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
I know it will be an uphill battle trying to get our $4000 back but we are willing to try. I sent 2 emails to the local DB and not till I mentioned reporting them to the BB did they decide to give me a respone. This company exhibits no ethics when doing business and I plan to tell everyone I know to "beware".
Oh, how I feel your pain. You and your husband got caught up in DB's scam just as my wife & I did. I know it's a lot of work to look though all of the posts to find the information, however, if you want your money back, you'll need to do the homework. I don't know what's happened to Trudy. I hope she's okay. Perhaps she needed a break. After all, she was helping all of the people on this site on her own time and out of her good nature. Most of the information she's written is fairly the same and I am sure you can find someone else with a similar situation as yours. I wish you well in getting your money back. If you are not successful going to registered mail route, consider contacting the class action attorneys listed on this site. Don't feel bad.......we've all been there and need to stick together to shut this place down for good.
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Specialty Retail
DirectBuy, Inc.
SnapshotPeople Company Overview
DirectBuy, Inc. operates as a members-only showroom and home design center that offers merchandise at manufacturer-direct prices. The company offers furnishings; home improvement, flooring, entertainment, and outdoor products; and accessories. It also offers professional design, delivery, and installation services through its network of outside suppliers, contractors, and installers. The company was formerly known as UCC TotalHome, Inc. and changed its name to DirectBuy, Inc. in October 2004. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana. It has locations in the United States and Canada.
8450 Broadway
Suite C
Merrillville, IN 46410
United States
Founded in 1971
Phone:
219-755-6211
Fax:
219-755-6208
www.directbuycares.com
Key Executives:
Mr. Scott M. Powell
Chief Executive Officer and President
Mr. Michael Abri
Owner
Mr. Bruce Kiernan
Membership Director
Compensation as of Fiscal Year 2009.
I would love to talk to anyone that has information about how to exit a contract with Direct Buy...I signed up on a Saturday and I pretty much knew that I wanted out of the contract...I went home and I ended up talking to my parents about it. I realized that it was not what I wanted to do and I tried phoning the next day to cancel (Sunday) but they were closed. I phoned Monday morning but there is nobody in the office until later morning. I phoned again, Monday on my lunch break and asked to speak with the associate who sold me the membership. I was relayed over to his voicemail and I left a message saying that I wanted to cancel my membership. He would not respond to my call. I tried showing up at the office the following evening after work. I asked again for the guy but apparently he was "out in the back parking lot and was just leaving". It took me a week and a half of phoning, leaving messages and showing up at the Direct Buy office showroom before I actually was able to talk with the office manager. They told me that I couldn't cancel, that Direct Buy didn't have a cancellation policy, that he would look at my situation and try to phone the head office in Vancouver, BC to find out what could be done. He asked me to phone back the following week at a specific time. I did as I was instructed and phoned back the next week at the agreed upon time. Again I was sent to the man's voicemail. I was still quite patient and asked that he return my call. He did not return my call. The next day I phoned again but could not get through. I was not able to go into the office after work that evening because of other commitments. The next day I phoned again and I told the receptionist I would be coming into the office. I showed up and spoke with the manager again in his office. He told me he had spoken with the head office in Vancouver and if I wanted to cancel, I would have to pay a total of $700 Canadian. I was absolutely in disgust. I still maintained the little composure I had left and told him that I would need some time to think about what I would do next. I told him that I was not prepared to just throw away $700 and the fact that I tried phoning in the office the next day and all week.
Sorry about the long winded details of my bad experience but I think it's important for people to know just how deceitful the Direct Buy company is...
I am wondering if anyone can help me? On April 17, 2010 in Kelowna BC I put down $500 towards a silver membership based on a 3 year term of monthly payments without interest. What are my rights as a consumer with this kind of contract and where can I find good information on this? I have already picked up forms now for small claims court. I am wondering if I stand a chance of getting my $500 returned or will I have to pay out another $200 on top of the $500 to satisfy their terms? I don't even know where they are getting $700 from - not sure if they just pulled that number out of the air or what? I would love to have your help to get a success story and I will join all of you in arms to make sure that Direct Buy will forever be hated by the consumer community!! ( :
I tried phoning on The following day (Sunday)and left a message to tell them I was hoping to cancel..I tried phoning on the Monday and left a long detailed message, explaining my situation and that I planned to cancel...I tried showing up on Tuesday in person and the membership manager, "the only person that could discuss membership details," was "out back and just leaving."
Wanting out - Dallas, TX
Please take the time to read Trudy's advice to other members. She basically has a formula using registered mail. In your case, I would suggest expediting your letter to ensure the franchise owner receives it within the 3-day cancellation period. I know this website is difficult to navigate, however, Trudy's example letters are proven to work. You just need to do your homework & take action now. There are also many class action lawsuits against DirectBuy, however, since you just joined, you should try to cancel.
Good luck & keep us posted.
Finkelstein Thompson LLP
Washington, DC office (877) 337-1050
or by email at contact@finkelsteinthompson.com.
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
-STATE OR PROVINCE WHERE YOU JOINED
-DATE JOINED------OFFERED A 30 DAY FREE TRIAL?
-have you sent a written complaint???????Have you collected written proof of cheaper prices,
If you have wasted time talking to db, you are wasting valuable time!!!
