Real Consumer Reviews and Ratings
Direct Buy Reviews and Ratings
Consumer Ratings - Page 7 of 24
Fraud for profit
10/23/2007 - Nadine of Maryland, USA writes:
db orally and written membership guide booklet states online shopping from the convenience of your home. i purchased the membership fee with the express intention of online shopping. after i get my log on, i could not make any purchases online. when i confronted the owner he offered substitution for online shopping by accepting emailing and faxing of order forms. this was unacceptable for me so i requested a refund. of course they denied. so i filed a dispute with my credit card who in turned ruled in favor of the merchant because i signed a contract. this was a fraudelent misrepresentation stating online shopping when in fact you dont have it. next step is office of comptroller of currency for the credit card not upholding the fair credit billing act for goods and services not delivered as agreed. final step is "see ya in court". I never found out if db do save you money because when you go to the website it tells you to visit showroom for pricing.
Judge for yourself
10/21/2007 - Karen of Illinois, USA writes:
I've been a member for more than 4yrs. and our first remodelling job's saving more than paid for the membership. What does concern me is this website's voting process. Anyone with a positive review is voted as fake. Hum!!!
Do Homework b4 Shopping
10/20/2007 - Andrea of New York, USA writes:
My husband and I became members before they increased their pricing to $4300...we paid $3500. We are about to renew. The truth is we have gotten our money back, but I have plenty of complaints about the service. My best advice is this is only for HOMEOWNERS. You should always shop around. There have been plenty of times that I got it cheaper buying on the street instead of Direct Buy and for some product (especially electronics) that I saved tons of money. I won't renew my membership after the initial 10 years is over...I would have gotten everything I needed.
waste of time and money
10/19/2007 - Sal of New York, USA writes:
I got interested in direct buy through the commercials and after the orientation got suckered into signing up.The biggest problem is their system of shopping. You waste so much time looking through outdated catalogs to find out what you want is discontinued. Also using the web site sucks because you can barely see the tiny pictures. For $4300 you get plenty of aggravation and none of the savings, don't bother.
works for me
10/19/2007 - Carl of Ontario, Canada writes:
I was very sceptical at the information session that I attended but afterwards was only upset that I had not joined a few years before. On one (major) purchase I saved well more than the cost of membership. If I had been a member when I re-did my bathroom and kitchen, not only would I have had lower prices but the quality would have been much better. If you have a lot of buying to do in the next 10 years...do give it consideration.
Not for everyone
10/18/2007 - Chris of California, USA writes:
I'll be fair here. First, it's not a scam, but for DB, a creative way to make money, for the consumer, real savings "possibility". If you'll spend a ton of money over the years, it's realsitic. If your looking to make only few purchases, you won't save anything, and be frustrated at the lack of up front info the sales people give you, delivery waits, surcharges, etc. I get better pricing and delivery by using other sources and my contractors discount. I agree with a few members as to the selection process and horrible catalogues, and sketchy delivery details. DB has to create a need for their existence and services, but are no different than most wholesalers, just not very good with their marketing pressure on the potential customer. In this type of membership business, it's always high pressure and do it now or never ultimatums. I'm sure there are folks out there, that this program works well for. But most of us, it won't. Aside from the fact that we hate high pressure marketing, it's just another way that someone has thought up of to make a buck. Same as many other dealers. Otherwise, we would if we could, just go straight to the manufacturer. If you are complating a membership, let the marketing people know that you don't approve of the way they handle customers, whether you sign up or not. The worst of it is that they will not tell you what the fees are until after their sales spiel. And, why is it more for some than others ? Are they sizing up the money potential as you walk in the door ? I bet if you dress poorly and look unkempt, they may ask you to leave. They need to remember that ot everyone is so into an image they cannot live up to.
356 Reviews?
10/16/2007 - John of Massachusetts, USA writes:
Hey, I am a member and i thought about what i would write. Here is my take, I love Directbuy and can uderstand why so many here are confussed. Bottom line, its not for everyone. If your buying just one item over the next few years, maybe its not for you. But out of 356 reviews or whatever, I know my DirectBuy in boston is awesome and treat me the way I expect. They car and it shows. Service along with low pricing, is why I joined. By the way, I talked to the owners, and they said they have over 9000 members right in Boston. So when I look at these reviews of only 300 plus, most of them not even members, and some of them sound like angry retailers hiding behind this web site, I think i made a great choice by avoiding retailers all together. They never tell you how much they make on you, but I know what the price of joining was, and now I can see exactally how much the stores would make on me. I am a smart consumer, and know electronics are not a good guage of a membership, cause the markup is that great to begin with, plus on line stores can sell grey market no warranty items. Anyway, out of the 130 some odd stores, that makes up less than 2.5 complaints per store, when they service millions, I dont think its right to judge unless you judge yourself. Retailers be warned, Directbuy is a bragin, but not your competiton.
