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10/23/2007 - Zia writes:
We, like alot of you were scammed also, I won't tell the whole story since most of you know it already and as I have read its the same over and over. We too were scammed, and our credit is being ruined over it. We found that after looking into it that we could save more money at [] or [], sure its not the HIGH quality items they claim to use but its good enough for us. We have had it almost a year now and have not bought a thing!!! The other thing about them is how inconvenient it is to get their products, you have to pick most of them up from THEIR warehouse!! Since I live an hour away its not very convenient at all. My question is this... How do you get out of the contract? We contacted them about it and they said that you had 3 days to get out of it, shoot we didn't even get our online account set up until after a week. It was too late.. they said that you cannot get out of their contract.. I would think there has to be a way..

10/22/2007 - Robert writes:
15 years ago, I went to a time-share presentation at Disney World, and was totally disgusted with the salesmen and their high-pressure tactics. No thanks. Imagine my shock when I went to a Direct Buy presentation here in Nevada last week, and found the sons of the peddlers performing the same questionable sales tactics. This is a scam of immense proportions-they tell you nothing, and expect you to plop down real money-on faith. Just like when I asked the time-share people for a couple of brochures, and they refused-unless I coughed up $8900 in 1991 dollars! One thought-Direct Buy loves to buy advertising time on right wing radio-Savage, Hannity, etc. Who profusely endorse this scam. Makes me wonder if Direct Buy is targeting the undereducated and gullible. Just a thought....

10/22/2007 - Vikki writes:
Yesterday afternoon my husband and I visited Direct Buy showroom in Rockland, MA. Another (single) woman shopper joined us on our "tour" with our "salesman". He was lousy and had a very annoying nervous laugh, was poorly dressed and couldn't answer some of our questions. After being walked through a large room with a pool talble, we were brought to a small room and asked to watch an 8 minute video. At the conclusion of the video we were brought into another room which had a living room, bedroom and dining room displays at which time the salesman proceeded to tell us about the incredible savings on these particular items we could get if we joined Direct Buy. Immediately I could see that the woman "was sold" by this gimmick. Back to the little room we went for another 6 minute video at the conclusion of which the salesman took out his black magic marker and wrote on the board $4,900 membership fee for up to 10 years. But, $4,900 covers you for the first 3 years and then you have to pay an additional $199/yr for the next 7 years. Wow, what a deal, huh? Total price tag: $6,300. We were then brought in to another showroom, where they had the flooring kitchens, bathrooms, and many, many catalogs. At that point we were divided up, our original salesman went to work on the lady (and in fact signed her up) while the owner went to work on us. We had spent an hour with him asking for specific money-saving examples on kitchen cabinetry, furniture, flooring. I asked to see many of their catalogs in order to decide whether they in fact carried the top brand names I would consider buying. The whole time he kept insisting that Direct Buy doesn't make any money on the merchandise, but is strictly supported by the membership fees they collect. At this point my husband (who has been in the retail business for 20+ years) and I just new that would be impossible. I asked the owner how many members they had and he just said thousands and that they've added 900 members this year and that they have been in the area for 20 years. Calculating this in your head quickly should not be difficult...900 x 4,900 = 4,410,000 less rent, insurance, taxes and utilities on a 20,000 sq. ft. bulding plus salaries for 35 employees he claimed to have it just doesn't add up.......sorry! Then came the "closing pitch". OK so now it's time to sign you up. I was very blunt and told him that the buy it now or never pitch would of course work best for him since that's "Sales 101" but we don't make financial decisions on the fly like that. He turned on the heat by stating that it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to join and that if we didn't sign up today we could never do it again. I questined him extensively as to why that's the case and he proceeded to tell us it was because he had released all this confidential pricing information. This is a classic "used car salesman high pressure sales pitch". They don't want you to go home sit down and actually calculate how much money you would have to spend on various purchases just to "save" the amount you would pay for the membership fee. It's complete impulse buying which according to the complaints I have read has many folks left with buyers' remorse. We didn't fall for this gimmick and I hope that sharring the story will save another couple from waisting 3 hrs of their time on a weekend afternoon being coersed into spending their hard earned money for something they most likely don't need. I only wish that I had read the complaints before visiting Direct Buy. Bottom line...DON'T DO IT.

10/21/2007 - Chuck writes:
Unreal. Like most of the others, we went, listened, and was tempted. However, the $6390 fee, without the ability to actively compare 'apples to apples', as they claim, never gave me the confidence we needed, to drop 7k. Who does that? Well, after the guy said I was 'antsy', (something I learned from the military; ie something bad is about to happen), we went in , heard the spiel. $6390. "hold the check' for a week, while 'we move money around'. As soon as we said, no thanks, we too were sheparded out thru the back door, never to return again. IMHO, Al Capone was nicer. At least it would have ended quickly and without two years of misery....

