DirectBuy

We signed up when they still had showrooms. A year later the showroom closed and now they're an online shopping club. As a member I was never told about the bankruptcy or that they lost our local delivery warehouse, I was also never told our local club was closing. Having a local warehouse meant local pick-up and no $90 home delivery fee. Here's the run down on DB. They offer the most expensive items at a discount, most of which normal people don't buy. Unless you're buying a club exclusive, don't bother shopping here. Most things you want you can find online cheaper or the same price without paying a yearly or monthly club fee.

They say that you will save up to 30% off, but with all of their fees and delivery fees you save nothing. It's becoming a bit of a scam in some respects. Their Fees will destroy Any savings. It's just not what it used to be and frankly I don't think they'll be around much longer. They seem to be trying to get what they can before they collapse. Join At Your Own Risk.

I have been a customer of DirectBuy for 10 years. My experiences years 1-5 in Rochester and Albany, NY, were stellar. When we moved to SC, we had a costly and horrible experience with kitchen design, cabinets and recommended contractor. Then DirectBuy closed the showroom. My closest showroom is now 4 hours away in Atlanta. We were told not to worry, that concierge services would be available free of charge.

In the last 3 months we have moved and tried diligently to utilize DirectBuy to purchase items. After 2 experiences of doing extensive research and being ready to place an order We were told that they no longer were able to access those manufacturers that remain CURRENTLY LISTED ON THEIR WEBSITE, we tried to use the concierge service, only to be told that is an extra $100 fee. Yesterday, I Requested a quote on a mirror and (with all added fees) was quoted $480. I can buy it locally for $465. They say that their base price was less (which it was), but the TOTAL price was more. Sadly, In my opinion, DB has become a bait and switch rip off.

I joined many years ago for around $2,000. The whole process of finding anything was labor intensive and tiring. At that time, most of the shopping had to be done in their showroom. I was told by the staff on more than one occasion that they were order takers only... Any savings you derive comes from YOUR OWN RESEARCH. The shipping costs are outrageous and they wait until they have a truck full of items coming from a particular company or manufacturer in order to ship your product. Remember - if you purchase something you do not like, you can not return it. They may offer to let you set it on the showroom floor to see if another member wants to buy it. So, not only is the shipping high but it takes a LONG time to get anything.

Between the shipping, the upcharge of 8% on every purchase plus your membership fee, how does anyone save anything? Watch their ad that claims by being a member you can beat retail pricing. Wow... What idiot pays retail with all the online resources. There is no way DirectBuy can hold a candle to comparing products online and paying the price shown. You will have more customer service than DB ever thought of plus you most likely can return an item if you are unhappy. DirectBuy is one of two major financial mistakes of my life. It's a scam.

First of all, right off the bat, if you are thinking of joining DB well, BUYER BEWARE. I recommend you not do so. This is a business on a downward spiral no matter what pitch they give you. It is just striving to be online shopping and you don't save nearly enough to warrant paying to join. Saving enough used to be the case but not now, with showrooms having closed etc. I agree with all of the ONE STAR reviews and have had similar experiences. We've been long time members and even had our children join. SO regret that because shortly after they did so, the showroom closed, what seemed like 'overnight' and while they attempted to keep it secret, it came out that DB had gone into bankruptcy. I feel we got 'conned' since we'd joined the travel portion and it's not at all what we'd been led to believe it would be. And we are not mindless consumers but rather asked good questions and well, simply got duped.

For the over 12 years we've been members, the business model was to NEVER go shopping for things local and then come back for the purchase through DB. The showroom had samples, great customer service, people who knew the products etc. Now, it's just a call center. I've repeatedly questioned how I could look at samples for furniture without going to some local store and 'using them' since there are no sample books. I get a run around that I can ask for fabric and they'll send. Really? The whole sample book. Also, so many of the fine manufacturers that used to be available to DB members aren't anymore. And the travel is A JOKE. A JOKE.

In comparing the EXACT cruise, right down to the EXACT room, the cost and the 'bonuses' with Norwegian were ALL the same. And yet we'd gotten duped to pay 1500$ to upgrade to the travel section because 'supposedly' we could go ANYWHERE we wanted, ANY TIME. Not so. Instead, it's some flunky places with VERY restricted dates. So don't be swayed. I would love to have my entire fee back and don't plan to renew. Businesses like this don't deserve to stay in business and can only do so by getting people to join. Again, anything I've checked into I've found to be within a pittance of the same price from other sources. So it's not worth the thousands you pay to join.

