DirectBuy Reviews

Over and over they tell you that their prices are unbeatable. Well they are beatable. And you can't leave and do some research, because if you leave, they tell you that you can never join once you walk out the door. I have, in good conscience, tried to reach out to the manager of our location and expressed my complaint. Within a few days of joining, I asked to be let out of the contract because it was clear it was a scam, and he said no. So now I am going to tell everyone I can that this is an absolute scam. I can do a web search for 2 minutes and find what I want for less AND I can get it shipped for less and in MUCH less time! Direct Buy needs to be shut down!

BTW, the salespeople will try to relate to you by sharing their life experiences so you're more inclined to buy the membership from them after you get to know the guy/lady and learn he/she has so many children and wife/husband and this and that... It's all part of a sales tactic and I get it. The more you learn from their personal life, the more likely it will be to buy something from them. Just don't make your decision because you want to help the guy, make the decision to buy the membership because IT IS for you! The tour was great, we saw many items we are on the market for and honestly liked what they can sell to you. My initial skepticism started to banish at this point, I must admit!

Now, considering we just moved in to a new house last year and have an unfinished basement we need to finish next year together with a few other little projects we have going on (including maintenance on a rental property) that we love to save money on, we concluded a DB membership was a good option. BUT, not at this time and NOT for that kind of money! After a strong push from the guy to have us sing on the spot, kind of like a timeshare sales experience I would say, we very courteously told him we were interested, but just NOT right now. Since we don't plan on working on that basement until a year from now given our budget for this year has already been assigned to other house projects like our backyard living area, we do not see the value on having the membership sitting there unused for a whole year.

We only wish we had known about DB a year ago when we first moved into our new house given the fact we had just moved back home from living overseas and had to buy a lot of new things. With all the money we dropped on blinds, furniture, decor, appliances, TV's, and a couple of small renovations we already did, we feel having a DB membership at that time would've saved us a ton of money. Maybe even break even with the membership, who knows?

3) And after you have negotiated down the membership price to what works for you!

Don't let their high pressure sales tactics force you to buy a membership on their terms, let it be on your terms and on your timeline. Remember, you have the power to walk out at any time if there is something you don't like. We walked away without signing anything and even got my $20 back. The vacation package we will try and get following their instructions. We don't know how that will work out. Are we coming back for the membership next year WHEN we are ready and for a price we like (the guy ended up coming down almost $2,000 on the cost of the membership by the time we left)? Absolutely! But only because we will benefit for it at that time in our lives. Why would you buy a minivan when you're single? It just doesn't make sense....

Yes, we felt pretty dumb at that point; we spent a fortune on something and we were not using it. Then we became empty nesters. Suddenly, there was money to remodel the house and money for new furniture and for some appliances and other odds and ends. We bought a 60" TV and saved $800 after tax/shipping. We bought a recliner and saved another $400 after taxes and shipping. Then we found some furniture we liked in a local "expensive" showroom, and yes, we checked online and DB sells the same high end brand, and we saved $1000 (after shipping and tax) on a power recliner and double recliner sofa. We paid $1400 total from DB, they wanted $2400 at the local retail store. We saved $50 on a juicer after taxes and shipping.

So, yes, IMO their sales pitch and the tactics I've heard about suck, but we actually are very happy with our purchases to date. If you don't mind waiting a week or two... I just saved $40 on a cute little space heater with flames; I paid $80 at DB, Amazon wanted $120. We bought an extra-large King-size down comforter for $200 when everyone else wanted $400 (even on Amazon). Everything we have purchased has been top of the line, excellent quality, name brand items. Some things we could not and would not purchase if we bought regular retail but we are saving money now.

All our purchases from DB have saved money over eBay, Amazon, and local stores, including Lowe's and Home Depot. I'm an internet hound and I want a bargain, and believe me, when I find it at a better price, I get it there, but to date, we've been lucking out with DB. I agree, their pictures online aren't very informative, so I search the internet for what I want, and then buy at DB. Shipping? They always give us some ridiculous date 6 weeks out, and within a week or two my purchase is in, except the big things, like furniture. I might wait 3 weeks for that. We are not contractors who can get it cheaper, but really, purchasing flooring for $.99/sq ft when Lowe's/Home Depot wanted $2.49/sq ft for our DR/LR floor?

I think DB works for people who are remodeling and want high-end quality items at a discount, or for those who are buying a lot of new furniture, carpeting, flooring, rugs, etc. If you're just thinking to pick up a sofa, refrigerator and a dishwasher, forget it. I feel bad for those who are having such horrible experiences with them, but thankfully, to date, we have now made out. If that changes, I'll be right back here complaining!

In the time I've been a member, I've purchased indoor and outdoor lighting, ceiling fans, a new Kohler kitchen sink, a Moen rubbed-bronze kitchen faucet and over-range microwave/convection oven, plus a LOT of furniture. On my initial purchase of bedroom furniture alone, I made back $2,000 of the initial DB investment (retail was $4,675, DB cost was $2,600), so I was convinced of the money to be saved. In each and every case, even when I had to pay for delivery from Lancaster to my home, the savings were never less than 35%, many times 45-50% off retail (and all brand names, identical to what I first saw in the stores or on websites), so this will tell you just how much of a markup you pay when you are dealing at a retail location vs. buying from a wholesaler/distributor set-up like this is.

Last year, my annual renewal increased to $150, so a little higher, but I purchased new living room furniture so it was still worthwhile. This year, however, imagine my surprise when - now that I'm outside of the initial 10 years - my membership increased to $399.00. At this point, with the limited purchases I intend to be making, this isn't such a hot deal, and I complained. A lot. To a lot of people. I am getting the usual psychobabble about the new and improved website and the value of being a member, but my savings from last year's living room set was about $400 so breaking even isn't exactly attractive to me. That DB is willing to let an account walk out the door over a 170% increase in yearly membership ($399 is their standard membership rate; I was just getting a break before) is beyond bizarre, since they struggle to sign up people at this huge chunk of change initially and they have their own processing fees on member orders as well.

They seemed offended when I called it greed, but basically that's what it is. If it is not a value to me (and it no longer is), that's the end of my business relationship with them. Do not purchase a membership with DB if you are not going to be doing a lot of home improvements. Don't go into this for the occasional end table or mattress or items like that. If you intend to fully furnish a new home, you need cabinets, flooring, lighting, etc., this makes sense. Otherwise, do not waste your time (and money) because it will not work for you. You have to do your homework.

As we walked into their building we were very skeptical and ready for anything they could dish out.. Surprisingly, after about 75 minutes of videos, testimonials, sales pitches and things I didn't think it was all that bad. Maybe the sales guy could sense that we had absolutely no interest in spending $4,500 for the initial membership but I was expecting a whole lot worse experience.

We did not purchase a membership, never intended to. At the end they gave us a card to fill out that we have to mail to some place in AZ for a free 7" Android tablet. I made sure we followed the instructions to the letter. If you don't read the fine print on the card you may not notice that they require you to send it Certified Mail. Also, for attending we received a $100 restaurant gift card. The sales guy "forgot" to give that to us initially until I mentioned it. Yeah, right. How many potentially new members does he see every week and he forgot the card? Anyway, the website link on the card does work (someone in another review on here said it doesn't). I saw how to redeem the $100 and it seems fairly easy.

Although it supposedly takes 6-8 weeks for the Android tablet to arrive I'd say we did OK. I'd do it again but if you turn down the membership you cannot attend another seminar for 5 more years. I scanned and saved every document they gave us. I will be watching for our tablet. If it hasn't arrived by 10 weeks I will start contacting some people.

