Learned lesson but still fighting

ComplaintsHome & GardenDirectbuy

Complaint

0
Laddie0813
Country: United States
I will not repeat all the complaints and reports about Directbuy's fraudulent treatment of their members.  All is true.  Just read all the complaints combine them and that's what my husband and I have gone through.  We paid close to $6,000.00 and have bought $000.00 merchandise from them.  NOTHING.  No service nothing from them.  Just took our money and sat back and laughed.  There is now a class action lawsuit which we just received notice of being included.  So I guess somewhere there is a list with our name as members.  We have deceided to exclude ourselves from the class action because I do not believe we would be reimbursed even close to what we have given those crooks.  Of course the court will not let you know how much until the date to exclude yourself from the lawsuit has passed.  We live in Minnesota and I would really like to get together with a few other members and sue.  There is a favorable climate against Directbuy with the courts now,  and I believe our outcome would be better than the class action Swift vs Directbuy.  We have tried different options even calling the owner and pleading for a refund at Christmas.  I am disabled and my husband lost his job a few years ago.  His job was outsourced to China. He is 63 with no prospect of employment in the future.  Yes we really need the money!!  It has been about 5 or 6 years since we joined and I am willing to wait for the right opportunity to get our money back.  I think it is stupid to pay so much and receive less than $500.00 in restitution.  I even thought of picketing in front of their location in White Bear Lake on a busy street.  I just might have to do that this summer.  If I stop just one person from making the mistake we did, it would be worth it.  Determined to succeed in Minnesota.

Comments

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  • 0
    David Young
    | 6 replies
    I don't understand, why wont you go along with the class action...there have been many class actions in the past where people have gotten well over what they have paid to a company?
    • 0
      Annette Green replies to David Young
      | 4 replies
      My husband and I signed up with direct buy in 2011 but we defaulted because we really couldn't afford the membership. They said that the would work with us but that was not the case. We asked for a refund but they refused. My husband and I decided not to give them another dime because initially we felt pressured into the membership. We were told if we walked away from the open house without securing a membership we would not be able to reapply until years later. I would love to sue them for misleading us into believing the had the lowest prices but that is so far from the truth. I don't even remember our I'd number anyway.
      • 0
        Ken replies to Annette Green
        | 2 replies
        Interesting. The high pressure salesman I spoke to at the Memphis, TN outlet told me if I walked away that day without purchasing a membership I will NEVER be offered a membership again.
        • 0
          Laddie0813 replies to Ken
          That was exactly the case with us also.  "You will never be able to come back for a membership if you walk out, because you have seen insider information."  I feel like a fool,  what insider information?
        • 0
          Kristine replies to Ken
          Here in Michigan we were told the same thing.  If you walk away today, you will not be allowed to ever purchase.  I wish we had listened to that little voice.  Instead we caved under the pressure and signed up.  Paid that membership fee in full and saved nothing.  The first item we purchased never came in and it was eventually cancelled due to availability, I don't even recall if we were refunded the money for that item.  The second item - a baby bedroom set, which we had to make arrangements to pick up and put together ourselves.  Horrible just horrible.  Never bought anything again and despised the place every time we drove by
      • 0
        Craig replies to Annette Green
        I bought in on this in 2009 with the intension of using it to flip houses with. All the products they promised were cheaper and how much money you save, what a scam. Should have walked away when they said if I decided not to become a member I would never be able to come back. Wouldn't even let you look at any of the products. Anyway, I went to purchase some staging furniture and was told I had to pay for the shipping to there warehouse and had to pick it up. All said and done I could have went downtown and bought the same set up 20% cheaper. We paid off the balance and just excepted the fact we got ripped off. I would love to get some or all of my money back but don't even know were to start. I'm searching the internet with no luck and not even sure if we are eligible for the lawsuit the internet is talking about.
    • 0
      abe replies to David Young
      swift v directbuy lawsuit is a joke...directbuy ripped me off of 4700.00$ scam membership, and Bologne Swift sent me 20$ check for the settlement  !!!wtf
  • 0
    Jonathan
    | 1 reply
    This class action wouldn't even get us close to what we lost. The law firm is going to take $900,000 and $1,000,000 is going to be split with all members/former members/defaulted members since October 11, 2002 minus what the representatives take? Sounds like the ONLY people that will come out ahead is the law firm. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
    • 0
      Ken replies to Jonathan
      That's how class action law suits work. You pay nothing for court and legal fees. But the attorneys take a sizable amount of the settlement money.
  • 0
    Ken
    I purchased a DirectBuy membership in 2009 at the Memphis, TN outlet. After 3 weeks I had not received anything from them giving me membership access nor the instant online access that was suppose to start the day of membership purchase. I called the office and told them to cancel my membership, which was withing the 30 day cancellation period. They gave me the pathetic excuse that the outlet owner retired so my membership was not activated. I told them it didn't take the owner 3 weeks to retire. And they can cancel my membership since they lack integrity, professionalism and provide such poor service. I did everything they said I needed to do to cancel my membership. A month later I started receiving monthly notices to pay on the membership they alleged to have cancelled. Then I started getting notices from a collection agency. I don't care about the down payment I made on the membership. I consider that a small price to pay on the lesson I learned to NEVER deal with DirectBuy. They won't get another penny from me. I also advise anyone who says their considering joining DirectBuy against getting a membership with them.
  • 0
    Mark
    Yep they suckerd me in the same way! They  must have a direct buy scam college !! I was got mine at MERRIVLE INDIANA . Wow they really don't care do they
  • 0
    GM
    I am a Member with same issues. Would join a class action if I found one.
  • 0
    Demond
    I am in the same situation. Cleveland, Ohio. Everytime I went in the store to purchase something they did not have it.
  • 0
    AH
    | 2 replies
    Rochester NY . I am paying but falling behind and only purchased 1 item, a kitchen aide mixer that was on sale at Sears for the same price a few months later. I don't know how to get out of this scam without killing my credit.
    • 0
      JT replies to AH
      | 1 reply
      Hi! I saw that you are from Rochester and are interested in filing a complaint. The attorney general in NY reached a settlement with DirectBuy. Here is a link: http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2013/01/17/sc ... with-directbuy/