Amazing!!!
10/16/2007 - Jennifer of California, USA writes:
I love, love, love DirectBuy. I went through an Open house presentation a few weeks ago. I brought them a quote for 24,000 Dollars to remodel my two small bathrooms. Through DirectBuy it came out to be just under 8,000 dollars. My cabinets are ordered, my tile, and my quartz. They have installers, and designers. They make it so easy to shop and save money! So even though you have to pay a membership fee you'll still came out ahead. And all the money I'll be saving in the future is just icing on the cake!
outstanding savings
10/11/2007 - Harley of Ohio, USA writes:
I think that DirectBuy is a wonderful investment for prople that are doing things in their homes. Of course like anything if you don't use your membership then you can not benefit fthe savings. But all in all it is a great way for people to save money!!!!! You would be stupid to mot become a member.
Works for me...but not for everyone!
10/11/2007 - Kevin of California, USA writes:
Me and my wife had heard about direct buy through a co-worker that had used them to remodel a kitchen. It had worked out well for him, so we decided to attend one of their open houses. I will admit, you do feel a bit pressured to make a decision on the spot, something to do with manufacturers trying to protect their retail distribution. The only reason we joined was because we were about to spend a lot of money on remodeling our kitchen and bath. ($35,000) We ended up saving our membership fee ($6,000) alone just in cabinets and countertops, so it was well worth it! The membership is good for 10 years and im sure we will do a lot more around the house in the next ten years. As good as it was for me, it is not for everyone!! If you don't plan on making any significant furniture purchases or any plans to build or re-model, it's not for you! Also not for you if you are in a time crunch to finish a product, some things can take up to 8 weeks to arrive. Don't waste your time unless you re doing major projects.
Direct buy is BLAHHHHH
10/8/2007 - Adam of New York, USA writes:
Ok number one $4300 for a 3 yr membership!! I was looking for electronic stuff at first and looked in the book at direct buy and the radio was MSRP $1700 My cost was $950 I went home and looked on the internet for it and I could get it for $928 You tell me if $4300 is worth it. They are pushie and tell you if you dont buy the membership now you cant for so many years and after the 3 yr membership is up it's only about $100 a year for it! get the hell out a here. Do some research look around on the internet and if you dont have it go to someone who does. You will find the direct buy is close to the cheapest you will get it but by far not THE cheapest!
Not for the average consumer
10/7/2007 - Barbara of Virginia, USA writes:
I am needing quite a few major upgrades in my condo, a fireplace insert, carpeting, flooring and my A/C unit is 20 years old so I thought this would be perfect. The presentation was necessary as they impress upon the viewers how important it is to NOT go back to retailers and complain about the mark ups...duh.....the examples they gave and passed around were very high end..things like an expensive pool table...?...the membership price of 4,800k for only 2 years seems only useful if you want to buy really high end merchandise. eg hypothetically...one would be happy with a thousand dollar matress but through DB you can get a 4K one for only 2K....I left.
Not For The Average Consumer
10/4/2007 - Britney of Ontario, Canada writes:
I just recently went to the presentation/open house at Direct Buy with my husband, we are newly married but well off and have been living in our home for a couple years and were thinking about re-modeling rather then selling because i love my home! We got there and were given cheesey name tags and were asked to sit and wait while they got someone to show us around. We then met with our rep and he gave us the background on the company, how long have have been in business blah blah we were given coffee and then brought into a theater room to watch a movie with 4 other couples. We were not allowed to have our cell phones on or speak and ask questions durning the video. Another guy came into the room and they told us how much the fee was going to be to join, just over $4,000.00 just for 2 years !!! I could not beleieve it, i thought maybe a couple hundered dollars, like the place isn't even that nice or anything! So then we met back with our original rep and we had to do a survery with him and i knew right away this was not for me, even if they COULD provide those saving, i am an instant gratification person, i want what i buy right then and there lol sthen the preasure really as put on telling us we had to decide then and there if we were going to join or we could never come back ever agian. I asked if they carried dry-wall and building supplied like that, i told him i was interested in a new bosch dishwasher and i new the model and the price it was at the local store it was almost 650.00 they showed me the exact same dishwasher for only 400.00 I COULDNT BELEIVE IT but then i remembered what the video said and i asked if i bought this TODAY how much money would i have to give them, he added taxes and shipping and then handeling fees it was almost 600.00 dollars and then was JUST to be shipped to them i would then have to pick it up and we only have a car so i would have to rent or borrow a truck. We decided this service was not for us. I thanked the rep for his time and he then reminded me we could never return and said he felt bad i would have to return to the retail world, i told him i would just rather pay that little bit more (because really your only ever paying a little bit more if not your even) to the retailers to get that item right away and usally delivered to my home for little or no cost to me at all. He said if i have money to throw away i might as well join. My husband then started to get upset and told him that if he truly believed in the service then they would let people go home and think about it, your making people decide today because he knew if they went home they would find out that they were lied to and not return. Which was proved to me through the bosch dishwasher. We went got up and walked out of the showroom.
