TheV

Due to a MSRP change of almost $10 on a DVD, I was overcharged by DVDSoon on a preorder. This is bad, since often the price of a DVD can go down from Preorder date til it's released. Amazon is constantly sending me notices of price drops. It's incredible that a company precharges you for a preorder that is $39.99 MSRP and when it comes out it's $26.99 MSRP...so you end up paying a LOT more. Even in Canadian dollars.

I emailed them stating this...this is what I got.

Dear Sir:

We do not offer coupons or compensation for price fluctuation, please
note that in order to stay competitive in today's market our prices may
vary from day to day. Unfortunately, sometimes the price change could
take place whilst you are browsing the site. Sorry, but a number of
factors can influence price discrepancies from one moment to another.
Unfortunately, we cannot modify the price in an existing order,
therefore, in case of a price conflict, we do ask our customers to
cancel the order if the item is not in packaging or shipped status and
replace a new order for these titles at the new price.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to
contact us.

(Name taken out to protect the guilty)
Customer Service
DVDSoon.com

Yakuza Bengoshi

You weren't overcharged. You paid exactly what you agreed to pay when you placed the order. DVDSoon charges your credit card immediately even if the item you want is a pre-order or on back-order. Regardless of future changes in price you pay what you agreed to pay at the time the order was placed. This is stated pretty clearly in their terms of use.

TheV

That is an overcharge. I agreed to preorder. But if an item is originally going to be a $39 packed SE, but comes out at a $19 regular...then that isn't overcharged? By my definition it's is, feel free to differ. They may not adjust for changes in currency, but when the MSRP changes then it should be adjusted IMHO.

And as I said above, the point is that I, and I hope anyone who is smart, won't preorder from them again. Once it's out, the price is definitely set...fine. Their discount percentage doesn't change from preorder vs. day of release, which means you get no benefit of preordering what-so-ever. By preordering you're greatest risk is that the DVD goes down in price, which they often do. Rarely are you going to see one go up, and if it will then I'm sure someone will post on DVDTalk. So why in the world would you ever preorder from a company that has that policy?

lumberjack

If you cancel, you'll be given the CAD amount you paid in credit. Then reorder the same item at the now lower price. You've now got the same item on order and CAD credit for a future order. I believe if you don't want to place a new order using your DVD Soon credit, you can request your store credit be credited back to your credit card. Be mindful of the currency conversion, though.

TheV

That's true. But it's too late if you catch it after the fact and it's shipped. You have to constantly check the price on all of your preorders with them. Plus they only give you credit on cancelled items.

I just found a few DVDs, Teenage Mutant Turtles that I preordered were going to come out MSRP $19.99 but actually started shipping at $14.95 MSRP. I preorder everything...or did before this and I got a clue. Any savings I've made by shopping at DVDSoon seems to be a fantasy since I was preordering, I won't make that mistake again. Way too much work for me to constantly check.

One...and one addition...something that had be on ORDER suddenly got shipped after I wanted to cancel it because of a price drop. I guess that's a good way to get them ship faster.

Yakuza Bengoshi

This is a different issue entirely. Previously you were talking about a changed MSRP. Now you're talking about paying for a SE and receiving a regular edition. Under the previous scenario you got exactly what you agreed to. Under this one, you got something less than you agreed to. Under the first scenario you were not overcharged. Under the second scenario, you were mischarged -- charged for a product other than what you ordered.

TheV

No I'm not....same issue. What I'm refering to in that second scenario is when the company plans on pricing a disc according to extras, doesn't include the extras, and then lowers MSRP price. Same SKU # so it's technically the same disc. Selling short might work in stocks, but I think it's bad practice for retailers.

You're still missing my point, by arguing over "overcharged" definition, which is that DVDSoon is a very bad place to preorder. Do you have an issue with that?

jaelliot

Argue either side all you want... it sounds like a crusty way to do business.

Oh yeah, and thanks for the warning.

Heathen

It is not crusty. They tell you upfront that you will be charged, and they don't hide that fact whatsoever. As the gent above indicated, you AGREED to the price when you bought it. If you don't like the fact that prices can change, take your business elsewhere, but frankly every DVD site has price fluctuations, although because of the way that DVDSoon does business, they may seem to have more, but if you play your cards right, you can come out WAY ahead. Case in point: I have bought SEVERAL items from them, and usually, when I place my order, they are the cheapest around in my research... However, before items ship, some prices drop, and I can cancel and re-order, thus reducing my overall costs significantly. I've done this so many times it is not funny, and saves SOOO much it is not even funny.

It is a different way of doing business, but at least they tell you upfront and don't try to hide anything.

Again, since you agreed to the price when you bought it, you only have yourself to blame.

TheV

It's not funny...why do you pre-order? Are you a sucker for punishment? Why not wait til the DVD ships? Then you don't to worry about price fluxs and don't have to keep checking all your pre-orders every day. Sorry, but this is a BIG waste of time.

