Xbox69

That's the rate for single and double discs. They increase for 3 discs @ $5.99 and boxsets are usually not included in FREE shipping deals.

lizard

That is correct for one and two disc titles, as Xbox69 said above. Three discs, $5.99, four discs $6.99, five or more discs, $7.99; free shipping almost never applies to "special" priced sets (even if the "set" has only one or two discs).
You have the right idea. BOGOF offers don't last long so you need to be ready to go. While there is no guarantee that we will see another BOGOF offer with free shipping, they do seem to appear every once in awhile.

smashthesymbols

Thank you guys. I applied for the first account just now. I'll give it a couple days then probably go for number two. When can I expect to know for sure if it worked? Will I receive an email or anything, or do I just have to wait for a box to show up?

Now I hope another BOGO with free shipping comes up. Even without that it's not a terrible deal though.

Sweet Baby James

^

Sometimes they'll give you a "Welcome to the Club!" email and sometimes they won't. I always sign up with a credit card and just check to see if a charge has gone through. If it has, then I know that I'm golden.

thewrite1

Have a quick question regarding BOGO offers (as we all wait for the next BOGO deal to come along). Do sets apply to buy one get one free? For example, I've wanted to get the "Stripes, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day" boxed set (priced at $14.97). Can I first buy a more expensive DVD (that would count toward commitment) and then purchase this boxed set free? CH has continued this "sets at 40% off" sales for an eternity and I'm worried that sets are now excluded from BOGO offers.

Also, do sets at $19.95 and higher count towards commitment anymore?

Sweet Baby James

Sets can never be taken as the free selection. You can buy a set and then take a regular movie for free, but the set will never be the freebie.

Any title that's $19.95 or higher counts as fulfillment. I don't know the price threshold, but higher price sets will count as 2 or even 3 towards fulfillment.

thewrite1

Thanks for clarifying, but I thought I had read that, with a BOGO offer, you can purchase a qualifying boxed set and then get another boxed set (of equal or lesser value) for free. For example, during a BOGO sale, could I buy The Outer LImits Season 1 (for $32.97) and then get Season 2 for free (which is normally priced at $32.97)?

Sweet Baby James

^

Negative. Box sets cannot be selected as the freebie.

legend42

No, it's like SBJ said- the set can't be the freebie, but you could get a free Criterion ($35 list price) or any other "regular" DVD with it.

The key is that if the price says "Special" on the site, it probably won't work as the 2nd part of a BOGO, even if it's something like the $12 Ghostbusters set.

smashthesymbols

So what's the shipping like from Columbia House? I've got a pending charge, so apparently my application was accepted. How long of a wait should I expect before the box arrives?

Sweet Baby James

^

I have always received my enrollment package in just under one week after my card has been charged(I'm in Connecticut).

legend42

If it was an online application, a pending charge doesn't necessarily mean acceptance; it can still be "lost". Usually, you'll get a 2nd charge a couple days later (and the 1st one will drop off) if it goes through. If it was a phone app. then the charge means you're good to go.

smashthesymbols

Thanks SBJ, glad to know it's fairly quick shipping.

legend42, I know it's not automatically acceptance. My card is really weird with pending charges and actual charges though. Sometimes things will be pending for days, then disappear, only to reappear a week later as a real charge. I've actually had stuff I've ordered arrive before the charge ever switches from pending to actual. Because of that I'm just going to hope something from them appearing is a good sign and a box will arrive soon.

riotinmyskull

can someone post an example of a rejection letter?

lizard

^ An example of a generic rejection letter:

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your application for membership. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue you a membership at this time.

We appreciate your interest in Columbia House and regret that we will not have the opportunity to serve you.

New Member Services

There is also a version that asks why you want more than two accounts, when they think that you have two accounts open already.

taronga

I've been sitting on my TV club membership for several years now, haven't bought any of my 4 DVDs yet, and my fulfillment date is coming up soon. Any words of wisdom about getting my account paid off? Can I use the sale codes in the other thread?

lizard

Yes, you can (and should) use BOGOF or free shipping codes. You can buy any DVDs of $19.95 or more to fulfill, no need to buy sets.

