DirectBuy

Was snowed into believing this company is has a rating with the Better Business Bureau, when the truth is that they aren't even accredited, which constitutes fraud in the state of south Carolina. Direct buy of fort mill refuses to release us from the contract. They have 500.00 they won't refund and they said I will always be bound to the remaining 4500 dollars still owned on the contract, and that we have no recourse and stuck with it.

Harassing phone calls from DirectBuy of Columbia, South Carolina. First they used an 800 number, and then switched to **. We are receiving 5 phone calls every day. We filed a complaint with donotcall.gov about the 800 number, then DirectBuy switched to the 803 number. Pressure must be brought to bear against this company. We have never done business with this company. Every time they call my cell phone it cost me. I've told them I'm on the Do-Not-Call List and he just laughed and kept talking. I hung up and he called right back. I'm at the point of having to pay $15 to change my cell number because DB keep calling and running up my cell phone bill.

At 10:06am on 12-27-11, received unsolicited call from Direct Buy (803-820-0691), despite being on DoNotCall list. I asked why they called, as I was on DoNotCall list, and did not request their services at any time. She said (very unconvincingly) my number would be removed from marketing list. I told her I would never do business with company that ignores current laws. I also filed complaint at DoNotCall.com.

I purchased five years extended warranty on my Jaguar XJ8-2003 in January 2011, it covered transmission repair. My car broke down because of transmission failed to operate. This particular vehicle does not require transmission service on built in TR. Mr. Frank ** or his staff denied to approve to repair TR. I had to pay $3500.00 to pick up my car after repair with a local AAMCO transmission shop. I kept communicating with Direct Buy Auto Warranty since June 2011. At this writing, they did not reimburse me and yet they cancelled my membership involuntary without my consent. VSC Number 204526

Harrassing phone calls from DirectBuy of Columbia, South Carolina. First they used an 800 number, then switched to 803-753-8865. We are receiving 5 phone calls every day. We iled a complaint with Donotcall.gov about the 800 number, then DirectBuy switched to the 803 number. Pressure must be brought to bear against this company. We have never done business with this company.

A letter was sent to me that I got a free laptop for my birthday, but when I called the toll free number, it sounded like there's someone breathing in it and whispering. It seems like they were listening to the whole call with the ringing on. The number was 1-855-414-5057.

My husband and I bought a membership the first of the year. We were pressured pretty hard so we have bought one item, a light for the dining room. In July, their doors were shut and padlocked for not paying some $87,000 in taxes. I put out $200 a month for something that I now cannot use. I want out of the contract, and my money back. Why are the consumers having to pay for what this franchise did and appears to be a habit with them? I hear that there is a class action suit. How do I get on it?

After reading all these sob stories about how people got "duped" into signing a contract, or "shocked" by how much the membership cost to join DB, let me just make a few comments.

I received an unsolicited phone call one night from a rep from DB saying I was invited to tour their showroom. I knew exactly what it was about, a presentation very similar to a timeshare presentation. Among other things, I asked how he came about my number, and I was told that my number likely came from a partner website such as Travelocity.com or other such site. This, by the way, is perfectly legal, and should be expected that whenever you browse the internet and conduct searches and enter your personal information, it is going to be sold. So for all you people complaining about how your "number was sold" and DB had no right to call you; well, yes they did. This is marketing 101 and perfectly legal. Remember, you can always respectfully request they take your number off their list, and decline the invitation and hang up.

Knowing exactly what to expect, my wife and I went the next night to tour their showroom in Bothell, WA. I had previously spoken with a few friends who had been members in the past, all very analytical and money-savvy people, and they said when it was all said and done, they saved a good amount of money over the years with some large home improvement projects, etc.

When we showed up, we were greeted very nicely, filled out a brief questionnaire, and along with two other couples were taken on a tour. Our 'guide' Joe was extremely nice, polished (as any good salesman should be) and articulate. We were shown what appeared to be real ads for items available at local retailers ranging from Stacy Adams shoes to Samsung washers, etc. The savings varied depending on the product, naturally, as different categories of product have different mark-up. From talking to my friends who were former members, the savings varied, the selection was typically much greater than a retail store, and the wait time was rather long.

We finished the tour, then sat down with one of the owners who was very friendly. She used to be an attorney in the city of Chicago, and was pleasant to speak to. She asked us if we saw value in the membership, and we said yes. I told her that knowing me, I would want to see immediate savings to recoup the expense of the membership, but realistically I was about 12 months out from starting a couple of large remodel projects. She offered to sweeten the deal by offering access to all 5 categories of products for the price of one ($3,990) but we respectfully declined. She was disappointed, naturally, but respected our decision. We chit-chatted a few more minutes, then we escorted back to the front where she gave us our restaurant gift cards and vacation package, and said goodbye with a smile.

If you have no will power, or are susceptible to caving in to highly refined sales tactics, then don't go on a tour. If you did, and you signed up and later regretted it, then you are weak and deserve your misery. I don't care how much they lay on you in the form of slick sales talk, if you don't want to sign up, then don't sign up and respectfully decline. To sign up and then later complain about the process, the contract, or the lack of cancellation, is unjustified and a poor argument. You are merely venting your frustrations about your own lack of a backbone on Direct Buy and calling it a scam. The real scam is that you did something against your better judgment, even after the entire plan was laid out in front of you. There are no secrets with DB. It is a private, member only club. For the one reviewer who went so far to "prove his point" to tour the warehouse when he was asked to leave, is idiotic. This is a private business, a private franchise, upon which you have no legal rights to demand to wander off on your own. You were invited to a structured tour and sales presentation, and for that you were given a free gift(s) just for showing up. Even Costco and Sam's club restricts access to outsiders and typically requires either a membership or a day pass to wander around.

The plan is simple, you pay roughly $4,000 for three years, and then $200 per year for renewal; and for that you are afforded the opportunity to buy direct from manufacturers. Most of the time (as my friends can attest) you save money, especially on big ticket items and home improvement project materials, fixtures, and cabinets. The method of buying is different and unique, and requires planning. Your normal "instant gratification" method of shopping will not work here; you have to plan ahead and be wiling to wait for your items. This is another theme I saw in these reviews, is that people who are accustomed to getting what they want, when they want it, could not deal with the wait times. But again, this was all spelled out in the presentation, so to complain about it later is idiotic; you knew in advance and now you're just pissed off but you don't know how to plan ahead.

As I stated above, we did not join. The timing wasn't right for us, but we could easily see value in DB. But it is like anything else, be it a 0% credit card offer, a multi-level marketing business, whatever, you have to know how the game works to take full advantage. If you join with the same mindset that you currently have (spur of the moment shopping, not planning ahead, instant gratification) you are going to be disappointed in DB. But if you know all the rules going in, and play by those rules, you will recoup your membership in savings fairly quickly, and begin to see real savings.

My last point is this: is it all-too typical for Americans to blame others for their mistakes. If you are on disability and can't afford to join a membership for $4000, then why did you join? Why are you blaming them? What did they do wrong? If you are weak minded and easily persuaded, why did you go to the tour? Even after you acknowledged you knew it was going to be similar to a time-share presentation. Take some responsibility for your own actions, and more importantly, your own mistakes. If you joined DB, but then "never bought anything", why is that DB's fault? You are the idiot who spent $4000 on a membership then was so pissed off at yourself that you never used it, then now try to blame DB for your stupidity. This is such typical behavior. I have yet to read one review where the complaint is based not on their own poor decision making or lack of better judgment on behalf of the complainant.

Bottom line, do your homework. Know what you are participating in before you go. Bring a list of things (with prices) that you are absolutely going to be buying soon, and straight up compare. Ask questions! For God's sake, if you walk out of a presentation with a membership, and you aren't sure of all the rules, you are solely to blame. Just like when you buy a car, a house, or a flat screen TV. Ask questions. Feel confident in your decision, and if not, don't sign up. And lastly, don't turn around later and blame DB because you won't play by the rules.

I was sent a 30-day trial membership. When I went to the appointment, they told me that I was ineligible for that and to open a regular membership. It cost me $5,000. I signed a contract with a finance company and I have the receipt. Months went by and the finance company never took the payment. When I called the company to inquire, they told me that they don't have a contract with me. Turns out Direct Buy had me sign an agreement with one company and sent my information to someone else. I feel that my contract with Direct Buy should be voided altogether for fraudulent purposes. The company that I didn't even sign a contract with is harassing me for payment and threatening to sue me.

Feeling somewhat conflicted now. I joined back in 1995 for what was then a pretty decent amount of money (believe it was a bit over $1000). For those of you considering putting down five times that, I share your reservations. Would I today? NO. Let me be clear, I am not a dupe. I am not easily cheated, but I feel that the DirectBuy current philosophy has departed from trying to give people a great deal by way of a mutually beneficial relationship (between directbuy and it's members) into a Time-share rip off mentality that sucks you in and makes it almost impossible to leave. First of all, you will have to spend a LOT of money for the savings to add up to cover the initial outlay. Then, the yearly renewal after the contract is up is upwards of $200. Factor into all this the pressure you will feel to RENEW at whatever price the owners DECIDE to charge you! Are you likely to walk away from a relationship after investing $5000? Not bloody likely. The owners know this. It might interest you to know that the owners get together and decide what to charge for renewals. I can't imagine how they justify this except to just look at it as free money for the taking. This was told to me when I called to complain about a $40/year increase. This could end up being ANY amount they choose, since there is NO oversight, NO representation for members, NO voice that you might have in a typical corporation where the board answers to the stock holders. This is the typical of monopolies and price fixing amongst the "good old boys club".

Will I renew? No idea at this point. I don't know any justification for such a high amount. Unlike Costco's $100 membership which refunds you a percentage of your purchases which helps offset the cost. The way I figure it, the yearly renewal after the contract expires is pure gravy. When quite a few of the purchases I make at DB have handling charges, I can't fathom the justification for a yearly charge of $200.

Have I saved money? Well, yes and no. Appliances are about a wash. By the time the taxes (welcome to PA! ), delivery and service charges are tacked on, you might have saved $40 from your local...Best Buy...which is the savings I got when I bought a washer. I think that those who cross state lines and shop at the local "scratch and dent' do much better...but that is somewhat apples and oranges. I saved enough to justify my membership when I re-sided my house and bought the exterior insulation and vinyl siding through DB. That being said, times are tough and I'd like to know that my continued shopping through DB was based on savings rather than my inability to walk away from my initial investment.

My spin on this? Join if you have large sums of money that you plan on investing in your home. Shop smart and you can recoup your investment. But like the package stores that charge admission (BJ's, CostCo etc) if you DON'T spend it there, you will have wasted your money.

Every time I put in my e-mail address to unsubscribe, it says it is an invalid e-mail address. I have tried it with several of your unsubscribe links and the same thing happens. I receive this message: "There is a problem with this line" pointing to my e-mail address in the unsubscribe form.

I joined the Club about 2 years ago and have almost the same experience every time I try to use the services. It's very difficult to make purchases. I have spent over 1 month trying to get emails and phone calls returned because I need assistance configuring a kitchen appliance order. I have had a similar experience using the Club to purchase cabinets and a closet organizer. It's just not worth the small amount saved over buying on sale items in the stores.

I could not find any product that was cheaper than regular purchases. Once the shipping was added on, there were no price savings. They did not give me my 30-day trial but instead coerced me into signing up. When I tried to cancel, they said it was too late. They should be banned from operation. They are a total scam.

We accidentally signed an offer/contract that never told us that within 3 days only, the contract will activate and it's printed very small at the back of the document. They never explained well to us or never told us that way. The company is "DirectBuy" and we never used it since then and till now, we are forcing to pay the full amount within three years. Can anybody help us to stop?

Back in 2009, I went to DirectBuy just to see what it was all about. When I got ready to leave, I was duped into buying a membership. I kept telling them no and that I was on disability but they just kept sending people over to get me to sign their contract. Well, with me not being in my right mind, I signed it. But I felt like they were using mind control or something. What happened was they set me up on an easy payment a month for three years.

Well, on Monday (about two or three days later), I tried to call and cancel it. But they told me that it was out of their hands because they used a finance company. So, I am just stuck paying that payment each month with money that I don't have. But to keep from ruining my credit, I somehow manage to pay it. I feel like I was scammed in to their mind games and I'm spending money that I have no use for. I don't think that I have stepped in DirectBuy since that day. If there is a class action lawsuit in South Carolina, I would like to know and join in on it.

I received cold call soliciting that I had been selected to win some prizes (vacation, gift certificate, etc) if I make an appointment to go and take a tour of one of the showrooms in the area.

I did not enter in the contests when the phone call was received at 9:00pm local. I am listed on the "do not call list" and even if I had any interest in said services, which is claiming to pride themselves as American and has an outsourced call center in India, it doesn't reflect too highly as a business I wish to patronize.

I inquired about DirectBuy's membership and was given an appointment for next Saturday. During the process, they "required" my email address. I gave it with the clear instruction that I don't want junk email. Not only am I already receiving buying junk from them, but bombarded from other "buying opportunities". They must have sold my email!

They are a scam. They take your money then when you call, no one answers the phone. It's a scam. They are only available for the potential victims then after that they won't return calls. Please, help.

How do I void this contract? Help others not to fall into this trap please...

We paid to join the club so that we could save on our home remodel. But what we have found was that we were able to purchase the items at a much lesser price when shopping around for comparison. We have been unable to get in touch with the Roanoke branch to request a refund since we were supposed to receive wholesale prices as per the contract.

Ordered shower doors to finish my bathroom 3 months ago.

Still waiting on the delivery. Store is blaming their unreliable delivery service for mixing up the delivery location and failing to deliver materials this week.

There is no service from this Direct Buy location. They don't follow thru on anything. You have to haunt them. When all i said and done I expect to save $500 but it has not been worth the 4 month wait. Whatever you do, don't joint this Direct Buy location.

