Sept 10 I ordered 3 titles, shipping 7,20 $.
The first (Willow SE) was shipped last week, shipping 7,20 $.
Yesterday the other 2 (Almost Famous Boot Cut & Pearl Harbor Gift Set) were shipped, but another 3.98 $ was charged for shipping!
I have send them an e-mail that I have not given them permission to charge my card for an extra 3,98 and that I want it back!

As usual, CDNOW treat international customers as shite !

Not only their international customers, see the Store Forum!
Still, I buy most of dvd's there, with the pre-orders at 30 % off and the extra 15 % off they are the cheapest.
It is only with things like this that I sometimes feel like switching to another store.

Checking my last order I was charged $9.96 postage for three CDs to Britain, so $7.20 looks like a good price. Could it have been an error? (Not that I am suggesting they shouldn't honor it).

As it happens, the one free CD that I was supposed to get in that order as compensation for losing my FF points was not originally credited: it took an email but the $9.99 discount was later applied. I can see myself having a dispute with the Customs & Excise people when it arrives also: I usually limit myself to two CDs at a time to stay below the normal charging point!

For information, would you consider posting their reply to your email here, please, Robbert?

CD now is the worst store of the internet because they just don''t care about internacional costumer , the DVDs that cdnow sells , they Have DVDs region ALL like Madonna the Drowned world tour but they only put like a region 1...

I checked all my orders and they seem to be okay with the shipping charges. Besides that, I never had any problems with CDNOW and I think their cst service is also excellent. The only problem I have right now is their changed shipment policy (raised prices, no early shipments) and customs intercepting every freaking shipment of 2 DVD's or more (but that has not to do with CDNOW, although... after CDNOW changed their shipment policy customs intercepts packages...hmmm...)

You have to weigh up the pros and cons with this company. Lately, their shipping misprices have been incredibly irritating, giving different shipping charges for different discs and different answers to e-mailed questions because of this!

Their prices are generally good, and the 15% off coupons make them very tempting, but, 3 of my recent orders have gone missing without trace, and they charged my credit card extra shipping without asking me, so quite frankly I won't be using them again...which is a shame, but entirely their own fault!

Henry_Krinkle:Have you tried contacting them about the extra shipping charges?
Benedict: 7.20 $ used to be the shipping charges for a maximun of 3 dvd's shipped to Europe until the end of september 2001.

I also objected to the shipping charges being raised and charged to my credit card without authority.

I received no sensible replies to my several emails, only standard generated ones that don't address my concerns raised.

In the past they have been pretty good with 30% off pre orders, 15% coupons and $7.20 shipping for up to 3 DVDs (sometimes 2 disc sets counted as 1)

If you check your pre orders in your Account Page the shipping is listed at $7.20 for up to three, but as the DVDs are shipped the charges are increased. Check your account history and you will see the details.

I have not lost any orders (from about 20) and the average shipping time to New Zealand was about 3 weeks.

I have cancelled some of my pre orders and when the outstanding ones are shipped I will not be using CDNow again.

I can recommend ABSound, Canada.

Ah, so I wasn't the only person having trouble with this coupon. I emailed CDNow and they made me put through payment manually. Still, I got the $21.57 credited (bought two DTS CDs) and the CDs are now on the way.

Got an answer to my e-mail to CDNOW regarding the extra shipping charges:

We apologize for the confusion regarding the additional charge for order number ......
These additional charges are administrative fees from DHL Worldwide for
processing your merchandise through customs. These charges are assessed
by the carrier, and are payable directly to them. This is why we are not
able to include this cost in your order total. Unfortunately, as these
are not CDNOW charges, they are beyond our control. We apologize for any
inconvenience that this may cause.

CDNOW provides notification during the order placement process that
charges such as these may occur. This information appears in the
Shopping Cart as an order is being placed.

If there is anything else that I can do for you, please let me know.

Robbert, your initial post suggested that CDNow were charging your card directly:Are you now clarifying that your credit card wasn't charged directly but that an extra invoice was received (from DHL) at or around the time of delivery?

Or have CDNow actually answered a question that you didn't ask them?

What they say about possible additional (local) charges being referred to at the the check-out stage is right: I noticed it last time.

Personally I think that carriers charging for dealing with Customs admin is a rip-off. I looked into this some time ago when I was a newbie at transatlantic orders and didn't ever receive a straight answer from Parcelforce in the UK. If I pay for shipping then I've no interest in a third-party who gets in the middle, delays my package and then asks to be paid for it!!

When I got a demand from DHL a month after my CDs had been delivered I asked them to explain the computer printout* and also to explain why I had not been given the invoice at the time of delivery since the delay had prevented me from refusing the package. I got a form letter saying that they would not seek payment of the additional £12 but answering neither question!

<small>[* the printout was unintelligible: if I had ever been taken to court they would have risked losing because judges/magistrates tend not to have any sympathy for techno-gobbledygook!)</small>

Benedict, this is the e-mail CDNOW sent me dec.1 , it clearly states shipping!
So my card will be charged the extra 3.98 $ for which I did not give them permission at the time I put in the order (sept.10)


Dear Robbert,

Thank you for shopping at CDNOW. Please keep this email invoice for
your records.

On November 30 we shipped the following items from your order (number ............):

Almost Famous Untitled: Boot Cut (2 P) ( : Almost Famous Untitled: Boot Cut (2 P) (
Format: DVD Quantity: 1 Price: 24.49

Pearl Harbor Gift Set (3 Pk) : Pearl Harbor Gift Set (3 Pk)
Format: DVD Quantity: 1 Price: 34.99

to the following address via DHL WorldMail:

.....................

Total number of items: 2


Subtotal: $ 59.48
Shipping: $ 3.98
15% Off: $ 8.92-
Sales Tax: $ 0.00
----------
Shipment Total: $ 54.54


NOTE: Import duties and/or taxes may be imposed by your local
government on the shipments from outside your country. Please check
with your local post office for more information.

Your order was billed to ................ This shipment completes your
order and is paid in full.

These items should arrive within 4-8 days.

Please note, at CDNOW, we will accept the return of any unopened item,
except vinyl recordings, within 30 days of delivery for a full refund
of the purchase price (minus shipping and handling).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

...this is utter nonsense, you would never be charged as little as $3.98 for any customs charge!! They are lying and sending you a cut&paste standard reply. My advice is keep sending the same e-mail to them querying this charge and, by the law of averages, you will eventually get someone with a fully functional brain to refund you. Send one each day until you get satisfaction, it's a pain in the *** but they owe you money...so you make damn sure you get it!!

...this experience will probably affect your decision as to whether you will use this company again...I know it has mine, a damn shame because they WERE very good!

Henry_Krinkle: I have already mailed back but I know that to get a decent reply I have to phone them!
I just don't want to spend another dime.

Got an e-mail from CDNOW this evening:

Thank you for contacting CDNOW.

I have reviewed the shipping charges applied to your
order ..............and find them to be correct. However,
since you are a valued customer I have forwarded a request to the appropriate department to issue a credit
for $3.98 to the card charged for the order.

The credit should appear on your account within a couple of weeks.

Should you have any additional questions or comments, do not hesitate to
contact me.

Sincerely,

Russell H.
Customer Service