Yes, it was 12 years ago when we did a kitchen, major remodels, bought various properties. But over the years I could find very similar pricing other places. So, don't be swayed that you'd get the best price, product availability and service ever. After all, do you want to pay thousands to join because you want carpet, then shop for said carpet looking at a website and having them send a sample? That's NOT the way to make those decisions. But of course, it isn't right to go to a local retail store, bring their sample book home and then buy through DB. That is the model they encourage although they'd deny that. No sensible consumer should ever purchase major items from a website.

I become a DirectBuy Member on March 18, 2015 at your East Valley Club Scottsdale Arizona. The membership they have offered me is both Travel Club and DirectBuy Club membership together. I have received the statement of understanding for both clubs signed by the sales person and myself and my wife. I have also received a Gift certificate. I can activate it anytime during my membership period.

I have called for travel benefits several times, but they are always saying that Travel benefits not included in my membership. I called to redeem my travel reward certificate and the people I called says it already expired in March 2016. I feel that I have cheated by the East Valley Club and DirectBuy. Kindly explain me by reply email why I am not getting any benefits offered me in writing. Your club associate's repeating the same things for my question like a pre-recorded message. (Now the East Valley Club closed and cheaters disappeared.)

If I could give a zero star rating, I would. Along with all the other one star reviews, the service we have received has declined rapidly over the last couple of years. We have been members for over 10 years. We did save a lot of money during our first home remodel, mostly on cabinets. This time around the hassle of dealing with the online only service has been horrendous. The designer we are required to go through is too busy (Her words) to call us back, her knowledge of the product leaves a lot to be desired, cabinets keep showing up broken and we're still waiting for some parts to show up 3 weeks after the first delivery.

As for DirectBuy customer service, they don't return phone calls and no one there seems to be the person responsible for taking a complaint and finding a resolution. Besides cabinets, everything else we look for at DirectBuy is more expensive than sites like Overstock or Wayfair. The selection has also gone downhill - there are not as many vendors to choose from and the products they do over are limited. They also charge 10-20% on top of the price for handling and fees - Pretty high when you do all the work yourself on the internet now. We will not be renewing our membership anymore - there are no cost savings and the customer service is horrible.

I have been a member for over 10 years and I have seen a rapid decline in the last 3 years. The customer service is abysmal. Navigating through the website is fraught with glitches and incomplete information. 3 years ago I purchase cabinets for my office and the process was seamless - I went to the site, met with a design coordinator, looked at the samples and submitted the order. The cabinets came and they were perfect. Now I am trying to order cabinets for my house and it's not so easy. After 3 weeks and numerous phone calls there has been no follow-up or answers to my requests for pricing or process... There are no stores to visit to inspect the samples. Furthermore, they nickel and dime the consumer for every little service! I don't understand what my annual fee is going towards. After reviewing prices for various items, there is no savings. Don't waste your money joining.

We signed up for a DirectBuy account when we started doing our renovations almost 2 years ago. First off most items we wanted were the same price or cheaper than outside directbuy prices. There was the odd thing that was lower in price. When the store was open here in town going in was a couple hour affair as the way things were organized were by brand, not cupboards, or toliets or tires etc. So you would be going through book after book to get to the specific item in that catalogue. And trust me there were hundreds of catalogues! Then it got even worse. They decided to shut the store down and we do everything over the internet.

Now it wouldn't be so bad if they had every item on the website. But they don't. So they make consumers email the "concierge" and ask questions. 80% of the time they would message back saying they don't sell anything like that. Or if you sent them certain specs they would email you something with specs that were nothing like the ones you asked for! In total in the 2 years we have spent less than $1000.00. Not because we didn't want to buy things. But that having the directbuy account was an overpriced ripoff! Please don't waste your money. All they will do is offer you $150.00 credit for your complaints.

