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DVDEmpire changes coupon policy

post #1 of 19
3/13/04 at 5:20am
Thread Starter 
In the past when I had 2 orders, each with a coupon, I was able to combine orders and get credit for both coupons. I tried this today, since 1 order only had 2 DVDs and I wanted free shipping, and was told I could only use 1 of the coupons. I had to back out and add a third DVD to use both coupons and get free shipping on both orders.
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post #2 of 19
3/13/04 at 7:17am
Out of curiosity, how often does such a situation occur? AFAIK, DVD Empire doesn't offer many coupons.

M.
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post #3 of 19
3/14/04 at 4:45am
Thread Starter 
DVD Empire has been offering monthly coupons for many months now.I believe the following coupon codes are good thru 3/31/04

590641 - $5 off $60
590642 - $10 off $150
590643 - $15 off $200
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post #4 of 19
3/14/04 at 7:59am
Interesting. Where are these listed?

M.
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post #5 of 19
3/15/04 at 4:57am
Thread Starter 
The $5 off $60 is listed at dvdpricesearch.com
I received them by joining dvdempire's newsletter. I get emials with the coupon codes.
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post #6 of 19
3/15/04 at 8:25am
I realized after I posted that the newsletter was probably the source. I never get it, because my account with them predates the newletter sign-up. (In fact, it's so old that I'm identified my a username, not an email address.) Have to make a point of requesting the newsletter going forard. Thanks for the tip!

M.
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post #7 of 19
3/15/04 at 2:52pm
The reason DVDEmpire changed their 1 coupon per order was to close a loophole of stacking multiple coupons on a single order. With the flaw it was possible to pay an entire order by stacking the coupons.
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post #8 of 19
3/16/04 at 4:58am
Thread Starter 
I was never able to use more than 1 coupon per order, so I don't know what you mean about stacking coupons. What I used to do, for example, was place 1 order using the 5 off 60 offer and another order for 10 off 150. Then if I wanted I could combine both orders into 1 so they would come in 1 box or so I would get the free shipping. 1 box-set plus 1 other DVD will equal the $60 requirement to get the $5 off but since they count as 2 titles I would have to pay for shipping, thus it was nice to be able to combine it with another order.
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post #9 of 19
3/16/04 at 9:57am
Quote:
In the past when I had 2 orders, each with a coupon, I was able to combine orders and get credit for both coupons.

According to your initial statement you were using two coupons on a single order. When you combine an order it becomes a single order. However you were also doing it to get free shipping along with the discount of both coupons.

But there was also a glitch with DVDEmpire's site that allowed the stacking of coupons. As an example it was possible to add two $5 off $60 coupons on a single $60 order, or turning it into a $10 off $60 coupon. There was nothing preventing adding coupons until it was $60 off $60. DVDEmpire finally fixed the glitch and closed the loophole.
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post #10 of 19
3/17/04 at 5:04am
Thread Starter 
BrianP,you misunderstood my posting. As the quote from me shows - "When I had 2 orders"
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post #11 of 19
3/17/04 at 8:33am
Maybe you're misunderstanding what I was saying. I do understand that you started off with two separate orders, and each used a coupon. But combining makes it into a single order with one order number. They are not two individual orders anymore. And you stated you were getting credit for both coupons after they were combined. Is that correct? Because that is where the glitch was with DVDEmpire's site.

DVDEmpire made changes to their website to prevent 2 coupons from being used on an order. They will only allow one per order. Now when you try and combine two separate orders with coupons it will give the option of adding only one. Hopefully this makes sense.
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post #12 of 19
3/18/04 at 5:19am
Thread Starter 
Not really. If they have a 5 off 60 and a 10 off 150 coupon and I order 210 in dvds in 2 orders that meet their criteria, why shouldn't I then be able to combine the 2 orders if I want to? Wouldn't it be cheaper for them to send 1 package with free shipping than to send 2 packages with free shipping?
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post #13 of 19
3/18/04 at 1:52pm
Quote:
since 1 order only had 2 DVDs and I wanted free shipping, and was told I could only use 1 of the coupons. I had to back out and add a third DVD to use both coupons and get free shipping on both orders.

