Real Consumer Reviews and Ratings
Direct Buy Reviews and Ratings
Consumer Ratings - Page 3 of 24
they call too much!
3/29/2008 - stephanie of Ohio, USA writes:
I did not even get a chnce to go to the center because of the agrivating calls. they wanted my husbands name and for both of us to visit not jusy me, i was the only one inerested. i told all of the consultants that kept calling the same story over and over. then they kept calling offering prizes for our visit....all women calling me of course. dont they know men do not excite easily. we women normally have to have a "conversation" with our husbands about buying expensive household items unless it's a tv or some electronics...they should be more interested in the original caller and not offer mebership until you've seen what's offered.
Thanks
3/20/2008 - Lee Brewer of AL, USA writes:
Thanks to all for this information on DB. We are remodeling and saw infomercial. I was thinking there was more to the story and there is reading some of these stories. thanks for saving me alot of trouble
DIRECT BUY SUCKS
3/19/2008 - Richard of ny, US writes:
They could have save me a lot of time by just stating the membership fees initially. I had to attend their 90 min meeting where at the end, the sales rep tells you you have to make an initial payment of $4500 and $583 annually. I tried to get gas money from the guy for wasting my time. DIRECT BUY SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!
All losses, NO Gains
3/15/2008 - helen of NY, Queens, USA writes:
Direct Buy - Queens, NY. All a scam. I am one of the many customers they fooled. I walked into the Direct Buy orientation with the hopes to save money on purchases for my newly owned apartment in Forest Hills, Queens. I was their target customer, the perfect candidate – a new home owner looking to save money on purchases for home gutting and renovation. After the 45 minutes presentation filled with lies, I was talked into paying the $4900 membership fee (in full to avoid the 17.75% interest charge) in return for hundreds and millions in savings. Little did I know, it was a one-sided deal and my hard earned money went to waste. I knew the price sounded steep but the salesmen sold me when he explained I would make up the membership fee and begin saving immediately with the amount of money I was going to spend anyway to renovate my new home. We fooled me. This is all obviously not true. Instead, I spent loads of time in their showroom shuffling through catalogues, loads of time at other stores comparing Direct Buy prices, and $4900 out the window. Nothing gained, but lost time and money. I would have lost even further if I actually made a purchase through Direct Buy. With all the time I spent in their showroom, I learned there were additional fees like shipping and handling (separate from one another) on almost each product, which are about 10% on each order by manufacturer. This means they charge you a handling fee on the form of payment you choose - 6% when you pay cash and 8% when you pay by credit card. There are hidden fees you learn once you are a Direct Buy member! I also found out there are plenty of items that are either the same price or cheaper in the most popular home improvement and appliance stores through the US, on items such as, bathroom wall tiles, floor tiles, Kohler products (toilets, sinks, & tubs), cabinets, countertops and kitchen appliances. All items needed to renovate a home. Even the kitchen measurement fee for kitchen renovation is more,$300 at Direct Buy vs. $100 at a major home improvement store, and both offer the exact same measurement guarantees. In addition, Direct Buy charges sales tax on Corian countertops while other stores don’t. On top of all this, almost all items take about 4-6 weeks for delivery. As a result of my findings, I bought all my merchandise elsewhere, not through Direct Buy. I am currently disputing my membership fee with the store owners and they are offering me 15% back for all cheaper purchases I made elsewhere. This resolution proves Direct Buy cannot guarantee cheaper prices, which is what they prove to be their product, “access to manufacturers directly to avoid retail store markups consumers would pay for”. Is 15% of my money back all I deserve? I want my fully paid membership fee back! I completed the renovation of my apartment, have no further apartment related items to purchase, and learned I never needed Direct Buy after all. I wish I was smarter and read all the previous posts on other consumers' experience with Direct Buy, to avoid all this aggravation and financial loss. With my story, I hope I save someone from making the same mistake of joining Direct Buy like I did. To all consumers – Don’t further waste a second of your time with Direct Buy, you can do all the savings yourself.