Biggest Rip Off Ever.
10/4/2007 - Ann of North Carolina, USA writes:
I was a member several years ago and it was the biggest rip off then and it is worse now. Look before you leap, you will never save any money here and you will pay through the nose. STAY AWAY, STAY AWAY. RUN, RUN, RUN.
DB is a complete SCAM!
9/25/2007 - Ricardo of Florida, USA writes:
Me and my wife went to an appointment a couple of days ago setup to "show us around" the DirectBuy business to see if we wanted to become members. We have been looking desperately for the best price on remodeling our kitchen all around town. We had seen the commercials of DB and thought it would be a good idea to check them out. Evnethough the sales pitch was very boring, basic, and just desperate, we got suckered into it thinking we could save some money on our kitchen project, simply because we too where desperate. First, these guys are in the stone age. All of there products are listed in 1970s style hard to read catalog folders. Trying to read them WILL ruin your day. Second, we knew we had three days to reconsider our membership for a full refund, so we tried desperately to get a quote for our new kitchen from the DB expert before that time was up. Guess what, although it was not stated directly, basically they did not want us to sit down with the expert until after the three days where up. Third, when we cancelled our membership the rep who worked with us went being a nice guy to a complete jerk. Also, I still have to validate that I am not charged because they do not give you a confirmation number of the refund. They asked that I fax a letter in. What the hell!!! Any one can claim they did not recieve it and therefore I will be charged. My fight with them is still not over. I will have to call their HQ to confirm I will not be charged. Unless you are an old lady that has more money than she knows what to do with, and you enjoy reading catalogs that lack pictures, description, and suck the fun out of shopping, I do not recommend you even waste your time with this mumbo jumbo company.
Best Scam on the Market !
9/24/2007 - Glen of California, USA writes:
Well you might have guessed, we were almost scammed in to this one time deal. Watch the TV commercial and you are thinking we have check this out. Well, make an appointment (couples only). We were late arriving and no other couples showed up for our 3 o'clock open house showing. We later found out no one showed up for the booked 5 o'clock either. This is a brand new store, just opened and still getting their floor fully stocked. As luck would have it, we met the requirements on the way in, we made over 50 grand a year, alive and have a checking account. We listen to the sales pitch and how we could buy at cost yada yada yada. The largest savings was in Cabinets. Lucky us, we were looking to buy cabinets. After the hearing about the big savings over the long run, the $6,000 membership fee, and the you are only offered this once, and if you don't join you are forever banished to buying retail forever. Hmmm. We needed a plan to figure this out, and fast. The sales guys walked us around the lovely well organized store stocked full of well labeled catalogs, reminding me of the old days for trading stamps catalogs to cash in your stamps for merchandise. Shuffled over to the kitchen cabinets where the saleman should us the stove that rivaled Viking and Wolf. Once he touch the flaky grill top it wouldn't fit back on right, there were no sealed burners, and it look cheap to me. So you have to talk with a specialist and make an appointment to make purchases. You need to drive to the showroom to look products up in catalog, place your order, wait for weeks, and either go back to the store to pick it up, or pay to have it shipped. They provide no return policy. You must deal directly with the manufacture. We figured you need to spend about $20,000 to break even if you are a really good shopper. That figure is more like $40,000 to break even, if that. Thiere is a lot of high pressure to join now or you are going to pay retail for the rest of your natural life. For most, we like dealing with local and Internet retailer, who do mark up the products, but offer good customer service, and the opportunity to return defective or merchandise you don't like (aside from special orders or restocking fees.) The deal breaker is they don't give you time to think it over, and come back. To me that was a big red flag. I later discover there is another 8 percent you need to pay to Direct Buy for there take. Turns out the whole Direct Buy is nothing more than a huge inconvienance, rip-off, and SCAM. The only winning move is not to play. Save yourself a trip to the members only don't ever pay retail again club to see what is behind door number one.
