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4/23/2007 - Andrea writes:
My brother and I went to a home and garden show recently where a friendly sales person approached us about becoming DirectBuy members. I’ve heard of the company but didn’t know any of the details of the membership. I asked the salesperson how much it is to join and he gave me an evasive answer about it depends on how much buying power you have and like to have. My brother and I decided to make an appointment just to check it out. We also had to bring our spouses. Well, we had our appointment this Saturday in Austin, Texas. When we got there the receptionist was really cranky and “forgot” to give us the papers we had to fill out. She had a really lively conversation with another salesperson or receptionist about when to go for a smoke break. After her smokebreak we received the questionaire with questions like do you want to save money? While we filled out the questionaire several other couples showed up and were asked if they were members or if they were here for an interview. We sat there for about 30 minutes and did not see any member enter the show room! My brother’s significant other pointed out that all the sales people had the same peel-off name tag as we did. Finally, a sales rep greeted us and led us to the store. We were shown around the store and several items, such as a waterless pot set, were pointed out to us and what the potential savings would be if we became members. Our sales rep led us to a room where we watched several videos on why DirectBuy is such a wonderful business and how we have to keep everything confidential! The representative (another more experienced sales rep who only showed us the videos and the following lesson on buying power) finally explained our buying power by using the example of an average Austinian with an average income of $40,000. We had to chuckle on that one. According to the rep, if you make $40.000 a year you have a buying power of $13,000 (without buying groceries or medical expenses, she didn’t mention that). Finally she explained that a membership will cost $4997 the first two years, and then $192 every subsequent year for 8 years. The kicker came when we found out that if we did not purchase the membership that day we could not do so for seven years. After the presentation we were led back to the other representative. My husband and I felt really pressured and we wanted to talk about it. I asked the sales rep to give us a few minutes to discuss it and he came back almost immediately, probably sensing that we were not totally convinced about parting with that amount of money. At that point, I just said that if we couldn’t think about it on how to fit this into our budget we’re going to leave, and we did! Some things I noticed while I was there: I am not familiar with the names of the companies even though I shop at home improvement stores all the time. The catalogs are extremely difficult to read. I did not understand why some manufacturers can be contacted others can’t. Trying to find colors and sizes looked time-consuming! You can look at some catalogs online but you must come to the store to order?! The prices are listed but you have to figure out which ones they are. Who cares what the suggested retail price is, I want to know my bottom line! The empty parking lot. And now this web site…..oh by the way….the people who wrote on behalf of DirectBuy have a similar writing style as well as no spelling or grammar errors! My bottom line: if it sounds too good to be true it probably is and when you feel pressured do what your gut tells you to do!

4/19/2007 - Charles writes:
Joined Direct Buy of Richmond,Va. Oct.06(horrible decision). Direct Buy did the kitchen measurements and design(which is exactly the same as old kitchen). Savings are nominal,if at all. When the cabinets were delivered we found that the direct-buy had incorrectly designed. The dir-buy installer immediately knew we had the wrong size cabinets and would not install. Dir.buy will not replace or take any responsibility. We are expected to pay again. Don't join this is a big scam.

4/18/2007 - Tiffany writes:
DirectBuy does indeed work. Buy if you want to work with an ethic company do not step foot into the door. They treat thier employers with such disrespect its unbelievable. The people who work thier stay for at most 2 months. They have such a high turnover ratio its sick. They destroy families and are just money hungry(Loraine and Randy Cover) The owners at the Jacksonville Florida franchise. Just know when your working with a customer service agent one day dont expect to seem them again, it truely is sad.

