So this is more of a mess than I thought…. … I called companies concerning bills for my credit report.. and found out that Columbia house has two accounts… in collection on my credit reporin two different collection gencies.. so i am assuming there ae two different accounts… one if for an amout of $104.00 and withth enational recovery agency….. the woman thought i had ordered dvd and a cooking book? and the other agency is the trident asset management company… and there is a charge of $55.00 the the billing is so
I fulfilled my purchase agreement, and they still charged me for it saying that I didn’t. My account even said, “You have fulfilled your purchase agreement.” These are the most deceitful, thieving bastards I’ve ever encountered.
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yesno7/6/11
My parents received a call saying that they had a document for me at my old address. My dad isn’t very good at taking messages but he passed the number along to me so I called to see what they wanted. The lady I talked with, named Terri, informed me that I had an outstanding debt of $128.58 from Columbia House DVD Club and that it would soon be passed on to collections. I couldn’t remember ever having an account with them and I was never sent any DVDs.
I don’t know how they got my name, address, and phone number. Now, I researched it online and see that there have been a lot of fraudulent debt cases with this company and I am now afraid that I am also a victim. This is ridiculous!
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yesno6/30/11
nothing happened, i love columbia house i have never had a problem with them.
denise of elizabethtown, NC
Helpful?
yesno6/21/11
I received a bill from a collection agency, Allied Interstate LLC for $76.74. It was for my minor son who is now only 14 years old and it says that he ows Columbia House DVD club all this money! So, I called and they said this account was initiated way back in 2006. I don’t ever remember allowing my son to do this and we haven’t received a bill from Columbia House or any notice from them informing us that he owed this money from 2006. But suddenly we are being harassed by Allied Interstate on behalf of Columbia House. Also, my credit report suddenly has negative remarks on it from Columbia House and I never knew anything about this until very recently. I disputed this on my credit report. I don’t see how something my minor child supposed did way back in 2006 can suddenly show up on my credit report without any notice from Columbia House. This is total BS. I am not quite sure what I can do about it. Is can cost a lot of personal time to try to get fraudulent compaines to be honest and fair with consumers. It can become quite a burden.
Janet of Waterloo, IN
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yesno5/5/11
I have been with Columbia House dvd club since July of 2010 and haven’t had a problem with them up until today.
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JustAnswer.com/Scam-ExaminerAfter reading other people’s complaint about Columbia House, it made me think of my experience with them, and it wasn’t until then that I realized how much of a scam they were. When I joined columbia house, I bought 3 dvds for .99cents each, and was given a discount on my fourth one; that I was told would count to my 2 dvds at 19.95+ commitment.
Well, I bought my second one just a few days ago. Yet, it still says that I only bought 1 dvd and that I still have one more to buy before July 25, 2011 under my account info. When I called into the company, the woman I spoke with said that the commitment purchase was for three dvd’s. But, this still doesn’t explain why my account says I only bought 1 and still needs to buy 1 more.
Why doesn’t it say I bought 2 and still needs to buy one?
BECAUSE THEY’RE LIARS.
I refuse to buy another dvd from them, so I will be closing my account, re-ordering another debit-card; and monitoring my credit(even though I don’t understand how they can report anything w/o your social security number). I hope that everyone who considers them, will research them first, like I intended to at first but found nothing.
Finally, I found my proof that it was only 2 dvds to fulfill your purchase commitment right in my trash in my email.
PS- you might wanna keep an eye on their movies, I don’t think they’re the original copies, I think they’re copying them. Every move I’ve ever bought from them never came with a picture on it or anything, they’re all plain silver cd’s with the name of the movie plainly written in black.
NEVER AGAIN!!
Lavette of Elizabeth, NJ
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yesno1/28/11
im like these other people i joined columbia house dvd club last year the tv club so i can get my favorite tv shows on dvd.
nigel of salem, OR
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yesno1/1/11
I had a credit for one DVD. I ordered
something from the catalogue.
I was sent the wrong title. Mircaulously I got through to a person
who said I had two accounts. He supposedly combined or canceled one.
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www.cypressarm.comI returned the DVD as refused.
I was charged on my debit card for one DVD.