Eight years ago I joined and broke even with the large (don't remember, $5K? membership fee) with the first purchase of window coverings for my new home. They were amazing. I have purchased furniture, fake grass, kitchen supplies etc. and saved thousands. In previous years there was great savings on many other things needed. I am not sure what happened over the years, whether it was DirectBuy that changed or the vendors that did not like their concept, but now I do not even use it. I try, and always find that if I put the model number into the search engine I will find a better price.

DirectBuy has some guarantee % (15-20 or so) if you submit the lower price via screenshot. But honestly, with their wait time for delivery, it is not worth it. I would have to buy thousands of dollars to make up for the few hundred renewal fee each year. Do not buy a new membership. I will be dropping my renewal this year.

I ordered a Riverside Entertainment Center from DirectBuy on August 24th 2016. Estimated ship date for the order was early September 2016. The order was then bumped out to the end of October, and then to the end of November. I called DirectBuy to get an honest ship date and was unable to get the information. They told me they would have a merchandise specialist call me and that never happened. They also failed to provide a reason for the delay. On December the 9th I contacted them again and began calling daily and asking for an update. Finally on December the 21st 2016 they told me the order had been delayed and was not expected to ship until January, with a new delivery date of Jan 19th, 2017. I ask them to cancel my order and was told it would be canceled.

Two days later I received an email telling me the order could not be canceled and had already shipped... but the delivery date was still January 19th, 2017. I called DirectBuy back and ask how it would take a month to ship the product if it was already on the truck? I told them I no longer needed the furniture as I had bought a replacement from a local store two days earlier when they told me it would be canceled. I was told they could do nothing to help and that I could always try to sell it on eBay.

Yesterday was January the 19th and I still do not have my furniture. It has been 6 months and DirectBuy still refuses to cancel my order. They left me a voicemail last night telling me it has been in a warehouse since January the 9th and I needed to call the warehouse to setup the delivery (which I paid extra for them to handle). Direct Buy lied about my order on multiple occasions and failed to provide adequate customer service. I will never purchase from Direct Buy again and will never buy Riverside Furniture again. Both companies are responsible for this situation and neither has done anything to help. Direct Buy is one of the most unprofessional companies I have ever worked with.

I have been a member for over 10 years, but the changes that DirectBuy has made recently have been at the expense of their members. They have closed all of their local showrooms and are now an online shopping club only. In October I placed an order for a Flexsteel sofa and chair. It was supposed to be delivered before Christmas, but I got an email on the delivery date that stated that they have severed their relationship with Flexsteel and were cancelling my order. I argued that I should still be able to receive the furniture that I ordered and paid for 2 months ago, but they refused to do anything but cancel my order and refund my money!! The customer service is AWFUL and even their vendors don't want to do business with them anymore!

Very disappointed with DirectBuy. Do not buy membership. Very expensive. We have bought a bunch of items and have gotten good deals but paying handling fees? My complaint is I needed to get our Levelor blind repaired and contacted Cherise in the mountain view California office. I had to pay 25 dollars. She said that I had to send it back and find a box big enough to send it off. Months and months went by because I could not get one. I went to carpet one and they said they would give me tube for free. I contacted DirectBuy and asked if all still ok etc. The mountain view office was closed and Cherise said call DirectBuy she no longer has anything to do with it. I did and they showed that I paid the money to get them repaired. I packaged the blinds put paperwork the actual email that I had received and asked to send to my address etc.

I have been waiting and received a call from a person that bought our commercial building a year and a half ago and said that Levelor returned the blinds there and threw them over a large rod iron gates. The box was damaged. I called DirectBuy and asked why did this happen. The person spoke with someone there and said this is not DirectBuy's responsibility that I gave the wrong info? What? Why would I give an incorrect address? They asked that can FedEx come and pick up package. First of all the person did not have to call us and tells us what happened. Directbuy said leave it outside gate? It would get stolen. Not the best neighborhood. Well can someone go get it? I now live three hours away one way. Directbuy said they will replace it with a new one and will call me next day. That did not happen.

I called again and he said they need package to examine it? This is at least a 500 shade. After reading all the lies and what they have done to people no wonder they are out of business. Customer service very terrible. I would get a call back maybe two weeks later after calling over and over again. I do not know what to do now. I was called pretty much a liar and asked for the repair shade to be sent to my old address from a year and a half ago. Directbuy deserves everything they are getting.