If your deadline is approaching you need to get on with placing those orders. Bad things will happen if you let the deadline pass: Columbia House will charge your credit card or bill you and then close your account. They should send you four certificates for the DVDs that you will have paid for, but with your account closed ordering what you want will be difficult. Best not to go there and buy your fulfillments now while you can use sale offer codes.

fryinpan1

Is there any way to get The Addams Family Volumes 1 & 2 to count as commitments? They are listed as "Special Club Price $17.97."

legend42

Unfortunately, no. The only chance you might have is to wait for the 40% off set sale to end, at which point those sets might creep above the fulfillment minimum (30% off sets is the regular deal), but it's been running for so long 40% may be the permanent discount.

The under $19.95 "Special" priced sets are just about the only CH items that can't really be worked towards good advantage. CH.com would be a good option for those, or amazon has the first volume for less than $15.

BobO'Link

Quite a few of the "special price" sets/selections can actually be used as the B1 in a B1G1 deal. Depending on the "regular" price you can get either a $14.95 or a $19.95-$21.95 DVD. Addams Family would probably net you a $21.95 DVD in a BOGO deal, but with shipping it wouldn't be much, if any, better than a DD 20
% off sale as CH wants $5.99 shipping for that set!

visitor Q

Is there any difference between these guys ...

http://dvd-movies.columbiahouse.com/membership-details

and these guys ...

http://www.ch.com

Thanks in advance!!

lizard

^ Yes, they are very different membership versions of Columbia House. The first link you gave is a very poor deal and we use better ones. Please read the first post in the CH Enrollment Codes Part II thread. Go to columbiahouse.com to use the codes.

The second link we refer to as "CH.com". We have been discussing it in the Is signing up for ch.com worth it? thread. Very different deal but it has its advantages.

I've got to run, someone else can fill you in on the pros and cons of each kind of membership.

lizard

To elaborate on the difference between the regular DVD club and CH.com:

The regular DVD club (using a code to apply at columbiahouse.com):
Pros:
• Has a lower average cost of DVDs if the account is well-optimized by using a good enrollment code, buying just the minimum required fulfillments (plus any freebies from BOGOF sale offers), then canceling the account and opening a new one. We call this "cycling accounts".
• The enrollment selection is very broad, many thousands of titles.
• Allows the use of sale offer codes, such as Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF, B1G1F) and free shipping.
• Sets count for fulfillment credit if the price is $19.95 or more (and two credits if the price is $39.95 or more). Sets over $19.95 in price are usually cheaper when purchased as fulfillments in a regular DVD club account.

Cons:
• Requires that fulfillments cost $19.95 or more.
• Has shipping charges, except when using a "free shipping" sale offer. And free shipping sale offers don't apply to sets, which have very high shipping charges of as much as $7.99.
• Has "Director's Selections" that one must decline every few weeks to avoid having them sent automatically at high prices (but this can easily be done on-line). To avoid dealing with the "DS" one can cancel the account as soon as it is fulfilled.

CH.com accounts:
Pros:
• Free shipping on everything, including sets, all the time.
• Fixed prices of 40% off list price (occasionally up to 60% off, but this is rare).
• The two required fulfillments can be of any price.
• No "Director's Selections" to fuss with.
• Sets "special" priced below $19.95 are usually cheaper than in the regular DVD club because of free shipping.

Cons:
• Overall DVD costs are higher for most titles than when using a well-optimized regular DVD club account.
• The enrollment selection is very limited; it may be hard to find anything one wants (but one only needs to open one account since there is no advantage to cycling CH.com accounts).
• Sale offers, such as BOGOF, never apply to CH.com accounts.

In short, the regular DVD club is cheaper overall, when used properly, but a CH.com account is a lot less hassle.

dadaluholla

Anyone know if Columbia House will have Curse of the Golden Flower? I thought it would have showed up as a pre-order by now.

legend42

A lot of the foreign titles don't show up for pre-order, so it's not too surprising that it isn't listed yet. CH is kind of inconsistent with international films, even the ones released by Sony, but I think they'll probably get this one. And even if it doesn't show up on its release day, don't give up hope. I remember Cache didn't appear until a few weeks after its release.