SEND REGISTERED MAIL ONLY *NO E-MAILS & NO PHONE CALLS
sEND COPies of proof of cheaper prices & outline your specific complaint
ASK for a rescision of the contract
Ask for a response IN WRITING ONLY, within 10 days of receipt of your registered letter
iNC.that you will not accept phone calls or e-mails
***I AM VERY SPECIFIC FOR A REASON ---I GOT MY MONEY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
REFER TO THE STATE OR PROVINCIAL LAW THAT APPLIES
CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT &/OR DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICE ACT
***THEY are deceitful, liars & promise excess savings that do not exist
HIGH PRESSURE TACTICS TO JOIN
NO REFUNDS OR CANCELLATIONS IS ALSO VS. THE ACT
*FORCINg you to give up your rights
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
they are still scamming millions of people all the time
Don't give up!!!!!!!!!
AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE OTHER LETTER I JUST POSTED,
I AM BURNT OUT BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T LISTEN OR TRUST ME
SO I GAVE UP FOR A WHILE & WENT ON A HOLIDAY TOO.
PLEASE STAY HERE WITH ME & LET'S TRY TO STAMP OUT DB TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!
BUT in the complaints that I have tried to help for over a year on this site, the AG still allows DB to freely answer your complaint
& does not "investigate" & does not warn db in any way to stop the
fraudulent actions
REMEMBER THAT THE GOV'T MAKES MONEY FROM EVERY BUSINESS, EVEN SCUMMY DB
When making a complaint to the AG, you can waste crucial time limits to make your complaints,
SO FAR, the AG wants proof of your complaints, t
this is the reason that I always say
FIND PROOF OF CHEAPER PRICES & SEND REGISTERED MAIL ONLY
YOU CAN ARGUE THE ///////////CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
AND/OR THE UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES ACT\
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My previous letter above outlines more details
PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP
asking too many of the wrong questions.
I have been a sales professional for the better part of 12 years and
have dealt with every type of customer personality there is. Today, I got to be
a sales prospect at Directbuy of Baton Rouge,La 14141 Airline Hwy. After having
seen a TV ad for their service, I made a call and set up a visit for Saturday
6/19/2010 at 2pm cst. Directbuy's sales approach is very clever, and very, very
structured. Directbuy grabs total control over the sales presentation. Oh,
before I get too far down the road, you need to know that when you visit them,
you are going to get a sales pitch. I have nothing against selling especially
since it's what I do for a living. But the closest thing I can think of to
describe their approach is that it's like being invited on a 2 day weekend to a
Florida resort all expenses paid, only to become a captive for a sales
promotion. You are only allowed to come by appointment, if married both husband
and wife must come, and if you have children, LEAVE THEM AT HOME! As you might
have begun to figure out, Directbuy wants you and your spouse to be under their
control, without any distractions, for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I am still ok
with that. There were many times when greeting my sales prospects I wished they
had left their kids home, and that I had BOTH spouses present (to avoid getting
the "I have to talk it over with my spouse" sales objection). What happened
today however came as a complete surprise and prompted me to write this review.
The issue I have is that the sales rep (Jim Morgan) was not properly trained to
deal with questions that did not have a pat, scripted answer. He became
increasingly furstrated that some of my questions (and his answers) made
Directbuy membership appear to be less of a value than being represented. Since
the presentation was given to three couples in a group, he became concerned that
the questions I asked and the answers he had to give, could ruin his chance of
selling either of the other two couples on their $4,790 membership plan.
Near the end of Jimbo's presentation, he asked me about the price I paid for a
front loading LG washer, steam dryer, and matching pedestal stands at my local
big box store. I was supposed to say "$3,000 plus tax and delivery", to which he
was supposed to flip over his little sales pitch card showing that Directbuy
members only pay $2,182 for the same set. Only problem for Jim Morgan was that I
answered before the group that I only paid $2,200 including tax, delivery, and
set up! He then tried to attack me personally by suggesting that "Directbuy
isn't for everybody...If you want to spend time hunting for deals then go
ahead". To this I answered, "everybody is looking for a deal, that's why I am
here in the first place"! This was all he could take! He called me and my wife
away from the group, and ordered us to leave. I asked what the problem was and
all he could say is some gibberish about the way I was conducting myself, and
that he did not have to state why I was being ordered to leave. He even said
he'd call the police if I refused to go immediately. The "fake" Mr.Friendly
veneer came off, and he turned on me and my wife like a scene from Invasion of
the Body Snatchers!
Upon reflection, I think his military back ground as a sniper, and field
commander did not allow him to risk giving up his paycheck, total control of a
situation, or being made to look inferior. The irony of the whole thing is that
my wife and I were the only ones in the group that he had ANY chance of selling!
I am wondering if Bill and his wife Pat from DeRidder,La got thrown out too?
Pat was also asking legitimate questions to which Mr.Morgan could not always
give a "good" answer to.
The take away here is that if you go to Directbuy, don't ask any questions that
challenge the sales person and might diminish the value of their membership.
They tell you once you are there, "you will only get one chance to join and it's
now". "You either sign up today, or you'll never be able to join again". Since I
was thrown out because Jim Morgan didn't like me, I guess I will never know
whether or not it's worth it to join Directbuy. I do plan to take this up with
his boss, and Directbuy corporate offices. Remember..."Dont ask the wrong
questions!!!"