I joined years ago had a good income and thought I'd do this to save money on filling a home for retirement. What I experienced was, sales, online deals and outright bargains finding myself never using the expensive membership. My wrong. Don't waste your monies unless you're a builder or a volume buyer. It all a gimmick.

We purchased a very expensive membership in Albuquerque after being very impressed with the local club and the supposed customer service. We were somewhat satisfied until the club closed and suddenly the customer service tanked. I would add that in the seminar, we were assured the club was staying for a long time - with their recent remodel effort. False. Fast forward three years. We have been pleased with the small purchases we have made but have yet to recover our membership costs.

We ordered a sectional and a table back in May and early July and they still have not been delivered. We have ordered other items only to be told they are discontinued. I have made numerous phone calls and the corporate office has ignored me. This is beyond unreasonable. I found this to be a very poor decision on my part and we do not have a lot of extra money - we viewed this as an investment. The information provided at the seminar was very misleading and inaccurate. We were not appraised of the annual fee until we were ready to sign the contract. I do not recommend this company to anyone.

Several years ago my husband and I joined DirectBuy for a fee of $5,000.00. I have had nothing but bad experiences since then. I have contacted DirectBuy numerous times and discussed my dissatisfaction with them. I have repeatedly requested a refund. I have only saved money on carpeting and that is it. I had granite counters installed. I used DirectBuy to purchase my granite and have it installed. The people at the granite place treated me like scum once I told them I was a DirectBuy member. They did not give me a discount on my granite or the installation. And I was made to pay in full upfront. I asked why I had to pay in full when the customer before me only had to pay half now and half after installation.

She said because I was a DirectBuy member and that was their policy. I told her that as a member of DirectBuy I was suppose to get special pricing and should be treated like any other customer. She said they were giving me a free kitchen sink with my purchase. They do that with every purchase. After installation of my granite was completed they determined that they had overcharged me $1,300.00. It took me over 3 months to get that money back. This would not have happened if I had been treated like a normal customer and only paid half down and the rest after installation. I would have been better off if I had never mentioned that I was a DirectBuy member.

Then I decided I would try to purchase a hot tub through DirectBuy. I found they offered Hot Springs hot tubs and we have a local dealer. So I wanted to do a wet test before purchasing. I called DirectBuy to ask them how this could be done. They said they would set it up with the local dealer. Well, the dealer said that I could not do a wet test because I was a DirectBuy member. Again I would have been better off if I had never mentioned that I was a DirectBuy member. I do not purchase a hot tub through DirectBuy. I also did not purchase one from the local dealer who treated me differently than a regular customer just because I was a member of DirectBuy. I instead purchased a hot tub from another dealer in another town.

I purchased an Ashley sectional through DirectBuy which did save me some money. I was told I would have the regular 5 year manufacturer warranty. Well, that was a lie. Ashley informed me that they would not honor the manufacturer warranty because I did not purchase the sectional from them. I have had so many bad experiences with the sectional and Ashley says call DirectBuy and DirectBuy says call Ashley's. Well I will never do business with or purchase another Ashley product, from them or through DirectBuy or any other dealer that sells Ashley furniture. So how much money have I saved for my $5,000.00 club fee? Roughly $2,000.00. So, If I had never joined, I would be $3,000.00 ahead and my sectional would still be under warranty. I have tried really hard to at least break even with my DirectBuy membership. But it seems to be an impossible task.

We purchased a VERY EXPENSIVE membership to DirectBuy of Silicon Valley in March 2016 after going to a home show where they had a booth. We toured the club, where they had hundreds (or thousands) of displays of items for remodeling. We are planning a remodel and from what reviews said and examples they gave it would be a good buy, so we fell for it. We just got a letter telling us that the club closed (10 days ago) and that we can continue using online services with samples sent to us via mail. How are we supposed to do a remodel this way?? They also are not returning calls regarding a refund based on their closure. What a waste of money.

