DirectBuy
Reviews and Complaints

I feel so stupid! I can't believe that I fell for their crap! Especially now since money is tight. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do yourself a favor and save yourself from everything I've just gone through! STAY AWAY FROM THESE ABUSIVE MONEY SUCKERS! It's not worth it! You end up losing a LOT more in the long run. And when you try to cancel the membership, THE WAR BEGINS.

DirectBuy will not received any of my business. They were pushy on the phone and stated that you must hire a babysitter for your children as they are not allowed.

Additionally, they lied and said my husband had scheduled an appointment for an open house and wanted to confirm our schedule time and confirm we had a babysitter.

Also, if you show up with your children, they turn you away at the door.

The DirectBuy center in Hunt Valley Maryland closed, so I was supposed to convert over to the Columbia center.
I had an outstanding order that I had done on the website. I was told that when my order arrived it would go to the Direct Buy Columbia store instead. It supposedly went to the Columbia store but was broken and then returned to the vendor.
I also payed the Columbia store $75 for delivery. This was in addition to the $85 that was spent online for delivery to the store. In total I have paid $566.62 for a dresser which I could have bought in a local store for $300-400.
I HAVE YET TO GET A DRESSER or A REFUND. The order was made in May. It is now December.

We are doing some remolding on our townhouse and seeing all the advertisements from these frauds; we thought that we would check them out (well I did, the wife was suspicious to begin with). First they hound you with emails and phone calls to not forget your appointment time and remember both you and your spouse have to be there (like were little children).

We arrived on time (both of us) and as with almost everyone else that has listed here, we were grouped into a room and watched more infomercials (boring) with the pitchman coming in on queue to run some more of his tactics and refusing to answer any questions until the end of the pitch. Finally was informed that the membership price would be $6, 435 for the first 2 years and then $198 per year for the next 8 years...oh and did I mention that if we didn't sign that day we would not be allowed to be a member EVER...

Then we were headed out for the BIG tour...where he basically read the headers on the wall where all the catalogs were and then stopped and showed how much we could save on a $100, 000 kitchen upgrade by using them as opposed to using a (in his words) 'discount box store'.

Then came the time to be reunited with our salesman who tried to reiterate the selling points that the group pitchman made (still at this time would not discuss membership payment options). Then the time came and we could pay as low as $990 up front (right then) and $271 a month for the next 24 months and then just $198 a month thereafter for the following 8 years.

I'm not somebody that just jumps up and writes thousand dollar checks on a whim, so after he asked me three or four times and I reiterated that I would need time to mull this over, he kept looking at my wife (like she was going to jump up and make me sign). Finally I told him just forget it and when we got up to leave he acted as though we were trying to steal those paper name tags (like these were the whole reason I drove 30 miles). The look on his face was priceless;

I'm a salesman myself and would never ever work for a company as unscrupulous as these guys.

Stay away from any company that tries these types of pressure tactics.

Unless you are doing a HUGE reno in your house, well it's just no worth it! We are coming up on our 10 year mark, and well, we have not now buy back in if we wish to stay on! Of coarse it's at a reduced rate of $2614.50, it is originally $5999.00 at present, and the new annual fee after the initial 3 years went from $170 to $299! This is insane, outrageous! We saw it as a "lifetime" investment, but that is NOT the case! You can really only save if you do major reno's, not buying the everyday or household items. We are VERY sorry we ever joined now!

We joined Best Buy Austin, Texas just on one year ago, and have had more than a disappointing experience. They outright Lie. Our mistake for not verifying their info better. We were installing a pool, suppoMembersedly we would more than get our membership cost back by going through them. Not true. The pool company they recommended we go through - that they had the relationship with - did not perform, could not provide references when asked, design was poor and did not reflect multiple attempts by us at explaining what we wanted (including providing our own drawing), and they were not cheaper than other companies. They also were not responsive, just like Direct Buy. We got a better product at a better price with higher quality products used from a different vendor. WE have rental property (main reason for joining them, and have attempted twice now to use their services in replacing appliances and in performing renovations, we could not save a dollar by using them. We wanted stone for our home and they were not cheaper than what I found on my own (identical product). On top of that the wait for product was too long. I have attempted to use their contractors and they were not cheaper nor were the people they recommended certified or licensed in their respective disciplines. Next, when I joined I asked very specifically including pointing out what I wanted to them visually "was that type of product available" as I wanted three of them, expensive item, and yes it was. A lie, in the end the products were not available. They also said their membership was tax deductable, and guess what, it is not - per H&R block. When I attempted to talk with the owner he was rude, and abrupt and surly. There was no service. We have purchased one item via them, We did save on it, however it was much later in delivery than they said, and the four wheels on the item all broke within weeks of its arrival. I continue to try to use them as I would like to think that we could eventually recoup our cost however I have been unable to find what I wanted cheaper. The last item was tile for a renovation, DalTile, I bought it cheaper from a retailer. I could not recommend Direct Buy at all, and would suggest people not waste their money.

