Don't make our mistake
Complaint
Polly Globe
Country: United States
We attended their presentation and after some calculation decided to pay for the membership which was $4990. We wanted to update our kitchen and bathroom cabinets, as well as bedroom furniture. We put down about $1000, and the rest was financed through their lender Beta Finance.
A month later we started planning our purchases and realized we were about to pay more by buying through them than we would otherwise. What the don't tell you on their presentation is that while you save about 10% on furniture they add 8 % handling charge in addition to 7% tax, and that doesn't include shipping.
I am now trying to get our membership money back. Do not become a member! Buy from other stores.
A month later we started planning our purchases and realized we were about to pay more by buying through them than we would otherwise. What the don't tell you on their presentation is that while you save about 10% on furniture they add 8 % handling charge in addition to 7% tax, and that doesn't include shipping.
I am now trying to get our membership money back. Do not become a member! Buy from other stores.
Comments
Its unlikely they will let you buy ANYTHING without FIRST sitting through the hard sell membership sales pitch. BEWARE of their TACTICS.
The best thing that I reccommend to warn you it to READ THE contract HERE
You will not get 1 single discount
They will not let you "shop" freely through all of their "selection"
They have different levels of memberships, acc. to the membership fee total
I GUARANTEE YOU THAT DB WILL RESTRICT YOU TO THE CHEAPER BRANDS
THEY WANT FULL PAYMENT UP FRONT
BEST OF ALL: The "catalogue" price IS THE LIE TO LURE YOU
THEY REFUSE TO PUT THE WHOLE PRICE IN WRITING
UNTIL YOU HAVE ALREADY PLACED THE ORDER (See #4 below)
GUESS WHAT!!!!!!
THEN DB'S EVIL FANGS & CLAWS COME OUT
THE TOTAL $$$ OMG The extra fees:
Members are entitled to all the rights and privileges of membership, including the right to order carpeting, furniture, appliances ...
at the manufacturer's or supplier's price plus sales taxes,
& FRIEGHT CHARGES\
& HANDLING FEES
PLUS: NO DELIVERY
HIRE A 3RD PARTY TO P/UP LARGE ITEMS AT THE WAREHOUSE
NO PROMISED DELIVERY DATE *To the warehouse
ADD TIME & TROUBLE TO P/UP items yourself
REMEMBER CLUBS ARE CLOSING DOWN NON-STOP LATELY
BUT YOU'RE STILL A MEMBER, WITH NO SERVICE
IMPORTANT MERCHANDISE TERMS:
1) Merchandise is covered by the manufacturers' warranties only,
and the cost of an order does not provide for any setup fee,
or service type of agreement, unless otherwise stated.
The Club disclaims all warranties regarding the merchandise,
express or implied, including without limitation, all warranties of merchantability.
2) REPAIRS OR SERVICES, after receipt of merchandise,
is members' own responsibility.
3) MEMBERS ARE WARNED
NOT TO ACCEPT MERCHANDISE AND SIGN FOR IT UNTIL AFTER THEY HAVE CAREFULLY
EXAMINED SAME TO MAKE SURE THE MERCHANDISE CONFORMS TO THE ORDER,
AND THAT THE CONDITION OF THE ITEM IS ACCEPTABLE TO THEM,
SINCE THE CLUB WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MERCHANDISE ONCE ACCEPTED BY MEMBERS, AND MERCHANDISE MAY NOT BE RETURNED.
...so imagine, you hire a 3rd party delivery co..
& someone has to unpack your fridge or stove, & wait til you plug it in
to see if it works....
Yah, o.k. SIGN ME UP!!!!!!!!1
4) The entire merchandise price plus handling fee,
estimated freight and sales tax is required as a down payment
at the time of placing an order with the Club.
5) Check your suppliers' catalog for estimated delivery information,
since it will vary for individual suppliers.
The Club has no control over the actual delivery time which may vary from estimated delivery times.
6) Suppliers reserve the right to change their prices without notice.
This agreement binds the Club, its successors and assigns. Member's rights, powers, privileges, duties and liabilities are not assignable and terminate upon death of the member listed below.
Members understand this program is not sold on a trial basis
and no refund of membership fees will be made.
The Club is only obligated to arrange benefits as described in this Membership Agreement.
No oral promises or statements not contained in this Membership Agreement shall bind or obligate the Club.
This Membership Agreement is not conditioned on the use of this Membership.
PLEASE read the contract details above, See the scam close up for yourself.
