Direct Buy = Fort Knox!

inthesticks

inthesticks

New member
I decided to visit Direct Buy one day, to see what sort of furniture they carried. I am remodeling my home and I will need a couple of pieces of furniture. So, I called the Little Rock Direct Buy. That was a mistake! :nono: The person on the other end of the line interrogated me and literally took an application over the phone...just to be able to enter the Direct Buy store! I had to write the following information on a card (which they then called a store "pass"), then hand it over to the store personnel on the day of my arrival to their store:

* their mailing address
* date of arrival and time
* Cary Dennis invited by Stephanie ****
* reservation number
* spouse n/a
* income
* children (no)

I was then told to arrive 15 minutes early to the store (my appt. was at 7pm for gawd's sake), so that store personnel could greet me and such. Then we would all tour the store (while the store personnel figuratively held our hands). These people then called me twice before my scheduled day to ensure I had my "Pass", and to verify the time of my arrival, and the address to their store. Geez...I felt like I was trying to get into Fort Knox or something. Getting into the White House would have been easier. :cussing:

I did not show up for my guided tour. These folk must think that their furniture is special or something...I really don't know. But I am not going to do any business with a store which acts in such a paranoid and foo-foo ritzy manner...over furniture people can buy anywhere.
 
Thanks for letting us know~ I have wondered what the deal with them was ~ the closet one to us is over two hours away so that sorta made it a little harder anyway, but I was told it was a pain so I have never called. Hate that you had to go through that though...
 
Around here if we want "new" furniture we just wait for garbage day and cruise around with the truck :crazytongue: If that does not work we get it at Big Lots...that company would never do any business here. Too many people with outstanding warrents :laughing:
 
http://www.infomercialratings.com/product/direct_buy

http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/direct_buy_scams

If you would've made your appointment, you would be even more upset... There is no real furniture to look at, in fact they won't allow you to look at anything unless you pay a fee, depending on your area it could range from $4000 to $7000 for a membership of one - two years then a yearly $200 fee is added to keep up the membership. There is also a confidentiality agreement... all prices, products and complaints are to be kept on the hush, hush...

My mom was doing some remodeling and we decided to go together just to check it out... They welcome you then herd you into a room with a crowd of others who had an appointment set for the same time...... Then they give you an hour sales pitch a review of the infomercial and then a video in which they stop and start to ask questions.... They did not not like my answers.

When I shop I do my research on various products, brands and so on... I also spent a little time working in the retail business... so I knew the answers to their questions, even when they began asking/quizing about wholesale prices etc...

Then just when your fanny numbs up they herd the crowd into a 'tour', again stating that this is all very top secret and not to speak about it to anyone... The 'tour' consists of a kitchen cabinet display, where they talk about diferent brands, quality and then quiz on what Mr. joe blow thinks it costs vs. real cost... Don't answer correctly or they'll sic ya - The guy giving the sales pitch went to thier group of vultures and their head vulture and told them to watch me... Why? :scratch: I don't know, I guess informed shoppers are not allowed?
Also on the tour is a large bookshelf display of binders that contain all the wonders and mysteries of shopping with Direct Buy, but you cannot look or price compare until after you become a member... And then you can never speak of it to your family or friends... :scratch: If you do I guess they'll have to be killed. They also try to pressure you by saying that this membership is a one time offer, once you say no to their membership, you can never come back.

After that their sales vultures desend upon the crowd and usher individuals, couples etc., into a private areas... That is where they lower the boom of the cost... Mom was told that if she became a member that I would not be allowed to shop with her and would have to purchase my own nearly $6000 membership... We asked a few more questions, then our vulture was called into the big office_ he came back saying that I was not acceptable and maybe we should just leave. :scratch: Perhaps they thought I was a ringer for the BBB? I don't know.... We were escorted out and told not to come back.

I was relieved, baffled and insulted all at once, you would've thought I started a bar brawl... But there I was, dressed in business attire and behaving quite civilized, hmmm go figure.

Inorder to recoop any of the membership fees, one would have to be a mega-consumer who spends a lot and frequently, not for the regular joe-shmoe or the one time large project.
 
I have never heard of this Direct Buy before. But now I see why. I find this all so interesting though. That people would actually sign up to this, listen to their lecture and pay a huge membership fee. Do they know beforehand what to expect, that it isn't a day of shopping for furniture? Speaking of which, who buys a livingroom set without sitting on it first? I know that last time I bought a sofa I went to about 20 stores. I laid, sat and tried out every sofa that caught my eye, before selecting the one that I did.
Meowmix, I think they figured you were too intelligent to fall for their scheming or perhaps they thought you were working for the media and covered in hidden mics and cameras!
 
You Guys have all confirmed my suspicions about this place. We have started some remodeling in our kitchen and bathroom and we thought we would like to try Direct Buy, since the commercials say you can save so much money. We requested the brochure, but since I don't like sales calls, I gave a fake phone number. I received 3 emails requesting my phone number so that someone could contact me. When I did not respond, the information packet finally came in the mail. It basically said what the comercials say. That we can save a lot of money and that we would need to purchase a membership. One of the FAQs was "How much will a direct buy membership cost?" The answer was that the membership cost varies based on how much you intend to spend. I was immediately turned off. I will not deal with a company that does not have set prices. These people want a lot of information, like how much you intend to spend and what type of things you want to buy. I think they charge the membership fee based on how much money they think you have. We scratched the idea of driving 1.5 hours to a sales pitch and we decided to visit our local warehouse and surplus suppliers and we made out pretty good. I figured, for the amount that we would spend on a membership, we could do half of the remodeling.
 
WOW, a search for Direct Buy complaints brought up some interesting sites:

Direct Buy Complaints
http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/direct_buy_scams

DirectBuyComplaintStation32405
http://edumacation.com/DirectBuyComplaintStation32405

imarigirl - looks like you were right to avoid them:

Direct Buy: Pay $5,000 To Save?
http://consumerist.com/consumer/wholesale/direct-buy-pay-5000-to-save-299986.php

To evaluate the pitch, we went undercover at two DirectBuy franchises in New York. Both gave us the same hard sell and offers of up to 70 percent off retail prices if we were to join. Only after an hour and a half of sales pitches and video testimonials from members did we learn the membership fee: $4,900 to $4,990 (plus tax) for three years and then $190 a year for seven more. Financing is available at 17.75 percent.
 
Wow...I didn't realize all that. I'm just thankful I did not follow through with actually showing up. I guess the folk at Direct Buy must think that their furniture and stuff is top of the line, eh? I ain't about to jump through hoops, only to pay a multi-thousand dollar membership fee to buy their furniture. What a scam! :cussing:
 
Yeah, I've been tempted to go there to have some fun since they are in the next town over. My wife and I would be quickly ejected/rejected I'm sure. Could be fun.

Seems my wife practically converted a Mormon who came to our door and she just loves when any other religious types "visit"... :)
 
meowmix ~ you were like herding cats my dear! They don't like people that they can't push around and bully! Much less people that can actually think for themselves!!!! You scared them!

Oh Z! PLEASE go! I want to hear the story of what happens when you go and mess with their minds...that would be a good one!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top