DirectBuy was founded in 1971 by James L. Gagan in Merrillville, Indiana. The club allows consumers to buy direct from the manufacturers at wholesale prices. Joining the club requires a substantial membership fee for a 2-3 year commitment.
In 1996, the first franchise opened in Canada.
In 2004, the company incorporated as DirectBuy, a subsidiary of United Consumers Club.
In 2007, the company was acquired by Trivest and Allied Capital Corporation.
In 2011, the company was sued by the West Virginia Attorney General for deceptive business practices and high pressure sales. The company had been telling people if you did not join on your first visit, you would be banned for life. A threat that was not true.
Today, Direct Buy has over 100 locations in the US and Canada.
Direct BuyDirectBuy was founded in 1971 by James L. Gagan in Merrillville, Indiana. The club allows consumers to buy direct from the manufacturers at wholesale prices. Joining the club requires a substantial membership fee for a 2-3 year commitment.
In 1996, the first franchise opened in Canada.
In 2004, the company incorporated as DirectBuy, a subsidiary of United Consumers Club.
History
In 2007, the company was acquired by Trivest and Allied Capital Corporation.
In 2011, the company was sued by the West Virginia Attorney General for deceptive business practices and high pressure sales. The company had been telling people if you did not join on your first visit, you would be banned for life. A threat that was not true.
Today, Direct Buy has over 100 locations in the US and Canada.
MY HUSBAND AND I SAW INFO ON TV AND WENT TO OUR CLOSEST SHOWROOM AND YOUNG WOMAN SAT DOWN WITH US AND WE WERE GETTING READY TO PURCHASED FLOORING AND SHE QUOTED US A PRICE SO WE HANDED OVER $5000 CHECK FOR MEMBERSHIP. SHE TOLD US WE WOULD SAVE THAT AMOUNT VERY QUICKLY WITH ALL THE DECORATING. WE FOUND OUT ON OUR NEXT TRIP TO ORDER THE FLOORING SHE QUOTED US THAT SHE HAD FLAT OUT LIED TO US TO GET US TO SIGN UP. THEY REFUSED TO GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK SO WE ORDERED FLOORING AND HAD FLOORLAYER HOLD BACK THREE DAYS TO DO OUR JOB WHEN THE FLOORING CAME IN THE COLOR WAS EXTREMELY DARK AND OUR WOOD WORK BEING OAK WOULD NOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO WORKING..WE HAVE NEVER ORDERED ANYTHING OR SAVED ANYTHING FOR THAT $5000 MEMBERSHIP FEE. THE INFOMMERICIAL WHICH WAS A KEY THAT COULD POSSIBLY HELP US WIN THOUSANDS IN GIVEAWAY SHE DID NOT EVEN TRY IT IN FRONT OF US BUT WE SURMISED SHE MIGHT HAVE KEPT IT FOR HERSELF. WE WERE TOLD SHE DID IT TO OTHERS JUST LIKE US. LYING ABOUT PRICES TO GET PEOPLE TO SIGN UP. (POSSIBLY PAID BY COMMISSION WE DO NOT KNOW)…AS TWO PEOPLE THAT ARE DISABLED (MY HUSBAND WHO HAS HAD MULTIPLE STROKES AND IS ON 30 DAY HEART MONITOR RIGHT NOW GOING TO CARDIOLOGISTS..) AND I HAVE HAD COUNTLESS STROKES MYSELF $5000 IS LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS TO US RIGHT NOW..WOW…NOW AM READING ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS..HOW DOES A COMPANY GET A WAY WITH THIS KIND OF TREATMENT OF CUSTOMERS..AM PRAYING FOR THEM ALL..TO WAKE UP AND BEGIN BEING HONEST…
Around 10 years ago we decided to redo our kitchen and had received an advertisement for direct buy. My husband and I went to the showroom
for the presentation and under the once here and your out for good culture bought the membership thinking we would save a lot of money after having various contractors give us estimates. The designer really wasn’t good and I practically designed the kitchen myself. She also failed to tell me after picking out the finish on my cabinets that painted ones were likely to chip etc… and the samples I received were solid heavy doors, the cabinets that came were thinner. Why? The answer was that’s just s sample not an actual door. I spent over $24,000 on cabinets alone and I had 4 doors replaced within months. Then my direct buy closed its doors and if I needed anything had to travel far to the nearest direct buy. I never used them again. Then last June I received an email giving me a free years membership because of the closing. I needed a new bedroom set, seen one in a furniture store then checked direct buy. They had it at almost ½ price. I ordered 2 end tables, triple dresser and chest. The chest came with a splinter of wood peeled on the frame of one drawer. The solution send me paint. Really? The triple dresser had a paint pimple that peeled off a month later and a hole in the drawer. It still isn’t replaced 6 months later. The customer service rep I’ve been dealing with has been absolutely terrific, but direct buy itself is horrible. My renewal was up 6/30/17. I will never renew. If I could send the whole bedroom back for a total refund I would. It’s not worth the the problem I’ve been having for months to save a few bucks. Tell the new CEO for me, I thought maybe under him it changed. Obviously it didn’t just more lies out of direct buys mouth.
