I have in the past gotten listed on many directories but now I am limiting my acquisition of back links from niche specific directories. I agree that link building has to be from as many sources as possible. Over the years Google has devalued a number of back linking methods, reciprocal linking, directories...... and this doesn't appear to be abating so it is a word to the wise- get your backlinks from a multitude of sources. Back in the day they used to call it not putting all your eggs in one basket.
I think that any of the deals on directory submissions offer little or no return. If you pay 12 bucks for a submission to 300 directories for example...I would challenge you to find any backlinks from this submission 60-90 days later.
Directories are good starting point, but should not be relied on exclusively. I would start by developing a good quality site. Submit to the more powerful directories then move to less well known, particularly in your industry.