We lost our $4,000, since we were able to find lower priced items - same make and models - in most "big box" stores. Spoke with the manager, who made a commitment and gave me his word that if I could find a cheaper product elsewhere, he would refund my membership. I submitted proof that I had found several items cheaper, but he went back on his word and commitment and said no, he would not refund the membership.

After we signed up, we found out that there was no such plan in place; any item order must be paid for in advance and in full. We are trying to find a way to terminate this agreement since this company appears to mislead and misinform consumers. Under no circumstances will we patronize such an establishment. The thing that really saddens me is that we informed management of the situation; they did not seem to care how the membership was established--- just that it happened!!!! There must be something that can be done to protect sincere consumers from underhanded dealings like this.

You will not be able to get out of the membership unless it is in the first three days. You cannot tell if it is good or bad in three days. They do this on purpose so you are stuck. My recommendation is not to get a membership. They over promise and under deliver. You will find it cheaper on Amazon and with faster cheaper delivery. I did not even buy anything and think it is a bust. You live and learn by something like this. I talked to a guy from DB and he basically told me that I lied about getting dumbbells cheaper somewhere else. If this was such a good company then why are there so many bad reviews and the state of NY file a lawsuit against them and their practices. I am in Texas and I wish Texas would do that. I feel like they lied about what they have and what they could do in order for us to get this expensive membership. So much for free airline tickets, we probably won't get those either.

We have asked many times to be released from our contract because we are not in the area of a showroom. We have hired an attorney who is helping us try to find a way out. We stopped paying our monthly payments in the mistaken belief that we could wait to see what happened. We quickly realized our credit was at risk and began payments again. We are very frustrated that this company withheld information regarding the extremely high shipping costs, the fact that you cannot return items, and that the store would be closing. We want to cancel our membership because Direct Buy broke their agreement by closing the showroom and glibly suggesting we pick up any ordered merchandise from Fresno, nearly 200 miles away.

If you read further on here, regarding complaints, you will see none of this appears to be truthful. We had a brief view of the back area where items brought to the store were "viewed" by staff before delivery... I noted then that there was very little purchased stock and only two staff on duty. If the buying power was so vast, why weren't there more customer purchased items in stock ready to be delivered? Also at the time, we were told of an example of delivery charges for an item, and the charges in my opinion were high. I made no comment, just listened. My husband and I were left at our table to discuss our choices while the sales person worked with others.

We got up to look through the catalogs on display (we'd been told in the sales talk this was acceptable) which offered pricing and brands. The sales person immediately left the couple he was with and met us in the catalog room, wanting to know what we were looking for. He appeared very uncomfortable with us trying to look up price comparisons and products available for members. He took over the catalog I was in, stopping me from thumbing through and then guided us back to our seats. (We were considering kitchen appliances, counter tops and a heater for our Jacuzzi. We were wanting to see if the price variance would even begin to outweigh the typical financial cost for the projects we had in mind).

Next, the fee for membership seems to have gone up since Dec of 2013, according to info on here. We were shown a fee of approximately $5,995.00 for Gold with the Platinum elevating to $6,995.00. We of course declined, stipulating we would never make a monetary decision without research and an allotted time to get back with them. We were told the decision must be made then and there, with no opportunity to join later. Amazing. We did not anticipate this type of tactic. We thought they would push for a decision, but not make it an ultimatum. The tablet promised was not a Kindle, but an Android. We'd been told it would be a Kindle... We haven't tried it yet, but have read on here they don't connect well. The restaurant coupons were cut in half of the value stated, but upon our mentioning this, they gave us another voucher. We have no idea if they work. Same with the "droid", we haven't tried to us it yet.

I will follow up with clarity if the Android does work and if the restaurant vouchers are usable. We have noted on here that no one seems to be able to use their restaurant coupons, there are no places available that are in the locale. Also that most have problems with the Android finding a connection. We did not research Direct Buy before attending, as we did not intend to purchase without research and feedback. I will say, ANYTHING that forces you to make a decision right then, without adequate time for research, is always a scam. Pay attention, folks... as you have read on here, by others, this is very high pressure, with added incentives at the end if you aren't purchasing, (they offered a discount to us because of age at the end, and some have been offered military discounts).

It appears that the shipping is where they make up the slack in pricing (again, as stated on here in other complaints)... It's not included on any level, from the manufacturer to the store, and then to your home. Another heads up as to the "cool down" period after you buy... yet again, it appears from other complaints listed, they don't get back to the customers in time for them to cancel their decision. They give them an extensive run-around until the time period has expired. Really, someone needs to go to the news media with this.

I have been pricing remodeling our bathroom. It's going to be costly and yes I could go the "cheap" out of box route on cabinets and cheaper fake looking granite and it'd be lower. But the quality I am getting for the same price I'd pay at Lowe's, Home Depot, Cabinets to Go, etc can't be compared. Once I remodel my bathroom, I will have made back my initial investment and yearly dues (which are minimal compared to what I save). You have to do your research. If you are not planning on doing a major remodel or buying high end furniture maybe this is not for you. Do your research.

Some class action lawsuits are in progress in certain states (A max award of $500 per plaintiff was stated in one that I read); small court claims is another route, with minimal or no cost in some instances (represent self). BBB (and American Arbitration somebody or other) is recommended by DB/in their contract. Or get a lawyer.

Not paying monthly, breaks the contract, I read, but your credit score may be hurt badly with collections, and DB may still levy late fees. Equifax, said it helps with "fraud" but they are referring to fraudulent identification, not businesses who are frauds. But it's worth pursuing in depth, since USAA offers this credit service with Equifax that offers insurance that pays for court costs, lawyers who pursue fraud (ID). Calling them, can get you a "concession", but if you accept, you might not be eligible for more compensation. Give them some bad Press, maybe they will close another store and save some unsuspecting consumers.

Once I had made this over $2000 purchase, they sent me a letter saying that indeed I did have to pay the fee as the purchase was not large enough. Of course, they did not tell me this at the time of the purchase. So far this has not been resolved. I am still trying to get my money back and cancel the order so that I can take the money and buy the intended gift.

When I left, I met a lady who was in our group and she received an android tablet. I asked her how she had gotten it? She responded telling me they sent her a letter in the mail with a confirmation number to confirmed the meeting, and she had to bring the letter in at the time of the meeting. I think there is a little discrimination here. Why would one person get an android tablet and attending the same meeting while the other as me would only receive just a meal ticket? I don't think it's fair that we spent all that time which our time was not well spent and just getting a small value ticket when an android table is much more valuable. Would you be able to do something about it? Their address: 502 Sunport Lane, Orlando, Florida. Ask for **. He was the speaker at the meeting and the agent who talked to my husband and I, he was, well I can't remember. I know he was Spanish descent. He tried to convince us to joined, but we backed out.

I think a person who spends a day and gets to this appointment deserves better. My husband feels the entire thing was a joke. I could have done better things than sitting at a meeting that wasn't getting nowhere which they steal people's money... $4,469 is a lot of many for a club membership. And the renewal dues are $200.00 a shot. Goodness knows how many other people had gotten rip off. Mine was a phone call. I also was asked to put our income down on the application paper for the manufacturers and I had asked for it back since I sign that I wasn't joining... however, they told me that I couldn't have it back. We are on Social Security, and I don't like leaving my business with these people. They told us it was for the Manufacturer's file. Hope someone can do something about this company. Thank you very much.

The purchase price was $3,000.00. I was expecting to pay around $300. I am a skeptic about being pressured to purchase. I still felt we needed to go and come back at a later date. The salesman said that would not be possible. He said we would not be allowed a second chance at becoming a member. This was company policy. I was very much alarmed at this, and I just wanted to get out of the store. My husband thought it was "a no-brainer", so we signed the contract and paid with credit cards. I tried to use Direct Buy online system to purchase items we needed to buy. The online shopping was a joke.