10/20/2007 - Jim writes:
We just bought an old home to renovate and figured we would need hardwood floors, tile, kitchen cabinets, bath cabinets, bath fixtures and all new appliances. The Direct Buy ad seemed an ideal way to save 70% off retail, so we called them and went in to their St. Louis, MO site for their presentation. We had done some shopping already and asked direct questions for hardwood flooring, appliances and the kitchen cabinets. They claimed we would save 70% from the retail prices, so we joined immediately for $4600 on our American Express card (thankfully!). The kitchen designer was not available for 2 weeks, so we went in on our own two days later and pulled out their books. We broke the code, and found out they used horribly inflated prices, then "discount" them back to about what you would pay for full retail on the outside. There are no deals here. So, we wrote up our cancellation letter on the spot (in MO, you can cancel any contract in 3 days) and handed it to them. When I asked for a receipt, the show started. They tried to make us wait, but I refused, and threatened to make a scene. Then they brought out Mark, a 6'3" bruiser who tried to intimidate us into paying more to get our kitchen design priced to "prove" how they would save us money! He said we couldn't buy at cost outside Direct Buy, and I told him I did not think they sold at "cost" either. He immediately stood up and signed an acknowledgement of our cancellation letter. We left and called American Express to disput any charge from them, and we are thankful we did not stay longer in that scam. The high pressure and secrecy are a tip-off that they are not clean. They are a scam because they do not save the consumer 70% as they claim, and they make a profit on every sale. I am an Attorney in California, and would love to see a class action lawsuit against Direct Buy. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to do that. Darn!

10/20/2007 - Bernie writes:
Today my wife and I attended a Direct Buy presentation in Orlando, FL. The presentation was prompted by our need to remodel a home we were in the process of buying. After the presentation we were hit with the pitch. For $3990 we would get a two year membership to Direct Buy and a free third year with continuing years at $199. When we told the sales person That we wanted to wait until November 2d he asked why. We told him that we are scheduled to close on a home on the 1st and have already been postphoned once and are not ready to commit until the closing in made. We were then told that there is no second chance it is now or never but he would talk to his manager and see what could be done. He came back quickly and said there is nothing he could do but if we wanted to sign something and post date it he would see if that would be allowed. We quickly senced that we should leave and stated we do not commit to something unless we have it in hand. We thanked him and got up and left.

10/20/2007 - Tom writes:
Just left the nearest direct buy in Rochester Hills MI - Had my wife and my kids with me. Long story short. Owner threaten to pull his gun out and "blow my head off". Called Oakland county sheriff. Filed a complaint but Sheriff said we could not do much since he did not actually blow my head off in front of my wife and kids. Need I say more!

10/19/2007 - Jack writes:
RE: Direct Buy in St. Louis, MO. If this service is so good, why do they pressure a decision on the spot? Our "closer" told a lame story about a prospect who once saw the secret wholesale prices, then escaped the sales pitch and went down the street and divulged Direct Buy's secret wholesale prices to a retailer -- and this little event caused a major furniture manufacturer to dump Direct Buy. Give me a break. 1) If this event ever really did happen (and is not a complete fabrication), it is so tiny and stupid that it could only have been the straw that broke the camel's back. In other words, the major manufacturer probably had been ready for some time to dump Direct Buy. 2) I thought to myself, "what is keeping me from talking some of the secret wholesale prices this chick is blabbing to us right now, and taking them to a retailer? Their defense of the DECIDE-NOW tactic insults one's intelligence. Also, if so many of their customer relationships last so long, why do they collect all the money up front? Nothing in the infomercial prepares you for the high-pressure sales tactics. This is a classic "boiler room operation." I am not surprised to see 15 pages of complaints, and four pages of happy reports. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. On my way out, I thought to myself: "Tell all my friends to stay away from this sleazy thing." SHAME on St. Louis TV and radio stations for accepting ad money from this thing. EVEN IF THEY MIGHT SAVE YOU SOME BUCKS, please do not reward these kind of sales tactics.

10/19/2007 - Dana writes:
My husband and I fell for this scam hook line and sinker. Same scenario as everyone else about going there and having them say "If you don't purchase tonight you can never come back in because of all of the sensitive material you will be viewing this evening." After purchasing the membership for 4000 cash we built a spec home. Trust me we priced everything from flooring to appliances and direct buy was not cheaper for one single product when you factored in the shipping and handling, wait time and pain in the but of ordering out of their books. I would also love to be involved in a class action lawsuit based on the pressure you are put under and false statements made at the initial sales pitch.

