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Old 02-15-02, 10:14 AM
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800.com - in trouble?

800.com is have a sale on all their electronics going on, so I went to check their prices. Seems their inventory is WAY down - they only have 2 models for large televisions (both RCA), no 16:9 projections, 1 personal CD player, etc. Anyone know any details?
Old 02-15-02, 10:22 AM
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A lot of rumors going on that point to the end of 800.com... Some of their store policies have changed (return policy to 7 days, stopped price-matching, stopped selling gift certificates), combine that with low inventory.

Last edited by Adboy151; 02-15-02 at 10:27 AM.
Old 02-15-02, 11:31 AM
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Oh well, I think I got a great deal on this panason 2.4ghz cordless.
Normally retails for $120-150 I got for $80 - 10% off minus 2% ****** minute 1% paypal cashback. I should get it tomorrow
Old 02-15-02, 11:47 AM
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800.com isn't bothering to replenish stock, has laid off many of its' customer service/product specialist people and has radically changed their price matching and return policies. I can tell you from other sources I cannot post or quote on a message board that they are trying keep the ship afloat right now, but it is not looking good for them.

I can say that 800.com was/is the flagship of a venture capital investment firm that lost most of its' capital last spring with the rapid decline of the NASDAQ. At that point in time the VC firm stopped funding a lot of their smaller companies (letting them go out of business) and decided 800.com was a better bet as they actually had income (although they were not actually profitable.) 800.com had funding until the end of 2001, at which time they would have to make it on their own as their was no more free money in the pot. It looks like they're trying to make it on their own now, and I wish them luck.

I have no problem believing that all orders will be shipped from them no matter what happens, so I urge everyone to take advantage of their good deals while you still can. Hopefully they are keeping low inventories and lowering prices to be able to squeak by the current rough patch (I know Christmas wasn't as good as they'd hoped) and will emerge a healthy company. I'm sure they'd appreciate the business.
Old 02-15-02, 01:21 PM
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Bad News about 800.com

Guys. It's really sad for me to report this as they were the store that kicked off the DVD Bargain Frenzy with their LEGENDARY 3 DVDs for $1 deal.

But I got word that 800.com has layed off the majority of their staff and will be 'greatly reducing thier business presence'. From what I understand they are not going to close their doors completely, and I think they are currently shopping for a buyer. So all hope is not lost.

It's a sad day as many good people from a good company are going to lose their jobs.

Old 02-15-02, 01:29 PM
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I think a link to this thread should be posted also in the DVD bargain forum as well.

I can't be the only one holding on to a gift certificate. It was part of big promotion over Christmas.

TIM
Old 02-15-02, 01:30 PM
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I came in late to the DVD world, after the crazy deals were over like the one Geoff mentioned, but these guys were great.
Old 02-15-02, 01:46 PM
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Well that was a nice positive spin renaldow, but the bottom line is they're going out of business. Hopefully they'll ship everything as promised and won't just take the money and run.

TIM
Old 02-15-02, 01:58 PM
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When they had coupons, they were my preferred etailer of choice. Shipping was always fast, good customer service, prices were reasonable, and popcorn with every order!

Sorry to hear of this.
Old 02-15-02, 02:06 PM
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I just got a shipping confirmation for the Sony 300 Disc DVD player. Let's see what happens.
Old 02-15-02, 02:30 PM
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Merged 2 threads.

- stevevt
Old 02-15-02, 03:59 PM
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I drove by about 30 minutes ago and the parking lots are empty
I loved being able to drop by and pick up my orders 'back in the day'
Old 02-19-02, 08:13 AM
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It'll be a shame if they do indeed go under. I've had very good luck with them over the years. Hopefully, a last minute buyer comes in to save the day.
Old 02-19-02, 09:47 AM
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Originally posted by BaronBlitz
Hopefully, a last minute buyer comes in to save the day.
Only in the movies.

Another dvd etailer gone can only mean less competition & higher prices; or the perpetuation of currently inflated on-line prices. (Was it really that long ago that pre-orders were regularly 40% off?)

Drats!
Old 02-19-02, 01:30 PM
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I put almost three years of my life into 800.com (as some of the longtime dvdtalk members might remember). And though I have been gone for more than a year, I still think of them as my company. I was very proud of how 800.com treated customers, and I'm proud to have worked there. I too wish this wasn't happening.

Steve Armbrust
Old 02-19-02, 10:49 PM
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had problems with them too

there are few dvd-tailers left that I haven't had a problem with: DVD Empire and Amazon.
Amazon's not too bad, but my experiences with DVD Empire have been really good. no complaints about them here. anybody else have bad experiences with 800?
Old 02-19-02, 11:29 PM
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800.com always honored their mistakes unlike scum sucking Best Buy.

Bond Set Vol.3 was one I remember off hand also
Inspector Gadget DVD.

Remember the online help feature they had for awhile? That was pretty cool.

RIP 800.com
You will be missed.
Old 02-20-02, 01:27 AM
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I've had horrible experiences with almost every online DVD store out there, 800.com most of all. While I hate to see anyone lose their livelihoods, it's obvious that I wasn't the only one not happy with their service. I hear DVD Empire is excellent when it comes to customer service, selection and order fulfillment, a few relatives of mine get their stuff from there and have had nothing but good things to say. I'm looking forward to using them as my main source of DVDs.
Old 02-20-02, 10:35 AM
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What's funny is that I used 800.com almost exclusively for ordering DVDs...until they took away the feature that let you easily cancel a pre-order online without having to email or call anybody. After that, I went to DVDEmpire and haven't looked back.
Old 02-20-02, 09:42 PM
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800.com was the source for nearly all the DVDs in my collection. I'm still not certain which store to continue with. Until now, there were 2 stores that I hadn't heard anything negative about...800.com and DVDEmpire. It looks like I'll be switching to DVDEmpire.
Old 02-20-02, 11:03 PM
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I haven't used 800.com since they were giving away the dvd's for free when they first opened. Wish someone else would do that promo.
Old 02-21-02, 07:18 AM
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I'm so glad I found this thread. 800.com was the ONLY store I used for my online DVD purchases. I'm so disappointed to see them go. With no experience at other stores, I think I'll take the advice here of trying out DVD Empire. Thanks!
Old 02-21-02, 07:39 AM
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I have had nothing but bad experiences with 800, so I am not that upset with there departing. Hopefully with another company going under the prices will not start to skyrocket, but it seems like some of the better companies keep there prices reasonable. Currently I have been using Amazon and Dvd empire and they seem to have there act together.

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