We have remodeled 3 older homes in our 30 years of marriage and built the current home brand new ground up, so I would consider us educated consumers when it comes to buying to remodel or build. Not to mention we are self employed as owners of a small manufacturing firm that deals in specialty woodworking.
We wanted to update our current home's kitchen and bath's since its 18 years old to make it more sellable in the current market. So we decided on getting granite or marble countertops all around, new double jacuzzi and maybe cabinets for the kitchen depending on costs. We went to a number of previously used sources for work we have done over the years and as recent as 2 - 3 years ago when we did hardwood floors in the whole house except for the foyer, hall and kitchen, baths. Our pricing knoweldge of the costs for what we needed were based on current prices and local companies which were a broad range for all the items.
Enter DirectBuy commericals we have been bombarded with so husband told me to email them and get a vistor's pass as they advertised he would be interested to see what savings there would be if we did counters and other items as well as all the cabinets in the kitchen and 2 of 3 baths. I had info from them rapidly and a call days later to set up our time for our visit and presentation. The lady calling me tried to force me into taking dates and times I did not want. I advised with our business we often work 7 days a week and days off happen. There is no set schedule for us. She gave me a date I thought would work. Day before she called and I told her I was about to call to reschedule. She was very angry and asked "why" I had to reschedule and I told her husband was out of town on business at last minute. She asked when he would be back I told her, she tried to make it for the very next day and I told her NO, call me in a week and then we could set up a date. We had to cancel a few times due to our business, she was relentless in badgering me to make an immediate appointment. I wanted to just blow the whole thing off but husband said OK this date/time and we will make sure we go. So I set it up and we went 2 weeks later.
2 days prior to the date I had call again from the woman to make sure we would be there this time and I said yes. Then she tried to convince me we needed to be there at least 30 - 45 minutes prior to our scheduled time and would not give me a reason why. I told her flatly we get there when we do.
I guess we took the commerical too literally and were looking for a large warehouse operation to find outselves in an office park center where about 60% of the buldings were empty with FOR LEASE OR SALE signs all over the place. We found the address and it was only one rental unit in a larger building and tiny compared to what we were looking for, or so we thought. Parking was very limited and their snow removal sucked to be blunt about it.
Husband and i Looked at each other and said "this should be interesting"..
In the door and we were greeted by very overly aggressive sales people, I felt like bait on a hook being dangled in front of a shark. Everyone was high pitched, fast talking and very very pushy about everything. It was loud, noisey, cramped and uncomfortable. We were herded with the rest of the group for our time slot into the presentation room with the king of the hard sells as our focus. I had a hard time listening to him. He was loud, abrasive and his hard sell pitch was just so obvious and obnoxious I wanted to leave - all my gut instincts about this place were big waving red flags. Husband smiled and said NO I want to hear all the BS they are pushing and then get the prize. Wanna bet just how expensive the memberfee is going to be? $100 I said. No he replied I think this one is going to be bigger. End of hard sell presentation and a lot of BS that most of our group was obviousy NOT buying at all. Membership fee $4900 I had all I could to do not to laugh out loud. Husband mumbled to me. That's even more than I had thought a LOT More than I had thought I was thinking $500 - 750 maybe butthese people are nuts.
We were "handled over" to our personal rep. Very nice very nice and very pushy. Husband asked politely... We are looking to redo our big kitchen, can you quote me the per foot installed cost of both the granite and the marble counter tops to give me an idea and then we can take it from there on other things... She ignored him completely and started the push with completing the membership docs... He pushed them back at her and said again. Can you quote me a basic cost... She ignored him again and went back to the membership. He got up and said Thank you NO. I have to leave we have a machine down at our business and its needs my attention, Goodbye and they tried to stop him at the door physically and he pushed past them and out the door.
Our Personal Rep grabbed my arm and said, why don't you tell hiim to come back when he's done and you can complete the paperwork for your end until he gets here. I smiled and never said a word, pushed past her and out the door. Got into the car and we looked at each other and started to laugh. His comment what a farking ripoff and way to waste a sunday afternoon, do people really fall for that stuff?
Week later he comes home from work and tells me he was talking with the owner of one of our suppliers. Man told him they did get a membership but their did an $80,000 remodel of their kitchen and then another $35000 for the 2 bathrooms - he said he recouped his 4900 membership since he paid it in full up front being able to afford it and he did get some decent savings on some stuff, but their customer service and shipping was horrid. All in all would he do it again, NO he said, but he could afford the loose, others might not. His sister in law, a widow got herself talked into joinging without asking him first about it. She was now tied up in a long term high % rate loan to pay off for the membership and for what she needed it was defintely no savings for her and now she's stuck with this high interest loan.
Maybe some people think its great or beneficial but I think its one huge ripoff and so does everyone I've come across that have been to their open houses at this location as well.
AnitaProspect Heights, Illinois
U.S.A.
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