Real Consumer Reviews and Ratings
Direct Buy Reviews and Ratings
Consumer Ratings - Page 17 of 25
Don't even think about it
2/8/2007 - Steve of Kansas, USA writes:
We are building a new house decided to go to an open house. After some over rated promises (lies) we decided to join. We were told we would save an absoute minimum of 30% on cabinets. Actual "savings" 5% higher for the exact cabinet manufactured by the same supplier. Carpeting was promised to be 40% less. Actual "savings" 20% higher for the exact carpet. We were also promised they could save us money on any appliances we found in other stores. The only ones available through them were older models and ones that had fewer options. In other words we get what we pay for, no savings. Everything we were told was one big lie. We saved a lot more money by shopping around and using the internet. I wish we would have done our homework on this. If it sounds to good to be true...
sold us
2/7/2007 - Bobbie of Texas, USA writes:
My Husband and I joined,Yes it is a lot of money for membership. We are remodeling my kitchen and were able to upgrade to all sub zero appliances and Custom make cabinets and still saved more than the cost of membership. Our experience with the membership presentation great,we were not pressured, My husband was sold after asking questions about additional charges (S&H) before making a decision. They were upront with the rules of Membership. We have recommended DirectBuy to several or our friends. We have just purchased another home and plan to flip and sale looking to save a bundle. Thanks Directbuy
Enough with the whining already!
2/5/2007 - Robert of California, USA writes:
Most of these comments seem to be from people who either didn't sign up for membership or didn't take the time to listen, ask questions, and make an informed decision. Yes it is a lot of money for membership and yes you can potentially save much more money. I remodeled my kitchen and bath and saved more than the cost of membership on those projects alone so from now on its money in my pocket. My personal experience with the initial presentation was good. There was no sales pressure, I asked dozens of question and found out about all potential charges before making a decision. Yes they do tell you if you decide no you can't come back later. Upront and in the open. If you want a review check the Better Business Bureau they have AA rating not the very best but certainly not a scam. If you think its like [], it's not.
I worked for Direct Buy
2/5/2007 - Buddy of New Mexico, USA writes:
I worked for Direct buy for 3 months and found this company unable to trust. The so called membership that costs over $4700 was always sold or shown on the sales board as a 10 year membership but is only good for 2 years Read your contract. Also both parties must attend this high pressure meeting with 5 or 6 couples who see a movie and then are taken to tables in the direct show room. If you do not BUY TODAY -YOU ARE NOT WELCOME BACK FOR 7 YEARS. What a JOKE !! Its a very high pressure sales presentation. Both the greeter and sales people and even your telemarketer have to read the script word for word. They get in big trouble if they dont. Im so glad that I moved on and Quit. How do the sales and marketing people sleep at night !! DO you self a favor and dont waste your time.
How Can Non Users Rate A Product
2/4/2007 - Mark of Ontario, Canada writes:
As a member I have had good experiences with Directbuy, saved a lot of money and service is acceptable to good. Curious how most ratings and comments on this site are from non-members who have no experience with using the service? It's like a non-driver providing an opinion on a car that he once got to sit in the back seat of. As someone who “drives the car”, I can recommend it for those how buy for there homes, have above average income and don't mind doing a bit of work researching products. The new web site they added that lets me price everything online has really improved the service.
Not a bad deal
2/4/2007 - Jeff of Arizona, USA writes:
My wife and I saw the commercials and decided to check it out. We were surprised with the cost of membership but decided to sign up. We just bought a house and needed to fill it with furniture, we figured over the long run we would save. We've been members for 3 months and have purchased 8 pieces of furniture. I'd say we saved approx $2500 so far (another $2000 to go to break even). You do save money, it may just take a little while to realize it. The store itself only makes money off of selling you the membership. Finally, The reason why you need to make the decision the day you go there is because you are allowed to look at manufactor's pricing, the same that they charge the department stores. The Manufactors impose the restriction on direct buy so you don't go to your favorite furniture store and use direct buy pricing as a bargining chip.
Good Experience
2/2/2007 - Heather of Arizona, USA writes:
My husband and I just signed up with Direct Buy two weeks ago. We have already saved $1500. Now this can be viewed two ways. We did save $1200 on a closet system, but we probably wouldn't have bought the system in the regular market place as it would have been too expensive. So did we save $1200 or not spend $3500? I hope that was clear. Also, we saved several hundred on baby furniture for a room in our home for our new grandson. We got a quality crib and changing table for a couple hundred dollars. Even []'s baby furniture was lowest at $259. Did I save money? Yes!. I did my homework before our meeting and also took compare. My appliances for my new kitchen I got cheaper at [] during thier big sale, but keep in mind that I stuck to my Kenmore Elite and wouldn't let the salesperson jump me up to the Pro series.
