Direct Buy is a rip-off. This has been discussed several times on this forum, but the forum has been having problems opening older threads, so I couldn't link one for you. The upshot is that you can easily find equal or lower prices by shopping on the internet, or even going to your local retail stores. Furthermore, you will also find better and wider selection of brands and models by shopping on your own on the internet. And you will never recoup the upfront fee you paid DirectBuy.

alwaysfixin, thank you!

I agree, rip off. I think it costs $5,000.00 up front. In my opinion, unless you are doing extensive buying from scratch,buying everything through them, you'll never gain a benefit with direct buy.

It really depends upon the Direct Buy outlet you're using and how much you think you're going to buy. The idea that they have "run of the mill products" is totally untrue. We have purchased Kitchen Aid, Wolf, Ventahood, and Whirlpool and can get Subzero, Asko, Bosch, Fischer Paykal, Electrolux, Gaggeneau, Five Star, etc. through them. You can get cookware like All Clad, Cuisinart, Calphalon, Le Creuset, etc. Just ordered a Le Crueset large grill / griddle from the catalog and it was $40 less than the best price on-line.

They work directly with manufacturers, but usually also have an entire list of local vendors that you get discount prices from. Our local vendor list runs the gamut from solar installation, landscaping, furniture, to jewelry and automobiles.

We thought it was expensive when we signed up, but have made up the costs in purchases of large appliances and a king size Comfortaire mattress set (1/2 list price).

You can purchase nearly any manufacturer through them. We're going to be doing new counters in the near future and will use them to purchase the countertops as they have an agreement with one national and one local granite countertop firm - and will include a large John Boos chopping block countertop area as that is one of the manufacturers you can buy.

If you are going to be buying a series of big ticket items it would be worth it - if you buy on impulse or buy occassionally - no, not worth it.

The comment that you can find the same deals on-line is true only for certain items (video electronics being one). But for appliances, no one even came close to what we paid for our Kitchenaid diswasher and the discount on Wolf and Ventahood.

The purchasing experience has been very pleasant each time with lots of help from the Direct Buy staff, and delivery has been in 1-3 weeks depending upon what has been ordered and where it is shipped from. The Wolf appliances were two weeks as that was ordered through the local Wolf dealer and included removal of the old appliances and installation of the new.

Interesting views on the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Direct buy experiences

Swines - with respect to the "discount" on Wolf and Subzero appliances; unfortunately that is not possible. Subzero/Wolf are brands that strictly control their prices according to UMRP--Wolf does not allow ANY retailer to go below whatever price Wolf has dictated for that appliance. Sub-Zero/Wolf has spent decades and millions building their brand, and they enforce UMRP with an iron fist among retailers to protect their cachet and their brand from being diminished by "discounts", most certainly by membership clubs like DirectBuy.

Swines, you paid for your Wolf whatever is the price that Wolf dictated; there was no discount from DirectBuy. Now, you may have gotten an older model, perhaps that is why it was less, or, most likely, you paid the going rate for your Wolf, and it would be the same price as anyone would pay for that model appliance anywhere else. Some of the other brands you named (Asko, Bosch, Fischer Paykal, Electrolux, etc.) regularly are discounted at various retailers and on line. Except that any discount offered by DirectBuy is outweighed by the upfront fee.

I am also sceptical about discounts you say you've gotten for All-Clad and Le Creuset. Both those names protect their brands and prices fiercely. Discounts can be had on seconds found at outlets for those brands, but Le Creuset and All-Clad do not discount on their first-run items. Sometimes they may be running a special on something, such as your LC grill, but you would find that special price at numerous sites all over the internet.

All one has to do is google the words "DirectBuy" and there is plenty to read, plenty of lawsuits, class action suits, deceptive practice claims, and complaints. And DirectBuy are themselves litigious. They will sue you so fast to make your head spin if you fail to pay your upfront fee or membership fee. They will attach your bank account, garnish your pay, and obtain liens against your property. They sue not only for the membership fee, but attach interest, and make you pay their legal fees they incurred to sue you. If after reading this thread, anyone still wants to sign up with DirectBuy, be certain to pay their fees, and on time.

"Swines - with respect to the "discount" on Wolf and Subzero appliances; unfortunately that is not possible. Subzero/Wolf are brands that strictly control their prices according to UMRP--Wolf does not allow ANY retailer to go below whatever price Wolf has dictated for that appliance."

