The comments on this page were originally posted on InfomercialScams.com. Copyright © 2007 Infomercial Scams. They are republished here without permission in accordance with the Fair Use Doctrine. See InfomercialScams Comments Fair Use Claim
3/16/2007 - Denise writes:
I joined Direct Buy in NJ in the fall of 2005, because I had priced furniture in stores, and found that I thought I could save alot. I did save a little, but they messed up 3 of my 4 orders (and the one that didn't mess up was actually thru a vendor and not them directly). My furniture arrived 6 months late, and broken. Some items that came were actually the wrong items. I had numerous wasted trips to the showroom, and they wouldnt let my husband in, even though according to the contract, my spouse was automatically a member. They were taking payments from my debit card, and I had to have my card canceled by the bank for other reasons. Direct Buy called me to get new payment info, and I gave it to them, but they are so inept at their jobs and so unorganized, that they somehow STILL called me to give them new credit card number. It was at that point that I emailed them, told them that I did already give them payment information and that I am a professional person myself owning many businesss, and if I ever had such incompetent employees like they did, it would cost me a lot of money and I would have fired them. I told them that I would surely tell people how dissatisfied I was with their lack of service and unprofessionalism - I never heard from them again.
3/15/2007 - Judy writes:
I joined Direct Buy in 2005. As others have confirmed, the pressure was intense to join as if you didn't you were never allowed to return to the showroom.You must shop elsewhere to find out what the the bottom line prices truly will be. I am building a house and Direct Buy cannot match or beat the prices that the builder can supply the materials for. After adding the 8% handling charge and the shipping charges, there are little or no savings on many items. Everything must be paid for upfront.You have to wait for arrival at the showroom and come back again to pick up the order. The staff is minimally helpful and I agree with those that want to jump up and tell perspective members "run,do not walk out the door and do not join this club"! You have to do a whole lot of shopping to ever recoup the membership fee and then even more to realize any savings. I am a shopper and this club does not save you money. Save the membership fee and put it toward buying the things you want to buy.
3/8/2007 - Nancy and Steve writes:
we went to the open house tonight in Mountain View Ca. -to join here in california is 6490.00 for 3 years and 169.00 every year after. They will not give you any information, they wont let you look at anything or find out how much you'll actually save. They wont tell you the finance charge unless you ask 20 times (17.7%). They asked several times if we wanted to walk around and talk to the "members" shopping there (they're not members shopping by the way, they are actors in on the scheme)-but they wont let you walk around on your own to look at anything or touch anything or handle any catalogs to just see what's in them. Also, they made it sound like the membership is for married couples and families only???? they asked me a couple times on the phone before we went about our personal relationship. they told us if we left without joining we could NEVER come back. we didn't join, but feel for all of you that have been scammed. This is an evil company and hope those of you who persue legal action against them have some luck in stopping them and businesses like them.
3/7/2007 - Scott writes:
I joined DirectBuy on 03/01/2007. I wanted to purchase items direct from the manufacturer as they promised. What turned me off about DirectBuy was their contract. It is very binding and if you are NOT satisfied with the performance of the company you cannot get out of the contract. Not good by any measure... I wanted to look at their catalogs for kitchen cabinets but there were none. I was told that I had to use there designer and pay $300 up front for their services even though I didn't need a designer. Why couldn't I be allowed to browse through the manufactures catalogs like they promised, review the prices and come to my own conclusion regarding the BIG savings? I then went home and researched the company on the internet and found far too many complaints to suit me. I canceled the contract the next day. They did refund me the down payment as California law has a "3 day cooling-off period" in which you can cancel this kind of contract but you do have to act quickly. IMHO, if DirectBuy has a good thing to offer they can work with their customers to ensure that they get value for being a member and if that cannot be achieved then they can let then out of the contract. Even happy ex-members are good for business in the long term.
3/5/2007 - John writes:
As a Disabled Veteran with a wife and 4 chidren, I have never in my entire 45 years felt so taken advantage of. Direct Buy of Toledo, Ohio. How could you? I wonder how the franchise owner, Ms. Miller can look herself in the mirror and sleep nights! I have read many of the other complaints and they all have the same reocurring theme... misdirection, half truths, coersion, bait and switch , disinformation, and greedy, sales reps, trying to get another sucker to sign on the dotted line! I will not rest until all my fellow Veterans, Family, Friends, and anyone that will listen hears of How this so called Direct Buy Takes unfair advantge of any who may venture near, Buyers Beware...SGT.DAVPRM/U.S.A.