4/16/2007 - Randy writes:
I just got back from Direct Buy presentation on Sunday.We thought it is a good idea but the membership cost is way out of line.Look in the parking lot and you can tell by the size of the employees cars they make a lot of commision off of the $5200.00 .I can tell by the other post that the membership cost varies .My friend went to a show and was told 2500.00.I pulled up in my Hummer and they tell me a higher price.When I tried to look aroung the show room they kept leading me back to the sitting area.I tried to talk to one of the members and they told my wife to get me and sit in the presentation room. I told them I could not by a mattress or a sofa without sitting on it.They told me not to go to retail stores and waste the retail stores employees time, since they have the higher cost to pay them to wait on customer that do not belong to Direct Buy.They were real friendly until I told them I would not make a decision that day they just got up and walked away without saying anything and closed the door where several other sales pitch guys were sitting.So my wife and I sat there for about 10 mins.then left the store. 1.If its such a deal why do you have to do it right now? 2.Why is the cost so high to join when you could pay per purchase rather then 3 years ahead? 3.they told me the cost was 5200.00 first three years 199.00 the next seven years then after that what ever the 199.00 yearly rate is that would be that rate. 4. They said once you see the presentation you could never come back or ever join.That is strange.How can you run a business like that? If they were more professional and would allow me to think about it I would of probably joined.But the Employees represent the company and I do not like it.

4/15/2007 - Mary writes:
I have just finished reading 5 pages of complaints on this web site regarding Direct Buy.Everything I've read, I can relate to. Duped, I was. I bought the membership under pressure for over $5000 (my fault) and haven't been able to order bathroom cabinets (which I will no longer do.) All of your complaints are legitimate-they are not interested in your orders, they've already duped you out of over $5000 cash. After reading all your horror stories, I've decided not to do business with Direct Buy to avoid any more frustrations and stress.By the way, I refused to pay the cabinet designer $l50 dollars to "design" the cabinets that I can order else where at no cost. Perhaps that's why my calls have not been returned. I thank this website for all the information. Beware, Beware, Southern California.

4/15/2007 - Karen writes:
We are a deaf couple from Phoenix, Arizona. We called them for an appointment for showroom etc. They said we would have to bring an interpreter(sign language) The supervisor (guy) was very rude to us. We cancelled it. Thank God. Later we found this website and learned more about Directbuy scam. Please do something to shut it down ! Contact the TV media- 20/20 !!!

4/14/2007 - Bernice writes:
About 4 years ago now my husband and I received about 4 phone calls from a direct buy salesperson to attend a show. We had just purchased a new home (wonder if they somehow found that out) and were considering some large purchases. We decided to attend and said to each other that we wouldn't sign anything even if it looked good. Well, as you have already heard how they present their sales pitch we also listended to the same approach. As i was working a very early morning shif and was so tired, all I wanted was to go home but the sales person who "got" us just kept going and going about the fact we needed to sign up RIGHT now or loose the opportunity. To make a long story short, we made the committment and the very next morning knew we should not have done it. We had a 2,000 + credit card hit to join, but through a terrible ordeal got back all but 200.00. Only because I lost my job and went back to them about 4 times, made phone calls, threats to go to the rtadio station, to picket outside their office etc... I really think everyone who has been scammed by these people should go and picket on nights when they are holding their meetings so to warn others not to be taken in. I beleive that is a legal right. Why are these people allowed to stay in business. There should be at least a 5 day change to the "buyers remores" clause when you sign a contract out of your home. This by the way is the catch in getting you to sign up then, on their property. They do not have to refund you once you leave. Did you know that? I just saw another TV ad for them. Every time I hear them my blood pressure must hit the roof. Nothing gets me going more than people who are dishonest, and rip others off. After we went throught this horrible experience and told them to never call us again, we received at least 4 more calls from Direct Buy sales scammers to go to a meeting. Live and learn. Don't go...!!!

4/14/2007 - Shelley writes:
My husband and I went to a DirectBuy presentation today. I realized the SCAM when they had on the wall A flyer from [] presenting plasma tvs with prices at least 2yrs old. We I made a remark on the price he quickly changed the subject and led the group away. I also was aware of the staged buyers spread aroud the showroom. I was impressed with the quality and the savings (Which is joke after reading the complaints) but whenever WE are told you have to buy NOW. BEWARE!!!!! Then, when told about the $4500.00 membership fee RED ALERT. We said NO-Thank-You. and recieved out 2 cheesy gifts and left(We were let out the back side door) So tonight I research and find about the horrible outcomes of some who were duped, makes me want to print and stand out front and pass out the copies of peoples complaints. Can this be legal to save other people for these types of SCAMS