WE purchased an extended Warranty for Direct buy on Sept 14 2010 to provide extended coverage on a suburban that we had already owned for four years. Nothing was mentioned that all "Maintenance" had to be performed by an ASE service provider. IT does state that "repairs under the warranty" must be done by ASE mechanics. We had our "maintenance " done by Terrible Herbst a well-known company here in LAs Vegas, and they are denying our claim because they are not ASE certified. Most shops here are not, and again no mention, nor can we specifically find it in the contract where it states that "Maintenance" must be done by ASE mechanics.

Furthermore, since we had previously owned the car to buying the warranty, all our "maintenance to that point were done by Terrible Herbst. This warranty was null and void at the time we purchased it because of their Loopholes. They should make sure they disclose to customers that their services must have been done by an ASE mechanic in order for them to get any claims paid under their warranty. Even though we are now stuck with a 2500 repair bill, we have requested to get our money back for this fraudulent Warranty, and they will only give us back 1071 of the 1749 we paid only 9 month ago. They have paid out nothing , and never would have. Buyers better beware. They think they are purchasing PEace of Mind as the company states, only to find out they will be left high and dry.

i bought a car warranty from direct buy warranty. my claim was denied..i am asking for a refund

This is a company that requires customers to pay to join their company. I joined in 2008 and have been paying $99.27 each month up to the total of $2,000. I am now paid up, and I found out that the store (where I joined this club) has closed its doors with no notification to me. Direct Buy uses Beta Finance to collect their money for the dues. I am out $2,000 out of pocket if I cannot find a Direct Buy Club open in Southern California that will take my now totally paid membership. I will sue both Beta Finance and Direct Buy if I cannot get my $2,000 back. And believe me, I will sue.

Purchased Membership on 10/28/2010. Business closed without any notification to its members in February 2011. I attempted to reach someone at the local number once aware of the circumstances. There was no one available for questions/complaints. I then contacted DirectBuy Customer Service Department. They instructed me they had nothing to do with the store closing and I would need to submit my concerns directly to the owner himself. He would be the one responsible for refunding my membership fee. I informed them I felt Brock ** was well aware of the financial situation his company was in when continuing to sell these memberships, and the only explanation for his actions was "Fraud". I informed them I would be contacting the local BBB and Consumer Affairs. It did not appear to have any bearing on them. Evidently, this is a common occurrence with this franchise.

I signed up with Direct Buy, started searching prices but found that I was able to save more through online buying than Direct Buy. I have been trying to cancel the contract that I have not used and they will not let me. I am about to be sent to collections. I have only been with them since October 2010. I have wasted many hours on this, creating cost comparison charts, letters, hours wasted charts, etc. They are not letting me out of the contract. They guarantee value in their contract, yet I am receiving no value. I have several documents I would like to send to you if possible. Let me know. Thank you.

I wish I would have done my homework on DirectBuy before joining their club! Every price that I've been quoted by DB has been easily beaten by a quick Google search. At this point, I am several months behind in my payments and am seriously considering not paying them.

They pressure sales to join. It will cost me a little over $6,000 for 3 years. They promised that no one can beat their prices. So one of the first things we looked at online at Direct Buy was a set of pans by Rachel Ray. After seeing their price, we went to Kohl's and the exact same set was on sale and priced less than Direct Buy. And you do not have to order it, just pay S&H or wait 4 to 6 weeks. We had also seen cabinets at Lowe's for our kitchen. Laura told us that we could get a better deal and save money with Direct Buy. We got two quotes for something that was close to what we wanted and they were both higher. When I complained that Direct Buy wasn't saving me anything I was told in an e-mail by Erik, the co-owner, that the Lowe's cabinets were junk.

We have also priced several other things and Direct Buy was a little cheaper till you had S&H, and then you have to go and pick the item up at their store, a 30-minute drive, plus wait 4 to 6 weeks. Now let me ask you this, for all you people thinking about becoming members, how much do you have to spend to breakeven with the membership fee before you really start to save? $20,000, $30,000, $40,000? Bottom line is that if most people were allowed to go think about it, my guess is that they would not join. I know that that would be my case. If it's too good to be true, then it's not a deal. Direct Buy continues to screw people over and nothing will be done about it. I would like my money back for something I will never use. And by the way, my kitchen cabinets that I got from that junk store look great and cost me $600 less then that deal store, Direct Buy.

This company refused to terminate my membership with them, because it was past the three days I had to cancel my contract. I am a single mother with two college students who can no longer afford my membership. I talked to the manager (Larry) and he told me that it was a binding contract. He said that failure to pay would result in reporting my case to the credit bureau. To this day, I have not made a single item purchase from the company. I am not financially able to make the payments toward my membership nor financially able to make purchases for home furnishing. I feel that I was not given much time to decide if the direct buy membership was right for me. I wish to terminate my membership with DirectBuy.

My friend and I went to a Direct Buy in Albuquerque and were coerced into signing for a membership. After discussing it with my friend, we decided that it wouldn't be such a good idea financially. After the representative overheard us, he said that he had a lady from the "finance" department come talk to us. She said that it would only be $3,000 instead of $5,000. We just need to put down $300, which we did.

They never mentioned the fact that we couldn't buy all the same products as the gold or other statuses. I made it very clear that we were young with little money. I just got transferred here from Guam and we wouldn't need much other than a bed and a couch. He said that it would not be a problem. I pointed out the couch that I wanted and he said that it would be no problem and that I would have to buy it online.

So, I went online. After three weeks of not being able to log in or get a hold of anyone, I finally got a chance to look up the furniture. However, when I went to look at the furniture, I couldn't find the couch or the bed that I wanted. I called and the lady said that I wouldn't be able to find it because I was on silver status, which is not what he told me.

Aside from that, it took us another three weeks to get a hold of Magna, the lady we talked to about cancelling our contract. She said over and over that the contract could be useful to us and we could buy whatever we needed. I assured her after talking to the previous lady that I couldn't buy what I originally wanted. Then, she said that it was non-cancellable and it was nonrefundable. We told her that we weren't paying anything, too, because they told us that we couldn't buy anything when they made me sign under spouse (I'm not a spouse, I'm not married).

So, after most of this were settled, we've been trying to get an attorney. The finance people, "Beta Finance," keep on calling us (Wesley is his name). He talked to me and hung up on me twice after threatening me and talking to me very unprofessionally. I don't deserve to be hung up on and I don't deserve to be yelled at by someone that is supposed to be doing his job, not harassing people. I hope that you can help.

It's a very familiar story I see, after looking at websites, of people like myself that have been damaged by this company. All I would like is to get my good credit back. My wife and I went to one of their presentations. To make a long story short, we didn't want to sign up without looking into the deal some more and do some research. They did not want us to leave without getting a commitment from us. So, we foolishly agreed to give them $300 to what they called holding money for a deal that would not be there after that day. We were told to call them tomorrow and let them know that if we didn't want it, we would be refunded our money.

I called the next day and they said that no one was there to take care of my problem. They said that the only person who could refund my money would be the owner so I took their word for it. I called them back day after day and never could talk to anyone. Finally, we just said that we would just write it off as a stupid mistake on our part and lose our $300. But that wasn't bad enough.

In time, we started getting mails saying that we owe $5,000 to $6,000 to the finance company they sold our note to. I explained to them that they had taken a bad deal with Direct Buy and they actually owe me $300. I refused to make payments on something I didn't want and told them that I had tried to cancel but no one would cancel.

Now, the finance company has turned it over to the credit people, and it has put a bad mark on my credit that I had been working very hard to build back after some bad times earlier. I had just bought a new home and had good credit, then these people came along with the tactics they use killing people like myself. I have checked online and found that I'm one of the thousands that have the same problems with this company.

On November 19, 2010, a friend and I went to Direct Buy. We entered the store and I handed them my membership card. A man sitting on the opposite side of the counter asked me how long I had been a member. I answered him. He then asked if it was worth it. I told him no but if you were remodeling or building a house it may work for you. He said he was building a house. I got my card and went on with my business. The man got up and left. We were looking at flooring when I was approached by an employee. He asked why I didn't like it. I explained the trouble that I have had. He became defensive and said memberships are how they make their money.

He got mad and told me that next time when I come in, I said I would not lie. He left and we went on with our business. He came up to us again and asked to speak to me in private in the back room, I said no. He said he was the owner of the store and that he and two other employees saw me whisper something to the man. I told him that was not true. He then said I was banned from the store and to leave. He looked at my friend and said, "You, too". He made several more comments to us on our way out the door.

I called the corporate office and filed a complaint on November 19 after the incident. I talked with Jackie in Member Relations at extension **** and requested a refund on an order I had and for a prorated refund for the membership since I was banned from the store. The membership was $3,995.00 for 3 years. We had 11 months left on our membership that works out to be $1,220.70. I called the corporate again on November 24 to check the status of my refund and I was told that they would refund the outstanding order and the membership. I received a check on December 7, for $353.79 with a memo membership revoked refund.' I called Jackie again on December 8 about the amount and she told me to contact the storeowner. I explained to her that he was so rude and that I was not comfortable with that since I was verbally attacked by him in the store. She contacted the storeowner, Tom ****, and he called me.

The explanation from Mr. **** was they took our purchase amounts times 20 and subtracted it from the $122,070. He said that was the cost of doing business with me. He was very angry and told me the whole incident in the store was on video and the customer that left came in and signed an affidavit. He also informed me that he was an attorney before he owned this franchise. On December 10, 2010, I contacted the corporate again. I talked to Dillon ****, manager of member relations. He explained to me that is how they do the refunds. It is a privately owned franchise. He can do what he wants. Corporate will do no more for me. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you.

My husband opened this Direct Buy account in July 2005 after a very intense information seminar while stationed in Ft. Riley, Kansas. He thought the fees outweighed the benefits. We used the service once and found the product sub-par, expensive, and inconvenient (because we had to pick the furniture up ourselves). After a year, we decided to cancel the membership because we were retiring and did not want the extra expense. We contacted Direct Buy and we're told we had to continue to pay no matter we are relocating and didn't plan to use them.

We never received further correspondence from them after three months of being passed from one person to another and never got an answer. We found ourselves in dire straights financially and were unable to continue with the payments. Now, it is on our credit and would like to have it removed due to their poor policies, customer relations, and inability to return communications. The company has no accountability and the definitely misrepresent their benefits and products.

I just became a home owner this year and I am a single mother, so I am always looking for a good deal. I was always seeing the DirectBuy commercials and decided to go see what the fuss was all about. I first had to wait about a half an hour before I was even seen. We were placed in a room to see a video. The person who was doing the tour kept on fumbling with her words and kept saying that she was sorry because she is new to the company.

Then, they gave us a tour of the warehouse and I wasn't told the price until the end of the tour. From there we were given to other sales rep who tries to convince you that DirectBuy is the way to go. It took them about two hours to convince me. I picked a bedroom set and they priced it the DirectBuy way. It was way cheaper than the store. Basically, Michael stated that with those savings, the membership will pay itself. So, I was convinced to sign these documents. But they did not inform me that I was signing papers to receive a loan from an outside bank to pay for this 3 year membership. They also regretted to inform me that the shipping and handling for their furniture was double the price. And the furniture doesn't come to your home until 6 weeks from the day you request and pay for the merchandise.

My first day at this establishment, Michael showed me a bedroom set that I absolutely loved. When I returned in two weeks, I asked Michael what book I found that bedroom set at and he had the foggiest idea. He asked the receptionist lady to help me and she looked as if she was in a hurry to get out of there. She came over to one of their books and so called was looking for the bedroom set. Then, she stated to me that she had to leave because her husband was terminally ill. I told her that I didn't ask for her help and that she did not have to tell me her story.

She then left and when I asked to see the manager by the name of Shellie, because he was also there that day that I became a member, they said he also had to leave early because his wife was sick. I was really disturbed that no one had any clue to what I was talking about. And it seemed that no one wanted to help me out. I left and returned the next week because I really needed some furniture.

I went and picked out my choices of furniture and was waiting for someone to assist me. As I waited, I heard the tactics that they used on other people to lure them into getting their membership. They will use the lines, "So you want to throw away your money to these furniture companies. I wouldn't do that." Then, someone came over and when they priced the same furniture we had priced before. Now the price jumped up $400 because of shipping and handling and delivery charges. And the furniture wouldn't reach me until 6 weeks from the date I was there.

I asked if there is any way that I could have it sooner. The man insisted that this was the calculated time. I then started to make a fuss because we had to pay double delivery charges and I wouldn't see my furniture until 6 weeks from then. I then said I can go to a retail store and get the furniture for $100 and get the furniture within two weeks. Then, I asked where were the so called savings that we were saving. He said, "Well at least you will save $100." I started to ask for the head of this cooperation and Shellie came out to speak to me. I started to ask, "How do I get out of this membership? I have only been a member for a month and I am not a satisfied customer and would like to know what I had to do to get out of this membership." He said that I signed the papers and there was no way out of the situation.

I kept on saying that this was not the right program for me. He quickly ushered me out the showroom to another individual. She took my name and number and said someone would get back to me. No one ever did. I kept on calling to speak to a Mirem. Every time I called, she was busy or she left the building or something. I ended up speaking to someone else and I told her the situation. I told her how I was trying to buy a certain piece of furniture but their dates were too far off. And that's why I went out to buy furniture outside from DirectBuy and they would deliver the same bedroom set within two weeks. She then said that I could have gotten the furniture within two weeks. But I guess the guy who was helping me really didn't want to do his job and find out if I could have gotten it sooner.

I told her that I just couldn't afford the payments. I told her that monthly payment can go towards a car. Then she said, "You know you can buy a car with DirectBuy." So, she was still trying to convince me to be a member. Then, she said she would help me out and to fax over the receipts of my purchases and she would get back to me. A few days later, Mirem called me asking how she could assist me. I said I have been assisted and that I called her about a week ago.

She responded that she was really busy and there was a family emergency. It seemed that everyone in that particular showroom had many sick relatives. And they were so unprofessional and not helpful at all. I paid about $450 towards this loan and I just refuse to pay more. When I missed my first payment, they kept on calling my mother's house everyday looking for me. They send me I don't know how many letters. I even called them and explained my situation and that this wasn't the type of person I am. But I was annoyed with the tactics of DirectBuy. She said that there wasn't anything they could do about it. So, I end up being stuck with no aid to fix the situation.

