BestBuy.com no longer offers Free Shipping on dvds (1 Viewer)

[Peter Kim]

I don't know when the free shipping for dvds ended, but it has. What is worse, they've reinstated the 'Order Charge'??!!!
So, there now is a double-whammy on each item in every order. For example, I WAS about to order the following (the pricing for each dvd will reflect the in-store pricing on 12/17 - don't worry, these prices are already publicly posted on BB.com's website):
BTTF - $37.99, down from $39.99
Unfaithful - $17.99, down from $19.99
Minority Report - $15.99, down from $19.99
Yes, all nice price reductions/release-date pricing, but factor in the followng:
$1.99 order charge, applied to every dvd order
99 cents shipping charge for each dvd
So the total order charges and shipping charges amount to $4.96 for the above order.
So, if you have a BB in your town, what's the point of preordering/ordering online? Pretty much none, except for convenience, and this is negated once you consider the long transit times involved.
BTW...the promotion on their website now reads 'Free Shipping...(and there is a space/interruption filled with an image of a gift-wrapped present) On Thousands of Great Gifts'.
Pretty sly...

 

[Bill Balcziak]

I don't know when the free shipping for dvds ended, but it has. What is worse, they've reinstated the 'Order Charge'??!!!

The "order charge" is absurd and short-sighted. It's one thing to make a profit on a sale--that's why they're in business. But to charge customers a fee for placing an order? That just shows the contempt this company has for its customers.
Obviously, all these annoying DVD orders are an inconvenience to Best Buy. If so, then I'll be happy to do my part by saving them the trouble of selling things to me.

 

[rodney wiley]

Somebody for BB must have read Brent H'S thread " I have a theory"

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Time to switch to circuitcity.com (unless they start the same thing). They claim to match prices of local B&M stores although I will see how much hassle it will be to get the pricematch.

 

[Adrian_S]

Phil, I never had a problem with CC price matching as long as I had the ad. Now as for circuitcity.com well that's another story.

Free shipping at Bestbuy was fun while it lasted, and everything comes to an end. I do agree that the service fee is a bunch of BS and will do my on-line Business elsewhere.

 

[Allen Hirsch]

Does the service fee still apply at BB if you order online for in-store pickup?

In-store pickup would at least negate the shipping charge, but it may still not be worth it if the other "fee" still applies.

 

[Peter Kim]

No, I ran an order through on an 'available for in-store pickup' item and the order charges were erased.

So in-store pickup is the way to go if you absolutely, positively have to order from BB.

Nevertheless, Best Buy reinstates shipping charges and order charges, Target no longer price matches, both just prior to the holiday season...are we no longer in a recession and the retailers flourishing enough to rescind popular policies?

 

[Scott Leopold]

I think this is all a vast conspiracy by Best Buy to lose my business. I've visited the local BB's less and less since the price hike a while back. The times I have been in, while their DVD section seems to expand, I've noticed that the selection doesn't seem to get any better. I did notice that Trading Places is on sale at bb.com this week for 14.39, and when I went to order it I discovered not only that free shipping was a thing of the past, but that the order charge had been reinstated. I ordered it for store pickup, and while I was driving home with it yesterday, I realized that, aside from the 2-3 I bought during the preferred customer weekends, this was the first DVD I'd bought at Best Buy (or bb.com) since the price hike. I'm assuming that Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, and DDD are thrilled with these new policies, because they're about the only stores that have gotten my business since BB went loopy.

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Unfortunately if you preorder, there is no in store pickup option, so the $5 coupon deals stick you with the fees.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

BestBuy.com will have to have a hell of a deal for me to buy from them with these fees and now shipping back on. Ans the in-store price hikes, too much. No single movie should be over $19.99, unless it is something really special or offers some extra special feature. I'm in the market right now for U-571, but last weekend Worst Buy wanted $22.99.

 

[Bill Balcziak]

I think this is all a vast conspiracy by Best Buy to lose my business.

I guess now that you're on to Best Buy, Circuit City can remove all those video cameras and microphones in your house now.

 

[Peter Kim]

Fortunately, I did not pull the trigger on my order. I've been pre-ordering a lot lately...enough so where I forgot that I had pre-ordered Minority Report some time ago.

I received shipping confirmation today (11th) which is surprising - in my previous pre-orders, I almost never received my dvd's even in the same release week.

Even with media mail shipping, I may even get MR prior to next Tuesday. But the interesting thing to note is that a tracking number was assigned to the order.

So, given BB's return to paid shipping, perhaps they've upgraded the standard shipping?

 

[Chris Brunner]

So, given BB's return to paid shipping, perhaps they've upgraded the standard shipping?

Nah, I was assigned tracking numbers for my last pre-orders of Goldmember and Lilo & Stitch. I was sent shipment confirmations on Thursday before release date. Received them the Monday AFTER release date.

That was actually the WORST shipment delay I ever experienced from Best Buy.

Now, they want me to PAY for that??? I don't think so.

C

 

[Marshall W. Carter]

I haven't bought ANYTHING from BestBuy.com in well over a year, because frankly, I have yet to see any real savings there as opposed to other online dealers. As for Best Buy B&M, well, I've gone in and looked, but there's just nothing special there. In fact, the only business I've done with them at all in the last six months was just last week, to grab a couple of gift cards.

As sad as it might sound to some, I've done most of my online DVD shopping at Overstock.com DeepDiscountDVD & Amazon.com (thanks largely to my apparent luck in getting promo gift certificates to surveys). Best Buy has been selling online long enough to know better. I guess they're probably figuring that it's only $3, and that most people aren't so obstinate about saving money that they'd NOT ORDER after going through the trouble of putting them in their kart, but when it comes to most of the people that roam these boards (and frankly I have the tendency to think that the online shopper on average is a bit more intelligent than your average joe who will grab a pan and scan over widescreen because he doesn't like the little black lines), there should be a noticeable drop in business. Maybe that's the idea, but I'd really like to see the DVD sales drop off after this new policy change. Of course, they could always say that it's due to the after Christmas season of too many credit card bills...

 

[JamesH]

An "order charge" is pretty reasonable given the pricing scheme involved. Most places I've bought from online usually charge around $3 for the first item and then a buck or so for each additional....how is that any different from a $2 order charge and $1 per DVD?

I just don't see where the complaints are coming from, considering that free shipping is just a promotional offer. It's like complaining that something that was on sale in last week's circular isn't on sale now this week.

I personally won't buy anything there since the prices are so high to begin with.

 

[David Lambert]

BestBuy.com seems to have reinstated the "Free Shipping On Anything" deal...just in time for the holidays to be over! :wink:

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Do they still charge the $1.99 order fee? Or does free mean all charges?

 

[James D]

Phil- free means free, no order fee.

 

[John Milton]

I placed an order w/ Best Buy today for the Starship Troopers SE. Not only was there free shipping but the price on their site was lowered when I added the item to my account.

 

[James D]

John- the price was lowered because BB has a sale going on right now that deducts 20% off all Columbia Tristar DVDs.