DIRECT BUY---is it a farce? (Cana: sale, coupons, Home Depot)

[barryhussein]

I've been watching their tv ads for five years now. Finally, I got an invitation to visit their showroom. Has anyone been there? Would it be a waste of time? Any opinions would be appreciated.

[mdcrim]

I have never been but do a search for "direct buy scam" and "direct buy complaints". You'll find plenty of reports. Looked into it a few years ago and decided not to waste my time.

[HereinVA]

I have no personal experience, but we researched it a bit a couple years ago. If you google "direct buy" you will find way more negative reviews than positive. It seems you go for your visit to the show room, which is actually a high-pressure sell for a membership, similar tactics to those time-share things. I've heard of membership fees ranging from $3,000-$6,000.

[barryhussein]

That's funny you said like a timeshare thing. When I was filling out the questionnaire, they asked my girlfriends name, and then made it kind of clear that we would both have to come. I thought that was strange since I was only looking for a good deal on a fridge and a washing machine. I'll stick with Lowe's.

I just checked on www.badbusinessbureau.com and they have 186 complaints--all saying ripoff. Compare that to McDonalds, which has served a half a trillion meals, which had 56 complaints.

[Flamingo13]

Look under either the business or shopping thread (I forget which) - there are tons of negative comments about them.

[Denton56]

When I inquired about it, I got a very bad feeling and never went there. The way that they do things is kind of creepy.

[oleo]

Direct Buy is junk. You don't get what you see. They find something similar to what you are looking for and it typically has defects, blemishes, pieces that are missing or mis-matched etc. That's why it is cheaper. It's been sitting in some other store, not selling, so then it is moved into a warehouse and stored until someone comes along and searches for "brown leather couch" in NoVa. They search the database and find one located in Florida that is ugly as sin, cheapo leather, missing a leg, faded, one cushion is darker than the other, the ottoman that comes with is a slightly different color etc. etc.

BUT I SAVED $300!

[DC Oldtimer]

Originally Posted by barryhussein

That's funny you said like a timeshare thing. When I was filling out the questionnaire, they asked my girlfriends name, and then made it kind of clear that we would both have to come. I thought that was strange since I was only looking for a good deal on a fridge and a washing machine. I'll stick with Lowe's.

If you go over to ebay, you can almost always find coupons that will get you 10 and even 20 per cent off at Lowes. Just enter Lowes coupon or Home Depot coupon in the search box. (Oddly enough the best deal will probably be a 20% off Home Depot coupon that Home Depot no longer honors but Lowes will.)

If your purchase is going to be in the three or four figures it is obviously worth paying 10 bucks for a 20% off coupon. The max value of the coupon is usually 400-600 bucks.

[kimberlee1031]

I knew someone who went. She ended up going without her husband because he got stuck in traffic and couldn't make the appointment. So they wouldn't even let her in. She had gone with another couple, who did go in. They did not join, and they were told that if they didn't join on the spot, they could never come back. Nice tactic...

[Craig Cooper]

Craig Cooper
Direct Buy member 1336388
e-mail ccooper6@sympatico.ca

My name is Craig Cooper, former CEO of a small but still successful family transportation business. The following is a brief account of how I got suckered into the Direct Buy scam.

After numerous discussions with a Direct buy representative wanting me to attend a presentation; and after sitting through the “Direct Buy” presentation; and after being misrepresented on the benefits of the 40% to 60% savings to be realized on the upwards of $20,000.00 we can spend annually specifically on business specific items such as truck tires and shop tools, I bought into the “Direct Buy” and signed up.

Within weeks of becoming a Direct Buy member the sleaze of this scam, and the unscrupulous business practices of its proprietors became crystal clear.



Simply put, “Direct Buy” of Barrie Ontario Canada, after zeroing in on my interest in tires and tools targeted that interest, and did deliberately, knowingly, with obvious cunning, malice for the consumers right to disclosure, and with flagrant disregard for the Consumer Protection Act, the Trade practice Act and most likely the Sale of Goods Act as well, did fail to disclose that their “tools section contains no tools whatsoever save a single non-quality cordless screw driver. And further that through this entire process they were fully aware that their supplier for tires in Canada O.K. Tire Stores Inc. had removed truck tires from the list of products they would make available to direct Buy members.


I must admit that in the course of my life I have not often fallen prey to unscrupulous marketing practices by flagrantly deceptive, deceitful, and incredulous hucksters.

To my disgrace, the purchase of a membership at “Direct Buy” in May 2008 stands in testament that all are susceptible to deliberate, well orchestrated misrepresentations that were and are in and of themselves fraudulent, and possibly criminal in scope and stature.