All I can tell you is that I did not pay retail for the Wolf appliances. The discount was slightly below what a builder would buy the appliances for - you can choose to believe that or not - I frankly don't care.

If you are ever in Albuquerque, NM I'll show you the appliances and the final receipt - you can make up your own mind. The Wolf appliances are new (an E-series oven and a 30-inch cooktop), and were ordered by the supplier from Wolf as the supplier does not stock appliances, but orders them as needed.

I can also show you the receipt for the Le Creuset grill / griddle and it is below any cost on the Internet. In fact, if you had access to the Direct Buy member's website (an on-line catalog) you could see the cost of the grill - and it is substantially below anything you will find on the Internet - I know as I shopped the Internet and looked to see if it was available at a better price. It is not. The grill / griddle is not on special and the price cannot be found "all over the Internet."

Believe it or not, I actually shop the Internet before I order something from Direct Buy and only order from them when they are the best price.

For example, I recently purchased a Sony XBR-9 52-inch LCD. The Direct Buy price was the cheapest I could find. However, depending upon the item ordered, there may be a 0-8% handling fee - in the case of Sony there is an 8% handling fee. This made the screen only $120 less expensive than I could buy from a local discount electronics store (their price was competative with the best on the Internet). Also, I got 18 months at no interest to pay it off - and they would deliver it, set it up, and haul away the large Pioneer rear screen projector. In that case, I felt buying from the local electronics store was a better deal as I didn't have to set up the screen and figure out what to do with a huge Pioneer rear screen projector - and got the screen delivered 4 days after I purchased it.

You can have whatever beliefs you want - but, I have the receipts that will verify the purchases.

You seem to think you have a lot of knowledge about Direct Buy based upon things you've read on the Internet and we all know there's no misinformation on the Internet...

I can tell you that none of my dealings with the Direct Buy outlet I use have been negative. In fact, every time I purchase something through them they make it as trouble free as possible.

"Except that any discount offered by DirectBuy is outweighed by the upfront fee."

That is absolutely true. You have to purchase enough volume of goods at a discount to offset the upfront fee. They make that totally crystal clear in their introduction and tour. If you are going to remodel a bathroom or kitchen, buy a number of appliances or furniture, then you can offset the fee through the discounts. After 2.5 years, we're at the point where the discounts have offset the upfront fee.

Believe me, my wife is an accountant and she keeps a running tally of what would have been spent at the "best possible price" versus what we've paid through Direct Buy.

And yes, if you don't pay the fee, they would probably sue you as it is a contract between you and Direct Buy. If you generally don't live up to contracts and feel you're special and don't need to adhere to a contract, whether with Direct Buy, a mortgage company or someone else - you can get sued.

This is no different than any other commercial contract. You should always read every contract and if you cannot adhere to the terms of the contract - don't sign it. If you do sign it and don't abide by the contract, don't be surprised if you get sued. I've been to small claims court myself on more than one occassion to sue someone who has not lived up to a contract.

Direct Buy's commercials are creepy! The furniture and cabinets they show look like something Nixon would have bought. After reading about their sales techniques on consumeraffairs.com they sound like some kind of junior Glengarry Glen Ross outfit. Anyway, no thanks!

But I do have a question: why is everybody pussy-footing around prices here? This is not a professional appliance board. We are shoppers and/or enthusiasts. If the price on the Wolf was so good, what was it, Swines? Is there a prohibition about talking dollars here?

Why not just spill the beans?

IIRC, yes, there is a prohibition about talking about prices paid on this board. I think.

You can talk about prices, people do it all the time, from the price of cabinet hardware (always surprised by how much they cost) to the cost of their kitchen remodel (usually about three times what you expected to pay).

You CAN"T advertise your company/prices, etc. Forum members are very quick to notice and call attention. People who repeatedly advertise get banned.

I have a problem with places, like Direct Buy, that require a HUGE payment for "membership." It makes it seem like a scam, whether it really is or not.

They take their profit up front, they do not take any responsibility for any problems, they simply send you to a participating dealer to order your products and the dealer supposedly is giving you special pricing, but not on any of the upscale brands who have umrp pricing. The dealer has to fulfill the direct buy contract and handle all problems associated with your purchase Direct buy has pocketed your membership fee if you add the membership fee to the price of what you bought, you lose

A guy named "Linden"? He builds houses? So why is his telephone number the same as "Team National," a multi-level marketing outfit that one may search on Google to discover that it offers discounts like 10% off crap from the Disney Store?