4/13/2007 - Lisa writes:
Direct Buy business screams SCAM!My husband and I went to a presentation on Direct Buy on April 5, 2007. We did not know the membership fees, but agreed beforehand that we would not be suckered into buying a membership on the spot. I confess we did not research the company prior to our visit. When we arrived, we had to wait about 15 minutes, then we spoke to a sleazy salesman for about 5 minutes. We were then led into a room, with other potential victims, to watch a video. It was all so hokey. We were treated like 5-year-olds: We were shown a picture of a product with the MSRP and the competition's sale price, then we were asked to guess what Buy Direct's price was. When we heard the video presenter say we needed to sign up that evening or be banned from becoming members for the next seven years, my husband and I looked at eachother, stood up and walked out the door. We did not know what the membership fee was. Reading the reviews on this site confirms my suspicions that this company is not reputable. We were robbed of our time, but, thankfully, nothing else. I feel badly for those that believed all the empty promises. There has to be a way to shut down this kind of business so others aren't victims.

4/13/2007 - Bernard writes:
Well, I was one of the foolish persons who took the bait from Direct Buy. I was looking to have my kitchen and bathroom remolded. I had consulted with several contractors over a period of months and found most of them where in the same ballpark. One Saturday while watching the informerical, I decided to call Direct Buy and set up an appointment to talk to a salesperson. Right away they told me if I didn't make the appointment and come in, I would not be allowed meet with a salesperson for a period of one year...Kinda strange at that point. So I made the appointment and went the local showroom here in Ft.Lauderdale. The people were very nice (that's the first sign of the scam)and ushered about 20 people into a viewing room. It there where they talk about all the savings on products and services that the public are not privileged to see. We would have exclusive insiders information to thousands of manufacturers and dealers. The they hit you with the membership fees of $4600 over a period of 2 years, with $500+ as a down payment, with monthly payment under $200 for the next 24 months. I wanted to save money on the expensive remolding work and after the pressure from the "nice salesperson" saying 'If you don't sign today, you will not be able to join or come to the showroom for one year and you have thousands of catalogs to choose from for your remolding jobs." So foolish me (shame on me) I signed the agreement with the knowledge of thinking I would save BIG time!!! In the process of meeting with the designer and floor salesmen, the salesmen DO NOT tell you of all the hidden charges when you order merchandise, for instance, it will take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks for the merchandise to be delivered to the warehouse. Or you will have to get your own delivery services. They don't tell you there are even other charges (hidden) tacked onto your order. For example when you meet with the designer for kitchen and bathroom services, there is a $300 designers fee added in addition to the shipping and handling charges of 8%, plus taxes and other fees. After all the "hidden charges" you are NOT, I repeat NOT saving a &^%$# thing! Not to mention, you have to pick up the merchandise yourself. I'm talking about appliances, furniture and the like. There's no delivery services! Thank God, I'm a young man who happens to have access to a pickup truck. Now, here's the kicker...If you order merchandise and there is a problem with it or its the wrong merchandise (not your fault), you have a better chance of getting into the White House and speaking directly to the President, then you have of getting a refund or exchange. I had problems over the past 8 months getting a refund from Direct or its manufacturers. The wrong merchandise and sizes were delivered to their warehouse in Ft. Lauderdale. After inspecting the merchandise and noting it to the warehouse manager it was not what I ordered and refused to take possession of the merchandise. Now the trouble began, I contact my salesperson from Direct Buy the very same day and explained the dilenma. Spoke with the customer services manager from Direct Buy, a few days later, sent letters to the their office, contacted my credit card provider after several attempts to resolved the issue with Direct Buy. After 8 months of investigations back and forth, I finally received and answer from Direct Buy...I was not entitled to a refund and I needed to pick up the merchandise which was ordered. If they returned the merchandise to the manufacturer(s),there would be an restocking fee between 25% to 35%. I never took the merchandise from the warehouse and have yet to receive the refund to my credit card account. You would think after all the money I spent and the contract agreement amount they could at least credited me back for non-usable items. They went as far as to send negative letters to my credit card company blaming me for the errors and it was not the manufacturers fault. I am an fairly intelligent man and can usually smell a "funky" scam a mile away. I am upset with myself for letting this scam get the best of my intelligence. In order not to damage my great credit scores, I am still paying the outrageous agreement fees of $4600 for the 2 year agreement. I would be interested to know if there is a class action suit being proposed against Direct Buy. I would certainly without question join in! To those out there, RUN, Break through the walls if you're ever tempted to join Direct Buy!! Save your money!! Direct Buy is an EXPENSIVE SCAM with a migraine headache!!!

