Anyone use Columbia House?

Aaron Chiandet · 05-01-2003, 03:31 AM

There movie program seems like a solid deal. I used them ages ago for music and they would send me random albums because I wasn't buying anything. Although I wonder if I just buy all 9 at once I can get free and clear of it?

Without shopping for prices I assume I could get 9 DVD's for just under 100 bucks.

So anyone have an experience with this?

Qui-Gon John · 05-01-2003, 08:07 AM

I have been doing it extensively since early Feb. Remember, enroll-fulfill-cancel-repeat.

Check out DVD Talk Forum - DVD Clubs for more info including all you need to know and FAQs!

Ren Cola · 05-01-2003, 03:53 PM

I used to get laserdiscs from Columba house in the early 90s, then in the late 90s got into their DVD club. It's not that bad at the start -- we do get a lot of free movies. But geez, after awhile the bill every month or so gets on your nerves. Then you get busy and you end up getting movies you don't even care about. And then end up buying movies you don't care about. But it IS a great way to build up a DVD collection if that is what you are interested in. It kind of forces you to buy the product.

Aaron Chiandet · 05-01-2003, 09:59 PM

yeah, I want to do it because there is a plethora of DVD's that came out years ago and I have really only been buying since about 01' or so. I think it would be a very inexpensive way of stocking up on all those older titles that I dont want to pay 20 bucks each for.

Brian E · 05-01-2003, 10:55 PM

I'm on my 7th & 8th memberships (you can have two at once). Great deal as long as you do your research to maximize value, the DVD Talk club threads are good for this. The last time I looked through their offerings however I see that I'm running out of titles I want that they carry.

**HTF Ads**

Jesse Skeen · 05-02-2003, 08:01 PM

No porn

David Materazzi · 05-06-2003, 11:25 PM

I was in it years ago and they were a pain with sending wi those cards / sedning cds before getting the chance to fill the card out. So I just stopped and threw away the cards after warning them about doing so. Then they start sending me packages with club info and wanted me to rejoin. Then they sent me dvd info a few times, but I threw them in the trash. Then one day I said let's give it shot. I got 10 free dvds,but had to pay for s/h. I had to buy 4 more at regular club prices ($19.99 and up) - most new dvds with s/h is about 29.95 - with 2 or 3 years. I fullfilled my memebership and canceled. I can get new ones at Best Buy for $16.99 -$17.99. But getting those free dvds brought the average cost for each dvd down to 9.28/each = 10 free + 4 bought = $130 compare to store 16.99 x 14 = $238
Maybe I will join again for free ones....

Qui-Gon John · 05-07-2003, 07:42 AM

David, see my post above. The cards are not a problem when you enroll-fulfill-cancel-repeat. And with some codes out there right now you can get 8 DVD's in one membership cycle for a total of $57.28, or an average of $7.16 per DVD's. These amounts are based on locales which are not charged tax, your costs will be slightly higher if you have to pay sales tax.

Mark Philp · 06-26-2003, 11:34 PM

The procedure of having to send the card back is called a "negative option plan" meaning that if don't do anything they'll ship you something. Once you fullfilled your order requirements you can request being put on a "positive option plan" which means they will only ship if you return the card. All the various music and book clubs I've belonged to over the years have always switched plans when I requested it so I can't imagine that Columbia House wouldn't too. They may tell you they'd like you to order something every few months, but I've never been dropped for not ordering.

ChuckSolo · 07-03-2003, 12:58 PM

I am kinda reluctant to join Columbia House although I have considered it. The thing is, is that I have built my 200+ DVD collection by going to Blockbuster and buying previewd DVDs when they go on sale. An example would be when they advertise "Buy 2 get 1 free." The cost can be as low as 5 bucks per DVD depending on the title. Walmart also has good prices on older DVDs, but for newer ones, Blockbuster previwed titles are really a bargain. They also have a 30 day warranty on all previed movies, not just DVDs, but tapes and games too.