DirectBuy Reviews

I didn't make a payment and I got harass from Beta. Then I contact the main office and their customer service is horrible. They told me it was nothing they could do and I had to contact the location I purchased from. I tried calling back and no one returned my calls. I tried to purchase things to somehow justify my membership, but every time I research items, I can find the same price locally and most of the time the price was cheaper due to the outrage delivery fees they charge. The one thing I did buy was a mattress and I was shocked how bad the warehouse people are. They make up delivery prices and takes forever to get you your items.

Please save your money and buy locally. I am struggling with paying this membership. I know contracts can be broken. I also asked them if they wouldn't cancel my membership if there was something they could do to help. Nothing. It is a shame they are ripping people off. Very poor customer service and horrible place to do business with.

I am looking for a law firm to handle a class action claim against this franchise as I understand it happens repeatedly. I would never waste my money again on an annual fee much less a membership fee + should have purchased it directly from the Company (Michael Thomas) which is high quality. This process of getting an email back not addressing that there were nicks indentations not variations in color (which are characteristic of wood) is a scam IMO and giving the Company (Michael Thomas) a bad reputation. DB then tried to create a "storage fee" threat to induce me to accept furniture that was damaged. Beware!

While we were listening to the sales pitch we explained that we lived in a trailer that needed a lot of fixing up... bathroom, bedrooms, floors..etc... he said "sure you can get a tub to fit your trailer.. no problem... " BULL.. nothing in the book fits our trailer. We would have to do a complete renovation and make the bathroom fit the tub. Not what he said... cannot locate anything that I can afford to put into a "trailer" without sinking many thousands of dollars. I now have a collection company calling me at home and at work looking for payment. If you get a call from OMEGA LLC...they are real pains. I am not paying for something that I did not receive!!!

We also clarified with him during this one on one meeting about things he had brought up during his presentation such as Tempur-Pedic mattresses and Keurig coffee makers. YES! Substantial savings on those so we purchased a membership. My husband went there to get a computer and we were told we can't get those items and no one discounts APPLE! So I then pick out my Tempur-Pedic mattress and go to DB to order it. Guess what! Can't get those either. Nor can you get Keurigs. I was furious. I specifically cornered the sales rep on these products because I wanted to make sure I didn't misunderstand him in his presentation. He was actually here from Charleston SC to TRAIN other reps.

While I was at the store, I spoke with the owner's mom. She helps out there sometimes. She said her son would make it right for us. Most likely give us DB dollars. No one ever followed up with us. They did say they would give us 20% off a computer if we brought in a receipt. When we go back to the location and everyone is always GOING to talk to the owner and get back with us. It never happens. Then I filled out a DB survey and received a phone call from Amy. This was the first she has heard of anything and she was going to get with the owner and call me back the next Tuesday. Promised she would.

Well about another month goes by and no word from Amy despite me leaving voicemails for her. She finally calls back this week and explains she has had issues with her voicemail and didn't know I was calling and what could she help me with! Seriously!!!! So I bring her back on board and guess what? She is going to get with the owner and call me right back. She didn't call that day but did the next and said there was nothing they could do since I had purchased my membership in January. WHAT!!! I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING SINCE I GOT THE MEMBERSHIP.

Needless to say, I am furious and have absolutely ZERO plans of dropping this. I want a full refund for my membership. We were lied to about products offered by DB and it doesn't make a difference to me if the sales rep was from Charleston or Mars. He represented this location. The customer service here has been anything but service. I can only imagine what would be going on if I ever had an issue with something I ordered.

I do not appreciate the way this location has taken my hard earned money based on lies. It is as if he had to lie to get us to purchase. Then the way this situation has been ignored despite repeated attempts by us to get this resolved by this store has made me never want to deal with DB. It is 2014 and I didn't know businesses still operated this way. It has been like a time share operation for the 80s. Make no mistake, I am done with DB. I want a full refund and I will NOT drop this matter. The only reason it has taken soooooo long is because I have finally gotten a response from the owner.

This is not the first time this has happened with them. Placing orders with a representative has been horrendous. When ordered from online.....it comes in just fine. Comes in as advertised and as requested. The ONLY issues have been delivery dates. DO NOT TRUST WHAT YOU READ about when you get your stuff. If you want it early......order it REALLY EARLY. Don't order something a week from someone's birthday or a big party you are having or any other major occasions. We have been told it would be 8 -10 weeks and we got it in 1. We also have been told 3 days and it is still 5 weeks.

Direct Buy offers a HUGE selection of items. The items are quality items and as advertised.....but when dealing with Direct Buy.....it's been nothing but hell. We have had to, on occasion, deal with the manufacturers directly and they in turn have been GREAT to work with. Many don't know of the issues with Direct Buy, but make it right anyways.

So if you want to gamble....Direct Buy would be a great place to venture into. If I wasn't building a new house, I probably ....no, I wouldn't have ventured into the investment. They are all nice and smiles when you go through the "tour" but now that we are in.....they don't smile as much. Good Luck and BUYER BEWARE.

Lately I have experienced inaccurate pricing quotes, or that the deep discounts they supposedly get, do not apply to certain items. They also charge a handling fee for every purchase made, so your bottom line cost is significantly higher than their advertised DirectBuy price. It has been very disappointing and it appears to be getting worse the longer I maintain my membership. I will most likely not renew and I would not recommend any newcomers to the program.

The very next day I called several car dealerships to ask about “DB” discounts but all said they thought it sounds fishy because they don’t make up used cars 11K. I walked into DB facility, Monday Jan 20th on 3780 Riverchase Village, Suite 800 Bham, AL 35244 to cancel in person and was told ** was not available to speak with me because he was with clients. I left my name, email, Hm #, cell number, as well as all my husband contact info with the receptionist ** - no one called. I then called the DB office and spoke with office manager **, who claims cancellation may take up to two weeks. I informed her of all that transpired and she said, “Yes Mrs. **. You were given the wrong information. We cannot offer a 10 year plan for 3900.” I did advised her that I have already placed a dispute with my cc company **.

I disputed this matter with CC company Chase in January 2014. I received a letter (April 30th) stating DirectBuy will not accept dispute because contract signed even though false information given. Mr. ** should be reprimanded for defrauding DirectBuy's customers, falsely selling a service when there was no intent on delivering in the truthful manner sold. His commission should be taken away and he should also apologize to my husband and me for the frustration and aggravation caused.

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.