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7/18/2008 - Laurie writes:
I am a scholar of religion, so I was immediately amused and slightly horrified to see that the DB open house operated using many of the same devices that pseudo-religious cults do. The journey to find the place was mysterious and obscure, the entire process of the invitation was mysterious and full of symbols and secrets--keys to locks, promised of miracles, like trips to exotic places and entire house renovations, you are met at the door by one set of people, a sort of personal friend and they you are shown into the inner sanctum where you see The Great Leader on video. You are not encouraged, despite the giddy friendliness of the speaker, to ask questions out of the set order of the Service. You are told you can have a Direct Relationship, and advise to stay away--and not even speak to--the local clergy of capitalism, i.e. the retailor. You here testimonials, how others were saved by Direct Buy, you are told you are now a member of a secret, elite club. But there are Laws and Oaths--you cannot comparison shop, you cannot bargin (one of the oldest activities of the market, by the way) and you cannot question exactly where the HUGE dues are going. You have no guarantee that the actual storefront will be there in a year, much less 10, in this economy. The pressure NOT TO LEAVE is like a cult too, in which the apostate is shunned by the community. It began to seem actually creepy when you realize that there is no food, and no windows. When I mentioned that Illinois has a 3 work day return policy, our guide admitted it, but even then, the comparison would be hard. The catalogs are out of date, and the shipping mysterious. They tell you not to worry about installation because they have guys to do this. But they do not tell you who, or at what cost. In this way too, you are being asked to simply have faith in the group. Built into the premise is that you have to buy more and more to justify the savings, and this could take years, so that you are constantly needing things to be a good member. Goodness is defined by faith, following the Laws and Oaths about secrecy, and consuming (which is sort of a odd turn on the actual thing that religion urges, which is charity!) It was also so staged and set up, each word scripted, nearly liturgical in nature. And the display of the sacred books which are the secret texts of the inner sanctum of the Wholesaler! Part of what overhead at real local stores means is that family businesses and even [], for example, actually pay a living wage to workers, offer dignity and health care benefits and a sense of community support. These are not things to avoid. We left really shaken--a mixture of anger, regret and relief at finally getting out of the building. But the more I thought about it, and the more of these narratives I read, the odder it all seemed. What is really strange is that our guys wanted close to $6K for our dues but reading the list, I see other places asking around 2-3K. This is really odd since supposedly one can go anywhere. What is up with that? Buying collectively is a good idea. And the salespeople seemed nice. Perhaps they were true believers themselves. But unless you can get a good academic paper out of the experience, it is a waste of time, and seems to me to be very close to an exploitative practice. It would be better to mobilize your actual community, faith community, union, PTA group, etc, and go to the wholesaler directly as a group. Or just, as many on the list noted, go to the local owner of the local store and offer loyalty and cash. And be happy for their help when they deliver.

7/18/2008 - Lee writes:
There are now three prominent radio talk-show hosts promoting Direct Buy. I hope all of you will do as I have done and send them e-mails expressing displeasure with their endorsement of this scam and advising them to view the complaints posted on this site.

7/17/2008 - Missy writes:
We have been members of Direct Buy for 15 yrs. Ye, it is a company selling technique of high pressure, buy into the plan immediately sale. It always has been but before you decide let me tell you this: Direct Buy is awesome!! Everyone in my family, including my adult daughter & son-in-law have saved money! We personally have saved thousands upon thousands of dollars on purchases of everything from carpet, to furniture, to wedding invitations. Yes, Everything is Name Brand. We shop by going to name brand stores, trying things out, finding what we like, and then ordering it through Direct Buy. What we enjoy more than saving money however is but we are buying more for the money & much much better quality products than we every could have afforded otherwise. An example: For the price of a [] gueen bed headboard, 1 night stand, and dresser with mirrow...we were able to buy the queen headboard & footboard, both night stands, the dresser with mirror & the chest of drawers. That equated to a footboard, nightstand, and full size chest of drawers for free!! Christmas shopping is the best! I am able to buy Beautiful, Better Quality gifts than I would have every been able to afford elsewhere. I'll never forget the 10 carat Blue Topaz ring I had custom made for my daughter. Yes, they can assist you in having custom made orders filled too. You tell me...what's the better deal: High pressure sales + a lifetime of quality products & good savings (or) not being involved because of their sales technique & wasting your money for a lifetime of shopping?

