After listening to the Direct Buy sales pitch, my wife and I believed that Direct Buy of West Michigan could potentially save money for us. On June 2, we visited the Direct Buy showroom to learn about the program and see how it worked. We had one specific project that we wanted more information about and were willing to ask the necessary questions. Our project was to purchase and install new carpet and padding thoroughout most of our house.
All of the Direct Buy representatives/sales people told us that we could save a lot of money on carpeting and other floor coverings. Since this was a one time offer to sign up with Direct Buy, we felt that if we could save $1,000 just on carpet, padding, and installation over the local carpet store prices that this would be a good deal for us. We signed up.
After selecting a couple of carpet choices and receiving quotes from two different carpet stores, we found out to our surprise that Direct Buy is not the low cost provider for the our project.in fact, they priced out our project over $1,000 higher than Home Depot. Where are the savings that the salespeople and representatives stated we would find? This deceptive practice is a violation of the Consumer Protection Act as well as the Fair Trade Act. There is a lot of consumer complaints regarding Direct Buy.
Direct Buy states that they work directly with manufacturers to get you the best prices. More often than not, the Direct Buy team will go to a local store and try to get you a 10% discount off of building materials, bathroom fixtures, and windows. Think about it. If you had a large project, most local retailers will offer a 10% discount off of their prices. It isn't truly a direct buy from the manufacturer.
We have already filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, our attorney, and will continue to post complaints on the Internet to warn consumers of the unfair practices related to Direct Buy. It is important to understand that Direct Buy does not offer member support after the purchase. The consumer is responsible to contact the manufacturer if products are defective. There isn't any after sale service or support. Direct Buy is only a catalog showroom that may or may not get you a good deal. One step that we will be taking is to contact as many governmental and media agencies as possible to get the message out.
JohnRockford, Michigan
U.S.A.
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