Legally Questionable Tactics
3/15/2008 - Leo of ON, Canada writes:
1. Must be a husband/wife team and no children present during the sales pitch. 2. No overnight grace period allowed to think over/discuss the upfront costs ($5500 Payable immediately). Payment is non refundable, not even partial credit would be considered. 3. Many of our questions were not answered directly, or needed "The Manager" to be present wherein we were made to feel initimidated that our questions were "silly". 4. No protection for us, no refunds, no help if were were dissatisifed with the product of choice (new kitchen items was our example) 5. Supposed to be individually owned franchise, but we would not be allowed to return to this franchise or any other DB franchise if we did not sign this very evening. In effect we would be "banned" from DB if we did not fork over the money now. (I was looking for one of them hiding a gun behind his back at this point in time) 5. Only by chance did we find out there are surcharges to every purchase that is added after product cost, shipping, handling and taxes, but the purpose of this surcharge was not clearly defined and "would average around 8 percent or so" 6. These people do not subscribe to BBB because BBB is a scam (not their exact words). 7. We were not given even one realistic example of what we might be able to save on the (fairly detailed) list of items we presented. 8. We were assured alder was an available wood from the sales rep who was with us most of the time. However the Manager was not so sure it would be available and that we should be open to consider woods of similar grain. Then the sales rep piped in with the long term problems of using alder in a kitchen enviorment - I won't even add her comments here. 9. Even if we did find our wood of choice for the cabinet front, the frames (we don't want frameless designs) and the sides may not be solid wood. I don't know for sure, just that I didn't get a comfortable answer here. 10. While waiting for the Manager, we talked to someone who appeared to be shopping there (browsing a catalog). Appearances can be deceiving; within a few minutes of conversation I determined in my own mind that he was either an employeee, or planted there for unknown reasons - but definitely not there to buy or considering to buy anything. 11. I was unprepared for the subversive hostilities when it becam apparent to them we were not going to hand over our money that evening and no we were not interested in their financing (1% better than our Visa card) I couldgo on, but I'm now thinking why add lost time to lost time and aggravation. I don't think a summary of our experience is needed here. Hopefully we can save just one couple from the waste of time we endured.
Tried it and like it
3/15/2008 - Samantha of Maryland, USA writes:
I'm a member of direct buy and love it. I just renewed my membership. I made two purchase and recouped my membership fee. I would recommend DB to family and friends.
Just be careful - Think first
3/14/2008 - Jasmine of California, USA writes:
Just bought into this on 3/13 and started to regret it as soon as I left the building. The savings are mostly in furniture and possibly in fixtures - nothing else. We didn't go in prepared, but we went in with an open mind. The presentation is like most - kind of like politicians, all promises, but not really alot to back it up. After the video presentation, they tell you to take your time with the sales person, and look around. Unfortunately the sales person doesn't let you walk around too much, immediately gets you to sit down and does the regular fast talking. It is a really good talk, and they do bring out good points. We are going to do some remodeling so we figured this would be OK. The cost for membership for the first 2 years is around $6300 - then they add about $500 in tax for a total or $6900 - you read it right, almost seven thousand dollars. We figured we would save more than that after watching their videos. Unfortunately after asking them more questions on appliances, they do not get must of a discount off of other outlets sale prices - not good for us. I quickly took a look around the place after we signed up, and found very few price books on small appliances, large appliances. After a little more observation it is clear that they are still big into the home furniture and accessories. So if you are planning to buy alot of this type of items - then it just "might" work for you. We went home and finally did our research, and thought about just how much we needed to spend to break even. After some figuring (take 30% discount as the average), then for our almost $7,000, we would of had to spend $21,000 to break even - huh, not good news. We have lived in our present house for some time now, and we haven't spent close to that much in furniture and accessories - maybe we would have been very close when we built it. So for us it would have taken more than 10 years to just break even. The yearly dues after the first 2 years is about $200.00 - so close to $1,600 over 8 years. I drew up the cancellation notice the next morning after thinking about it overnight. Signed it, put a stop at the bank of our check, delivered the cancellation notice to DirectBuy the next day. You need to be very careful when you sign, they give you 3 days to cancel, but they date the first day as the day when you sign up (we signed up at night, so we didn't even get to shop our first day!) so essentially you only have 2 days to change your mind. We tried to deliver our canceled notice to the front desk, but they wouldn't take it, they said "A manager needs to receive it to be legal". But in their 3 day cancel statement all it says is that you need to send it in by mail or telegraph or deliver it. I pointed this out, but they would not take it, even though I had witnesses there to see that it was delivered. The reason that they say this is so that the manager can come and try to convince you to not cancel (IMO) - unfortunately for the manager I was not in any mood to go through with that. We handed over all of our docs and left. You need to do the math, this may be right for a very small population of people, but for most it is not a deal. If you think hard (unfortunately they don't let you), you will understand how much you will need to buy before you break even, and how long it will take. Please do not take the financing - think, you will be going into debt @ 17% just to possibly save money - you don't want to do that - because if you do, then there goes your savings that you thought that you were going to get in the first place. Good luck, I am now $7,000 dollars wiser - not poorer.
I love Direct Buy
3/11/2008 - lisa of arkansas, United States writes:
I have never had a problem with DB. Have you been to Ashley's furniture store? I can get everything at DB half of what they sell in the store. Lawm mower 1/3 off of Wal Mart price and that included shipping & handling fee. I cant list all that i have bought from DB. I check out the items in the stores and then purchase same at DB that is how I know exactly what I am getting and how much savings.
