Review: Direct Buy

35200 Views 23 Replies 18 Participants Last post by nightrider101, Jun 23, 2012

hugh

Discussion Starter · Oct 9, 2008

The purpose of this thread is for Digital Home members to review and relay their experience buying consumers electronics at Direct Buy.

This thread is strictly for reviews and is not for discussion. If you have any questions about what belongs in this thread, then please this thread prior to posting.

When you post, please try to include the following information:

What product or service you purchased.
Approximate timeframe you ordered the product
What location you dealt with if it’s a company with many stores or service locations
Your overall level of satisfaction
If you had a positive experience, please explain what made it such a positive experience.
If you had a negative experience, please read our guidelines below.

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

hugh

Discussion Starter · #2 · Oct 9, 2008

Guidelines for Posting Negative Reviews

The truth is no retailer or service provider is perfect and occasionally even the best companies can disappoint. Our experience is that good companies have problems but they typically make every reasonable effort to resolve problems.

If you had a problem and are posting a negative review, then please note what efforts you made to resolve the problem and the feedback you received. If you think the efforts to resolve the problem were NOT reasonable then please explain why. Saying you phoned up and talked to some idiot, suggests the problem may lie with the consumer and NOT the company!

No posting URLS or Directs to Competitors will be deleted

Posts containing URL's to competitors or posts saying gee you should have shopped at this retailer will be considered spam and deleted.

We want opinions, NOT sales pitches or spam!

135iAndy

· #3 · Oct 15, 2008

They called me twice about coming to the store on a guest pass.
And it ends the same way!

Was I planning to buy something?
I don't know, I need to see what you have and what the cost is!
What are you looking for? I told them. gave them a list of things I am planning to buy this year.
Next question was, how much do you make?

That is none of your business!!
We need to know that or we will not give to a guest pass.
Sorry, you don't get it, I will not tell you!

Then we are not sending you a guest pass.

They did call me a second time, but same issue, same answer, and no guest pass.

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roopster77

· #4 · Jan 16, 2009

Direct Buy

Tis pricey to join. but once past the front door...

don't know how a non-paid up member can really rate this place. They are excellent in my experience as a paid member... have saved way beyond the membership fees since joining...

nickleinonen

· #5 · Feb 26, 2009

if you can actually save money there great.. $5k to join just so you can buy stuff at cost doesn't suite my buying needs...

my appliances through them would have cost about $7k. i paid just over $8k. retail on them was over $10k. so i think i did ok dealing. 90% of all my electronics i get at cost through various dealings with different retailers so no savings there.

i did the guest pass thing and almost everything i wanted electronics wise they didn't carry. hardwood flooring i can get cheaper from big box store. that's all i was looking at getting so it didn't interest me.

the sales pitch i didn't care for. how much money a year do i make [net/gross] & spend on stuff [as little as possible]. the pennies get pinched and put in the bank to pay for important stuff not for the next tv or stereo i want. it goes to pay for the mortgage, utilities and food.

if you are looking at joining direct buy. do your research before you go there on a guess pass.
if you just want to go look on the guess pass and have no intention of joining, leave all cash/cheques/debit cards/credit cards at home..

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koala

· #6 · Jul 11, 2009

We went there on a guest pass. I was genuinely interested in joining as we were doing a new home build and thought it might be worth the effort and the up-front cost.

I already get a lot of products at cost (furniture/mattress industry), so my theory was that I wanted to see their pricing on some of the products I'm familiar with to see if they're actually being sold at cost.

Of course, they won't show you any pricing until you pay the membership fee. We declined to join, they pressured us, said we were banned for life.

Ironically a few weeks later I was chatting with a friend of mine and discovered he was a Direct Buy member. I had him check the pricing on Tempur-Pedic mattresses as I sell this brand-- their price is *not* wholesale. Granted, it's an exceptionally good deal, but nothing a retailer couldn't offer to a consumer if they were inclined to do so.