YOU ARE SCUM BAGS --ARE NOT--ARE NOT--LIKE THE REST OF US
YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A HEART OR A SOUL
DB OWNERS willingly opened a Criminal Organization
& forced innocent victims into an Empty contract
full only of lies, & puke-faced scums, making their puke-faced promises
YOU WILL JUST COME BACK IN A REINCARNATION OF DB--SPEWING YOUR VENOM
THIS SITE IS TO EXPOSE THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION
CALLED DB----------DOUBLE BABBLE ----B. S.=======
HI TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN SCAMMED
PLEASE answer when & where did you join,
Did your contract have a 3 day cooling-off period written into it?
IF NOT, SEND REGISTERED MAIL IMMEDIATELY
You are requesting an immediate RESCISION of the contract
due to the fact that the contract has been misrepresented to you
3 DAY COOLING-OFF PERIOD IS MANDATORY CORPORATE COMPANY POLICY
IF YOUR CONTRACT DELIBERATELY FORCED YOU TO SIGN A CONTRACT
WITHOUT A 3 DAY COOLING-OFF
IT IS AN OUT-DATED OBSOLETE CONTRACT!!! DEMAND YOUR FULL REFUND!!!
YOU MUST SEND REGISTERED MAIL,
DO NOT STEP FOOT BACK IN THERE, or they will further humiliate & intimidate you
letter must be done at the post office, you get a reciept with a tracking number, YOUR Registered LETTER REC'T IS YOUR VALID DATE OF NOTIFICATION,
KEEP COPIES OF ALL & SEND originals
YOUR LETTER MUST INCLUDE;
YOU are rescinding the contract based on the fact that the contents of the contract has been misrepresented to you.
Upon research, you have found 3 references that DB is using AN OBSOLETE,
OUTDATED, INVALID CONTRACT : "...No Refunds, Not Cancelable..."
I LIST 3 references of proof:
ALL DB CONTRACTS ARE SUPPOSED TO INC. A 3 DAY COOLING-OFF PERIOD
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1)click & PRINT A COPY OF THE WHOLE ARTICLE below--WCVB TV5 abc Boston
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13332558/detail.html
HIGHLIGHT THE DaTE & (close to the end of the article),
statement on cancellation.
"Regarding our cancellation policy, any new member can cancel their membership within three days of joining."
************************
Statement From DirectBuy
Full statements from DirectBuy headquarters in Indiana:
May 16, 2007
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2) ***CBC MARKETPLACE-THE PRICE CUT PROMISE ---VIDEO INVESTIGATION OF DB
on March 27, 2009
CBC TV News Reporter, Erica Johnson, on camera interview,
with Barrie Ontario, Directbuy Owner, Christine De Marsh
(approx. 12 min. in)
The Reporter stated:
"...Apparently, Directbuy has a BRAND NEW CORPORATE POLICY,
claims they give new members a 3 DAY COOLING-OFF PERIOD..."
The Reporter asks why this cooling-off period wasn't mentioned by anyone?
The db owner stated "IF ANYONE ASKS, WE certainly do mention that..."
Reporter: "...it's not in the contract, and it wasn't mentioned at the open house... "
Db Owner: "...there is actually a new contract coming out, that does address that."
***************************************************************************
(Please use my direct quotes above, they are word for word accurate)
===========================================================================
3) Refer to Consumer Protection laws
a CONTRACT with "No Cancel & No Refund..."
is an unfair trade practice
a contract worded this way, forces the member to give up their rights,
that they are guaranteed under law
Unfair or deceptive and unconscionable trade practices prohibited
Unfair or deceptive trade practices and unconscionable trade practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce are unlawful
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END YOUR LETTER BY ADDING:
you are expecting written confirmation of the rescision of the contract,
& written confirmation that you do not owe any money to db,
or to any other loan co. associated with db
...inc. your details of your payment plan...)
...expecting a written response, delivered to you, ONLY BY MAIL
,,,you will not accept telephone calls or e-mails to discuss this
...PLEASE respond within 5 business days of THE date that you received, this Registered LETTER
sign by all names on contract
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM DB IS SCUM
ANY QUESTIONS???????????
I phoned the owner ...and got no reply. I went there, cornered the owner,...I showed proof of 15 items that had cheaper prices at other stores in Alberta, and pulled up 2 of them on my phone. Then I showed the Alberta Trading Act and that I was following procedure by giving DirectBuy a chance to interact...I stated raising my voice about picketing tomorrow,...I was stubborn about received a refund then and there via check, ...Worked for me
Reply
Rating: 0 SUCCESS - 19 Mar 2011
2) Chantal in Ontario
chantal - 10 Sep 2009 TRUDY!! I DID IT!!I SENT A FINAL FAX ON TUESDAY,LETTING THEMKNOW THAT I WAS DONE WAITING AFTER MY SECOND REG LETTER AND MANY FAXES AND THEY REPLIED BY FAX STATEING THAT THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REFUNDING ME!!!!THEY WANTED ME TO CALL TO VERIFY ME INFO BUT I FAXED THEM INSTEAD STATEING THAT ALL CORRESPONDENCE HAD TO BE RECORDED,THANKYOU SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH ILL LET YOU KNOW MY FINAL RESULT,TAKE CARE AND KEEP IT UP! Reply
***Trudy - 11 Sep 2009 AMAZING CHANTAL!!!!!!!!!!CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You applied the law & followed "my rules" you worked hard and you did it.
