How is CDNow's reputation as far as re-stocking or shipping backordered items within their specified timeframe of 30 days? The site shows three Criterions (Andrei Rublev, Passion of Joan of Arc, Le Million) as backordered, but it seems to me that these three titles should be fairly available.

In my experience CD Now is TERRIBLE at managing preorders and backordered items. In fact I just received and email saying that they could not restock any of the items in my order, despite the fact that some were not due until later this month, and proceeded to cancel the whole thing. While this order did include some anime titles, which I have come to the conclusion that they never have any of in stock, they canceled Close Encounters, which went into backorder the day it was officially released.

If you have more than one DVD on backorder beware: they will not hold them in stock until they all come in. That means the Backorder/In Process statuses will change back and forth as their stock changes. None will ship of course until they all match up. I watched this happen for a month until I finally cancelled all but two backordered items and prayed for both of them to be in stock one day.

I guess they did not earn the nickname "CDNow, DVDLater" for nothing.

Damn, this doesn't bode well. They listed L'Avventura as backordered on its release date yesterday, and today it's "In Process". The bulk of my order are titles that have a June 19th release date, and I guess all I can do is hope they have still have it in stock at that time.

I gave up on them this week and ordered the dvd's from Amazon. With a coupon it was only a dollar more at Amazon. Beats looking at the backorder message at DVDNEVER.

Uh-oh...
 

I’ve probably ordered 100 titles from CDNow since I started purchasing on the internet in 1999. My experience has been generally okay with a couple of glaring exceptions. In one case, they canceled a pre-ordered title that they evidently never stocked (Eyes of Laura Mars). Just recently, they double-charged me for one title, which I have yet to resolve. To me, none of this is really a big deal, since I have had worse problems with Buy.com, Reel.com (RIP), Express.com (might as well be RIP), and BigStar.com (the worst of all). Amazon hasn’t given me a problem, but they are way too expensive for me now, and the differences I calculate are way more than $1 per item.

But, after reading this thread, now I fear I may be in big trouble with CDNow. I pre-ordered 27 titles, the last ones to be released on 6/5. Wouldn’t you know it, everything is “processing” except for two backordered items that were 6/5 releases. This was one of the famous 15% coupon + 15% Discover Card deals.

Does anyone think that they will end up canceling the entire order?

Should I try to cancel the backordered items to ensure the others will ship before the Discover Deal goes away?

Any thoughts from those who have had CDNow experience would be welcomed.

:confused:

Addendum:

I just recalled that my orders from TWEC and CDNow both come from a warehouse in Niles, Illinois. Both CDNow and TWEC have bad reputations when it comes to cancelling and backorders. Does anyone think that both of these retailer problems stem from a lousy wholesaler warehouse in Niles? Does anyone's shipments arrive from another location and still have similar problems?


[Edited by Hal2000 on 06-08-01 at 07:10 PM]

CDNow is bad at BO
 

CDNow has absolutely the worst customer service representatives. (I have had good luck with BigStar.)
I've received several messages from them saying:
'Unfortunately, after making every effort, we were unable to obtain the following backordered item(s):' That's such a lie. Those titles were either pre-orders or titles just released and readliy available (MARILYN MONROE: DIAMOND COLLECTION, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, SEX & THE CITY: SEASON 2 (3 PK)). After complaining to their CS via e-mail, they said I would have to order them in a new order and they would waive the shipping cost for my incovenience. Well, the new order got shipped the next day (3 days after they got canceled), but they failed to refund the shipping charges. I decided to call them up to clear things up. They were rude and they refused to do anything. They would not listen to me and insisted on charging what they called handling fees, even the fault was clearly on their part.

Hal2000,

I have ordered hundreds of DVDs from CDNow. When I have an order with most available and a couple backordered I usualy cancel the backordered items so that the available items can ship.

yiinhc,

Once in a while I get a customer service rep that does not seem informed or particularly helpful but normaly I have found them to be friendly and reliable. In the end they have always made good on their promise. Ask for a supervisor when you get a CSR that is not helpful.

Given their prices and the generaly good customer service I have received, I would say that their handling of backorders is the only real problem I have had with them.

Mike

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I just looked in my order history, ready to cancel the two titles on backorder, and I see that they have switched to "processing." I assume and hope that means my order of the year is about to ship. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Addendum: Everything shipped on 6/9. Just got the confirmation. CDNow is still okay by me. And now...time for some free CDs! :D

[Edited by Hal2000 on 06-11-01 at 12:10 PM]

Thanks Mike. Unfortunately I also talked to the supervisor who was extremely rude. He finally offered to split the shipping cost (not the handling fee) on the new order due to the cancellation of some items in the original order.
Their prices are still good, but I don't think I'd ever order from them again. I'll see how they handle my several pre-orders.

If you order a lot of different pre orders do they wait until the last one is released and ship them all together, or send out individual packages as each one is released?

They only split the order once. After the first shipment (with DVDs released earliest in your order), they will wait until all DVDs are released AND in-stock to send the second. If your order has release dates of 6/19, 6/26, and 7/17, they will ship 6/19 first, but won't ship 6/26 DVDs until 7/17. You may have to wait longer if 6/26 DVDs are out of stock on 7/17.

CTHD and O Brother, Where Art Thou? are now both showing as Backordered on my order status. Yet, if I add one to my shopping cart, it shows as in stock. I'm thinking it's a scam to avoid shipping the titles before the Discover promotion ends. I had problems with them 2 years ago and refused to shop for DVDs there. Then I heard they had gotten better, and my last few orders of mostly Criterion titles shipped fine. Now this. Well, I'm done with them.

Update:

Just got off the phone with the most helpful CSR I've ever dealt with, Cindy, at CDNow. A warehouse error cancelled my order and left it as backordered in the computer. She placed a new order for me at the original prices and upgraded the order to free UPS overnight shipping.

[Edited by RevLiver on 06-12-01 at 06:37 AM]