We went to the "free trial" only to be suckered into the "timeshare style" sale. It all sounded OK and as they show ads for common products like golf clubs, flat screens, furniture, etc. We're thinking, this sounds pretty good. Then we do the tour... still looking good. They even have a website so we can shop from the convenience of our own homes! Then comes the "close" and it's NOW OR NEVER. If you don't want to buy, no pressure but you walk out that door and it will be closed to you for the rest of your like! We're thinking "gosh, we're going to landscape, we're going to buy new furniture, eventually we'll build a new home, and this could save us a fortune. If we walk out now, we will regret it." So like a couple of gullible idiots, we sign on the dotted line and $5000 later we are out the door talking about all the stuff we can buy.

Well what they don't tell you is that there are HUGE shipping and handling fees on MOST items, it's VERY HARD or even impossible sometimes to return items (so you buy a sofa, it's uncomfortable, you paid "cost but also $100 to get it shipped and now you are stuck with it). There is NO WAY out of the contract once you sign. No money back guarantee even though they totally mislead you about what you are buying into and all the $$$ you can save. Granted you can save some but you have to spend $5000 to save it so it's like buying something on sale that you don't need or want and then trying to convince yourself that you came out ahead!

Anyway so 8 months and 8 payments later we FINALLY got around to the orientation. It sounded pretty OK again but then we went in to do our first round of investigating deals. The price lists don't match the catalog items, the appliances seem to be equal to the sale prices I have seen. It was *** trying to find prices on furniture. You look at the picture, then you have to scour the price lists which are all out or order to find the price, but then you realize the price list is current but the catalog is 1-2 years old and the products aren't even the same. The staff offers to "call the company tomorrow" to get the pricing. It seems to me they purposely make it VERY difficult to find and buy products so that you WON'T end up using the membership and they just take your "membership fee" and run.

Oh and did I mention their website? Yeah, it is so slow, impossible to navigate efficiently and when I tried to look up equivalent items on normal retail sites, the items offered at DB could not be found. The same brands were found and their list prices weren't much higher than DBs "wholesale" (supposedly) prices. They "require" members to NOT tell local retailers "I can get this at DB for $____" in order to protect their relationships with all these companies. What a crock! They know if I go to Home Depot and tell them I can get a fridge at DB for $300 less, Home Depot will probably work some kind of deal for me.

I tried to keep an open mind, but every time I have tried to use DB I feel scammed and pissed off and ripped off. We are stuck with it now so we will try to find value and use it. My advice---STAY AWAY---STAY FAR FAR AWAY! You can get great deals and "try before you buy" if you just put a little effort into internet research and check out sales with local retailers.

If you are already a member, the best way to use this would be to find what you like locally and then try to get it through DB but only if DB is cheaper. Also, I would not hesitate to tell a local retailer that I can get a product at cost and see what they can do. It might save me $100 or more in shipping.

I'm with the other guy---if there was a class action suit, I too would jump on board (there is one in California but I am in NM). I am not the kind of person who would ever sue but I this case, I would do it just to draw attention to the kind of scam DB is running. It's borderline corrupt and unethical but I obviously they have been squeaking by somehow.

I been paying my membership fee to a debt collection agency by the name of Sterling and King, INC A Debt Collection Agency out of Fern Park, Florida neither company won't return calls we have made. We been making payments on this ripoff plan every month and no response from them. I can't use the membership because my membership expired and they are still taking my money. I knew from the start it was a bad idea but hey they talk real nice when they want something from you. I am complaining about what they are doing with the money I am sending to this agency and why they haven't call or sent me any mail about this mess they got going on. I can't buy anything, it won't let me login or anything.

I'm a former DBer. The 'High Pressure/Hard Sell B/S' at DB starts at Corporate with it's Franchisees, who trickle it down to their Centers.