I am appalled by the tactics of DirectBuy and their representatives. If one doesn't know the procedures clearly and there are unsatisfied customers within a month, there should be a 30-day trial basis. And to think when I wanted to go with the 30-day trial, they told me that the so called special offer that they were offering would not have been offered after the trial. So, they are still trying to con you with buying their very expensive membership. I am clearly a really dissatisfied and upset consumer and I don't think they should get away with it.

I called at least 11 times in one day up to 9:30 at night CMT. Obviously, trying to get me in the actual location to set me up for a membership buy leering me in with per se free items. I am still sending emails even though I have opted out.

My husband and I went to your show room in Norristown, PA to check out the key we received from the promotion on HGTV. Of course, our key did not work and when the manager of Direct Buy rubbed of the gold circle, it revealed that we would receive an Austrian Crystal Tennis bracelet. Of course, this did not work either. The clasp would not even go onto the other end of the bracelet. Is this how you run your company, with items that do not work or are broken? We were thinking of joining later but we will have to think hard now on this subject. Thank you for your time and listening.

We are seeking a refund for the contract amount of our DirectBuy membership. We have made several attempts to have our membership complaint resolved. We have gone to the store, called and emailed the owner, service specialists, and Director of Sales at the DirectBuy of Fort Mill, SC store, as well the manager of Public Relations at the corporate headquarters for DirectBuy. We have not received any offer to resolve our complaint. We also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The company refused to meet with us in arbitration, and has used false and misleading sales tactics and information in order to get us to purchase a DirectBuy membership.

When we initially visited the showroom, we completed a project survey to indicate the things that we were considering purchasing in the near future such as kitchen remodeling including counter tops and cabinets, flooring, and carpeting. Our salesperson reviewed our listing with us and informed us that we would definitely benefit in cost savings from being DirectBuy members. Based on that information, we continued with the presentation and were given a comparison of the savings that we could realize. We were also told of an added benefit available only to members, through a coupon program, Online Coupons, that would save us money on groceries, approximately $100 or more a month, as well as savings on travel, shopping, dining and more.

After the presentation we were shown items and products along with their price comparisons. At that time we asked about cabinet and counter top pricing and were told that we couldn't get any cost information at this time, but would need to set up an appointment with the kitchen designer. That was only available to members. At the conclusion of the presentation, our salesperson talked to us again about the benefits of a DirectBuy membership and the coupon advantage. He said that if we did not sign the membership agreement at this time, we would not be able to come back to the store in the future. Since we were still undecided we asked questions about product reliability, availability, assistance with purchases, payment and delivery options, and returns.

As an incentive, our salesperson mentioned that if we signed the membership agreement at that time we would get the membership cost reduced and have the coupon program at no additional cost. Again, because we were still undecided, he mentioned that if we were not happy with the program we could change our minds. With this being said and reaffirmed by our salesperson, we felt comfortable to try the DirectBuy program and signed the agreement. After we signed the agreement, we were given the Benefits Guide to review later, along with the coupon membership card. Also, upon reviewing the information that was initially sent to us, we were not given a free trial membership as stated in our invitation paperwork nor were we reminded of it by anyone at DirectBuy.

As suggested by our salesperson, and within two days of joining, we did request pricing information for the appliances we were interested in. After receiving the DirectBuy prices, it was evident that we would not see any savings on those items. When we called to cancel our membership, the franchise owner would not return our call. When we made a personal visit he refused to listen to us and said that he would not cancel the membership or refund our money. Unfortunately, after more price comparisons we did not see any savings on any of the products that we initially inquired about on our survey, contrary to what we were led to believe, and also based our initial decision on.

As a matter of fact, the DirectBuy prices were more than other estimates we had acquired prior to joining. As for the coupon program, our salesperson never mentioned that there was a fee for participating in the online program. When asked about it, he said he forgot to tell us. DirectBuy of Fort Mill, SC has refused to resolve our complaint. A reputable business would refund a customer's money if the customer were not happy with the performance or product offered. We are not happy with the DirectBuy membership and are seeking a full monetary refund of the contract amount. The economic damage amounts to the membership agreement price of $4,500.

Exactly one year ago in May, I went to the store for the show room. My friend told me that I could get nice prices in furniture for my baby. I was pregnant of my fourth baby and my pregnancy was doing very bad, I spent one week at the hospital with morphine and with pain killers. That day I started some contraction at the store and I was very sensitive because our economy was not good. Mr. *** convinced us to make a deposit of 400 dollars and then pay by parts. I needed the money for my baby so I went back after three days and asked him to return my money.

He gave us a lot of arguments, telling me to wait until the baby is born and that he will give me a gift for my baby and told me to call when I'm at the hospital. I called him thinking maybe he really is going to help me as he said, but he just stole my money without any mercy for my person. I called the Principal Office to get some help and explained my situation, but the guy in-charge didn't accept my complain and never helped me. How is that possible that he did that to a woman who was pregnant and asked him to return the money?

I said I can't be a member now, maybe another time but he said no we can't accept another time but left that money as deposit and up to now I never got my money back. I hate that store and I really want to know if someone can help me because that was a big abuse. I cried in the store the day that I asked him to return my money, I couldn't breathe well because I was very bad with my pregnancy. My husband was quiet and worried and Mr. ** started telling me that he sees me as a daughter and since I have no family in this country he took advantage of that too.

I cried for many days after that and the day when my baby was born because of all the stress I got. I had bell's palsy in the half of my face. I called his wife and said please come to see at the hospital I'm feeling alone but they never came, they lie to get the money. I couldn't buy anything for my baby for that stupid move and with 4 kids, I had to put my baby to sleep in the playground of my other son. It really affected my mental peace, a lot and even more when my husband was telling me it was my I went there. What he did was not right, he abused my trust.

In March 2007, my spouse & I made a DB appointment to hear their pitch. We never saw anyone else come in the front door before the sales pitch started. But once in the sales-pressure room, there were about 7 or 8 couples already seated. Where did they come from? The smarty-pants talker who ran the show & talked during the videos, used a sales method of "how could anyone be so stupid to pass this up. " We were told the membership price was $7,000 and we had to sign today or lose out for life. We hated the whole time spent there.

Then a young woman took charge of us; each couple had a herder also. She gave us a contract, but I already knew this wasn't for us. The only thing on display was part of a mocked-up kitchen and dozens of catalogs. One of the sales guys came over to my "herder" & excitedly asked where some sales form was for his couple to sign. I saw this as a fake ruse to try to get us pulled into the buy-now craziness. My spouse wanted out of there fast; he was feeling ill and needed to have something to eat. They tried to block our exit.

Then my husband loudly stated that he had diabetes and was ill and we had to leave right away. I thought I might have to call the police, but they decided to let us leave. The offer was given that we could come back tomorrow, since my spouse was ill. In the weeks and months afterward, they called us repeatedly to come back in. After thinking about this horrible experience, I'm convinced that the other "couples" were seat-filler employees trained to act gung-ho about joining the club. I have warned everyone I know about these crooks. I can't believe they are still in business.

It is ironic that DB is now offering 30-day trials, perhaps realizing their previous way of getting members was illegal. Buying things by catalog was difficult, because you couldn't determine the real quality of the product. Also, I found the products cheaper at retail stores. It cost us $4,500 and saved about $300 (out of $600) on the things we did buy.

On 10/2, I went to the Direct Buy website to look at what they offered. I decided to put my info online for more information from them. When I told my friend what I was doing, she said I shouldn't do that or I'd never be rid of them. I deleted the info and closed the website.

For some reason, the deleting didn't happen and on 10/3 the phone calls began. After the first 1 from Fred, which I wasn't home to answer, I called back and left word that I didn't want any additional phone calls. From that time to now, I have had 39 additional phone calls. I don't answer and the phone call only lasts 3 rings and they hang up.

I called the main # on 10/9 and left word that I would consider legal action for harassment if the calls didn't stop. That was last week and as of today, there are an additional 12 phone calls. I even went so far as to unplug my phone for a day. All that happened is that Fred double upped on calls the next day. What can I do? Thank you for your help!

I registered for a visit to Direct Buy on October 2, 2010 and received a visitor's pass by mail. Shortly thereafter, a man called and asked what I was looking for at Direct Buy. I told him I was looking for items for my married daughter, to which he exclaimed, "That is just the sort of thing we want to prevent." He was rude and totally offensive. I asked what would have happened if I'd just lied and said the purchases were to be for me. He was again rude and stated that the company didn't permit purchases for anyone else. Immediately following the phone call, I destroyed my visitors pass to Direct Buy and determined never to have anything more to do with such a weird and rude place/people.

This was a very "high pressure sales" tactic. We were told if we did not join today, we would not be allowed back in the store and this was our one and only time we would be allowed to join permanently (this is policy). My husband and I had a short amount of time to view the information due to my husband's job commitment. We were not told that there was not a cancellation policy or that this membership was binding for 3 years. There was no time to read the contract because we were in that much of a rush. We feel completely taken advantage of. Since joining, we have never been back to the store to view pricing nor have we made any purchases. I can't believe this is their business practice. We're disgusted. We were required to put down $490 and pay $162.12 a month because we've financed. Financed sales price is $4,500 and nothing to show for it.

I am a DirectBuy member and a lot of the complaints I see are pathetic at most. There is more than one type of membership, and you don't have to pay for the membership all at once, you can have monthly installments. On top of that, after my first payment, I started using my membership. This membership is worth having because the things I like to buy, the high end products, come at a more affordable price. If there are markups, I can't tell. The only time I have seen a DirectBuy price the same or close to what is in the stores is when said store is doing inventory for the new fiscal year and that is hard to find because the store employees tend to buy up everything before regular shoppers.

I am very happy with DirectBuy and have had no trouble with anything at all! Yes, the sales pitch was cheesy and time-consuming, but there was no pressure to join! In fact, I went to the showroom, saw the sales pitch, and then went back one month later and got my membership! If I am not mistaken, I do believe there are 4 different membership levels, and you have an option to upgrade or at any time.

I have since received six emails from them insisting I call or email. I returned the emails adding to them "cancel, do not contact! Now they keep calling me many times daily and when I do pick up, I tell them I don't want them and to quit calling. This has been going on for two weeks. They don't give up, I have my police whistle ready to respond to their next call.

High pressure sales (you cannot return if you don't sign up now) and promises that they could not fulfill. In three years of expensive membership, I have not found one thing that I could buy cheaper. Some of the exact same thing, others were equal (if not) better quality. We buy a lot of products. For a large percentage of people, their sales pitch is an outright lie and people blunder into the lie. $5300 of hard-earned money upfront with "O" to show for it. We have complained but we're told that we signed a contract.

This is a number to call and enter a $50,000 dollar contest. Since my income was lower than $35,000 they said that I was not eligible to enter. I called back and said that my income was higher, which it is, if I include my husband, and that is when I became eligible. What kind of discrimination is this, anyway?

We kept seeing the ad on TV, "Call this number and we will send you a key. If the key fits the lock at our store, you will win a $50,000 home makeover". We called and they sent us a key, then proceeded to call us nonstop regarding our appointment to come in and try the key. Also, we could win other prizes including a trip. They insisted on speaking to both my husband and I by phone prior to us showing up, which I felt was weird. Also, we were informed that we could not bring any children with us. We have a 28-year old disabled daughter who can not be left alone. I told them either we bring her or we are not coming. The girl on the phone had to get permission from the manager to allow my daughter to come.

So, we went to our appointment and saw several members sitting at tables with calculators trying to figure out prices (I assume) or order items from the catalogs. We were taken to a room where we had to listen to a sales pitch and tape. About 1 1/2 hours worth. We were shown a couple of limited examples of price savings. We were not allowed to look at any of the books. Another salesperson then took us to a separate table and tried to sell us on the 10-year gold membership which is $5,995 that covers the first 2 years and then an additional $198 annually for the next 8 years. We had to sign up and pay that amount right now, that day. When we said we weren't prepared to do that today, he offered us a payment plan, $500 today and $200 per month. Then he said we could buy the silver plan which is $2,000 less, however, the silver plan will not give you access to all of the manufacturers.

Well, what is the sense of that? I told him that the only thing we really need to buy at this point was a new washer and dryer. We just couldn't see paying almost $6,000+ to save a few bucks on a dryer. My husband and I explained our budget is tight right now and that maybe in six months, we could revisit this. He then told us that if we don't join today, we are "banned from joining for the next seven years". What? What a ridiculous rule and it completely turned us off. We quite frankly became completely disinterested after that.

We told him again, we were not able to join that day and just like that, our meeting was done. He took us upfront to try the $50,000 home makeover key in the lock, which of course did not work. We scratched off the gold circle on our invitation for additional prizes and of course, we didn't win. Then they handed us a free 3 days 2 nights vacation voucher just for coming in. However, when you sign up for the trip, you must pay a $29.95 per night deposit when you book and part of that will be refunded when you check in. Well, I'm sorry, it doesn't sound exactly free to me. Free doesn't mean pay a deposit.

Long story short, this was not for us. We were very put off over the high pressure sales tactics and being banned for 7 years if we didn't sign up today. If you have a huge remodeling project to do, then this may be for you. However, all items are delivered directly to their store and you either have to pick them up, have them delivered and either install them yourself or hire someone to do it. After you add all that on, plus the membership fee, will you save any money? Who knows. Also, you can't bring family or friends there and apparently, they don't want kids there either. It was a very strange experience which felt like some awful timeshare sales pitch. For us, we'd have to buy an awful lot of items to justify spending that much on a membership. Forget it.

I called about the 7 day pass and the chance at a $50,000 make over. When asked about my personal information, I was told that my income did not qualify as I am a disabled veteran. I had to make 4 times what I draw Personally I can't wait until that holier than thou attitude puts them out of work as so many real working people have been locked out. Nobody deserves it more. Well, maybe AIG but they still and eventually will get theirs.

