I saw the advertisement on the TV, called the phone number, and left a message requesting information to be sent to us. We received a return call from 'Service Director' Ryan Riley, giving us an "Open House" date of February 4 for 7:15 P.M.
February 4: We kept this appointment and sat for two (2) hours listening to the sales pitch on how we could save all sorts of money while purchasing good quality merchandise.in addition to being among the Elite Few, "that belong to a most powerful consumer savings organization. (This statement is taken from page one (1) of the UCC TotalHome Guide.)
After the "meeting", we sat down with Kevin McGuire to discuss the cost to join this "Elite Membership". We were again reassured of the money we would be saving; and as well "their promise to do their very best to help us enjoy all the benefits and privileges of our UCC Total Home membership by complementing your savings with first-class service". (This statement is taken from page one (1) of the UCC TotalHome Guide). My Husband and I joined and paid the membership fee in full with a Credit card; which cleared the Card Company the same dates. (Boy, were they quick enough to take our money and deposit it, so they would be sure to have THEIR money.)
February 7: We returned to look through the vast array of order catalogs that were not open for us to look through until the membership fee was paid. We placed and paid for our order of one (1) Chair side table, which had an estimated Shipping Date of March 27. At the same time, we placed an order for a complete all wood King Bedroom set, which totaled five (5) pieces, and was given an estimated Shipping Date of April 17 on those pieces. All orders were paid in full that day, with one (1) check, which cleared the bank six (6) days later.
We asked the young woman at this time, when we should be receiving our furniture. She told us four (4) to six (6) weeks, which would mean approximately between March 6 and March 20.
NOTE: Keep in mind this fact: we shelled out to this company, within a four day window, an amount exceeding five (5) Thousand Dollars, because we trusted, we believed what we heard, and what was promised. We left that evening feeling totally happy that we had made a good investment and the knowledge that we could purchase quality WOODEN furniture, still save money, and would be doing business with a company that assured us of first-class Customer Service.
February 27: We were pleasantly surprised when we were called and notified that the Chair side table we ordered had arrived and was in their little warehouse waiting for us to pick it up. We arrived with our copy of the invoice in hand, and had to help the stockman look for the box that contained our side table, he could not find it.
Naturally, we thought we were looking for a somewhat large box, and were totally taken back when, once located, it turned out to be a smaller box. We understood that we were purchasing quality furniture, not something that we had to assemble ourselves. If we had wanted a piece of furniture that consisted of laminated wood, or one that we would have to assemble, we could have gone to Wal-Mart or Meijers instead and still saved money. But we overlooked this somewhat minor problem and misunderstanding, because we were promised quality furniture, at wholesale prices, and we would still be saving a lot of money on the Bedroom set, that had yet to come in.
We asked the stockman when should the Bedroom Furniture arrive. He went somewhere, looked up something, and came back to tell us that it would be shipped out April 17 and should come in within the next four (4) to six (6) weeks. He would, at that time call us, upon its arrival, to let us know when to come pick it up. My husband and I looked at each other what is this, we have to pick up this heavy bedroom set ourselves? What were we paying all this membership money for and where was that first-class customer service that we were supposed to be getting??? We paid all this money and still we have to pick up our orders as well as put it together.
March 20: I again called for a shipment status on the Bedroom Set. I spoke to an older woman this time, who had trouble even locating our order. Come to find out, once she did locate it, that it was still listed in the computer as having been sold to Kevin McGuire not us. (Both of the entire orders had been placed under his name, at the time of ordering, because we were not given our membership number the day we paid for everything. This is what we were told.) We did, however, receive our member number and member cards, on February 26. So how come our furniture order was still in his name??? When she did finally locate the order, I was informed that, no trace would be placed until after the estimated date of shipment, but it should be shipped out by April 17.
April 17: We are patiently waiting for Direct Buy to call and we keep waiting and waiting...