So a long time ago my wife and I got a membership with DirectBuy. It cost us around $2,000 to join and $200 a year. The other thing I have purchased there for ourselves was some stuff for my Master Bathroom. I was able to save my mom on some cabinets and my in-laws but other than that NOTHING. I went to Lowe's for a refrigerator for prices and then compared it to DirectBuy. DirectBuy was only $200 cheaper but I would have to wait 2 months to get the product. Well then several years later we were convinced to buy their Vacation Plan for an extra $2,000.00 plus an extra $200 a month, so now we are paying $400.00 a year for Membership.

The Vacation plan does not save you any money. It is cheaper just to call the hotel and book a room. They told us they were better than the RCI Resorts and they are NOT. I read someone else's review and they said they only carry high end and they are right. If you want a $10,000 bedroom set and save $500 and wait between a month to a month and a half then this place is for you. They do not carry any products that normal Middle Class person would want or need. So, please do not waste your money. To finalize this up I have spent around $7,500.00 in Membership Fees in these past years and save maybe a $1,000.00 in 12 years.

I received the postcard from DirectBuy promising a Android tablet and $100 dining card. I bit the hook and stopped in to see what the excitement was about. It looked so good, beautifully appointed showroom with endless opportunities for top of the line appliances and lighting. Four of us were led into a private room to watch the amazing videos about how incredible the deep discounts are for top of the line appliances. As I watched the others in the room, they were mesmerized by the options. Then the sales [expert] guy came back to the room to show us how other stores can't meet the pricing that DirectBuy offers and they are very proud of the fact they have contracts with all of the companies.

Now the fun begins... membership pricing! I sat there amazed. He did point out right away that the reason they charge what they do is so you can get the lowest price on any appliances, sinks and mirrors. $7000 was the top tier membership and that includes deep travel discounts, $1500 was the lowest fee, stripped down of course to the bare bones. It does not include the design and travel. We were then allowed to go and look around, look at prices as well. We were then paired up with a designer who was there to answer any questions that came up while watching the presentation. My intuition was on high alert and walked out with the following, Android Tablet and $100 Dining Card. I was exhausted after the 2 hour visit and was told that I could never come back again if I didn't purchase the membership.Awesome!!!

Note to DirectBuy: Never send me another card and lose my email, please. Note to victims of this scam: They told us that we couldn't share what we saw with the manufacturer for fear of losing their precious contracts. Seeing how all of you have been denied a refund, I would call all of the manufacturers contracted and share with them what you know. Call the competitors and share what you know and let them know how you were treated and share with the competitors what prices were disclosed to you. Maybe they will lose these contracts and begin to refund your money. Maybe. So glad I walked out. Best decision ever.

While my experience with DirectBuy has been a good one, there are things to know before you decide to join. This is NOT a bargain discount center. They carry high quality items at good prices. If you are looking for a great deal on something that is carried in every local appliance or hardware store, you might be disappointed. I can often find those things at clearance, open box and other sales. What they excel in is carrying high quality items at a discounted price.

I do not buy everything from them. I am getting a vent hood for my kitchen elsewhere, and I bought my double ovens elsewhere. I did buy my induction cooktop through them, my cabinets from them, and my countertop through them. The cabinets are a manufacturer that Home Depot also carries, and we saved enough to use the extra savings to get built-ins in the living room. Home Depot quoted me around $21,000 for the cabinets, but we got them for much less than that at DirectBuy. I have gotten quotes from other companies for countertops, and I am getting a better deal through DirectBuy. Flooring is about the same as the box stores for some, but better pricing for the higher end flooring.

What sold us on the membership to start with was the fact that a kitchen designer is on staff and will give you a new kitchen design based on your needs and wants, and that is included in the membership. That feature has given us the ability to get a beautiful, functional kitchen in plywood construction, not pressed wood, and we saved enough to get the pull-outs I wanted. We wanted a new front door, and two different back doors, and were able to get them all through DirectBuy. The front door is ThermaTru, and the back doors (one sliding door off the kitchen to the deck and one off the living room) are Andersen. We priced them elsewhere and found that the Andersen doors were cheaper elsewhere due to a once a year sale. We took that quote to DirectBuy who worked with the vendor to beat that pricing for us. It saved us a few hundred dollars.