My husband and I purchased our membership in 2004. We were told that if we did not purchase at that moment, that we would not be able to come back. They would not show us the names of the companies they partnered with, (this should have been a red flag) that we could see them only after we signed up. We only purchased a few small things at first. In the last three years we started to purchase larger things (good buys). Now we need to do renos in the house I.e. Flooring, bathrooms, window coverings and kitchen appliances, so we went to DirectBuy Toronto North, only to find that the place was disorganized, messy and many of their displays had been dismantled. No one came to assist us. Staff were standing behind their desks talking to each other and paid no attention to anyone in the showroom. We always questioned the fact that there were very few Canadian manufacturers involved with DirectBuy.
We hated the fact that we had to pay up front for product and wait for weeks to get it. When infact, DirectBuy had 60 to 90 days to pay for product after they received it at their warehouse. Now it is time to renew and because they keep removing companies from their lists, we have decided that renewing our membership is not worth the $337.87. Also, your comments helped us decided not to renew. I will admit that at first we regretted joining under pressure, built felt that eventually we would benefit from this service. Not so. Glad to wash our hands of this company.
Hello, I am reading the complaints below. I have been a member of Directbuy since 2011. Am now a platinum member due to Directbuy closing our local store. Bought a home in 2013, furnished the entire house with products and appliances from Directbuy as well as used Dircetbuy vendors for counter tops, wall to wall carpeting and Sherwin Williams painting. Everything was fine until the purchase of our Marvel built in fridge. paid over $6,000 fort he fridge and it does not make ice. I am a disabled VET and am inconvenienced by going to the store to purchase ice for a $6,000 fridge. I am also not having my wife go to the store and purchase ice. We all know those bags of ice are bulky and heavy and an inconvenience to carry. Purchased the fridge in 2013 and called Marvel and Directbuy about every 3-5 months to complain the fridge is not making ice again. Marvel sent numerous techs from local appliance handyman Mr. fixit companies none with Marvel experience. I am so fed up I told them just send me a brand new fridge because obviously this is a lemon. Directbuy put the blame on Marvel and Marvel put the blame on Directbuy. Even tried to charge me a maintenance fee because the warranty expired on the fridge. I said this has been an on going issue since the purchase of the fridge. Now our wall to wall carpet is bubbling up in the middle of the room. I have never in my life experienced wall to wall carpet bubble in the middle of the room. The store that is a vendor of Directbuy tried to charge to fix the issue and Directbuy would not intervene said I have to contact the vendor. The vendor wants to charge me which I refuse to pay for the carpet to be stretched out again. Do I remove all my furniture and custom closets to have the carpet installed the correct way? Is that my responsibility to do that? Do I continue to get a bandied for my fridge? How is Directbuy saying they are not responsible? How is it Directbuy tells you they cancelled an order but than the vendor sends the order anyway? Paid way to much for the membership, renewal fees and products. I too have Grohe and Hansgrohe fixtures that all were purchased through Directbuy. Thank you for the Northern Indian BBB link. I will be sending them a nice note. I will also be sending the CEO: Michael Bornhorst an email as well. I emailed Directbuy customer support contact with no reply. Just an automated reply with a ticket number attached to the email. I also tweeted to Directbuy. Would you believe with their awesome customer service I did not receive a single human reply? This is the service you get with the membership? What am I paying for? I would rather pay full price for an item than to deal with this type of service.
SUBMIT YOUR COMPLAINT TO THE BBB OF NORTHERN INDIANA HERE: bbb.org/northernindiana/business-reviews/catalog-showrooms/directbuy-in-merrillville-in-40470/Reviews-and-Complaints/?review=true
I too, am dealing with the same exact issues of non-shipment and non-response. The company provided a price quote and issued a PO for Grohe plumbing fixtures and was told the average time for receipt is 2 weeks. I paid over $2k for the plumbing fixtures several weeks ago, and each day that I call, I am being told that they are in annual contract negotiations with several vendors, and pretty much very single order from every single member is in limbo with no idea when/if these orders will ever ship. What a scam!
I notice no one has ever submitted a complaint to the Better Business Bureau of Northern Indiana, so if anyone out there wants to join me, here’s the link to the BBB: bbb.org/northernindiana/business-reviews/catalog-showrooms/directbuy-in-merrillville-in-40470/Reviews-and-Complaints/?review=true
I’m having same issues. Come to find out my $35K cabinet order is delayed. Why you say? Direct Buy is going through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy come to find out.
Apparently negotiations for annual contract negotiations is a company line. When the truth is there is a reorganization because of the Bankruptcy.
I’m told my cabinets will be here in January, two months delayed. So I tested the system by purchasing a small order of $135.00. Something that should have been delivered in 2 weeks has now been over a month and a half.
Called the concierge service and questioned why the order was delayed and finally they said it was because of the negotiations with the manufacturer because of the bankruptcy.
Its time to renew my membership and I having a tough time knowing what to do with these sort of uncertainties.
My wife and I joined may years ago and to now be blindsided with our club closing down and now the bankruptcy that is affecting purchases, I really think we’ve been hoodwinked.
In a similar situation when my tiles for a remodel project were delayed for several weeks because of contract negotiations with Daltile a tile manufacturer and distributor used by Direct Buy. This placed me weeks behind with my contractor and my remodel began in October. Each time I’ve ordered something online shipping and handling fees are assessed when the vendor clearly indicates free shipping. I’ve come to learn that it’s Direct Buy’s added on charges for ‘handling’ the purchase– which is exactly what my new membership (just joined late 2014) has afforded me from the company ‘handling’.
