Ally Kat

Thanks Lizard & BobO'Link!! The money order was sent off yesterday, lets cross our fingers!! Even the CH representatives are stumped. Leave it to me to create DRAMA!

movieguru

I pay with a credit card. I've ordered many DVD's from them on this account over the years. Out of my collection of about 900, about 700 are from CH on this account. I've also ordered gifts from this account and some dvd's for friends or coworkers, so the number of dvd's I've received from that account are higher than 700. I have a TV account as well but don't use it too often.

I emailed CH and the response I got was that they are waiting for authorization from my credit card. This doesn't make sense because I've ordered my Funcash dvd's and place another order for the 3 for $60 Blu's and they've shipped those already and they were billed to the same credit card!!

It may be time to just start a new account or to use my tv account more since I've ordered so many from this account. I don't like to cancel and renew accounts because it takes too long to get apprvoed and I'll never be able to get as many dvd's that way.

Taboner

I just did the 3 BD for $60 deal with three free DVDs. My account is not fulfilled though for some reason and it needs to be by early February. What can I do to prevent them charging me? :/ WHATS WRONG

BobO'Link

^Give it a couple of days. CH is notoriously slow in updating account information. If the initial shopping cart indicated they counted then they should.

movieguru

So now I try to sign in and my account says "in-active" "contact customer service" Does this mean CH cancelled my membership or is there a problem with the website today?

BobO'Link

^It's working for me. Clear your cookies and try again. Make sure you're not inadvertently attempting to log into an old, closed, account. If it's still "inactive" then you may need to call to clear up whatever problem has you locked out.

wkkunkle

On my one PC that I log-into all the time, it keeps showing all of these "unhandled exception" errors for all the pages.

When I try to log-in on another computer I don't normally log-in on, I get the "account in-active" error. So, I am hoping it is just a website problem on their end ... I called on the phone to check my account with the automated service and there was no reference to anything about my account not existing or otherwise being cancelled.

If it doesn't clear up by tomorrow, I'll give them a call to see what is going on.

wkkunkle

Hello All ...

I placed an order at the beginning of January (Jan 1) and as of the other day, all but one of my DVDs had shipped and arrived. The last DVD showed a pending on charge on my credit card (since Jan 11) but never posted or shipped and the phone automated system said they had "no record" of that selection number (when on January 11, it had said they were waiting to ship pending credit authorization).

In any case, I emailed Customer Service and asked the STATUS of the DVD. On January 16, they emailed me back with no explanation and just said "we are processing a replacement, sorry for the inconvenience." Well, yesterday, it shows on my account online as a new "mail order" for $14.95 + $2.99 + tax for a total of like $19.06.

However, this movie was originally free with FunCash and part of another order, so all I owed was $1.99 + tax ($2.11 total) for shipping. I called Customer Service and got a lady on the phone, explained everything, and she said she had no clue why they would have placed a new order as the original was still there. She then cancelled the new order (she said).

Today, I see that the status of the original order is now "processed" when I call on the phone.

However, the replacement order is still showing on my account online (luckily it is BACK ORDERED and has not shipped or charged my account).

Should it have already updated to CANCELLED online (since it has been over 24 hours)? Or, would it take longer? I know that their web system is not real time; but, I just don't want to be shipped and charged for this replacement DVD that I never requested or authorized and have to go through the hassle of REFUSED-RETURN TO SENDERing it.

Do you think it would hurt if I called to confirm the order # was cancelled?

SMART-ASS

Never contact CH about your order. You will get screwed every time.

movieguru

It's working today. There must have een something wrong with their website yesterday. I was worried they might have cancelled my accounts.

Odd though they still haven't shipped most of my order from 12/22. The only ones they've shipped are the $3.00 and $2.00 titles I added just because they were cheap.

wkkunkle

I know, I was naive in thinking that asking them "can you tell me the status of DVD # xxxxxxx?" would have been understandable.

The problem now is, though, I have already contacted them and they placed an unnecessary replacement order (without my authorization or request) for that particular title and phone customer service said they cancelled the order. So, do I wait another day or two to see if it shows up online as cancelled or do I call them again to verify on the phone that the order was cancelled already?

Or, do I just wait it out and send it back as "REFUSED-RETURN TO SENDER" if the unwanted replacement order eventually ships?