The only consequence was another slap in the face what with their false advertising. Nothing like a good all knife in the back from another American business.

I went to Direct Buy on June 27, 2010 for their "Open House." I received information in the mail about Direct Buy. I also received this key along with a hidden scratch that wasn't to be done until I met at their place. The information was informative and the speaker Jeff was very good. The information they shared convinced me that I would join. At the end of his session, I began to ask questions which made it obvious to me that he didn't like the questions I was posing in regard to membership fees and how it is to be paid.

There were four of us all together at this session. A couple and one single woman and me. I happened to be Black. Now other Black people could very easily construed what was done to me as racial profiling. At the end of the session were were taken to one other area and Jeff gave us some more information. He then had another sales person come in and he introduced him to us. Jeff took the couple and the lady all who were white with him and left me with Russ. I was taken back by this! Russ sat me down and I questioned about the membership fees and reassured him that I most likely would join because I could easily see the savings involved. However he insisted that I join today and put the money down today.

I let him know I was an educator and my money for the summer were allotted and I didn't want to use my credit card. I also let him know that I would be at a better place financially to wait until September. He told me I had to do it now and that was it. He then said he was going to speak with the owner to see what could be worked out. I was so miffed by his intimidating me and not listening to me that I got up and walked out. He later came out to the parking lot and I put my window down and simply said, "I am not interested." I found that last part most upsetting, unprofessional and them not being honest with what the brochure had about a one month membership. I know there are others who have felt the same way.

I tried to cancel membership and was told that I can never cancel my membership and have to pay all of the $5,000. I sent DirectBuy a certified letter, but they said that I cannot cancel the contract.

They lied about the prices of their shipping, handling and freight charges. I am a single mother and I cannot afford their prices. This would economically drain me and my family.

Well, I saw an ad for DirectBuy contest, %0,000 home makeover, blah blah. I called the number. I had been curious about the 'club'. Partially through giving my information the question asked about annual income. Together, we bring in around 64,000/year. For our area, not bad. I was told that we didn't make enough money to qualify for their contest deal or DirectBuy club! How much does this club cost?

And for the salesman guy above, he sells to people like that. How would he feel if the people he sold to opened their eyes and saw him for what he is? No more sales I'd say. I believe anyway, people are way too caught up in name brand. This keeps up with the Jones' that do, buy and live the way it makes you happy! I bought a new vehicle 5 years ago. I kick myself everyday. I love it and now I have just one more month to pay for it and it is solely mine. Screw those payments for something that takes me up and down the road! I believe you can get the same furniture and such from a local builder with good construction for the same or less, still no middle man!

I have been a Direct Buy member for over 6 years and it has been nothing but aggravation since I joined. I will not renew my membership even though it only costs a couple of hundred dollars. Their prices are good, but not as good as they would have you believe after adding freight and handling.

They are among the worst customer service organizations I've ever dealt with. I have had problems with almost everything I have purchased. They do not return phone calls. When you do speak with someone, there is an attitude as though you are bothering them. I have complained to managers who have demonstrated the same poor service. No one cares. Promised delivery dates are seldom met and they always blame the manufacturer. Trying to find help in the showroom is even difficult because they are generally too busy talking to each other. They change the pick up location from my local warehouse to a warehouse that's over an hour away and don't seem to care that is not what I signed up for.

Never again. The savings isn't worth the poor service and misleading membership benefits that follows.

My wife and I recently visited Direct Buy at their invitation. We went because friends who are members indicated they had made some excellent purchases while furnishing their new home and believe the savings already exceeded their initial membership costs.

The Direct Buy business model might also be sound for our needs. However, their sales practices prevented us from discovering if this was the case.

'A' told us, among other things, that we would receive a $1000 discount off the membership fee if we became members that very day. He also told us we could, alternatively, choose a 30-day trial period where we could research the club's offerings, and spend up to $1000 with a limited number of suppliers. It was clear from 'A' that this was an either/or choice.

During the group sales presentation by 'B', he stated that during the 30-day trial period we could spend up to $1000 on purchases OR Direct Buy would use that amount to reduce the initial membership fee. I specifically asked 'B' to confirm that I understood him correctly and he deferred answering my question to the one-on-one discussion to follow

What happened next changed everything. I asked 'A' to commit the agreement regarding the 30-day trial period to writing. He told us he would need to get 'B' over to discuss the matter. Of course, 'B' denied saying what both my wife and I heard him say, insisting instead that it was the either/or we were originally told and that he always delivers his sales talk the same way.

For people considering joining Direct Buy the questions and issues are these:
1. if it such a good deal why must you decide on the spot (to receive the membership fee discount) without the opportunity to fully explore if the decision to join is really right for you?
2. until you have surrendered something (your membership fee or the discount) you have no ability to research the club's offerings to see if the suppliers, products and prices will provide value to you.
3 Direct Buy will require you to sign a contract prepared, presumably, by their attorneys and therefore it is written to protect and insure their interests and not yours. However, to be able to properly evaluate the contract provisions requires you to give up the discount on the membership fee. Why should that be the case?

Direct Buy may very well be an excellent way for people to save money on their purchases. I cannot say it is or is not since the sale practices I describe above precluded us getting to the decision point. I can say that if integrity and transparency on the part of the seller are not clearly evident at the beginning of a relationship it is questionable if they will be "found" later on.

I entered Direct Buy skeptical.

I then became more convinced it was something to seriously consider.

Finally, I witnessed the very people who were trying to influence me to say 'yes" providing all the evidence I needed to say "no" and leave.

Small local cabinet company should not be at a international company.DO NOT BUY KITCHEN CABINETS AT DIRECT BUY.

On Sept. 17, 2009, my husband and I went to a meeting regarding joinint DirectBuy. We were told all the money we could save on electircal products, kitchen cabinets, flooring, etc. We had to make up our minds that day, could not go home and think about it. We did not want to miss out on what we thought was great, so we signed up and paid a fee of $5,243. We paid by credit card. We tried to use the service to buy kitchen cabinets - Could not get exactly what we wanted - took weeks to get, so we never placed an order.

We went to a cabinet maker, got what we wanted and had it in one week. Also tried to buy flooring - again was not satisfied with what was offered, did not place order. Purchase real oak flooring for less that the prices quoted for Pergo. Checked on small appliance - steam cleaner. DirectBuy was 2 dollars cheaper, but when I'd finish paying the little costs, it would cost me more. I could purchase the exact same product from JC Penny and have free shipping to my home. I tried to use the service but failed. Many things were not discussed at our general meeting. I sent a letter asking to cancel my membership and have partial refund. They signed for the lettere and I have gotton no answer. The membership agreement is for 3 years - should I not get 2/3 of my money back?

ripped off, in a Shrewd way.

I contacted Direct Buy to enter their 25000.00 sweepstakes.I was told based on my income i was not eligible to enter the sweepstakes. they dont say anything about income on their commercials.

Two things Directbuy has always been. During my first tour, I asked all the questions, priced out items I already priced out to the best of my abilities-then compared. DirectBuy truly saved me money in each quote, so I joined. Its a no brainer-I fork over a bit to become a member- they hand me the cost books to over 1200 brand names. Pretty good deal. Talk about honest-they told me exactly how much money they were making on me (the membership price)- go ask your favorite retailer how much hes making on you on each and every purchase-retailers keep making money on you. Thats ok-right? For me and my family, the choice was easy--Im not going to give my money away for years on end to stores and markups. And directbuy boston south staff are caring more than any retailer or on line store I know.

My complaint is against the people are so smart to think that 1200 manufacturers are so dumb as to put their cost books in a company thats been around for 40 years, and think that retailers arent upset about that...they are. And the consumer-well, your just plain dumb to think after 40 years, DirectBuy doesnt work-it does. You owe it to yourself to go and price out things your going to buy anyways, and see for yourself how truly great Directbuy can be...be open minded....retailers and on line dealers seriously dont sell things so low....you keep giving it away...whens enough enough?

Ok, First of all it sounds like most of you people that are complaining didn't really listen to what was said. I do agree that it is a pushy pitch and that the 5k (which is the most expensive it will be if you sign up immediately) seems high. But when you factor in what you are getting it isn't even close to the savings. My wife and I signed up two days ago 05-19-10. We are 29 and 27 respectively so we have a long life buying things ahead of us. I can understand how some older couples signing up for direct buy may not make sense to them because that don't need to purchase that much. but for business owners, landlords, young people etc. I don't see how you cant afford to do it.

We were allowed to brows through any of their price books I wanted and the manager even stayed 1 and a half hours after they closed to give us time to browse. We are planning on remodeling our kitchen amongst many other things and the savings we saw just looking at the books more than makes up for the 5k membership fee. He answered all our questions and even gave me 24hrs to think about it. I can't wait to start buying things directly. Believe me, buying things retail, even at clearance prices doesn't compare!

My husband wanted to get up and leave but I didn't want to appear rude -wish I had been! I really didn't have any intention in signing up, but we were pressured into it. I wrote a $900.00 check that night and then financed the rest of the membership. My husband was laid off in January and after I had paid 2 months of the monthly fees thinking we might enjoy savings, I listened to my inner voice and decided to stop funding this scam.

Why should I pay them $5,000. for a membership that I haven't nor will I ever use? I just recently received a demanding letter from Beta Finance but I didn't get anything for the $1,300 they have received and would like to get my contract voided. I did contact the Tyler store and was told the person I needed to speak to was busy and they took my number to return my call but that's been over 3 months ago and still haven't heard back from them. My next call today will be to the BBB to find out what they have on this company. We are being turned in as being in default on our contract and have been contacted by Beta finance by telephone and through mail.

I was refused any information concerning cost of merchandise until after a contract was signed. I was just assured that my savings would be at approx. 50% of retail. I signed a contract for the lowest cost membership and made a $1000 charge to my credit card. Apparently, my contract was immediately sold to a finance company.

After gaining access to prices, I noted several items I was interested in and got online and checked prices. All of the prices were available from many other sources and without shipping and handling charges added. Any savings were marginal if any. I am going to try to cancel the contract. My credit card company said the only way I could block any further charges was to block the card against all charges and get a new card. It is going to create many problems but I in effect cancelled the card and applied for another.

Direct Buy, if you have a lot of money to spend, will save you a lot of money in theory. However, if you don't have much to spend and aren't going to be a big spender, the savings is a wash or you are not going to save anything in light of the membership fee. There is also some flaws in the general presentation.

(1) Direct Buy Corporation is the first middleman. They get a cut of the membership fee and the sales from their franchise locations.

(2) Direct Buy in your city is actually a franchise operation using the Direct Buy name. They are at least the second middleman in the process.

(3) The price sheets are customized for the profit margin required by each franchise. There is a minimum negotiated price for Direct Buy Corporation. Direct Buy Corporation marks it up to the amount of cut they want to make from the item. The franchise then marks it up from there regardless of what they said in the presentation. They do not pass all the savings to the consumer.

If you want an additional monthly bill of no less than $100 if you can't afford the membership fee up front, then go for it. Otherwise, I don't see why anyone would want to enter into a contract to go into debt for three years to save money maybe. If you can't afford the full price to get into Direct Buy, then you cannot afford to shop at Direct Buy.

I received a free visitor's pass for DirectBuy, which required for me and husband go together because we are married. We were at the DirectBuy place. For about 2 hours, we watched videos, had free coffee and looked at some of the stuff they have in the warehouse. After that, they told us that there was going to be a free to join. I thought it would be like Sam's club. Yeah, right! It was $4000. But that day, they had a special of $1000 discount. We had just purchased our first home and we did not have that money available. We were told that we would not get a second chance on getting that membership again or enter their warehouse. I was so much pressured to handle that moment. We asked for some time to think about it but they said no; that we will lose our chance.

We did not wanted to lose the opportunity of getting those awesome deals they talked about especially when we had no furniture in our new home. We insisted we needed time to come up with the money and they said they needed 10% down and gave us 3 months to pay the rest. Time came and we did not have the money, they kept our $300 and never received any call from them. We got our furniture with Rooms To Go and Furniture Row. We were pretty happy with the prices. This was an experience I would never forget. I am glad we only lost $300 and not the whole membership. It only took $300 to know that DirectBuy is not worth it. If you look for cheap prices locally or the net, you will find them.

I made the very big mistake of joining DirectBuy. I have not used any of their "services" and they won't give me my money back. I tried to use their "services", but it never happened. It took three phone calls to set up an appointment with their kitchen designer, which we cancelled because we were upset with the whole mess. The designer is part time with DirectBuy so you have to leave messages for him. The only time he called back was when I left him an angry message telling him I was going to cancel our membership. He said he had been sick or out of town, but apparently he wasn't checking his messages.

All the really important information is given to you after you join. You can't return items you purchase, your kids can use your membership only if they are under 18 and live with you. How many kids under 18 and living at home can buy big ticket items? Every time we called, we got the recordings, and you have to leave a message for "customer service". The only extension answered by a real person is the one for prospective members. The ordering is only through a room full of catalogs with all kinds of codes and conditions.

And if your order is wrong, you are stuck with goods. It is a ridiculous system geared to make money for DirectBuy. I have sent emails and sent them a letter on March 22 requesting cancellation and a refund. To date, no one has called or written to us. Apparently, we don't exist to them. I am stuck with a membership I haven't been able to use and will never use. We financed the membership, but haven't made any payments. The finance company calls everyday demanding we pay them. I would love to join a class action lawsuit against DirectBuy.

My wife and I visited Direct Buy after friends recommended we go. Frankly, we were treated very professionally, but we're reluctant to join. It sounded just too good to be true. Instead, we took advantage of a free 30-day membership which they offered. We used that time to compare prices. It turned out their savings and selection were undeniable, so we ended up joining after all. Our biggest complaint since joining is the member website. However, we understand Direct Buy is investing $10 million to upgrade it. We also had an issue with a dining table we ordered, but they took care of the problem.

