away. I also continued to get calls asking why I did not show up for my presentation long after I had joined! I don't know about the ordering as yet, but so far, after spending hours with their catalogs, I found mostly high end stuff that does not fit my budget. Nor was I ever told my contract would be sold to a finance company! Oh, that bill came within a week or so after joining and I continued to receive invitations and a bill or two after the contract was paid in full. These people do not have their act together at the very least! I am afraid I have been scammed also.

11/13/2007 - John writes:
Please, do not sign up for DirectBuy. I used to work there, and that was the worst 6 months of my life. I did Kitchen design, and felt terrible everytime somebody scheduled an appointment. After spending $5000 or so to sign up, you must then put down a $300 deposit. You get that back IF you order cabs, but the money is from the cabinet manufacturer, not DB. DB pockets that money. The funniest part of the savings is that you get 60% off retail. You get 60% percent off retail just about anywhere you buy cabinets. No one charges MSRP on cabinets. You also have a handeling fee you must pay, so it's like paying tax twice. No one else does that. DirectBuy is the worst way to lose $5000. You do not get great savings, but you do get the headache of searching down a catalog for the items you want, and when you find them, guess what, they're discontinued.

11/11/2007 - Laura writes:
Just got home from the 90 minute presentation. Seemed too good to be true at first.I started asking questions and I said I wanted to think about it and do research on their company. He said he would give me a computer but I couldn't leave and come back ever nor anyone in my entire family. The sales guy assured me they belong to BBB and guy said, "what is there it think about, either you don't have the money or your just dumb." I should have left right then but instead got tag teamed by the franchise owner in West Palm Beach Florida who said the same info the other guy did. I was told sign now or just leave. The high pressure tactics of now or never was the red flag of deceit for me!! Thanks for this website and other emails telling me I was right!! I saved myself 5k toward my new kitchen with less headaches I hope! Tell as many people as possible everyone!!

11/11/2007 - Kenneth writes:
$5,100 $5,100 $5,100 That is the cost of a three year DB membership. DO NOT sign up for this ponzi scheme. I just wish I read the postings on this site prior to wasting 2 hours at the difficult to find showroom.

11/10/2007 - Lynda writes:
I went for a job interview for the sales position at Direct Buy. First of all, They lied about the hourly requirments and the salary /benefits in their job listing. AS It turned out, the hourly requirement was both Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm, and 10am to 9pm every weekday. They never mentioned this in ad. They also advertised this to be a 75,000 a year position. When I went through the interview process that number mysteriously dropped to 50,000. This interview took place in Los Angeles for the Calabasas/Burbank centers. Sadly, I would personally rate Direct Buy as the lowest integrity sales organization I have ever interviewed with to date.

11/9/2007 - Andrijana writes:
Please read before going to a direct I just came back from a "presentation" with my husband at our local DirectBuy location. My husband was hesistant the whole drive, joking that I am somehow making him join a cult. They were so evasive with the information that they were willing to provide on the phone - that it did feel that way. Needless to say, I knew that a membership fee of some sort was part of the equation - but that was not enough preparation for what the night would hold. We sat around and listened to their sales pitch which is designed for morons - I can't believe it takes them 45 minutes to explain how paying a manufacturers cost price is less than retail. Anyway, this is all an attempt to delay and further sell you on the big bomb - the price of becoming a member...$4500 initial fee alone + annual renewal fees of $196 (although it apparently varies depending on the city). After the pitch, you sit down with your dedicated and overly nice (fake) sales representative who wants to sit with you and discuss your membership & payment options. Once my husband (who has been in sales for 15 years and owns his own company) found out that you have to sign up that night or don't bother returning - he lost it! I must say at first I was disappointed, already imagining all the wonderful shopping sprees I would go on, but he was right. He argued that it was a slimey sales approach and that anyone who truly believed in the quality of their product would welcome prospective buyers to "sleep on their decision" or do some research before comitting to anything - especially almost $5K. Our salesrep gave the text book response of how this would compromise manufactures and their relationship with them. We didn't buy it. We tried explaining to the woman that what they should have done when I was solicited on the phone was at least explained that a decision would need to be made after the presentation and to choose the presentation date wisely. This would have made us at least look into the company a bit and ask around some friends/family who have memberships what their experience has been. This is exactly what they are afraid of. Given that we are about to buy a new house and are still contemplating building one, I think we may have been able to benefit from this program. With that said, I have no regrets about leaving - no one should be forced to buy something with a gun to their heads. If you really are interested and are going to a presentation/sales pitch, I recommend going to a few stores finding items and prices of things that you think you would buy in the near term and ask to have those looked up in their precious secret catalogues while you are in the showroom and before you sign anything. Make sure they have the brand & model you want. I think that if you are intending on spending a lot of money on product/home improvement there is a chance that this could be a good thing for you/your family - but make sure you are informed before you go! The important thing is that you made the decision to join because it will serve you well and you are an intelligent buyer instead of falling prey to their pressure tactics. Good Luck!