May 3: I called for another status check, and was told that the office was not open that day and that I was speaking to a warehouse stockman. When I told him what I wanted, he said, the order was on back order and would not be shipped out until April 24, with an additional seven (7) to ten (10) days before arriving there. I asked why was it on back order and why had not anyone called and told us this. I got no reply on that question, but was told to speak to - (a particular young mans name was given), upon notification that the furniture was in, to make arrangements for delivery. Delivery? I said. Why didn't anyone tell us that we could have our orders delivered, so we wouldn't have to pick it up ourselves? How does that work? I asked. He said, it would be $60.00 an hour to have our order delivered and I was to speak to - concerning our order.
May 5: I called again for another ETA Status Check. This time, — said, it will be arriving on one of their Direct Buy trucks but he did not know the date he would call me back with the information. He did not call back this day, or the next day.
May 6: My husband called for status and asked for & (the young man of discussion). He, my husband, was told that — was with a customer. My husband then asked to speak to a manager and ended up talking to — (the older woman, I had previously talked to earlier). My Husband told her how and why he felt Direct Buy was providing us very poor customer service, and that we were totally dissatisfied with the way Direct Buy conducts their business. He informed her that we had lost all trust, faith, and confidence in their company, due to the lack of first-class customer service that we had been promised to receive. We wanted some answers.
The woman told him she would call him back with some answers. (My husband had just left to go back to work, when she called.) She informed me that, the furniture was being made overseas and it was still in the process of being made. (I had been jokingly telling my husband that the company was cutting down the trees to make the furniture and it was in the process of still being made. Little did I know at the time that that was exactly what I was going to be told when I called the Rochester Hill Direct Buy office.)?
When I asked where overseas, she would not tell me. I asked again, when should we be receiving our bedroom set we had a bedroom setting empty, waiting for this furniture??? Her answer was, It could/might (no guarantee) ship out the end of May or the 1st of June no guarantees. Even then, they could not promise when we would receive our furniture. Since 9-11, shipments from overseas are being checked more thoroughly, and our furniture could set another thirty (30) to sixty (60) days just to get through customs, and then another seven (7) to ten (10) days to get to them. I gave her my husbands cell telephone number and told her to call him and tell him what you just told me. He said he did receive a call, but he was in the middle of teaching his class and could not take the call. I proceeded to tell him what she said.
May 7: My husband calls again and talks to the older woman manager. He informs her that we are canceling the furniture order and expects to receive a refund for the nearly two (2) thousand dollars we paid them for the Bedroom furniture. He also states that he is canceling our membership with Direct Buy and expects a refund of all membership fees, totaling $3,500.00 additionally too. He tells her that he would like to talk to Kevin McGuire, personally. The woman says that he is out of town and will not be back until Monday, but she will give him the message that we had called and would like to speak to him personally.
May 8: Mrs. McGuire called us today and spoke to my husband. Charles repeated to her, the same thing that he had told everybody else in that office, concerning our dissatisfaction. She was at this point; very apologetic for the poor service we felt we were receiving. It was when my husband mentioned that we were totally canceling our furniture order and membership, that she became very quiet and totally stopped talking, except to say that she would call him back. (She never returned the call to us). —, the young man we were previously told to talk with, called and apologized for not returning the call to us, as he had said he would three (3) days ago.
He said that it was of his understanding, that because of his lack of returning the one telephone call, that we were totally dissatisfied with the company and wanted out. (The poor guy. Look who was being made the scapegoat.) I reassured him that he was not the sole problem, as someone had led him to believe. I did state, however, that he was part of the problem, and that it was a combination of things and other people that made up our total dissatisfaction with Direct Buy. (How low can Direct Buy be even to their own employees! It was at this point that I realized Mr. And Mrs. McGuire do not care any more for their employees than they do for their customers!)
May 10 and 11: No calls made to DirectBuy; no calls received from Direct Buy.
May 15: We received a refund check by mail, dated May 14, from Kev-Char of Michigan, Inc. (Direct Buy) for the full amount we paid on the furniture that we had cancelled. There was no mention of the Membership refund that we had requested at the same time.