Pretty Good
3/11/2008 - Roni of Maryland, USA writes:
Direct Buy works and is a good buy IF you are interested in HIGH END Products. I purchased new home and only wanted top quality products. I always found a huge savings on those products when compared to the prices at a department store or boutique. I did purchase a product that I could have gotten from [] and found I didn't really save and it took longer for me to get it. The only down side is that you are still purchasing from the manufacture and have no control over when you get the products, they can ask for an update, but that's it. Shipping does seem high but most times I got a refund because it is just an estimate. You do have to take a lot of time to search all the many products to make sure you get exactly what you want. The center where I am the people their are nice and willing to help if they have time. You can get just about anything from them. But just like with coupons. Just because you have the coupon, you should buy the items unless you need them. Just because something is on sale doesn't mean you should get it. I have gotten washer, dryer, granite countertops, wine cooler, convection oven hood range, family room furniture, morning room furniture, parlor furniture and love it all! Just be prepared to have a handyman on hand because unlike purchasing from a department store where they deliver and/or set up, your on your own!
For Some, Not All
3/10/2008 - KBL of Ontario, Canada writes:
I disagree with most of the complaints on here. I got a Direct Buy membership after learning about DB from a high school friend who works there. I was lucky enough to be better informed. I found out all about the one time sales pitch before hand from my friend. I strongly disagree with their sales tactics but I do see the point. My friend has related plenty of horror stories of how a visitor drives over to [] and demands a new plasma at cost right after the intro visit. Heck, he has gotten angry calls from [] about impatient members who do the same thing. The Ottawa location lost a garden supplies provider when a member took a confidential Direct Buy quote and drove over and demanded the same price so she could save delivery time. Her membership was revoked and that business dropped DB as a sales channel. She violated the rules and other members lose out (we cannot access that supplier). Yet she is probably going to be complaining on a forum like this soon. When I joined, I had him price out different items I intended to buy which allowed me gauge my potential return. Lastly, I found out that since all DB locations are franchises, each one has a different membership fee. The newest locations tended to have the lowest fees but the highest annual renewal fees. Luckily one of these new locations was in my area. So I purchased the membership for around $3500 CAD in Aug 2006. I plan on renewing at a location with a cheaper annual rate. Find a new location, and you will definitely not have to pay $6000. As for other costs…the 6-8% handling fee is not applicable on most items. I have paid shipping or handling for only about half the items I have purchased. And even then I have still found it cheaper in comparison to retail. And then there’s sales tax. I can’t see the argument of those who complain about sales tax. I would love to find a retailer that does not charge you sales tax. There’s also the comment regarding them not offering financing. I think this is a good thing. If you need financing you do not belong at DB. If you are a discipline shopper who saves up for major purchases and does not impulse buy then you are definitely a DB fit. Given today’s instant gratification society (I am only 27 myself) and the piles of credit card and other debt, I dont think DB should offer financing any time soon. I have benefited immensely from this membership. I bought a new condo and I did purchase all my furniture and appliances from Direct Buy. By my estimation, within 2 years I have recovered my fee. They had all the brands and the models, the type of furniture (a Nicoletti couch - only sold in Montreal) and rare items I could not find (an LG combo washer/dryer that was withdrawn from retail in Canada). In fact, I am always overwhelmed by the amount of choice (for example colours and materials on furniture) that I have at DB. The location I joined at, advised potential customers not to join unless they had major purchases and were likely to recover their investment. The reality of DB is that it takes some compromise and elbow grease on your part to enjoy those savings. This means you have to do the research before you buy. You have to pick up and install purchases yourself. And you have to have items you need to buy, (ie major appliances or home improvement items) or non-traditional items (like the aforementioned combo washer/dryer) that you would like to have. And you have to have major purchases to make. Unless, you are likely to purchase at least 15 000 dollars worth of merchandise in the next two years, you are unlikely to recover a satisfying portion of your membership. I think they should stress this point more. If your income is less that $60k or you have a family income less than $70k, you’re probably better off at []. In my experience (and having inside knowledge from an employee), those who complain have entirely unrealistic expectations and a poor understanding of how DB and retailers operate. The fact that many contractors themselves use DB says plenty about how cost effective they are. But there are bound to be compromises. You don’t get the brand you want sometimes (very rare in my opinion) , they don’t sell low end merchandise, you cant return anything (they are not a store with a warehouse, they are a buying club), and you have to cart it away yourself or pay for delivery. If you want to join you have to weigh these issues out. If you are choosy on brands (ie Sony is not offered but Samsung is), DON’T JOIN. If you need to visit a showroom to buy an item, DON’T JOIN (isn’t that what the internet is for?). If you need to talk to sales people (I find them annoying, useless and uninformative), and you are not an independent shopper, DON’T JOIN. If you want everything to be delivered the next day after you pay for it, DONT JOIN. If you don’t like to set up and install things yourself, DONT JOIN. And if you have no major purchases to make, really….DON’T JOIN. If you are satisfied shopping at [], DONT JOIN. Direct Buy does not carry brands that can compete on price with gypsum or particle board furniture. Lastly, your expectations have to be realistic. Electronics tend to have markups of only 15-25%. The Direct Buy price compares well on the cost price for many electronics at retailers like [] (I have a cousin who works there and I have compared prices). Occasionally, however, retailers like [] do sell below cost so it will be cheaper to shop there than DB. This is however, the exception, not the rule. With items like furniture, or home improvement and building materials there is no comparison. Italian made furniture sells for 30-40% of the retail price. Granite counters go for half the price of outside contractors with more choice of materials and finishes. Tires for my car are close to half off. On a set of winter tires, that over $600 in savings. A single purchase like that every year, could recover your membership value over time. In short, you have to have time and effort to put in, to truly materialize savings. And you have to have money to spend. DB is not meant for bargain basement shoppers. It is meant for those who are value conscious (not price conscious - there is a difference), who make informed decisions and take the long view of purchases they make (granite counters add value to your house, a new plasma tv does not). If you are not this type of person, do yourself, the staff and other members a favour, and stay out of the showroom. The rest of us have some shopping to do. ps. I posted the above comment as annonymous in various locations. I think the crap being posted about DB is entirely unfair and uninformed. The only reason I posted as annonymous is to protect info about my friend who works tehere who went to great lengths to help me decide if joining was right for me.