Corporate likes to feed it's Franchisees with the thought that they're 'helping families to a better life style', when in fact they are putting them through a maze of burning hoops, to justifying the enormous amount of money they've charged them. The Franchisees assume that they're getting the best Boot Camp Training, since their life is made a living hell. Unfortunately 'The Originals' who made their money 'back in the day' and created this Company, never had any Business Training or any previous success at anything for that matter. They bought into the top of the pyramid. They remain stuck in 1980 mentality and still take money out of Franchisees pockets as 'Consultants'. Unfortunately, most of them don't fit a Mentor role, and are far beyond the age where their counsel is worth anything. That being said, when DB was sold last year, all remained on board Part Time, training and developing new Franchisee hopefuls, in the school of 'back in the day'. The big winner at DB continues to be it's original owner, who in spite of his years figured out how long this type of business model would last before it would implode. He sold it for millions of dollars to a private investment firm in 2017.

The DB 'Now or Never' buying system would continue to work if it were still 1980, but Consumers are much more savvy these days. The laws are tightening, as the Federal Class Action suit filed against DB in Connecticut will attest to.

Unfortunately for DB, I have to agree with the Consumer. In these uncertain economic times, a Consumer really has to think about a Membership before parting with that kind of money up front. In these hard times, DB has lost a significant amount of Manufacturers in 2017 alone. Who can predict how many will be left by the end of the year, and with such negative publicity, how can they attract new ones.

Directbuy continues to mislead the Public with fictitious websites attesting to how fabulous they are. In Directbuy's efforts to suppress all the negative Complaints on the Internet, they have hired 2 different Companies to create websites such as 'The Truth about Directbuy. com", in an effort to establish an algorithm that will put true complaints on Page 2, rather than Page 1. They're banking, or should I say hoping, that Consumers won't read beyond the first page of the Search. These 2 Companies specialize in surpressing bad internet reviews, and actually create blogs to throw Consumers a curve ball. Most recently in an extreme effort to suppress Infomercialscams.com, the number 1 complaint site, DB has bought them out and forced them to remove the record number of complaints listed there.

In regard to the 9% handling fee, Guests were told that "They always paid that in retail. DB is just up front about itemizing your costs." Directbuy misleads Guests into believing that they make "No money off the merchandise". The Class Action suit is going to expose the truth about the Handling Fee, as well as the rebates that have been kept. In a statement issued from DB, "The rebates went to benefit our Members".

If you want out of your contract, there are 2 ways:
1) Hire an Attorney to write a letter for you. DB is afraid of lawsuits.
2) File a Complaint with The Attorney General's office in your state. The AG keeps a log on complaints, and will begin an investigation if there are too many.

DB worked in the 70's when buying co-ops were 'all the rage'. Consumers have more options than ever before, and those who have the good fortune to make major purchases, can get a better deal than DB can offer.

Employees at my Center were over worked on the Service side, and on the Sales side pressured and even emotionally abused, before realizing that they had committed career suicide. They have however, the luxury of leaving and going on to a more honest environment.

To quote John Irving..."It's a good job to lose".

Hello my name is Susan and I work with BCA Recovery, a private dispute analyst company and we are here to answer any questions you may have about the process. We do not need any personal information to get started. We have a 95% success rate and will also recover any interest you might have paid on the particular charge in question…. with NO UPFRONT FEES or SIGNED CONTRACTS. Please feel free to give us a call at [protected] Ext. 401 or Ext. 411 – Email

As people are finding out, all they really are out to get is your money for the membership. What a joke, pay us $5000 on a membership to save money? I feel bad for the people who fall for this crap. I can't say it enough, CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!

I called THEM and left a "just as nasty" message and told them to NEVER call me again! LOL

I have been a member for over 5 years and it depends on what you order as to whether or not you can order online. So I am not sure where Gregory E. in Atlanta, GA is coming from. I have ordered tons of stuff online through the Direct Buy website like free standing cabinets, dressers, tables, light fixtures, and area rugs. I typically save a ton of money. When I ordered carpet or built in cabinets I had to go into the "store" to work with someone there. I have never had a problem with the people. I will admit the sales pitch was a bit pushy, but I wouldn't have had a problem walking out but we were building a house and I could see the savings. I will note that most of my dealings were with the Farmington Hills showroom which closed so we'll see about the Rochester Hills showroom. I do think it is unfortunate you were given bad information and that the owner would not make it right. I also agree that this set up is not for everyone. Laura K. in Beverly Hills, MI.

