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linked from Cagey Consumer Highlights 

• "DirectBuy ... does NOT add on ANY retail markup. (capitalized exactly as shown on http://directbuy.com)
  • contradicted by statements that DirectBuy adds on a percentage handling fee to each order
• "You are welcome to bring in any price for us to compare for you"
  • contradicted by numerous reports that product or pricing comparisons at the Open House were not available
• "Anyone who attends an open house is able to ... ask any question they want before deciding on membership"
  • conradicted by 5/2008 Courant (CT) article stating "[I was] told ... bluntly not to ask any more questions"
• "The only pressure people feel about the whole process is the pressure they put on them self."
  • contradicted by DirectBuy policy that one must make a decision on the date of (before leaving?) the Open House and cannot attend another Open House for 7 years
• "If you want to buy at cost or learn how you are able to buy at cost, go check us out."
  • DirectBuy does not guarantee in its contract that members can buy "at cost", and members are not in fact able to buy at cost, even after ignoring the initiation fee
• "... you don't have to pay the [initiation] fees upfront ... "
  • While one may not have to have the cash on hand to pay these initiation fees, one becomes obligated for the full amount, whether one is paying in cash or taking out a loan to make the payment. And DirectBuy has filed numerous lawsuits to enforce these agreements.
• "Direct Buy does not have sales people other than to sell memberships. The Customer Service Reps are there to process orders ..."
  • This was in response to a comment that "[the] sales people are virtually useless and do nothing except put your order in", which was presumably intending to refer to the customer service reps. Yet numerous comments on the directbuycares.com site claim that the staff is "knowledgeable". The issue raised by the original comment is unaddressed.
• "DB Vancouver and DB Greater Vancouver, both of which give members the manufacturer rebates." ( http://discuss.50plus.com/ipb/index.php?s=9ba88781d363b2c7c6aec2a6d9a8d19c&showtopic=13127&st=0 )
  • Not sure whether this refers to rebates that are normally offered to consumers, or the rebates offered to retailers and distributors. Such a comment isn't particularly useful within the forum if it's not known whether it is limited to just specific DirectBuy franchisees.
• In February 2008 DirectBuy's Ohio locations agreed to include a 3-day right-to-cancel in all future contracts, following a complaint from the Ohio Attorney General's office.( http://www.ag.state.oh.us/press/08/02/pr080213.asp )
  • However, DirectBuy already had a 3-day cancellation policy in place, according to a statement by DirectBuy's vice president in May 2007. ( http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13332558/detail.html )
• "Their income is totally dependant [sic] on your membership fee. ... They make not one cent off of your purchase." (rebuttal by Lisa on http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0204717.htm )
  • contradicted by policy that a handling fee may be added to purchases
  • contradicted by class action against DirectBuy based on manufacturer rebates made to DirectBuy

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