I am newly widowed and am downsizing my home. I learned that my old home had black mold and was advised to leave as much as possible behind when I moved. I am actually starting from scratch, not even having beds. From their ads and from word of mouth, I believed joining DirectBuy might be a good idea since I had a brand new condo to completely furnish. I got the marketing spell and agreed to join DirectBuy, making 3 payments. The first payment was $2,100, with two more payments of $1,600 each, to be automatically deducted from my debit card!

I was then allowed to look through their catalogs. I chose a bedroom set for myself that I thought met my requirements and taste. Then I started to think about it. I had ordered that bedroom set because it was the only one that was black. It was really ungainly and clumsy. DirectBuy's catalogs carried nothing that was in my style! The one time I asked for "contemporary" furniture, I was directed to a catalog of children's furniture.

I told DirectBuy that I wanted to cancel my order and cancel my membership. After several nasty conversations, they refunded my deposit for the bedroom set. However, they insisted that my membership had to be discussed by a "committee" because they had already done "so much" for me. I was eventually given two choices. I could continue my membership, making the next two payments of $1,600 each, and they would go out of their way to help me. Or, I could cancel my membership, they would not automatically deduct $3,200 from my debit card, but they would not refund my $2,100! This all took place over about 2 to 3 weeks.

I currently am a Direct Buy member. I can tell you this is not a club the average middle income person needs to join. If you shop out on the internet, you can find comparable deals with much less hassle.

We went to a seminar about 3 years ago. At that time, we were adding onto our home. We were told we'd save thousands. We joined. We live about 1.5 hours from our nearest Direct Buy. Even though we can do most of the business by phone, we usually have to drive to the club to pick up our items, or pay an additional shipping charge on top of the shipping, charged to deliver it to the store. We have bought some appliances, flooring and furniture. I think we may have been broke even at this point.

Direct Buy charges an 8% handling fee on many of the items you purchase, I think anything you plug in like an appliance is excluded from that. The sals person trying to get you to buy a membership, acts like 8% is not a lot, but if you price an item on the internet and you are offered free shipping and you aren't paying sales tax, a lot of the time you will pay less for the item than at Direct Buy or the savings is so minimal, it doesn't justify the high price of membership. If you are a high end buyer with a lot to buy, it may be worth your while, but for the average consumer I say beware.

If we have to do it over again, I would not have purchased a membership. Unless you are a high end buyer spending a lot, you will not see a big benefit. I hope this helps someone else, I really wish I would have come here first before we signed up.

I worked for Direct Buy for about 3 months in their call center, that ended yesterday. I was one of the people calling you guys, saying you've been selected as a semi-finalist in our promotion for a $50,000 home make over! They wouldn't allow me to say how many other semi-finalist there were (a lot) and once they get you in the door, they try to sell you a membership one of the cheapest being around the $3500-$4500 mark, I helped make their company thousands of dollars within my short employment there.

I was fired from the Direct Buy of myrtle beach for going to the bathroom. They started a new little rule saying we had to ask permission to go to the bathroom. Imagine that a room full of adults asking permission to go to the bathroom. So I politely stood up in from my little cubby, looked at my manager and said "May I please go to the bathroom?" She said no...No? I cant go to the bathroom? I'm a grown woman and you're telling me no, I am not allowed to go pee? But being that, I really did love my job, I sat back down and tried to hold it...an hour went by. I stood back up tried to get her attention again. She ignored me, another 20 minutes went by and I saw that she allowed another girl I work with to go.

So, I stood up again trying to get her attention only to be ignored. So not being able to hold it any longer, I got up quietly and went to the bathroom, I was gone for less than 3 minutes, and when I was walking back, my manager said for me to wait for her in her office. So I did. Once she got in there, she proceeded to tell me that I did not have permission to go to the bathroom, I apologized and told her I tried to get her attention 3 different times and I really could not hold it anymore. "Sorry, it won't happen again," I said, "I truly couldn't hold it." Then, she told me to wait there. She went to get this Lady Meg, one of the 3 owners there. A real jerk if I do say so myself. Meg stormed into the room slamming the door open yelling. "Get your stuff, we're letting you go! " I was really taken off guard and it took me a second to process it. I looked at her and I said, "You're firing me because I went to the bathroom?" She yelled at me saying "Its not up for discussion!" Mind you, I didn't even really know this lady, she'd said maybe two words to me since I'd worked there and she was speaking to me in a very rude and nasty way with no reason to be.

They didn't even make firing me a private matter, they humiliated me in front of the entire call center. Firing me in front of everyone and after I've helped make this company thousands of dollars, it's not up for discussion? You can't give me a reason as to why? I'm already losing my job which has huge effect on my life, no way to pay my rent or bills, I have a 3 year old daughter and firing me is affecting my whole family in a negative way and you're going to tell me it's not up for discussion and completely humiliate me in front of everyone? She followed me to my desk while I got my stuff and I asked again. "You're firing me because I went to the bathroom" I got in response, "It's not up for discussion. Do you want me to call security?" I'm a 23 year old female that is not intimidating at all, extremely sweet and shy and she's going to call security on me?

My heart was broken. I had tears coming down my face, completely embarrassed. How could they treat me this way? I loved my job. I worked hard for them. Sitting in a tiny cubicle for hours and hours and hours everyday not giving them any problems. She walked me to the door, making it even more humiliating like I was some kind of big threat...talking to me in a very mean way...belittling me.

So I got home. Knowing that Direct Buy has an open door policy. It says it in their employee handbook. I called to try to speak to one of the other owners. Wes...I really wanted to clear this up. I wanted my job. I couldn't make it make sense in my head that I was fired for going to the bathroom. So I called and asked the receptionist to speak to Wes. She said, "Sure hold on." Then guess who answered the phone? Meg...the lady who completely humiliated me. She said, "Hi Lacey, you need to stop calling." (This was the first and only time I called) "This is boarder line harassment," she said. I said...I called to speak to Wes and she said, "You're not going to speak to Wes." I said, "Why not?" and she says, "Because I said you're not." I don't want you to think you have any chance of getting your job back, I've discussed it with Wes and we're all fine with it. You're free to go to work any where else.

I said to her, "Look, I don't even know you. We've said maybe two words to each other since I've worked there and I'm losing my job." So I'd like to speak to someone that actually know and respect, the person who was my boss, Wes and she said, "Well, I'm glad you respect Wes but you're not going to speak to him, I'm going to have to call the cops because this is harassment. So, I hung up the phone. I go to the bathroom one time...take maybe 3 minutes and I get fired for it? and not only fired...fired in front of everyone that I had worked with side by side for months, in a very loud and mean way and I'm not even given an explanation? I'm not even allowed to speak to my boss with their "open door policy."

So if Direct Buy will treat the people who work for them like this, then imagine how they will treat their customers. They lie to you to try to get you in the door. Then try to pressure you into buying a membership and if you don't buy in at that open house if you decline it for the time being then you're not eligible for a membership for 7 years. You're not allowed back into the club. I feel like I've been completely wronged. I wasn't a bad employee. I loved working there. I worked very hard for them. I never stepped out of line. I was always nice and polite to everyone and did my job. When I first started there was a girl I worked with that got mad at me after making fun of the dress I was wearing. She got mad at me for me telling her, "You didn't have to be so public about it. If you had a problem with my dress you could have told me" and she threatened me to beat [me] in the parking lot after work. Called me a [expletive]. Guess what she got? Suspended for a day with pay. I'd never been in trouble there and I get fired for going to the bathroom? This same girl had also came into work drunk one day...completely sloshed...and she didn't get fired but I get fired for going to the bathroom? How could they treat me like this? Stay away from Direct Buy! Especially Direct Buy of myrtle beach.

I've been high pressured to join or never be permitted to join again. I financed the membership for $4000 through Beta Finance. Shopping in showroom was not as promised, goofy hours of operation. They were very unprofessional. I would like a refund for the entire $4000 of wasted money for useless membership. I'm paying $175 per month that I can't afford at this point for something I have never got to use as promised.

I was against signing up with anyone that pressures you with "if you don't sign after the presentation - you don't get another chance." My husband had hopes of refurbishing a house. This was before the almighty crash of the economy. We lost our house, our wages were halved and our credit went to pieces. Little did we know that Direct Buy sells your contract to a finance company called Universal Finance (Universal something anyway), who have the worst people in the world calling us.

We have calls day and night from them. We have told them we can't pay them and to leave us alone or take whatever action it is they are going to take. They called my employer's office, my cell phone, my husband's phone. They are relentless and cannot understand that we are not in a position to continue the contract and why are we now faced with Universal Finance calls. Do what has to be done as you can't get blood out of a stone and we have no money now. The economy has hit us all.

We have experienced emotional setbacks with finances and they are hounding us day and night. I get Indian accents at night and nothing but rude calls during the day. It's relentless to the point I will have to change my cell but then they call my work number and now they are getting angry at the calls I'm getting.

I feel I was duped into joining this club by high pressure tactics and information not disclosed. I was given a what I thought was 30-day pass they send if you joined their club. I was told I only had 3 days to cancel, which was not disclosed to me by the rep. Of course, it was in contract at the bottom of the page. I have only been in 2 weeks and was told more or less, "too bad, you are stuck with our $5000 fee". This company never even asked why I decided to withdraw. Finance company Beta said too bad that the contract is binding. If Direct Buy is truly such a great company as they describe, why would they want to force someone to be a member, who does not want to be?

I have nothing against the company, some people might feel it is good thing. I, however, feel differently. Currently, I am out $490 they will not refund and $162 a month for three years from finance company. Neither company wants to help me out of this predicament. My wife has cancer and no longer works. She had a major operation two years ago to remove pancreas (Whipple procedure) and now has to go to West Clinic for a shot every month for carcinoid tumors that are now showing up on her kidneys.

Between her doctor bills and medicines, I cannot afford to pay $162 a month to something I will never use. My wife is 52 and will never be able to work again. This incident is just making her worried more about our money situation and is very hard for me to believe I was duped into this sham. I plan on calling their corporate office tomorrow although I feel it will not do any good.

I am 23 years old, full time student and work part time with a 4 year old beautiful girl. I have put together some rules you should consider when looking into DirectBuy. If someone would have informed me prior to my looking into this company, it would have made my inquiring experience more enjoyable.

*It is not for everybody! This club is, in fact, very exclusive. If you are not willing to take the time to understand how this club works and whether or not it will work for you then I recommend you do not inquire about it or if you have already, tell the person who calls you that you are not interested.

*If they are calling you every day on an average of three times a day, it is because you have not expressed that you are not interested. Picking up and hanging up the phone does not express your interest. I know, cause I did this to them! All they know is the phone is getting disconnected due to tower connections, or human error.

*When you receive your phone call from them, be ready to schedule! The last time I went in to see about scheduling my cousin for an appointment, they did not have any appointments for two months solid! (Luckily, a Sunday appointment cancelled and so they got him and his wife in and they became members.) If they offer you an appointment time, grab what you can!

*They tell you to check in 15 min before your appointment and plan like an hour and half. Consider this when you make your reservation. And trust me, if you are going to be buying anything you might want to plan on more time to spend there after the tour. I was able to bring some sale ads and printouts for comparisons during the tour. I recommend you do the same. There is literally so much more than the commercials show!

*My Experience: This place did not come at a better time! Although, I was frustrated at first because I thought it was too good to be true and I was so overwhelmed with school and work, not to mention the calls. I have found this place to be my saving grace! The service here is so great! I have been able to order not only the furniture I needed, but also the linens. They have mattresses as well and work out equipment! I just got myself a 62inch flat screen. I priced in online at B.B. and it was almost twice as much! I started scrapbooking and I can get all my materials with DirectBuy. I got some new gear for my car, and even found a diamond pendant I plan on buying my daughter for Christmas! A real diamond that is costing me twice less than in the stores! My cousin is remodeling and he told me that it looks like he'll be spending $12,000 less in his kitchen alone.

I hope this helps and gives you a better Idea of this place. If a single mom in school and only working part-time with no supplemental income can do it, most anyone else can! Just keep in mind, it's not for everyone, but those who want to start saving should at least go down and see for themselves. What I've found is that friends and family's opinions matter, but in the end, it's my pocket book worth saving!

I went to a DirectBuy seminar after a friend of mine recommended it. I'd have to say that if my friend didn't prep me, I too would've walked out because, unfortunately, the video and presentation is cheesy and the presenters have poor attitudes.

However, I'm glad I joined the club. I would recommend only joining and purchasing the "concierge" service because buying without a retailer in the middle is a pain in the ass. The Concierge is a personal shopper and turned out to be a very good friend and resource.

We saved a lot of money and I'm talking "a lot" of money. We're renovating our apartment in Manhattan and saved $14,000 on kitchen cabinets, $3,000 on bath fixtures, $3,000 on appliances, $2,500 on floors, $2,000 on doors and we still haven't bought new furniture yet. The kitchen cabinet savings alone paid for the membership and then some.

I would like to complain about the defective people who are complaining on this website about DirectBuy. The membership is extremely expensive and there is pressure to buy it when you go. But the people who think that they are so smart because they checked their iPhone and saw people complaining about DirectBuy are people who really aren't very smart at all.

No one is complaining about what DirectBuy provides (which is everything you could possibly want for about half the price of what you would pay retail). The people complaining are "think about it" type of people, of which the world is full of. The problem is, there is nothing to think about joining DirectBuy. You either get it, or you don't. And what I mean by "get it" is that either you are not afraid to make good decisions when a good choice (albeit a several thousand dollar choice) is presented to you, or you are a "think about it", not going to do it because I overthink things because "that's not the way I do things". These "think about its" are over their heads.

The membership is expensive and most people will not do something that is most likely beyond their write-a-check-right-now-if-you-are-smart-enough-to-do-it threshhold. DirectBuy is a business. Their research probably shows that your average-beer-drinking moron can't make this decision without a little pressure -- even though the membership is in their best interest. And that if they don't get people to join immediately, that statistics show that most people will not join in the future. If they would, wouldn't they say "think about it?" If they had better luck getting business by doing that, wouldn't they do it? I mean, really, wouldn't they?