May 21: As of today, we have still not heard anything from Mr. Kevin McGuire, personally. Since we do want to talk to him personally, and see for ourselves just how receptive and responsive he was going to be, we drove to the Rochester Hills office, in the attempt to speak to him face to face. We arrived about 2 P.M., spoke to the Service Manager requesting to see Kevin. She informed us that Mr. And Mrs. McGuire had been there since 5 A.M. And would not be back until around 6 P.M., for that nights Open House. We asked her if she would telephone them and let them know that we were there to speak specifically with Kevin. She refused to call them.
We then left there, went to dinner, just down the road, and returned about an hour and a half later. Low and behold, Whom do you think we finally find there? Why the elusive Mr. McGuire, himself. He asked us what it was that we wanted as if he did not already know. We sat down and proceeded to try to tell him what we wanted to see him about. All the while we kept trying to tell him, he kept interrupting us saying, that's been all covered before namely our dissatisfaction with his company and it's Customer service and their ever changing lies. When we tried to explain why we no longer trusted him and his Company, he kept saying the same thing; that's been all covered before. How could He feel that it had all been covered before? WE, THE CUSTOMERS NEVER GOT THE CHANCE, UNTIL NOW, TO DISCUSS THIS WITH HIM PERSONALLY!
He said to us, I am not going to refund your money. (That being the only thing he said that was true he had our money!) Then he proceeded to inform us, that he had more money then we did, more powerful Attorneys then we could afford, and that this was his tenth (10th) company. He said, We could go ahead, get an Attorney, and sue him if we wanted to, but he would win and take everything' we had and bring us down. (Did he think that he was scaring or intimidating us? He was so far from accomplishing that. I do not think he even realized just how his total demeanor was coming across to us, much less than anyone else who could hear through the closed door very childish!)
I looked to my husband and verbally thought, aloud, just what our Member Status was, and clarified that he would not let us out of our Contract. Obviously still being Direct Buy Members, despite what we wanted, we still had full Membership privileges and access to the showroom whenever we wanted as long as they were open. Would he agree that it might be a shame if other customers overheard us talking privately (out-loud) to each other about how bad this Company and its owners were? Not to mention the fact that there was NO first-class customer service as they were promised.
Kevin then said that if we did not conduct ourselves in a civil manner, we would not like the consequences. I then asked him, what are you going to do? Call the police and have us arrested or escorted out? I said, Oh by all means, please do, pleee-ase do-ooo, I would very much like that. His look of smug superiority turned to anger he could not intimidate or move' us; he failed, aaa-gain. I looked to my husband again and said, I told you we should have gone ahead and did what we talked about and not waited till we talked to him. Kevin was certainly interested in what I had just said What do you mean? As he had a surprised but worried look on his face, and looked back and forth between my husband and I. I told him, I was talking to my husband and he knows what I mean. I also said at this point, Oh by the way, just so you know that was no reference to blood being shed.
All he could do was lean back in his chair, fold his arms tightly against his chest, and keep repeating, so long as you conduct yourselves in a civil manner... I decided to play The Superiority Game' with him. So I too emphatically leaned back in my chair and, again, emphatically crossed my arms across my chest too. We then just sat there quiet for a second or two, just glaring into each other's eyes, until he broke the silence and again repeated, so long as you conduct yourselves in a civil manner...
He then looked at my husband and said, I do not even know why you are here, since the matter is already resolved and you will not get your money back there are no refunds, as per the contract! (There it is again, our money.) My husband asked, How was it resolved? His wife had told him she would get back with him, but never did. Kevin then asked my husband what was discussed, and my husband told him that he could not remember. Kevin got smug again and said that by her not calling him back, that should have given my husband her answer. (Does this sound like first-class customer service to you? It most certainly did not to us!)