I'm a member and have renew twice I do most buying on line then call Abe place an order sometimes the shipments are ready to pick up fast and redid our kitchen all of the stove, fridge, ect. Was sent to our home that was great but make sure you get a contract in writing because the contractors we used or they provided us with were horrible and the doors were hung wrong they leak the floor installed so bad. My house took forever and I'm not real happy the boss lady tried to settle my complaints? She seem to be just a mouthpiece Ionce you invest so much as I did it's hard not to renew yearly for 200.now I feel stupid.so I'm happy with easy ordering and picks and yes they deliver to your door depending on what is but I door all the work myself or get your own contractors because Theirs are not great, grade D- How about a class action lawsuit?

I was renewing my membership on-line for the first time and happened to see these complaints on the website. As a member, you are required to go to a Direct Buy showroom/store in person to place an order. There is no such thing as ordering by e-mail or sending an e-mail to the store with what you want and the Direct Buy store will place an order for you. You are required to appear in person with your Direct Buy card I.D. to be admitted and to have access to the various catalogues from the different manufacturers. As with anything else regarding shopping, you have to make sure that you get what you are paying for. Direct Buy is not for everybody. This fellow what calls himself John H. Lee is not a member. Don't know what his purpose was in what he stated, but anyone looking to join Direct Buy, be aware that you will be required to go to a Direct Buy showroom/store each time you would like to place an order. And unless a manufacturer drop ships directly to your address, you will be required to return to the Direct Buy pick-up location (usually in close proximity to the Direct Buy showroom/store) to pick up whatever you ordered. Gregory E. Love Atlanta, Georgia

Don't know yet! My wife and I just joined last week and haven't got our password or members I.D. yet!...John and Jennifer Lee Seymour, MO.

i am a member and you just have to send an email to the store with what you want and they reply to you in 72 hours with everything and the order so the order part is a lye, from the person of the history and nasty people you find in every other place my advice go to another branch my branch is awesome so i know i dont have that problem and it is totally a yes in savins you can save a lot if you have a project in your home is worht i recomended to every buddy that can spend mony in their house but i guees if not to every buddy because if you dont spend you dont get what you paid and the page on the internet i find it good the search may need improve but nothing is perfect it is just that there is to many stuff for only one store so is overwellming to see that much i recomended myself

HI, I AM A PUBLIC RELATIONS REP FOR THE DIRECTBUY HERE IN PA...THERE ARE MANY THINGS IN THIS WOMANS STORY THAT DONT PAN OUT ...1ST OF ALL U CANT BRIGN YR CHILDREN TO THE INITAL OPEN HOUSE THATS A NO NO...AND U KNOW IF SHE HAD A BAD EXPERIECE I CAN BELIEVE IT PPL ARE HUMAN BUT I DO AGREE IT WAS WRONG FOR THE OWNERS WIFE TO ACT THAT WAY...BUT JUS CUZ OF ONE BAD APPLE YOUR GOING TO DISREGAURD ALL THE BENEFITS ABOUT THE COMPANY ...THAT TO ME SOUNDS LIKE YR A FOLLOWER NOT A LEADER...IF U DID THIS WITH EVERY COMPANY ...WOW COULD U IMAGIN ... NOW BEFORE I WORKED THERE I KNEW ABOUT IT AND KNEW IT WAS A GREAT DEAL ...NOW I KNOW ITS ALOT OF MONEY FOR SOME PPL BUT THINK OF HOW MUCH U SAVE AFTER...AND THIS LADY COULD HAVE JUS ORDERED HER ITEMS ONLINE OR THROUGH THE MAG WE OFFER THEN SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THEM ... IM SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE BUT IM SORRY... I WOULD NEVER LET ANYONE PREVENT ME FROM SAVING MONEY...I AM A SHOPPER AND I DO SHOP THERE AND I HAVE TO SAY ...FOR A SINGLE MOM WITH 4 CHILDREN ...I HAVE GOTTEN ALL THEIR X-MAS GIFTS AND THEN SOME AT MY LOCATION...MY POINT IS DONT LET SOMEONE ELS MAKE THE CHOICE FOR U IF YOUR CURIOUS REQUEST THE INFO N FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF ...WHAT DO U HAVE TO LOSE...SERIOUSLY FIND OUT IF ITS FOR U ...JSU CUZ IT WASNT FOR HER DOESNT MEAN ITS NOT FOR YOU AND DO CHECK OUT WWW.DIRECTBUYCARES.COM AND SEE ALL THE MEMBERS WHO HAVE LEFT FEEDBACK ...BE A LEADER NOT A FOLLOWER

They now have so called customers on TV saying that they saved $70, 000 by joining Direct Buy. What liers! Why doesn't someone in government do something about them. They are crooks.

