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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!ihnp4!cbosgd!mark
From: mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: info wanted on buying clubs
Message-ID: <393@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Oct-84 17:25:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.393
Posted: Thu Oct  4 17:25:18 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 6-Oct-84 04:03:41 EDT
References: 
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
Lines: 65

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!