10/16/2007 - Coleman writes:
Like many of the other first-time homeowners, my husband and I were interested in joining with Direct Buy. Thinking that it would be the affordable means of furnishing our American Dream, I sent off for the "free pass" to the "open house," but got eager to get in and learn about the savings so instead of waiting for the packet to arrive, I called the Indianapolis location to expedite the info search. That morning, the woman that I talked to set everything up for 7:30 p.m. (same day)and at the time that seemed ideal for my and my husband's work schedule. As luck would have it, he wasn't able to get off work in time to accompany me to DB so I planned to go it alone. When I arrived, I was greeted by Jeff #1. He was pleasant and then asked for my name. I gave the name, he looked me up, and came back asking when my husband would be there to join me. When I politely said that he wouldn't be able to make it, I was passed off to Jeff #2. Jeff #2 was sent to explain their policy of presenting the "open house" only to married folks when both parties could be present. That said, he told me I'd have to reschedule for another open house that both myself and my husband could attend. So I'm calm at first, but the choice words that came later were wrapped around how driving 40 minutes for the open house was a waste of time, and how being denied entry was a horrible way to acquire new customers. I went on to banter that about their policy, which is designed to avoid having one spouse make the decision to join and the other one later veto the decision. Clearly, I can make decisions in the best interest of my spouse, he wouldn't have married me if I couldn't.Plus, it pissed me off to no end that I no info could be shared over the phone, AND I had driven all the way up there and would leave empty-handed. After 5 minutes or so, I opted to end my argument with Jeff #2, and though I was disgusted with the amount of hoops you're forced to go through just to find out the cost, I told him that I wasn't sold on how beneficial DB might be and would do my own doggone research. My final words were "I WILL find out what I need to know to determine whether this is worth revisiting and I WON'T come all the way up here to do it!" Thanks to the reports on this website, I know not to expend anymore time on the DB thing and go through my usual means of shopping to save money. This incident doesn't surprise me, and ultimately, I had a problem giving DB the business when their operation seemed suspicious and far too exclusive to come out with the truth up front. The last thing I need is a $5K+ membership that can't get me squat and isn't tax deductible!

10/16/2007 - Christopher writes:
I feel like a total idiot for purchasing the membership because I have looked up somme info and have found that the story they have told me is false. I thought it was too good to be true but like any new home buyer, I was looking for a way to save money on future purchases for my new home. We have a few projects we want to accomplish but upon further inspection I have come to the conclusion that I made a huge mistake. Can anyone help me with being able to get out of my contract with DB?

10/15/2007 - Eileem writes:
My husband and I attended a DB meeting tonight in Englewood Colorado and the "manager" was beyond rude. He accused me of saying something that I never said. Then he said we should leave. I think the man was mad. We were feeling pressured anyway by the "buy it now for $5ooo or you will never be able to buy it". We will let the owner know how rude his manager is. Beware.

10/11/2007 - David writes:
I am a former employee of DirectBuy, and worked for about 4 hellish months in their Queens, NY call center. Another poster said the showroom is on Woodside Avenue, but it is actually on Queens Boulevard, about 1 mile west of the Queens Center Mall. I can verify for anyone who wants to listen that DirectBuy is a bad deal at best and a scam at the very worst. Call center reps are trained (and I use that word loosely) to call and re-call (up to four times daily) anyone who has responded to the t.v. ad or newspaper ads in order to 'tie them down' in the words of one of the owners to their 'appointment' for an 'open house'. Also, the high pressure and guilt-trip tactics used to qualify potential customers for an 'open house' are just plain nasty, rude and mean. I couldn't take working for such people any longer and while I worked there, I did what I could to dump records out of their system so as to keep these people who just thought they were gettign a brochure from getting an endless stream of calls and follow-up calls and confirmation calls and the like. Be careful folks -- if it seems too good to be true, it isn't. And yes, they want up to $5,000 up front for 5 to 7 years before you can start 'saving' the loads of money they promised you would.

10/10/2007 - Alfred writes:
Well, I have read both the Complaints (I did not know how infamous DB was) and the Defenses posted for DB...my opinion is based on 'first hand exp' working for contractors that installed flooring products that were puchased by DB customers thru the participating DB Merchants (as a DB member, you have the 'privledge' to shop at Pro- Source Wholesale floor Coverings) ...after many years working in the carpet and flooring trade, I am quite familiar with the cost of materials...I can tell you that the DB members are NOT getting any 'bargain'...It is quite simple; the so-called discount is deducted from a greatly inflated so-called regular price of the goods...the actual purchase price equates to about what most other reputable dealers would also gladly charge.. but it is NO bargain!...Basically, it is the consumer's lack of knowledge regarding value (they have no idea what something should cost to begin with, ESPECIALLY carpet and/or flooring!)...I always felt a little quilty watching DB customers make all the arrangements to purchase materials from PS, purchase install from some other Co, knowing they could have gone most anywhere else and easily secured the same overall price..prob with less effort and complications as well...BUT!..I thought, IF these DB customers think they are getting a 'deal'.. then ignorance is bliss!

