DantheApe

so, how long does columbia house usually take to get stock in? i have movies all backordered *sigh*

DisneyDVDFAN

okay very bad now the balances are still there on my account after i paid them on the 21st and 22nd ... it was down to 0.00 and now it is up to the full balance before i paid.

anyone else still having this problem ?
thanks

lizard

In the past, one could apply as soon as the account was closed. So far as we can determine, they are not enforcing the one account policy. That said, however, membership approvals are essentially a random process, as seen from our outside position. Whether or not you get approved for another account is hard to predict. Eventually, by trying repeatedly, most of us manage to open new accounts.

Newcomers tend to have the least difficulty in opening new accounts, from what I have seen. Those of us who have had dozens of accounts (I have had more than 75) find that getting new accounts is more problematic.
I got the same thing: a letter saying my order was backordered followed by a shipping notice by e-mail. This probably means that the item(s) were on backorder when the order was processed, thus generating the letter, but the DVD(s) came in shortly thereafter and were promptly shipped, hence the e-mail shipping notice. It usually takes only a few days for backorders to be filled.

It appears that Columbia House is being more meticulous about notifying members that items are out of stock. In the past, CH would just hold the order for a few days and then ship it, and we would never know that the DVD was backordered. If you check your "account history" on-line, you will probably find that your order is now listed under "completed orders" because it has, indeed, shipped.

The fact that CH fills backorders so quickly is why I recommend that people receiving enrollment "rain checks" just call CH and order the same title again. By the time the rain check is received the out of stock title is usually back in stock.

lizard

While it is possible that your payment didn't "take" for some reason, the best thing to do is wait for Columbia House to sort all this out. A mistake some make is trying to fix "mistakes" too early and having orders get all screwed up. So, I suggest that you hang loose for a week or so and see what develops. The wheels of Columbia House grind slowly and the website is often way behind what is actually happening with your account. In addition, strange things happen on weekends. See what your account history looks like in a few days before doing anything.

Also, I assume that you paid by credit card. If so, check your credit card account on-line and look for a charge of the correct amount. If it is there, all is probably well; you just need to wait for your CH account history to catch up.

lizard

Yes. Your committments owed number will not be adjusted until your pre-order ships.

lizard

Yes. If your order has been processed and your committments are now zero, you can close your account and the DVDs are probably already on their way.

But, I agree with Xbox69 above that it is best not to do this because it is easier to sort out problems (damaged or lost DVDs, etc.) if the account is still open. That said, if you do have problems, a CSR can re-open the account and fix them.

Do NOT try to close an account that does not have "committments remaining" at zero. You really don't want to go there...

lizard

Those of us who use the US Columbia House site simply don't know the answer to your question. Unless someone experienced in the ways of the Canadian site is here to post, we can't answer your question. Sorry.

cdlibrary

I'm not sure the two missing DVDs have been processed yet. They are not showing on my credit card, so I don't know why they haven't been processed. If they haven't been shipped out yet and I close my account, is there any hope that I will receive them eventually? Or do I need to wait until I'm sure they have been shipped before I cancel?

Xbox69

Has anyone tried using a different ship-to address? I recently placed an order at ch.com and put my brother's address for shipping. I even put his name on it even though the CC on file is mine. Could this run into any problems? I saw the order pending for a few days on my card and the website. Now there is nothing. I'm wondering if I should re-order.

I recall doing this same thing for a yourmusic.com CD but I put my name and used his address as the ship-to. I'm thinking now it was the name that caused the trouble with the DVD order.

It's coming up on 2 weeks since I placed the initial order.

DantheApe

thanks for the reply lizard =]

i may throw up another application before i close this one...at this point im just waitng on my outstanding orders to get here

lizard

I am going to make the assumption that the DVDs you purchased were fulfillments. If so, if your order hasn't been processed you account should still show some commitments required. And, if so, you shouldn't close your account. If your account shows no commitments required, then the order has been processed and you can close the account, although that isn't recommended.

The most likely reason for a delay in processing is that one or both titles are out of stock. As I mentioned to others above, the details in your account history are often well behind what is actually going on with your account. But if there is no charge on your credit card, it is likely that there is a delay, for some reason.

If the DVDs you ordered are not fulfillments, then you can close your account. Whether the outstanding order would be canceled, I couldn't say.

The best thing to do is wait at least until you know the order has been processed before canceling. I don't understand your hurry to cancel the account before you have received the DVDs.

lizard

I placed an order for a set at CH.com for a friend (she didn't want to wait for me to work deals) and had it shipped to her address. Seems to be working fine; I got the invoice in the mail as well as an e-mail shipping notice. Both had the correct mailing address on them.

odditie

My friend is an A-List member, how do you become one, I never quite understood that.

DantheApe

so, what's the best way to cancel an account? call? or is there a way to email customer service?

sotra

Many people have metioned on the board here that it is automated (no CSR) when you cancel your account over the phone. I almost always do it via email and usually get a confirmation within 24 hours (IIRC it is [email protected])

The Void

Last time I cancelled over the phone I got a CSR who tried to talk me out of cancelling and tried to sell me other products. Email has worked fine for the last few accounts I've cancelled.

lizard

I am one on my one open account, which I have had for several years. Why they chose to make it an "A list" account I couldn't say. But if I had to guess, it would be 1) the account is fulfilled and was paid promptly (credit card on file), and 2) the account was used to buy more than the minimum required DVDs (I took advantage of some outstanding promotions, way back when).

