DirectBuy of Richmond

Responded to an invitation for presentation and free gift of a "tablet" for attending a presentation. Sales presentation was high pressure, take advantage today no second chance in the future. Contract is non-cancelable. Tablet "gift" was of poor quality made in China , pretty much useless as the screen was not scalable making it impossible to read any website. They encouraged you to finance through their program, I used my own. They presented examples of member's savings on past projects. Each couple was then assigned to an associate for the closing. I had several high dollar projects in mind, but since some required installation and I am 80+ miles away from the recommended installers I have only completed one project. The draw was also major appliances were available through the local store of a national retailer. The one time we wanted to take advantage of this was for an urgent replacement of a dryer. We were asked to provide multiple acceptable item numbers to see what was in stock, and and were told we could probably to just as well with a shorter time frame at a local "Big Box" home improvement store. Recently I asked about the connection with the local branch of the national retailer to purchase a garden tractor ($3300 retail) and was told that it was not available. I had been informed I think by e-mail that the agreement between Direct Buy and the retailer had been suspended. Before signing the contract I asked for and received prices on specific professional level photo equipment, Based on the projected saving we signed the contract. Several months later when I tried to purchase these items I was told only products in the on-line catalog were available (point and shoot pocket digital). Recently when I visited the store (Dec 2014)i was furnished with a contact again to price the equipment. I have not yet tried. Have had luck with buying plumbing fixtures at a greatly reduced cost, and have purchased items on line at a reduced cost. On-line shipping allows for 4-6 weeks but I have to say I have been surprised by delivery in 7-10 days. Would advise to home shipping rather then to club for convenience. Quartz counter tops were a good investment but had trouble with the installation (review under separate vendor) My Caveats: If you know you are going to to be doing major projects, and you know what products you are interested in it may be worthwhile. If you are going to shop it is important to know retail prices for the products you are interested in, since smartphones/ laptops are not allowed in the showroom. You may bring a contractor/designer with you (check before you bring them for specific conditions) but they are not allowed access to the pricing. Before we attended the sales pitch, (2013?) I tried to do a Google search and found minimal information. Since then I have found much on BBB of Richmond and also a general Google search. Over the last year the national Direct Buy has changed so this may also influence how the franchises work. With approximately 15 months left on initial membership have saved approximately 1/3 of the membership outlay. We do have some potential major projects so I may still recoup the investment. Would I use the provider again, Angie's allows only yes or no. I would say if I can get a better price for comparable quality yes, will I renew doubtful at this time. I think the business model is driven by the national headquarters and they seemed to be making strides to reach out to members. i have received both web based and telephone solicitations for comments and have received feedback.

Once you pay top dollar for membership you are basically on your own. They are not very good at assisting you with your orders. Again I say save your money and go right to the store and buy from the store.

If you know that you are going to be making purchases, then it is worth becoming a member. The membership fee is a little high, but it is paid off with your purchases.