There were very few pictures of the items, just verbal descriptions, etc. The prices were not great (nothing like we were led to believe), plus the shipping was astronomical and brought the price up to normal retail prices; PLUS, it would take about six weeks for the items to be delivered AND we would have to pick up the items at the store, or PAY to have them transported to our home. All in all, Direct Buy is totally deceptive in the advertising and sales tactics it uses to get people to sign a contract. We have tried to recover the money invested to "join" this club, but were never helped in any way by any individual, sales or management, to be satisfied with Direct Buy. We never purchased a single item. All for $3,000.00.

Original Review: Nov. 12, 2013

This complaint concerns DirectBuy Huntsville located at 6515 University Dr. NW, Huntsville, AL 35806.

On October 30, 2013, I received an unsolicited phone call from a DirectBuy telemarketer, even though my cell number is private and I am on the do not call registry. Unfortunately, I fell for their ploy to attend a DirectBuy sales seminar in exchange for a "so-called" all expense paid vacation and other promised prizes including $200.00 in restaurant coupons.

My wife and I went to the DirectBuy sales seminar on Nov 2, along with several other couples. The sales representative delivered an hour-long presentation touting the Direct Buy program that he claimed connected buyers like us, directly with manufacturers. He further claimed that by eliminating the "middle man" that his company saves buyers tens of thousands of dollars on items such as furniture, appliances, construction materials, gifts, and even automobiles. Over and again the presenter emphasized the "direct" buying concept bypassing distributors and retail stores and passing huge savings onto Direct Buy members. At one point a presentation slide even depicted a cartoon showing the buyer skipping the middleman and pocketing huge savings.

Near the end of the presentation, it was revealed that the cost to join was $4,500. And another requirement that was revealed was that we had to join immediately on the spot or we would be blackballed from future membership. One gentleman customer asked why he couldn't go home and do some research on the company before deciding. The membership recruiter belittled the man for asking the question, telling him "who needs to vet a company that just wants to save you money?" He reassured us by telling us that DirectBuy had been in business a long time and that we were lucky to be able to have this opportunity to become members. Only people making over $50K per year are even invited to join he said.

After the presentation, the member recruiter showed us several items of merchandise including a leather jacket, some waterless cookware, photos of furniture, and a gas cooktop. In each case he would then reveal an astonishing low manufacturer price indicating incredible savings over retail price. At each turn he reminded us that we would be buying directly from a manufacturer and picking items up at the DirectBuy warehouse after they arrived from the MANUFACTURER. He indicated that these were just a few of the many items we could order directly from the MANUFACTURER.

Following the presentation my wife and I were assigned to a sales representative who continued to employ high-pressure sales tactics. My gut instinct was to leave the store at this point, but unfortunately I stayed and listened to him state that I would save tens of thousands of dollars on construction materials for a new home I am currently building. He told me that I could buy Hardie brand plank siding, windows, all appliances, flooring, and virtually any building material and save a fortune over what I would pay a contractor or local store. He cited an example of a customer who saved over $50,000! I signed a contract to join DirectBuy after he hooked me with a last minute "military discount" of $1,000 making my membership $3,500. I thought at the time, I had 72 hours to revoke the membership if I found out that they could not save me money on my home building supplies.

An hour after the presentation, I asked to meet with a store product representative to get specific pricing for the items I need for my new home. It became immediately apparent that the items I wanted including Hardie plank siding and a particular gas stove could not be purchased from the manufacturer as they had promised in the membership presentation. Instead they told me that they have "arrangements" with a local building supply company called Norandex for building materials. They also said that my desired appliances must be ordered through a local appliance retailer named Bob Wallace Appliance Company. And finally I discovered that all DirectBuy car purchases were made through local car dealers such as Landers McClarty. I was told that even though these were not the manufacturers that these businesses would give us great prices and "contractor prices".

This was certainly not what had been promised before -- which was factory direct manufacturer pricing. In fact after Direct Buy adds their 8% surcharge on items (plus the charges applied by these retailers, distributors and middle men) the price on any item I might buy exceeds the price I would pay by using my building general contractor or negotiating the purchase price myself. Also it was never revealed in the sales presentation that items purchased through DirectBuy cannot be returned or exchanged.

Exactly one hour after signing the member agreement, I told the product sales representative, that the arrangements with local businesses was contrary to the sales presentation I had just seen. I asked her (**) to terminate my membership. I returned the "vacation coupons" and restaurant coupons on the spot and asked for a refund of my $3,500. Even the vacation coupons were misrepresented in that there were hidden fees built into these also. All of the available representatives at Direct Buy Huntsville refused my request to cancel my membership on November 2. They put me off by telling me that someone from their corporate office would call me on Monday, November 4.

Monday came and went...no call was received. Tuesday November 5, came and I called the store and was put off yet again. Later in the day, the store manager called me and he also refused to refund my membership fees even as I insisted that I wanted to cancel the membership based on false and misleading representations by his personnel. Later on November 5, a Direct Buy customer service representative in Texas called me. He informed me that Alabama had no 72-hour cancellation protection law (even though they do in Texas he informed me). He insisted that I had no option to end my DirectBuy membership. Essentially DirectBuy has me over a barrel and has locked me into a membership that I have not used and do not intend to use.

In reviewing the DirectBuy Membership Agreement, I discovered that there is a paragraph that states "Do not sign this Membership Agreement until you have read the DirectBuy Membership Guide and Benefit Summary." This Guide was not provided to me or my wife until after I had signed the agreement. There are most certainly policies and information in the Membership Guide that I was not privy to at the time the agreement was presented to me sign. This alone should invalidate the agreement.

I joined DirectBuy only after receiving misleading and false information from their member recruiter. Their "factory direct manufacturer pricing" was not available to me and frankly the entire DirectBuy program is nothing more than a well rehearsed scam perpetrated on unwitting consumers. Many others besides me have also come to discover this fact. The Internet is filled with complaints just like mine.

Since Nov 2, I have done some research on this company. There are over 50 Better Business Bureau complaints against Direct Buy in North Alabama alone. Direct Buy Huntsville has a D - (minus) BBB rating and nationally there are a number of class action suits against them. The complaints are often similar to mine and they offer ample evidence that this company employs unethical and in some cases illegal business practices. It is now apparent why they require prospective customers to decide to join on the spot! Direct Buy Huntsville is an unethical business and they deliberately misrepresent the savings they offer consumers. This is in violation of the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act. I have also reported their violation to the Alabama State Attorney General as well as the North Alabama BBB. I am currently waiting on a resolution of this dispute but a warning to other consumers who are contacted by this company is my reason for posting this.

But the most disappointing thing was that in looking at purchasing the appliances (remember, the discount there was to cover our membership fee), we found that the delivery fee for all of the appliance was going to run well over $1000. The appliances had to be delivered to Direct Buy and then re-delivered to our house for about $200 or so each. We bought at Sears who gave us 30% for purchasing them all at one time... and delivery was ... FREE. If we had it to do over again... we would never join it. The staff was not helpful and sometimes downright rude (we tried two locations) - the tracking of orders was the worst - the pricing was not that beneficial after all - delivery times were terrible - samples for all the colors were not available... I could keep going but you get my point.

"Please note that at no time did I or will I tell Mr. ** that I intend to stay a member of DirectBuy Orlando or to use their Club or services. Just the fact that he told you I did proves my point on how deceptive and a liar he is, he can't even tell your people the truth About our conversation. As you can see from the letter I sent to DirectBuy Corporate, The Better Business Bureau, Facebook, Linkedin, and DirectBuy Orlando, I am and will do everything within my rights and power to not Show my DISSATISFACTION with their operational procedures, and Club. Until they CANCEL my membership and financial contract with your company and REFUND the $290.00 we put down as a good faith deposit. Thank you for working with me in this matter. I will keep you informed as to what Mr. ** intends to do."