I am in sales (not DirectBuy) and I run across these people a lot. Even though you present something that is in your client's best interest, sometimes people won't do it. It's like you are watching them drown and they won't take your hand. In any event, I am a member. I did not receive any high-pressure from the salesman because my salesman at DirectBuy saw that I could make this decision without help. That $5000 check was hard to write. But I will tell you that I have saved well over that since joining. For all of you people who are too smart to be taken your own inability to make decisions because you feel "pressured", are putting you in the category of those suckers who didn't join...because you're so smart.

If you want to experience one of the most painful, hard sales pitches in the universe, then accept an invitation to an open house at a Direct Buy showroom. If you have ever suffered through a lengthy sales pitch for a time share or remember your absolutely worst experience in a car dealership, then you have a hint of how awful the Direct Buy sales pitch is. From reading many comments from people all over the US who have also been suckered into a Direct Buy showroom, there is a highly structured sales pitch given everywhere.

The process consists of three time-wasting stages: first spend time with small talk with a smiling sales person, then get herded into a room with other couples attending the open house to hear a much more detailed sales presentation, including several videos and lots of clever question and answer sessions with the audience. Following that you are taken back for another private conversation with the first sales person who is clearly the closer; that is when you really get the high pressure treatment designed to get you to sign up that day and pluck down about $7,000 for a ten year membership (though the price seems to vary with location). If you don't sign up that day, you are told that it will cost another $1,000 at a later time.

With the original invitation to the open house, you are told that you will get a 30-day free membership. But that membership is very limited. What really angered me was that there was no piece of literature that we were given to look at with details about membership rights and costs that we could take with us. Talk about a high pressure sales pitch!

The whole logic of Direct Buy is that you will be able to pay wholesale prices from manufacturers and avoid all the markups of retailers. But you would have to spend a small fortune to justify the huge membership fee. Plus, there are several charges added to the base manufacturers price that cut down on the savings you might obtain. Further, the whole premise is basically that you are a stupid shopper and cannot really tell whether you are getting a genuinely low price for stuff on sale at ordinary retailers. And hardly anything that you might buy can be seen at the Direct Buy location, because virtually everything that is purchased requires considerable work looking though catalogs.

If the Direct Buy sales pitch really told the whole truthful story, then logic says there would be many millions of people who bought everything there rather than through ordinary retail channels, including the Internet. In fact, if Direct Buy was such a great buy, then the whole huge world of retail would have screamed to their wholesalers to stop selling stuff through Direct Buy. But obviously, there are not millions of Direct Buy members. From reading many complaints about this company on some websites, especially consumeraffairs.com, it becomes clear that my experience has been shared by many others. I wasted two hours of my weekend because I fell for the email marketing notification I received, which now I realize should have been classified as just more spam.

Finally, as I rode home after my wasted time at Direct Buy, I mused about the logical contradiction that was embedded several times in the intense sales pitch. They boast that because you save so much, you will be able to buy higher quality products. But that just tells me that if you behave this way you will end up spending as much money as you would have spent as a nonmember shopping at ordinary retailers, especially when you factor in the thousands of dollars for membership, and not lifetime membership at that!

My advice: If you get an invitation to attend an open house at a Direct Buy outlet, toss it. Don't waste your valuable time. And certainly don't bet that you will definitely save enough money to justify the high upfront cost of membership.

We were contacted several times by Direct Buy to come in for a free tour. We also got an invitation in the mail alleging free gifts and specifically a free three day, two night accommodations paid vacation (value $175). We scheduled the tour for Saturday 2/6/10. We attended a presentation that lasted maybe 40 minutes with several other couples. We were then shepherded off with a sales person and were presented with a pitch. It boiled down to several payment options but the bottom line was if we did not sign up immediately the cost to join would be increased by $1000.

On the surface, it seemed like a membership would benefit us. We signed documents for a middle gold level membership (Vs. platinum #1 or silver #3) at a cost of $4990 (after the $1000 off) for three years plus $199 per year after that. We had to put down $590, which I put on my debit card, and sign financing papers. We were told we had a right of recession (we could decline the offer within three days, an Illinois law).

We got a couple of very cheap free gifts but nothing was said about the vacation. I asked the salesman and he said he knew nothing about a vacation. I showed him the certificate I received that clearly said a vacation would be awarded to us for attending. He told us there were no vacations awarded to his knowledge and the owner was busy and not available. After getting home and discussing it, my wife and I determined we could not spend enough money on the things we needed before our retirement (in two to three years) to justify the $4900, especially with the financing costs.

Direct Buy was closed on Monday and Tuesday. I called them Wednesday, at noon when they were scheduled to open, and was told the lady who handles the cancellations had left her desk and to leave a message. I left a message regarding the cancellation and asked her to call me. After not getting a call by later in the afternoon, I called again and was told the person who I needed to talk to was not available. I asked to speak to the owner, Dave **. I was told he was not available. I left another message.

I finally decided to get in my car and drive the 28 miles to the Direct Buy location to get the cancellation taken care of. I was concerned they would force me to pay the membership off, claiming that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were my three days. When I arrived, I asked for the woman I had called and left two voicemails. I was told she had not been at work all day. I told the lady who met me at the door what I was there for. She got the owner.

I gave him the signed cancellation document and asked about a credit on my debit card. The $590 had already been deducted from my account so I knew they had processed the transaction. The paperwork stated that they had ten days to return the deposit. He told me, even though the money had cleared my account on Monday, it would take days to get into his account. I knew that was B.S. Today is 2/24/10, 16 days after the money was withdrawn from my bank account and the credit has not been processed yet.

No vacation! They're leveraging my money (the $590 deposit) to improve their cash flow. I am so glad I cancelled the membership. I'm still out my $590, which I'm sure will eventually find its' way back to me and really aggravated about the vacation B.S. I knew the free gifts would be cheap ones.

First of all I would like to thank God for giving me the common sense to go on my iPhone in the middle of Direct Buy's sales pitch and come to the consumeraffairs.com and read all of the comments about Direct Buy. My wife was sold on this Direct Buy and she was the one who set up our appointment.

After their long sales pitch and video, we were told we had to join that night or lose our chance forever. I said if you really want my business and this is such a great deal then why don't you allow me to sleep on it and come back and make my decision. When the salesman told me we couldn't do that and had the option of signing the 30-day free membership, I smelled a scam which prompted me to go on my iPhone and do an internet search right on the spot. Thank God for modern technology!

When I started reading all of these comments and asking the salesman the questions from these experiences he started stumbling on his words. I asked him how come he didn't tell us about the tier system that you have to be in in order to purchase the high dollar items. I asked him about the restrictions, payments etc., that he just couldn't answer. My wife told me I was rude for going on my iPhone in the middle of the salesman's pitch, but when it comes to paying for a lifetime membership and my money in this economy I can care less about his feelings!

Thank you to consumeraffairs.com and thank you to all of you that have submitted your comments with the exception of the one gentleman who states that Direct Buy is the best thing since sliced bread. Knowledge is power! I got to keep my money!

Don't go here. This is one major scam. I have been receiving unsolicited Direct Buy emails forever and recently made the mistake of signing up for their free 30-day offer. A very nice and kind-sounding lady called me to schedule a visit to their showroom. I told her that we did not need to schedule and that my wife and I will come down to browse. She said that is not allowed the first time and we will have to go through an open house visit first. So after getting repeated calls from her over several days, I finally scheduled to visit their showroom. We were met by two slicksters dressed like used car salesmen. Very polite and friendly upfront and then after their presentation, they changed swiftly into prototype used car salesmen.

Initially, you are given a 10-minute presentation and then made to sit through a video for 40 minutes of commercials. We were then herded back to the used car sales reps who asked us about what we heard. We said we liked what we heard about savings, but was not convinced about having to pay the $5500 or $6500 upfront payment membership options. We said we wanted to look around at the catalogs and maybe use our free 30-day option before committing. Big mistake. Firstly, we were told that we cannot browse anything unless we are members and if we do not sign then and there and want to come back, we will lose the $1000 in membership discounts they were offering that day. I told him that was okay. He said he did not want his customers to be foolish and throw away their good money and said that I should instead use their computer for 10 minutes to do my research and then sign.

When I said that is not how we operate and we like to do our due diligence, the whole conversation became very difficult. I said I want them to honor the 30-day free trial which I was specifically told would include the ability to buy through the club for 30 days. He came back with a form and said that the only thing that I would be able to buy would be silver merchandise and that too for a maximum amount of $1000. I was about to ask why they did not pull up such conditions upfront. By then, I knew that this was high pressure sales tactics to get people to commit whether they would find what they are looking for in the catalogs or not.

Lie No.1: You can browse for products in the showroom. Truth is no actual products are ever kept at the showrooms. So you will never be able to first see before you buy.

Lie No.2: Free 30-day membership. Truth is they don't allow you to sign up if you decide not to sign up to join for one of their membership options. Don't fall for this. We wasted 2 hours of our weekend and sat through some awful presentation and presenters.

My husband and I have been receiving emails from a company called "Direct Buy", soliciting us for our business. You may have heard of them through radio & TV advertisements. They claim to cut out the middleman and save you, the buyer, thousands of dollars on home improvement items.

3) Income (something to do with how much you and your spouse gross).

So after making this appointment with Direct Buy (Lake Worth, Florida location), the receptionist at that particular location must have called us six times in a 24 hr period to ask if we found a babysitter for our 10 year old daughter, which is appalling. She is not a baby or a toddler, she is a well behaved young lady. After telling the receptionist for the 5Th time, that we have not found a babysitter and (we don't feel comfortable with others watching our kids to begin with), she said, "Well, we do have a children's room that she can stay in."

So we went there. We signed in and had a seat. The owner comes out to greet us. And the "gist" of this is he opened up the conversation with, "You were advised that no children were allowed. Our receptionist has notes on the conversations she had with you." We were totally taken aback, not sure what to think at this point with very rude & unprofessional behavior. But I did, very nicely, inform him that I did tell the receptionist that we could not find a babysitter and we didn't feel comfortable with leaving our 10 year old daughter in a room by herself. What parent would, right?

By the way, while we are sitting there arguing with the owner, I look over and see another couple with two children; one baby and the other one couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years of age. So I did point this out to the owner and he stated, "is your daughter a club member?" The point is they claim no children are allowed due to "Limited Seating". This was not the case. She could have easily sat in my husband's lap and there were plenty of seats in this showroom.

So after arguing with him for about 5 whole minutes on why our 10 year old daughter couldn't be there, I flat out said, "I'm not sure why we are still wasting time arguing about this." This man, owner of Direct Buy of Lake Worth, Fla. location says to us, "Well it sounds like we aren't for you and you're not for us. Let me show you the way out." We couldn't believe it! Never in all our lives have we ever felt so discriminated upon, or harassed by their receptionist phone calls over our 10 year old daughter being there.

We don't care what kind of savings they could have offered us (if any, they want you to sign some 12 month club membership) but it's totally not worth it when they treat a prospective customer the way they treated us. It was nothing short of horrible and appalling.

For those of you out there that have considered going to "Direct Buy" to save on your next home improvement, Think Again! They are extremely unprofessional and undeserving of anyone's business.

My wife and I went to the DirectBuy outlet in Bothell, Washington a few years ago and listened to their presentation. The two individuals we met with were courteous and the presentation was professionally done. However, things changed when we wouldn't commit to becoming members. We were told that we would only be given one opportunity to join and we had to decide immediately on whether or not to do so because we would never get an opportunity again!

My wife and I are careful about how we spend our money and don't like to be forced into making an irrational decision. So we informed the sales reps that we needed some time to think about joining and didn't want to be forced into joining that night. When they realized that we wouldn't commit to their rather high pressure demands, they became very rude with us and asked why we wasted their time.

Matter of fact, a black male rep angrily escorted us to the door and told us to leave. I have been in construction for 38 years and have dealt with hundreds of companies and I can honestly state that I have never been treated so badly before. We regret going there and we would never consider doing business with DirectBuy, even if they could have saved us money. My recommendation is to inform people about their sales tactics and avoid doing business with them at all costs.

Join Direct Buy in 2007. Till this day, we haven't purchase anything because the prices are the same and on top of that we have to give 7% for tax, 30% for another charge that they have and 15% for something else. At the end, the saving if anything is just a $ of dollars, and we have to pay for shipping or have to go an pick it up is a scam. We where a young couple had no idea that there are companies that take advantage of innocent people. We kick ourselves in the A** for not really searching before going for the one day pass. What a waste of money that is for sure and we will never get the money or buy anything from them.

At the beginning of 2006, my spouse and I purchased a home in PA. We just moved from NY, and the home needed a lot of work. Somehow, we happened to receive an invitation to an open house by DB in Allentown,PA, almost an hour away. I personally smelled a scam after their presentation, and asked too many questions that the sales person directed her attention to my spouse. When she left the table, the owner came up with his friendly smile, and kept talking, so I did ask questions, or tried to read the contract. I was not left alone with my spouse, to be able to talk some sense into him (not that he would have listened if I had the chance, anyway). Do you know you paid higher if you are married, and you have to sign on the spot, who happens to keep the membership, if we divorce at anytime.

Should this not be decided by a judge in court? I also believe there is marital, and ethnic discrimination. If you are single, you pay less than a married couple. Then the orientations are somehow set according to ethnic last names. This I learned from a white, who was also waiting to speak with someone to resolve her issue. Our last name happens to be Spanish, and foreign couples are all we saw at our orientation. Some could not even understand the video, and no one was there to translate, as all the salespeople were native English speakers and white.

We went back to DB, because Beta financing was calling, already demanding their money. I refused to pay, since we have not even receive our cards. It was three weeks already, and after an hour of waiting for the owner to see us that day, the sales person claimed he was busy, and our file could not be located. "You will receive them in the mail", is what they told us. It is 2010, and we are still waiting. Last year, another agency started, calling and demanding the rest of the financed money. By checking my credit report, I noticed Beta financing had already claimed our membership as a loss in 2007. Maybe the IRS should take a closer look at their books. I am fighting to get my down payment back from DB, and be able to clean my credit, which is ** until 2013.