Blame yourself when you pre-order. That is ALL it's about which these strange supporters of DVDSoon biz practices seem to be missing.

Unless you're like Heathen here and have tons of free time and no job or social life so you can check your pre-orders on a daily basis, then I don't see any sense in preordering from DVDSoon. The discount doesn't change so you can still get that great deal after the DVD is released.

It's pointless to post "You agreed to it. Enjoy the screw." over and over. That was never the point.

movielib

Sometimes the prices do go up and then you'll have missed out on the lower price. And you don't have to check every day (not that that takes much time); once a week or so should suffice.

Personally, I haven't ordered fron DVD Soon in a while and that is because their coupons have dried up (used to be you could get $30CAD off $300CAD on top of their great prices - I saved up on box sets and ordered them all at once a couple times to get this). If they revive some of those really good coupons I'll be back.

Heathen

Oh ye who opens his mouth, but does not know of what he speaks of... One, it doesn't take TONS of free time, and 2, you don't have to do it on a daily basis... sites like dvdpricesearch helps tremendously, but even just merely checking dvdsoon's site, it doesn't take but a moment or two... If it takes me even 5 minutes to save $30, I'll do it, and there have been times that I have saved $30+, even AFTER I already paid the lowest price.

That one you will HAVE to explain... How can you be screwed when a price is CLEARLY marked, and you OBVIOUSLY agreed to it? If the price hadn't changed, then you'd be just as happy as the day before... but what if the price went up instead of down? Then you'd be patting yourself on the back for your "foresight". You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

Again, speaking of something that you apparently know NOTHING about... every site, from DVDSoon, to DVDEmpire, to Amazon, to DVDPlanet, to DeepDiscountDVD fluctuate their discounts for various items at various times.
Another factor that comes into play that you apparently are overlooking: the US-Canadien exchange rate, which DOES fluctuate on a daily basis.

Jeraden

I never really saw the point of pre-ordering at all unless there is some uber-killer deal.

TheV

VERY rare do prices go up. If you order from Amazon, then you'd get the emails whenever any change happens. I get a LOT price drops but few price rises. I definitely don't have the time Heathen does...so for like people, maybe it's not an issue. For me, I don't have the time.

If it's a mistake, does DVDSoon honor all mistakes? If they do, then that's a good time to preorder. But I'm not really out for taking advantage of them either. I've never seen them change a price from the day before or the day after a DVD is available. The price flux related to the MSRP will almost always benefit you for waiting for an order. 20 to one that actually rises.

As for the currency flux...that is true...but it doesn't change that much. Not to offset a $10 overcharge.

I think the arguments for preordering is ridiculous so far. I'd love to hear a good one...but haven't heard one yet. The point, which some missed, is still that at DVDSoon you've very likely to pay more on preorders than you should.

Heathen

Unfortunately, this is the hangup that you can the original poster can't get past... he WAS NOT overcharged. The price was what it was, he AGREED to it, and he paid for it. [That is not to say that mabye they couldn't be more flexible, but it is probabally a direct way of the way they do business. As long as I know that beforehand, I'm OK with it, because as stated previously, "I agreed to the price" at the time of purchase. Even so, I can sometimes take more advantage of their system, so in the end, I win both ways.] If his bill reflected a higher charge than what he agreed to, THEN he would be overcharged. The original poster even stated that "due to an MSRP change" which happened after he purchased the item (not ordered, but PURCHASED), so therefore, buy his own statement, he was not overcharged.

Also, in the case of DVDSoon, I think that most people are also hung up on the concept of "PREORDER". With DVDSoon, you should look at it as "PRE-BOUGHT" or PURCHASED instead. That goes for everything that they carry, including backordered items.

If you don't think of or have noticed DVD prices creep up (as you said it was "very rare"), then you haven't visited BestBuy.com, Amazon.com, or DVDPlanet.com anytime recently... they up their prices ALL the time... DeepDiscountDVD recently upped their prices on a few items, and fortunately, I beat the gun on their price increase for a few pre-orders.

They have the lowest prices on quite a few items (as of right now, they are the lowest or within $.75 of the lowest on about 10700 items according to dvdpricesearch), and if at the time you buy, they are the lowest, you can actually use their system (and the possible fluctuations in the dollar) to get an even BETTER deal before an item ships. You don't have to waste your days hunched over a keyboard to do so as some in here would suggest. Usually, it happens in the mere coarse of checking on the status of your order, which I am sure most people do anyway from time to time.

I am not out to lamblast anyone, but I think people are trying to force DVDSoon's round way of doing business into everyone else's square-peg way of doing things, and as a result, concepts (of DVDSoon's business) are not fully understood, and they are unfairly attacked because of the misconception.

movielib

I've caught a few misprices and they've always honored them.