Columbia House DVD's, same quality? (1 Viewer)

[Thomas Reagan]

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but are there any differences between a DVD purchased through a regular store and one through Columbia House? Are they all manufactured at the same plants?

I am toying with the idea of joining to build up my collection cheaply, but I am hesitant. I recall joining record/tape clubs (RCA) many years ago which offered inferior reissues of different musical titles, with altered packaging.

Thanks for the input,

Thos.

 

[Jeff_A]

There is absolutely no difference in product. This is also an excellent way to build your collection FAST (and cheaply).

 

[Chauncey_G]

I'll second that the discs are the same, but I'd like to caution you about just how "cheap" it is.
Columbia House's starting prices are relatively high. I put them right up with buying from a brick & mortar Barnes and Noble or Borders. You also pay tax as well as shipping and handling on all items that you order. If you come across a "good deal", add in the tax and shipping charges and see what the final price is going to be. A lot of the time, I found that it was just as good going to Best Buy.
I'm not saying there are no deals at all at Columbia House, I'm just saying be mindful of everything that they're going to charge you before you commit. In all fairness, once you've fulfilled your minimum membership requirements you do get to take advantage of sales and special offers, but for me it never equalled itself out.
All that being said, as you're comparing prices take a look at www.deepdiscountdvd.com. They have respectable prices, no tax and free shipping. I've started using them pretty much exclusively for my DVD shopping.
To sum up: shop around before you commit.
P.S.- If you do go with Columbia House, then make sure that you try to order any of the big expensive Director's Cuts or Special Editions that you've been wanting as your free discs.

 

[Justin Gates]

Columbia house does NOT have to be expensive. There is a very easy way to maximize your offers so that your average price per DVD is just under $10.Click here
I've had countless memberships through them and have not had any problems. Of course, your mileage may vary.

 

[GlennH]

Yes, as Justin points out, if you play the game correctly you can get all titles for under $10 average price, with no further obligation. Quit and rejoin, repeat. See the link Justin provided.

As to your exact question, it is answered in that link, see the FAQ, question 5.j.

 

[Dave Getson]

Columbia house is good if you're not looking for specific qualities in certain dvds.

For example, they don't have the DTS version of "The Haunting". Nor the super duper special edition dvds (Men in Black, etc).

But if you're just looking for regular dvds, it's a great starting point. That's what I did. Just be careful of some of the prices. You might be better to buy them at a local store.

 

[LukeB]

Actually they do have the 2-disc Men in Black Limited Edition. 2509305

And the Haunting (DTS) as well: 2525202

 

[Jack Briggs]

I was curious about this, too. Not that I ever intended to join. But I did belong to one of the company's "record clubs" specializing in serious/"classical" music back in the early '80s. And those vinyl pressings were definitely not the original label pressings.

 

[Jeff_A]

Just be careful of some of the prices. You might be better to buy them at a local store.

I have never heard of a store where every DVD is $9.28 (shipped) as it is at Columbia House! There prices simply cannot be beat if you utilize the savings codes and information provided in the above links. The mantra is as follows: join-quit-join-quit...

 

[Tim Abbott]

I would highly recommend that anyone who has not ordered DVDs from Columbia House check out the link that Justin provided.
It is a fantastic way to pick up titles that have been out for a little while. That link helped me double my DVD collection in a relatively short amount of time.

 

[Adam_WM]

P.S.- If you do go with Columbia House, then make sure that you try to order any of the big expensive Director's Cuts or Special Editions that you've been wanting as your free discs.

If I may share a personal story, my initial Columbia House offer, which was 5 for 50 cents or something like that and a 6th @ $9.95 with 3 more to buy, garnered me quite the little score. I got 6 DVD's which would have cost me $168.00 for a mere $26-something. With the 3 additional $19.95 chepos, it works out being something like $7 or $8 a disc. Just like Mr. Burns says, "eee-hh-cellent."

 

[Dave H]

I just completed a Columbia House account. By using a good code, I was able to buy eight DVDs and each averaged out at $9.75 a piece, including shipping and tax.

There were my titles:

Scarface

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Cape Fear (1991)

Seven: New Line Platinum Series

The Crow: Collector's Series

The Black Hole

Conan: Collector's Edition

Waterworld

Where else could I have bought these for $9.75 each?

 

[Richard Travale]

Does anyone know if the codes will work for Canadian orders?

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Unlike their old record clubs, Columbia House DVDs are exactly the same as the ones in the stores. If you read the mint markings you will see that they are pressed at the same plants, from the same batches. They have the same annoying sensormatic tags inside, and the damned security stickers on the outside. These are retail DVDs.
And if you know a retailer where I can buy two-disc SEs for 10 bucks, let me know.