To top it off they only offered one particular model anyway, out of the 8 Tempur makes for Canada.

To be fair, they may sell at "wholesale" on some of their products. The trick of course is that "wholesale" can vary depending on the dealer and how much volume they do with the manufacturer.

I still feel these guys might be worth while for someone planning to spend ten's of thousands of dollars, but I can't imagine it being worthwhile for regular consumers.

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MarcP

· #7 · Jul 11, 2009

Even if you plan on spending tens of thousands on renovation, they won't guarantee a delivery date. A friend of mine who is a member waited 4 months for his cabinets to arrive which threw off his schedule. Then got the wrong ones and went through hell to get this sorted out. In the end, he never got the exact cabinets he ordered and Direct Buy basically told him to get lost.

smootherator

· #8 · Jul 11, 2009

i found that place to be a big rip off. High pressure sales tactics...DING
Must sign up before leaving or cant ever join again....DING
Wont divulge the products available...>DING
Most money UP front before you even see a catalog...DING

I figured there is no way I would ever recover the money spent on the membership..especially since I would be paying separate shipping for each item purchased.

After their dumb infomercial that they force you to watch in a closed room of all things I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as I came in.

.. He followed me to the bathroom and waited outside for me to come out.... after that I basically told the sales guy off and walked out.

Man I was fuming....huge rip off alert!!

smootherator

· #9 · Jul 11, 2009

Seems like i'm not the only one who thinks direct buy is shady....

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2009/the_price_cut_promise/main.html#c2384278

nickleinonen

· #10 · Jul 11, 2009

i wonder when cbc is going to reair that direct buy ep of marketplace?

HT gearhead

· #11 · Jul 12, 2009

I called and they sent me an invite for a specific day and time. I told them i couldn't get time off that day. They said it was a one time only offer, I declined. Besides it's a 3 hour drive to Calgary. After watching the CBC Marketplace episode on them I'm glad I didn't get suckered into their scam. 5 grand for membership? Are you nuts?
You'd have to spend 10s of thousands to make the 5 G's back in savings and only then you would reap the savings of buying from them afterwards.

Buyer's rules:
walk away if...
1. Forced to commit on the spot.
2. No cooling off period allowed.
3. Huge up front cost before you get all the facts.

smootherator

· #12 · Jul 12, 2009

well $5000 is for a 3 year membership.... so figure that you would at least have to spend 500,000 In 3 years to break even...that is IF you were able to save 10%

Direct Buy.

-Only select few products are available.
-Deliveries only go to the direct buy warehouse..not your home.
-You would then have to go pick up the stuff from the warehouse.
-Problems with bad product or returns are between you and manufacturer...not direct (think about getting the wrong couch delivered...ouch)
-You pay separate shipping for each item
-You have to travel to their warehouse each time you need to order
-You have to wait as long as it takes to ship your product out to direct

Regular retailers

-most retailers buy in Bulk...hence lower per unit costs.
-warranty at the retailer..returns right at the store
-Product when you need it
-you have the ability to comparison shop
-you have the ability to test the product before buying

Its a no brainer....

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Atlantic Home Theatre

· #13 · Jul 18, 2009

Feel sorry for folks that get suckered by this scam operation.

spensar

· #14 · Nov 25, 2009

Did the guest thing. Same experience as noted. Their pressure tactics make vacation timeshare folks look like pussies. Was talking to a couple of neighbours that live a few streets over and Direct Buy came up, and they both laughed. They had both joined and said it was terrible and exactly the hassles smoothoperator listed. Plus, they said it was impossible to get a direct comparision with local retailers on a lot of the stuff that they sell so you don't know if it is a good deal or not.

compguy

· #15 · Apr 17, 2010

Crooks, plain and simple. Same experience as everyone else. Had I not had a child with me, the stuff that would have come out of my mouth would have made them blush for sure.

Proteosome

· #16 · Apr 17, 2010

Have heard all the horror stories about the high pressure sales tactics. However, I was able to use a friends membership to save $700 on a nursery set. This was savings over and above buying from the manufacturer direct.