If they updated their website in real-time, things would be so much easier. But, alas ... I can always dream.

Watson2

Listen to SMART-ASS. This happened to me a few months ago, they rewrote an order (I too canceled it) and wound up REFUSED-RETURN when it arrived. I did get dinged shipping but decided to cut my losses.

EDIT: In my case a B1G1 during a FS weekend was replaced with a B1+60% with no FS. If I were you I'd wait and REFUSE it if it comes and DON'T contact them again unless they charge you shipping and your determined to get it back. Good luck.

wkkunkle

Thanks for the first-hand experience with the same issue, Watson2.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that they actually cancelled the order and the website just hasn't been updated yet ... but, if not, I'll only be out $3.17 for shipping if I have to do REFUSED-RETURN TO SENDER on it.

I just can't comprehend how they interpret "can you tell me the status of dvd # of order #?" as "place another order even though the first order is fine."

Thanks again.

BobO'Link

Clear your cookies. I get this occasionally when I've used a code that's "wonky" or several in a row checking for the best deal. You'll get a page with that error and a link to log in again. The cycle repeats until cookies are cleared. If you're using FF you can just search for cookies with "columbia" and leave the rest. If you're using IE you'll probably have to clear them all. I don't think IE (even 8, but I've not used that one yet) allows selective cookie deletion.

wkkunkle

It actually started working again on its own, without the need to clear my cookies. It has happened before and I just assumed they were doing work on the site or something. :-)

The same time the other computer that kept telling me "account in-active" finally let me log-in, my normal PC that I use stopped giving the "unhandled exception" errors and the pages just started loading properly again.

Thanks. :-)

bahgee

whats the best advice if you havent received an order that was shipped 12/28/09?

BobO'Link

^Wait until 1/28/10. They'll not do anything for 30 days.

rider555

I have a couple of alternate selection vouchers.On the back,it says that the address to mail them to is
Customer Service Center
P.O.Box 91602
Indianapolis IN 46291

The mailing envelope for their bills has this address on it:
PO Box 660882
Dallas TX 75266

Just want to make sure that I send my vouchers to the correct one.Come to think of it..is there a way that I can get my alternate selections ordered online?

wkkunkle

^ That is their Customer Service Address; so, that is probably where the vouchers need to go to to claim them. A lot of companies have separate addresses/departments for bill payment processing (not sure though, as I have never mailed a payment in to them).

But, it's probably best to wait for someone who has redeemed a voucher to chime in.

lizard

^^If you are talking about what we call "rain checks" (vouchers for enrollment titles), the best thing to do is to call or e-mail them in. Your account will show that you are owed DVDs, the piece of paper is completely unnecessary. Just say that you have the vouchers and you would like to use them on "selection number XXXX" and so forth. If they were for enrollment titles, as is usually the case, they can only be used for DVDs available for enrollment, although you can try to persuade a CSR to let you have a DVD not available for enrollment.

rider555

I did as you suggest and I am guessing it worked;

Dear Member,

Thank you for contacting us.

We are currently processing your order for the following selection(s):

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM

Most orders are received within 3 weeks from the ship date. You can
review the status of your order by accessing your Order History at
www.columbiahouse.com.

If we may be of further service, please don't hesitate to contact us.


Sincerely,
Lesley
Customer Service

Watson2

Has anyone else received a Directors Selection email for a DS you've already responded to?

lizard

Yes, I often decline a DS before Columbia House sends the e-mail reminder. The e-mails are automated and do not mean that you need to decline the DS again.

lizard

[Extracted from the sale offer code thread, since this discussion is off topic there.]You appear confused as to what sort of DVDs Columbia House sells. There was some talk years ago about CH making their own CDs but, whether or not that was true, it most definitely is not the case for DVDs and BDs. Columbia House buys and sells the same packaged DVDs and Blu-ray Discs sold by any other retailer. They buy them at wholesale and market them through their "club" membership structure.

