Dave, Why Is DD Slipping So Badly???
 

I realize others have complained about DDD (now DD) in the past, but I have not been one of them. I have ordered many thousands of dollars worth of titles over the past six years (I'd estimate at least $15K) and have recommended DD to many friends. I've even defended them during the recent B1G1 debacle (even though I missed out on X-Files & Stargate despite having ordered on the first day of the sale). I rarely have had any problems with DD in the past except for one massively fouled-up shipment that basically had the right number of items at the right price...however, around 11 of the items were the wrong title. Since I was buying them as stocking stuffers for around $3 apiece & the mistakes were good titles, I never even complained...especially since I received a 'bonus' in the form of someone's videotaped church service (!!).

I can't recommend them any longer and will take my business elsewhere unless there is a particular item that is worth the risk or ordering (and I do consider it a risk now). These examples from recent orders may explain my change of heart:

(1) Ordered Complete All Creatures Great & Small. Fine shape except Season Six had duplicate copy of one disc (thus, was missing a disc). Had to return the entire set (tried to simply exchange the one set or disc but no luck) even though I already owned the missing disc in a separate Season Six set. About a month later, got a cancellation notice saying credit card wouldn't be charged (even though it had already been charged & nothing was said about a refund). Called & got explanation that their policy was to refund money to CC upon return & then recharge it when item reships. Only problem now is that the item has been discontinued (although it is being reissued on Jan. 15).
I explained that I had already sold off a couple of my individual sets in anticipation of receiving the set & asked why they couldn't send the new edition. They said that the price difference was too great, although the CSR did check with supervisor who offered to knock 20% off of the new price (which would still make it around $55 more than the original deal).
To me, it is not asking too much to help a very loyal customer who has dropped a great amount of money (during several of the 20% sales, ordered $1500+) with them. It was not their fault that the disc was missing, but that was a problem which they should have taken up with the manufacturer. The customer should not be the one left out in the cold.

(2) During the last 20% Off sale, ordered 2 sets of Mission Impossible: Seasons 1-3 bundle. Received some items from a different order that also listed MI sets on the packing slip; however, there were no MI sets in the box. It has been my experience with DD that, unless noted otherwise as being OOS or backordered, the items on the packing slip are always included. However, during the first two calls about this mistake, I was told that they might have shipped separately and to "hold tight and give it more time". I was polite & tried to be patient although I was hoping to use some of those for Christmas. After two weeks, I finally got a third CSR who recognized that the sets were not going to arrive & put in an order for replacement copies (although it took 3 days for the replacements to ship & they're being sent media mail...evidently they don't see a two-month wait for an in-stock item as being a problem that needs a hurry-up remedy. I also haven't checked to see if I was charged twice for the items).

(3) Ordered Rawhide Seasons 1 & 2 for $49.99. I realized that this might be an error, but they have offered some great deals on bundles in the past & I thought this might be one of those. I figured I could always return them if necessary. Sure enough, Season 2 VOLUMES 1 & 2 were what shipped. Since I could get them several dollars cheaper during a 20% off sale (and really only needed S2 Vol. 2...had planned to see the others to my brother), I decided to call & ask for clarification before requesting a return. The first two calls resulted in CSRs telling me they had to do an inventory check with 'the warehouse' to see if the listing was an error. Again, I was told that I would have to wait several weeks.
The third CSR (the three calls were made about a week apart) agreed to send a return label since the item was listed incorrectly (both in the 'title' of the item and in the paragraph describing the item). He had no explanation as to why the others had stalled me about returning the items, nor could he explain why the incorrect listing STILL shows on their website nearly three weeks after I reported it. I'm sure I'm not the only person to be taken in by the error...I just can't figure out why it hasn't been fixed.
Some companies might have just eaten the loss & sent out Season One to honor their advertisement...but not good old DD. It was hard enough just to get them to acknowledge the obvious error...which was hard to deny since it's still on their website (even my order history says "first two seasons")...but I didn't expect this much trouble in returning the unopened, incorrect items for a refund.