Direct Buy
9/22/2007 - James of California, USA writes:
Just got threw with the sales pitch from Direct Buy.. For anyone interested, here is my cost/benefit analysis. First of all here they were asking about $6k for membership.. I didn't try to negotiate that down. Nevertheless, I toured the facilities, compared prices, with items I had recently aquired elsewhere. To their credit the prices they had were better than the prices I paid for quality stuff, And I do consider myself to be a savy shopper for these things.. I don't pay retail price hardly.. never pay sticker etc. But.. And there is a but.. With the $6k membership fee, and the fact that by there own admission the average savings over retail is about 33%.. That being some items are more like 50% and some are more like 25%.. So at 33% the break even point is $18k.. so Unless you are going to spend more than 18K on items for your home in the next 24 Months.. There is no savings, buy through Direct buy or through you friendly neighborhood Retailer.. The cost is the same at 18K.. Furthermore. Since I don't typically pay sticker.. The direct buy prices I saw compared to what I paid were more like 10-15% better than I did.. So at a 10-15% benefit it would require expenditures in the excess fof $40K or more to start saving money with Direct Buy. So my take is this .. They do have good prices.. The savings may be there, but the rate of return on your investment for the membership may be somewhat less than it is presented, since if you went to one of their open houses, you obviuosly have been someone who doesn't pay retail in the first place. Also.. They make a deal about how you have to make your mind up right then, no second chances. This is a bit odd, because they don't tell you upfront that they are going to ask for a sizable financial committment.. So even if you like the prices and can see the benifit but the timing is wrong, financially .. they don't seem to be very forgiving. .although it would be interesting to see if one would show up on the doorstep with 6K in hand wanting to join whether they turn that person away.. So probably a good deal if you plan to spend ALOT of money.. You can get a return on your investment in the membership.
High pressure scam
9/20/2007 - Michael of New York, USA writes:
My fiance and I attended a Direct Buy seminar a month or so ago. I think I'm a fairly savvy shopper/buyer. The dog and pony show we were subjected to was a joke. Nearly $6000 to join!!! We did not join, and as I compared some of their examples that were shown to us, it's obvious that with very little effort, (which is also fun!)anyone can come up with as good or better pricing from many sources. You just need to get involved and not be a lazy consumer. There are as good or better deals out there and you won't have to be treated like a criminal for not giving those thugs ANY money ... stay away!!!
Know what you are buying
9/12/2007 - Robert of Michigan, USA writes:
We joined early in a major home remodeling project (it was then called UCC Total Home). Our initial membership sales experience was a little long, but otherwise OK. Our first order was plumbing fixtures from well known manufacturers for two baths and a kitchenette. I know many of you will think this is fake, but we saved enough on that order to pay for our membership fee! We have been renewing our membership for years. Not everything will save much over internet or mail order prices (computers and power tools for example). Very heavy items can cost so much to ship that the savings disappear. Floor coverings and similar things can depend on the local showroom to negotiate with local suppliers for the best price. But watching the quarterly Directions magazine can offer even more savings. For example, we replaced all of the appliances in our kitchen when a manufacturer offered a free delivery and installation promotion. We have literally saved tens of thousands of dollars on products for our home ), and I research purchases very carefully. I tell anyone that is planning a building or remodeling project that they are losing out if they don't check out Direct Buy. However, if you are not planning to spend at least ten to fifteen thousand on major purchases in the first couple of years, don't waste your time! You won't break even!
highway robbery
9/6/2007 - Edward of Ottawa, Canada writes:
We paid almost $5000 to join. We had some major reno's to do and thought it would be worthwile. No, no no, it would not be! Here is an example: for a 20'x40' 5 year pool cover the DB price seemed pretty good at $133 but when all was told with fees and shipping etc the actual cost was going to be $316.13!! I went and bought a better 7year one at a local store for $244.36 everthing included. They say the real savings are on kitchen cabinets, well maybe if you're buying $40,000 cabinets, we did our kitchen very, very nicely with thomasville from [] for under $8000. If the membership was $500 maybe, but $5000 is highway robbery.