3/4/2007 - Kathleen writes:
Like everyone else, we were so curious about DB and saving $$ always sounds great to us. So we went to the show room (by appt only) Here we were taken in by groups. Both spouses had to be present ( so you wouldn't leave and say "I have to talk it over with my spouse") They gave a 2hr sales pitch...I couldn't wait to leave!! Then they put pressure on us to purchase...saying that we would have to decide right now or forfiet ever becoming a member. Thank God we made the right decision and walked out. On the way out I mentioned to the next herd of "suckers", It would be a 2hr presentation and $5000 later. I could only hear the crowd go off as I walked away. I probably saved some of them. I later got home and did some research on this web site. I am now very pleased with our decision, thanks to the complaints of these people who were taken in by DB. You have reinforced our decision not to purchase. We did do some questioning about our decision while driving home, and now can say we too could have been suckered in by the thought of saving tons of cash. You must be a savy person and ask so many questions like we did. And ever, if anyone tells you to make a decision now or never, remember take the never road, because it will always be the right one. Thank You all!!! And always remember...BUYER BEWARE!!!!!
3/4/2007 - Vanessa writes:
I went to an "Open House" in one of the DB stores in Massachusetts. I was expecting a short tour through a showroom, where I could see and touch product they sell. Instead, I was ushered into a small room with a dozen other people, and kept captive for an HOUR, listening to a slimey, hard-sell salespitch that was ridiculous. When they told me I had to give them $5K then and there, I said "no thanks". The salesman then got out a sheet of paper (a black and white xerox that was crumpled and old) that "outlined" the savings I would make on kitchen cabinets. I started asking questions like "what brand of cabinets do you carry? Can I see them please?" They gave me another song-and-dance, about how that showroom was occupied at the moment, and the salesman who could answer my questions wasn't there at the moment, yada-yada. Long story short---Direct Buy is like a really bad timeshare scam. Do NOT waste your time!
3/4/2007 - Amy writes:
We saw DirectBuy advertised in the newspaper repeatedly. We are planning to redo our kitchen and called the number. I was suspicious that they would not give us any information about the price over the phone. Then when we got there, we were told that if we went into the presentation and decided not to join, we would not be allowed back for seven years. My husband had prices for specific cabinets. They would not let him look through the Kraftmaid catalogs to find the prices for those cabinets. They showed us what I believe was bogus paperwork of cabinets that retailed for one price but were supposedly much lower at directbuy. It was just a handwritten form. They didn't show us the real items in any book to see if what they were saying was true. I even asked for the membership price before going into the presentation. They refused to tell us. We watched the presentation and then were told that it was $4500 for three years and about $200 per year for years 3 to 10. We had to decide that day. My feeling was that if it was really a reputable company, they would have let us go home and think about it. Go get other prices and then come in to see their prices to see if it was worth joining. Or they would have really let us look at their prices. Only my son got a chance to look at price books and he said that prices were very high for the items he looked at. I would recommend that the husband and wife owners at the Hauppauge NY location use some of their ripoff money for teeth whitening (him) and a nose job (her).
3/4/2007 - Jodi writes:
We purchased a Direct Buy membership in Decemer 06 and we are really regretting it now. We are finding that the only think to possibly save money on is furnitnure items and maybe other remodeling stuff. But even then with the time you have to wait and adding in the shipping and taxes it would cost as much or maybe a little more to buy with them! We also can't afford to purchase a lot at a time, yet anything we get we have to pay it all up front. Many stores around offer 0% and no payments for a year or so which we really like. We are looking for any help in getting out of this contract which the outlook looks bleak, but we would like to join the cause with Bob who wrote in February. We really hate being ripped off and having to pay this large amount of money for bad service and no savings.
3/1/2007 - Hector writes:
STOP!!!! Do Not Purchase A Membership!!!! Direct Buy is the worse thing ever. I have no idea how they can get away with ripping so many people off (ME INCLUDED!!!). They lure you by giving you this pretty presentation and tell you how much you will save, then they make you decide that day. I have to say that I've made pretty good decisions in the past, however they got me on this one. The items that they have are extremely expensive and in reality you will only end up spending more money. Don't throw away your money!!!!