Some years ago a Columbia House insider reported that the cost for typical DVDs was in the $3 range; it might be a bit less now. However, even if the average DVD cost is less than $3, that doesn't mean that they make money on those of us who have been cycling accounts at an average cost of $4.80 per DVD. That's because CH has a lot of other overhead costs to factor in, such as shipping, packaging, warehouse facilities, employees' pay, and the like. It is likely that CH does not make money on those of us who efficiently cycle accounts. This may be why they are tightening up on their use of sale offers. How this will affect their business with their average customers remains to be seen but the business news suggests that CH has been losing money for some time. Many of us here have long wondered how long CH can hold on with its current business model.
Columbia House Canada is a completely separate entity from the USA company (which is owned by a private investment group under the name Direct Brands, Inc.). Columbia House (USA) did have an enrollment offer with Blu-ray Discs that appeared to test the concept of a BD club, but nothing has come of it thus far. It was a poor deal by our standards here.

The notion that "large numbers of people keep joining and buying DVDs from the regular club" is wild speculation on your part. With the general slowing of DVD sales in recent years, as well as the sharp drop in prices at retail sales outlets, it seems likely that CH is hurting, which may be why they are shaking things up (yes, I am speculating also). Why CH didn't jump on the growing BD market with a BD enrollment club is a mystery. Perhaps they couldn't find a way to do it profitably or, perhaps, the studios wouldn't give them contracts to use BDs as enrollments, as they do with DVDs (these contracts are why there is usually a delay after release before a DVD can be used as an enrollment promotion).

Nevertheless, CH has been pretty aggressive about adding Blu-ray Discs to their catalog, which suggests that they realize that more and more customers are making the switch and that there may be more money to be made from BDs than DVDs (which have smaller margins).

WMAangel

Good idea...I'll do the same to my last response as well and put it here:

Good grief...why, oh why, does EVERY single discussion about Blu-ray on this site (except in the HD Talk area) always somehow end up with someone wanting to take some statistics (which can seemingly always be made and manipulated by both sides to look in their favor) to dismiss it??

Go back and reread my posts...never once did I say that BD (the proper acronym is BD, not "BR") is the sales juggernaut that will soon be in every single home and completely displace DVD...that was NOT my argument at all...I did not mention any rate, or its relative success to DVD! I merely stated the obvious fact that the BD market is growing! It doesn't take facts and figures to see this either....go into any retail establishment that sells movies (Best Buy, Target, etc.) and tell me whether or not the BD section has expanded over the course of the past year...

I was also not saying that CH should eliminate their DVD club and replace it with a BD one....I was merely stating they should create and offer an additional club for BD, as that is an increasing area of growth that they should take advantage of while they can...
This whole debate began because someone else said CH doesn't need a BD club is "as long as large numbers of people keep joining and buying DVDs from the regular club"....my response has always been that one has nothing to do with the other and that argument makes no sense from an economic and business standpoint, as it is ignoring potential profit they could be making by having one that serves this growing market....even if the DVD club is still going gangbusters for them, they could potentially make even more money if it is financially viable for them to offer a BD club...I'm not their CEO/CFO, I don't know what all their costs are and if a BD club would even be fiscally practical for them, but no one else here is capable of knowing this either....however, considering they were able to launch their DVD club in 1997 when that market was way smaller than the BD one is now, I'd imagine they could find a way to make it work....

Notwithstanding? That article wanted to compare the same "first five full year" period of market penetration and then went and used TWO AND A HALF YEARS for BD in which it wasn't even yet available! BD hasn't been available for five years yet....no wonder those stats look so good!! DVD stats wouldn't look so hot if I used 1995, 1996, and 1997 for their stats either! You can't compare 1998-2002 for DVD to 2003-2008 for BD when the first BD player was not sold in the US until mid-2006!!!

Regardless, BDs numbers will never grow as quick as DVDs for the simple fact that Blu-ray requires an additional prerequisite hardware investment above and beyond the player....even now, coming up on four years into the format, the whole market for BD is still not even half the size of the same one DVD had at its launch....

I guess the word you actually have an issue with is "many"....since that can mean thousands to you and maybe only dozens to me....would you have been happier if I had said "multiple" or "some" instead?

I never said they were....

CH launched its DVD club in 1997...were people buying more DVDs at that time than VHS?

No, I don't, because:
1. CH sales numbers comparing their own sales on each format doesn't have anything to do with whether or not there are people who now only purchase BDs and no longer purchase DVDs...
2. I am not the only person here who has stated this buying preference...numerous other people here have also posted as such...that was the WHOLE POINT of my initial response to all this...