"I, too, would like to add my voice to the chorus of disapproval. Every time I place an order there is a problem.
This last time I placed an order I received two copies of it. I returned one and paid for the other.
I received an invoice for the amount I paid, even though the invoice shows they received my payment and the unopened, returned second copy.
There's no other word for it...these folks are buffoons! If they're not that incompetent, then they are doing it intentionally, which is even worse.
The sales are excellent, but it's just not worth the trouble. Avoid this merchant at all costs. "

"Columbia House is a great place to maximize your value if you know how to play their game -- get the most expensive titles for your enrollment, buy the bare minimum requirement to fulfill your account (preferably during a sale or some sort of promotion), then quit and sign up all over again. My friends and I loved Columbia House and bought from them for 5-10 years. But the deals aren't what they used to be, especially when they're still pushing DVDs for enrollment (their Blu-ray enrollment and fulfillment membership is an overpriced joke).

I stopped shopping at Columbia House a long time ago, and the reason is their customer service. The bargains were great when I could get them and the majority of my orders went through just fine without a hitch, but when order errors happened on their end, they became a major headache and hassle that took a lot of time and effort to fix with the customer service representatives I had to deal with.

The first big glitch with them I had to deal with was when the titles I bought for fulfillment glitched on their end and didn't count as fulfillment titles (that's when I learned I needed to make copies of the checkout screen for every damn order to show they were fulfillments and how much I was paying for them). So after I quit I get sent a voucher and charged for the price of two DVDs. Complaining with the CSR didn't help either because she was insistent that the DVDs I bought didn't count and she wouldn't let me talk to a supervisor. Eventually I got ahold of another CSR on a later date and the issue was resolved, my credit card got refunded and I didn't have to buy double the number of fulfillment titles.

Second big mistake was when they declined my fulfillment order for allegedly exceeding some sort of purchase limit (event though we were only talking like $45 here). This is what the CSR even e-mailed me when I asked why my order wouldn't go through: "Certain purchase limitations must be placed on all accounts until payment habits have been established. After these patterns are established, the account is re-evaluated and the limits are extended." So they wouldn't let me buy DVDs from them until I bought DVDs from them? Obviously I complained to them about it and they fixed it... by creating a duplicate order, meaning they were sending me my fulfillment order twice and charging me twice! And trying to get this fixed, you know what they did? Duplicated the two duplicate orders, which meant they were sending me the order two more times and charging me for it! They wouldn't cancel any of this on their end but told me to mark the packages as "return to sender" and they'd take care of it... which they did by flagging and freezing my account for excessive returns! From their CSR: "We canceled your membership because of the excessive number of returned shipments. We cannot ship any additional orders on this account." They actually expected me to pay the shipping costs of all these mistakes, but eventually credited me back for the shipping costs after I jumped through a few more hoops.

Next order they screwed up, they sent me the wrong titles. When I contacted them about it, what did they do? Yup, duplicated the order and charged me a second time. Only this time the second order cost twice as much as the first order because I had made the purchase during a buy one, get one free promo which didn't carry over for their duplicate order. When they credited me back for the returned titles, they actually undercredited me, so that took another round with CSRs to fix.

The final straw with them was when I placed a fulfillment order with them during a buy two, get two free promotion. I get a letter from them in the mail saying the titles I was getting for free were no longer being carried by Columbia House, even though they're still there on their site ready to click to purchase. Sounded like they were trying to get out of their "two free titles" promo. A CSR tried to assure me that those two titles were merely backordered and would be shipped out once they're in stock, but what happens yet again? They create another duplicate order! Fortunately this time I didn't actually get charged for it, but enough was enough. Without competitive Blu-ray prices, this wasn't worth the headaches anymore and I've never been back."

"I have one main complaint. They don't offer tracking numbers. Sometimes it takes too long for delivery, and it would really help if you could track the progress of your order."

"I ordered the Director Selection which should of been shipped 12/8/2008 I have yet to receive this dvd but believe me they took the money out of my bank account on that date. I did find a contact number 1-***-***-**** after following several voice prompts to finally talk to real person only to be hung up on by Daniel. I called back and spoke to someone else who informed me that they can NOT issue a credit until 4 weeks have passed. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was hung up on again. I would recommend going to your local Walmart over joining this club which has horrible customer service."

"I am a member of Columbia House and have been for a few years now. This is my second or third time around. Meaning I have agreed to purchasing more DVD's in the future by a certain date and when I meet that my membership is canceled. So then I would order another bunch of DVD's for free and sign another agreement.

Looking at other reviews I would say Columbia House is "okay". If you love to buy a lot of movies, don't mind waiting to receive them, don't mind waiting for good deals or don't mind paying about $3.00 for shipping, don't mind accidently getting a dvd in the mail to return later because they didn't send you the e-mail for your directors selection, don't mind seeing a sale price on the internet thinking that you will order it to fulfill your membership requirements to realize you have to pay $10.00 more to have it count toward your commitment then Columbia House will work for you.