From the terms of use of this site that you agreed to when you signed up to post here, JUST TODAY!:
"Any use by you of any other member.s or site visitor.s information, personal or otherwise, for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, or to obtain direct financial gain (e.g. mass marketing) is prohibited. Any such use shall be deemed to be a violation of these Terms of Service. The GardenWeb Network is to be used by you for your personal use only. Commercial uses of the GardenWeb Network are strictly prohibited unless prior written consent from iVillage has been granted."

How do we report spam around here? Anybody know. This character is just fishing for MLM victims.

mohavean, if you click the Contact Us link at the bottom of any page of this site, there's an "Abuse of this site" option in the pulldown menu on the linked page.

DirectBuy does promote they have a 90% renewal rate as an indicator of happy customers. Gee, it costs $6000 for the first 2 years, then $200/year after that, seems likely most people would continue.

I have read they have a no return policy, and several other negatives.

They have many shills that promote them, like geddy-310 that signed up today.

I read enough to avoid DirectBuy.... the strict rules for sales process (no questions with group, buy now or never, etc) make it obviously a shady group.

Hey Inter Alia. You must not be capable of understanding the English Language. I was certainly NOT promoting Direct Buy! Quite the contrary. After talking to the guy I posted about, and weighing the various alternatives, I joined an entirely different club. And I saved a lot of money on the cost of the membership alone from the information I've been able to gather. Please get your facts straight before accusing people.

Geddy-310, the jig is up. You are a shill. Not for Direct Buy, but for the cockamamie MLM company which belongs to that telephone number you listed (thanks mojavean for finding the "Team National"name).

MLM stands for "Multi-level marketing". You have to buy samples from the MLM company like Team National, and you use those samples to sell products to your friends, families and co-workers, until they start avoiding you like the plague. You spend a lot of money on the samples, but your objective is not so much to sell the products, but to recruit others to sell the products. When you sell the products you get a percentage, but the person who recruited you gets a cut, and then the person who recruits them gets a cut, and so on up the pyram--uh, I mean, ladder. So the pressure is on to recruit people in order to recoup your investment on the samples you bought.

DirectBuy is not an MLM. But whether you are thinking about DirectBuy or Team National, just realize there isn't a way to miraculously beat the laws of economics by paying a cash outlay upfront for nothing concrete in return, in hopes of some future payback. Look, you are SO much better off just buying stuff as an individual consumer shopping on the internet, or at your local retail establishment where you will get customer service. The DirectBuys and the Team Nationals of the world are relying on "there's a sucker born every minute" philosophy (for extra points, who said that, P.T. Barnum or Mark Twain?)

Twain or Barnum? Neither. Probably. Click here for more.

If you have time, do report this guy geddy-310 to get him banned.

Here's how it works. These boobs use the search crawlers to find fora/discussion groups/threads that are either directly or perhaps obliquely pertinent to the nature of their scam and then they post spam messages phrased as "helpful comments". Notice this guy wants you to ask for Linden, who will be glad to help anybody. Linden is, or is the agent of, geddy-310. They are either part of this particular buyers club, OR they are a sales lead shop selling you off to whomever pays the best commission.

Anyway, if you have time, it is worthwhile to help with the housekeeping, particularly to get rid of asswipes like this guy.

Swine - why don't you just tell us what you paid and when for your E-series oven from DB and I'll tell everyone how much you saved or didn't as I have the Wolf price books for the last 3 yrs. The only thing really open to debate is how you choose to expense your first and subsequent year's membership fees.

Saying I got a really great deal "X" without the details is really just shouting nanny nanny boo boo and not credible in the least. In other words it's a lot like the DB concept as a whole. We'll tell you after you pay us and it'll be in code that you can interpret using the secret decoder ring available on aisle 4.

Antss - though I too am curious as to Swine's discount on UMRP appliances, I doubt he'll provide that info. And, IMHO it almost doesn't matter. Swine has so far spent $5400 on membership fees (according to his post, he's been a member for 2.5 years). If his wife's tally is correct, and they've finally broken even after 2.5 years, it still can't make up for--and his wife as an accountant should know these terms--the "time value of money" and the "opportunity cost" of that $5400 over 2.5 years. That $5400 could have been spent on something concrete for their home renovation, or been invested and earning interest or dividends during that same period. Their $5400 hard-earned dollars has basically done nothing for Swine and his family in the past 2.5 years.

