Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

I don't believe they will charge you anything if you send in the freebie 
coupon.  

In case you do have a problem, however, call 800 information and ask for their 
number.  I found the people to be very helpful.

						     
							- JP

PS:  If you do talk to them, tell them that many people will start dropping 
out of their club if CBS actually starts copyguarding cds!

        I'm a member of the CBS Compact Disc Club and I got two of those
    coupons because of out of stock CD's.  We just got a CD from one
    of the coupons and there was no shipping or handling charge.  It
    was nice to see a bill with AMOUNT DUE $0.00 on it for a change.
    
    ASP

    I've received many "freebie" coupons for out of stock items (although
    I still can't figure why these same CD's are featured so predominantly
    in their monthly brochures) - but I have never been charged any
    shipping costs for the freebies.
    
    Also, I ordered two CD's from the last mailing under the preferred
    membership plan (i.e. one full price CD and one half-price CD).
    One CD was temporarily out of stock, but I received the other CD
    and they only charged me a portion of the shipping cost versus
    full shipping costs for both discs shipped separately.
    
    All in all, I find their shipping costs practices to be quite fair.
    My only peeve is "just once" I'd like to get the CD on time rather
    than the "out of stock" notices.
    
    Pat
    

    
    I've noticed that everytime I order something a little off the beaten
    path it's out of stock.  Like they only make them up when they need
    some?
    
    

    RE: .0
    
    Did you ever get the phone #? maybe you could post it here...
    
    I'm kind of p-o'd at the CBS club at the moment, and will be calling
    and/or writing.
    
    A while ago (it seems like a looong while ago) I sent in my order
    form to join the club. I don't remember all of my selections, but
    one was Peter Gabriel's "SO". Two of the 3 discs came in the mail
    (seems like it took a lot longer than RCA), with a credit slip for
    one disk, and a coded note that indicated that "SO" was out of stock.
    The note said I could re-order the same disc, or a different one,
    at no cost. I wanted "SO", so I re-ordered it.
    
    Then, after another long wait, I got stuff in the mail at the weekend.
    There was another credit slip for one CD. And two notes. One note
    was on the invoice sheet. It reads:
    
    "The items noted below cannot be requested on a dividend or credit
    certificate. They are available for purchase only. Enclosed please
    find a replacement certificate for ordering an alternate selection.
    
    		SO		345777T					"
    
    The other note, a photo-copy of a standard note:
    
    "Dear Member:
    
    The recording(s) you recently requested is no longer available through
    the Club.
    
    Enclosed is a credit certificate(s) you may use to order an alternative
    selection(s).
    
    				Cordially,
    
    				Douglas Mitchell
    DM:R-BK-51			Membership Director			"
    
    And then, to cap it all, in the most recent issue of DISCOVER they
    have their membership offer (3 for $1.00 or whatever) and one of
    the discs available is ... Peter Gabriel's "SO".
    
    What's a bargain-hunter to do?

    - roger

    
    RE: .-1
    
    	I too have noticed that RCA delivers much quicker than CBS.
    Perhaps that's why they rip you off so bad on postage/handling?
    8^)
    
    	This month's CBS catalog has another one of those "buy one get
    another for half-price" deals.  I recently ordered a single CD for
    $14.98, and for my 1/2 off CD I ordered Fantasia (a 2 CD collection).
    *YES* -- they did give me the 1/2 off on the Fantasia soundtrack.
    I was amazed.  But grateful!
    
    	Now I want to try the same thing with Bob Dylan's _Biograph_.
    Unfortunately I only keep the most recent two months worth of catalogs,
    and this is not listed in either.  Can someone out there who may
    have more than one back catalog provide me with the order number
    for Bob Dylan's _Biograph_?
    
    	(Hint: For those of you who have waited on Springsteen's live
    set -- you could try this and get his set for roughly ~$20.00!)
    
    							-rkj

    .-1
    
    I just scanned thru the may, june, and summer '87 catalogs with
    no luck on Dylan, but somebody with better eyes than me may
    find it.
    
    .-2
    
    I just called up the 800-555-1212 info number and she had no
    lisiting for the "CBS Compact Disc Club".  I did get a non-
    toll free number before but I am going to be damned if I
    pay for a phone call.  The number I got was (812)466-8111
    
    Whoever said there was a toll-free #, could you please elaborate,
    thanks.

Ok.  I actually got the number for the CBS record club from 800 information.  
When I called them, they gave me the 800 number for the CD club.  I assumed 
(incorrectly) that this number would be listed in information.  I wrote it 
down on the catalog, and tossed the catalog later.

						     Sorry
							- JP

    
    I haven't seen the Dylan but the Springsteen set is footnoted "not
    available as a free, bonus or discount selection".
    
    

    Is this gem of a CD club brought to us by the same people that are
    so eagerly pushing Copyguarding CD's.  
    
    Will they (the club) be pushing copguarded CD's as soon as CBS gets
    their system in place?
    

    I attempted to order "THRILLER" through this club.
    You guessed it, they were out of stock.
    Now this is the largest selling album in history.
    It's sales significantly affected the bottom line of CBS.
    Furthermore, it is available in record stores on CD.
    Why would CBS be "out of stock" of the largest selling album in
    history?
    

* < Note 796.11 by SKYLRK::WALSH >
*                          -< What's the bottom line? >-
*
*    Why would CBS be "out of stock" of the largest selling album in
*    history?
*

The bottom line is that CBS, Inc., has absolutely no connection with the
CBS Record/CD club.  CBS sold its club several years ago to RCA (hence
they have the same address).  And just a few weeks ago, GE sold the RCA
record club to A German company - Bertelsmann.

