I rec'd one of those free passes to go to the Direct Buy showroom? Is that place worth it? I am going to be moving this summer and need a new refrigerator/maybe a new kitchen table....and wondering would I get value out of joining for the discount?
My best gal pal joined for an approx. $4,000 fee. She remodeled her kitchen and had new flooring installed throughout her house. I asked her about the "scam" aspect as I'd seen a Dateline (or 20/20 - something along those lines) about Direct Buy being a scam many years ago. My friend said it's only not a scam when you have a major remodel >$30/40,000. She also said their sales tactics are very aggressive.
My husband and I received an invite years ago when we first bought our house. We went to the demo. They have good prices but they wanted to know our combined income before they would tell us how much our membership would cost. ?? That set both of us off. There is not (or at least at the time there was not) a set price for everyone. We went along with the rest of the speel (lowered our combined income on the questionaire)but in the end did not sign. With so many big box stores and furniture places out there, you can find what you need at good prices if you shop around without having to pay a membership fee. When we really looked at the big picture we realized that we would have to be doing major remodeling and furniture purchasing in order for the fees to be worth it. It definitely would not be worth it for a few things here and there that you would need. There was also something about how you had to pay for your items. I can't really remember but it was something like a high downpayment and you would loose that if you cancled the order. You look through catalogs to order. Some things are in there showroom but for the most part you are looking through books and books to find what you want. If you already have shopped and know what you want, the model # and the manufacturer then you can save time looking through books and you will know that you are getting what you want. That is a lot of time wasted. You can get free financing at so many places now. We pay these things off on time and never have a penalty so it's nice to be able to have higher end items and pay over time. It's a long ordeal but if you really are on the fence, go see it for yourself. Just becareful and really think about how much you will be using it....you sign a contract and are locked in for a certain amount of time. Hope this helps!
I've heard nothing good about them. People we know said they are wishy washy on the cost to join and they base it on your income if you tell them what that is...
For basic furnishing a house, there are a ton of quality places in the DFW area that do not rip you off.
We got a great high end fridge Kitchen Aid at Best Buy. You don't have to buy a high end model to get a good fridge.
Depending on the quality of furniture you are looking for, there are lots of places with fair deals.
Good luck!
We visited one of their show rooms years ago.
Unless you are making some really big changes/purchases (like > $20,000 worth) and are happy with not the most popular brands/choices/colors available, it's not worth it.
You have to be spending a lot in order to 'make back' the membership price in savings.
For a table and a fridge you can do better shopping around, look for price matching deals or waiting for a holiday sale.
Hello! If you plan to spend a LOT of money, direct buy will save you a LOT of money. But it is expensive to join, so you have to be doing a remodel (or a couple) to have it be worth it. Our friends joined for $6000, and now pay a couple hundred a year to keep the membership. They have remodeled 3 houses and saved tons of money. Don't do it for furniture though.
No, it's not worth it. My husband and I went to one of their presentations. They wanted us to pay $6000 to join, and when we balked at this and said we wanted to think it over, the guy told us that if we didn't join WITHIN THE HOUR, that they would put our names on a list and that we wouldn't be able to join DirectBuy for another 7 years. (What the...?!)
Now, if it were that great of a deal, why would they need tactics like that?! DirectBuy is totally sleazy. You can get much better deals elsewhere.
My parents went to the seminar, it was high pressure and very expensive. I'd read a little more reviews online before making your decision. When I get their e-mails I tend to just delete them. Also, think about what could happen if they go out of business and you just paid $5000 for a membership...
Absolutely not. I got a great deal on my refrigerator from Home Depot. Furniture stores have sales all the time where you can get a much better deal on a table.
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Absolutely not. I got a great deal on my refrigerator from Home Depot. Furniture stores have sales all the time where you can get a much better deal on a table.
Not if you're only buying a fridge and table. You won't save a dime that way. Now if you were doing a whole house remodel, new floors, complete new kitchen, windows, doors, tile, appliances, plumbing fixtures, etc, AND you don't mind researching by yourself without designers holding your hand the entire way AND you have the time to do said research, then YES you can save a lot of money. We joined many years ago and did a major remodel. We easily saved about $30,000. But, again, no way if you only need a couple pieces of furniture and one appliance.
When I was in Virginia I had a co-worker that joined. It cost her $4000 to join. I would check the Habitat for Humanity store.
I too received one...however, i talked to a neighbor - they went - and thought it was more like a scam, sucking you in and such....
The "value" items are the low-end items they said. this is second hand news and I've not been there myself.
Stay away. You need to pay an outrageous fee to join, like $5,000. If you're planning on doing some major renovation or an addition, it may be worth it.
It is not worth it unless you like high end stuff and will be buying a house full. A friend didn't listen when she asked my opinion and got stuck on it. She is out almost $5000 in the membership. I went to a demo and they would not stop. they are very aggressive in getting you to sign up. I ended up telling them I had just lost my job so was looking to save. They left me alone. You would be better off shopping around and then get a store to match a price. Most will do it now since most people are making do.