My husband and I were sold a bill of no good. From the very beginning, looking for furniture from Drexel Heritage or a leather sofa I was informed there were no ‘relationships’ with particular manufacturers after getting the sales pitch that high-end vendors were accessible from Wolf, Thermador, and Sub-Zero. Once we were on the hook and 18 months later I’m educated by the concierge shopping team that there was never a contract with Wolf, Thermador, and Sub-Zero. It sounds like we were fortunate enough to have our cabinets made and delivered before the contract negotiations ensued.
I’ve concluded the overall problem stems from poor, defective and opaque communication from the closing of the local stores, to moving into corporate offices where phone calls wait on hold for hours and no one returns telephone calls, to deceptive business practices where promises are made and not kept. If this was a budding relationship with your customers that reflects the relationships with vendors/manufacturers I can see why contract negotiations are required and bankruptcy is the current state of affairs. My only wish is that there was transparency from the beginning and I would have negotiated a prenup.
The waiting is painful and the lack of sincere customer care and follow-up an insult to a wound that is deeply opened and far from healing because each interaction with Direct Buy pokes the bear and causes the scab reopen. I’m beginning to date others– Houzz, Overstock.com, Mayfair, even Home Depot and Lowes where I find I can get equally high-end products and name brands with free and many instances expedited shipping. This may sound disloyal however, the relationship was built on fabrication and lies, I suggest you not renew your membership and look for a new partner.
A partner that appreciates you for you, values customer loyalty, focuses on maintaining good relationships during trying times– because it is personal and not just business.
Reading comments from other members having issues with getting their orders from the warehouse. I too have been having the same issue with a bathtub that has been sitting in the local warehouse for 11 days now and I can’t get a single person at Direct Buy to help me get this tub delivered. The warehouse folks won’t release it because they believe there are 2 boxes for the order: the drain in one box and the tub in another box. The poor lady at the warehouse company has been trying to help me as she has to get Direct Buy to release the order but she has been calling them too and can’t get any help either. It is a shame when the people at the delivery company care more about the Direct buy customer and helping them then Direct Buy. I have sent emails to the Peggy Adkins and her leader at Direct Buy Ken Clark, left voicemail….NO response. I think the CEO would we wise to start implementing a client survey process after every order if he really cares so much about the personal service and client experience.
I am renovating two bathrooms. I have been waiting for almost three weeks for an answer as to when I will receive my valves/fixtures/toilets, etc. Half of the order has been sitting in the Tampa warehouse for weeks. The warehouse told me that four pieces of the merchandise they received is not on my purchase order. No one at Direct Buy can give me an answer as to when the other half will be delivered to the warehouse and whether the first half has been corrected. Because Direct Buy did not deliver on a timely basis, I’ve had to purchase additional valves in order to keep the work moving on my remodels. WILL NEVER ORDER FROM DIRECT BUY AGAIN!
The overall experience in ordering a desk for our new home has be very poor from the beginning and is still awaiting full resolution. To begin the delivery date for our product pushed out by over four weeks from the original promise date however the online tracking system did not reflect the changes in fact it showed the order as canceled after the original delivery date had come and gone. When the product was delivered it was to be unloaded and assembled by the delivery company. However, the product was damaged and they did not have the tools to assemble the product. When my wife tried to refuse the delivery due to the damage they would not remove the product from our house. She noted the damage on the delivery receipt and immediately took pictures not only of the damage but also of the way the delivery team left the product in our house. All of the pictures and correspondence was sent to the DirectBuy staff within 24 hrs of the delivery occurring and asked them for resolution. Initially they stated that they were going to replace the damaged sections, three in total, and that they would be shipped to us. Unfortunately when the replacements arrived there was only one section replaced and the most heavily damaged sections were left. Upon contacting DirectBuy they have stated that they replace the one out of curtesy and that if I wanted the others replaced I would need to purchase the new sections. Having been a paying member of this group for over ten years I can definitely say that that has been a tremendous waste of money and I would not recommend DirectBuy to anyone
Bought Ashley Furniture and The Coffee Tables not stained Properly .Drawer doesn’t work having Problem Opening and Closing it .I bought this with an Understanding That it is Made in USA but that wasn’t the case .it came from Taiwan or Thailand .I called them in November and instead of replacing it since it has the warranty Mr Naveed Asking me to rent A Truck Hire Some one take it to Them to Fix it .Funny thing is he was Try to Convince me and Comparing the Coffee tables to A Car .Second Problem is we Ordered A Mattress for my Son in October and Arrived today February 3rd 2016 .We asked them to come to my place either Fix it or take it with you and Fix it but his Response was not Possible .I asked him to call his head office he said go a head call whoever you want no one would help you in this Matter . Everything that I Bought Has Warranty For one year Are They Playing games Until it Expires and than we have no Choice but take in to be Fixed. I need This Issue to be Solved ASAP Please .
Trying to get the kitchen done was a gong show, every appliance was screwed up, took months to install and complete, bedroom furniture that was supposed to be 2 weeks took 3 months and is still wrong, had to take it it or God knows how much longer it would have taken. Owners have absolutely no concept of customer service, their attitude is “hey, look at the money you saved” customer service was great when they had their hand out for the membership fee! With out a doubt worst company I have ever dealt with, will never recommend to anyone joining.