Our Disconcern with DirectBuy Orlando:

We received an e-mail invitation to visit our local DirectBuy here in Orlando Fl. and as my wife is planning to replace our 49-year-old bedroom furniture, and remodel our guest bath, we thought we might be able to at least save the membership fee and then over the next year or so update some other household furniture and appliances at a decent savings. So we went to listen to their pitch and were told the initial membership was $4990.00 for 3 years and then $200.00 per year for the next 7 years. When we returned a few days later for the orientation, it suddenly became 2 years and Mr. Mario ** the "Manager" didn't know anything about it. That's when we should have left, But Mr. Dan **, the "Owner", came over and said, "Oh that's something I am doing on my own, just come back after the end of the 2nd year and we will automatically renew it for free for the 3rd year." We did get the extension in writing so-

We joined DirectBuy on 9/11/2013, gave them a $2.90 deposit on a $4,990 3-year membership. To date, we were given a temp. password which only worked for about a week, But Did receive the Payment Book from Versa Finance Co. with a payment of $169.33 per month for 36 months at 17.75% interest. I didn't have a problem with this as I told my wife and them "let's see how they perform in the next few weeks, if we get our Web Password and Membership cards and Catalog in the time frame they are promising we would, and if any problems come up how they handle them." These few initial items tell a lot about a business and their integrity. And I will pay it off within a month or two.

After complaining and going in to the local location several times and e-mailing them that I wanted to cancel my membership due to unsatisfactory behavior and their not keeping up with their word of us getting our permanent password and membership card and catalog within a few weeks, and not being able to use the internet because the temp password only worked for less than a week. and telling them in the e-mail and by phone and in person, I would be in on Oct. 15 to talk to Mr. Dan ** (the owner) who told us, "I am always here to speak to you personally any time." NOT he seems to conveniently never be there but he says he is. While his personnel say he is only there for a while on Wed. & Thurs.

After calling and going in several more times talking to Corporate, I finally got a call from Mr. ** on Oct. 19th at which time he told me, "You have been a member since the 1st day you were in and have passed the 3-day right of recisscion so I don't have to let you cancel and you owe the money for the membership". I still don't have the membership card and haven't used their services. HE DOESN'T CARE! I told him I was going to follow this up with Corporate and the BBB and we also have been in our own business for over 25 years and deal with over 62,000 people on a daily bases just on The University of Central Florida and many Local businesses and throughout the United States and will tell everyone how he runs his business with a TOO BAD! I got your money so I don't care if you are unhappy Attitude. HE BASICALLY SAID, "You do what you want I am not canceling your contract. It's past the 3 day period."

We have had our own business since 1988 and deal daily with the public and I am happy to say our family has been in the service and manufacturing business for over 50 years, and we have an extremely good reputation throughout the industry and the United States for years. A lot of our business has come from word of mouth, and I have always believed "The Customer is Always Right" and 1 Unhappy customer will tell many whereas 1 happy customer will usually tell many less.

So as an unhappy customer I am going to do what ANY UNHAPPY customer would do. As a past Military man and member of the VFW, Moose, Elks, Eagles and American Legion and doing work with the many different Rotary and Masonic organizations, I feel it my right and duty to voice my overwhelming dissatisfaction with DirectBuy to everyone I meet and all 62,000 people that we deal with on The University of Central Florida and all of the local Medical Facilities, Municipality, Town, City, Military, Governmental, TV, Radio, local and State Amusements, Auto Dealerships, Fraternal, Church and Educational Businesses just to name a few that have been loyal customers of ours for over 20 years and many more businesses I will be thinking of while traveling as a consultant for two companies, do machine repairs and sales and helping new entrepreneurs on a daily basis throughout the East Coast. And will continue to do so until our contract is IMMEDIATELY CANCELED and we not only get back the $290.00 we put as a deposit but DirectBuy Orlando Cancels the agreement with Versa Finance Co. also.

It was all a lie, they have dozens of unhappy members at every stage of membership, there was no sudden understanding of the rules. Patrick asked me to leave, and assured me they had an iron clad contract that had to be paid and could not be broken. He is a big man and tried to intimidate and scare me as I am short and 73 years old. Do not do business with them. There are thousands of complaints online, read them and weep if you have already signed...I cancelled my credit card so I can lose no monthly charges.

When we brought it to the attention of the local manager, he said he would beat it. After you add the sales tax and DB S&H fees, the price match was a joke. Not only was it a joke, but we would have to wait 8 weeks to receive the item. Well, the item we were looking at purchasing through Amazon had no sales tax or shipping and we would receive the item within a week. So we told the manager this. Through a LOT of hassle, the manager FINALLY agreed to beat the TOTAL price but said that was against policy. I always check Direct Buy before I make any purchase to see if they can beat the price of the EXACT same item (same model #, everything). I have yet to see them beat the prices I can find online after you add in their S&H fees and taxes.

PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. They do a VERY convincing sales pitch. I would LOVE to have my $6000 back. Oh yeah... they won't tell you this until it's too late but if you have been scammed by Direct Buy, you legally have 3 days from the date of membership purchase to request a FULL refund and they HAVE to honor it. I wish I would have known sooner.

Obviously, I did not become member. The sales person was very aggressive. And when he realized we were not interested, he started giving us "softer options" like only paying the taxes upfront and then having the option to decide during one month if we were staying with them or not. After having wasted 2 hours of my life there, I am very happy not to have become a member. It is like if I had found 5,000 dollars, after that, took my wife to an expensive restaurant to celebrate that we did not become members.

So you must search through thousands of catalogs to find what you want. And in the cabinet example, you have to measure every wall, window, appliance, and are responsible for the accuracy yourself.

I called a local cabinet shop that came and measured my kitchen personally and then designed everything and quoted several prices for the various styles and options. I did the same at Home Depot. When it was all said and done, I was able to negotiate with the local shop. Try doing that with a cabinet maker through DirectBuy, and got exactly what I wanted for only slightly more. I would have saved a little at Home Depot, but by having someone physically come and measure, the local shop caught 2 errors in the design that Home Depot and DirectBuy did not.

We ended up buying a range and oven through DirectBuy at about $800 savings. That is all we have purchased in 3 years. Now my membership is up and they are calling me for the annual renewal. We've spent $5000 on the membership; we've "saved" $800. To add insult to injury, the franchisee in Colorado Springs declared bankruptcy and closed the showroom.

As others wrote, your local stores have factored in shipping and transportation costs. DirectBuy will add this in, so your big savings may evaporate. Also, read some of the comments about the time it takes to receive your merchandise.

As has been stated, many who have good things to say may just be deluding themselves to justify what they spent on the membership fee. Also read up on the class action lawsuit. DirectBuy allegedly gets kickbacks from manufacturers and they don't pass this through to the consumer. This is truly the worst financial decision we ever made. And yes, we DO have a timeshare!

I called Thursday and I talked to someone else and they say they don't know when it’s coming in. I requested to talk to the manager, and they transferred me to Fay and she couldn't give me a date of arrival. She said she doesn't know. Then Brian **, the service manager calls me and tells me that it’s not coming in till next week. I explained to him that they keep telling me that, and they are giving me the runaround, and I can't believe the customer service. I told him I wanted to make a complaint. He said “Well go ahead, you are not even my customer!” I was confused! We paid $6,000 for being a customer in San Diego and at that time they said we can buy furniture at ALL DIRECTBUYS! So I told him to just cancel it! This is the worst customer service EVER! Pay so much for a CLUB fee and not get the service! DO NOT GET DIRECTBUY MEMBERSHIP! NOT WORTH IT!