We never even received the cards, as promised, and asked to cancel by registered mail before 30 days of joining in 2006. In their response to the attorney General in PA, DB #472, they claimed they are unable to refund my down payment, due to the fact that the salesperson had already received their commission. It this true? Also, I did not ask to cancel within the 7 days, as it was allegedly allowed by the company. It is ridiculous that this company relies on lies to stay afloat. I lost $750, and my credit was damaged until 2013. I had to seek other places to buy needed merchandise, to fix my home. DB claimed to AG that "we never intended to pay in the first place". Where did they get this information?

I joined with the idea that I will save some money, not necessarily thinking that I will really save a-lot of money. Not only I haven't saved any substantial amount of money but the experience of waisting so much time looking thru catalog after catalog is hideous. I am sorry I made that poor of a judgement, this is total scam and needs to be addressed by federal and local consumer agencies.

I need to change my the Direct Buy showroom from Florida to Pennsylvania-I placed an order which automatically designated the Florida showroom as the receiving location and now I am unable to change it. I may be out $190 if this cannot be resolved.

Since we are building a new home and need a lot of stuff, we thought we would explore Direct Buy. Their TV are very persuasive. So, I went online and requested an appointment. I was contacted immediately and given an appointment--but my spouse MUST accompany me. No problem there. Then I had an e-mail and phone call confirming the appointment date and time. I questioned the sales person, or whatever she was, about membership conditions and other important details. I also wanted to know the cost of this "membership."

For a moment I thought I had called the wrong number and got through to the CIA! Red flags were flying all over the place. I just told the sales person I consider this outfit a scam and to take us off all their contact lists--immediately. I got a song and dance about missing out on great opportunities. Yeah, right!

I cannot believe anyone falls for this high pressure (mass hypnosis?) but obviously there are many trusting souls out there. I didn't fall for their high pressure tactics. Has anyone with a complaint contacted their state Division of Consumer Affairs? I have found the Virginia office to be very responsive and competent. People, there are many avenues through which to take your complaints--do it. This outfit needs to be run out of town.

Direct Buy closed without even informing us. We were members for about six months. We figured that since they closed and they do not expect to reopen we wouldn't continue to make payments. However, that is not the case. We have to continue paying even though we do not have anywhere to shop.

I had the typical experience that I have read others having with a hard sales pitch without much details. The additional thing I found to be totally dishonest was the 30-day free trial membership. After hours of pursuation, I saw potential benefits but was concerned about the membership tiers (silver, gold, platinum) and how manufacturers were assigned to them. I didn't want to sign of for the silver, for example, just to find that I couldn't purchase kitchen cabinets, or from a manufacturer that I like. The man I spoke with (the owner) told me that he couldn't produce a list that showed the manufactuer by tier so I wanted to be able to use my membership to see if I would really be able to buy the things that were interesting to me.

He pressed and pressed me to sign up today but I told him clearly that I would not and wanted the trial membership. He told me that I would only be able to purchase up to $1000 which is reasonable but that I would only be able to buy out of one magazine they publish. He really didn't want to give me the trial membership but when I insisted, he finally told me that I would not be able to look at the pricing books nor would I be able to get help from the sales associates. He went on to say that he didn't want me to spend much time in the show room either since I hadn't paid for a real membership.

They put a lot of emphasis on the secrecy of thier setup so that customers don't take the prices to other retailers and use them to negotiate. The truth is they don't want you to find out how they really operate and how little you would really get for your membership dues. After reading the other complaints on this website, I see I made the right decision by walking away but I wanted to make the specific point that the 30-day free trial membership is absolutely false. They have no intentions of letting potential members "start enjoying access to the direct cost price without the hidden markups like hundreds of thousands of DirectBuy Club members already enjoy". They should really be stopped from advertising something they have no intention of delivering.

I have been a member for over 9 years and have had a great experience with them. Its seems to me that the people here were lied to during the sales process and that is too bad cause it it a great experience. Ove the years I have purchased flooring, forks, knives, plates, bedding, electric razors and a ton more. I have done comparison shopping at kmart, walmart and sears on the items that I have purchased and have saved money on EVERY SINGLE ITEM! I am not sure where you are looking to find prices that are cheaper for the exact same item? For instance at the time when I bought my electric razor (2008) its was running in the stores for about $120-130 at direct buy with the shipping & handling it was $106. Not much of a saving but its still a savings and it was shipped to my house. I simply emailed my order in to my local club. No problems and no fuss.

And put where we wanted it was $2200! Thats $1500 less than the store plus they were going to charge us an additional $150 for delivery!!!

So all in all over the years I have saved literally thousands of dollars. And yes at the current cost of membership it sounds like you have to be purchasing around $20,000 to make up the fees, but do you ever really look at how much you spend on stuff over a 3 year or 10 year membership. I mean when my wife and I joined we were renting and didnt really use the club for major purchases. We did buy smaller things backpacks,etc with great savings. But we knew that when we got into a house we would use it and we have a lot.. The saving on the window treatments are out of site. Over JC Penny and Macy's we saved over $5000 on our window treatments and that is not a joke! Cash is king and I like saving it.

we were asked to come in for a sales pitch and free 30 day membership. when we asked a question to the salesman (Dan) the owner ran up to us, told us he didnt like us and to leave.

We joined directbuy in July based on their claims that we would save up to 50% on major purchases including furniture and electronics. But their claims are false and misleading. Every time we tried to order a product it was either discontinued or their price was higher than we could get it for elsewhere. their claims are fraudulent and their advertising is false, thus we should be able to cancel the contract. the problem is that their contract claims to be non-cancellable. We believe the contract is invalid becuase there is no legal consideration - they dont offer to provide any thing in return for the $5400 we supposedly owe them.

I signed their three year contract in December 2005 and paid $3590.00 with the understanding that I would now be able to purchase items I needed or items I wanted that I could not otherwise afford at substantial savings over retail stores. Not only have I not found any savings in that three year period, I have wasted a great deal of my time familiarizing myself with their catalogs and the products they offer and navigating their difficult web site shopping for savings over local stores. Before my contract expired, I made a last ditch effort to purchase a washer and dryer from them. I asked for their help after I complained that I had been a member for three years and had not purchased a thing because I couldn't find any savings.

The manager helped me and we looked through the catalogs together. He found the same thing I did. The local store was offering me the same washer and dryer at basically the same price once you added the shipping and handling costs AND the local store would deliver free the next day! No waiting 6 weeks and having to pick them up or pay for delivery! The manager then offered me another year at no cost and I accepted because I didn't know what else to do. My free year is close to expiring and I have decided not to sit back and let this happen. I want my money back. Their false advertising has caused me to lose not only a great deal of money, but a great deal of my time and energy. Also, I just got a letter from them looking for buyers for their business so I am afraid that they might close up shop before I am able to resolve this. I believe that they have already changed hands once since I have been a member. Would small claims court be a good and quick option?

Went to open house. Was told I would save between 35-70% off retail on almost anything related to our home or the homes we rehab. I asked for specific examples and I had a list of products to compare prices. Was told I couldn't check prices until my membership came. They said I could put $1000 down until the next day and then I could pay by check for full amount. They wound up charging the full amount to my card and I found out thier prices are not as promised and they charge an 8% charge on the products. They pressured me into signing and now won't give refund. It has been less than 24 hours. I feel ripped off and need a refund.

This outfit deals only with couples of any kind as long as you come in as a couple. So ridiculous and stupid marketing strategy nowadays! Wake up people you are no longer in the middle ages!!! Thera are independent and single people who are smart and responsible to make their own decisions! I will never even think about this outfit again...

I keep getting email from Direct Buy I summitted the buttom for take me off your list three time now. And they keep emailing me. This is harrasement, I even wrote to them and said, I don't want your stuff and leave me alone please. These people are malipulators, and don't care about who they harrass just to get some money.

I purchased $5,200 in flooring from the Coppell, Texas DirectBuy (included cost of flooring, 8% "service charge", 2% "fuel charge", and tax). After receiving directly from teh supplier and having it partcially installed Direct Buy calls last night to say, "Oh we discovered we did not charge you enough (under charged. We charged teh wrong per SF price, need another $1,000 for tile and $800 in fees & taxes." I told them "Oh no you aren't, you have a process where I fill out the order sheet and bring the vendor books to yo for validation.

[They] then revalidate all the pricing information and make final calcualation. Also had a 2nd person in Customer Service dept do another review and validation. So, NO. That was the correct price and if [their] books were wrong, that is just too bad!" They swore that the Accounting dept tripled checked it, but she would get back to them on this. Not 5 minutes later I get a call saying, "Never mind, they were looking at the price for a different tile. No under charge after all." So much for triple checking.

Had I not resisted and said it was OK to charge my account for the additional $1,800 they would have taken the money with nothing further said and made no further investigation. Wonder how many times this has happened before with others who might be less inclined to challenge them? But have to concur with others who have mentioned the undisclosed 8% service charge (or Mark-up in other words) the cost at DirectBuy is no longer that attractive.

I received a call from Direct Buy inviting me and my husband to an open house in Woodbridge, Va. My husband is deployed and I am handicapped and confinded to a wheelchair. My parents are here with me now until my husband returns from Iraq. I was told that I could not have my parents accompany me to the open house, even though I am unable to operate the wheelchair myself. I have contacted the Department of Justice, the Attorney General's office and the ADA. Wee will see if I get a response. I also sent a scathing e mail to Direct Buy.

i was pressured to purchase membership for $5000.00, after becoming a member i tried to purchase some items the cost seems to save me 20% off retail however, they didnt mentioned that there will be an 8% charge plus shipping and handling, the shipping and handling was ridiculous after all said and done i was only saving $10.

This is an update to an earlier post regarding Direct Buy of Richmond. After extensive dilaouge with Direct Buy of Richmond over our dispute they have decided to provide us a full refund of $4,900.

Direct Buy internet ads offer "wholesale bathrooms", "up to 50% off bathroom remodeling", "direct insider pricing" for appliances without the "48.1% avg. retail store mark up". Their television ads feature members who paid $3000 for a bathroom originally quoted at $10,000. During the sales presentation, visitors are shown books with items costing 40- 50% less through Direct Buy.

After seeing the ads and the sales presentation, we purchased a membership on 4/29/09. We were renovating a house we had purchased, and needed bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, cabinets, flooring, lighting, etc. By May 15, after having priced 15 - 20 items with Direct Buy, we had purchased nothing, we realized that savings would be minimal, if at all, and we requested a refund. To date, we have not received a refund. It appears as though many others have come forward with similar experiences. We have spent $4490 for a membership and have received no benefit.

I purched membership and paid $5,000.00 for memberish to Direct Buy. I was informed that their was a Direct Buy in Puerto Rico were I own a town home that needs new cabinests. When I arrived in Puerto Rico in late December 2008 I searched for a Direct Buy store and there was none. When I returned to Florida in late I wrote the Direct Buy Co requesting a refund of my membership paid. I returned their membership care including it in the letter I wrote them but to this day I have never goten a response from them.

I then wrote the Better Business Bureau were they are headquaters and never got a respone either. I am now writing you. I hope you can help me before I place an FBI complaint on this company. Thank you so much for you attention on this matter.

High Pressure Sales Tactics with Lies! They kept calling us to make sure we were coming in to their "open house invite". My Wife and I walked into DirectBuy center to see what they have to offer as they claim to be way below retail and actually manufactures pricing. The envirement felt like a whole scheme of actors playing customers and busy(even after business hrs!).

They totaly controlled the tour without giving us a chance to think or ask questions. We were rushed into a salesman and video presentation where the salesman Chris was showing us at least 6-7 various products on laminated paper from a bulletin and each one showing how even on sale with retaile , DirectBuy will cost at least 45-50% off! Plus 45min into presentation they mention very rapidly that there is 8% handling fee as well. Plus that once we walk out the door we can NEVER become a member!!Membership they tell us is around $6,000! what a great physcological sales technique! We were in a ugly trance the entire time and felt completley flustered and pressured.

After that we sat with Krista who says she owns the franchise and not giving us a chance to think about it. She said if we leave we can never come back. It put us on the spot and we didnt want to lose the chance. She made us sign an agreement and the second we walked out we realized we were completely tricked . We felt hypnotized at their place! $5,874.30 is way out of our budget and they even said if we pay it through time their is about a 20% interest rate on it! crazy ride.

Besides, we checked into many retailers Especially Costco and BJ's to see if its really true that you can save around 50% off, Costco's markup is only about 10% of manufacturers prices! What a con well done by DirectBuy! they put 8% handling fees on top of that plus Krista told me they have their own trucks to deliver to us and she and Chris had no clue of how much for delivery prices! wow! We will continue to save other people from being victimized. INTERESTING to note that the #2 search on the web of DirectBuy is "DirectBuy Scam , I wonder why?

Save your money. Please help me get my Money back.

We were overcharged with shipping. On first purchase the shipping charge was double, subsequent purchases should not have had charges at all. We were assured a refund over a month ago, but it is clear they won't repay.

The representatives that accompany you on your first visit, the person that gives the little seminar and the contract do not convey the same messages. I want to gather as much info on people's experiences with this company so that I can start some kind of activity against them. I'm out $4500.

We recently purchased a membership at Direct Buy or Richmond on May 2nd, 2009 for the amount of $4,900. We have two major disputes about this transaction.

1) During the sales process we were told that that we would be able to do 90% of our shopping on the Direct Buy website. We received our login to the website on Tuesday May 5, 2009 at which time it was apparent that less than 60% of the products were listed on the website and less than 30% of the products had a price listed requiring that we visit the showroom. The evening of the 5th I contacted Bank of America and flagged the membership fee transaction as potentially being disputed. I spoke with the Direct Buy Showroom Supervisor the next day, Sarah Kelley, and she explained, apologized and confirmed that 90% of the shopping cannot be done on the Direct Buy website. Regretfully, this did not rectify being deceived during the sales process for us. The promise of being able to do 90% of our shopping through the Direct Buy website was one of the primary reasons we chose to purchase a membership.

