Roper

Keep waiting. "Awaiting credit approval" basically means "your order is processing." The two regulars probably already shipped. The website is usually a day or two behind. Call CH and select "check the status of an order" (no CSR needed) to get the most up to date info.

My copy of Team America is "awaiting credit approval" and it was a free selection. At least it's processing early, which usually means it will be expedited by Airborne Express.

Scott Connors

Well, CH is up to its old tricks. Using the B1G! Free code in this thread, I placed the following order on May 9, 2005:

Product Title Selection # Price

The Big Red One Special Edition 3819208 Free

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy 3040102 Free

Dilbert: The Complete Series 3088408 $44.95

Team America: World Police Uncensored and Unrated Special Collector's Edition (Pre-Order) 3481108 $19.95
Release Date is 05/17/2005. This item will be shipped separately.

Subtotal $64.90

Shipping & Processing Free

Tax $4.71


Total $69.61

The two sets shipped two days later--a record for CH!--but I now noticed that "The Big Red One" was not included. It occurs to me that perhaps it is not being shipped since the qualifying DVD, "Team America," was a pre-order. However, I placed another order using the same code, in which I pre-ordered "The Aviator" and selected "Spaceballs SE" as my freebie, and the latter has already shipped. !?!?!
I just sent an email to CH CS using their webpage, attaching copies of both my screensave of the CH receipt as well as the order confirmation email.
Moral of the story: check all correspondence from CH carefully to ensure that they did not screw up your order. We really need to post this as the motto of this forum: "Columbia House: Great Bargains bring Great Frustration"!

bossfan

My order problems has been resolved in a most unexpected way. Since many of us have suffered through problems with CH I hope that this gives you some satisfaction that they sometimes screw themselves instead of their customers.

I spoke with a web specialist who looked at my order and agreed that it was mishandled. She re-entered my order, told me that the total was 67.93 and issued a credit to my charge card. I kept thinking that 67.93 was too low a total for what I ordered but I figured that I'd wait to see what ends up hitting my credit card. I checked my credit card statment today and I found all of the CH charges and credits.

It turns out that the web specialist did give me my $5 web discount, one box set and one regular title for free. What she did not do is adjust the other box set and the other regular title to regular prices and left both at the discounted prices. All 4 titles have already shipped and my account shows that I have completed my commitment. The end result is that I am getting two box sets and two regular titles for a grand total of $67.93.

I don't even feel guilty about this error in my favor. The whole problem started when a CSR had the nerve to take my credit card number and incorrectly re-enter my entire order at $44 more while telling me that I was being charged the correct amount of my original order, then CH basically tells me that there is nothing they can do to correct it unless a web specialist can do something for me.

CH, sometimes you gotta hate them and sometimes you gotta love them.

substeve

I was under the impression that "waiting for credit approval" meant you had to make a payment and it's tied into a limit on pending balances where CH won't ship anything if you go over it.

I had it happen once before to me and it was on an order I placed where I said to charge my credit card but sure enough my account had a pending balance and my credit card wasn't charged for some reason (not a big surprise considering the reliability of CH's website). Anyway, when I paid the pending balance low and behold "waiting for credit approval" was removed and the order shipped the next day.

I could be totally wrong but it might be a good idea to make sure you don't have a pending balance that could be blocking shipment of recents orders...

JoN8282

bossfan:

glad to see it worked out... did you figure out the "relative cost" of those box sets now? lol

bossfan

I'd say the relative cost is "really really cheap".

lizard

Even with a credit card on the account that is charged correctly, the order may say "awaiting credit approval" for a day or two while the charge is processed.

If one doesn't have a credit card on the account or has an unpaid bill (for whatever reason), "awaiting credit approval" will stay in place until previous bills are paid, as you say.

With the "bill me" option, large orders may be split up and sent piecemeal as bills for earlier shipments are paid. Columbia House does this because some people stiffed them by not paying bills for large numbers of DVDs. Then the unpaid bills have to be sent to a collection agency, which is expensive and time consuming and not always successful in tracking down the deadbeats.

SpringsGal

Looks like the 803419 code is dead now. So are there any other new codes that work? (either B1G1 Free or some other promotional code?)