We purchased a new townhouse so knew we wanted all new stainless steel appliances. We also wanted a big leather sectional sofa and a dining room table. On the big real leather couch with huge ottoman alone we saved 3000 dollars. It was listed 4500 at the manufacturer showroom, we handpicked our couch setup and paid 1500. We saved a whole ton on the appliances, and I remember they had a deal for Frigidaire that made us save even more because we bought more than 3 appliances. We haven't paid our yearly dues in a few years, but we are just about to purchase a new house and thinking about paying up so we can use it again.

All you have to do is google it and read as many reviews as you possibly. Once you are done reading reviews you will be convinced what a horrible deal this is. Plus they bait you in with useless giveaways. One giveaway is a restaurant gift card, it's a hassle to use it and the reviews on all the restaurants were horrible and most of the restaurants were completely unheard of. Another giveaway is for an iPad that did not work at all right out of the box. I told them and got no response. The other giveaway is a so-called free trip which is useless. By the time you figure it all out it... it costs way more with much more trouble, including countless added fees, than if you booked it yourself.

It is such a hassle ordering anything. You often have to wait weeks, even months, and by the time they add in all the other costs you are paying far more than you would pay most anywhere else. They charge shipping, handling and other "extra" fees, Plus after all this you have to go and pick up many or most things yourself, and if you don't have a truck, you have to rent one. And God forbid you have to return anything, the nightmare gets worse. They make you pay unbelievably high return shipping costs and by the time it's all said and done, you are angry and exhausted, wasted time money, effort and energy! Headquarters could not care less, I've tried talking with them. I wrote countless emails to many of them even higher up than the franchise in Woodbridge. Nothing. This company cares nothing about customer satisfaction, getting your money is the first and foremost goal. And Keeping your money is paramount to them.

They are also quick to point out, and say, that if you don't pay they will ruin your credit. Contract or not, wrong is wrong and in my opinion not refunding a customer they clearly sold to that does not have any way to benefit from their services, is no different than grand theft! Most often the internet is the best price and the waiting and shipping and return policies are fantastic with most all companies out there. You will do much better if nothing else to just buy what you need from Costco, Home Depot, etc., at least you can get a refund and no hassles. I cannot say enough bad about this company, they would get no stars if that was an option! I went through many channels to get this rectified and nothing worked. I was met with noting but ridiculous responses that made no sense whatsoever. DON'T DO IT, YOU WILL BE SO SORRY!!!!

After 10 days passed, we again contacted them and was told the chairs had been sent to South Carolina. At that time we asked that the other pieces (that were sitting in a warehouse 75 miles away), be delivered. At that time we were told that they only deliver "full orders." I contacted the corporate office July 3rd complaining that, we ordered the furniture in April so it would be there in the latter part of June when out of town family arrived. Not only was it not there, it wasn't going to be there for the Fourth of July festivities. After the 4th of July, I was contacted and arrangements were made to deliver the pieces that were sitting in the warehouse.

Upon receiving the shipment July 12th (minus the two chairs that were traveling around the country), the two bar stools were delivered with the lower brackets missing. The delivery man suggested we take receipt of the stools, which I refused pointing out that without the necessary brackets, the stools were only "show pieces" and were a liability. Oh yeah, that was the "white glove" delivery package! I'd hate to see what the lower delivery options would encompass.

I have made numerous orders from DirectBuy without incident. I sincerely hope that this is in no way the type of services I can expect in the future. As a member I had actually bragged to family, friends, and co-workers about the company and why they should join. Unfortunately this situation will in no way serve as a positive opinion by my father-in-law and whoever he discusses this matter with. I'm sure he'll speak highly of the quality of the product, but will justifiably be critical of the lack of communication by the company when mishaps on the company’s part were obvious, and the delivery. It is my hope that this comment serve as a reminder to the company that member satisfaction coupled with quality services is critical in the success of any business. I know this isn't a "mom and pop" type store, but when doing business with the public it's good to have "mom and pop" type of attitude.

Once inside, we were not to see our consultant for it was a day she was unable to make it to work, they said. We were given a clerk from the office. She was VERY nice. VERY attentive. We looked around, really liked what we saw and found the premise very interesting. I work out of 16 Walmarts, so seeing pleasant and knowledgeable people was wonderful. I could see me recommending this to others. I wasn't even scared off by the price, though the sales pitch was great on how it pays itself back.

Then it came, the last point of contact, the "sit down." Now as you can imagine, we are feeling very excited about what we could do with this find and considered all the areas this would work in our lives. However, the moment, and I mean to the second that I said "Well, we don't make three plus thousand dollar investments in 30 second requests" after she said we were to decide "now." I said that was not acceptable. I didn't work by way of force. She replied, "It's now or never." I said, "Then never." She replied, tone almost angry, "Well, at least 7 years." This woman was my best friend and worst enemy all in less than an hour.

When I got to the counter, they weren't going to give me the dinner and plane tickets I was promised over and over. It was after pulling teeth I received the infamous voucher. Now I got home to register them and the online registration says invalid. I called to have this fixed. No response. The company said I was missing a number I needed from Direct Buy. I sent a letter as there is an expiration. No response. This along with the restaurant coupon to places out of the area for a value of $25.00, not $100.00.

Here we are now months later and I have this paper with an expired date with no numbers that worked. I said to them then, as I say now, it's the point that I am still on this. I took time out of my life and schedule to follow my end. Please follow yours. While I appreciate you are a business, this is shameful and utterly shocking. Besides my bipolar type sales experience and my being dismissed using fake ploys seems unnecessary and foolish. I would please just like my promised tickets as I fulfilled my end of the bargain. Thank you.

Overall, I have been totally dissatisfied with the customer service and pricing is so-so... IF you like expensive items and can afford them even at "their cost", the rest of the world would be wasting a very LARGE JOINING fee, only to find out you have to read through tons of catalogs and know their job better than their own staff. We've been trying to get a bad order (placed incorrectly TWICE by their employee) and they now refuse to return my phone calls. Oh, but I got the renewal notice to pay my annual fee in the mail today! SORRY, DirectBuy, I'm not wasting any more time.

I originally purchased my LG WM2650HWA washer machine from DirectBuy's warehouses in April. However, once my washer machine arrived and was professionally installed, it came with a variety of defects that rendered my washer machine absolutely unusable. The washer machine did not wash properly or load the proper amount of water for each load, and once it went into the wash cycle, it would literally jump across the room and shake everywhere, regardless if it was on a dry and stable surface. The washer machine was defective and could not properly detect the size of the load inside the machine, and it thus rotated much faster than it should.

I contacted LG various times and was sent out a technician three times to inspect the washer machine. LG agreed that they could have the machine replaced; however, they said it would have to be done through the store I bought it from, since I ordered it online from DirectBuy. So I then contacted DirectBuy with my complaint various times, the last phone call being on May 24th, of which I have, to this day, received no response. I spoke with various representatives from DirectBuy who gathered my information and promised to resolve the issue and call me back, but they would simply ignore my calls afterwards. Every time I called back, they would gather my information again, promise to call me back, and again I would receive no reply or resolution to my conflict.

The washer machine has not washed a SINGLE load since it has been purchased as it is unusable, but I have yet to receive a refund or exchange for my purchase. My washer machine still sits in the basement, a $600 purchase that I feel I have been essentially robbed of. I do not even wish for a full refund; I would simply be happy having my washer machine exchanged for a new one, or a different model of equal or lesser value, as long as the washer machine worked and functioned as advertised. I am not satisfied with my purchase and feel mistreated as a customer, and I hope my report will help put an end to this kind of corrupt salesmanship and lead to the resolution of my problem.

