Hello all,


I recently made an order with Columbia House for the Superman Ultimate Collection, and I figured it would have shipped on Tuesday (the release date) but it says "Awaiting credit approval: on their website. It has said this since Tuesday. Can someone please share with me what this means?
Usually when I order with CH they ship my stuff and then I pay later.

You may need to pay for it first before they ship it. It's inconsistent, but you usually need to establish a payment history with CH before they'll extend you that kind of credit, as I'm sure they've been burned more than a few times.

It is also possible that it says that even though it's already shipped, as that's often the default status while an order is being processed. But that's doubtful in this case, considering the price of that set. Best thing to do would be to get someone on the phone and pay for it with a credit card.

Thanks for the reply

I have this next to a DVD in a recent order (and this has happened before), but the 1-800 number provided on their site is automated and I can't get to a live person, does anyone know how to? Last time I talked to someone and my DVD finally shipped.

^"Awaiting credit approval" is sometimes used as a catchall category for orders that are being held up for some reason. For example, the freebie in a BOGOF deal when the other DVD is a pre-order. It doesn't necessarily mean that there is anything wrong with your payment method, although if your account is "bill me" it could mean that they want a payment before they ship the rest of an order.

As for getting through on the phone, one way to do it is select "cancel membership" from the menu tree. But I don't know if I'd really want to do that unless I really didn't mind the account being canceled. Perhaps someone else has a better way to get through the menu tree. Be sure to always call during normal business hours on weekdays.

Do they generally not ship the freebie(s) until the pre-orders ship in such cases? I just placed a B2G3 order, using 2 pre-orders for the buy 2 part, and the 3 freebies show as awaiting credit approval. I do have a credit card on file with them, but it's only been 2 days, so I'm not actually sure there's a problem. I hope I don't have the wait until December 4th (the later of the 2 pre-order dates).

Some have had the freebies ship early but for others, including me, they are listed as "awaiting credit approval" until the pre-order is released. At which time the order goes to "pending" and ships. So, it is entirely normal for a BOGOF order with a pre-order in it to be marked as "awaiting credit approval". It is just the usual Columbia House weirdness.

Usually I get "Awaiting Credit Approval" when I have a balance on my account that I need to pay. When I pay it, the status changes after a day or so and they ship out the DVDs for that order.

Well, in two orders, I still have "Awaiting Credit Approval" for 4 DVDs (3 were free, the other is full price) but I don't have an outstanding balance and another order (Hostel Part II) has shipped. Guess I'll have to give them a call...