Good for price takers, bad for bargain hunters.
3/7/2008 - Robert of Ontario, Canada writes:
My parents have been a member of Direct Buy for nearly 10 years and keep renewing every year out of habit. Because my parents are price takers (pay full retail too often), Direct Buy has saved them a little bit of money over the years (despite the hefty membership and annual fees). On the other hand, ; for people who don't mind waiting for sales, negotiating with salespeople, and searching the internet for the best possible prices, any Direct Buy savings (if any) do not justify the initial cost or annual fees. Over the years my parents have used Direct Buy to save money on hardwood strip flooring, numerous posh leather couches and furniture items (half MSRP), a new car (through a referral to a car negotiator), some appliances, some electronics items, and hopefully a hot tub in the future (half MSRP). And while my parents were going through the hassle of driving 30 minutes to place the order at a showroom, waiting months for it to show up at the showroom, and driving another 30 minutes to pick it up, I have been scoring similar deals through research and negotiation, and getting the things I want in less time. Although I have been able to order things through my parents, I have only used Direct Buy twice; I either found a better price somewhere else, or wasn't willing go through the hassle and wait involved in direct buy purchases. It is also worth noting that the 2 purchases that I made were 8 years ago when Canadian internet retailers thought that charging retail prices plus shipping and handling was a good marketing strategy (and US retailers thought that Canadians were willing to pay twice the item cost in shipping and handling). Here are some tips for consumers: If you're going to buy a new car, get the dealer cost from an internet service (ex. car cost canada), add a fair markup and go into a dealership and tell them what you are willing to pay. Recently I bought a Toyota Matrix, asked for a price that was 4.5 percent above dealer cost, and wound up getting it 7.5 percent above dealer cost. This saved me more than 2 grand with very little hassle. I probably could have got a better deal if I went to a dealership out of the city. For furniture and appliances, stores like the Brick (Canadian) have sales all the time where particular items go on sale for up to 50 percent off. If you're planning on moving to a new home in the future, you can put a refundable deposit of 100 dollars on these items to lock the price in for the later date (and reclaim your deposit if you change your mind later). If you can't wait for sales, you can always negotiate; be stubborn and you will get the best possible price management is willing to give. Finally, if you belong to a union or other organization, your organization may have agreements with particular retailers. Recently I got 40 percent off a couch through my union. For electronics, any retail sale will wipe away Direct Buy savings (in most cases). I got my surround sound savings through direct buy at half the cost of retail here in Canada (MSRP) but I was able to find the exact same thing at a comparable price over the internet in the US. Here my 2 cents. Hope it helps.
DB Owner thank you for calling
3/5/2008 - Bonnie of California, USA writes:
UPDATE: Update: As of 03/04/08 after I left the review, I called Mike again and was informed that there are two mikes so I left a message on the owners voicemail and called back to get transferred to the manager mike and he picked up the phone and when I asked why my check got deposited he responded that they deposited the check in error and that they did received my cancellation. He apologized and stated that they will be sending the check out today. Meanwhile, an important check bounced and fees were charged to my account so I spent a good part of my work day making calls to get it resolved.) Mistakes get made its how you handle them that makes all the difference. On 03/05/08, I received a call from owner mike who apologized for what happened and proceeded to explain that there were no hidden charges and that the charges were discussed in the video. I proceeded to tell him that we were the last group of the day and maybe somethings got missed by us not asking the approperiate questions or the fees not being properly explained. Confirmed that we didnt really know about the added fee on top of the S&H, which he explained that it was not an added fee and offered for us to come back and speak with him. However, He said the check will be available if we want to pick it up or have it mailed. I proceed to tell him that if are calls were returned in the beginning then we would of just thought all of this was a mistake and then proceed to call to get it corrected, but us as customers not getting return calls and then a check gets deposited that was not suppose to, we thought we were getting ripped off as any customer would. He replied that he was not sure why no one returned our call and he will check into it. He appologized again for what happened and asked was there anything else and I just said no and we hung up. Thank you DB owner for making it right and hope that in the future this wont happen again. I think "Good Customer service is the the key to running an excellent buisness and also to prevent bad reviews." As for my overall rating on the products I dont know as I never used them. This rating is based on customer service.