Our items are coming in as I write this. The cooktop is ready for delivery, as well as the doors. The cabinets are under construction now, and delivery will be in about 3 weeks. As you can see, unless you have more money than time, it pays to shop around and buy wherever you find the deals. There will be leg work involved to find the best prices, and compare them to DirectBuy. Our DirectBuy's policy is to take anything they sell and work with the vendor to give you a better deal than what you were quoted from an outside source. It works if you do it right. The amount we paid for the membership, which we paid in cash, no financing, has already been recovered in savings. My kitchen design is beautiful and I can't wait to make holiday dinners in it.

Are there things I got elsewhere? Absolutely! Still, I love our local showroom, I enjoy the selection of products there, and like being able to work with the same people time and again. Some downsides are the price of the membership if you are not buying a lot of high quality items, the showroom hours, and the website. Its search engine leaves soo much to be desired. Advise if you are thinking of joining- go in with your eyes open. Ask questions, get pricing, try to pay cash for the membership, not financing, and expect to still have to do some legwork on your own. Each one of these stores is a franchise, and not all of them are alike. My experience here might not be the same as someone's from another area, so check out your own location. If they aren't willing to show you around, answer questions or tell you their policies, don't join. My location so far has been above board with everything.

Just received a letter stating they are closing ALL showrooms. That's why we signed up in the first place! To be able to browse and check out items in PERSON, not having some stranger come into OUR home! I also was put down because we haven't purchased anything in some time. Although they don't care when you're paying your every year renewal! People save your money! Many items can be purchased at Best Buy or hhgregg at lower sale prices! They gave us just a few days notice of this change to all computer purchases or in home service. That doesn't work for us! No refunds tough luck! You're dealing with crooks! DON'T DO it! The customer service person was very snotty and rude to say the least!

I am Canadian and recently purchased a vacation home in Florida. I needed to buy new appliances for the home and was not in a hurry so decided to order them from DirectBuy which ended up being a huge mistake. It took several weeks for the appliances to arrive and after they finally did arrive I learned that they do not offer installation in the Florida area and simply 'DROP' them in your driveway. I use the word DROP because that is exactly what they did. There was so much damage on the units (washer, dryer and dishwasher), that it was ridiculous. Of course I did not see the damage as I simply had a friend receive the delivery and put the items in the garage until I could get someone to install them.

A friend of mine then went down to the house for me a little while later to specifically install the units. He reported the damage to me, took several pictures and I called DirectBuy. The dishwasher leg was so badly broken that the unit could not even be installed. The washer and dryer's were dented on the front and sides like someone had taken a hammer to them. It was principal for me that I had just paid for new units and yet were receiving ones that looked used.

I quickly called them to get the items returned to learned that it is not quite that easy. In fact it is impossible. I was asked for several pictures of the items, which I already had as my friend had sent me several. I thought this would suffice. A couple of days later they contacted me for more pictures, the ones I had sent were not 'good' enough. By this time my friend had already left back for Canada so I had to call someone in the area to go to the house and take more pictures. They still were not sufficient. A few days later I received an email from DirectBuy apologizing and stating that they were looking at the images incorrectly and that they were good enough. I thought it would be fine after that.

Nope. A while later I received yet another email requesting more pictures. I informed DirectBuy that I would be returning to Florida the next week and would take them when I arrived. Before I arrived I got a nasty email from DirectBuy stating that too much time had passed since the receipt of the units and they no longer could help me. I would then have to deal directly with the MFG and was given their phone numbers.

What a scam. I am now stuck with units that look years old. This is not what I paid for and they clearly do not care. I would never buy from them again. I have since cancelled my membership and warn anyone to shop around. You can find the same price, if not better at a local store that would guarantee their products. DirectBuy is nothing but a headache and at the end of the day they do not care about customer service and customer satisfaction. A huge disappointment as I would have ordered many more items from them as I am redoing the house. Not any longer.

We fell for the sales pitch a couple of years ago. "Brand name items at huge discounts. We carry all major brands. Save lots of money. PLUS, here's a $1,000 travel gift card!" First off, the $1,000 travel gift card is only good to pay the difference between "wholesale" and "retail" prices on hotels. And the only hotels included in their program the times that we attempted to use the meager savings, were all 4 star or higher, so if you're traveling on any kind of a budget, forget it. They don't carry computers or laptops, so no savings there. The furniture they carry does not include all major manufacturers (no La-Z-Boy at all). And after paying the delivery and service charges, the savings are minimal.