      The deadline to file was in April 2013 BUT if your local DirectBuy is closed and there is not another location within 25 miles of you it is possible to still apply for restitution.

      We just received word last night that the Rochester DirectBuy club is closing. I made some calls to the AG office and was told to file a complaint.

      I hope you somehow find this followup and it helps, or helps other local residents who fell for DirectBuy's lies.
      • 0
        brenda replies to JT
        We joined Direct Buy in 2013 in Birmingham, Alabama. We have never bought anything or saw anything that look like the deals they advertised. I recently contacted them and told them that I didnt feel as though they had fulfilled their contract, since they had closed their showroom and the deals they advertised were not available in catalogs. I didn't ask for a refund, just told them I didn't want to continue my membership. They told me to look at my contract that I was obligated till June 2017. We cannot afford this kind of scam. We need to try some way to stop this. My email: 06bpurcell60@gmail.com  If any one know of lawsuit in Alabama or other are other areas nearby please contact me.
  • 0
    Annie
    All of the above, but the class action lawsuit that we signed up for is a joke. We were asked if we wanted a $10 gift certificate to Direct Buy, or a check for $10 after the lawsuit is settled. This company simply needs to be put out of business forever and the "owners" need to pay restitution to the members. I'd be happy with the membership fee back. The only thing that benefitted us was the discount at a Denver hard woods company for whom we dealt with directly. You can buy anything they sell on  sale anywhere in the U.S. and you don't have to wait six months to get it. It's a scam and I wish I hadn't been so stupid.
  • 0
    Ed
    I wonder how the other people learned about the class action lawsuit? I just googled it because my neighbor mentioned it to me and the 2 that I found had deadlines that already passed so I was never included nor excluded so I don't even know if I can join another lawsuit if there was one.
  • 0
    Suz
    Another sucker here. The worst part is that my father gave us the membership as a gift because we were remodeling our home and they made the deal sound so great. We bought very little to make the $5000 membership worth it. I did try to cancel the membership but just got the run around then a few months later they closed the local showroom down.  The closest direct buy to us in 600 miles away. We should have just taken the $5000 cash from my dad and put it towards the remodeling. Expensive lesson learned.  Just like you Ed, never knew abou the class action suit.  Just happened to google Direct Buy today because I got a renewal form in the mail today and wanted to see what I could anay information about restitution to the local members that did not benefit from their original memberships.
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