7/17/2008 - Susie D. Steele writes:
We agreed to a Direct Buy Membership because of the BBB symbol and believed that meant it must be a legitimate business, but we felt taken because of the pressue to get that membership that day or never come back. Since we were remodeling our home, we believed it might be helpful to us, but we actually lost money we really needed for remodeling that we can't do now. We left there feeling we had made a big mistake, but couldn't do anything about it. We lost $5,000. dollars up front and felt so foolish afterwards. We decided to make the best of it and purchased a light for our kitchen that turned out to be the wrong product. We didn't bother to return it, because Dallas is far away for us, and we are just fed up. Plus, we never even received the vacation that we paid $29.00 dollars for. They've taken that money too, and we've never seen a dime of it or a vacation, even after contacting them about it several times. We wish there would be a class action lawsuit against them, and the BBB should not be representing them.

7/17/2008 - Rhyan writes:
I just recieved a phone call from Direct Buy. They said that my name was drawn as a finalist for a $50K home renovation. I was just wondering if anyone else has gotten this same call or one similar? The woman said she would be mailing me a key and that when I recieved the key I would need to call the store to set up an appointment. Once I go to the store to try this key I will automatically win 2 free prizes. This really sounds like a scam since I don't remember ever signing up for this drawing. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

7/17/2008 - Lacinda writes:
After reading many of the complaints on this site, we decided not to even take the free tour! When I cancelled our appointment, the young lady was courteous. I told her my main red flag was that couples are forced to make a decision on the spot. She told me that the manufacturers require Direct Buy to do that. I told her I didn't necessarily believe that! I wonder if there's a way to verify that information. Anyway, I'm thankful for all the comments made here. They certaintly helped me make an informed decision about Direct Buy. I'll tell anyone who mentions DB to go to this website and to proceed with caution where DB is concerned. I think an old adage is fitting for this company as for many. If it seems to good to be true.

7/17/2008 - Terry writes:
My wife and I made an appointment in the Oklahoma City showroom. We are looking at either building a new home, remodeling an exiting one or just buying a new home. We sat through a long drawn out 2 hour session that could have been done in about 20 minutes or less. I cannot say if the savings are real or not as we did not sign up for the service. We still have not made up our minds what raod we will go down so it was good info to have. We felt that on the surface it would save us a great deal of money if we chose to build or remodel. When we said that we were still debating the sale guy told us we had to make up our minds now and give them a check for $1000.00. and then monthly dues for at least 3 years. We said we hadn't made up our minds and he told us there was nothing to think about. It's a good deal because I say so. We told him we don't make snap decisions with out talking about it. We were not even allowed to walk over to another area to disscuss. He wanted to know now. He insulted us and it was extremely high pressure and he said , and I quote I get paid and my boss gets paid wether or not you write me a check or not. Don't think you can come back tomorrow with a check and we will accept it, I will turn it down and you can never be a member ever! they may have a good product here but they have no people skills and they treat you like you are a money grubbing person who wants to stick it to retailers. We are telling all friends to beware.

7/15/2008 - Tammie writes:
Hey All, Thank you so much for this website. My husband and I were going to do the tour and I came across this website. I backed out ASAP as soon as they called to confirm appointment. We will take our chances on our own. Thanks so much again all. :)

7/15/2008 - Eloise writes:
I am single, no one told me you must be married. They took my $4530. Can't find anything to buy from DB, that I can't get someplace else, cheaper. Feel riped off? Yes! I had to work long and hard for my money and I wanted to it to benfit me in the best way possible. I truly can't recommend this company to anyone. I just gave away my money!

7/13/2008 - Maryann writes:
I went to a DirectBuy open house in Birmingham, Alabama July 11 after hearing the company promoted by a particular radio talk-show host -- I have some trust issues with that person, now. The in-store staff were all pleasant. As in other examples I've read on this site, all the save big bucks comparisons were to very specific products. I think the initial membership fee that day was $4997 or something silly, plus the yearly fees. Our group was separated and assigned to individual reps for privacy. I told my sales rep not to bother pulling out a chair, as their product line was not something I could use. If I'd checked out this site before going, I could have been spared two hours of tedious video, interupped by actual examples of huge savings. There are many ways to save money... DirectBuy isn't one of the better ones.