I guess I will be joining the list of very unsatisfied DirectBuy customers. I have not had any problems with them until recently. I purchased a very expensive leather Palliser sofa and loveseat on July 1, 2014. The sales associate quoted me 8 weeks delivery (from Canada). I was very insistent upon buying something not made in China (container sofas, as they are referred to). After much deliberation and discussion with the associate I decided upon Palliser for their quality and warranty, which I was told was 5 years on the materials. No mention of proration was ever made. Almost one year to the date of purchase, while wiping down the furniture, I noticed two areas where the dye is transferring off the leather, one area on the back and one on the seat. Also, within 6 months of purchase, the foam in the seat where my husband sits began to break down.
As luck would have it, our local DirectBuy showroom closed last year, and the closest one is in Scottsdale. I called them, and got an associate who told me to take pictures and email them to him. I did all that, and several weeks went by without any word. I called the guy, and he said the outsourced repair person would contact me soon. A few days later I was contacted and they came out to look at the sofa. The repairman explained that they might have to replace the entire section, but that they would make it right whatever it took. Off he went. Several more weeks went by with no word. Again I called Directbuy and left a message for the associate. A few hours later I received an email from him stating that my furniture was beyond the 1 year warranty period and the repairs would be prorated…over $300 out of my pocket. I emailed him back and demanded a copy of the original purchase invoice and a copy of the receipt I signed when I picked up the furniture. You see, my recollection of the delivery date was sometime in September. Of course, the reply was “the West Phoenix store is closed and we don’t have access to the delivery records”. On the original invoice, it states “estimated delivery: 8/27/14”. Well, guess when I called them about the problem??? 8/26/15! Well within the 1 year warranty. He told me his record show I took delivery on 8/26/14, to which I replied, then what’s the problem? I’m 1 year to the day within warranty. But, since they cannot prove I took delivery on the 26th, I maintain that I should not have to pay a prorated repair fee. Besides that, anybody with half a brain knows that this situation with the dye did not happen overnight. Just because I didn’t notice it immediately in a darkened theater room doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. I’m not done with them yet. I will go to my local NBC affiliate’s Call for Action if necessary. Directbuy has a horrible reputation and has been involved in numerous class action suits as of late, and I don’t think they want more bad publicity. I’m sure if push comes to shove, the franchisee of the Scottsdale store would rather eat the $300. To all you folks in Florida experiencing horrible problems with Directbuy, my advise is get together, get a lawyer on a contingency or possible class action basis and file suit. Almost guaranteed you will prevail. Every other plaintiff against them has. Best of luck to you all.
My local dealer closed leaving me a 6 hour or more of a drive if I want to see or touch a product. My kitchen is being installed and the designers 3 or more from two different states have botched it up. I’m in need of 1 more base cabinet and it seems like it’s going to be a huge issue to get it. So not looking forward to the coming days.
Long time member just spoke to corp customer care regarding my many service issues over the years including most recent example. I pay, they say item is available, weeks later I’m told the item is not available. I don’t get what I was promised and they float my money for weeks, still pending refund. Only found out through this conversation that I no longer have a showroom in my area. I’ve paid for a service that DirectBuy can no longer deliver. I’d call that a breach of contract and they have no intention of compensating for their lack of delivery on the service I was sold. What good is a membership with no showroom? I would NEVER recommend this company to ANYONE!
I just had the same experience. I ordered a leather couch for $3660.78 on April 2nd. The delivery time frame was 6-8 weeks as every order is custom. I emailed for status on June 6th (I lost my local showroom) and was told it shipped on May 27th and would be 10-14 days to arrive at the warehouse. Lo and behold on June 9th I got the email stating: “We were just informed that the model you ordered, the Berton sofa, chaise, and ottoman are out of stock until the beginning of August, and the manufacturer doesn’t have possible substitutions.” This timeline is ludicrous and Direct Buy most certainly a terrible company to do business with. I used to be a huge fan. Now, to get my money back….
On Thursday July 16, 2015 my husband (Gerald) and I went to Direct Buy at 9454 Philips Hwy Ste 1 Jacksonville, FL 32256 at 6:00 P.M. to listen to Troy’s sales speech. After talking with another sales person name Danny we decided to buy one of their packages with the understanding that we could use some vacation credits towards our cruise that we were using at the end of the year. We gave a deposit (check # 530) for $1,375.00 (cleared on Monday July 20, 2015) and finance the other $3,615.00.
After we got home and had a chance to talk with Benny on Saturday July 18, 2015 from the travel agency with Direct Buy we found out we could not use the vacation credits. We realize the package was not for us.
I looked over our contract and noticed that we had 3 business days to cancel for a full refund and you would receive a full refund within 10 days. We could either deliver or certified mail a written notice.
On Sunday July 19, 2015 we hand delivered a hand written letter and our contract to Direct Buy at 9454 Phillips Hwy Ste. 1, Jacksonville, Fl. 32256 at 11:00 A.M. and handed it to Michelle the receptionist at the front desk. At the time we asked for Troy or Danny but she said neither were available.
On Friday 24, 2015 I received a letter from Beta Finance – Welcome Letter -. I called them and they confirmed that my contract was canceled on Thursday July 23, 2015.
My 10 days for my full refund was up back on Tuesday July 28, 2015.
My husband (Gerald) called on Wednesday July 29, 2015 Michelle was very rude to him and ask him what made him think he was getting a refund. And again Troy and Danny was not available and she would have them call him. Still waiting
On Thursday July 30, 2015, both my husband and I called and only Michelle would talk to us.