Continued...More than a Million Stores vs 158
3/4/2008 - John of MA, USA writes:
You know, at my club in Rockland, MA, I learned alot. First of all, you don't get a flawless BBB (Better Business Beureu) Ratings of Perfect unless you are just that...not just for one year, but for more than 3 Torch award recomendations. Thats nine years of no complaints and thousands of customers who are happy over 20 years. Yes, there is a fee...did you think they are like the Church...oh wait even the Church makes money. They just dont make any money on your purchses. Period. Yes, there is a shipping fee, duh, did you think cost includes shipping? Did you ever think of a store owner not paying for shipping? You become the store owner and incur the same costs...like shipping, but no overhead and no need to make a relationship with more than 700 brand names. Did you ever think it was easy for them (directbuy) to cultivate a relationship with so many (700) brand names? Stop and think about how much research they must have done before letting people, namely members, see cost for items evryday? And what of their policy of "Scaming" to make you make a decision. Lets see, if you give them the membership money a day latter after the tour, they will refuse it. Why? Why would anyone business refuse the money...if it weren't really a policy made by the manufacturers, they dictate that policy. The policy protects brand names, not guests who may or may not disrupt the retail and DirectBuy world. Members protect themselves and their investment. They would never ever divulge or disrupt the retail world. Bottom line, only 158 stores for DirectBuy, millions of members. There are millions of retail stores. And only 300 complaints on line complete. That, my firends, is insignificant. And if you think that a fraction of those 'complaints' aren't even members. Curious. Very curious. I say, decide for yourself, and if you need to, read my comment again. Then, think of 158 centers, they are all, all individually owned. Some great, like mine in Rockland, and some not so much. Bottom line, cost is cost, and unbiased opinions are people who know better. Guess who might be telling lies..can you say retailers or maybe slighted salespeople out the commisions of the vendors? Peace and decide with your brain, not the escalading repeated slander angainst such a great and old company. 36 Years people. Facts are facts. Highly Recommended...see for yourself and listening to hurt retailers or salesman.
DB Give us our money back!!!!
3/4/2008 - Bonnie of California, USA writes:
we purchased a membership at the Rocklin,CA location and then found out that there were hidden fees that they charge on purchases made through them. Of course they do not tell you in the presentation. So we cancelled on 02/26/08 by mail and also made three attempts to get a hold of someone to cancel our membership. We were told that Mike the one in charge was out sick and he is the only one we could cancel through(convient dont you think.) So my Husband called the next day and was told the samething. So he left voicemail after voicemail and requested that Mike call us back. As of today 03/04/08 we still have not gotten a call back from him (Gee he must be still sick, right?) We checked our account everyday to ensure that the check was not going through. But when checking our account today they went ahead and deposited our check for $5998.00. So again we called but the voicemail states that they are not open until 12:30PM. So I called our bank and filed a fraud case as they were not authorized to deposit a check on a cancelled membership. I will again call today to see if he is still sick!!! LOL Very poor customer service, dont return phone calls and they take your money!!!! Gee not the company for us. I will be calling channel 13 news if this does not get resolved. So if anyone else has had this happen please call channel 13 news so we can get this resolved. Be Warned never to make a decision on a big purchase without being able to use the services. As stated before it is not a secret, it is a sales tactic. Dont be fooled!!!!!! Be Smart!!!!!
Don't Waste Your Time
3/3/2008 - Aaron of New York, USA writes:
After seeing the infomercial for Direct Buy, I decided to contact them. I was told on the phone that both my wife and I must attend, and no children can attend. Ok, so I made an appt for a Satuday and both of us attended. WHEW! Upon arriving, we were pleasently greeted by the receptionist who then introduced us to our tour guide. After a bunch of idle chatter about our kids, family, etc we were given a binder containing several of Direct Buys "Directions" magazines to thumb through. Ok, while some of the prices on items appeared lower than I could buy from retail stores must were not lower. And if you ask, you will find that you must pay shipping, tax and an 8% fee (which includes the total of the item, shipping & tax) for everything you order. So, this results in many items now costing even more than one would pay from any other retail store. We were then ushered into a room by the Manager and given another speech and video presentation lasting approx 45 minutes. At the end of the presentation we are then informed that to join Direct Buy we would have to pay $4800 for the 1st 3 years and then $190 for each year after that up to 10 years. Hum, that seemed like a lot of money and that would certainly negate any potential savings we might have gotten by ordering through Direct Buy. The real kicker is we were then told that we MUST make a decision to join prior to exiting or we will not be allowed to join! Now come on, anytime there is a contract involved, isn't it smart to read it carefully, ask any questions or even have it reviewed by a legal professional if you aren't sure about the wording? Direct Buy does not allow for that. The bottom line is, if Direct Buy could truly save a person as much as the claim they would ask people to make a list of any big ticket items they plan on purchasing along with what there prices are in area stores and THEN compare Apples to Apples when you arrive showing a person 1st hand how much one would save by using Direct Buy. However, Direct Buy doesn't allow for this and gives the lame excuse that this would "anger" the retail stores, etc. Needless to say we did not join Direct Buy and as soon as we said no, we were immediately ushered out of the building. Direct Buy certainly wasn't for us. Asking someone to pay $4800 or take out a "payment plan" without allowing them to think about it, review the contract, etc. is just bad business!