The people who have no trouble with them probably haven't had to contact them regarding an issue because the phone doesn't get picked up on the first ring if you know what I mean. Or don't mind paying $22.95 for a DVD to help fulfill their membership commitment.

Here are a few of the negative things that I have experienced.
Since I have been a member more than once and my account number changes I have had to request my sign-in name on the website and password because I lose track of it. The last time this happened they sent me a password, but it was actually the wrong password. I tried to sign in my account to order some DVD's, but couldn't without my password. When I requested my password, I was sent the wrong password. When I tried to contact customer service, good luck finding a phone number!!!!! I ended up e-mailing them for my password and they reset it, but it took 2 days!
I am set up to receive my Director's Selections though e-mail notifications. These come monthly. A couple of times I didn't get the e-mail and they would send me the director's selection. I would mark "Cancel" on the unopened box and put it back in my mailbox which would return it to them and they have always credited my account. Another time I signed into my account to verify my e-mail address and they had it listed as "****@****". Come on, no one owns that e-mail address and I sure didn't put it there so I changed it back and so far I have been receiving my e-mailed directors selections to cancel. I just wish someone who cares would contact me from Columbia House and offer me something for both sending me the wrong password and allowing me to get that excellent deal that was running 3 weeks ago with free shipping when you buy 3 and buy 1 DVD get 2nd Free."

"I think columbiahouse has come along way. Their website is better and their customer service is better.

Recently they had a one day promotion for buy one get one free on bluray movies. I tried to order 6 movies but the buy one get one promotion wasnt showing up. I emailed them and they asked for the list of movies I wanted and they put my order through and honored the promotion.

You do have to respond every month to their directors selection. If you dont respond they'll send the movie out. It hasnt been a problem for me. They email me when my monthly director's selection is ready and I go to their website and accept or decline.

Their prices are pretty high, but they offer alot of discounts. You get the best deals when you buy 3 or more movies at one time. Columbiahouse has a pretty bad reputation but I've had no problems in the 5 years or so that I've been a member. I think recently they've come along way in trying to address the reasons for their bad reputation and so I do recommend them."

"I signed up through a website that paid me for the lead, and it was the worst idea ever. The initial cheap dvds were limited to 51 choices and the rest were overpriced compared to MSRP.. Customer service was awful and unhelpful, and they sent me another movie AFTER I canceled my service. Their website wouldn't help me with that either. Avoid these guys like the plague if you're smart... Oh, and their FunCash expires if you don't use it by the end of the year..."

"WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!! I tried resolving an issue online and you get a response stating they wil "try" to respond within 48 hours...it's been almost two months. My bank has contacted them twice, I've called them three times, tried sending a fax and also mailed them my issue, still not resolved! One of your reviewers states he's never had an issue with the company, maybe because he's never had an issue that acutally required someone at Columbia House to do a little research. I got as far as talking to a "management" person who basically told me I had to resend whatever I had already sent to her and she would try to research the issue! BUNCH IF MORONS!!!"

"Was mailed three DVD's without my permission so I mailed them backed and was stilled charged for them. This has been a continuous problem with this company. paul
****@****"

"My wife got an invoice from these clowns, claiming that she owed them $95! The joke is that she can't read English! Columbia House thinks that they'll actually be able to scare us into paying them money. We never received nor order and product from this company, but if this scam of theirs affects our credit rating, they will be sucking on a big fat class action lawsuit."

"Wow... I cannot believe all the nasty things people say about Columbiahouse. I have had Columbiahouse memberships since I was a kid - bought my first record albums through them. I have a membership now. I follow the instructions (fulfill the purchasing requirements, check off the box saying you don't want to receive the director's selection and send it back by the date noted), and when I've completed my requirements, I get a postcard congratulating me and offering me free selections. It's not rocket science, folks.. The guy who writes how he returns the director's selections because he didn't request them cracks me up - do you read instructions?! Columbiahouse, in my opinion, is a great way to bulk up your DVD or music collection at a low price. I don't know what all the fuss is about - I think people are just lazy and don't want to follow instructions and honor the agreement."

"I have had extremely bad customer service with columbiahouse. For the longest time, i could never log into this website, and when i tried to send emails to the customerservice, i get a notice saying that my membership has been cancelled,without my knowledge for sending back the director's selection DVD's? First of all, I never asked for these to be sent to me,so returning them was a natural choice.Next, when i logged into the website as recently as less than a week ago, there was no mention of the membership being cancelled. Infact, there was a note about how i needed to buy 4 more DVD's at regular price? So, when I went ahead and purchased it. Wile they have my email on file, would it not call got basic courtesy to atleast send me an email before cancelling my membership? Moreover, online, they still have my credit card on file. This does not make me feel very secure. I certainly hope that there is some justice for all the inconvenince caused."