I am soooooooo happy for you.
Reply
Rating: 0 SUCCESS SUCCESS SUCCESS - 19 Mar 2011
3) Houston Texas - 27 Apr 2009--I would like to thank all of you...Becuase of reading through all your comments, I am able to get my DB membership cancelled right on time, and get my money back...The first thing I did was calling the credit card company to dispute the first payment I had put down and cancel my credit card. At the same time, I started to prepare the letter that Trudy suggest. I also looked into the 3-days cancellation law in Texas. I walked into the store...The manager grabbed my letter and other paperworks..came back with the 3 payments receipts I pre-signed..The sales manager didn't want to give me any cancellation form as a proof, since there was no canncellation policy (according to him). However, he did mention that 72 hours cancellation rule is applied to the store policy
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4) We will not be bullied! - 6 May 2009
I was able to get my money back and can't join the class but wanted to make sure that others get their money back as well. None of us can afford to throw away money or spend $5000... Thanks Trudy for your information and for taking the time to help others...your information has been very helpful. ..I'll do whatever it takes to warn other people
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I GOT MY MONEY BACK!!!!!! In the mail today was an envelope with a single cheque for a full refund (3 yrs payment). My third letter was faxed on the Monday 22nd Jun 09. The cheque was dated the Tuesday 23 Jun 09 and mailed on Wednesday 24th Jun 09 and I received it today!
Trudy, thank you soooooo very much for all you words of wisdom, I followed everything you said to do. To everyone out there, it is possible to get your money back. Don't give up!
6) Mar 2010----Hi Trudy,
Good news,db has given me a full refund of my downpayment of $974.30 posted to my bank account as of today.
and agreed to cancel the contract. I didn't get the cancelation in writing but i do have the charge back receipt with there name on it.I know you advise not speaking to db but with my first payment looming, i took a chance. This was after talking to Beta finance twice and telling them i had sent a certified letter to db less then 24hrs. after signing the contract.I don't now if this helped ,i'm just glad this is over !!! If any one has any questions about what happened check pg59 that's were my first post is.
Thanks for your support and keep fighting.
7) mid2112 - 18 Mar 2010--Interesting information regarding checks from DB... we just recently received a refund of our initial down payment ($700) a couple of days ago. Here is the letter that was enclosed...
The letter says:
Per your request, enclosed please find check #3118 in the amount of $700, which represents the full refund of your DirectBuy membership downpayment. Pease note that endorsement by you constitutes a full and complete release by you and any and all claims you have against DirectBuy Inc, DirectBuy of Providence, and any of its affiliated compaines, stockholders, directors, officers, and employees.
We trust that this resolves the issue and wish you success in your future endeavors.
8) SUCCESS! - 14 Mar 2011--ann - 10 Mar 2010--They agree to refund, but only agree to do so by cheque (must pick up from their office) instead of a reverse transaction back to my mastercard. Should I accept? Is there a catch? Reply
9) SUCCESS - 14 Mar 2011--tom - 17 Sep 2010--I DID IT!!!! I sent them the letter I wrote above a day after signing with them and they called the next day trying to talk me out of canceling but I said as many bad things about the company as I could think of and they eventually said OK!!! I told him about how I have read that some members have signed up only for that location to shut down just days later, that I didn't want to do business with a company that would do that to someone. He actually told me that the contract WAS legal even though it didn't say there was a 3 day cooling off period. Even though it just said not cancelable. That it had been rewritten before. All i have to do now is send back the pamplet for him to do the recission. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH Trudy you are an amazing person for what you do...
GET YOURSELF SOME HELP TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE NAME "TRUDY, TRUDY TRUDY
COULD MAKE YOU SO PARANOID & PSYCHOTIC?????
BUYER'S BEWARE ---- DON'T MAKE OUR MISTAKE....
Do not join Direct Buy unless you're wanting to take a loss.
I live in NYC joined end of last year and recently started are remodeling project. Half of what we bought were from websites which had better prices or final prices that were cheaper after DB added shipping and handling and extra shipping(from their warehouse to our contractor) since we don't have a car to get to their warehouse in NJ to pick up items Now DB qouted price for marble tile are higher then a local retailer in NYC who reps for DB's tile supplier.
I would like to cancel my contract for atleast a partial refund, what advice did you give to Dee?
Thanks for your help