Friday July 31, 2015 my husband finally got thru to Troy and he apologize and said the check was processed and we should receive it by Tuesday August 4, 2015 and he will call just to make sure we have received it. No call No Check.
Monday August 3, 2015 I called Direct Buy’s corporate headquarters and they have tried to get the owner of the franchise to resolve this matter. But all they have done is responded their email is with an email apologizing to them and saying its being processed.
My problem is nobody will call us. And they are not honoring their contract. It has been one lie after another. Starting from the first phone stating that we were getting at least a free 2 night vacation. That was not true because you have to pay $12.00 just to be able to get the paper to make the reservation and then another $30.00 -$50.00 when you make reservations.
I wanted to give an update to my complaint. On August 8th I received this email from Maureen in DirectBuy Member Relations : Thank you for contacting us for assistance. We have requested the owner of the local club to provide proof of refund to us. If not received from the owners by the end of the day, we will prepare a release for you to sign to refund your $1,325.00 down payment Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Maureen also informed me that the Club in Jacksonville has closed. No longer in service. I made sure Maureen knew by the end of the day on The eight of August that I still did not received the refund. She told me that she had requested the check from Corporate and that I should have it within a week. Well that has been 10 days ago. Still no refund. Sounds like the same story all over again.
I think we should file a class action suit. It is ridiculous that the nearest location to us is in Broward county some 5-6 hours south of us. The online shopping is crazy as I can’t even shop for 1 stinkin cabinet! This is no longer a member services operation, I paid to have access that I now don’t have.
I called direct buy customer service to cancel a vacation request yesterday due to the current crime situation in one of the islands ONLY to be told that I cannot get reimbursed because I was told verbally NOT in writing but verbally that I had to cancel within 24 hours of booking. I wrote to the office of the CEO , no reply or even acknowledgement of my complaint….still waiting
I have waited for weeks for someone in Management to call me regarding bad customer service. It never happens. So many people have promised the call will happen but it hasn’t. I would love to hear from the President of the Company himself. Being members since 2007 and not being able to use our membership is very frustrating when you pay a big amount of money to join. You are pressured into joining….or at least we were. “You have one chance and one chance only to sign up today. If you don’t sign up today you can never sign up again”. The pressure was on, we spent the money and now we sit……………………………with no help. Our club closed and we no longer have access to things we need to build our new home. The flooring, the window coverings (we want the shutters and they have no one in the area to do a measure”)…..everywhere we have went we have been told “we no longer honor Direct Buy”. We asked for an updated list of vendors and there isn’t one….there is an old one but nothing new. We called yesterday for a price and they say they will email it to us. We will see….nothing yet. I think this company is going wack-o.
A few weeks ago we were called to join a “town hall meeting”. We were so happy to maybe be able to speak our piece. We did to an extent but all they wanted to do is sell us the Travel Package. Thanks, but no thanks. We have learned a lesson with the way things are going with the regular membership and are so unhappy with customer service. Nothing surprises me anymore. At the town hall meeting we were told that someone from Corporate would be contacting us and it would probably happen “during this meeting”. Never happened then and never happened at all. We have been told time after time that we would be contacted by someone from Corporate. Someone did call trying to sell us the travel package AGAIN, and I told this gentleman our issues…..he assured me that someone from Corporate would call me and yes, all conversations are supposedly “recorded” and when they tell me this I say “YAY! I WANT this recorded and I want it taken back to someone that cares so they call me back!!!”. Never happens.
If I can save ONE person from this madness I will be happy. Good luck with your vacation club…………….my heart goes out to you. Good luck with your travel package….sounds like we finally made a right decision not going with it.
How do I get off of your mailing list? We cancelled our membership last year – a detailed letter explaining our disappointment with the whole Direct Buy experience accompanied the renewal invoice so that you would understand why we were not renewing after 7 years as members. Now you send me an initiation to re-join with a guarantee to refund the full renewal if we don’t save our renewal fee in the next 12 months. If only such a guarantee had been offered when we initially signed up ! The nearest showroom is NOW over 400 miles away. On what planet do you live that you think that 1) it is convenient to visit the showroom and 2) that we could save any money by shopping with you? It was suggested when the Sacramento showroom closed, that we could shop in line. But getting the price of items such as electronics and appliances proved to be a challenge and shipping costs would exceed any amount we could save by shopping with you. PLEASE TAKE OUR NAME OFF OF YOUR MAILING LIST. I AM NOT INTERESTED IN EVER HAVING THE DIRECT BUY EXPERIENCE AGAIN . 1238995
We have had similar issues to those already listed. We were told we did not cancel our membership in time even though we were told at the showroom that we could not cancel until our first membership class. When we told the class instructor, she told us to contact Chris. Chris told us not only that we would have to pay the entire amount and could not get out of the contract but also that we would be hit with a Cease and Desist Order if we said anything. We were lied to about many things and this company seems to be a “legal” scam. NOW our showroom is closed, and we do not shop online, so we are being charged $4000 for a 3-year contract we cannot use. We have already paid $1000. You can KEEP it; just LET US OUT OF THIS BUSINESS. We will be joining a class action suit against you if you will not help us because we have no other choice. I believe we will win much more that you will lost by letting us out of our contract; I’d rather just not have to go to trial.