May be a good deal, but NO trial membership!
3/2/2008 - Anonymous of Pennsylvania, USA writes:
I have spent hours reading through hundreds of the negative and positive complaints/accolades here and in the sister infomercial site, and here is my feedback to folks looking for input. Firstly, we all agree that the whole sales process is hokey, full of half truths, harassing phone calls, and the like, and wasting some of your time. My take on this is that Sales is sales; don't complain about the process but rather determine is this going to save you time/$/hassle overall or not, that's all that matters in the end. Otherwise you could allow a decent deal to slip by because you were "bothered" by the process. That said, what really only matters are what members think - the opinions of NON members like myself really should count a lot less than members! (but please read on ...) Summarizing what I have read on these forums, the types of members are: 1) those who have taken advantage of purchasing a decent quantity paying for the membership in a reasonable amount of time - and dealing with the headaches and work associated with the process. Good for you people - you got it to work for yourselves and so the risk worked out. 2) those who have had back luck with the purchases that they have done, feel that the selection is limited for their situation, and they haven’t used the service enough to recoup the costs 3) those who are flat-out bitter that nothing has worked out for them, didn't realize the savings would not be as much as they had been led to believe (and they were led, we were all led, lets not make any mistake about it or offer excuses to DB Sales associates), find it difficult to order and find what they want, and they were probably not a good fit for the product. Personally had I signed up for the service, I have the potential to fit somewhere between the first and second category, mostly because I have a kitchen remodeling project that I know that we will do SOON that will cost tens of thousands, and few if any large purchases besides that for years to come (yes I am being realistic about that). The dilemma that I or any prospective member has is determining in advance, will THIS PRODUCT WORK FOR MY PERSONAL SITUATION. This is a dilemma because they do NOT offer a try and buy, so, you can't spend the time to work through the details of a large project like a kitchen to make an educated decision as to whether it will truly save you money or not (assuming no major hiccups in the process – mis-ordered product, mistake by their designers, etc. that turns out to not be your fault but which blame is associated to you). You see, the problem is that YOU HAVE NO RECOURSE to get your money back IF IT TURNS OUT that it is NOT a good deal for you, not even a partial refund if, say, you purchased a single product or no product at all (but just priced stuff out). This could be especially burning if it turns out to not be "your fault" for it not working out. Remember, they are NOT, I repeat, NOT EVER going to refund your membership (beyond the 3-day cool off period - thank God for that) under ANY circumstances because at the minimum they can always easily prove (in court) that they uphold their claims, even if what you get is a lot less than you expected - it's too gray of an area. I think that that is what people fail to realize when signing up for something like this - and in too many cases, like mine, I SIMPLY COULD NOT BE CONFIDENT IN ADVANCE that it would work to my advantage even if I did everything "right". So, even with all the negativity in these forums, I HOLD A NEUTRAL STANCE towards the product because I am locked out of trying it b/c of the risk of it not working out and no recourse if it does not. Finally I want to add, the fact that they do not offer try and buy (as discussed above) is, in my opinion, a bunch of bull. Think about it, millions of members have access to this information, and so really it is not such valuable information that they would like you to believe. Sure they have these stated rules about not divulging prices, but with millions of people having access, in addition to millions of people in the retail industry who know the numbers for their specific markets, there really is no secret information. The FACT that we all know that retailers mark up items 15 - 50% is a FACT that many of us already knew before meeting DB, and certainly know now. But who cares, who really cares, I don't. The retailers are not bad guys - they are only trying to be profitable as companies, there is nothing more American than that. Does it really matter if I know how much a particular retailer MIGHT (and I say MIGHT because they all get different deals from the manufacturer based on various criteria) pay for an item? What am I as a consumer going to do with that information anyway? I’ll tell you - absolutely nothing! I have no bargaining power with the retailers anyway - this is not some third world country where we barter for goods in the market - the price at a retail store, for the most part, is the price, sale or not, and in cases where negotiation occurs is relatively unaffected by whether I know how much they paid for the item or not anyway. My conclusion is that I believe that this policy is really DBs policy, not the policy of the manufacturers, imposed on DB members to ensure that they don’t lose huge numbers of new members who quickly decide for whatever reason it is not for them. But, again, this point is just my opinion. In closing, I re-iterate my main point that there is no try and buy, so if it doesn’t work out for you, and DB holds loosely enough to its claims that you have no lawful claim against them, then it's your loss, period. You have been warned - maybe the risk is worth it to you. I would only participate if it was a clear slam dunk that I was going to be furnishing and/or remodeling "significantly" (you'll have to determine the definition of significantly). Best of luck.