We had carpet installed through Direct Buy, and we saved a few hundred dollars on the carpet, but that was more than eaten up with labor because you're limited to the companies that they contract with. And the appliances are all high end, so if you're an average, median income family that would be looking at models that you could get at your local big box hardware or appliance store, forget that too. And when you complain, you're told that you should've worked more closely with their representatives to find the right products for you. That they're sorry to hear that you're not satisfied, but you're on the hook for the entire enrollment fee because remember, it's a loan from a finance company. So if you stop payment, it's defaulting on a loan. But when you get notified that your membership is up for renewal, you're under no obligation to renew. So, when they put the pressure on, WALK AWAY!!!

I see a lot of negative reviews, but I have had nothing but positive experiences with my local club in Peoria, AZ. I had a 10-year membership and recouped the membership fee plus more with all of my savings over the 10 years. During that time, I purchased 2 new homes and had a major renovation in one of the homes. The membership was so worth it because I always made big purchases. I now no longer have a need for the membership. If you don't have the need to make big purchases for high-end items, then the membership is not for you.

I joined DirectBuy to get home improvement products cheaper. Here's the deal though, if you are bargain hunter, you know how to shop sales, wait for things to go on sale, check the clearance section of stores and are willing to compromise certain things for a cheaper price. DirectBuy is not meant for that type of shopper. They are meant for the shopper that says, "I want this Rowe Furniture couch, no matter what it costs". If you are THAT shopper, then great....DB may be for you. If you know how to really shop for a deal and expect DB to help with that, forget it. DB is for high-end stuff. I bought a washer that was $400 cheaper than I could get it at Home Depot, but it was top of the line. If you want bottom of the line stuff, or even mid-grade, you are better going to the other retailers. Also, their online shopping sucks and they closed the location near me. So, I need carpet and have no idea how I'm going to figure out how to buy it thru DB to get it cheaper.

I wish my husband and I had read these reviews and relevant information about DirectBuy before we attended their "seminar" in May 2013. My husband saw some DirectBuy ads on tv. Long ago there had been a showroom in Des Moines. We never paid much attention to it. We didn't know anyone who had fallen victim to their sales pitch. We were getting ready to do a huge remodel on our home so decided to attend a seminar in Lenexa, KS, not far from our daughter's home. We were curious about what DirectBuy is and hoping it might save us money in our remodel project.

I can not believe we fell victim to this scam. We are very careful with our money. I have no idea why we handed over $4,000 to join. The gentleman was so smooth. If we walked out the door, the price would go up to $5,000, "you are 'saving' a thousand dollars if you just sign here." We looked around the showroom and saw cabinets, garage door openers, doors, etc. All things we would be purchasing. Posted were all testimonials of how much people were saving with DB. So, we fell victim and signed. We got in our truck, looked at each other, and said, "What the heck did we just do?" And, we didn't have the 3-day reconsider rule as KS does not have that. I can see why DB left Iowa as it enacted that rule. DB doesn't want to be in a state which has that. People would walk out the door and promptly cancel. We would have. I can't believe we were so gullible.

In trying to navigate the DB method of buying things, we discovered most is done through email. We did drive to KS (3 1/2 hour drive) several times to get help with trying to navigate the "system." It became clear, we were pretty much on our own. We purchased a washer and dryer which ended up saving us a couple hundred dollars. (Wow on our way to making $4000 worth it?) When it came to most of the items for our remodel, we purchased locally from big box stores. It was easier as some of the items we would have had to drive to KS, no shipping to home available. We did purchase our cabinets from DB. We did not have to pay extra to deal with the cabinet lady. She proved to be a valuable resource as she knew her stuff. We did save a little by going through DB. We like the cabinets so far -- only been in a couple months.

I ordered a barn/farm sink on Feb. 23, 2016. It did not arrive until the middle of April. I made several calls to DB in KS. I became the person I do not like to be, but I needed to get the sink. The delay in delivery caused over a month's delay in completing my kitchen. I was so frustrated. Supposedly, it was delivered to the moving company in DM, but they said they didn't have it. I wanted to cancel the order and get it somewhere else. Well, that was not a possibility. So, I had to wait for them to order me another one. I ordered my fridge, microwave, dishwasher, and stove through DB. I did save some when comparing to big box stores. But, again, I will never save $4,000.