I have personally heard similar stories about this company and the AH salespersons comment above confirms it. Why don't you contact the Attorney General for your state? Or get a lawyer, I would if I was taken for $4, 000

I cant beleive all you people are dumb enough to keep falling for this scam.
I am a salesman there, and you people are so gullible, its like taking candy from a baby.
STUPID JERKS IS ALL YOU PEOPLE ARE... HA-HA-HA-HA-HA
WHEWWWWW ! IDIOTS

I completely agree, and I recently found out that Direct Buy actually buys websites to print those supposed satisfied customer stories. I really think that what needs to be done is a class action lawsuit against this company, I really can't believe they are even still in business!

I'm really sorry for the people who got suckered into this. I just read another posting from a former employee who had nothing good to say about the company, that says alot. There is some good news for you though, a class action lawsuit has been filed against them. Help spread the word, here is the info: the lead attorney is Jeff Nobel, his email is jnobel@izardnobel.com, phone# [protected]. Good luck! I hope everyone gets their money back and this company goes out of business!

2008

Now the membership is a hefty $6, 000.00. I'm redoing my whole kitchen, I thought it was a good deal, but now I'm having second thoughts. Contractors do not want to work with them and say they can beat there prices...Yikes! if I had to do it over I probably wouldn't join

Wow...happened upon this and so much more about Direct Buy...!

I joined over 20 years ago...when the membership was about 2, 000. And then $99 per year. I'd NEVER pay the current rates. We haven't bought a whole lot there... I figured as long as I'm getting SOMETHING each year that saves me more than 100 it's worth it... right?

The last MAJOR purchase for us was about 5 years ago. A set of ASHLEY leather furniture...2 couches, a chair and an ottoman... as well as a dining table with two leather chairs, two benches and a corner stool (the countertop height kind). Direct Buy's policy is that you have to inspect everything WHEN YOU PICK IT UP or you forgo any "issues" that you might have with your merchandise. REALLY? I'm going to unwrap 10 pieces of furniture in your warehouse dock...then re-pack them, and load them into my car? No way. I made the mistake of TRUSTING that the merchandise I purchased would be in good condition. MY BAD!

When we opened up the couches a couples weeks later (as we were remodeling and didn't want dust all over the furniture) I found the back corner of the frame on one of the couches is completely bent back. Also, a few nail pops that are PUSHING into the leather...not good. THEN we find out that the two dining benches BOTH sag because they have dry rot in the wooden frames and much of the wood needs to be replaced... cha-ching. So much for my savings!

I know I'm stuck with it. It's been a few years... but I'm astounded at the lack of the quality that I received from "reputable" companies. I'm wondering if they push their SECONDS (damaged) furniture off on wholesale clubs like this? There's NO WAY my furniture would have passed inspection with a reputable company!

I wish I would have read the above post before purchasing our Direct Buy membership. We too planned a major remodeling and had hoped to save money on many of the items we planned to purchase. I recall distinctly being told during the dales pitch that everyhting a manufacturer carries is available, but that is not the case. For instance @ DB you cannit cannot purchase GE Monogram Applainces.
The sales pitch also focuses on "no markup" but they certainly do not make it clear that you pay 8% "handling" on everthing - even things that come shipped directly to you such as cabinetry. Essentially on items for which they have "hands-off".
We have found that with not all but with many manufacturers that DB purchases are last priority. We found products on line that would ship immediatley for the sum total of $5 more - no tax and free shipping. The alternative is to save a pittance and wait for purchases can be weeks, even months and we have found that you need to constantly call to find out that items are either back ordered or out of stock. After waiting for one light fixture for 18 weeks, we cancelled it. Another did arrive within 3 weeks. Now we have been waiting 6 weeks for three more (expecting to wait 4 weeks) only to find that it is going to me another 6-8 weeks until they ship.
My advice is to do your homework a lot more dutifully than we did before you go, which is difficult given teh high pressure sales tactics used (sign up now or you wont be able to ever again). At this rate I calculated that it will take us about 12 years to break even given teh membership cost, and then we will strt saving a little money.

