drb@druut.UUCP (10/02/84)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<< gobble gobble gobble >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I would like to know if anyone out there in net land has had any good/bad experiences with consumer clubs. I was recently called by two of them (All Savers and United Consumers Club) and asked to join. The way they approached me is: 1. Give me a call and offer a free introductory tour. 2. Give the tour and tell you how much money you will save. 3. Use extremely high pressure tactics. 4. Force you to make a decision that night. They said if you decide not to join then you will not be able to join for a long time. The cost for All Savers was a one time $800.00 and United Consumers wanted $779 for the first two years and $60.00/year after that. These clubs do appear to save you quite a bit (especially in funriture). But I declined to join because I HATE being forced to make a decision without having time to think it over and ask around. I also believe that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Any input will be appreciated. Dave Burritt, A T & T Information Systems Labs druut!drb Denver, CO
mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (10/05/84)
United Consumers Club, eh? Now that strikes a raw nerve! We were also approached by them, with a high pressure "can you come in this Friday night?" kind of thing. Didn't have a chance to talk to anyone about it before going in. Got the sales pitch, and in spite of our firm refusal to sign up on the spot, they ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to give us any chance to check them out before forking over $800. Since their open house times were Friday night and Saturday afternoon, there is no way to call, say, the better business bureau to check them out. Being pressured like this smelled fishy (since they obviously made their money from the membership fees, an honest business would have been happy to take my money a week or two later) so we declined. After thinking about it a bit, we could find no scam or other ripoff tactic associated with them, but you'd have to work pretty hard to recover your investment. You also have to wait 6 weeks from placing your order to getting what you paid for; that's a long time to wait, especially for the small stuff they carry. It's only worthwhile for the big stuff like furniture, cars, and carpet. They made a big deal about how they didn't want to be used as a lever: if we walked out we could go to some retailer with a sale and tell them "well, I could buy this from you for $600, but all I have to do is go down to UCC and join and get it for $400; why don't you give me a better price?" Apparently the retailer could call the wholesaler and complain about UCC, causing the wholesaler to refuse to deal with UCC. (Since they claimed they are so big they are many wholesalers biggest accounts, this smelled a bit too.) The really dishonest part of UCC is that they do not have any kind of showroom, but they suggest to their members that they go to another retailer and look at the product, taking up the retailers time, then go buy from UCC. They come out and tell you not to let on that you are not going to buy from the retailer. This somewhat questionable practice seems to be the root of their whole set of strange policies. Since we declined, some interesting things have happened. They wanted $800 for two years plus $600 for the next 8 years (you sign a contract that says you promise to pay it.) They mark up things 6% over wholesale, as I recall. PC Network costs $8 to join, will let me join when I first place an order, takes 2 weeks to get you a typical order, and marks things up 8%. A local outfit just opened called the Warehouse Club that we joined for no charge (you have to work for certain companies, basically any company that has agreed to help the club track down people who write bad checks) with a 5% markup. (Businesses can sign up for a $25/year fee and get a 0% markup.) The Warehouse Club carries smaller ticket items: groceries in the huge economy size, soda by the case, some auto parts like oil and tires, TV's and similar appliences, office supplies, a few clothes and toys, and so on; you pick up what you want, go through the cash register, pay by cash or check, and leave with it, just like a grocery store. A local Rinks store (K-Mart type) that closed last spring left an empty building behind - something with a name sounding like another warehouse consumer club is getting ready to open up there. And of course, there are things like Gemco, Best, and the like in some parts of the country (notably California, where there are no UCC's) with token membership fees like $2. It seems to me that such services are becoming available with little or no membership fee, so $800 is a bit on the steep side. Oh, another gripe about UCC. You pay $800 for two years, either as a lump sum or 90 days same-as-cash. If you want to take longer, they will offer you "reasonable" financing for a 6 month payment period. Since you're paying for 2 years of service in 6 months, I fail to see why you should have to pay them interest!
eager@amd.UUCP (Mike Eager) (10/05/84)
Sad to say, I bought in to one of these clubs when I was young and naive. It sounded like a good deal, with a refund if I found an item at a cheaper price than they had it. They also had a snazzy document attesting to a bond posted with the state to insure their performance. I did buy some things thru them, at fair price. There was about the same delay that one expects from a mail order company. Perhaps similar prices as well. There were items which they could order (China in a specific pattern) but only if the order amounted to $200+. Other items they could not get. I did once get a $10 refund (after some difficulty) when they quoted me a price on curtains that was higher than the place I purchased them at. Then they went out of business. That bond? $1000 to the state to insure performance amounted to perhaps 10 cents per member. The cost was about $300, the savings was perhaps $20-30. If I had bought furniture I might have done better. Moral is: If they can find the best price, so can you. Look in catalog houses and mail order. If you save 5% on each purchase, you have to spend $2000 for each $100 of membership fee. Put the fee in a money market account at 10%, and whenever you buy something withdraw the 5%. -- Mike Eager (amd!eager)
brian@digi-g.UUCP (Mr. Bozo) (10/09/84)
Personally, I prefer a large knobbly one, made of Oak or Walnut :-)