I was a very good customer of CH for several years (as far as I see it). I was buying CDs and DVDs in the music club like crazy (most in one membership, but I opened and closed quickie accounts as well). When they introduced selling DVDs in the music club, that really opened the doors for me to collect TV series and resell CDs on eBay (I have to admit). I pushed my luck in June 2005 by placing a huge order during one of their specials (this was an account I had for a few years). They closed that account without shipping all of the items in my last orders. I had several thousand bonus points on the table when they did that. I had just opened another DVD account at that time, but had yet to buy my required items. They closed that account as well, which spared me from having to buy the requisite items. I got a letter telling me that I had been warned about buying too many copies of the same items. The funny thing is that I wasn't abusing their system as badly as some of the people here do. I had only had maybe less than a dozen each of music and DVD accounts, all of which were properly fulfilled and paid for. So I never did screw them.

But since June, I cannot for the LIFE OF ME get into the DVD club. I have tried the following:

* Using my name at my address
* Using slightly misspelled versions of my name at my address
* Using one fake name at my address
* Using my sister's name and address (in another state, and I had signed her up with two memberships in the past)
* Using my sister's name at my address
* Using a slight misspelling of my name at my parent's address (in another state, and I had never used their address before)

I have done all of these by Web and phone. Nada. Sometimes I get a standard letter telling me that they regret they cannot serve me at this time. I wrote them an email after one of them asking why. They said it was a business decision and that is all.

I even went so far as to make up a name and authorize it as a user of my credit card. I created an email address for it as well. I tried enrolling online and by phone with that name. There is no way they could have linked that name to me other than by my address.

So not only am I as a person blacklisted, but my address is shot as well. I have my own house so I can't play around with apartment numbers. Maybe I could try enrolling and start using fake apartment numbers. But I tell you that they simply won't let me in. If you see my history with them, you would be surprised. I spent thousands in their music club (and I made out very well, after selling CDs on eBay and keeping some and the DVDs for myself). My mistake, as it turns out, was that I kept buying the same things over and over again (that's what they were looking out for).

So here is my point. One, don't buy the same things over and over again from them. And two, does anyone have any experience in getting off of this nasty list? I am considering writing a letter as this fake person and ask why I am continually denied, and that I had heard of the so-called blacklist. I would state that I just moved to this address and I have never had a membership with them before. I am afraid that if I do this they will see through it and think that no average person would even know of their insidious blacklisting policy.

Sorry for the long winds. Any advice would be appreciated. Otherwise I will wait for DeepDiscountDVD's 20% specials to stock up. I understand that Columbia House wants to make a profit and they realize that they might not be making much with some people. But isn't a small profit better than none? As I said, I always paid for my merchandise. And isn't there a more tasteful way they could implement this blacklisting program. I am so pissed off with them, yet I want their products!

Doesn't CH do most of their verifying of this kind of thing by address? Which is why it doesn't work for you to keep switching up everything but the address.

I disagree on your claim you didn't abuse the system more than people here. It has always been a clear no-no, that you cannot order more than 2 of any title per account. CH has very strict agreements that disallow re-sell of their wares (this is probably due to their contracts with studios and likely helps them get the discs cheaper). Buying multiple copies of DVDs from CH and selling them seems to be the biggest violation you can perform, in the eyes of CH.

Anyhow... I kept getting the "business decision" letters when I lived in WI. This was after about 20 accounts in about 3 months (however, as far as I know, I did not violate any of their rules). My solution was to get a PO box. I've since moved across the country and can open accounts with ease from my new address.

Getting a PO Box should help your cause. However, if you continue to violate CH's rules (more than two copies of any title per address), I'd expect to quickly get that address blacklisted as well.

Exactly -- a gift. Oh, but my birthday is still a ways off.

MBS is probably right. I kept one music club account open for a few years because I had a seemingly permanent "buy 1 get 4 free" offer (the music club would leave you with the same offer after your fulfillment, it seemed). They would regularly have these "reduced shipping" offers as well. I would buy either a CD box set or a DVD set so that I could get the free items, and all of it was even cheaper because the high shipping charges would be reduced. I found CDs that would resell well on eBay and would buy the same ones with each special. Now they obviously couldn't prove what I was doing, but they could assume. I would have been fine if I hadn't used the same account for all of these purchases. What really sucks about it is that this account was yanked just a week or two before they announced that they were closing the music club. If I hadn't pressed my luck with that last order, I would have probably been okay.