Dirk    

    I just received my introductory shipment with all 4 of my selections (I
    bought the optional 4th for half price deal).  After reading all of the
    negatives in here maybe I should just fulfill my requirements and get
    out?  That would be too bad since economically the Club seems like a
    good deal. 

    Last week I paid I sent in payment for my last required CD
    and I inserted a little note saying that now that I've meet
    my obligation, that I no longer want the Selection of the
    month sent to me unless I request it.
    
    Well yesterday I got this in the mail from them:
    
    ----------------------------------------------------
    Dear Mr. Michaud
    
    Thank you for your correspondence and payment.
    
    This membership has now been cancelled and the name
    will be removed from our files for future shipments
    and announcements.  If mailings were in process before
    cancellation could take effect, they could not be stopped.
    
    Should you receive a shipment you do not wish to keep,
    please use the enclosed mailing label to return it.
    --------------------------------------------------------

    I didn't ask for them to cancel my membership.  What a
    bum deal!

        I've been a member for 6-7 months and have received a total
        of eight disks (to date) from them.  Including postage,
        handling, and tax (but not the stamps I use to send checks,
        etc.), they've cost just under $9.00 each.
        
        There were two others I ordered that they said were no
        longer available (though I've seen them in stores since
        then), and one I did get had to be back-ordered and took
        about six weeks to arrive (and during those six weeks I
        saw it in many stores).
        
        I haven't been ripped-off; far from it, but I haven't been
        very impressed with the choices in their monthly brochure.
        I don't think I'll stay a member much longer.
        
Jim Stratton
        

    Just wanted to let you know that I am now member of the CBS
    disc club the secind time within about 3/4 of a year with the
    same address. I already got my introductory offer. Nothing was
    missing. But of course I'll leave again after buying my agreed
    upon 2 CDs. Last time it took me about 2 months to leave their club.
    They deleted me from their list only after I send my letter
    certified and return receipt required!

    I believe the other CD club ( the name escapes me right now) is
    a better deal since you get 50% coupons with your required
    purchase of 2 CD ( your committment). I am also member in this
    one, and it worked fine until, Everything was shipped and contained
    all promised coupons. At one one they reminded of paying for a
    shipment I did not receive, but after talking to them via the phone,
    they just reshipped it.

    Regards
	Thomas

    RE: .5 (yep, an oldie).
    
    Just to let you know, after getting the run-around a couple of times
    on the "So" album, I wrote a polite letter basically saying "you're
    all screwed up, what's the real story? I'd really like "so" as
    originally ordered when I joined the club". I addressed the letter
    to one of the "membership directors".
    
    I got "So" in the mail within a week. No charge for separate shipping.
    
    Now I'll buy the two I'm obliged to buy at regular prices, then
    leave.
    
    And maybe rejoin in a few months provided that the selection changes
    or improves.
    
    - roger

    
    I HAVE THE NUMBER.  AS OF 2/18/88 IT IS (800) 457-0500
    

    
    	I think we're still living with a bit of a hang over from vinyl
    disk days, i.e. a lot of us still want to buy our disks "unopened".
    If/when we can overcome that it will make much more sense for the
    stores to depackage them, display only the box and play the disk
    for us in the store (headphones please, I want to hear THIS one
    and not THAT one).
    
    	Another solution would be for us (dec) to sell zigga_mega_data storage
    to the stores through the record companies so that they could.....,
    oh forget it.

    	R
    

About 15 days ago I sent in my paperwork for the Sony CD player bonus - 5
CDs thru the CBS CD club for a total of $12.98, and no further obligation.
Effectively knocked $60.00 off the $300 I spent on my new Sony CDP-C50
player.

Today in the mail I got my package from CBS CD Club with 3 of my 5 disks
(Robert Plant - Now and Zen, M. Jackson - BAD, Sting's new one), but 2 were
marked on the invoice top section as:

	Shipment complete - see other papers for notice (<something like that) 
	B  The Joshua Tree         B  Springsteen


I'm *guessing* that the "B" in front of those two titles means
"Backordered", but who knows?   Also, all the literature from the club kept
saying "welcome to the club - enclosed you will find your *THREE* free CDs
for joining the club.  (What about my other two????)  Also, they showed the
billing a Shipping $4.00, paid $12.98, 8.98 CRedit remaining.

I was glad to see the disks today, but nowhere does it say what is going on
with the other two, and NONE of their literature (including a letter from
Sony saying how happy they are that you bought one of THEIR CD players)
does it mention the terms of the offer I sent in for.

I'm not panicking at this point, but just wondering if anyone else is going
thru the same promotion with similar results.

I intend to call CBS CD Club ASAP and get their side of the story.

Regards,

	Al

    Monday morning I called CBS at the 800 number, gave my membership
    # and was very politely and quickly told that they were having
    some problems in their paperwork with the 5-disc offer, due to a
    prior Sony 3-disk offer (hence the old literature sent out).  They
    said my other two disks were already on their way!  Also, in
    Monday's mail, I got a letter from Columbia (CBS) stating the same
    as I'd heard on the phone.  They must've mailed it 5 minutes after
    the first package went out!

    So as of now everything looks very kosher, and they are certainly
    fast at getting these discs out.

    I'm going to try out the RCA CD club too:  6 for price of 1, no
    further obligation.  They offer the Dutoit/London recording of
    Gustav Holst/The Planets, which was given a 10/10 review in the
    latest issue of Digital Audio out of a field of 7 or 8.  Can't
    wait to get it!!

    REgards,

	Al