Keeping in mind that I was on hold for about 30 minutes during the first call & had to spend time finding the individual order numbers (the items were mixed in with different orders...which gives you an idea about how many orders I formally placed with them), this was a real pain. I'm not getting what I paid for and what they promised, and just getting refunds is ridiculously hard.

While I certainly have benefited in the past,from DD's pricing, including free shipping & no sales tax, I have also displayed loyalty by choosing them whenever prices were equal or almost equal. I'm very disappointed that they haven't made a greater effort to make things right (the first two calls were VERY frustrating). One might conclude that they really don't care if they antagonize the customer and don't need the business.

Oh,well...the upside is that I will save a lot of money this year.

Dave, I hope you can pass along my comments to whomever...and maybe get someone to change the erroneous Rawhide listing before other customers order by mistake. Surely it doesn't take a month to change a simple listing.

I had a recent issue that was detailed here about DD.

My take, and this is purely speculation, is this...


Companies can operate a certain way at a certain size. As they grow they need to adjust the ways they operate in order to function the way a company of their size should. If they dont make those adjustments they fail as a company.

This is a critical time for any company experiencing growth. Companies either make the changes and continue to grow or they dont make the changes and fail miserably.

This is why consulting companies exist....to take companies through this growth...teach them how to operate. They need to spend money to learn how to do this. Some companies dont want to be bothered and are cocky in thinking they can figure it out on their own. Companies that succeed recognized the changes that need to be made and execute them.

Timing is a key factor in this as well. Many companies wait until it is too late to change the way they operate and by the time they do it, there is no hope.

I stopped ordering from them as well. I placed an order in the June sale for a DVD that they said was in stock. It kept being delayed, and delayed, backorder after backorder. Nobody ever sent me any kind of notice, btw, about the wait this whole time. About 2 months later the order was just cancelled. Nobody contacted me, it was just cancelled. They said the item was discontinued when I finally contacted them, but funny how everywhere else I looked had this item if I wanted it. (I did, in fact, order from Amazon later)

The lack of communication is probably a big reason why they are failing. Also, when there IS any kind of communication, it's either not coherent, is inaccurate, or is unsympathetic towards the customer & his/her dilemmas.

I gave them another chance during the recent 20% off sale after swearing I never would again, and experienced multiple problems (all of which were eventually corrected, but could've been easily avoided in the first place). I refuse to recommend them to anyone - their customer service is a joke.

Not to mention being blatantly lied to by a CSR who told me she'd gotten a memo stating any order placed before 12/10 that hadn't shipped by that date would have "upgraded shipping at no charge to ensure delivery by Christmas". Never got the upgraded shipping - got lucky enough to get the item on Christmas Eve.

11/18 and 11/23 - Placed multiple orders with multiple DVD sets on a BOGO offer
11/30 - Orders shipped
12/08 - Order Received, 3 DVD sets with floaters - Western Collection, Paul Newman Collection (broken disc case AND floater), Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece collection
12/09 - Returned for replacement (not refund)
12/20 - Return confirmed, replacement orders placed (not processed), email received saying 3 orders will ship shortly
12/21 - received email saying 1 out of above 3 orders has shipped
12/29 - received order shipped on 12/21 -The Western Collection - no damage on this set
01/04 - emailed in the AM asking why other 2 orders have not shipped
01/04 - three generic emails received in the PM as reply for all three emails - saying they have processed refund as items are not in stock despite items showing in stock on website. says refund posted 12/20, nothing shows on CC until today which is 01/09
01/05 - called in the AM. 40 minutes (yes, 40 mins) later, lady picks up. I ask why items had not shipped. I am told none of items were in stock and they had just received them in stock (yeah, right, just after I call) and that orders will be shipped on 01/07 (I did not mention receiving refund email)
01/08 - called in the AM (20 min hold) asking why I didn't receive shipping confirmation on 01/07. Was told order would ship that day which is 01/08

01/09/08 (today):
1. called in the afternoon asking why items did not ship on 01/08 as mentioned, guy says he does not know.