Also, with respect to their Wolf purchase and other UMRP appliances, it has been discussed often on this forum that retailers who cannot discount on Sub-zero/Wolf due to UMRP will often provide non-cash incentives. These incentives could be free delivery and installation, extension of warranty, a free disposal, or additional discount on other non-UMRP appliances. DirectBuy customers are closed out of those kinds of incentives. One more way they lose.

Mojavean - Ha! That's funny about who actually said "sucker born every minute". I thought for certain it was Mark Twain, and that people mistakenly attributed it to Barnum. That Wikipedia article was educational. Thanks.

LOL! To me, it sounds like something HL Mencken or Ambrose Bierce might have come up with. But who's to say? No matter its author, I think the trenchant little quote fits the circumstances well.

@Antss: "nanny nanny boo boo?"

ROTFL!

Are MLMs just a legal disguise for pyramid schemes?

legal or not, aren't they both scams (unless you are higher up in the pyramid and thus enjoying the suckers at the bottom)? Why haven't they been made illegal?

ak - "Their $5400 hard-earned dollars has basically done nothing for Swine and his family in the past 2.5 years. "

I think I have to disagree with you on this one. I'm sure Swine and his wife have enjoyed the privilege of being a member of that swanky club - Direct Buy. I'll bet it's immensely gratifying to be in such select company.

Certainly that has value ???

"I'll bet it's immensely gratifying to be in such select company.

Certainly that has value ???"

Following "Teache's advice" (Pillog), I'm a gonna be nice, but what a "TEMPTATION" He says as he runs for his tranquilizers! (LOL)

You know who

I can only post my opinion on DirectBuy as it pertains to what i've seen my mother able to do with her membership the past 5 years. I wouldnt go as far as saying they are a rip off. You save a lot more than you will at any sale or online on furniture. Electronics, you really dont save anything unless it's a newly released product that is not being reduced in stores.
I am actually going to have appliances and cabinets priced out through them as well, and will be happy to post my reaction. I honestly feel I won't get much of a better price on the appliances, but may save on the cabinets. I do intend on using them, though, for my baldwin hardware for my doors, etc as well as some furniture.

I miss having small, local independent mom and pop stores nearby. I'll pay a little more just to keep them in the neighborhood.

Hey folks,

I'm considering joining DB because we're about to do some major renovations. I understand that they don't advertise their prices, but I'm not going to hand over $5k unless I know what I'm saving (or not saving).

Are there any current DB members that can PM me? I've got my mind set on 5-10 kitchen appliances (with model #'s and everything) and I know the retail rates - would really appreciate it if someone can check DB to see if they carry these items and at what price. I assume all DB members pay the same price, no matter which franchisee they joined through?

Thx - jsmith1916@gmail.com

> I've got my mind set on 5-10 kitchen appliances (with model #'s and everything) and I know the retail rates

Are you clear on the DB policies? Delivery is to the warehouse and you pickup there. No returns. No service.

Buy from an Appliance dealer and they delivery and service. Appliances are very price competitive, it is unlike you would save anything.

Jsmith1916 - evidently you have not read this thread that you have posted on. I suggest you read it, and you won't need some other DirectBuy person to EM you about appliance prices.

jsmith- I know you want to believe that DB is gonna save you money but the fact is they almost never can, especially if you are willing to do a bit of leg work.

Consider this: I'm a manufacture and I sell x product to a few dealers in your area for x price that allows me and them to make some money. Now along comes DB and says we want carry your "x" product and BTW we're going to sell it at a discount so as to irk your normal established distribution channel. And, we want another 10-20 points off whjolesale so WE can make some dough too !.

OK, I say , how many trailers full a month are you going to need. They say: "well none, we're going to order em one by one and you can handle all of the customer service BS call too."

So ...............what's in it for me, I say? Nothing, but to hedge my bet WE will allow you to carry our product if you wish for the going rate.