I think there is money to be saved if you are willing to spend money, i.e. moving into a new house or refurnishing. If you are looking for deals on electronics than it probably isn't for you as there are usually little margins in gadgets and computers.

In my mind, if you could somehow split the membership cost with a family member it would certainly be worth it.

Railwayman

· #17 · Apr 29, 2010

I'm a member , have been since 2003 and I concur for certain item no you will not save money for others the savings are great, I replace window in my house last year the rebate through direct buy was 65% off of retail which was a saving of $7500, re did my kitchen the year before, the retail on the Kitchen Craft cupboard was $9900, I spent $4600 including shipping and GST, looking at those 2 purchases $5000 to save nearly $13000 sounds not too bad, I should say that when I joined the price was $2500 again this is not on everything, I also puchase a Bosch diswasher from Sears on sale and paid $50 less than the Direct buy price. If you are doing a major reno go for it you will save.

mgamiet

· #18 · Aug 14, 2010 (Edited)

Just joined Direct Buy and have saved money so far

Hello,

You save money if you are already spending on a renovation. If you are just a regular consumer that is not spending on big items you don't save as much - at least not immediately. If you go to the open house, have some real prices in your mind before you go so you can compare.

I joined last week and so far my savings are: $7283.28 (CDN dollars throughout)

I am doing a renovation and joined Direct Buy after pricing kitchen cabinets at big box store ( wood doors, fibreboard boxes, no counter top, cupboard enhancements like slide out shelves, slow close drawers (which had caved in on the store model) - $15,000 + tax) and at a cabinet company (thermofoil doors (not wood), fibreboard boxes, slow close drawers, cupboard enhancements like slide out shelves, no counter top $11,000 + tax plus they quoted $2249 for granite countertop.).

My Direct Buy kitchen is brandname plywood boxes, slow close drawers, cupboard enhancements like slide out shelves, wood doors, $8130. This Direct Buy price includes shipping to my home, installation, 8% handling fee, kitchen design fess well as installation is included. Also, for any problems or warranty issues I will deal with my local Direct Buy - not the manufacturer. So, for a better cabinets I have already saved $7000 if you compare bog box store'ss "some wood" to Direct Buy's "All wood" - not including the $11000 quote in savings because it's not even part wood.

When I went to the open house they weren't that hard sell but I know they can be . I went back the next day and confirmed the kitchen savings then signed up for $4790 plus tax.

I got two quotes on granite counter tops and the local direct buy supplier price came in at $413.28 savings with a better product (2 cm caesarstone with 4 cm beveled edge) and backsplash included whereas the other prices were for granite - 2 cm straight edge - no bevel (not as strong and more maintenance needed) with no backplash...

So far my savings are: $7413.28 - fee has been covered!

SAVINGS SO FAR
Kitchen cabinets - $7283.28 (more than enough to cover the membership fee)
Granite counter top - $413.28

Still to come:
Refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, beds, furniture. sinks, vanities, toilets

I'll keep posting my experience, good or bad, as I go along.

MG

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MarcP

· #19 · Aug 14, 2010

Good luck if you receive the wrong cabinets or they got damaged in shipping. DB will not help you.

spensar

· #20 · Aug 15, 2010

Hmm, interesting. I ordered kitchen cupboards a couple of weeks ago. Good sized kitchen with a G layout plus a 5 foot pantry area. Thermofoil with slow close drawers, no countertops, was $5,600 from a big box store, and I took $1,500 off of that by going to a certain swedish store. The big box store has 15% off pretty well every month, and I was in for that.

$11,000 for what was posted shows that perhaps some better shopping was in order.

I'm happy if DB works out for you. The comparision looks off. Something like kitchen cabinets though, there are tons of suppliers and variables though. I would like to see some saving on items I can find cleanly on a maker's website or in a store. ie. Cleancut apples to apples, oranges to oranges.

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