DIRECT BUY---is it a farce? (Chantilly: appointed, appliances, credit card)

[oneasterisk]

My coworker came up to me yesterday since she knew I was in the process of buying a foreclosure. She says she's starting up with a company that can get good deals on appliances, directTV, cell phone plans etc. So of course that peaked my curiosity and I started asking her questions. She started giving me the sales pitch and told me that she's having some people over the weekend to talk more. She wouldn't really get into any detail other than trying to get me to the house ont he weekend. Well I asked her if it was like DB and sure enough she hesitated, and then said sort of like that. Needless to say, I won't be going to it.

[Margery]

Two things I have learned in my 60+ years on this Earth: "There's no such thing as a free lunch", and, "If it sounds too good to be true, it is".

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by Craig Cooper

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.

Come on man, you have to be really nieve to believe everything you watch on TV. Gosh a simple google search on DirectBuy yields about 30,000 articles with the words SCAM in it.

[DCguy03]

If Direct Buy really was a true good deal, then you have to think to yourself...why aren't all of the people who work in the homebuilding industry (i.e. carpenters, contractors, renovation specialists) shopping there?

It's kind of like the get rich quick schemes...if you really could get rich quick, then all of the smartest (real) business people would quit their jobs and do the schemes.

[oleo]

My kitchen was going to cost me $60,000. I got mine from Direct Buy for only $12,000. It looks like complete crap, has mismatched wood, crooked hinges and a few pieces haven't even arrived since I ordered them without seeing them over 7 months ago! I highly recommend Direct Buy! I saved so much money!

[shund]

I was a member of Direct Buy in Michigan and do not have as bad of opinion, however, I did have some problems with shipping. Direct Buy is good for someone who is building a house, I do believe that you can save a lot of money on cabinetry, counter surfaces, plumbing fixtures, lighthing fixtures, flooring, garage doors, entry doors, trim, furniture etc. However, the problem is you cannot look at any of it before you purchase it (unless you go and see it somewhere else). The other problem is is that you have to find everything in a catalogue and you really need to know exactly what your looking for (spec. wise). It can be extremely time consuming and if you want to bring someone with you to help look you can't unless they are a member too. Another issue is shipping, they only ship full trucks, so if you order a lighting fixture, you will definitely be waiting the longest period of time for it to arrive. And once it arrives, you have to pick it up from the warehouse, they do not deliver to your home. I think you can save money, and from my experience I have received exactly what I ordered, but it is time consuming, but if you are taking on a big project, that you will need everything, I think it is worth the savings. However, allow yourself plenty of time. If you're good at bartaring you could probably do as well.

[nwlv]

hahahaha

Excellent point above--I don't know one single contractor that uses it.

[normie]

I see Direct Buy is starting a big ad campaign again. If you're new to the area and wondering about these ads... well... FYI. It's not a bad program, and I've heard some people do well with it. But it's a different way of buying things that is not everyone's cup of tea.

[adolpho]

it's obviously a complete ripoff.

[normie]

Originally Posted by adolpho

it's obviously a complete ripoff.

That's a bit of an exagerration. It's a perfectly legal way to sell goods, and it works well for certain people in certain situations. An owner of an apartment building, for example, might do well with this program. But it's not a good deal for everyone. The problem is people moving here who are curious can't judge for themselves if this program will work well for them until they attend a high-pressure sales meeting. So, here's the scoop. It works best if you need lots and lots of items, are willing to use the items in their collection (which is sometimes quite limited), and have a lot of time to wait before deliveries.