DVD King

The only others I am aware of are the additional 15% off code: 800968, and the $10 off $40 or more code: 800138

Both are good ways of fulfilling as long as free shipping is still on.

lizard

Try 803434:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...60#post6041860

Scott Connors

803434 is another B1G1 free code. Earlier in this thread it states that it is good until May 20th. I just used it, and it works fine. This code allows you to get a free set if you purchase another set of equal value, but that set is not charged the "special club price" but rather its regular price. Still, this is a good deal IMHO.

SpringsGal

Thanks for the new code. Is this code (803434) any different from the previous one (803419)? The previous code also charged the regular price on DVD sets.

And it also looks like we can now pre-order DVDs that are supposed to be released on 5/31/05 (with this code). Last week that was not the case. So if you want to order the new James Dean movies (east of Eden, rebel without a cause), you can pre-order it now and use the B1G1 Free code.

dsa_shea

I tried to use this code on to buy a boxset and get one free. It changes the base price of the boxset that you're going to purchase from their original price. Is there any way around this? To me it's a scam so that they can recover some of the money that you save by using the code.

substeve

I wouldn't call it a scam. According to the coupon details you aren't supposed to be able to use it with boxsets but it lets you do so and CH has been honoring the orders (so far). The code raises prices on all dvds -- not just boxsets -- but when you factor in the free dvd/s it's still a great deal. For just about the same price of fulfilling with the standard 2 dvds you can get 4 instead. $40 boxsets inflated to $60 will cost you only $30 each after you buy one and get one free. Would it be nice if the prices weren't inflated? Sure. Bottom line is you are still saving even with the inflated prices...

Scott Connors

Even with the qualifying set at full price, this is still a good deal if you order a boxset of equal value as your free selection. For instance, I ordered two [I]Red Dwarf[/I[ seasons for the price of one. This is essentially getting each at 50% off, which beats the 40% off they had last year. Yes, CH is playing us, but then we're returning the compliment, and at least this time they're sticking to the rules. And don't forget that they extended free shipping to boxsets this time, which is a big plus.

JarJarBinks

So glad that the free shipping and B1G1 code were both still active today. Was able to complete an account, and pick up some movies I had to wait for them to go live for. I think I did a pretty good job with the codes and the $5.00 Web Offer.

Star Trek: Insurrection (Pre-Order) - $16.95
The Mask: Platinum Series - Free
The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - $16.95
White Noise (WS) - Free
Total: 33.90 + 2.04 Tax = 35.94. Free Shipping + Processing
Savings on this order: 49.90 - Average Price: 8.48

JoN8282

really wish that code got posted earlier - i would have been able to get a new account open maybe... now im really pushing it... just called now...

substeve

The alternate 5/20 code has been around for a while but sort of got lost in the shuffle because it wasn't needed until now. The good news is CH didn't pull the plug on the other B1G1F codes until several days past their expiration dates. You will probably still be able to use it past 5/20...

JoN8282

im hoping - i called up to join today - to play it safe, i'll call on friday to check the status, and if it went through, get the account #

redrum

looks like my order is goin through just fine, used bill me option too

Samurai Jack Season 1 shipped today


Product Title Selection # Status Price

Samurai Jack: Season 1 314390 Pending $29.95

Product Title Selection # Status Price

Samurai Jack: Season 2 386910 Pre-Order $0.00
The Aviator 361220 Pre-Order $19.95
Spaceballs Collector's Edition 382400 Awaiting stock $0.00


Subtotal $49.90

Shipping & Processing $0.00

Tax $2.11

Total $52.01

ruk

finally got back in the game, great way to finish the new membership.

cubsfan810

I know this may be a dumb question, but where is the bill me option when checking out online, I don't see one anywhere?

bis22

On Monday night got:
The Sea Inside
The Forgotten
Vera Drake
Apollo 13 (the new edition)

conscience

When you signed up was it online and did you use a credit card? If you did both, there will be no bill me option at checkout. From my experience, you have to call and ask them to change it to BILL ME. And it takes at least 48 hours for it to go into effect.


For further reference if you do that, the bill me option is under the payment section at checkout (where your credit card info is right now).

devynal

Used the other B1G1 code the other day for 4 movies - 2 preorders and 2 regulars. It charged me for the preorders and they counted as fulfillments + webdvd = $31.90.

Open with LMT for 7 movies = $12.89 and fulfilled for $31.90 = $4.07 per DVD, not bad.