2/26/2007 - Lani writes:
I am so mad at Directbuy. It is a huge rip off. They wanted $5000 for the first year from us. I get at least 4 calls a day from them trying to get us in the Lewisville, TX showroom. I have a child under 18. They have made it very clear how "disruptive" kids can be. I found this to be an odd and bold statement to be made over the phone by a sales rep. I have recvd. 5 calls today from a male trying to get me to come in. The last call came at 8:55pm tonight!! Late huh. He actually yelled at me, when I said "hello" 3 times before he answered. I told him in a very stern voice I was not interested in they services. He screams back at me, "Well, then we do not want you!!!!!!!!!!!" WOW, I can not believe the lack of customer service for these people. They are worse than a bill collector, and it makes me very, very happy we have saved our money.
2/25/2007 - Rocky writes:
I do not recommend this company to anyone. It is a scam. My husband and I joined in 2003 (I think it was $3600 to join and haven't bought a stick of furniture from Direct Buy yet. If you really want a laugh try getting prices of an item off their web-site, it is so confusing just to navigate their site that I just gave up. Going to the actual site isn't any better. The reps aren't really helpful,almost to the point you feel as if you're bothering them. I have found many pieces of furniture and other items a lot cheaper "outside". I will probably just take this as a lesson learned, and not try to purchase anything from them, after also hearing the horror stories about the extra shipping & handling charges and other excess fees, plus the long waiting time just to get your items. If anyone wants to start a lawsuit, I'm in, because we'd like to get our hard earned money back. I will keep coming back to this web-site to get contact info from anyone of you out there who is brave enough and angry enough to carry this out.
2/25/2007 - Bob writes:
I don't need to tell anyone here on this site about Direct Buy. It is a scam, and just wanting everyone to know who is interested, we are going public with our complaints regarding Direct Buy for a refund. Anyone who would like to join our fight can contact us. []
2/24/2007 - Marie writes:
My husband and I so want to kick each other up the but, for being such fools we are new members of direct buy my first payment start on march 25/o7. We went in to direct buy just for a bedroom set for my 4years old child, not knowing we would end up spending 52hundred dollars first before we can purchase a simple childs set. I AM so mad with myself that i cannot even mention the name directbuy in my house my husband gets so mad. We felt as if we were joining a cult,we have to make the decision right there infront of the person we were dealing with or we could not come back, how do i get out of this contract right now i cant even buy anything yet so my childs room is still in disaray and no furniture is in it. We really need out of this contract, We pay them 650up front and now we have to pay a finance company almost 49hunderd dollars over a two year period for 3 years of membership these people are so not cheap we are comparing prices and others on the outside are selling things cheaper than this place we are so mad with them right now that my typing and sentence form suck sorry, please let me know how i can get out of this financial hell hole that my husband and i put our selves in thank you guys.
2/24/2007 - James writes:
I wish I had read a few of these HORROR STORIES before I purchased a membership in Aug of 06. (It felt like I was buying a used car). I have purchased a few items from DirectBuy . Only a couple came on time. The diningroom table and chairs came in to the Albuquerque location. Then had to pay shipping to my home in Lubbock, Tx., (0ver $200.00 additional shipping costs). The top of the table was damaged (assembly required) and they'er replacing the table. But to get this was like pulling teeth. They say they can't ship to you, that you have to pick the items up at the store, because they want to check out the items to make sure that they are in good condition. then WHY did I recieve a table that was damaged at the factory???? Many of the items cost about the same as from other retailers or a little below, but after shipping and other addon fees and the time it takes to recieve your goods, you should have purchased them elsewhere. I live in California now but moving to Lubbock soon. So it is hard for my to recieve items there and inspect them. Livingroom tables and a large wallclock, ($1,000), are there still in shipping cartons until I can get there. The Web Site that they say we can shop on sucks. Its either under construction or you can't get a price of the item online. Now I can't even log on to the Web Site. Getting a new user name and password again is like pulling teeth. You have to think about how much your time is worth in dollars and cents. You will spend a lot of time dealing with these people if you buy into them.
