Who Sucks? - DirectBuy Sucks

DirectBuy
8450 Broadway
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
1-800-827-6400
http://www.directbuy.com/
technicalsupport@directbuy.com

Yesterday, my husband and I went to a sales pitch at a DirectBuy showroom. Having seen the infomercial, it seemed like it might be a good deal so we went with open minds. Once we got there we sat through a long presentation that seemed on point. The surprise came when we were told we had to sign right then or never again and the price was $4000 for two years with the option to renew for another 8 years at about $160 per year. They said that if we left without accepting their offer to join we would be unable to join for at least 7 years.

The membership fee seemed steep and the "join now or else" should have been a warning, but we figured we would look around their 'showroom' and see. That's when we knew this was really a big scam. We were not allowed to look around but when I insisted I was told I could do a price comparison of only a particular item. Since I had recently been looking into replacing our patio furniture, I asked for the DirectBuy price on a particular set I had just looked at two days before at a local retail store. Well the DirectBuy price was double what I saw in the retail store. The sales rep said it must be a typo so I provided another piece to the set and not surprisingly, once again their price was double. The sales rep checked with her boss and then gave us some lame excuse that their price list was out of date.

I then gave her another item to check out for me in a totally different category. This time she claimed the price list was missing. She then asked if we were ready to sign up. Of course we said no and high tailed it out of there. What are the odds that I randomly search for two specific items and they just happen to be errors or missing info on their part? I suspect that maybe some big ticket items like carpeting might be good deals but laying out $4000 to see if I can find a good deal is just way too stupid. They claim that you can't look around before signing up because that is against their rules but in the formal sales pitch they have no problem quoting actual prices and comparing them to retail prices. Based on what I asked them to compare for me, I have to wonder if their price list in the sales presentation was totally bogus.

Barbara

The membership fees and shady signup procedures demonstrate that Direct Buy is an unethical business. They have
catalogues of merchandise for you to choose from but their showroom is a joke. If you are picking out a sofa, for example, you cannot sit on it or try it out. This is true for 99% of what you can order through them. They unofficially send you to other retailers if you want to see product before you buy it. You therefore receive virtually no customer service from DirectBuy. They send you to retailers that you have no intention of buying from. These other retailers are paying overhead to run their own business, while DirectBuy benefits if you buy from them. Think how mad this would make you if you were a local business owner. Also, you have to travel to a DirectBuy warehouse to pick up your purchases, and you assign any rebates or refunds on the merchandise to DirectBuy, which means that sometimes you pay full-price for items that they have received a substantial discount, refund, rebate or other manufacturer incentive on. This is why they have everything you order shipped to them, so that they receive any manufacturer incentives and then they charge you an additional shipping and handling fee, and it can take several weeks to months before your items are ready to pick up. These warehouses are likely to be several hundred miles away from where you purchase, and you may get there to find out your item has not actually arrived, they cannot find it or that it is in a different warehouse. How do all of the additional charges, waiting, driving and frustration equate a better shopping experience? The short answer is that they don't.

I worked at the Direct Buy in Maple Shade, NJ. I quit because it was not for me and they never paid me. We had an Open House and only one person showed up, so they had me and two other sales people go to the Open House so it would look like four people were there. They make you pay $5000 up front if you want to join. The sales people are extremely pushy because they have to beor they will get fired.

S

My wife and I were "invited" to a introduction at a Direct Buy store in San Antonio, Tx on July 22, 2011. We attended and were "wowed" by the promise of these savings. It was a high pressure situation, being that we asked if we could think about it, and make a decision in a day or two, and was told no. If we didn't make a decision right then and there, we would never be invited back again. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity we were told. We didn't really have the means to do join then, but were thinking that down the road, long term it would pay off. We didn't have any way to check on pricing and compare until after orientation which we went to last night, July 29, 2011. In looking at the various purchases we have recently, and were SHOCKED! Some of the prices were MORE than the sale prices we paid!!! WTH!!! I asked about that, and was told that there must be some mistake. I double checked this morning, and I am right. My wife and I discussed it, and want out of the contract.

I am a member of DirectBuy and I have shopped around and found out that DirectBuy prices are higher than buying in the stores paying regular prices. Plus, you have to pay their additional shipping charges along with the higher prices, and can only pick up merchandise from their warehouses. When you go to a direct buy meeting you are pressured into buying the membership and I was told there would be no interest if I want to make payments on my membership. No credit check, no interest and that DirectBuy did their own financing. This month my interest charge was $59.00 and the month before that it was the same. We were pressured in the first meeting to join, not being allowed to shop around and check prices, they said that it only causes confusion and we are to just trust that DirectBuy is the cheapest for the best products. I want my money back! Do not believe DirectBuy claims, check them out first! I have been paying almost a year, having paid $500 down to join and still owe $4,300.00 for the membership, mainly due to the high interest rate that they charge. They won't even respond to my request for cancellation of my membership. I am ready to hire a lawyer.

Jackson