Be careful with
2/1/2007 - David of Ohio, USA writes:
My wife and I went to a Direct Buy showroom. My wife was very enthusiastic but I had two problems: (1) We were isolated and could not compare notes with other interested parties. (2) There was no deal unless we were prepared to buy right then and there on the spot. Reputable companies will always let you think it over before investing serious money ($5,000+). The better ones even have a "try before you buy" system. To protect myself from myself I will NEVER spend significant money without thinking it over for at least 24 hours. This is often difficult to maintain but has saved me from being caught by many scams. I recommend you do the same. If this is not possible - maybe the "opportunity" you just missed wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Dishonest, Rude - Stay Away
2/1/2007 - Chuck of California, USA writes:
Dishonest high-pressure sales and EXTREME rudeness highlight our overall experience. Our goal: to find the best deals on kitchen/bath furnishings. Our salesman: -Took personal phone calls while greeting/processing incoming guests then commented on OUR attitude toward Direct-Buy. -Ignored us and others as we described our initial phone call experiences and the style we were all experiencing. -Was very defensive, rude and argumentative and threatened to "kick" us out because of our probing questions, concerns and incites. -Attempted to initially eliminate us by disclosing the $6000 up-front membership fee and “if we left, we could never return”. However, our deal breaker was we could neither disclose Direct Buy product knowledge/pricing nor comparison shop outside Direct Buy. We excused ourselves from the presentation. As we were leaving, a person approached us who had just arrived and asked us why we were leaving. We described our experience and what we had learned. She thanked us and left as well.
BIG MISTAKE
1/31/2007 - Lisa of Illinois, USA writes:
I listened to the DB infomercial and made an appointment because I was going to remodel my kitchen and bathroom. I knew going in that the membership fee was almost $5,000 in 2004 plus additional charges for subsequent years because a friend had told me and warned me that I would have to buy a lot of items to recoup the fee. To date, I have saved less than $500 and received mainly poor quality items, the charges for which I am contesting. Consequently, Direct Buy has suspended my membership. Stay Away! Be very wary! I found and bought most of the items for my remodel job at local stores. The prices were significantly less expensive than Direct Buy prices and delivery was free and quick. Save your money and ust it for purchases you want. I only wish I had read these reviews before I gave DB my money.
Major Scam
1/30/2007 - Keith of California, USA writes:
We just attended a 2 hour presentaion, had my concerns butt thought it was worth the time to check it out. We checked 6 specific items, they were high on every item, the salesperson commented "we were very sharp buyers" I took this to mean they they were interested in not so sharp buyers. Be very careful, this membership is 5400.00 up front for 2 years and 200.00 per year for years 3-10. Sharpe LCD 52" TV 20% high Window shutters 6 windows 30% high Washer and Dryer set 15% high Hardwood Flooring 25 - 40% high Double Entry Doors 50% high Granite Counter top 30-50% high These prices did not include delivery, which their delivery costs seem over priced.
Presentation a complete turn off!
1/30/2007 - Anonymous of Nova Scotia, Canada writes:
The atmosphere during the presentation was a complete turn-off. As a group, we were separated into couples and weren’t allowed to speak to other members of our group. Overall, the idea and concept may be a good one but their pressure and scare tactics really pissed us off so we didn't join... too many warning flags went up... It was impossible for us to feel good about making that big of a decision on the spot like that! If they were %100 on the up and up, they shouldn't have expected us to... Final thought: Beware!
Almost got sucked in
1/27/2007 - Stacey of Ontario, Canada writes:
My husband and I went to this home show and had an experience with the sales person. She wouldn't tell us anything except to go to a nearest showroom. That put up a few red flags there and then I came to this website and saw all the negative reviews. I thought there was something fishy about this place and the informercials are terrible as well. Sorry about everyone else's experiences but thanks for sparing mine.