I booked a cruise with Direct Buy Travel on 2/19/15, was told the total cost of EVERYTHING, was $2,433.66. We put the down payment of $500. down and the remaining $1933.66 is due May 18th, 2015. The next day I get an email, now charging the 3rd person $290.10, more than what I was originally told, bringing the total to $2723.76. I was SHOCKED!!! I will be calling tomorrow. If the 290.10, doesn’t doesn’t get taken off, I will contact BBB, and whoever else it takes to get this straightened out! She said she taped every conversation and I would like to hear those conversations with her supervisor! This is terrible business, and a total disappointment. Also, the room she said she was holding was gone, but convinced me the other room she put me in was just as good! I will be calling on Sunday morning, and Kristen#67444, who did the reservation, doesn’t work on Sunday’s, so I hope I can talk to a supervisor, or the CEO, or someone who can help!!! I am really upset now, so please help me get this resolved!!
Thank you!!!!
Message sent 11/7/14 11:47 AM
sales person: Bill Brown Lee DBOF
Date: 01/08/2013
Loan #VF3-633-13-0015
VERSA Finance Company
It appears there is a truth in lending problem and if I do not receive some form of compensation I will take the next step and engage an attorney. I was not told of any “finance charge” at the time of purchase. When I do “the math” it appears to exceed the amount quoted.
Because I am very hard of hearing I have asked my daughter, Jan Armstrong to speak on my behalf. She has researched the VERSA company to find an F rating with the Better Business Bureau as well as numerous complaints along the same line. It appears this may be cause for a tort case. There is definitely monetary funds that should be returned. Though the amount per individual may not seem much when multiplied over 100,000’s of people it starts moving into the millions of dollars.
I would expect a return call, letter some form of recognition and resolution to this matter. I will allow 15 days and I have not heard back from you by December 1, 2014 I will proceed with an attorney. In addition, my daughter will be posting on all social medias the lack in truth and lending by your company to your customers.
Why doesn’t the email work on your homepage? Too many negative comments? Sad way to do business. Take it off the site if you do not want to deal with angry and violated customers.
Regards,
Billy Hyslop
Jan Armstrong
770-906-****
We were promised a hundred dollar restrant gift card 4 times we never saw it Kalvin at the Shreveport LA is nothing but a Conartest lier I hope no one else joins this ripp off con club they lie and steal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!+!!
Direct Buy is a {{{{{total scam}}}}}. My husband and I got our membership July 3, 2014 from Baton Rouge, LA location. I mailed my certified letter on July 8, 2014. Direct Buy was closed on July 4th, and they are closed Sunday and Monday. So if you count your days, We were in our time frame. Chris from the San Antonio office (phone # 210-877-2828). Says he’s over the cancellation for this area. He told us he wasn’t going to cancel our membership because we weren’t in our 3 days period. If the Post office is closed July 4th and on Sunday how am I not in my time frame.
Oh then we just got ripped off I will contact the BBB
BE CAREFUL – Customer Service is not good. We purchased a membership but then suddenly and unexpectedly my husband passed away. I was able to cancel the contract (as it was within 30 days), but I cannot stop the catalogues from coming to my home in my husband’s name. I have called 7 times to the local NJ store, the 800 #, and to the corporate office. Each time the customer service rep tells me it will be taken care of….and then the next month, I receive another one! Not only has this been hurtful, but what a waste of paper. Save your money and don’t believe the hype!
I have not had any bad experiences until recently; when their vendor The Original Log Cabin Homes violated their contract with me by changing their lead time of 75-90 days for a log “home” (shell / kit more like it and BAD one at that) to 6 months. After I protested; the company went dark and refused to answer any questions asked by me or my architect with any kind of sensible response – especially their CEO Tom Vesce. When I found out I was being overcharged and requested a reprice or refund of my deposit – I was told by Mr. Vesce to read my contract – NO REFUNDS on deposits. Guess it doesn’t matter who’s fault – they just keep your 10% down (over $10k) and let you go figure it out on your own from there. I had hoped DirectBuy would assist me in my endeavor; but that seems like it won’t happen either. Sent in my initial complaint 2 months ago and it it’s still sitting on someones desk at Corporate named Monique. Spoke to a Maurene today and she was absolutely no help and seemed like I was actually make her do something. Also implying that DirectBuy would not be of any assistance in the matter, which is 100% wrong. Why does it take 2 months to offer a member help? Where is the Corporate Customer Service at?
Did a Google Search on DirectBuys CEO – Mr. Mike Bornhorst. Seems he had lots of issues at his last job at Culligan per some news reports. Much like The Original Log Cabin Homes CEO Mr. Vesce. Do we have to a formal investigation before purchasing items to make sure we’re dealing with a reputable company? DirectBuy needs to aks Mr. Vesce of Log Cabin Homes what happened to their $25mil deal with Cabellla’s a couple of years ago. That sure would be an interesting read, since Cabella’s no longer has that contract with them. I’d sure like to know and it would just substantiate the issues when you deal with Log Cabin Homes. Another question for DirectBuy – who sets the MSRP for products on your site – as Log Cabin Homes Alpine Ridge version states $166k for something that doesn’t even come close to a home or provide what the Specs say.
All I have wanted from Log Cabin Homes was my deposit back to go elsewhere; but they have all the legalese written for them – not the customer – so Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware).
