odditie

I hear people refer to when BMG took over and the changes that happened. I've been a member with one account for 2 years now, I just applied for my first cycle account and I'm learning about the ins and outs you guys use on CH and I was just curious about a few things...

Who is BMG, when did they take over, and what changes did they make? I have noticed changes, but I don't know what ones are because of them and which aren't.

Spiral Staircase

BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group) is a division of the German media corporation Bertelsmann AG. They purchased Columbia House in May 2005.

Xbox69

They converted my Columbia House Music account to BMG in August of 2005. Waived my required purchases (4) and gave me music points for a FREE selection.

I thought someone mentioned they raised the limit on the number of any 1 DVD selection you could purchase -- from 2 to 5.

BobO'Link

From the "Details" link on the Current Offer at the top of the page...

-----
Note:

* Shipping & Processing Charges: (subject to change)
* Shipping & processing, plus applicable sales tax, will be added to all orders.
* Single and Double-Disc Titles: First selection $2.99, additional selections $1.99 each.
* Sets and Multi-Disc Titles: 3-disc selections $5.99, 4-disc selections $6.99, 5-disc selections or more $7.99.
* If you don't respond to your Director's Selection or choose an alternate by the specified date, the title will automatically be shipped to you at the regular Club price and shipping & processing, plus applicable sales tax, will be applied.
* Selections are limited to 5 copies per title.
-----

Note the last bullet (Bold typeface added by me, text by CH).

lizard

The changes have been subtle but real.

• Free shipping for sets has gone away.

• Free shipping for regular DVDs seems to be limited to a few days at a time versus three weeks or so.

• The membership agreement that comes with the enrollment package now limits memberships to one per person. While they continue to allow multiple accounts for now, their policy implies that they might not in the future.

• 99¢ shipping for "Preferred" members has gone away; standard shipping rates now apply.

• B1G1F promotions seem to be more common (but the codes we use are not usually intended for us).

• Reaching a CSR on the phone has reportedly become very difficult for the average customer. Phone access is reserved for their best customers, for now.

• The pricing structure for DVDs has changed. Newer SEs tend not to become available for enrollment, as they used to, especially if there are single disc versions available. In addition, "hot" titles tend to have a regular price that is higher than the standard $19.95 and $21.95; $22.95 and $24.95 are common now. This means that those titles cost more when one is buying them as fulfillments or preorders and for many SEs one can't get them as enrollments.

• Good enrollment codes for on-line use have become quite common but ones that work on the phone have almost disappeared.

• An e-mail only option for mailings and Director's Selection announcements has been implemented.


That will do for starters. I am sure other Columbia House veterans here will come up with some more changes since the BMG purchase.

odditie

So not all is bad, some good came from it...interesting

Jim

I think what you wrote is pretty clear, but just to verify, you now have to pay shipping on TV sets with the recent BOGO offers that include free shipping?

John Galt

Yes, CH classifies TV sets the same way they do DVD box sets.

Jim

I guess I worded my question poorly. I should have said 'box sets' instead of 'TV sets'. So it appears that box sets no longer get free shipping with any of the promotions. That alters my thinking about how to use CH because it means that sets I normally figured to cost me about $18 or so now might be over $25, which gets closer to the price Amazon might have or nearly as much as the price at DDD during a 20% sale.

sotra

If you use sets as fulfillments they still average out to way below what they cost anywhere else.

Jim

It's not such a clear call anymore. I figure the approximate effective price for a box set used as a fulfillment is about $15 less than the CH listed price (assuming average price for account is $5).

So in the case of the Daniel Boone Season sets, they are $37.46 + $7.99 shipping = $45.45 at CH. Subtract $15 to get the effective price results in a price of $30.45 + tax at CH. I can get that right now for less than that at DDD and significantly less when DDD has a 20% off sale. Even at Amazon it will only be less than $2 more when I factor in tax at CH. The shipping charges at CH cut into about half of that $15 savings, and then if CH's price is slightly higher that reduces the savings even more.

I'm sure there are many cases where you can save money on sets, but it's not a slam dunk anymore.

lizard

^ It is a "slam dunk" on any set "special" priced at $39.95 or more. Those are a huge bargain at Columbia House, even paying shipping. Sets priced at $39.94 or lower are less of a bargain (because they only count for one fulfillment credit) and you need to work through the numbers to see whether or not you are getting a better deal than can be had elsewhere. In general, the closer the price to $39.94, the worse deal you are getting. But it depends on the MSRP and what other retailers are charging. I find that most sets are still cheaper at CH, if only by a few dollars. Throw in a B1G1F offer, and it usually becomes a much better deal (you can get a regular price DVD for free, for example, a Criterion).

With regard to sales tax, as of the beginning of this year, Columbia House no longer charges sales tax for most states.