11/9/2007 - John writes:
I almost fell for this. I never saw the infomercials (I don't watch that junk), but our local radio station morning show really hyped them up. I went to the web site and picked a 'reservation date'. Well, unbeknownst to me, my wife set up something else for that day, so I called to change it. Well that started the concern on my part, they were rude and ignorant, like I was putting them out or something, but they changed the date/time. Well the week before our appointment, I spoke with someone 3 times (mind you, there was 7 calls from them on caller-id), to confirm our appointment. By now, I'm really annoyed that they would keep calling, and the last call they said we 'both' needed to bring ID and a major credit card. Well, I'm not showing anyone a credit card for a supposed 'open house'. I saw this site and all the info about it being a scam, and what is this $5000 fee? For what! I'm not showing up, and I've taken up a new hobby whenever I have a few extra minutes. From the []website you can actually make an online appointment. Making up fake names/addresses and setting appointments I'm sure is giving them a headache, but they deserve it.

11/9/2007 - Nina writes:
We cancelled within the 3 days and tried to have the money taken off our charge but nobody will return our calls. It has been almost one month and they are totally ignoring us. All they want is the money up front then they don't care about you anymore

11/8/2007 - chris writes:
We are remodeling 3 homes and were convinced that this would be a great situation to save money. After spending 2 days in their offices trying to pick out cabinets, light fixtures, etc.. I canceled our membership- thankfully within the 3 days! We found it to be very time consuming to browse their catalogs. They stated that if they offer the brands they can get the product - that's not the case. After doing the math and comparing, we would have saved $50 on the entire electrical order. They make their money on the 10% "handling" fees that are bogus. They tell you that your order will be shipped to their warehouse and they will inspect, insure no damage and prepare the delivery so that you can pick it up - that's a crock. The manufacturer's deliver to your door on most items, but they still charge the 10% fees. Well, most businesses would love to make 10% above cost on a quantity situation. Their business is in the 10% fee's that they tell you about, but they tell you it's only on a few items when it is actually charged on most items. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! You will never make back the $4-5k they charge you and you will spend an enormous amount of your time searching in a library setting to order.

11/7/2007 - Amanda writes:
Went to the presentation in San Diego, San Marcos area. Price $5000. Came here to Michigan. Got the invite in the mail. As I was renovating my house, the manager said I could save buku bucks with the program. Signed us on 8 Oct 06. After a week of getting lost trying to find the place (and finding out the homedepot/lowes had better markdowns) left msgs with the company to cancel withing 7 days of signing up. After the counter person over the phone asked do you want to cancel? I said sure! Went there 11 days later (Clinton township, on Grossbach rd) and was told that there was no canceling the membership once you sign on. That is why I am amazed that another Amanda wrote she was able to cancel in 3 days. I have not used the membership in the year. Nice I guess if you have champagne tastes and the budget to go with it.

11/7/2007 - Anne writes:
I took the bait. I sent Direct Buy my info so I could get a free "day pass". I received a phone call a few days later from a man from Direct Buy. The gentleman was nice but then he asked what my husbands name was. When I questioned why he needed the info, he explained that my husband must accompany me to pick up the pass. When I explained that my husband works an hour from their showroom and I was only 5 minutes away, he grew aggitated and said he must have mu husbands name. I said no and he hung up on me. I guess I won;t be invited back. THANK GOODNESS FOT THAT !!!

11/7/2007 - daniel writes:
I was a member a few years ago. I have seen all the ads on tv and I thought somethings might have changed. When I got suckered-in it was for a one year membership costing close to $2000. I just had bought a house and needed new furniture and other items. I gave up my membership because of low savings. (handling and very high shipping fees kill the deals) The showroom I did business with is not a member of the BBB anymore because of poor service and failure to respond to a complaint.

11/6/2007 - Lila writes:
We bought the membership about a year ago and paid $4,700.00 -that really hurts!!!! I had watched the infomercials on Tv and sounded interesting since we were about to build a new house. We went to the open house and were given "the only opportunity" we had to purchase it that day or we could not be offered it again, stupid enough to believe that, we bought into it. The showroom is a waste of time looking through hundreds and hundreds of catalogs and trying to figure out the prices by yourself. When you go to the presentation, everybody is nice, talkative and can't wait to help you, but after you buy it, you show up and are practicaly on your own trying to find anything is a real nightmare. The website won't give you any prices, you have to e-mail them to get them and after weeks of waiting, nothing happens. Nobody has replied so far. I have been to the showroom several times, just to live more frustrated every time thinking of the money we threw away, the money that we so hard worked for. I try not to think about it and never go back, pretend it never happened, because it bothers me so much, but then I really wish there was something I could do to get my money back -is there????????

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