So let me restate that the music club was where I was doing this. I never used the DVD club for this reselling purposes because it simply didn't pay for that. Now that the music club is gone, it really sucks that I am blacklisted from the DVD club because I never intended to use that for reselling (and never did). So in closing, I have certainly learned my lesson. But there doesn't seem to be any way to repair. My only remaining idea is to try rejoining without using any offer code (and use the sucky "get 5 buy 4" offer they have). But I am sure that would fail as well; and that's definitely no bargain so why bother. I'll just have to either give up or retry every so often. I expect to be at this address for quite a while. I just wanted to see if anyone knew the workings of that list and if they purge names/addresses at any point. Because what I find strange is that if I sold this house, the person that buys the place would always be denied. There has to be some way to reset the address!

Wouldn't the completely new person with a different name and matching credit card be approved, despite having your blacklisted address?

I'm guessing that CH is denying you because the credit card you're using still has your blacklisted name on it. You didn't mention what credit card you use when you tried to sign up your sister and parents. I would think they would be approved if they used their own credit cards at their addresses...


How about the credit card #?

Using the proper code, you can sign-up without using a credit card.

Nyrotic, I'd try getting a PO Box. This will only cost you ~$30 a year. When you sign up, you can add another authorized name to your PO Box. You could use this as an alias.

When you sign up, be sure not to use an old PSN. If possible, signup with a non-credit card code. And if don't input your real name or address into the billing section.

Hopefully that will work. Like I said, just changing my address worked to correct my problem with the "business decision" letters. I'm surprised you could not get accounts at your parent's address, so perhaps modifying your name and a PO Box will do the trick.

The new owner of your house would have to call in and talk to a CSR supervisor and ask why they can't open an account. (But how many people would know how to do this?)

In the past, people who have been blacklisted have been able to talk their way to new accounts after six months or so. Using a new name, address and credit card is more efficient. But if you continue to abuse CH policies on buying multiple copies for re-sale, you can expect to be blacklisted again in short order.

For the record, you can buy more than two copies of a title around Christmas, since CH will assume that they are being purchased as gifts. (This assumes that there isn't a pattern of buying many copies of certain titles repeatedly.) The infamous CH "business decision" is just that: a decision made by someone at CH who believes that the customer is selling, contrary to CH rules and their contracts with the studios.

I just want to say that, almost one year later, I am still blacklisted. So, in summary, I was kicked out of the music and DVD clubs in 06/2005. It is now 02/2007 and I still get rejection letters every time I apply by phone (the letters which state "we regret we cannot serve you at this time"). Serve this, Columbia House!

Yeah, I'm blacklisted as well. I never did break the 'buying more than two of the same title' rule. Unless, of course, the rule applies over multiple account, in which I did break it several times. I briefly opened two new accounts after being blacklisted for about a year. I broke no rules in those two accounts, but the second one was shut down (I closed the first one myself), and I haven't been able to get signed up since then. I might have to try getting a PO box.

Blacklisted too. Sucks. I broke a lot of rules before but never ripped them off of any money. I guess if closing and reopening constantly is breaking the rules. And they keep sending me tons of "Come back" ads, then tell me no when I apply. WTF

It does.

I'm just glad that when I had two accounts, I only closed one of them after I completed the membership terms. I still have one account now, but they will not approve any of my applications that I sign up for anymore.

If you get put on the blacklist, do they even allow you to still have an open account?

From what people have said, they will close all of your open accounts. The only positive that comes from blacklisting is if you have accounts where you haven't fulfilled the commitment yet.

Well I don't guess I'm on the blacklist then. I'm still not sure why they wont approve a new account for me.

^ Rejected or "lost" applications are routine for most of us who have had more than a few accounts. Why it happens is a mystery (and has nothing to do with being blacklisted). You might try a phone application, those tend to have higher success rates. And just waiting a few months and trying again may work.

That's true I guess. I'm not like most of you here, trying to get the total lowest price possible. A part of me is just happy to get in on the normal BOGO deals and that type of thing, since it's still lower than what you can get anywhere else, so getting a new account isn't totally important to me.

That said, I still wish they'd approve me again, heh.

Change your IP address

^I really doubt that Columbia House is sophisticated enough to track IP addresses. Last we heard, they were running mainframe computers using COBOL. Cutting edge, they are not...

If they tracked IPs, then everyone who used a library/work/school computer would probably end up having problems. My work has 5K+ employees with internet access thru our companies' multi-T1 connection. The outside world only "sees" one IP # for us. If CH "banned" that IP, then no one @ work could use the work computer to sign up with CH - not that anyone would of course .