4/9/2007 - Sharon writes:
I like many of you have the sad responsibility of saying "Shame on me" for listening for longer than 10 minutes of their scam. I went in on a Saturday with my Mother and sat through a 2 hour presentation, showing me how I could save a ton of money going through them. After the presentation we were broken up in to groups with a "Sales rep" to go over the price of the 5 yr contract. It was $4890.00 for 5 yrs and then $167.00 per year after that. When I stated I was not sure if it was what I wanted since it was alot of money up front, the Sales rep said "I will give you 3 days to cancel". I signed the contract thinking that's not so bad I can think about since I signed under the pressure of "sign today or you are never welcome back". I am a smart woman and should never have fallen for this... But will make sure everyone I know knows what happen to me and how they scam you into signing the contract right then and there. I tried to cancel with my credit card and was denied, now I am going through all the local news channels and newspapers to get the word out. I have also contacted the BBB and Attorney General in Mass. Please if you live in Mass, contact the Attorney General so that they are able to SCAM NOMORE.

4/8/2007 - Christina writes:
Well...I hung on to my money! After 2 hours of some very high pressure sales they finally got to the bottom line of it all...$4991 dollars for the first 3 years for membership dues and $277 dollars a year for years 3 through 10! You can pay one lump sum of the $4991 or option 2 is to pay down $1500 then finance the rest at a 17% INTEREST RATE! After seeing advertisment after advertisment on Direct Buy I finally had to see what it was all about...Save your time and Keep your Money! I went to the showroom and saw NOTHING that I couldnt get at a regular store on sale! The only way that I can see that you will save lots of money is if you are building your home from scratch...then you might benefit from the discounts BUT BEWARE because the products of cabinets, carpets, tile and wood flooring looked cheap. These are NOT the high end products that they promise! They said that the products that your order could take anywhere from 2 to 12 weeks to be delivered! Do you want to wait that long? I dont! Not when I can go up the road and get things the same day! And they said that if you couldnt pick up your items at the warehouse in 5 days then they would charge you a storage fee until you could get it picked up. That or pay the extra shipping cost to ship to your home. BEWARE OF DIRECT BUY!

4/7/2007 - Andy writes:
From Canada. A very convincing, well rehersed, sales pitch in comfortable surroundings with a high pressure take it or else ending. Although I have no way of knowing for sure, I believe that most of the people present during the sales pitch (including other potential members and people who were there actually brousing the catalogues) were employees of the company. The whole thing is staged. People are buying memberships all around you, customers are looking through catalogues laughing and cooing at each other like star crossed lovers...give me a break. I don't think comparing prices on kitchen cabinets is a hand holding, snuggly experience for any couple, but that's what I saw during my con (er, I mean presentation). Remember folks "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is". Like the guy in the ING comercial says "save your money", walk away from DirectBuy.