Not worth the membership!
2/28/2008 - Jay of California, USA writes:
I am a DB member and to tell you the truth...the fee is not worth the membership! We did the remodeling thing and we thought joining was going to help us SAVE big $$$$ --- NOT! They always say "apples to apples" but when we remodeled the "apples" we got were much more nicer. Upgraded wood choice (same as their #7); glazing and stain color upgrades. We even got design carvings on a couple of our kitchen cabinets w/glass. We have corbals for our island. Our kitchen we have now is U-shape in desgin with an island in maple w/glazings. Diect Buy had priced us for an L-shape with no island. DB explained the cabinet doors are oak, pine, birch, maple, cherry (whatever you decide on) but the frames of the cabinet are made of plywood. They tell you that other stores just use partical board and plywood is an upgrade and it would cost you a pretty penney for ALL wood frame cabinets. Not true. I found a company that make solid mohagany kitchen cabinets for $25,000.(above average size kitchen). It's the kind you see in magazines - GORGEOUS! Our budget was for $18K. Now that I think about it, the $$$$$ we paid for DB could have gone to the mahogany cabinetry. We thought we would be saving when we joined. Our decorative tile for the kitchen backsplash usually costs about $13 -17 a piece I got for only $3.50 each piece and paid only $5 for shipping. My contractor flipped when I told him the price. The deco tiles weren't "apple to apples" but HECKA NICER! They're metal with crytal glass inserts in the center (your choice of color). We also bought a tankless water heater and found out our neighborhood furnace shop sells it just for $89.00 more and they had dozens in stock for immediate purchase. Our order took 3 weeks longer to come in and had surface damage so DB took off $100 off the price we paid. Toto toilets were installed in our remodeling and we paid the same exact price DB was charging without handling fees. This showroom asked us how much the "other" seller's price and they matched it. The bath showroom did not know it was DB. Toilets came in 2 weeks. Our porcelin tiles are from a well known company and also an upgrade tile. It was purchased for $1.?? less than DB prices. The tiles arrived in 3 business days. Don't forget you have to pay shipping and handling with DB and wait 4 - 8 weeks for delivery. Our hardwood floors are handscraped bamboo purchased and received in 4 business days. Delivery costs an extra $20 to your door. Our contractor had a truck to pick up order. Our kitchen hardware same price but we paid $2 less each and were in stock at the store we purchased them in.(we got lucky). Our 16 jet jacuzzi was the same price at DB but we bought in an actual bath showroom. This was pleasant since the showroom rep answered every question we had about the products we ordered including the bidet we had installed. The steam shower we purchased online - paid no tax and it was free shipping. Most of our fixtures like faucets and towel warmers were ordered online with no tax and free shipping (arrived within 2 weeks tops)which is a few $$ less compared to DB prices. Our burgandy square marble vessel sink in the guest bathroom including the cabinet only cost $900 including tax no shipping and paid cash for that. Our kitchen appliances, I think we saved at the most $1200 but how do I recoup $4000K membership fee to justify the savings (what savings?)?? You don't! I mean...I don't. I know I'll never make up the difference. I have purchased many upscale items from cookware to cutlery to luggage that DB sells and online stores are only a couple of $$ more with bonus gifts, no tax, and free shipping! That is something Direct Buy can't top! I also noticed the price comparison they give is the price when that item FIRST comes out. DB never compares their price with current market price. Currant market price is usually 20-40% off retail prices. If you're fortunate to find a reputable retail store online, you can really save BIG $$$ Don't look to DB when it comes to savings. The staff has no knowlege whatsoever on the merchandise they supposedly represent. Well maybe the kitchen disigner staff knows their stuff but all the others just place orders and help locate catalog books. If I could turn back time, I would have never joined DB. I do admit that the presentation we went to was well "acted"...naah...I was just stupid to believe this company was caring enough to want to help people save money. They don't. You know what they say, what comes around, goes around. Eventually this company will be exposed. Do you have a NEGATIVE 5 STAR? That is the grade I would like to give them.
biggest scam of all times
2/27/2008 - eileen of Texas, USA writes:
in oct of 07 bought membership at 4500.00.we were buying 6 rooms of furniture for our new house. with all the fees ect i could buy locally at only $300. more. local the obvious choice if product problem arose. this was an expensive lesson. never trust a scam artist.recoup our money?HA!!!