Now , DB get some slick Madison Ave. guys and convinces you you'll save big $$$ by joining "our club". The only way you can find out you've been had is for over the green though. The scheme is brilliant because after you do , you don't want to publicly state that you were and idiot a lost $5k ! You'll want to save face and massage your ego by convincing yourself that it was a good move and you really saved $$$.

I'm sorry folks - the business model just doesn't work for the consumer in this case.

Themisn- you won't save on cabinets either I've seen two invoices for cabinets that I have pricing access to and neither was cheaper and the one was actually a few bucks more! I'll bet you a Baldwin lockset they won't be cheaper on those either.

This is just one of many reports on Ripoff Report. Funny that DirectBuy responds to each of these like some sort of machine, trying desparately to sound like a reputable company. In a day or two someone will pop onto this thread... it will be their first or second post... they will say what a great experience they had with DirectBuy.... in fact they will be from DB. They search for threads like this a go on and respond as if they are a satisfied customer. Now they may have some satisfied customers, but many complaints read like this one...

"Direct Buy Direct Lie Frauds Liars Biggest scam ever ripoff Shrewsbury Massachusetts

We fell into the trap after the initial visit tour. We should have known better because of the high pressure sales tactics but unfortunately we joined DIRECT LIE.

We were builing a new home and were told that we would save tens of thousands of dollars. Yeah, right. This from someone who has no clue about building. It was not until after the first two months, we discovered that they could not beat our price quotes on windows, shingles, doors, siding and most importantly the kitchen that is their big seller. What a joke.

When we tried to approach the owner, who is not a very good business person and is actually very immature, and received no satisfaction. I called UCC headquarters and spoke to franchise relations and reported the Shrewsbury franchise and their bad business tactics.

Within four hours, I received a call from the Shrewsbury store stating that my membership was revolked with a full refund. My response was "revoked?" more like terminated at the customers request but if it makes you feel better to say my membership was revolked so be it. Bottom line is I got my money back and never have to deal with that BS again.

DO NOT FALL PREY TO THE SCAM, YOU WILL BE SORRY

An educated customer is their worst enemy.

SB
thompson, Connecticut
U.S.A."

Two friends from geographically different regions built/renovated homes and used DirectBuy. One had a decent experience, another not. Main frustrations of note were,
1. Order from catalogs and it's up to consumer to be knowledgeable to order all parts relevant to the product (e.g. make sure you order the needed obscure drain part to that sink, etc.)that's listed in ANOTHER catalog someone else may be using at the time.
2. Wasted weekends at DB site browsing/tracking catalogs and buying based on thumbnail pictures and descriptions (educated consumer should know before hand of course)
3. Membership fee
4. Having to arrange self pickup at warehouses
This is the final deal breaker against joining,
5. Conflict resolution - many manufacturers are bound to say deal with DB if anything is wrong since terms were negotiated through them. My friend ordered a nice lighting fixture, but it was missing the main stem to hang in the package. Wasted extra weeks working through DB to resolve since anytime you add a "middle man" its dependent on that person's response to resolve, so also count in the time spent and aggravation nagging DB (or any middle party) to speed up the process.
6. One friend answered a prospective member's question while onsite at DB and was overheard by a DB representative who deemed the comment was unfavorable to DB and they were "strongly" reprimanded. So they felt "Big Brother" had a heavy and ultrasenstive hand to perceived innuendos.

Hi there! We're Bob and Louise Schmuckatelli from Schenectady, NY and we just want to say how much we love Direct Buy. We probably saved 100,000 bucks on our lovely cabinets! Just lookie here ... oooooohhh lookie!

We are also Scientologists and NASCAR fans!

Please call your local Direct Buy office today and schedule an indoctrination interview with one of our friendly sales staff!

Please do not listen to all of this loose talk about Direct Buy! It is a fine company and promises to treat your $7000 initiation fee with far more regard and affection than you could ever give it! Oh, if you have any complaints, our friendly customer service representative eagerly awaits your call!

careful mojavean or you might be abducted for deprogamming :-)

I'll probably join as soon as I can now that I've seen the photos. Right now I'm busy with my long time telemarketer coach trying to decide whether it's better to buy a company leased freestanding Holistic Brain Surgery franchise for $50,000 or try to fold it into my planned Shopaholics Anonymous Deprogramming Spa franchise for a total of $2 million. All this buy now or never way of doing business really makes me feel like a real decision maker in front of my skeptical friends and nay saying family. Thank goodness for all the expert advice my long distance consultant is providing on only a 10% up front commission.

laat2, you are so on top of it you could become the next etrade baby! I smell commitment here!