On the stove and fridge, I paid $20.00 each for "white glove" delivery. That was a joke. The men who delivered the fridge didn't know how to get the doors off the fridge to get it into the house and put it in place per the description of "white glove" delivery. They said we could get our money back. From whom??? The movers did put my stove in place after chipping some of my woodwork. So much for ever using that again. Don't even try that.

Also, on two of the appliances, I was charged $100 and $45 for "club handling" fees. What, $4000 isn't enough? Now, I get a letter, email, and voice message the showroom in KS is closing. You have got to be kidding me. But, DB will have the same quality of service through their "Concierge Shopping." We will see how that works out. I hope nothing goes wrong with our cabinets. I am not sure where I will start if something does happen. I felt fairly secure in knowing the cabinet lady was on speed dial, but she won't be available for me anymore. So, my message is don't buy in to DB. You will never save that much money. I still kick myself for having signed. I could have done so much more with that $4,000.

DirectBuy - would never ever do business with them again. In the Seattle area they had 3 locations when we were members, now they have none, as of Fall 2015. The annual renewal was $199/year. I got a bill for $399 for this year, 2016, a 100% increase after they closed all Seattle area locations. There were a few good deals now most of the items at DirectBuy you can get online or on sale cheaper. Their customer service has always been ok to not very good at all. All they want is the initial purchase sign up fee and you're on your own.

Customer service was significantly lacking. After completing order on 3/11, we were contacted on 3/14 to tell us the bed frame was no longer available but we could change to regular king. After confirming to do so, we were told they would 'try' to make sure the mattress order was updated as well. When attempting to get updates as to where our furniture order was, the website offered no assistance, so we attempted to contact Chelsea who refused to call us back after multiple requests to do so. We finally received an update via email that it should arrive on 4/1. When we received no communication by 4/6, we called only to find out that only half of our order had arrived and that the rest should arrive by the next week. Again, received no proactive communication and had to chase it down ourselves.

Finally got a call on 4/8 that our furniture had arrived but that one of the pieces was damaged. Had to again call Chelsea multiple times without a return call until eventually we spoke with her manager who assured us that our final piece would be delivered as soon as possible. Finally received an email from Chelsea telling us that our piece would arrive by 5/2. This is 8 weeks which is outside of the 4-6 weeks 'max' delivery time and we have received no compensation to date for this horrible experience. However, EVERY single delivery person has been amazing!!! THEY know customer service... DirectBuy does not.

This is three years and the amount on the so-called membership contract has been paid off three months before its expiration. We were told that out of $3811.96 we could only utilize $2862.00 after the entire amount had been paid and the difference of $844.96 or so-called finance charge would be the club fee. At least that is what we're told by DirectBuy agent whose card I still have. True, we bought a pair of shoes online which we paid for out of pocket but the shoes turned out to be of very poor quality. The leather inside had a rough finish and hurt so much.

Now that we want to use the money, they first gave me the runaround and then told me that the entire amount paid to them was a three-year membership fee and that if I wanted to buy anything, I have to pay for it out of pocket. The agent had told us something different and we trusted her; however, we later found a disclaimer that read that any verbal representation not written on the contract would not be honored. I give them credit for being a genius in shortchanging so many people but I wish there could be a way to warn people to beware of this unfortunate snare.

Now I have to tough it up and explain to my wife that I was stupid for once. Check out club membership at Walmart, Sam's and Costco. Each day, each month, every year you see the benefit of the relationship. Not so DirectBuy! They take your money for three years and then turn around to remind you that you were another one of their losers. I wish aggrieved members can band together and find a way to get some of their money back.

Buyer beware. We purchased our membership three years ago in Illinois. We were told that a DirectBuy location was being built in Wisconsin closer to our home. This never happened. I called and spoke to the manager several times pleading to let us out of our membership. We were denied. 3,600.00 including interest I spent on this membership and never once used it. Don't get me wrong, I did attempt to make purchases but the product was either out of stock or the savings weren't as expected. DirectBuy and everything they represent is fraudulent.