7/13/2008 - Bob writes:
We purchased a Direct Buy membership in April 2005. We had already renovated our basement, replaced windows, upgraded the wiring and plumbing in the house and were now planning to re-do our kitchen. We still had some other renovations to do and once all were done, expected to update most if not all the furniture in the house. The DB sales session seemed OK, however like others have indicated, there was tremendous pressure as well as the exclusion of not being able to be a member unless signed for and paid that night. We finally decided to join. The kitchen cabinets we ordered were only marginally cheaper than our local home store (same make and model), our first disappointment, however they were damaged in transit. We ordered these in May expecting to have our kitchen completed by Christmas and were advised that they would take 6 weeks. Finally around the middle of September (about 10 weeks late), we were advised that the cabinets had shipped and would be here in a few days. Based on this, we started demolishing our kitchen so that it would be ready for teh cabinets when they arrived. They arrived damaged (both shipping damage where cabinets were broken and twisted as well as poor manufacturing quality where finished were not applied properly and nails were sticking out). After calling DB, and waiting a long time for any answer with respect to the damaged cabinets, I decided to call the manufacturer nyself. The manufacturer seemed fine with the call, however I guess I was not supposed to do that as DB called right back and blasted me for calling the manufacturer over the warranty claim. It then took several weeks for the manufacturer rep to come in to DB to look at the cabinets and decide what to do. It is now the middle of October, and I am getting concerned. We have no kitchen and in about 8 weeks will have 14 family members come to stay for Christmas. The decision was to reorder some of the cabinets so that they will be correct. Middle of December rolls around - still no cabinets. Week before Christmas, still no cabinets. I am really starting to panick now. Finally, December 23, I get the call that the cabinets have arrived. I drive the 30 miles to Direct Buy and pick up the cabinets. They still are not correct, however I am now out of time. I take them anyway and get the installed on the 24th just before our company arrives. The cabinets are not wonderful - the doors do not fit right, the sides are not finished properly and the finish is poor. This was the last thing we ever ordered from DB and will not go back. After all this was done, DB called to advise that there was an outstanding invoice for freight and handling, however I refused to pay it given the hassles and the 6+months waiting time for a 6 week order. DB threatened collection agencies and garnisheeing wages, however they have no ability to do it as they were in the wrong. Please do not deal with Direct Buy. If there had been a web site like this when we first became members, we would have stayed away. We have since found most everything around the same cost as DB and would never really make any savings by using their services.

7/12/2008 - Sue writes:
I can assure [] we're not on Direct Buy's payroll. We're just 2 highly educated and 6 figure paid engineers who hate to part with our money! We built a house and were able to use super high quality products and stay under our builders meagher allowances. Anyone who's built a house knows you can't buy cheap products and stay under the builder's allowances. [] - we almost bought the LG steam washer & dryer, but opted for a different steam washer - there was no shipping or handling charge on the LG nor the brand we bought, so you were misled by this website. [] - we bought a few items locally, and paid a 15%-20% restocking fee when we returned the excess. Paid restocking fees on wood for closets, doors we didn't order or need but the local folks shipped, bricks far in excess of what was needed, and other stuff. Had argued with a local tile company they were sending way too much tile for the kitchen backsplash - had figured out what we needed exactly - they assured us it was returnable, then charged us the 15% restocking fee for the excess we didn't want in the first place. It's a standard practice in the industry, send more then needed then charge to retrieve what shouldn't have been sent in the first place. Could’ve bought the backsplash tile for less at Direct Buy, but wanted a pro to help with the design and colors to best blend with tile floor and granite (both bought thru Direct Buy) and cabinets, so opted to use local supplier (not right to get her wonderful help and then not buy from her), and all looks fantastic together! Had issues with our cabinet design so used our builders guy so could get real time fixes – could’ve got much better cabinets for less at Direct Buy, and in hindsight the real time fixes didn’t occur as we’d hoped and could’ve done a better job ourselves of resizing. Live and learn. [] - not sure how you figured out shipping costs, but we bought 2 loveseats and a sofa at 666 pounds and paid $228 shipping and a 1350 pound dining room suite for $300 shipping and over 2000 pounds of office furniture for about $350 in shipping. So your estimate of $600 to ship 150 pounds is beyond us. Have only paid a shipping fee on a few items, most stuff aside from furniture was free shipping. We bought most furniture from a company who have a local showroom, mostly sell through their own showrooms, and don't find much on internet supersites - pretty much buy at their showrooms or not at all - and with shipping saved nearly 50% off the absolute best price we could get local folks to come down to. All the stuff we've bought through Direct Buy comes with the normal suppliers warrantees, only difference is we will have to request warrantee service rather then have a local supplier ask for it. We've had windows and specialty doors repaired at no cost under warranty that were in reality screwed up by the installers and shouldn't have been covered by warranty. Haven’t had a problem with anything else, other then a few items broken by installers and no one replaces those free of charge. Our local Direct Buy warehouse has refused shipment on several items, and we've refused to accept a couple other items, but we've gotten replacements in no time. Someone mentioned that Direct Buy gets volume discounts they don’t pass on, but we’ve bought from a couple companies and got a volume discount – don’t know if this is unique to our local showroom