Keith
Chicago, Il

Has anyone joined the lawsuit aginst Directbuy. If so please let me know how I can get involved. hudshouse@att.net

DO NOT GET INVOLVED WITH DIRECT BUY. I tried to get a refund of only the monies that I had not already paid and they said not only couldn't have a refund but that I had no where else to escalate my complaints to. This is the BIGGEST mistake and regret of my husband and I. 1) If you have a specific price range for a product, you are extremely limited by what you can buy 2) staff are not only unknowledgeable but also too busy to really help you 3) you are told that you will have your membership for 10 years .. but after 2 years, they start to charge you a "annual renewal fee" 4) their hours are very limited 5) their website is not user friendly and doesn't carry all of the products offered 6) after you get your "great deal" on a product, you have to pay delivery and other fees --> Basically, once you add in the fees, you erase any savings you had 7) Once you sign up .. there is NO way out of their contract.. so they have absolutely no incentive to provide good customer service or to help you .. keep that in mind if you have any thoughts of joining .. the only way this would be worth it is if you were planning on doing more than $50, 000 in HIGH-END purchases in less than 2 years.. we did a lot of purchases but we used some low end and a lot of middle range products .. which were NOT available with directbuy... I've also found that many times with retailers, you can find the same products at a lower price if you catch it on sale .. and you don't have to pay the delivery/additional fees ... DIRECT BUY IS A SCAM!

I would agree to all complaints here. I've been cheated into signing the contract and pay a down payment of $1, 000 on 08/28/2010 and finance the rest $4, 500 at 17.67% to come up with 162 per month. I don't need to tell my story, but I had the same angry and frustrated experience as all people on this complaint board after I found out that I would not save anything but I have to end up paying the monthly fees. Now, one week later I want to cancel the contract, but they would not refund the down payment, when I have not bought anything or benefited from the membership.

Is there anyway we could do something to lobby the State and Federal government to pass a law to shut down their operation, or for them to be more honest and open to consumers. It's a hard time, we want to save money but ended up to offer our hard earn money to the scammer. They are also very rude sales people who do not care about the customers. I would sign a letter with anybody to turn in to the government. How do we ask the government to not allow the TV channel to run their ad, because if they do so many more people will fall for their scam. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

I worked for Direct Buy, in the Brampton location for one week... I didn't like it, it wasn't what I was hired to do.
As for the pricing, I didn't feel they carried high end, the best at that time was Sherrill and stanley, as I had worked for a furniture store for years, and they carried one name brand that Direct Buy did, since Iworked there, I took the time to price it out, then I went to the retail store in Mississauga to find the same item. Keep in mind the retail showroom the item is assembles and someone other then me delivers it. Well it was cheaper to go to the retailer then to go thru the hassle of Direct Buy,
I did find if you were buying buy Canadian made, otherwise there are a lot of extra expense like duty and freight.

Shop around, i can't see it being a good idea unless you are doing major reno work or building a new home.

just my thoughts.

L M W

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My name is Michael Mclellan and I am an attorney with Finkelstein Thompson LLP. My law firm represents consumers who have been harmed by large corporations’ unfair business practices. We are investigating allegations similar to those discussed here -- that is, allegations (made in filed cases) that DirectBuy, Inc. may have made misrepresentations to its customers regarding the prices those customers paid for products purchased through DirectBuy. If you have been affected by such activities, you may contact me to discuss your experience and your rights. I can be reached at [protected] (toll free) or by email at contact@finkelsteinthompson.com.

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Our experience mirrors that of Sabrina in the first letter of this post. I am really disgusted that a company can continue to do business using such unscrupulous tactics. We have been to the location and are generally completely ignored until we get agitated and then someone comes "to calm us down". I placed one order through the website and the two items that were ordered were inexplicably ordered twice. I was then told to return the extra sets to the location like it was no big deal to ask me to go out of my way for their screw up. Now, I just tried to order appliances and was handed a purchase order for an additional $250 on the price of the refrigerator. I was then told that the price I had been given and that was on the website had sold out the day before so I now had to pay the new price. This was after two days of emails when I could have been told to order it right away. When I mentioned that, the salesperson said he did not get the member emails so he had no idea of what had been offered. When I asked why he would not be kept up on these offers as a representative of the company, he said he was not a "member". If the people that work for the company do not also share in the "benefits" from the company, that says a lot about how far away you should stay from Direct Buy.