Now that 99˘ shipping on fulfilled accounts is gone, it is hard to say what the benefits of being an "A list member" are. The only one I can think of is that I might have an easier time getting CSRs on the phone, based on what the insider who was posting here a few weeks ago said.

So, while it is of academic interest to "CHologists" like me, don't worry about being an A list member. For lowest cost DVDs, remember the Clubs forum mantra: "enroll, fulfill, cancel, repeat".

DantheApe

thank yall =] when i get confirmation i will move onto the "repeat" stage of the process

odditie

Hmm...I've done all that pretty much but my account that's almost 3 years old isn't A-List.

I haven't talked to him in a long time but his account gave him 1 free DVD for every 5 full priced DVDs he bought, on top of all other deals.

My one thought was that when I signed up he refered me, so maybe it was because of that.

odditie

Ok, I just don't understand the set deals you guys get. I'm trying to, but I can't make heads or tails of it because you can't BOGO 2 sets.

I'm trying to get The Office Season 2, show me a good way of getting a deal on it. I know I can pick a Criterion for the free DVD, but I don't want any of the ones that I don't already own.

lizard

Columbia House no longer allows sets to be used as a freebie in B1G1F deals (they did for a brief time several years ago). So, when using B1G1F you can get another regular priced DVD for free. If there aren't any Criterions you want perhaps you can find a $25 Special Edition that you would like.

The reason sets are often a good deal at Columbia House has nothing to do with B1G1F—that just makes it better—but, rather, due to the fulfillment credit that the set qualifies for. Sets "special" priced above $39.95 are especially good deals because they count for two fulfillment credits.

In the case of The Office: Season Two - USA, 4474508, Special Club Price $37.46, the low price is worth only one fulfillment credit so it isn't as good a deal.

To calculate the relative price for a set, you need to think of a membership as a package. The average price of a DVD using a good enrollment code is $5.86:

Enrollment: 6 x 49˘ + $9.95 = $12.89 (7 DVDs)
Fulfillment: $19.95 + $19.95 + 4.98 (shipping) - $5 (web discount) = $39.88 (2 DVDs)
Total: $12.89 + $39.88 = $52.77 (9 DVDs)
Average DVD cost: $52.77/9 = $5.8633

If using a single fulfillment set priced at $37.46 to fulfill:

Enrollment: 6 x 49˘ + $9.95 = $12.89 (7 DVDs)
Fulfillment: $37.46 + $19.95 + 8.98 (shipping) - $5 (web discount) = $61.39 (1 DVD plus 1 set)
Total: $12.89 + $61.39 = $74.28 (8 DVDs plus one set)
Relative cost of the set: $74.28 - (8 x $5.86) = $27.40

Can you find this set for less than $27.40 elsewhere? If not, it is a decent deal at Columbia House.

That's the relative cost using standard deals. If you use B1G1F you can lower it substantially. Suppose you get two freebie DVDs (one with the set, one with the other $19.95 fulfillment you purchased). The numbers look like this:

Enrollment: 6 x 49˘ + $9.95 = $12.89 (7 DVDs)
Fulfillment: $37.46 + (free DVD) + $19.95 + (free DVD) + 12.96 (shipping) - $5 (web discount) = $65.37 (3 DVDs plus 1 set)
Total: $12.89 + $65.37 = $74.28 (10 DVDs plus one set)
Relative cost of the set: $78.26 - (10 x $5.86) = $19.66

Can you beat this price? If not, it is a good deal. If you can get a free shipping offer in addition to the B1G1F deal you can drop the cost of the membership a bit more (but sets no longer qualify for free shipping, so it just saves on the regular fulfillment DVD shipping).

For comparison, the cost of the set would be $29.99 using a CH.com account (generally 40% off MSRP, with free shipping) or it would cost $31.65 at Amazon. Those two options are a lot less hassle. So, it is up to you whether you want to purchase that set using your Columbia House account.

Peep

If you're factoring in the B1G1F for the box set, then I would expect you to adjust your $5.86 amount from your first calculation to include the B1G1F also. B1G1F either exists in the universe that you are using in your example or it doesn't. It's not fair to only apply it to the box set scenerio. You apply shipping and the web discount to both.

odditie

Thanks lizard, now I understand.

So basically the 39.99 ones are GREAT, but the others are alright. I think I'll stick with the DDD 20% off sale for The Office Season 2, it should be like $25 with free shipping, but from now on I'll have to check out for certain sets to fulfill with.

lizard

While you are technically correct, I long ago decided not to do that because of the complexity. There are so many permutations to Columbia House deals that it isn't practical to try to cover them all. You will also find that if you do the correction you suggest it really doesn't make all that much difference.

The purpose of the exercise above is to give newcomers an idea of how to look at the purchase of DVDs as a package and to zero in on how to calculate the value of something that is non-standard, such as a set.

As you know, newcomers often look at the price of a set, as well as the high shipping costs, and get put off by it. They forget that they got a bunch of DVDs almost for free. I am just trying to show that a seemingly high priced set can be a good deal when purchased as part of a Columbia House membership package.

If you would like to provide numbers adjusted for sale offers like B1G1F, please feel free to do so. I was just trying to keep things simple by using $5.86 as a standard value of a DVD at CH.

lizard

Exactly right.This is a sensible strategy used by many here. Even when the CH deal is a dollar or two cheaper, the extra hassle of a CH membership package makes the DDD 20% sale option look a whole lot better!