"We had signed up with Columbia House, I was in the process of ordering presents for my husband for Christmas. I ordered 2 movies which went through my bank with NO problems. This purchased completed our obligation to them and left us $17 fun bucks to use. I oredered a 3 movie for him or at least thought I had ordered this 3rd item. I attempted to log in today and was unable to, so I called them and they claim that the account has been CANCELLED due to to many declines on our credit card. BEWARE!!!!!!! ONCE YOUR ACCOUNT IS COMPLETED THEY CANCEL YOU."

"
Below are copies of emails sent to me by Columbia House's Customer Service Department regarding several orders. The initial problem with the company was in regards to the first order. Columbia House gives NO "order confirmation" NUMBER! You need an actual shipping invoice in your hands first!

The Customer Service Telephone Representatives tried to charge my $300.00 maximum limit credit card over $1000.00! I placed ONE order for $252 and some odd cents. They then placed several orders they claimed due to a "misunderstanding" and an adjustment was made on my account with them as well as my credit card agency whom I promptly contacted while this was going on.

In fact, I checked my online account daily to find out what was going on. That was where I noticed the problems. Once I contacted Columbia House, each telephone representative tried to tell me that I placed all of those orders. That was a LIE! This problem was eventually solved after speaking with two Customer Service Managers over a period of three days!

I last used my "Fun Cash" last night to place the last order. I woke up this morning to find that my account had been "cancelled" by Columbia House for too many "adjustments."

That implies to me that if they can not RIP YOU OFF, they will not do business with you. Furthermore, the "Fun Cash" order for Stargate SG-1 Seasons 2 & 3, were cancelled by Columbia House eventhough I was not told. However they are going to ship Babylon 5 Crusade.

The representative I spoke with this mornig hung up on me when I asked him {African guy with a name begining with the letter M}, to transfer me to his supervisor.

They will transfer you and put you on hold for up to 20 minutes. You will speak with people from all over the world it seems but RARELY someone from the U.S. or Canada!

I truly recommend people to STAY AWAY from this company. I had to interrupt my time on the job for two DAYS to try to correct this problem!
_________________________________________________
Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 15:10:08 -0400
From: ****@**** Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
To: ****@****
Subject: DVD Order Confirmation

Thank you for placing your order online.

The following items will be on their way shortly:
ORDER CLUB Title
621317593 DVD The Doors
621317593 DVD The Breakfast Club
621317593 DVD Stargate Sg-1: Season 4
621317593 DVD Stargate Sg-1: Season 7
621317593 DVD Stargate Sg-1: Season 5
621317593 DVD Stargate Sg-1: Season 6
621317593 DVD The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended
Edition
621317593 DVD Purple Rain 20Th Anniversary Special Edition
621317593 DVD Stargate Sg-1: Season 8
_________________________________________________

Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:21:07 -0400
From: ****@**** Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
To: ****@****
Subject: FunCash Order Confirmation

Thank you for using your FunCash to buy:

ORDER CLUB Title
622045202 DVD Crusade: The Complete Series
__________________________________________________

Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 23:28:16 -0400
From: ****@**** Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
To: ****@****
Subject: FunCash Order Confirmation

Thank you for using your FunCash to buy:

ORDER CLUB Title
621922943 DVD Stargate Sg-1: Season 2
621922943 DVD Stargate Sg-1: Season 3
If you have any questions regarding your order, please feel free to
contact our Customer Service Department at 1-***-***-**** or
email us at ****@****.

Columbia House DVD Club
Customer Service
________________________________________________

Update: I have received my shipment from Columbia House of my initial FIRST order. Everything arrived safely.

The preceeding two "Fun Cash" orders I placed however have NOT been received. Furthermore I was informed by a representative of Columbia House that the "Fun Cash" that I RIGHTFULLY earned, was DELETED from my account by Columbia House after they chose to close it because of too many "adjustments." Remember those "adjustments" were made to my account by Columbia House only AFTER I contacted them SEVERAL times and my credit card company Capital One after Columbia House phone representatives tried to run my credit card with only a maximum $300.00 in credit up to aproximately $700-1000!

I truly would NOT recommend Columbia House to any one intending to pay for their services by credit card, bank card or any other form of electronic account.

To me it is a Criminal Empire!"

"FunCash... Only Fun RIP off.. Try and redeem your FunCash dollars on their Website.. Good luck in find it.. They say it is there, but unless I am totally blind, it does not exist...
BEWARE OF COLUMBIA HOUSE DVD FUNCASH... They want to sell you DVD but not willing to reward you for it...
"