David Chandler
Portland, Oregon

Please, can someone supply the name of an attorney or firm that may be filing a class action against Direct buy. drgonsgirl@yahoo.com

DirectBuy Sued! A federal lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court in Hartford against the national high-end DirectBuy franchise operation, accusing it of falsely telling prospective clients that they are getting furniture, appliances and other household products at manufacturer prices. In a lawsuit filed by attorney Seth R. Klein of Hartford, DirectBuy is accused of hiding the fact that DirectBuy receives rebates from manufacturers which are not directly passed on to their members, who pay as much as $7, 000 to join for two or three years. The lawsuit, which seeks to be certified as a class action representing thousands of present and former members of the more than 100 franchises, was filed earlier this month. It follows a column on DirectBuy that disclosed the rebates, which are kept secret from its members and from those it entices to join through high pressure sales techniques. DirectBuy officials had no comment on the suit but had said earlier that it uses the millions of dollars it received in rebates to the benefit of its members. We will see what a jury has to say about that.

Here's what the Consumer Watchdog in Hartford, CT found:

"If you don’t like the product, tough. You are stuck with it. DirectBuy unlike retail stores has a no-return policy and provides no warranties.

Sales books are not always up to date, and not every item is always available.

More disturbing to me is that DirectBuy attempts to hide the fact that not all savings it sees from manufacturers are passed on directly to members.

By reviewing the 260-plus page agreement with its franchise owners, I learned that DirectBuy reserves the right to keep rebates, discounts and other payments from manufacturers and suppliers.

It also keeps early-pay discounts, and all DirectBuy purchases are paid by the member at the time of ordering."

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-watchdog0511.artmay11, 0, 3450527.column

No Warranties--and imagine that, a buyer's club keeping discounts.

You guessed it: It's a scam!

Even as you read, this scam, which is nothing more than and a variation of the "Advance Fee Fraud" scheme, is parting yet more of the "something for nothing" crowd from their money.

Here's how it works: the potential victim is baited to call for more information after seeing a tempting infomercial and how on the "inside" someone can get better deals or a telephone "tickler" call is made to a potential victim and an informative letter or brochure is sent afterwards inviting them to an open house so they can see for themselves how much others like them have saved and how much they themselves would save, along with some form of an invitation to join. The letter and subsequent follow-up telephone calls promise rich rewards of savings by buying direct from the manufacturer, at cost, with no Mark Up, No Middleman if only they were "members" of this so called highly esteemed and long time in business organisation. Typically, the pitch at the open house includes mention the so called fact that tens of thousands of other smart and savvy consumers have saved along with a slick selection of what they have saved on -- and you, too, can begin saving as soon as you join this elustrous group by signing a "membership agreement" costing thousands of dollars payable in advance of receiving any benefits - you are told that amount is paltry compared to the savings you will obtain over a 10 year period - and you must sign the contract on a now or never basis. You are even made to feel stupid if you don't sign - only a fool would not take advantage of the savings - spend a little to save a lot sort of thing.

If you're not saying "scam" by now, you should be. Should you agree to participate in this Advance Fee savings scam, something will go wrong. Savings evaporate ... or.. Wrong or defective merchandise will be ordered ... or ... Order delays ... or ... Order mishaps and screw-ups. You will not be allowed to cancel your "membership" and get out of the deal.

If you decide to order merchandise, money from you, in advance of receiving the merchandise -- an insignificant sum, really, in light of the windfall of savings about to land in your lap -- will be required to order merchandise without any written guarantees of actually saving money.. You pay, you wait for the merchandise . . . and all you'll get in return are more excuses about why the order is held up and assurances that everything can be straightened out if you'll just be patient and wait a little while longer or send a bit more to pay for this or that price increase. Once you start making threats, these scammers will threaten to sue you if you don't make good on your end of paying for the membership contract in full.

Beware that the Membership Agreement is in reality nothing more than a legally binding sales contract that may have been glossed over in light of all the savings you are excited about expecting. Carefully look at it - it contains NO GUARANTEES OF SAVINGS - instead there is a "NO ORAL PROMISES" clause: "No oral promises or statements not contained in this Membership Agreement shall bind or obligate the club." It's like a get out of jail free card - they can tell you anything pie in the sky in the open house tour or over the phone to get you to join, but once you sign the sales or Membership Agreement, you agree to the NO ORAL PROMISES clause! So what happens if it turns out not to be what you expected? Ouch. Too late. You're stuck. That NO ORAL PROMISES clause comes back and bites you. Want a refund? Beware that the Membership Agreement states: "Members understand this program is not sold on a trial basis and that no refund of membership fees will be made." So you only partially paid on your contract and think that you're just not going to pay the rest of the contracted amount? -- beware that the Membership Agreement states further: "Members do not have the right to terminate the Membership Agreement without paying the amount remaining for this Membership." And if you think you're going to get a refund because you never found anything cheaper and therefore didn't use the club, think again. There's a clause in the Membership Agreement about this too: "The Membership Agreement is not conditioned on the use of this Membership."