Your scenario in this quote was a little different. I think DVDEmpire would prefer you to add a DVD to the order with 2 DVDs, or pay shipping instead of combining 2 separate orders each with a coupon to qualify for free shipping because one order didn't quite qualify. In this situation you were trying to fudge the system to get free shipping, and the discount of the 2 coupons. I would probably do it myself. In this instance I really don't see how it would save DVDEmpire money.

Besides as I already mentioned DVDEmpire did this to fix a flaw with their website. The prior set up for coupon usage was vulnerable to fraud and abuse. They did what they thought was the best solution to the problem. It doesn't prevent you from free shipping or coupon usage. I really don't see why you should care so much if you get two orders instead of one. It's not costing you extra. Yes they may save a little in shipping two orders together, but what about losses due to potential abuse.
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post #14 of 19
3/19/04 at 5:56am
Thread Starter 
I see where your coming from but. What if 1 order had 8 titles and my second had 2 titles. I could order 1 more to make the 3, but what if there wasn't a 3rd title I wanted. They lose the $60 order. Also, I could always delete 1 from the 8 and add it to the 2 to get the free shipping. It's just simpler to combine the orders. Also with 2 boxes being shipped there are 2 chances for a package to get lost.
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post #15 of 19
3/19/04 at 10:34am
I'm not saying the solution is perfect but DVDEmpire had to do something to fix their site. And I don't know what you are ordering but I find it takes me about 4-5 DVDs to use a $5 off $60 coupon. My problem is never getting the free shipping but enough DVDs for the coupon. But at least they still allow you to combine orders with only one coupon. So at least adding to or removing an item from an order is not really a problem.

Also I think losing a package is a small issue. I don't know about you but I've had very few packages sent or received that were ever lost. And there was evidence that a few of them were never sent in the first place. I estimate that over 99% of the stuff I sent or received made it to its final intended destination out of thousands of packages. And to date I never had a lost package from DVDEmpire out of many orders.

Anyways if something was lost a reputable business would most likely send you a free replacement. Or if they didn't you would have the option of disputing charges and getting your money back if a credit card was used for the purchase. You would probably have similar options with a debit card but I never had one so I will keep my mouth shut on that subject.
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post #16 of 19
3/20/04 at 4:39am
Thread Starter 
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sixth Season originally listed for 44.99
Master and Commander 19.99
Since boxsets count as one, I would not get free shipping even though the order total was 64.98.
Look, this isn't a huge problem I just liked it better before they made the change. Empire is still one of my favorite sites. The have the best order management systems I've ever seen.
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post #17 of 19
3/20/04 at 11:26pm
I tend to shy away from the box sets at DVDEmpire because they are usually less competitive in price, and many of them are not eligible for free shipping. And like you said if they are eligible they count as only one title. I think DVDEmpire should revise their free shipping policy. It would be better if they set a minimum purchase requirement like Amazon does, or at least count a box as more than one title. I really think a box set alone is worth free shipping since they usually cost so much more. It really doesn't make any sense to make them not eligible or count as one DVD title.

My purchase pattern at DVDEmpire is mostly preorder DVDs priced $14 and less with occasionally some Criterion titles that interest me. I always make use of the free shipping and coupons on every order. But I did quit ordering from them for a while when they stopped allowing coupons on preorders a few months back. However they quickly reversed that policy when a small protest thread started at DVDTalk about a month ago complaining about the change. But I do agree they are an excellent site and their service is among the best.
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post #18 of 19
3/22/04 at 5:07am
Thread Starter 
In this case Empire was very competitive. The Buffy boxset was 44.99. Deepdiscountdvd had it for 43.91. With the 5 off coupon, Empire had the best price. After I placed the order, Empire lowered the price to 38.99, so with the 5 off coupon its only 33.99.
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post #19 of 19
3/22/04 at 3:53pm
But they are only competitive on a rare occasion with box sets. I usually end getting the majority of my box sets from Amazon with share the love and free shipping discounts. Most of the time DVDEmpire cannot get close to their prices. In fact the only time I ever found a good price on a box set I wanted at DVDEmpire was for the first two seasons of the Dick Van Dyke Show. I would love to give them more of my business but I also try to purchase from the cheapest website available with decent service. Well that is probably enough said on this topic since it is veering off the original subject, and I think everything was covered with the coupon policy. If you have nothing more to say I will bow out of this thread now. Thanks for the discussion.
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