2) During the sales process we were led to believe that we would receive lower than retail prices on every item sold by Direct Buy. During the sales process we were told that the pricing in the member catalogs would be the price that we pay. During a visit to the showroom we compared two items from different categories as a litmus test and found that the member pricing was higher than standard retailers. When we raised this concern with Sarah Kelley she told us that they have to look up actual pricing on a tool that only Direct Buy staff has access to; a far cry from the what-you-see-is-what-you-get sales pitch promise.

These two examples are the concrete examples that we encountered. There are also several inferences and exceptional examples of savings that are implied to be the norm. The Direct Buy sales model forces customers to purchase their membership before being able to preview the actual savings of the membership. Overall the Direct Buy staff established significantly inflated expectations and deceived us as potential customers then when we requested a refund based on these deceptions Direct Buy refused our request for refund. Direct Buy is refusing our refund request based on the fact that the membership agreement form states that the membership dues are non refundable. Our key objection is that the service we received was not as promised at the time we signed this agreement. We met with Sarah Kelley on Friday May 8, 2009. We attended a private new member orientation and this is when we did our comparisons to other retailers and observed the significantly greater number of products available at the showroom as opposed to the website. It was during this meeting that we outright stated we have no confidence in our relationship with Direct Buy and requested a refund. Sarah Kelley stated that this would not be possible.

We have yet to make a single purchase using our membership and have no intention. We have disputed the charge on our credit card with Bank of America and through the help of Bank of America, Visa and the BBB we hope to receive a refund of our membership fees. We also hope that through raising this concern through consumer affairs that Direct Buy adjusts their sales practices to more accurately describe their offering and avoid this situation with other potential customers.

I signed this contract under duress. I was pressured in the sow room to sign a lifetime contract. I was told that if i didn't sign up today that i could not reconsider later. I was told that the sales associate was flown in from Florida to complete our contract. I was tricked joined Direct Buy with the hopes of using advertised warehouses to remodel my home. I made several trips to Manhattan showroom to purchase cabinets to remodel my two kitchens. I was told that someone would contact me to measure my home for the cabinets and carpets.

No one ever called me; I made several more attempts to contact to schedule an appointment with no success. When I called again to ask for the sales associate that was supposed to handle my project, I was told that no one with that name or number worked there. At this point I was at the height of frustration. I have been paying Direct Buy and have gotten absolutely NO service from [them]. It seemed like once they heard I was from the south Bronx that they werent interested in coming to my home. I have gotten no service for the money that i have paid out.

Direct buy threatens garnishments and to ruin my credit.

I ordered thermador appliances through DirectBuy and this was the vendor that DirectBuy purchased the appliances through. When Roadway arrived the appliances were damaged, I took pictures and wrote the issues on the bill of lading. Fosters sent out a repair company to fix the issues but not all of the issues were corrected and now Mitch not employed by Fosters, and the salesman from DirectBuy has also left. I have contacted Thermador but they will not fix the 3 remaining issues because they were damaged in transit, DirectBuy says Fosters should rectify the problem but no one is doing anything. It is now over 6 months later and I still have damaged appliances - the warming drawer does not shut, a foot is missing from the gas range, and my ice machine is not functioning properly because the housing was broken when it arrived.

Direct Buy costs $4500 to join in PA and must join the day you visit the showroom. At that visit you are shown extreme examples of savings. Choices of products offered by the manufacturer are in catalogs and are limited to mostly high end items. (You've seen the commercial where someone saved $7500 on a $15K dining set--Yoh!) When comparing a refrigerator at a local store to the same item on DB website--it was the same price. It is the difference between the MSRP (which is a fictional number to give the appearance of savings) vs. the store price--THEY WERE THE SAME! Sometimes higher at DB.

Then I still had to pay sales tax and shipping to local DB center and pick it up. A lot of things are not sent to your home. On some smaller items you may even have to order a limited amount to get savings. WHAT A RIPOFF! Why did we join? We were planning on building a house and that arrangement fell through. YOU CANNOT CANCEL the membership. You can use DB for 10 years and then it must be renewed.

Paid $4500 3 years ago and have saved $250 total on flooring--that's it!

In March 2008 my husband and I became members of DirectBuy with the anticipation that they would be able to fulfill the services they offered. Although not guaranteed, they claim to offer members elite buying power over the average consumer. We are now regretful that we invested so much money becoming members and their services have failed us thus far. We ordered two bedroom sets for our boys and we were told days later that the order could not be fulfilled because the manufacturing did not have the products in stock.

However, I searched online for the manufacturer and to my surprise was able to order the product without shipping/freight cost and they offered white glove service which freed us from picking up and setting up the furniture ourselves. After this experience we were very displeased with DirectBuy's false claim of esteemed buying power. I vaguely remember a law protecting consumers from false claims such as this; businesses that sale services with false representation- consumers disillusioned by the claims of businesses. I would like to be advised of any laws that would allow us to receive at a very minimum, a portion of our membership fees back.

We invested over $6,000 with no return value on membership privileges

The following day I was laid off and not only did they not want to see me...I showed up 3 times and called 6-7. Finally one of the owners Michael told me too bad I was laid off that I would have to keep this contract. He said maybe I could work out a payment plan. I told him I contacted the business the very next day and it didn't matter. They have sly practices and I checked with the Better Business Bureau and they have an unsatisfactory rating and same complaints as mine.

I am not able to make 4 payments in 4 months to be a member of Direct Buy. I am laid off and do not wish to be involved. I want out of this mess. Their selling practices are twisted.

This complaint is about the violation of basic consumer right at DirectBuy. I and my wife saw an advertisement inviting us to visit the showroom at DirectBuy. When we got there, we were treated like prisoners. The basic right of a consumer to walk around a showroom to examine merchandized was denied us. When challenged, the store manager resorted to brute force in an attempt to kick us out. The incident occurred at the DirectBuy store in Mountain View, California on 12/6/08.

We are in the middle of adding a second story to our house. We saw an advertisement of Direct Buy on TV and decided to visit their showroom to check it out. My wife and I were anxious to find out what products they carry, and how they might look in our empty home. We have five bedrooms to fill, one empty kitchen with no cabinets, no appliances. For all likelihood, we remodel only once in our life, and we dont really mind spending a little more on furniture and appliances.

We filled out an on-line form to get a free pass to visit DirectBuy. A lady called and told us that we cannot bring our minor child along. So we arranged to send him to a babysitter.
My wife and I arrived at the showroom and were greeted by a host and the store manager. Then we were shown to a desk by the host for a short interview and to wait for the start of the infomercial presentation. While our host interviewed us, both I and my wife noticed the hardwood floor display behind him and imagined how it could fit with the design of our living room.

The infomercial was long and boring, and we found out how much the membership would cost. I was almost ready to pay that, if we find the right merchandizes in the showroom. After the infomercial, we were walked to the showroom for more presentation on how low prices were at Direct Buy. Surrounded by interesting furniture displays, my wife started walking around to examine them. She did that also to escape the never ending presentations. She was bluntly told by the store manager that she is not allowed to walk around and that she has to listen to the presentation. We were offended by his action. We are not used to being told what to do and what not to do within what we considered our right. Most consumers would agree that walking around a showroom to examine merchandizes is not an unacceptable behavior.

After the presentation at the showroom, we were told to fill out a survey. I began to feel that we were being herded around like animals. So I told the host and the store manager that we are not going to do that. The manger asked us to leave. We asked if we can visit the showroom to see the merchandizes. He said we cannot because there is confidential pricing information there. I told him that I am only interested in looking at the merchandizes and will not look up the pricing information in the catalogs which are kept in a separate library. He said no and quickly showed us out of the store.

While at the parking lot, I had a second thought. We spent money and time to arrange for a babysitter, drove the distances to get to the store, and set aside time from our busy schedule, why should we leave without fulfilling the objective of seeing the showroom? I have a free visitors pass to Direct Buys showroom. I can challenge the store manager. I asked my wife if she wants to go back to see the showroom. She declined. So I went back in by myself and asked to see the showroom as part of the activities promised by DirectBuys advertisement. He was visibly annoyed by my challenge to his authority as the store manager (I later found that he is also the owner of the store). He called his security team to throw me out. Two heavy fellows and their security manager came. The heavy fellows grabbed my arms and started removing me from the store. Sensing that the managers order was inappropriate, the security manager disobey him and stopped the forced eviction. He started reasoning with me. I gave my reason and he appeared to understand it. Then he said that any store has a right to throw any customer out. He seems to be a more reasonable person than the store manager, who appears to be more concern about exerting his absolute power like a dictator. I also sense that he is so concern about his big ego that he is willing to drag down the corporate image of DirectBuy with it.

I told security manager that he has to call the police to throw me out. I ignored all their order and walked around the showroom. But needless to say, by that point, I was in no mood to examine any merchandize. I did that just to make a point that a customer has the right to walk around a showroom. I dont know if he called the police or not. I am not a lawyer. I dont know what the limit of my right is within their store, and I dont really want to go to court to find that out. So I left after I proved my point.

Most stores treat customers with respect and trust. We can walk around freely in the showroom of almost any store because the store trusts that we would not do anything inappropriate. All DirectBuy needs to do is to inform visitors that it is not appropriate to look at the confidential pricing information during the visit, and almost all of us would have complied. For the few who do not, a case can be made to kick them out. At DirectBuy, my wife and I were treated like thieves even before we have done anything they considered inappropriate. The so called confidential pricing information? is just a poor excuse for a brute business practice. I frankly do not see what benefit DirectBuy could derive out of such a practice. That is why I am dumbfounded by DirectBuys insistence that they had acted properly when I complained about this instance to the corporate headquarters.

I went to a meeting w/Directbuy on November 20, 2008 and sign a membership contract for $5,310.38. I was a little nervious but they start between two of them telling me all the benefits I will get with this membership, but I have to sign at that time. Next day a call to find out how many days of grace I have to cancel the contract because I realize he was a big step and the econome was very bad. I call and leave messages and finally a speak with someone that told me that I have to come to the center to return the paapers I have.

I went to the center and spoke to the person that take care of me that day and told me that he was busy with another group of persons and if I wanted I can way for 1hour and half that he finish and we came talk, but I can't cancel because they don't have cancellation. I told him that I call before and they told me that I just have to come to the Center.

Until the moment I haven't received any information, but received coupon to start making payments, also I got a phone call from they center telling me to come and talk to one of the personel. I would like to know if you can cancel a contract after you sign and for less than 24 hours of sihning.

I tried to cancell with this conpany because i no longer need their services because i am getting divorced and selling the house. i am moving into an apartment, and no longer need this conpany.

I have a lot of expenses because of the divorce and the stress that I am going through at this time of my life.

I would see the ads always saying, save money buy direct. So I called received tickets to the presentation. My husband and I went. We where advised that we would save more money being a member of direct buy because they cut out the middle man. They had sale ads from Nebraska Furniture Mart and other name brand stores. And they kept pressing that if you didnt join before leaving the store you wouldn't get this opportunity again. So we joined.

Needless to say we haven't purchased anything because they lied. every item they have cost more than it would cost me to go to a Nebraska Furniture Mart. They flat out lied and used pressure tactics to get you to buy. They really made it seem like this was the best thing. And of course they just said what needed to be said to close the deal, and thats not fair! when the add on the shipping and or weight charges its more than what it would cost to order from another store and have them deliver and setup. And keep in mind that you have to pick up the items from the Direct buy store (even more money) and set up yourself.

We paid off the entire balance on the financed amount, but we have not been able to see any savings and or benefits for joining this program. it cost us over 5,000 dollas that could have completely furnished our new home and instead im sitting on the floor and wonder why and how they are able to do this to consumers.

My wife and I requested Directbuy to cancel our account. We called Direct Buy and we were told that yes the account could be cancelled, but then we will loss the money we paid. Then somebody else told us (directbuy accounting department) that we could not cancel the account and that we needed to call Beta Finance. We called Beta Finance and we were told to call Direct Buy because they could not cancel the account (we spoke to Kathy). Again we called Direct Buy and got the same answer.

We do not know who is responsible for this matter, but were are not happy with services, we have not use any benefits and we want to cancel the account. We signed a contract on 4/30/08. We knew we had three days to cancel, but we did not receive our account confirmation until May 2, 2008 at 3:57pm. Therefore, we did not have enough time to really see what direct buy was all about.

During the open house we were told that we were going to save money by shopping direct, but when we actually had the opportunity to check the prices and compare we were not going to be able to save any money because their prices were higher than what it was outside on the stores. Then the delivery process was long - it would take up to 16 weeks for merchandise to be delivered to their warehouse and then we have to arrange to pick it up from there. So we would have to pay two delivery charges.

If we do not pay I would be reported to the credit agencies and they could mess up my credit.

Never had anything available. It was always more money or discontinued. Best Buy had cheaper prices off the self their claim of everything being less expensive was untrue. The catalogue were never up to date.

The charge for this was $6,000 of which I paid $2,500.00 and never got anything thru them. I am retired and it is a personal hardship and they will not release me from the contract.

DirectBUy makes the store sound great on their commercials. They entice people in on invitations to visit their showrooms. What they don't tell you is that the escort or salesperson is armed with a number of high-pressure tactics implemented throughout the tour. They follow up with a video of how you much you can save, and then hit you with the cost of the membership. It was $5,000 for the first 2 years and then $200 for each year after that.

I was shocked when I saw the membership price for the first 2 years and asked if I could think about it. The escort/salesman said no I had to make a decision now. I explained that I did not see this written anywhere and that if I had to decide now, then my answer is No. The escort got agitated with me stating that that information was posted and I should have been aware of this before coming in.

THe entire experience left me extremely angry at the escort/ salesman's tactics, high pressure pitch, and his attitude in the end. They offer fresh baked cookies, coffee, and lots of smiles, while in the store. They really lay it on thick. I will not go back due to the rudeness of the salesman and their outright dishonesty in their commercials and sales pitches.