In a nutshell, the con works by blinding the victim with promises of an unimaginable fortune of what others like them have saved, what they could have saved if only they joined earlier, and what they can expect to save by joining now. Once the sucker is excited and sufficiently glittery-eyed over the prospect of what he or she would do with all the money he will save, he is then squeezed for however much membership fee in full at the time of "joining" or have the sales contract balance immediately financed by a separate finance company, actually a subsidiary of the parent scam company. The money the victim parts with willingly, thinking "What's $5, 000 here when I'm going to end up saving over $50, 000 when this is all done?" He fails to realize during the sting that he's never going to actually get the promised savings because all of savings are expressly disclaimed in the fine print of the contracts and merchandise ordering materials. The very sales contract, which the victim was at first eager to sign, now comes back to bite him with all those adverse terms and conditions. All of this messing around is designed to part him from his money.

Once the scam is explained, it seems so obvious a con that you'd wonder who would fall for it. Yet fall for it people do because they're mesmerized by the wealth that will soon be theirs in the form of all the savings by not paying any markup or middleman costs - and how smart they are by taking advantage of the join now or never opportunity. They also fail to realize there's a hook hanging just out of sight; at first all they see is that others are getting savings and they want to join this cadre, thus they're ill-prepared to mentally shift gears when the con artists turns the tables. Because the premise of "saving tons of money" is wholeheartedly swallowed early on, it's not at a later point questioned when things begin to go wrong with the transaction and the dupes who have been targeted find out the hard way that there is a no refund policy on all the money they have paid in advance of receiving these now questionable "savings."

Beware paying in advance for something for nothing - no written guarantees of promises made should send you running - especially in light of the tactics of "Be like me, I'm a member and I've saved money."

Directbuy was a long time dealer of Madeli® products until their account became delinquent.

They have since cut off all communications and removed all Madeli® Products from their sites to avoid their financial obligations.

Anyone doing business with DirectBuy should be cautious of their unethical business practices.

Madeli USA LLC.

I purchased a direct buy policy and cannot find them to submit a claim

I needed to use my warranty and what the heck the company is no longer open.

Wow... My family has been with Directbuy for a couple years now and we love them... Everybody we ever come in to contact with is always very pleasant and helpful. Could mean we got the better store though, I am not sure. We've paid for wood flooring throughout. My crib mattress, fireplace tv console, just ordered the granite for my countertops... I wonder if these people are truely looking at prices and comparing apples to apples with other products... Sure we could have gone somewhere else and gotten cheaper wood flooring... Thats of course after you downgrade to the cheap crap that doesn't last. To the people that complain that it takes so long being in the store picking your things out of catalogues: You are IDIOTS--- you signed up knowing that everything is through catalogues. You know that they get it from the manufacturer.. How is it their fault that YOU decided to wait the last minute to get something remodeled b4 your special event. People complaining that the furniture takes too long-- OF COURSE you have to be patient! It's going through the manufacturer NOT through some warehouse with dozens of the same peices sit waiting to get purchased. Let me guess, you've never purchased a sofa set customized in a particular fabric or whatever before have you? Hmm.. Seems to me that these people have never done any kind of remodeling, and are used to getting things cookie-cutter that EVERYONE else has too.

DirectBuy doesn't know what a promise is nor do they have any customer service ethics.
Help spread the word...
A Federal Class Action lawsuit against DirectBuy has been filed by Izard Nobel LLP. Contact information is as follows
Lead Attorney - Jeff Nobel
email - jnobel@izardnobel.com
toll free phone# - [protected]
Please contact them so justice may prevail & we can get our hard earned money aka "membership fees" back.

My two cents, , I have been a DirectBuy member for 3yrs and people who criticize DiretBuy normally aren’t member, the place is designed for people who are true shoppers. Lumber and other comodites are not carried but if you are remodeling, funishing or buying your home its more than worth it! People come in doubting the cost prices DirectBuy is made for people who shop there are in each category many different supplies to choose from if you look, coming in one day and making a judgement is unfair you should join before you downplay DirectBuy.. Thank You