Beware, you will not save money
1/26/2007 - Brandon of Nevada, USA writes:
We joined and it's a nightmare. The membership is $5000, plus $198 every year up to 10years. They do force you to either join on the spot or you will never be invited back. Our salesman told us there is no doubt we’ll save money and even showed us a catalog. But what he did not show us was their shipping charges, and the extra tax we would pay on the overpriced shipping fees. To give you an example an item weighted 32 pounds and was priced at $105. We had to pay upfront,+ $8.40 for Handling(who knows what this is) then $20.20 for shipping, after receiving the item we were sent a bill for$76.97 for addition shipping and tax on it. That makes it over $91 to ship a 32 pound item that cost only $105. They use their own trucks to ship and make you wait months before it arrives. That’s how they make their money by overcharging on shipping. Stay Away!!!
Been there...done that!
1/24/2007 - Lori of Minnesota, USA writes:
We got roped into this back in 1994 (back when it was called UCC)! We had bought our first little home, and some "friend" gave them our name. The sales presentation was compelling! There we were, broke, and we managed to work out a payment plan to pay off our $1,500 membership fee and then yearly $95 fee for the next 10 years. We never did buy ANYTHING! We needed appliances, but the showroom guy confessed that there was a local dealer which was cheaper. We needed new flooring, and, again, we were referred to someone local. I was so worried about not having it, that I paid my silly $95 a year for the next 7 years, and then I asked myself why. Sadly, I saw the commercial recently and thought "for $1,500, it might be worth it now", because we really are rennovating our whole home and actually have money that we didn't back in '94. Glad I saw this and came to my senses.
They Don't Allow You to do Your Homework
1/24/2007 - James of Texas, USA writes:
My girlfriend and I showed up at DirectBuy unscheduled towards the end of the day. They didn't quite know what to do with us. We were handed a "survey" that can only be described as insulting. "Do you want to save big money on home furnishings?" We didn't undergo their indoctrination, but ended up arguing with them before even agreeing to that. I don't tolerate evasiveness well. It was clear the place was only a showroom, as I saw no product moving. A common theme among the shills on these boards is chastisement of dissatisfied customers for not doing their homework before signing up. That's the problem! DirectBuy deprives you from doing your homework by forcing you to make a decision on the spot. I'm half tempted to show up with a few printouts of their pending lawsuit list and customer complaints. Loudly ask them to explain in their lobby full of potential victims.
Worth It If...
1/23/2007 - Cari of California, USA writes:
People should not sign up unless they are making major home renovations and/or making major furniture, kitchen, window treatment, and light fixture purchases. For us it made sense as we are renovating a home and it does save on big ticket items. For us the service has been great but getting used to the procedures and digging through and doing your own research takes a while, but worth it.
Total Scam
1/23/2007 - Margo of New York, USA writes:
At a Home Show, I stopped at the Direct Buy booth. When I asked the salesperson how Direct Buy saves money she did not want to give me any information only an appointment to visit one of their showrooms. I asked again and she averted all my questions. When I asked her if there were any membership fees that's when she raised her voice and in a very harsh tone said that she will not answer any of my questions and that if I kept insisting she will help the next person in line. It's obvious that the only way Direct Buy can get people into their showrooms is through their deceitful tactics. What was even creepier was that as I started to walk away a woman walked over to us and whispered "it's a scam, don't do it!" That's all I needed to hear.
Impossibly bad deal
1/23/2007 - William of British Columbia, Canada writes:
My friend in Kelowna had been crying the blues to me about having joined this DB, and having no idea why he joined, called everyone he could think of, with an offer of buying things for them. He wanted split the "savings" in order to recoup his ridiculous membership fee. I needed a kitchen and bathroom complete, for a reno I was doing. The first items he came to me with were a kitchen faucet $240 and double sink $340. I found the EXACT same items at [] for $489. I told him not to bother with the rest of the items on my list. Good luck saving anything at Direct bye bye.
Just got out
1/19/2007 - Jason of California, USA writes:
My wife and I decided to pull out and did so within the 3 day grace period and our money WAS refunded.The day we went to cancel we signed the form but the salesman did not give us a copy.Figuring I needed that for proof I went back in the next day and the saleman present that day had a real hard time finding our cancelation form.He finally found it after I threatened to file a police report.I can't vouch for thier service.You also have to make arrangments for all pickups yourself and it seem returning takes a long time.I mean what if your fridge goes down?You need one right away correct?You don't have time to go into Direct Buy and thumb through catalogs and wait 6-8 weeks for delivery.Best of luck with your experience,I'm glad mine is behind me.