7/12/2008 - Mae writes:
My sister and I (both single)attended the open house in Pensacola, FL on June 21. We along with most of the people posting on this site were taken in by these sleazy folks. We are preparing to sell two houses and purchasing another so we can share care giving for our elderly mother. It sounded great, saving 50% on most items. No mention of handling charges. I requested a catalog after we signed and they said we couldn't get one until we attended an orientation, also requested a username and password so we could go online. That would come with our membership cards. Also, there was no reference to the 3 day cancellation period or the handling/shipping charges. A gentleman in our group had asked if shipping was free to showroom and our sales associate said yes. We received our cards on July 7. Can't get access, e-mailed tech support for user name . Most of the items I was looking at had visit showroom for custom pricing. We live 60 miles from the showroom. That evening we made copies of our contract (they had failed to sign in their authorized representative space!) and included our cards and a letter requesting a full refund. Fortunately, we had put it on a credit card in three payments. The 2nd one is due the 21st. We have disputed the original $2490.00 with the credit card company and they will not allow any further charges. We sent it certified and received a call today from the nice young lady that signed us up which is the manager of this location. We had requested notification by certified mail within 10 days, so we do not plan on talking to them. There will be a paper trail. We are forwarding our complaint (as we told them) to the BBB and Attorney General. We also have a local newspaper that would love to get the scoop on these folks. I wish I had seen this site before hand. I'm sorry for all of us! Wish us all luck! Will post again with results.

7/11/2008 - tom and michele writes:
I found this site after attending a DB Open House in Myrtle Beach. WE did like our sales person very much. We spent 4 hours there start to finish. We also met one of the owners, she was in charge of local sellers and installers and she seemed very nice. We thought very seriously of joining but stated that we just needed a day to think about it. We never felt pressure till then. We were told if we left we only had till the end of business that day or we would be band from joining for five years. I asked if I show up tomorrow with 5k in cash and want to join you won't let. My sales person stated he would love to take my money but the owners wouldn't let me. That pretty much soured me. Prior to that we had 4 products that we were going to be buying in the next 1 to 2 years and a LCD HD TV that we wanted to purchase now. I had spent 2 weeks researching the tv purchase and found that everyone that DB had I could get for less thru either online sales or [] for equal or less money. Then we looked into a couple of things that we had already purchase in the past year. We did as well or better on the cost. Long story short. I can't say anything bad other than the pressure of making a $6309 ten year decision with out time to think about. After reading the complaints on this site I am glad I didn't join. But if you don't like doing your homework and want to find some brand name deals on some products maybe it is for you.

7/10/2008 - Lisa writes:
My fiance` and I went to an Open House last Saturday, after we heard about Direct Buy from a radio station. The presentation was really convincing, and since we needed to remodel an entire house, we thought we could save a lot of money. I personally didn't like at all the fact that they made us decide right then. You can't make a decision to spend $6000 without taking your time to think about it. But they told us it's our only chance, if we walk away, we wouldn't be allowed to come back. So we did sign the contract, and became members. Yesterday, my fiance` found this website, and showed it to me. We couldn't believe what we were reading, how many things were wrong with this company. We realized it was the 3rd business day after signing the papers, so we went straight there and canceled our contract. We were so lucky to be able to get out of this. And all thanks to every person who posted on this website. Thank you so much, you just saved us from throwing our money away.