2. got an answer saying one of my items -Paul Newman Collection - was Free anyway (BOGO) and that they cannot reship item because I had not 'paid' for this item - Yes, this is the answer I got

3. I was livid but guy was cool and worked with me. Then he says this item is not in stock. I tell him website shows it in stock. After 15 minutes, he offered to place another order for this item at no cost

4. Then I ask him about why the second order - Alfred Hitchcock Set - had not shipped. He looks up this order and says, you know what, both items (this and the other for which he had just placed a no cost order) showed as Shipped on 01/07 under the status for this order

5. I asked why I did not receive a shipping confirmation. He says he does not know.

6. Then he says, I was charged for the free item on the BOGO order. I asked why. He says the lady that processed the order did not think a zero amount order would be shipped and so charged me $20.97 for it - Yes this is the answer I got.

7. I said, 'what the hell are you guys doing ? do you know how to run a business ? how can you charge me for an item without my knowledge or an order ? Do you know that is illegal' - guy apologizes and refunds $20.97

8. I ask whats the status on the shipped order. He says there is no tracking number

9. I ask to confirm the order number of this shipment - he gives me an order number which does not even show up under my account on their website. I ask why and he says he does not know.

10. I said 'I need a shipment confirmation email, otherwise it is your word against mine' - he puts me on hold, comes back a few minutes later and says I will receive shipping email today. so far, no email has been received.

Number of agonizing minutes spent on the call: appr 40
Number of days since original Order placed: 46
Status: 'Paul Newman Collection' and 'Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection' still yet to be completely fulfilled. No shipping confirmation received yet on order supposedly shipped.
Order Number: completely different from the ones referred to in original reprocess confirmation email. Cannot look this up on website.
Status of so called Refund they claimed they had processed: Nothing until today

If you guys are feeling gung ho about this 'once stellar-now gone-to-the-dogs' company and still want to place orders, please be my guest.

Am done with this turd of a joint. Amazon it is - low prices or high prices, their service just can't be beat. At least lets encourage an outfit that cares about its customers.

I quit doing business with them after this...

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=463378

Not that junk again, didn't we establish that they only do this if you allow them to? I've been buying things from them for YEARS, I've also probably spent 10k with them and never had a third party bother me, once, because I never signed up for it.

That being said I have found lately that their service hasn't been quite as good as it has been in the past, shipping has been slower, I've had a few things not show up at all, a few billing issues, etc.

I have to agree. They are turning into one huge drop shipping company. The merchandise might be coming back through them (or are the manufacturers just putting generic mailing labels for DD), but they aren't watching the quality as close as they should be, or they just don't care.

I miss the old DDD. :(

I hope the OP doesn't actually expect an answer, or for this "Dave" to actually give a shit.

Dave is usually active in DDD threads. Whether or not he does anything about them, I do not know...

= J

Yeah, I know that DD Dave used to be active so hope he reads the thread.

On the other hand, given the latest 'responses' that were noted, I might as well be Hal2000 singing "Daisy, Daisy.....".

"Stop, Dave...what are you doing, Dave?"

Edit: Forgot to mention that I ordered a Brady Bunch complete series for a friend before Christmas. When it arrived, it had the "remains" of a price sticker that had been not-so-carefully peeled off the back. Don't know if it was a return from another company that DD purchased or what...the plastic case definitely looked shopworn and the package wasn't shrinkwrapped. My friend was happy with it anyway, but I wasn't pleased.

5 years ago, not only did they have good CS, but it was virtually a lock that they would have the best price on a certain DVD. With both of those no longer applicable, I hardly ever shop there anymore. Amazon and other [r]e-tailers get much more of my business.

yup. DDD is a mere shadow if its former self. When a huge juggernaut like amazon kills you with their prices AND customer service, you know you are in trouble, and need to be extra excellent to compensate. I haven't ordered from them in months, and don't plan to.

Yeah, I'm at the same point with them. During their sale, it's like I can always expect one of my items to be wrong. I always accepted it, due to the savings and knowing they were legit - just a little less careful. :) This last time, I received a box with 9 DVDs missing. Unfortunately, you can't just call and resolve it. The CSR doesn't seem capable to understand the problem right away, and then you spend days calling every morning to straighten it out (with a 20-30 minute hold time for each call).