I signed up and the local store went out of business and they still won’t let you out of the contract without you signing a confidentiality contract stating you will not speak in any negative form against the company. DO NOT BUY a membership as their shipping prices are ridiculous and you can probably get the item locally for a cheaper price.
I’m very disappointed in the company and would like a full refund. Can someone from the corporate office please get in touch with us.
Chesapeake VA
I joined Direct Buy August 23, 2013 and it cost me $3,999.00. I will be 85 years old next month. I bought a house that needed remodeling and I thought Direct Buy would help me. It is now February 17, and I cannot move in. I have to pay 2 house notes on a teachers pension.This is an emergency!!!! Please contact me now!!!! I have doXXXXented everything and I want you to view the evidence. This experience has made me mentally and physically ill. Please hurry. I can’t live like this.
Direct Buy of Albany NY is a flaming rip off. The sales guy was supper high pressure. We were told by this guy to sign up now because the offer was for that day only. If we wanted to cancel we could anytime. B.S. I came back the next day and told the Girl at the Desk I was not interested and wanted to cancel. I was told OK. I realized they were still taking money from my checking acct. I returned to their office. None of the people I spoke or delt with were there any longer I was told. Some punk who said he was the manager told me I could not cancel the membership. Even though I was told at first I could and that it was in fact cancelled , I had to close my bank account because these rip off artists planned to keep taking money. I told Universal Acct. Co. I had no intentions of paying them anything as I had cancelled the membership. They said I had to go through Direct Buy to do that!!! Now they have a Collection co. sending letters. I went to the NYS Attorney General with a complaint as well as the BBB. DIRECT BUY IS A RIP OFF HIGH PRESSURE NO CONSCIENCE BUNCH OF LYING CROOKS to put it lightly.
I’m pissed off with direct buy. So I’ve been dealing with a refund since September 25 2013 for a product that had issues twice now. I been talking to NINA at the EDMONTON ALBERTA location. Let’s just say nina is really bad at her job, I’ve been calling her about my refund now almost 3 months… All she can tell me is SHE CANT DO NOTHING ABOUT UNTIL SHE GETS A EMAIL FROM WHOM EVER SHE NEEDS TO GET IT FROM JUST TO REFUND MY MONEY BACK. You should never tell a paying costumer that you can’t do nothing. I work in retail dealing with stylus sofa, if this ever happen to one of my client I would email head office or stylus to see what’s happening with this refund. The worst is that I always have to call in to see what’s going on with it and when Nina says she’s going to call back she never does. I know it does not take no more then a week to put threw a reufund. Direct buy is so fast on taking our money but when it comes to getting a refund you guys are hell as slow giving it back. With all this that has happen if a family member, friends or even a stranger asked me about direct buy I would tell them DO NOT BUY A MEMBER SHIP. Till this day I’m still dealing with this refund…so I would love to hear what the
Direct Buy Corporate Office Has to say. You have my email address but knowing direct buy you guys might not even help from reading all the other reviews. I wish we thought twice about getting this member ship, but we couldn’t they put you right on the spot by saying ( if you don’t sign up now you won’t be able to come back for another 3 years )
I was offered to attend a private showing of Directbuy’s wherehouse. Little that I knew I would be completly taken advantage of.
After been asked to sit for an hour long spill about how the company operates, I walked out because for one, I knew I couldn’t afford the membership. The sales person who got appointed to me would not take no for an answer. I didn’t leave untill they had me sign a contract with them. I requested for them not to process it until they hear back from me. When I called the following week, after not been able to reach a live person at their main number, I was told the application was submited and could no longer cancell the membership. Mind you the original contract was destroyed because it was the wrong form, they still wrote a new contract with my information.
I am now paying for a membership, I didn’t want or needed. Their whole work ethic is a joke!
We joined Direct Buy in October 23rd,2013 at the Naperville, IL location. Let me tell you what a shame and scandal this company is. I was charged $490 for first membership fee and two weeks later I was charged again $490. If I didn’t check my account I wouldn’t have known that. I called the location in Naperville where i signed up and it took them two days to get back to me. I was so disappoints with everything that I’ve been calling to speak to the franchisee of the location John, but I’ve been getting ignored. This is very unprofessional of the franchise and the company,and thats one of the reasons I want my membership cancelled. I don’t want to be associated with a company that’s going to be charging me whenever they feel like and a company that cannot take time to listen to its customers. I will not spend a penny with this company and my membership will be cancelled even though they are saying it will not and they will not. I am going to report this to the Better Business Bureau and post on Facebook how horrible and what a scam this company is. My money was finally returned to me, but I still cannot explain how disgusted I am. Please follow, you have my information.
Justin–I have to ask you HOW did you get your money back? I agree it is a total scam and I am about to start the fight for the return of my money on a membership that I have never been able to use–ridiculous!!
Thanks, Dee.
I would also like to know the steps to get a refund. This company has the worst customer service. Everyone I have talked to is either rude or completely clueless. I have already contacted the attorney general, as well as, the BBB. We tried cancelling two days after joining and have been led down a rabbit hole of lies ever since and still cannot be refunded because messages magically disappeared.
Could you please let me know whom to direct a complaint to at head office.