10/9/2007 - Jerold writes:
In addition to consistently lousy service, at the initial sales pitch we were invited to bring in relatives as guests to make purchases When I tried to schedule an appointment, I was told that their new policy permitted only designers and contractors. I told them that I was playing their game, but they had changed the rules and I wanted a refund. They promised to call me back, but didn't, of course. It's a crummy operation: waiting times for orders are dreadful and the staff gets arrogant. It is a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

10/9/2007 - Jay writes:
Well, I didn't buy into it, but after looking over some of the wholesale prices, there is even a deeper scam going on. For example: I buy for a retail store and there is the whosale line price, and the volume line price.. Now, I buy product and meet a certain volume and the price goes down 20 percent. I asked like a rube what the price for me would be, and Direct buy showed me the whosale "line" price. yes it's wholesale, buy I called the vendor and found out that they pay the reduced high volume price. by the way. sometimes we run sales and sell at the wholesale price. don't buy "direct buy"

10/9/2007 - Brenda writes:
My husband and I attended sales presentation in Colorado Springs, CO. I had asked when we scheduled appt if I could bring products to compare pricing before we decide if we would join or not. Of course, they said, so I brought 5 different items; tile, carpet, hardwood, theater chairs, and pool tables. The only one that we could compare apples to apples was the tile. They did not carry the other vendors for the other items. The best price I could find through a tile discount place was $8.50 per tile for a 12x12 tile. The sales rep asked us before the video if there was anything we would like him to check pricing on while we were watching the video. We told him about all of them and he came back between videos and told us that he could compare the tile prices only since they did not carry the other vendors. After the presentation, we sat at a table with him and asked us what was the price of the tile and I told him. He told me he could get the tile for $12.25 per carton. Each carton contains 5 tiles, so the price per tile was $2.45 per tile. I asked him several times, if he was sure that was per carton and not per piece. I asked him to double check with his mgr, who was there. He came back, yes that is the price per carton. You have to understand, Brenda, that there is a huge markup in tile so that is why we can get such a good deal. We told him that based on that, we would join since the difference we would save on the tile would more than pay for our membership. We need 700 Sq ft. Guess what, I placed order forsome of the tile, 60 cartons, within 3 days via phone and when order came in, it was not 60 cartons but 60 pieces! They had accidently misread the pricing. We are in the midst of cancelling our membership because of this. I can get my tile cheaper through a local tile dealer. What a scam. If anyone else has been done this way, pls email me if you would be interested in a class action suit against these guys.

10/9/2007 - Gregg writes:
Direct Buy use to operate under the name of UCC Total Home. I was caught up in this scam in 2001. I finally got out of my contract by going through the Attorney Generals Office of the state I was in. UCC Total Home would offer to finance your membership fee through Beta Finance. Hindsite tells me that Beta Finance was probably an arm of UCC Total Home/Direct Buy. Please read the horror stories about UCC Total Home.

10/8/2007 - Bob writes:
can any give me advice on getting my money back. We signed the contract for $5299 on Sunday 10/7 in Massachusetts. We felt pressured and mad a bad decision. Please let me know if anyone has been succesful in cancelling the contract. Thnaks !!!!!!

10/8/2007 - Jenny writes:
i will clarify a few points made by others. the reason each location has a different set amount fee is because they base it on a percentage of the average income for the area, as well you have to consider that each location does not have the exact same suppliers(because most showrooms have local suppliers, etc). some major flaws at the direct buy here are: a horrible warehouse with no equipment or space so when things did come in often they were sent back and told we could not accept them due to no space...making member's angry due to the LONG shipping times. a lazy staff..especially the supervisor and owners who would promise to follow up on problems and never follow through. a couple i know personally have been waiting for Direct buy to fix a bedframe that came in damaged and it has been 7 months and still nothing! the corporate office is very slow at responding to orders and sending notifications for discontinued products they are too focused on signing new members up instead of keeping old members happy! their view seriously must be that once they have your inital fee then your on your own (because they dont make profit off orders) and its extremely difficult to resign a contract..unless you threaten to go to the media with it, then they suddenly are ok with returning your money. to sum it up...direct buy really can save you money if you have projects going..but only join if you are patient and willing to wait extra long for your products. for me..i couldnt be bothered at this point in my life to deal with them

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