4/6/2007 - Harry writes:
DirectBuy should come with a consumer warning label! Steer clear of DirectBuy -- unless you are prepared for beyond high pressured sales environment, peppered with switch and bait tactics. And, get ready to part with $4,990 for membership by signing an on the spot contract -- with no proof of real value or option to think it over or do further research! The scenario appears to be the same regardless of where the franchise is located. The meet and great, hand-off to watching their infomercial presentation, and then strong-arm tactics to sign a contract immediately and you will begin to quickly realize savings! And, if all of the warning signals don't register from the moment you connect with one of their so called sales reps ask about their payment plans. We were told they have a 90 day payment which they have a partner to finance at an interest rate of 17%. Now you can invest almost $5K, pay 17% interest based on pure claims with no substance. And by the way we were told they ship to you at no extra cost that it is built-in to the manfucturer's cost -- totally bogus. We're lucky as we just got up and walked out -- as we were informed that we were being suckered to lose our money by buying retail. Thanks to this website and all of the individuals who shared their stories we realize we did the right thing.

4/5/2007 - Mimi writes:
when we joined Direct we paid $3000 for our membership. It has been hell since day one. We were treated so badly by the Edison Staff. The Manager was worst. They show you something in the book and when you receive it - it is not what you think you ordered. I am still waiting for a refund for a year ago. I was told they were going to waive the re-stocking fees because the product was not what they showed my in the catalog it would be. I tell you Direct Buy is a scam. They rude and unprofesional. I am willing to join who is taking any sort of steps toward exposing Direct Buy. I am even willing to start a group to expose. we need to put a stop to them.

4/5/2007 - Leslie writes:
Yes, I am reporting the same sad story that others have shared on this site. We also got suckered in to Direct Buy for $4500 for a membership. We have always avoided those obvious scams for time shares etc. but were blind about Direct Buy. It sounded too good to be true! And so it is. We are remodeling our kitchen,and this is what has happened so far. The "kitchen designer" fellow took our measurements etc. and said it would be two weeks before he got around to the design as "they were swamped, and they had lost two designers". Didn't say if fired or resigned. It was 3 1/2 weeks later that we received a funky design via e-mail. Also we had to pay $100 which they keep of course to do the design. When I e-mailed the designer next day to set up our appointment to finalize our order we were told that "He doesn't work here anymore and someone else would help us." But the kicker was, we should e-mail any changes we wanted to make in the design and eventually someone would be able to help us. However, they were swamped and two other designers were gone. What a bunch of disorganized and incompetent idiots. We are on a time line with this remodeling, and this is a run around. They don't return phone calls, nor e-mail. As with other complaintants the customer service sucks over there. Also ordered a washer/dryer combo which we have not yet received and got a call saying the order was incorrect and we owed another $70. That I put on my credit card. After pricing the same thing in retail stores we are not saving anything on this combo either. Hoping the set will come without the horror stories we have been reading. Why why why didn't we research this before we went to the first appointment with these bums? We bit the bullet and went to [] and guess what? We had great customer service, our cabinets and countertops are ordered, this all in 1 day, and the price was right. We are kicking ourselves over and over for falling for this scam. Like others say RUN RUN RUN away from this evil, vile outfit. Leslie

4/3/2007 - Lori writes:
my husband and i have had all the same experiences that everyone here on this web site were and are haveing. this company got us a couple of years ago. their presentation was so overwelming and we both felt too pressured to purchase right there on the spot. we were told that they had been in business for a long time and it was just getting around to our area. they scammed us in by offering us a free t.v. they kept us there for a couple of hours and they were moving us and a dozen other victims around from person to person and drilling us on making a decision. saying we would be fools to turn down a chance like this. they wouldn't give us any real details on pricing of items because they said they didn't want us to go and tell other business' if we decided not to make the deal. we would only be able to see prices and savings after we paid them the money. we did end up signing with the devil (oops, i mean direct buy)and that was all she wrote. we tried a couple of days later to cancel because we had a 3 day time we could cancel. they said they were sorry that they don't do that and they still billed us for the remaining balance. we refused to pay for a long time. we would get harrassing phone calls from a woman named karen tucker. she would call us 20 to 30 times a day and leave rude and vulgar messages. this went on for over a year. our lawyers said there wasn't much you can do unless you have a lot of money because it would be a long battle. that we should chalk it up to mistakes. i too wish i would have done more investigation on this company before we invested in it. we started making payments and we were told that as soon as we paid the balance we would be allowed into the store and be able to purchase their products. well, we've had them paid off for a year and we've tried to get into the store and we have gotten the run around everytime. we've tried calling to talk with a representative or supervisor or someone in charge and all we get is a run around from one extention to the next. we have left a dozen messages and no one will return our calls. we called in one day and tried pretending we were a new customer and was interested so that we could get them to call us back. when they called and we told them who we really was and that we were just trying to get into the showroom to make some purchases she said she wasn't in charge of that department and she transfered me over to another extention so that i could leave a message. and i'm still waiting on a response. i advise that no one buy into this company at any time ever! they should be ran out of town and state and country. this company should be prosecuted and sent to jail for the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. they should be held responsable and they should pay everyone back their money that was invested and didn't get satisfaction. i would love to see this company come to light on the t.v. and the newspapers. i will be right there to tell everyone all about this company and how they are nothing but a big scam to hurt people.

