no savings
Complaint
mike8129
Country: United States
Lets start out by saying i have been a member of direct buy for over 15 yrs. Direct Buy started out as United Consumers Club then switched to Total Home, then again as we know it as Direct Buy. When we joined the membership was a little over 1000.00 if i remember right. After we first joined we did save a lot of money on furniture and carpeting. But its now 15 years later and membership is 5000.00 which i would never pay. we went to order new furniture and what a shock i could get the same thing from a local store for almost the same price and they would even deliver it. When i pointed this out to a direct rep they contact there corporate head quarters to see if we could get a better price, They wanted to jump through hoops to prove i was not saving any money, i personally contact there home office and they never returned my phone call. So we priced out another manufacture and the same thing no real savings. Take note if you do join you will have to spend over 20000.00 to maybe break even. Just go to Consumer Reports web site. There use to be a savings at Direct Buy but not anymore. DO NOT JOIN YOU WILL JUST WAST YOU TIME AND MONEY.
Comments
Were you able to cancel the Direct Buy membership. I signed my contract yesterday and already am feeling not good.
Thanks
Gary
I signed a 3 years membership agreement with DB Brampton - ON franchise, on June 22.
Before going to their showroom I had my doubts regarding DB, but because I am a new homeowner and I do plan to spend some $ in renovations, I decided to attend their sales presentation. I was aware of the “The Price Cut Promise” 2009 TV investigation and the “un-official” 3 days cool-off period so, after long deliberation, and personal franchise’s owner reassurance that we could find whatever we need at DB, we signed the agreement at ~ 23:30 !. We’ve been also told that our online access information will be provided in maximum 2 days (we received it one month later!).
In the next 2 days we visited other 2 showrooms in GTA, and we realized the selection of the products we were looking for was limited and not meeting our needs and taste.
On June 25, before 3 days cool-off period expiration, I sent a fax and a registered letter to the Franchise’s Owner, explaining our situation and requesting the cancellation of the membership agreement and reimbursement of the membership advance payment (we paid $590, and signed a pre-authorized form for financing of the remaining 5K with Travelers Acceptance Corp.).
On June 30, I received a letter from the owner, confirming the reception of the letter on June 29, and expressing concern about not being provided with a proper new member orientation session that would allow me to find the products I was looking for.
Also he mentioned the Page 15 of the contract statement “ it is not our policy to refund a membership as result of a member’s failure to follow-through on previous anticipated purchases”.
On July 7, I replied with a fax and registered letter containing the original fax receipt page from June25, 8:18 PM.
This time I mentioned the undue pressure to purchase the membership, our reliance in the good faith of his promises, and meeting the 3-day cool-off corporate policy mentioned in “The Price Cut Promise”.
I mentioned also, the on-line access promised and not received till that date, and my right under Ontario Consumer Protection Act to complain to whatever forum I consider fit, regardless any written contract stipulation.
In the end, I asked again for contract cancellation and reimbursement of my down payment, which would avoid a potential litigation with effect on DB public image and specifically on his franchise.
Unfortunately, on July 8 I received his reply, with a copy of the first registered letter (sent on June 24, received on June 29), with no mentioning about cool-off period policy, and a traffic log that he claimed it shows we did not visit any other location.
Also he enclosed a copy of the member process history showing the contract reviewed on June 26, and membership active from June 28.
Since then, I tried twice to meet him in person, at his franchise, in order to avoid future “ping-pong” letters, but every time he did not show up (each time we told the receptionist we are waiting for him).
I would really appreciate your advice regarding my remaining options to cancel the Membership Agreement and recover my advance payment.
Thanks for help.
Is this legal? You go in a store and you make your purchase decision based on misleading facts presented by company sales representative. Can they remove any responsibility of false claim via a fine print paragraph in the contract?
my contract at the bottom claims it was revised on 7/8/09 but makes no mention of a 3 day cooling off period. Am I a lost cause? I haven't even had the contract for 12 hours and I already feel sick.