Mojavean... halarious... you've made this thread DB proof now.

Come on DB shill... where are you????? Feeling shy?

I usually am willing pay a little more to deal with a store that has good customer service. To pay 5 or 6 grand up front and get the run a round? No thanks.

Moelarrycurly - why, oh why, did you resurrect this thread? It's been sleeping for 3 months! Now, bumping it will alert the DB people to start posting again.

In addition to the membership fee being a rip off since they are just a 'middleman' what happens if there is a problem with the delivered product? Do you have to ship back to the manufacturer?

And who is going to unpack and set up yor purchase?

I just love the commercials where people talk about saving $50,000 on cabinets for there house (are they installing $100-150,000 retail cost of cabinets) and how much they saved on the $4,000 retail breakfast dining set for the kitchen LOL

My mom has a DB membership and has ordered several items for our new construction from them as "gifts". We priced cabinets at several places, including a couple of custom cabinet makers, Lowes, Bartons, etc. The next cheapest estimate was $8000 more than the DB price even with handling and sales tax added. We have mostly used DB "local vendors" for DB purchases. I priced my Staron countertops retail and through a "local vendor" and the DB price was $4300 less than the retailer. For appliances, we got an extra DB discount from a "local vendor" off their already competitive prices. It wasn't huge, but altogether was about $500. I actually got our fridge and stovetop from that same store on clearance, which was even cheaper than the DB price would have been--just had to keep making trips until the stuff went on sale. We also got contractor pricing through a plumbing warehouse that our builder does not do business with (because it's in Little Rock, 100 miles away) thanks to my mom's DB membership. Their product selection and pricing were waaaay better than the businesses around here, even with our builder's contractor pricing. We also got our wood laminate flooring through DB at a significant savings ($4500).

Other things, it was better to buy local through our builder's contacts, surplus stores, and the internet. I have spent hours upon hours bargain hunting and pricing stuff out in different venues. Where it paid to use DB we did. I managed to come in $6000 under our allowance budget, even though I went over on cabinets and countertops. :-)

Would I have bought my own membership in DB? No freakin' way! LOL But since my (sometimes gullible) mom already had one, I didn't hesitate to take advantage of it where it paid to do so.

She has been happy with Direct Buy...to each their own, I guess.

V

farmchick - no offence but I don't find your 4300 and 4500 off of solid surface counters and flooring very credible. At a conservative rate of $50 a SF you'd have around 90 SF of countertop. That's 45 linear feet or 25 and a 4' x 10' island. That's a pretty big kitchen and the prices you are throwing around would also mean the guy you got the quote from was raping you to begin with.

Also noteworthy is you don't mention if the cabinet quotes from the other guys include residential delivery and install. The quotes form Lowes and the like do! Since DB doesn't offer these in their pricing, $8000 isn't that big a spread considering how large you kitchen must be and that's the largest difference.

We just had new granite put in.. and it was close to 90 SF of countertop. 4' x 9' island. It was about $6000 for the whole thing. This includes full travertine backsplash, counter installation, sink and plumbing installation, the whole nine yards. To save 4500 on that would be 75% off.

I do have a huge kitchen. The long wall is over 19', short wall is over 10', one island is 3x5, the other is 2x8 plus a 12" bar down the entire length.

I priced New Ventian Gold granite from the retailer at $7000, but I really wanted the Staron and he priced that to me at nearly $10,000. I don't remember the exact numbers, but can get them out if you want me to. Since the Staron through the DB vendor was cheaper than the granite and that's what I really wanted, that's what I decided to go with. That does include installation.

And yes, you're right about the other cabinet quotes including installation and the DB doesn't. Our builder is installing for us and I don't forsee that costing us upwards of $8000. Since we are not out any membership fees, savings is savings. I was actually ready to order some RTA cabinets, which would have saved $4000 over the DB price, but my mom about fainted and talked me out of doing it. LOL Our total for kitchen, master bath, and laundry, with taxes added was $16,200.