And I seriously doubt they sell video games (even though they claim they do). I've not ordered a video game yet that didn't turn into a big hassle of me constantly calling and receiving a different ship date every time I call. I've tried ordering three games from them, and each one has turned into nonsense where it's on permanent backorder (even though the site shows in stock) or is supposedly shipping today but is "stuck in the system." There is absolutely no way I will ever buy another game from that site.

No, that was not established. Many people without recent purchases had been receiving junk from third parties.

and we managed to tie that to DDD? Like I said I've been making purchases with them for 5+ years and still purchase from them probably once a month and have NEVER received any third party material.

I better get back on the email to them about missing orders from the 20% sale.

EDIT: I get HEAPS of advertising per shipment IF the shipment arrives. I guess International customers are always going to be interested in USA only offers ???!!!

Everyone loves amazon yet they were the ones trying to charge people extra, after orders were already shipped and money paid.

I had DDD mess up an order once. I ordered the last season of Friends but they sent that wooden box set with all the seasons instead.

I've been buying from DDD for years, and I don't even want to think how much I've spent with them. A conservative estimate would make it out to be around $7500. With that in mind, I have two observations to make:

1. I've never been solicited or received anything from a 3rd party. I've also never clicked on any of the fake 'offers' after check out to try and get $10 off the next order, or whatever it is they promise. People that do get what they signed up for and have no room to complain.

2. Their service did get worse over time. I've had great service from them on 2 or 3 occassions, but that was a long time ago. It's gotten to the point that I don't bother with them for anything anymore. Their service in the last couple of years started to slide, but it seems like when they became DDEverything it hit the breaking point. For the first time since I don't remember I skipped their 20% off sale this time around, and I don't think I'll ever go back again. It's not worth it at any price.

It's true that everyone can screw up (the incident you cited with Amazon). Also, there was a long thread this fall devoted to Amazon's selling of defective sets of Have Gun Will Travel, Season 3 (which they continued to do long after acknowledging the problem to customers who had already been 'victimized').

Other online stores have had their problems, too. J&R accepted a bunch of advance orders during last year's pre-Thanksgiving blowout that they never completely filled, for instance. If you do business with any company long enough, there's bound to be a mistake here or there.

I think the main objection is DD's response (or lack thereof). Also, while they are still somewhat dependable, there is a pattern of mistakes that threaten to become the rule rather than the exception.

Let's put it this way: when it reaches the point that you almost EXPECT the business to foul up your order, something is terribly wrong with their service. If DD hasn't yet reached that point for some customers, they have for a good number of others...including loyal, patient customers who have cut them slack in the past in return for free shipping, 20% off sales, good prices, and decent service. The last factor is the most important...without decent service, none of the other really matters (after all, 20% of nothing is...nothing). In my case, I felt that my legitimate complaints were not handled in a timely or satisfactory manner for no apparent reason other than incompetence.

It's the reason I don't go to Circuit City unless there is an item on sale at a price that is simply too good to pass up...which rarely happens.

Continuing from my post #5 above, I received the so called 'replacement' Alfred Hitchcock set today. Can you believe what these bastards have done ? They have repackaged the same defective set with shrink wrap and sent it back. The same floater in the same title - worse, there is a deep scratch on it this time that the disc does not even play. Will anyone bother buying from these mofos again ?

Also, can anyone suggest what strong action to take against these bastards ? thanks

Personally, I would file a dispute with your credit card company since they have obviously not lived up to their end of the bargain. For starters you have acted in good faith and returned the set for a replacement. In return they have essentially refused to provide you with the undamaged set that you paid for. Seems like a pretty easy sell to your CC company.

I have been getting replies from DD about my missing DVDs from the 20% sale.
They have said they they will refund and recharge me - they can't do it any other way, but when I said they they need to hold off on recharging for 5 business days to let the credit settle on my account they told me that they can't wait that long.

What the hell!

my order has been sent out on the 3rd December 2007 and till now i have yet to receive it ......

may need to file in for resent of my order soon if i do not get it by the end of this month .