Direct Buy $3,900 is gone! A scam. Don't even think about becoming a member Beaverton Oregon

I would think if direcbuy is such a great and honest place, they would not worry about refunding money to those that decide its not for them. just good pr ( but then greed always comes out with these kind of businesses)

as for the postings by satisfied customers, it does sound like so much bunk

The above poster has apparently posted twice using different names each time. Sounds like a shill to me.

I have been a member of DirectBuy for more than six years in the Portland, OR area. My wife and I have spent nearly $100,000 dollars during that time. The club is not a rip-off and is simply the best way for anyone to make purchases. With access to more than 1000 companies/manufacturers, we have been able to buy all of our items at cost.

No games or gimmicks.

The club is filled with law enforcement, military, very high profile members (i.e. Trail Blazer players, car dealership owners, pro athletes, etc., etc.).

I've read most of the negative postings, and they are untrue. DirectBuy is not for everyone, just those smart enough to learn about a program that allows them to save money for the rest of their lives.

David.

infomercialscams.com was strong-armed by direct buy and had to remove nearly 1,000 complaints about the direct buy scam. Why you ask. Cause when you google 'direct buy' the informercial scam site was ranked #2 by google. All that is left on the site is the fake reviews by direct buy. I would say to be very careful with dealing with a company that is afraid of what it customers post about it on the internet. This company is a scam. Go there, read the contract, its all in the contract. The contract basically states that direct buy is bound to nothing and you are bound to paying the $5,000 member fee. SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM

fortunatly, the postings on the net never go away,


just check archives

http://web.archive.org/web/20080203104709/www.infomercialscams.com/scams/direct_buy_scams


is this starting to sound like organized crime ?

I can't take reading these lies any longer. My wife and I have been members of DirectBuy for more than six years. We have shopped at the Beaverton and Portland, Oregon clubs, as well as the clubs in Washington State and Arizona. During the past six years we have spend nearly $100,000 through DirecBuy. One of the individuals on this blog reported that DirectBuy obtains their merchandise from seconds, discontinued items, scratch and dent warehouses, etc. The individual who said that is a liar! ALL of the merchandise we have obtained from DirectBuy was brand new and came directly from the manufacturer or their authorized dealer, and it had the full manufacturer's warranty as well.

I noticed many of the individuals on this blog are not members, yet they profess to know how DirectBuy works! Again, they are liars! The club(s) where my wife and I shop are always busy, and they are filled with military members, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, school teachers, professional athletes, and many, many others. I have seen several high-profile members of the local community in the clubs as well.

You should be sued for your lies. DirectBuy has been in business for nearly 40 years, and they have clubs in the United States and Canada. My wife and I are very happy with our membership and we will be members for the rest of our lives. We tell all of our friends and family about DirectBuy and many of them have joined and are very happy they did.

If you want to save a lot of money, then at a minimum, you should evaluate DirectBuy on your own. As for my wife and me, our days of paying retail prices ended six years ago and we will never pay retail pricing again.

Become an educated consumer, check it out yourself.

I've noticed this in several reports about direct by ( common theme)

" As we were ushered into the catalog room, a deal was being closed with handshakes, thanks and a personal check being handed to the agent in full view."

this mite explain why they want you to decide on the spot and if not, can't come back for 7? years.

you probably will see the same scene acted out over an over ( with the same characters)

Mike, what possible incentive would the manager have for reaching a resolution off the premises? How about NONE! I want you to think about this:

1. The manager's incentive in the business is making certain he/she is selling memberships; I suspect if this is like any other similar business, the managers make bonuses based on memberships sold, not profits for the business. Once the membership is sold, it's on to the next one. There's nothing to dispute; these agreements are pretty much ironclad. That's why people need to be careful before they plunk down thousands on non-refundable contracts, and if they don't - then bad stuff tends to happen.

2. Most, if not all, consumers will attempt to first resolve issues on DB property, just as they would with any other business. The business premises is where the contract is signed and where to resolve the dispute. Once the manager says no, it's going to be a no. What incentive would draw a manager to someplace other than the business establishment where you think he/she might change their mind? I wouldn't do it and no one with a brain would even consider it.

