text: If I could give Direct Buy negative stars, I would. What a joke. I agree with Matthew R on this one..if you receive an ad in the mail, DON'T DO IT! Or go knowing this place is a joke and you are there to enjoy the show!\n\nI am a planner, a researcher, an analyst if you will. I won't try a new restaurant until I have read the reviews. I won't buy anything until I have researched and analyzed everything there is to research and analyze about it--then when I decide I will buy it, I spend more time finding the absolute best deal I can find.\n\nWhen my significant other (who is not a planner, researcher, or analyst to my extreme) told me, \"We got a free cruise. We just have to go to this meeting on Thursday at 6:45\", I guess I wasn't really paying attention, or maybe I just didn't take him seriously--my response was, \"Ok\" and I left it at that. BIG MISTAKE. Little did I know I was in for a grand treat on that Thursday, and I am not referring to the \"Free Cruise\" we received.\n\nWe showed up at 6:45 as scheduled. Everyone was very nice and friendly. We had to complete a couple questionnaires about ourselves and our spending habits, and then we were greeted by Melinda, who took us to the back. We sat and chatted with Melinda for a few minutes before our exciting tour began with another saleswoman (I can't remember her name for the life of me--short, middle aged, Hispanic). I should have known something was terribly wrong with this picture when we as a group were told, \"do not ask any questions during the presentation\". Now, I have to be honest...it was a great sales pitch, and everything sounded kosher during the presentation. We were actually thinking we could possibly save a lot of money...then the price of the \"Membership\" comes out....$4990 for the first 2 years, and then you can renew each year for $198. The presentation ends, and we are sent to a table so Melinda can \"close the deal\".\n\nFast-forward 1 hour--I have let Melinda know, \"If this is something we have to make a decision on today, I can tell you it is not going to happen. We don't make $5,000 decisions based on 'facts' from a sales presentation. We would like to do our own research, read our own reviews on your product. Make a spreadsheet calculating our possible ROI.\" She calls for backup, and the presenter comes to our table, and I tell her the same exact thing I told Melinda. Her response? \"You can read the testimonials on the wall in the back from Direct Buy members.\" Um yeah...that's not going to work for me--I let her know that we would like the chance to do our own research...then she replies, \"Well I can tell you, you won't find any bad reviews about Direct Buy Las Vegas.\" (hmmm...funny looks to me like the other 2 Yelp reviews for the \"Las Vegas\" location are bad--not to mention all of the atrocious reviews from Members and potential Members from across the country). Fast-forward another hour--after the 100th time I explain to Melinda we are not buying today, without our own research conducted, she gets MAD at us!  Like literally threw a temper tantrum, raising her voice at us and all, right there at her sales table in the middle of Direct Buy.\n\nNeedless to say, we didn't buy. But here are the lessons I learned on that wonderful evening during my tour, and then sitting on my computer when I got home reading the \"amazing\" reviews:\n1. Never just say, \"Ok\" to my sigothers request for me to go to a meeting without conducting my research first. \n2. Middle aged women can and do throw temper tantrums like 3 year olds who don't get their way.\n3. You have to purchase the membership while you are there, or you forego your option to become a member--fact of the matter is, they know anyone who walks out the door without purchasing the membership WILL NOT RETURN to buy one even if they allowed it... as long as they know how to Google and read.\n\nMy only hope is that the cruise they gave us is not filled with drama, mirroring Direct Buy's finest, Melinda.