After finding out I could not cancel, I went into the store to buy a French door to try to use my account on Oct. 1st 2012. The receptionist looked up my name and asked me to pay the remainder of the $300 originating contract deposit, which was $200. And she needed my Social for identification in the computer. I gave them the $200 expecting great discounts on my French door. It took three weeks for them not to be able to get me a door and their installer would not answer his phone after repeated attempts. His voicemail was always full. This also didn't include shipping. I was working with Amy **. This was a complete bait and switch. I ended up buying my door from Lowe's and moving out of my house on Nov. 2nd. What I am very upset about is that they ran my credit and it is an inquiry on 10/23 (shown on my credit report). They lied about why she needed my Social and ran it almost a month later.

My original signature and agreement was done on 8/04/12. The credit was not run until 10/23 after lying to me about what they were doing with Social Security number. I have the documentation on my contract. I refused to sign if they were going to run my credit. The manager was called over to assure me they would not! I have no home and no reason to have a DirectBuy account. The inquiry has dropped my credit score and that has cost me much more than the membership fee. I spoke to Sam to cancel on 1/16/2013 to inform her of how upset I was that I was lied to and financially harmed by their deceptive tactics. She said she would have CT Miller, who is the owner, call me. I spoke to CT Miller (franchise owner) on 1/21/2012 who offered me to swap the trip I also paid $100 for and cannot use (another fraud) for a Kendall Fire and that he would call me back on 1/232013 with a solution to my problem, assuring me he would look into it and call me back on 1/23/13 to resolve it. He led me to believe he would cancel my membership.

I called him again on 2/4/2012. At this point, I have paid them $400 for absolutely nothing. Their deceptive practices have cost me in my credit score and will soon be turning their beta finance company collections onto my credit report which will harm my credit score even more. I would like to sue for damages. I feel I have given them plenty of time to rectify the problem by canceling my account and I have not heard back. I would like my next contact to be done by an attorney. I hope someone can help. This is the Fort Mill South Carolina DirectBuy location: Mr. Carl T. Miller (franchise owner).

Then there’s the gift certificates. We went online to redeem them like the card said to do and wow, there were restaurants we have never heard of. So then, you purchase these certificates with your card and then you still end up paying. Example: Buy 25 gift certificate but you have to spend a minimum of $50 at the restaurant. Did I miss something? It was supposed to be gift cards to go. Beware of this place. I can’t get my 90 minutes back but maybe I can save someone their time. Oh yeah, to join, a whopping $4,800. Yikes!

When we tried finding a product we were certain was in production - it was not in their catalog! We got our free "Zeepad" tablet. It's a piece of junk though. The screen was scratched up; the apps don't open; the manual is unreadable although it's in English. After leaving the DirectBuy store, we went online and found so many negative reviews! We're so glad we didn't join!

In the meantime, we did save on the discount we received for hardwood products, but we failed to find much that we wanted either online or in the catalogs at the store, which all turned out to be very high end merchandise that we wouldn't be buying anyway. Long story short, we did find furniture that we wanted. We were willing to wait the three months it was going to take to get the stuff, only to receive an email that our furniture was going to cost an additional $1000 because of the leather we chose. This was the second "oops" they had made for the price quote. I was furious, as it appeared this was a consistent "mistake" in both the clubs we visited. After numerous emails back and forth and my suggestion that they eat the difference (any good retail company would do this to keep a customer), the owner told me I needed to control myself and we weren't welcome in the club anymore.

So, since all the "clubs" in Colorado are now closed, we are stuck with a membership we cannot use unless we shop online - oh yeah, most of the stuff we want don't have a price, and there's a clear message to "visit the club for pricing". All the other complaints I've read are similar to mine. Don't join this club. It's a scam. We plan to sue for our membership that we can't use. Good luck with that, right? It seems the consumer has no rights anymore. Oh, and one more thing. We were happy with the flooring we ordered, but we learned that the company (Meritage Flooring) is exclusive to DirectBuy, so when we remodel the rest of the house, we won't be able to match the flooring. Great.

We then sat with a salesperson and were trying to work out something so we could still have time to think about joining when Rob ** (the owner) stormed over to the table we were at and stuck his finger in my wife's face and yelled at her for asking that question. He was physical and abusive in his demeanor and was totally out of line and unprofessional. If Direct Buy is a franchise, they should re-evaluate him as an owner. After an hour, he sent me an e-mail with an apology for his actions, which he knew were out of line but should not have happened. As business owners ourselves, there is no excuse for treating a customer in that manner. Stay away from Direct Buy, Hauppauge.

This should have been a warning flag - nobody reputable requires that you make an on-the-spot decision to fork over that kind of money. They point out the savings that you will get from purchasing items below MRSP. Of course, no one pays MSRP; that's like paying the sticker price on a car. On the times that I have been looking to purchase several items, I check the price that internet merchants charge for the identical merchandise. They beat Direct Buy almost every time. Oh, and that savings? Maybe $6? But that $6 and more gets chewed up in the shipping, handling, taxes and other fees that Direct Buy puts on every item you buy.

If you are only looking at the really high end products (like gas grills that cost over $1,000) and you are looking at buying a lot of merchandise, they may be able to save you a dime or two. Maybe. Of course, the high end stuff already has a tremendous profit margin built into their price. You are definitely not going to recoup the money you paid upfront for this scam. Believe me, I have searched for electronics items, among other items, that I can get on the internet - no shipping, no tax, no waiting 4-6 weeks. Every time, I would have paid more to but the item through Direct Buy, if they even have the item. It's no wonder that a Direct Buy franchise sounds like such a good idea. There's not even a price match guarantee, if you should find the item for less; your investment in a Direct Buy dues are worthless, less than worthless. Be forewarned by someone who made the mistake!

I made a special appointment to speak with the club manager and I had to take time off my job because you know, the new club hours are the same as my working hours. I was told DB Club was negotiating with new vendors and if I just wait another month, they would publish new contact info. The manager offered to get someone from 3 hours away to do the work if I bought the items; of course there would be an extra travel charge for the vendor to drive 3 hours to Memphis. There is always some excuse why the club can't get the desired item, the right vendor, or why they close early. Don't get sucked in to this group.

I went to my appointment without my husband. I was taken to a table by a representative and he asked me where my husband was. I said he cannot make it to presentation. He asked me why. I said he could not get out of work. He then asked me if I knew anything about DirectBuy. I said yes and explained it to him. I said I received a call that I had won tickets and dinner voucher. He sarcastically said, "Do you know how much they cost? We don't just give them away. You were told that your husband needed to come in with you."

I told him that I was more than able to make a decision on my own without my husband and I was pretty sure he would not want to join at this time anyway. He said, "Well 90 percent of the time the spouse makes the decision." I said, "Well, I don't need anyone to tell me what I can or cannot do and I can make a decision on my own." He once again said, "Your husband needs to be here." I then said, "So this is a scam just as I thought it would be," and left. After leaving angry that I had taken time off of work to go there, I came back to speak to the representative again. A large man told me when I came back in that, "We said you needed to bring your spouse with you," and I once again said that I am a grown woman and do not need my husband to tell me what I can and cannot do. I was then escorted out stating that the club members do not need to hear me. DirectBuy is a joke and do not fall for any of this. The worst part is the fact that they think a woman cannot make a decision without her spouse or significant other!

His installation costs were double the price of another window manufacturer, and he installed one window crooked, did not flash any of the windows, and did not center any of the windows. He did not measure one window opening correctly and had to cut the framing down another 4 inches to make the window fit. Two windows have screws that missed the framing and the drywall had to be doubled in order to fit the big gap between the window and wall. Now, DirectBuy has informed me that I need to contact the contractor directly to fix the issues because he is no longer a preferred contractor. There is no support from them on this either.