2/23/2007 - Angie writes:
I am a member of Direct Buy (Dayton, Ohio franchise). The customer service is a DISASTER! They never deliver on-time, won't return numerous phone calls, and by the time they add on all the upcharges, most of the time they offer you ABSOLUTELY NO SAVINGS WHATSOEVER. Today, I received a bill for an item I purchased 15 months ago. It was for additional shipping charges! The orginal frieght charge was $45, which I thought was high considering they also have a 8% or more upcharge or nearly everything they sell, but get this, the additional bill was for $63 more! That's more than twice the original shipping...they couldn't estimate shipping better than THAT? And 15 months after the fact I'm supposed to pay for their error? Let's not even discuss the fact that with the additional fee, I could've paid retail and done better! I feel like such a sucker. Not only are their few values to find through Direct Buy, I can't beleive the number of things we can't get through them. Everytime we're considering a purchase wecall, and get the same "no, we don't have a vendor that sells those." It is such a WASTE OF MONEY. We have friends who have their owm horror stories; needless to say, they are not renewing their "membership." I wish I had talked to them first.
2/22/2007 - Holly writes:
We too almost fell into the trap last night...It sounded great and since they have a website and advertise on t.v. all the time and we had seen them at the home show, we figured they must be legit. They were also having a contest where the winning key, would get $50k plus 2 prizes just for coming to the 90 minute intro. We figured we would get the 2 cheapest prizes, but didn't care as one of them was a 2 night 3 day getaway and that sounded like heaven as it's only for 2. We were very tempted to join until we found out it was over $5000 to join and you had to make up your mind before you could leave and never come back again if you didn't join!!!! They claimed that we would use it to bargain at other stores and then come back to them and that they could lose their contracts with the major corps like whirlpool etc..We told them that didn't make sense as we were free to leave and go do that anyways and to let us think abour it and save up as we didn't want to put $1000 down and make pmts to them of $154 a month at 17% interest! They said no and we got our super crappy gifts after a 2 hour drive and trying to get a baby sitter etc...Wish I would have thought to google them first and find this site instead of wasting our entire evening and making my poor husband sit thru the whole thing only to not get home until after 10pm and get up to go back to work at 3am to make up for it!!! RUN and tell everyone!!!!!
2/20/2007 - Nancy writes:
As a new home-owner I joined DirectBuy in August 2006 and have not made one single transaction. I feel I was bamboozled into buying into their membership club. Their web-site in not userfriendly at all, so it is extremely difficult to do any type of comparison shopping. The prices I have managed to retrieve from their web-site in comparison to chain stores are overpriced. I fail to see any type of savings by being a member of this club, and would like a full refund of my money. Please include me and send me information on any type of class-action suit in regards to a refund from DirectBuy Franchise.
2/20/2007 - Anonymous writes:
This is one of the classic scams and customers should run away from this. We were sent a key of a latch to lure 50,000 home makeover fee by Direct Buy showroom in northwest suburb near Schaumburg. They invited us for open house at 7.30 pm. Kept on lecuring and showing 3rd grader videos till 8.45, thinking that we are stupid. Then in 15 minutes, they wanted us to shell out 5000 to join and make decision with a threat of no second chance. We asked for prices for appliances and electronics and they kept on telling that there is not much saving in that. Their prices were not lowere than outside. The owner came, and like used car sales person, pretended to be annoyed by us not deciding and asked us if we were judging them. Of course we were there to judge him and his franchaize to see if 5K is worth to put in or not. They were so pushy that it made us push back. I am telling readers. Do not waste your time. I wish I would have visited this site first and learn from other peoples agony. The key they gave to try for the makeover was nowhere near the latch they made us try. We are so glad that we did not get sucked into such scam.
2/19/2007 - Charels writes:
After the presentation we were assigned a sales person to work with us. OK, sounds good, we thumbed through a couple of catalogs at item we were thinking of replacing within our home. Prices looked good! So we joined $5000.00. Here's the catcher we have gone shopping for items that need replacing. stove, dish washer, refrigerator, couch and carpet. Guess what the exact items that we have picked out at public stores have been anywhere from 20-60% cheaper. We have purchased a refrigerator, stove, dishwasher from [] and carpet from a carpet store. We remodeled our bathroom picked up new shower, sink, toilet, vanity and all the needed accessories much cheaper than quoted by Direct Buy's Merchandise Service representative (MSR) I want my money back! I will be looking into a class action law suit against Direct Buy. Email me [], if you are interested in this possible suit.
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