3. Even if a manager was stupid enough to come off premises and get confronted off-site utilizing the thug-tactics you seem to suggest might work (and yes it would be considered that even if no one lays a finger on the person), it ultimately would fail. See, anything the manager might promise you off-site would be null and void due to the duress he/she might feel off-site. Accordingly, no promise made in such a setting would be valid - even if you managed to tape-record the promise to refund/rectify. Moreover, what you're suggesting is that the consumer utilize thug tactics in order to NOT abide by what they agreed to in writing because they failed to exercise due care when the contract was initially signed? I find that suggestion unconscionable.


Your assumption is that the manager is interested in establishing resolution. I would not make such an assumption in this case because of the manner in which the business operates. The best bet would be to junp over the manager and appeal directly to that person's boss and make the case. Probably still not much of a chance to get resolution, but better than thug tactics.

JIM:

Thanks for the comment on my post, I should have made it clear

"away from the business ( preferebly in a parking lot)"

not on db property.

I have found that managers are much more compliant when they know you are serious about an issue.
( and it mite help that they know they can not hide behind the law until after something happens to them)

Because it will ultimately land you in jail for trespassing when the manager orders you off the property and you want resolution. The manager has no incentive whatsoever to settle or resolve anything because DB has your money and their not obligated to refund anything. The red flags for the consumer should have gone off the minute someone said, "the membership fee is $3900 and is not refundable." As someone said, this is a case of buyer beware, and the buyer did nothing to protect themselves.

For some people, Direct Buy will save them a lot of money and for many others, it will not. Like any business, Direct Buy is for a certain type of customer planning to do major renovations on their home and plan to decorate their homes in the types of styles, colors, and patterns DB gets direct from the manufacturer - either on closeout or otherwise. If you don't like what you see in colors, styles, etc... in the catalogs or the showroom PRIOR to signing up for membership, then turn around and walk out. It's only a rip off if you spend the money without doing the due diligence you should have in the first place.

I've always found meeting with the manager over a dispute away from the business ( preferebly in a parking lot) and bringing a few friends to add their "suggestions" to the complaint gets real results.

no need for violence of course, just imply that you will be back until the dispute is setteled.

Houston Hero- No I am not a member, because I understand business! The bottom line is what motivation does Direct Buy Owners have to make you the member happy after they got your $5,000??? The countless calls I have recieved from members totally "irrate" at the local direct buy is enough to tell me there is a problem in the business plan.

I know with our products they are not buying direct; we will not allow it. But they buy them through a local dealer and tell the member they are buying direct---

A total scam!

Are you even a member? Straight from the manufacturer means just that. This is not rocket science. this company isn't going anywhere anytime soon and with the price of gas and transportation expenses going up, so will markups thus making retail an extremely more costly endeavor. the next time you shop for something... anything ask the salesmen how much the store bought it for. they will never tell you, try it! nearly half the things in my home are from direct buy, i even saved 25% off of installation from contractors for my granite. i think most the people that have a problem understanding how directbuy works really don't have a coherent grasp on how business works as well. go figure...

I work for a company that refuses to sell direct buy. Still I recieve calls from direct buy members enquiring about deliveries and problems. I tell them up front that direct buy is buying our products through a local dealer and not directly from us ;thus I have no way of helping them. I cannot look up orders or solve any freight problems.

Typically these customers are so mad at direct buy they will try anything to get service. I suggest you shop locally and see what the cost of products are before going with this scam...direct buy owners are usually buying the same way you can...

"If you want to save thousands of dollars on items for your home....Direct buy." You've heard/seen the commercials. Those "customers" are paid actors. The entire company is based on discounted purchases of botched, misused, discontinued, discounted and non-existant items. Yes, you can save a little money, but it is a huge effort to do so. In the 3 years I had a membership, I saved nothing.

I was, esentially ripped off $3000 (that was a few years ago, now it's $5000 to join). Buyer beware. They are NOT selling you items, but a membership to have exclusive rights to purchase from dent and scratch warehouses and you have to spend hours looking through circa 1996 catalogues. You get what you pay for. If you buy an appliance for $300 less than the retailers, you will have a) a couple dents/scratches, b) have to pay Direct Buy's over the top shipping and "handling" which, on appliances is about $400, and c) you get to pick it up at their store on your own. So, you aren't saving any money.