DirectBuy - ByeBye
2/26/2008 - Greg of California, USA writes:
Wife and I attended and signed up ($5998 for first two years in Rocklin - each franchise sets their own membership fee). CA allows a 3 day cooling off period so we had an opportunity to verify the claims. I put together a misc list of electronics, floor coverings, furniture and appliances on Yahoo shopping and BizRate. We are planning a renovation of 2,400 sqft with a 400 sqft addition. No small job and far surpasses what DB promotes as spending that would save you far more than your membership. I was able to match most model numbers exactly. Electronics were $100 cheaper to $200 more expensive. Appliances were lower to mid-range of pricing. Flooring and furniture was not easily matched but appeared competitive with internet pricing (some a little more and some a little less). Also, DB claims to the contrary, there are many brands and models they do not carry and notes in the binders specified that many models have limited quantities available. The decision was easy. If in less then two hours of searching I can put together over 40 items that meet or beat DB prices why would I invest $6,000 to look at a catalog with no technical experts to support me and limited to only DB suppliers. My comparison did not include the 8% handling fee DB charges on many items (in addition to sales tax and shipping). As my wife and I were waiting to cancel our membership a couple in front of us were lamenting that the whole line of Kohler they wanted disappeared overnight and that the kitchen appliance set they wanted was not available as DB only carried some of the line not the full set. The customer "service" rep's response was "well at least you found out before you ordered it. Otherwise you would have received an order cancellation notice and had to come in and order something else." Can't tell you how happy we are that we made sure we verified before the 3-day cooling off period had expired. The first thing they checked when we said we wanted to cancel was the date on the contract. Also note: Design services are free for two revisions then a flat fee of $250 per revision. Most items must be picked up at the DB location. The warranty nothing. You must work with the manufacturer. There are no cancellations of orders even if the price or shipping costs increase over the estimate by up to $100 or 10% of the product's price. There are no returns once you accept (pick up) the merchandise. Our closer told us they were just purchased by a Disney company - so expect great things. However, I don't think I need to spend $6,000 to get the opportunity to purchase a discount cruise. The money in this one is definitely in owning the franchise. Membership fees have increased about 500% this decade. Their slogan should be "How much will people pay to perceive they are getting value".
Not For Me
2/26/2008 - Danielle of Ontario, Canada writes:
I had seen the commercials on the television (i am a younger stay at home mother (age 27) of 4 young boys two sets of twins actully)and my husband is a lawyer in Toronto, We had just purchased a new home and being pregnant again this time with a girl i had some new things that needed to be bought as well as some appliances for our new home. I called and made an appointment and let them me know that my husband was very busy with work and that i was pregnant with 4 young children, she said that they didn't allow children for this presentation but if I was a member there would be no problem with bringing them with me to shop and that my husband MUST come with me to presentation (which is fine for me he makes most financial decisions anyways but i can see why people may be offended by this)we could not get a sitter and called to let them know this, she said if we MUST bring them to come on a saturday and thats just what we did, we came in and gave them our information everyone commented on how cute the boys were and how they were sets of twins ... i always get comments on this but it seemed so fake ... anyways that is neither here nor there ... the boys were brought into a play room and watched disney movies and played with toys while my husabnd and I was lead around the showroom asked questions, he did not want to tell them he was a lawyer so he simply said that he is in business I said i was a stay at home mom and had been for 4 years now, they gave us some history of the company thn we were brought into a theatre style room to watch a video, my youngest set of boys came in looking for their dad (as weekends are family time for the 6 of us) the employees seemed really upset and asked me to step outside to speak to the children, i asked the gentleman how long it would be and he was another 20 mins or so so i brought them back to the play room and told them that we would be done soon and to play quietly with the older boys (i can no understand why you cannot be young children atleast very short attention span, atleast with my boys) i went back in and finished the video they began asking questions and writing on a whiteboard, finally they let out the big secret that it would cost $5,200.00 for 2 years to join and we could renew for 8 more years at around $200.00 per year. I could just not see myself using the service to get my money back AND save anything, i was pregnant and would have a newborn in a couple months and had 4 young boys i would be respoinsble to shop as my husband works a lot and the location seemed to be out of our way. I am also and instant gratification person and when i buy something i would like it then, I oould not wait 8 weeks for a baby crib, my baby could be born early as my other children were and then were am I ? without a crib (i sold my other furntiure as i had no plans to have another baby i didn't want to risk twins again my husband says i do everything the hard way haha)I thanks the lady for her time but said i was not interestedshe asked why and I explained i did not mind paying a little mark up (i am always looking for sales hardly ever play full price on ANYTHING) especially to get the product then, plus after shipping and handling and freight costs i just didnt see it benefiting, she said to me if i had money to throw away to the retailers then i should just BUY the membership, my husband got quite upset at the comment and stood up told the lady thank you for her time but we were leaving, she said no problem and brought back an owner of the company who was also a mother and had a baby with her i rolled my eyes and KNEW what was coming she started talking about my beautiful family and asked about our new baby i explained to her that it was not for me and i did most of the shopping see seemed to understand that having children on her own but mentioned it was easyier then dragging them through a store, she then said that she was sorry we were doomed to the "retailer world" forever and we could not come back, i thanked her got my boys and left with my husband, not for me, could be for you though.