Two items that I compared prices at Home Depot and DirectBuy seemed like a bargain until you count their shipping costs, mark-up and then the drive to pick the item up at their warehouse. They tell you not to shop prices because they don't want you to waste the time of retail salespeople; however, it is really so you don't see that there is no benefit to their membership. I have asked DirectBuy for over 2 months to cancel our membership and continue to get the runaround. There are no return emails or phone calls and when I force the issue, they treat me like I am stupid telling me that I probably don't understand how DirectBuy works. This $5000 membership is a huge mistake. I think it is time for an attorney.

Finally, he said, "Well, I'm sorry but I just can't help you," that he was sorry that whatever happened to me to make me so skeptical was going to follow me through life and that I would never be able to trust anyone, that I would never know a good deal when I saw it. As we were walking to the front, he continued to make comments out loud, but not to me, about how foolish I was. I finally said to him, "I don't know why you're taking this so personal." He turned around and said he felt sorry for me, that I could benefit from the club but I just couldn't see it. That I would always pay too much for things and would always be taken advantage of. I kept it together until I got to my car but then the overwhelming relief of finally being free from his harassment caused me to breakdown. I pulled around the corner and sat in my car until I collected myself enough to drive home. I don't know why he felt his treatment of me was acceptable but obviously he did.

I'm almost 50 years old and I don't recall ever being treated like this at a shop before. I've never left a store, gone to my car and started to cry because of the reprehensible treatment of one of the store's employees. And it's not like I allowed myself to be treated like this for the entire two hours I was there. For the first hour and a half, everyone was very pleasant. It was when the salesman realized I was resistant and wouldn't be swayed that his personality turned caustic and he started attacking me vehemently. I can't tell you if Direct Buy has good deals or not. But I can say, ladies, never go to tour a Direct Buy alone. I can't believe that they would have ever used the methods they used on me on a single male or on a couple. I believe they saw that I was a single woman and felt that they could exploit that and pressure me into joining by making derogatory comments about me and calling my judgement into question.

I contacted Direct Buy and acted as a new contract purchaser. They tell you over the phone, bumper-to-bumper coverage for the Platinum Elite which I have and I explained the same exact scenario to the sales rep. Lo and behold, he said, "Of course that would be covered regardless if it's only leaking." Also, he sold me on the idea that they cover all shop rates regardless of which shop you go to. However, that's not true either, they only cover the going national rate which is about $65/hour. I purchased Elite because of having a BMW and wanting premium coverage. This company is a complete scam, says things over the phone that contradicts your contract and then chastises you for complaining about unfair representation. I have had $1200 worth of items covered, and have paid $3000+ out of pocket on a "bumper-to-bumper" elite coverage.

This company definitely is alert to the fact of what they're doing and each sales rep and warranty rep is trained to say the exact same thing. I've paid for shop rate difference that they initially said was covered. The closer you get to maxing out coverage, the more difficult it gets to get any type of assistance. This company needs legal action taken against them as they definitely are aware of their tactics. Try calling a sales rep and see what they say. In any case, I would like all of my out-of-pocket expenses covered to include this claim. I would like my contract price to be refunded (pro-rated time) and never again deal with this company. Buyers beware and look up all of the reviews on this company before any purchase. Unfortunately, I didn't.

Even worse, there is a very limited selection of restaurants and they are all restaurants that are participating in the program because they aren't doing well. They are usually ethnic restaurants you have never heard of or would never eat it. Needless to say, DirectBuy is super misleading and I would never do business with them. Also, my mother-in-law has yet to find a single item that costs less at DB than at some other store. Such a scam - don't buy into this!

Now for the coup de gras, the receptionist whom we were sent to redeem our gifts informed us that the 7-inch tablets were not available and we were given a rain check to call to see when they have them available. We were only offered the bogus $100.00 gift card, which had a limited amount of restaurants to choose from, like sleazy Dixie Pig and some other sleazy Jamaican restaurants. How are they allowed to get away with this in Florida? Direct Buy is a scam. Please have a lawyer contact me.

She then asked why and and said she could schedule me for one in Texas. I then replied with, "I'm not interested". She then continued to tell me about Direct Buy and I again told her I wasn't interested and she hung up on me. I received similar calls the next night and then again tonight by Direct Buy solicitors. I want this to stop. I cannot find any contact information for the company to complain to get removed from their phone list. Unfortunately, this seems to be common from what I have read. I want this to stop.

The only way you might save is if you are buying a new house and need tons of furniture, appliances, flooring, etc. or are refurbishing a house and possibly even just a room. You won't get a great deal on buying vehicles or booking travel. Be prepared for long wait times on your deliveries (I found they were usually 3-5 or 4-6 weeks) and a lot of things you cannot return. I'm so sorry I bought this membership. To add insult to injury, the little sales incentives they lure you in with had also backfired on me. I didn't get the form for the flyaway vacation into the rewards office within 30 days of the issued date, so they voided the offer. I missed by 2 lousy days. Buyer beware of DirectBuy!

The second order was another flat screen TV for my formal living room. This was a new LCD model, which they had trouble getting. They ended up sending a different model after weeks of waiting, but threw in a DVD player for the inconvenience. The third and final order was for patio chairs. We spent about $1,200 and had to return to the Maple Shade, NJ showroom twice because every two weeks, they would claim the new fabric we chose was discontinued, yet the manufacturer would still have it listed as an option online and Direct Buy would still have the swatch in their catalog. Eventually, I received the chairs with the third, less favorable design and it arrived after July 4th when the summer was practically over.

Within months of this last purchase, the showroom moved from Maple Shade to Cherry Hill. While my family was heading to a family event, we passed by the showroom to find the building emptied out a few months later! The franchise owner never contacted us, nothing. The closest location to me now is 36 miles away (an hour drive in good weather/light traffic). I wasn't satisfied with the service when it was 10 minutes away. I'm not about to drive farther or order from their catalog. It's all a scam and I anticipate from the negative reviews they've received throughout the US that they'll be out of business soon.

We have spoken with the service manager, Jeff **, after sending him an e-mail and leaving two voicemails who claimed he received neither the voicemails or e-mail. We voiced our concerns regarding a recent visit and pricing for fencing. We eventually found out that Jimmy in member services lost our information. Unfortunately, we were trying to reach Jimmy for 2+ weeks with no return calls. Now we are in the process of remodeling the kitchen, the service, response time, follow up and accurate information is non existent. We are very frustrated and all we receive from Direct Buy and their personnel are lame excuses, agreements and time lines which are not met or kept.

What can be done to ensure any consumer to be treated in an unprofessional manner and to stop DirectBuy from being allowed to do this? I even tried to get them to give me the corporate office number, they avoided that. What can be done legally and I would love to have an attorney to look into this.

I remind them that they guaranteed they would save money on comparable products, but apparently, that was just a tactic to get us to become members. I am exhausted by trying to work with them. Since December, I have been sending items to price. They simply cannot compete.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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 $2,500 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 months 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

After an initial conversation with a man (A), we were ushered into a room for the group sales talk delivered by a second man (B). '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. So, after the group sales pitch we met again with 'A' and told him what 'B' had said about the 30-day trial period. 'A' appeared confused by this and stated that if we heard 'B' say that he would honor it. As a result, my initial apprehensions were alleviated as it appeared we were in a situation where integrity was highly valued.

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. 'B' then returned to sales mode and when I brought him back to the issue which was now a roadblock for us (the 30-day trial period and the $1000 discount) he grinned and said discussion of that was over. I then removed my name tag, stood up and agreed the conversation was over.

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 ensure 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.

We went to a cabinet maker, got what we wanted and had it in one week.