No mistake, they are making money and Scott Porter of UCC aka Direct Buy Beaverton is a criminal. Please note, it is a free service to have a criminal background check in Oregon. I did just that, and Mr Porter has a very interesting past, as does his colleagues. They are all frauds, have been warned by authorities for years, but DB's attornies are sleazier than the DB franchise owners are. So, moral of the story: if it is TOO good to Be TRUE, then it is.
Power in numbers...well, truth be told: class action takes years, but the pay off will be worth it. Hang in there Direct buy victims, we will be survivors together while the DB owners rot in prison. Be patient.

I have dealt with this store for years and have had very few problems if any at all. This is a classis buyer beware operation....you have know what you are buying and you have to comparison shop to know if its a good deal. The catalogs in the store are color coded to tell you which manufacturers offer the best discount value. Do your homework and then buy through them....that's how you are ging to get a return on your investment. I just built a new house two years ago and selectively purchased many of the materials and fixtures from them. I saved at least $25,000 from what what builder and subs were offering. It had a hassle factor attached to it, but you can't expect wholesale pricing and get retail service.

Well Jesi claims that Direct Buy is certified safe according to this website. Here is an outright lie and may I say easily verifiable so it is not a very good one. Says a lot about the intelligence of Jesi, and the lengths Direct Buy will do to continue to sell those 5,000 worthless memberships. Based on reading the posts on this website Direct Buy is only interested in selling the membership and to h*ll with the customer once they are a member.

Because a lot of the people who 'bought into' Direct Buy seem to be choking on it.

A comment by -apparently- a Direct Buy employee- said Direct Buy is "certified safe." Such a comment makes no sense whatsoever. Is Direct Buy a food product??? LOL.

I didn't know that this site certified businesses as "Safe". Could you please point us to the link where it says that DirectBuy is certified as "Safe" By Ripoffreport.com?

I do see on the home page where you made the Top Ripoff Links.

Just because you've been around for a while doesn't mean you're not a scammer. Think Amway, Herbalife, Primerica, John Beck, Inventech...

Something you might want to know: this site, the one you are complaining on, says we are certified as a safe business.

We have over 100 clubs all over the country and DB Portland alone has been around for over 20 years! Do you really believe that a "scam" could do so well? You are provided opportunities to see if we can save you money or not before you join, so don't blame us if you join and it doesn't work. It's your choice.

Yes, Direct Buy is a total scam. The first clue should have been the over-the-top "sign the contract today or NEVER".

The contract is perfectly legal, there is nothing sold, offered or provided. What a neat trick. However, if you check the Consumer Protection Act - Consumer Fraud is defined as any deception, false statement, false pretense, false promise or misrepresentation. That describes my relationship with Direct Buy perfectly.

Direct Buy says that you will save money. True, however paying $5000 to save a few hundred every year is really not a bargin.

Direc Buy say that you buy directly from the manuafacturers, however, most of the bathroom remodel items that I wanted were purchased through another Merchant (not the manufacturer directly). Total Lie!

I have cancelled my contract in writing as per the contract (the cancellation policy was never reviewed with me), am disputing the credit card charge, I have filed a compliant with the BBB, and submitted a compliant to the Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Please submit your compliant to the Attorney General as well. There is power in numbers!

azag.gov/consumer/complaintform.html
azag.gov/


If Direct Buy works for some people, then good for them. I just want my money back. I paid $990 toward the $5000 membership fee. I want my money back and I will fight until I get all of it back!

We here at Directbuy receive complaints like this all the time. 90% of the time it is from people who never bother to read their contract, or think that the delivery times and prices from one manufacturer apply to all manufacturers.
to wit:
"they told me I could purchase anything online - that's a lie"
-that IS a lie. none of our sales reps ever say that. every one of us employees have placed orders with this company and we know what you can get and what you can't get on-line.
"they talked about free delivery to your home"
-That doesn't tell me anything. Some manufacturers will go to the home, some won't. some have free delivery if you order a certain number of items (this is common) some don't. once again, it depends on the manufacturer to make that call, not us.
The person admits in the report that they didn't even read the contract untill we sent it back to them. How is directbuy liable for such behavior?
"They said the cary [sic] most of the things in reality it's a lie." I have no idea what they are complaining about on this one, so I'll let that go...
Bottom line people, read ANY contract BEFORE you sign it and stick to what you've signed. Directbuy is NOT a retail store. It requires you, the member to do your own homework. We do help you find what your looking for but with over 800+ manufacturers to choose from you have to shop around and choose the one you want. you can't expect Directbuy to eat the cost of mistakes that happen because you didn't do the research.