My husband later told me that he does remember the conversation with Mrs. McGuire, but since Kevin had his mind sent on all the answers that he wanted to accept, he thought there was no point in pursuing Kevin's question. Kevin then informs us that his wife has as much say in the company as he does. If this is true, why then did she not give my husband an answer, while he was on the telephone with her? When my husband asked her for a refund on our Membership, she became very quiet and said she would call him back. (What a joke, my husband said! He knew that he was not going to be getting that return telephone call, which confirmed that they are all experts at doing that.)
Although my husband knew that she would not be returning the call, we gave her ample time to make that call back. When she did not call back, we then called again, requesting to talk to Kevin personally. What do you think he did him, being a Professional, the Owner, and an example of how to conduct a business? Wrrrr-ong He did not call back either Geeez. My husband and I are in total agreement that this company does have some consistencies.
They are very eager and swift to take your money, and then they start dodging the bullets; meaning not returning telephone calls or providing customer service, when you have a question or problem and they have no idea what the answer is, or how to keep the customer happy! They seem to have forgotten something very important: If they do not keep the customers happy, they will have no customers. If they have no customers, they willhave no business.
My husband then asked Kevin, if he thought, his Company had provided us with good customer service. Kevin told him yes, but it was not their responsibility to notify the customer of any changes concerning their merchandise orders. My husband then asked; if it is not your responsibility to keep the customer informed, of any/all changes, and/or delays, then whose responsibility is it? Your staff and company are the ones who are doing business with the Wholesaler. We are doing business with you not directly with them.
We informed Kevin that we felt we had received no customer service, after our order was placed and paid for. We placed all the calls to your company concerning Manufacture or Warehouse shipment dates, and the ETA to our house. If your company had been on top of all that, which they should have been, we would not have had to keep calling your office to find out what was going on with our furniture order. Kevin held firm, saying, We gave you good customer service and you are still not going to get your Membership money back.
Kevin was very smug, arrogant, and condescending towards us, from the moment he agreed to finally talk to us. He kept trying to intimidate us by repeatedly referring to how powerful he was, how much money he had, his array of attorneys, and that he would sue us for everything we had, if we did anything to hurt his business. (Where in the world did he come up with that conclusion? We even told him very nicely that we were going to give him all sorts of Free Publicity).
At the conclusion of the meeting with Kevin, my husband and I walked away with a few very distinct impressions of him and how he runs his company: 1) His whole demeanor showed us, he lacked the Professional first-class customer service, that we, as his Membershipcustomers, had been promised that we would receive from him and his Direct Buy Fanchise staff.
2) When we confronted him, face to face, with our request for our Membership Fee to be refund, he totally lacked the Professional businessperson image that he so wanted everyone to believe he was.
3) He sets a very bad example and is a very poor role model for his Employees to see, and pattern themselves after, in providing first-class customer service.
4) His only concern and goal is to get you to join his Direct Buy Membership, so he can collect and deposit into his account, your $3,500.00 Membership Fee.
5) Do not dare call his office with any problems or questions; his staff does not go out of their way to provide you with accurate information or to ensureyou, the customer, is satisfied.
6) You have a better chance at winning the lottery, so do not hold your breath if you expect them to return telephone calls; they are armed with an array of
Excuses and are experienced Buck Passers'.
We tried, in a calm, quiet, adult, and professional manner, to meet with Kevin in the attempt to obtain a refund of our Membership Dues. He repeatedly refused to refund us our $3,500.00 Membership Fee. We feel we we have no other recourse except to provide him and his Direct Buy franchise with as much publicity as possible.
We hope that this action will change the Direct Buy Refund Policy. Specifically concerning those New Members who have yet to prosper from the Elite Membership Benefits and those, like us, who have totally lost faith/trust in the UCC TotalHome/Direct Buy Company, and will have no further dealings with this business in any manner.
We hope that with enough attention and media coverage, Mr. And Mrs. Kevin McGuire (owners of: Kev-Char of Michigan, Inc. - d.B.A.: Direct Buy of Metro Detroit North) will refund us our $3,500.00 Membership Fee that we paid and have requested back.
Cathleen and CharlesRoyal Oak, Michigan
U.S.A.
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