We then tried to buy flooring, and again was not satisfied with what was offered, so we did not place an order. We purchased real oak flooring for less than the prices quoted for Pergo. We checked on small appliance - a steam cleaner, DirectBuy was 2 dollars cheaper, but when I'd finish paying the little coulcosts, it had cost me more. I could purchase exactly the same product from JC Penny and have free shipping to my home but I tried to use the service and 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 the letter but I did not get any answer. The membership agreement is for 3 years, should I not get 2/3 of my money back?

DirectBuy now gives a 30-day free trial which makes me so mad as they could not give me a day to think about my decision. Do you have any suggestions for me? I feel I have been ripped off, in a shrewd way.

Honestly and honesty. 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. It's a no brainer. I fork over a bit to become a member. They hand me the cost books to over 1200 brand names. It's a 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 he's making on you on each and every purchase. Retailers keep making money on you. That's okay, right? For me and my family, the choice was easy. I'm 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 online store I know.

My complaint is against the people who are so smart to think that 1200 manufacturers are so dumb as to put their cost books in a company that's been around for 40 years, and think that retailers aren't upset about that. They are. And the consumer, well, you're just plain dumb to think after 40 years, DirectBuy doesn't work. It does. You owe it to yourself to go and price out things you're going to buy anyways, and see for yourself how truly great DirectBuy can be. Be open minded. Retailers and online dealers seriously don't sell things so low. You keep giving it away. When is enough enough?

We were allowed to browse 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 24 hrs 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!

The receptionist said, "No, you have to arrange an open house". To call to make an appointment seemed fishy when the receptionist is right there to make one immediately. Why? Because there must be a very high fee and it requires a sales presentation to convince you. The flier with all 6 pages has no membership fees posted with fine print for restrictions or policies with benefits in order to make an informed decision. To not be able to look around freely just as a walk in with the feeling that I have to have the privilege, makes me smell a rat, too. Any business that handles people like they have something to hide is not a business. It is a downright scam.

I went home and talked to my husband and told him my experience. He told me that if it's any good, it would not be some kind of a secret as he would have heard about it through a trusted friend a long time ago. I then read the complaints and some people who claimed they benefited through Direct Buy. The ones who benefited, good for you. But, I bet I could have saved even more than what you saved by avoiding thousands of dollars of up front fees in order to get a discount. There are companies out there who are legit and offer great savings with salespeople who earn good fair commissions where it's not high pressure and it's a win-win situation. We don't need a company like DirectBuy who makes people feel like they are outsiders until they pay a fee for the promise of savings that are not much different than Costco, Ikea, and any other large furniture store that are willing to work with you in order to get a great deal.

I tried to return the e-mail and say stop sending these solicitations, but the e-mail came back as undeliverable. So I labeled them as "junk," and they still keep sending me e-mails, obviously using more than one URL to send these solicitations out. DirectBuy has pissed me off. I will never be a customer of theirs after this, no matter how much they think they will save me. This is how they do business? And I still need a freaking job.

We agreed to attend a presentation (and received a multitude of confirmation calls) shortly after purchasing a new home that was going to need quite a bit of work. Years ago I remember a contractor friend of mine joined and at the time I thought he had a favorable experience. We were also lured by the idea that we could save a considerable amount of money on our renovations and certainly could find products that would fit our taste and construction schedule, due to the wide range of manufacturers represented and access to everything they carried.

We learned several months later that is not the case. You can purchase GE appliances, for instance, but not the Monogram series. We have made a few purchases thus far and by the time the DB mark up is added and shipping costs (Hmmm why does it cost $25 to ship an item when you can get it on line with FREE shipping?), we may be saving 4% at best on our purchases so far-- and that is considering retail! Find a good sale and you can do much better than that. At first some sort of mark up seemed reasonable when they explained that when an item was delivered they checked to make sure it was in good condition, but the same mark up applies when the item is shipped directly to you such as kitchen cabinets!

One of the biggest problems is that the products are only available through catalogs and by viewing on line. For instance, we ordered door hardware and when it arrived (after several weeks and saving about $6 on a $180 purchase) it was not representative of what was in the catalog. We brought this to the showrooms attention, armed with the catalog cut sheet and they acknowledged the discrepancy BUT still tried to charge us a 15% restocking fee! Only after speaking with the (understanding) manager, was a full refund given a few weeks later. Another disappointment is the unreasonable amount of time we have had to wait to get some of our orders. So far we have been waiting almost 6 months for a bathroom light fixture. The first one we ordered had a 6 week delivery time. Then it was 10 weeks then 12. I paid about $150 initiation and am paying $30 per month for something that is not even available for me to use the way I was told I could use it. Finally after 16 weeks we were told that there was no idea as to when it would arrive, so we cancelled it. I was assured to get a full refund and I did, but had to stay on top of it and make several calls before it finally showed up on my credit card statement. So now we ordered a different fixture, locally fabricated with a 4 week lead time, then 8 and just this week we found out 12! Here we go again.

So my recommendation is if you are the type of person who currently loves to pay full price for everything all of the time, don't mind waiting for the items you order longer than you may otherwise, and are OK to break even on your investment in 15 years OK then get right over to your local Direct Buy and sign up. Big bruised egos since we were much smarter that to fall for the 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.

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.

(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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

*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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 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.

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 cannot believe anyone falls for this high pressure (mass hypnosis?) but obviously there are many trusting souls out there. Has anyone with a complaint contacted his or her state’s 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.

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 $1,000 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 showroom either since I hadn't paid for a real membership. They put a lot of emphasis on the secrecy of their 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. Consequences: none other than a wasted day and a bad headache. I just wanted to warn others.

On my kitchen cabinets, I saved over $2300 vs Lowe's or Home Depot where my wife works as a kitchen designer! So again I question the ** that people are saying on here about this place. My first experience with Direct Buy was with a couch that was on sale at a furniture store called Stickley. It's on Wolf Rd. in Albany. The cost of the couch at the store was $3700. We got the exact same model number at the club delivered to our home and put where we wanted. It was $2200! That's $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 didn't 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 savings on the window treatments are out of sight. Over JC Penney 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.

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?

They swore that the accounting department 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 okay to charge my account for the additional $1,800, they would have taken the money with nothing further said and made no further investigation. I wonder how many times this has happened before with others who might be less inclined to challenge them? But I 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.

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 DirectBuy, 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 $4,490 for a membership and have received no benefit.

They totally 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 six to seven various products on a laminated paper from a bulletin and each one showing how even on sale with retail, DirectBuy will cost at least 45-50% off! On their 45-minute presentation, they mentioned very rapidly that there is an 8% handling fee as well. We were told that once we walk out the door, we can never become a member! The membership, they tell us, is around $6,000! What a great psychological sales technique! We were in an ugly trance the entire time and felt completely flustered and pressured.

After that, we sat with Krista who says she owns the franchise, not giving us a chance to think about it. She said that if we leave, we can never come back. It put us on the spot and we didn't want to lose the chance. She made us sign an agreement and the second we walked out, we realized that we were completely tricked. We felt hypnotized at their place!

$5,874.30 is way out of our budget and they even said that if we pay it through time, there is about 20% interest rate on it! What a 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 manufacturer's prices!

What a con well done by DirectBuy! They put 8% handling fees on top of that, plus Krista told me that they have their own trucks to deliver to us but she and Chris had no clue how much the delivery price would be! Wow! We will continue to save other people from being victimized. It is interesting to note that the number two search on the Web of DirectBuy is "DirectBuy Scam." I wonder why. Save your money. Please help me get my money back.

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 **, 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 ** 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 nonrefundable.

Our key objection is that the service we received was not as promised at the time we signed this agreement. We met with Sarah ** 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 ** 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. 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.