We did all wood vanity cabinets from the surplus store for the kids, which was 1/2 what DB would have been and comparable to the price of those cheap particle board things they have at Lowes and HD. These aren't finished, but we are going to paint them ourselves and the builder will install. I would have used those elsewhere in the house, but I didn't particularly like the style. ;-)

chick - that is a sizable kitchen. It sounds like you are doing a bit of selective math which is what DB is really counting on. A direct apples to apples comp. almost always reveals that DB is no less money even before membership fees.

I can't comment on your contractor, but the install fee for a kitchen that size could easily reach 8 grand. 30 linear feet + 2 islands + a bar? Delivery alone should be in the 500-1000 dollar range. Add any kind of trim work and accessories and that's an easy target. Now your contractor may work for $20-30 and knock it out in a week, but I assure you Lowes' labor rate more than double that. Heck almost every IKEA kitchen I've seen in ATL has been the same or less than the fees to assemble and install them.

I'm not saying that you didn't get a "deal" for yourself but that's not the same thing as an item or service being cheaper from Direct Buy than it is from Mom&Pop Kitchens and Counters.

Selective math? What? Please explain. I only care what things cost or could potentially cost, which is what goes on my spreadsheet. I never said DB was the way to go on buying everything, but I do believe that it saves money sometimes. Our paint from Sherman-Williams using the DB card was cheaper than using the contractor discount--45% discount with DB. OTOH, when pricing garage doors, the DB vendor was $150 over the retailer I priced for the exact same equipment. It pays to shop around, for sure!!

Back to your post: what delivery fees? Shipping to the DB warehouse was free, all I have to do is haul a trailer up there and pick up the cabinets. I have a 1 ton truck and a 28' flatbed, plus a selection of other trucks and trailers (we farm!!) with folks to drive them, so um, not a big deal.

All accessories and trim were included in that price. Labor is much cheaper in this part of the country than in other places, so again, no way is it going to be $8000 or more!! Builder is thinking more like $2500-3000, as of this morning.

I'm not sure why you want to be so negative and pee in my cornflakes. I am not being a cheerleader for DB, just pointing out, from a practical point of view, that it can sometimes pay to go through them. I think I even said no way would I pay for a membership with them, and honestly the local owner has been a biatch at times, but that doesn't take away from the benefits we have received. We are on track to come in under budget on the house and DB is *part* of the reason why.

selective math: 7k for granite , 10k for staron, then saying staron was cheaper than the granite from the first vendor. Did vendor #2 have cheaper granite prices too? A vendor with cheaper overhead might have been found just as easily without DB, esecially if the first firm is the highest in town, or marking up a product/service they farm out.

selective math: not factoring the membership fee because you didn't pay it.

A 45% discount on SW paint??? I really hope you will post the specifics of that purchase as I'm just not sure there's that much markup in those cans of paint.

Delivery fees? You're kidding right? Lowes and other firms actually deliver stuff to your house or jobsite. That costs money and is passed on to the customer. Your Lowes price would have been significantly less too if you'd picked up the stuff at their distribution center.

Fact is 99.9% of cabinet buyers don't have 28' truck let alone want to pickup their new cabinetry. Jimmy down the street has a table saw and a screwgun and is pretty handy with a paintbrush and I'm sure he could build himself a set of kitchen cabinets for a price that would make you DB one look like highway robbery. But that's not an apples to apples comp. either. There is always a cheaper price to be had especially when you specify less quantity,quality and service. It doesn't take a membership to save money. Wanting less or working harder is just as good a strategy, if not better.

I'm not trying to be negative, I'm glad yo saved some dough on your project, but WAY TOO many people read stuff like this and think DB is the bee's knees. Remember, they don't have the good fortune of their mommy writing the membership check or having their own muscle and trucking co. on call.

Ok, now I'm embarassed because I had a brain fart and called it Sherman-Williams. ROFL My hubby's step-mother calls it that and we had been making fun of her and then I went and typed it. OMG, that's classic. :-O

The sales guy said the DB discount was pretty shocking to him. We priced it with contractor account and DB and DB won. Our total paint bill for 3000+ sf house, multiple coats, primer, tinted primer for some rooms, trim, ceilings, everything was $1750. I think their mark-up must be high because I also had another option of getting up to 40% off (key words: up to) with my AQHA membership.

And while I do realize that plenty of people don't have access to trucks, trailers, and other equipment like we do...I come from a rural area. If you don't have it, your neighbor probably does and will let you borrow it. It's really not that big of a deal.