The Dirt:
(FAQ) | What's the deal with those Columbia House 12-for-1, 8-for-1, and FREE CD mail-order CD club offers? You've seen the numerous ads touting "X CDs for the price of 1!" or "X DVDs FREE" or "Buy 1, get X FREE!" all over the place. Are they really too good to be true? Actually, no... these are often great ways to get CDs, VHS, or DVD Cheap You can get CDs for $5-8, DVDs for $9-12, and VHS for $6-9, versus the TWICE THAT you'd often pay in stores. If you were wondering how they do this, its pretty simple - they don't pay artists as much (or at all) as with a regular CD. Notice how many of the CDs you receive are "FREE" or "Bonus". Well, as luck would have it, most artists have in their contracts that they don't get paid for "FREE" or "Bonus" CDs. They signed those contract thinking those were promotion giveaways or something like that. Well, guess again. The money you save (which can be a lot) comes mostly out of artists pockets, as well as from the stores who are cut out by you buying "direct". The same goes for movie titles, although its the studio that gets cut out a bit from the equation. Q: Why don't you offer all of the popular selections and artists?
A: Not all the clubs offer all titles by popular artists. First off, they concentrate on teh more popular titles, so they can stock less. Second, corporate ownership of these clubs can restrict who they can carry. Columbia House, for instance, is owned by Sony... so CH can't offer their Sony CDs. CH owns RCA, so you'll only find they CDs at RCA. If neither club has the CD you're after, you can almost certainly buy it at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com using the discounts at couponsanddeals. Q: Why don't they have the latest releases?
A: This is controlled by our contracts with individual labels and artists. We aim to offer new titles as soon as possible, but often they are available in retail stores first. We know it's hard to wait for the latest release from your favorite bands, but you'll be rewarded with lower prices! Q: How do I contact Customer Service
A: To reach Columbia House customer service, call 812-242-7000 or send email to customer_service@columbiahouse.com. |