7/10/2008 - Beth writes:
My husband made us an appointment at DB for later this week (we are building a new home). I really didn't know anything about them and after looking at the "rules" on the visitor pass and looking at their website, some red flags went up, but I didn't do anything. We got our first pushy call to speak w/ my husband as we were walking out to go to church last night and there went another red flag. So thankfully I looked this place up this morning. I am horrified at what I have read on many sites. I would have NEVER bought into this regardless of what they said, BUT potentially could've PAID a babysitter for my 3 kids, had my husband lose MONEY leaving work early, spent $4 a gallon in gas to drive the 30 minutes and then spend 3+ hours in a very pressured uncomfortable situation, that I promise wouldn't have ended nicely for anyone involved. I can't thank all of you enough for posting your experiences to help those like me make better choices for our time and money....thank you, thank you, thank you. If your goals were to help at least one other couple, DONE =)

7/9/2008 - Lee writes:
My story is much like the others here. Bought into the Direct Buy scam program because we were told they had just added the LG line of products to their catalogue and we were looking to buy several LG appliances for a new house. Needless to say, when we went to actually order the items we were first told that they never actually got the LG line, and during a second phone call were told that they only got LG washers & dryers to sell--no other LG appliances or products. When we met with the salesperson initially we repeatedly verified with her that shipping and handling were included in the price quoted by Direct Buy. She assured us that that is correct. I now see that too was a another lie according to others experiences. Finally, again when queried repeatedly, our salesperson assured us that items are shipped and received in 3-4 weeks. Having put the LG issue aside, we next attempted to order a leather sofa and were informed that shipping would take 16-17 weeks! How do these people sleep at night? I CANNOT believe that some attorney general's office of SOME state has not investigated this scam company and shut them down. Are there no consumer protection laws on the books? There are for everything else it seems these days. STAY AWAY from this company!

7/9/2008 - Jose writes:
All those in the defese area must be getting paid by DB in order to post that kind of stuff. ANYONE saying you can save money with DB has not done their research correctly. Ive found items on the net way cheaper that DB, and with warranties at that. IF you dont have a DB membership, consider yourself blessed. DO NOT even go to the presentation. They will HARD SELL you like there's no tomorrow. Dont make the mistake some of us have. Ive boght several items in other places other than DB for several reasons... better service, warranties, great customer service, effectiveness in ordering, expedited service, better prices, things DB doesnt have. WHAT A SCAM!!! Do not fall prey. The only mistake my wife and I have done since we got married. We regret it EVERY DAY!!

7/9/2008 - Robert writes:
Beware - I purchased a small item from Direct Buy (coffee / espresso machine) but did not like the product. I am now required to pay shipping to return the item and a 15% restocking fee! I have been happy with all other transactions with Direct Buy, but if you join, don't make the costly mistake of ordering something in error, or that you don't like, as it will cost you a lot more than the potential savings!

7/9/2008 - Nadia writes:
I am looking for persons that live near the Hamilton, Ontario area that would be willing to start a picket against Direct Buy. I have been scammed out $4000 for a membership and only have 1 thing to show for it. It cost me $4000 to put in a cheaply made kitchen. Since then everytime I try to purchase something, they either can't get it because it is not available or it takes 6 months to get it which is not what they said in their seminar. The longest they said we could wait for a product is 2 months. I tried ordering a bedroom suite and they told me that I wouldn't get it for 6 months. I tried ordering wooden blinds and once they took my money, they told me that the product was not available. I am still waiting for my refund. I want to shout it out don't buy into this company. It's the ultimate scam and they should be ashamed of themselves. I am sick to my stomach to think that I got myself taken this way. I am in negitations at this time to see if I can get some of my membership money back but in the meantime I am looking for people who would like to take the time to picket in front of their [] store to let others know what we know. Email me at [] if you are interested. I can keep going on about how disappointed I am but there isin't enough room. Thank you for ready this

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