4/2/2007 - Cristina writes:
I did my research a lot late and now I am regretting it because of all the negative reviews. I need to get useful insider information for example what are the corporate offices contact information and the critical one of how to get out of the contract in 3 days. The whole presentation was a big lie. I regret it so much and I have only been a member for 2 days.

4/2/2007 - Maria writes:
Always looking for the best deal, I came across Direct Buy online while searching for vanities. Since both my husband and I work, the allue of having "everything in one place" with discount prices really appealed to me. I deduced that the "members only" tagline made it similar to [] - which BTW, is a legitimate business and one which I have frequented for several years. So, I registered online requesting a free one-day pass. Later that week, I received a phone call from a telesales representative saying that she was happy to hear from me and that she wanted to help me through the registration process and figure out the best day for my husband and I to attend. I told her that I had just received the notice in the mail and that I read that no children were allowed. When I asked her why no children were allowed she said, why, is that a problem? Can you not find a babysitter? I said, well, that sounds like a hard sell tactic and if that's the case, I am not interested. She said, well, we can accommodate children but for that, you must come in on Sunday at 4pm. I said, what you have presentations for a members-only club? Again, that sounds like a hard-sell tactic - like what they use for time-shares... Again, if that is the case, then I'm not interested. Now, she's scurring because I think she's never had to deal with someone like me. Anyway she said, well, I'd still like to see if you'd like to come in. I said, fine, it's going to have to be on a weekend because both my husband and I work full-time. She said fine. I think asked the "killer" question - can you give me a range of prices of your membership and their options so I am not surprised when I walk in? She said, well it depends on what type of membership you purchase. To which I replied, that's fine, a range will do. She then said thank you for your time and hung up on me. hahahahahaha Scam, scam and more scam.

4/2/2007 - James writes:
We feel foolish telling you this! We joined Directbuy August 2006, and paid $4,000. We must be crazy. We found that customer services and warehouse staffs are not helpful and they provide no information whatsoever when we first time ordered items. We left nasty messages, and we got the items finally we purchased. The second time we ordered was delivered partially with broken pieces or defected items. Same time we got the email from Directbuy stated that they will deliver the rest of items after 2 months later. We ordered wall sconces not furniture or not big items. We replied email back to them stating that we want to cancel the items if we could not receive them after 2 or 3 weeks later, and asked them to advise us about broken pieces. No responses for a week, so we called Directbuy and they told us that the items are on backorder and bring the broken items. They don't tell you anything and they don't ask us anything whether the items are on back order and it will take more than 2 months to receive them, so we want to cancel and order something else or want to wait. We signed up for $4,000 and this is the way Directbuy treat us. We did save money, because we wasted more time buying through Directbuy. You are so regretting what we had done. We wished we had read these complaints earlier. Directbuy told us that they canceled the items on the phone, but later they told us that the company we ordered items has to accept the cancellation, and Directbuy has not notified us yet even 3 weeks passed, but they informed us that they will charge 25% restocking fee for the defected items. They are very prompt when they are charging or billing amount for items that have not received yet. We will dispute all amounts that we have not received items since we have not made the credit card payments. It is illegal! We wasted MONEY and TIME on joining the Directbuy.

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