Dear Direct Buy, I am fully aware that your CEO and other members of the executive board do not look at Facebook posts, but I am quickly exhausting all my options with your company. My daughter is getting married on December 6, 2013, and after seeing at a Bridal Show Direct Buy offers wedding invitations for purchase, I was extremely happy as we have been members of your organization for years. We have furnished our entire house through Direct Buy and currently are looking at doing doors, windows and perhaps new bedrooms! However, long story short, the wedding is in 6 weeks and the invitations that were purchased and paid for on October 10, 2013, have yet to be processed and mailed. I am not only paying quite a bit of money for the invites, but also additional money for rush ordering. And yet it appears no rushing is taking place. I have been lied to pretty much by almost everyone I have talked to (exceptions David in the Warehouse and Erica at Corporate Headquarters). I now find out the associate that took the original order had an anticipated delivery date of November 9th and decided to lie and say I would have my invitations in my mail box by Tuesday October 15th,then when that day came and went and I still did not see a proof it was Saturday October 20, 2013. However I know that too is impossible because I only saw my FIRST proof on Thursday October 18, 2013 and there was a mistake on EVERY page. So I still did not see my corrected proof. Like I mentioned before, I still have no invitations and have to wait until Monday / Tuesday since everyone is closed. I did speak with Erica (Very helpful — said she will work on it now and on Monday) at Headquarters at 4:40 pm and the reason it was so late was because Naperville was working on it all day for us and would call us at 4:30 pm except they left at 4:00 pm and when I called I was lucky if they answered but then again my name shows up on caller ID. Oh did receive a call from Jamie at 5:00pm from Naperville who stated that she read all the emails and the proofs were not in and that they have spoken to headquarters and once my daughter approves of the proof it will go into production which will take 3 days then shipping which will take 2 days. So now I wonder what happened to the RUSH in-plant service and Rush charge that was paid for and why were there no notes about what was going on if Jamie read ALL THE EMAILS. Please, if any one at Direct Buy sees this and can help me I would be forever greatful!
We became members of the Newtown Pa. Direct Buy May of 2010. In less then a year that location was closed down, we were given no prior notice and our membership was transferred to a Montgomery County location in Plymouth Meeting Pa. So we went from having a 20 minute ride to showroom to a 45-1 hour ride depending on time of day and traffic. Customer Service and hours of operation was an issue with new location from the beginning. I just found out that the showroom has moved and is now located in Phoenixville Pa, which is minimally another 30 minutes north. Again there was not even the courtesy of sending out a letter informing the members of this move. We called in to Direct Buy Corporate office about this issue and was offered a personal shopper for the inconvenience of now living so far away from the showroom. However this still does not address the fact that every time we order something that we are going to have to drive approximately 3+ hours round trip just to come pick up our order. I feel in a situation such as this additional provisions should be made and or offered.
Just received a letter from Mike Bornhorst wondering why we haven’t used our membership during the past year. Gee…maybe it’s because your company is the most user-UN-friendly in the history of the world. Shortly after we bought our membership, I tried to purchase a kitchen island. The catalog didn’t show a picture of the back of it though, it was missing some dimensions, and I couldn’t really tell if the color would match. I wanted to see it in person. It seems like I got someone on the phone who told me the back looked identical to the front. Got put on hold for way too long but couldn’t find an email address anywhere on the site, OR on the corporate site. The store closest to us, in Olympia, WA went out of business shortly after we joined, but I was able to locate another store on the website. We drove 6 hours, round-trip, only to find it was closed ON A MONDAY, which was NOT disclosed on the website. Looking in the windows, it seems we would have wasted a trip if it was open…there was no furniture, only computers at little kiosks. I sent a scathing letter on a site such as this and don’t remember if I received a response. Mike Bornhorst asks in his letter “What does the member want?”. This member wants to be able to see furniture at a store and to be able to get accurate measurements and see multiple views online. This member wants to be able to send an email at her convenience instead of wait on hold. This member wants to be able to click on the store location and get information as to operating hours and what the store can do for me that I can’t do for myself. I remain as unimpressed by “the new DirectBuy” as I was by the old one. I don’t see any appreciable difference. And, No, I won’t be liking you on Facebook.
Direct Buy Representative:
I am amazed (although I know I ought not be) at the lack of sensibility and wise effort by Direct Buy to re-claim former Direct Buy members who have had bona fide wrongs committed against them by Direct Buy.
Here is a case in point: I had been a Direct Buyer member for years via the Randolph, New Jersey Center. I am not employing any hyperbole when I tell you every purchase had some trouble with it by way of defect in the respective products!
Not too long ago, I was notified the Randolph, New Jersey Center of Direct Buy was closed due to unethical business practices. In fact, I was contacted to join a class-action suit against Direct Buy.
Recently, I have been getting Direct Buy’s mass-marketing emails soliciting me to join Direct Buy. Given the brief history I cited, I find this invitation quite insulting towards me.
Please have someone with a semblance of both intelligence and objectivity discuss with me why I should associate with Direct Buy once again when past wrongs against me by Direct Buy have yet to be remedied.
I await your response. [I am giving Direct Buy the benefit of the doubt that out of decency towards me and goodwill towards Direct Buy’s status that I will be contacted.]
Thank you.
Lou Koncsol
I am not sure where this email will be forwarded but for now I want Direct Buy to know that I joined July 20, 2013 and have yet to receive my membership cards, the catalog, the expected email I was told I would receive about my membership, returned phone calls (2) from the membership department in Austin, TX or a returned phone call (1) from your corporate office about my membership. For as much as I paid to join all of these issues are unacceptable. I feel justified in requesting a total refund. You have all my information so please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you. Julie Close