Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 3/23/84; site cbosgd.UUCP 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!