I received a second DVD. It was not the title I ordered.
Since this happened (over a month ago)
I’ve been unable to reach a person there again. The line has been eternally busy. I need a person to straighten this mess out and I want a refund.
Keats of Sherman Oaks, CA
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yesno12/27/10
My son received a box that he didn’t order from Columbia House. he opened it and I saw an old DVD’s movie’s and saw a note stated FREE samples. he didn’t pay attention to it since it’s free and dumped it in the garbage. A year later he received a bill from the National Recovery Agency owing them. Columbia House is taking advantage of the young people or students that doesn’t really pay attention since they are to busy studying. Columbia House business needs to be eradicated I think they are scamming people
Antonie of Oceanside, CA
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yesno12/27/10
Columbia House claims I had a membership with them and turned it over to National Recovery agency for collections.
I never received anything from either company. I discovered this when I tried to refinance my existing mortgage. I contacted National Recovery. They claim I incurred the debt in 5/2005 and that they put it on my credit report 4/2010.
I contacted Columbia House asking for proof. First they said they couldn’t find any account associated to me (got this in writing via email). A few days later they came back with another email claiming that I had initiated an account 2/1/2001 with them – nearly ten years ago.
First, the dates that Columbia House and the collection agency are claiming that I incurred the debt are entirely different.
Second, I never was notified of this and have no knowledge of ever having had an account.
Third, they claimed I got one movie from them (Hannibel Lector). Not the kind of movie I would have ever purchased.
Fourth, since there were others in the house at the time, I raised the possibility that perhaps someone used my name without permission/knowledge. They said it doesn’t matter; I’m still responsible unless someone was prosecuted and put in jail.
How could I have prosecuted and put someone in jail when I never knew about this? And to try to figure it out now – nearly ten years after Columbia House claims I started an account with them is insane.
Harriet of West Chester, PA
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yesno12/14/10
Please Help me get my Money Back.. i got 3 dvds from Colombia House, for 3.00…
i sent the pper back saying NO to anymore…
They Stold $48.00!!!! i did NOT Order any Movies..
I Need my $48.00 Back!!!
They screwed up my Checking.. cost me Over 38.00 to get out of that checking..
opened a new Checking so, they could NOT Steal anymore..
i Need my $48.00 Back..they can send me in Mail…
i think that, they should Pay me $48.00 Plus the 38.00 they cost me!!!
someone Help me get my Money!!!!!
Rose of Clarksville, NH
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yesno12/14/10
i made a purches using my visa momentom card and was over charged
keithwilliams of longbeach, CA
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yesno12/5/10
I ordered two dvd’s on 10-11-10 with my Debit card. I received both and my Debit card was charged correctly. On 11-12-10 I noticed a withdrawal from my bank account for $67.94 from Columbia House! I immediately called Columbia House enraged and asked who gave them authority to charge my Debit card and what was I being charged for? I was told it was a “Directors Selection” that ships out monthly automatically unless I decline it.
(I remember doing this with them many years ago but I used to pay by check AFTER I received the product!) I told her that not only did I NOT order this DVD set but I have NEVER received it either. I was then told that it had just shipped that morning so obviously my Debit card was charged before the product was even shipped! So I told her I did not want it and would return to sender as soon as it arrived. That DVD JUST arrived TODAY back from 11-12-10 when my Debit card was charged!? How do you explain that?
Anyway I called back again and also wrote a letter AND email to Columbia House forbidding them to ever use my Debit card again and I was informed that when anyone orders a DVD from them with a credit/debit card, which supposedly is required, that transaction gives them permission to keep the card on file and use it again for whatever.
They refuse to remove my Debit card from their records! If you browse their site there is a section that says when you order, you have the option of paying by a card or paying by check from the invoice that arrives with the DVD.
She would not acknowledge that info and kept insisting I had to pay with my card. So I gave up.
Patti of Manchester, NH
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yesno11/30/10
What happend! the 16 september 2010, I send a check for 81.38CAD, i waithing for a voucher ou credit because i paid before have the movies, after recived, a letter said me you ignored nemerous effort for contact to me about my DELINQUENT ACCOUNT, thats why I’m no happy because im not a delinquent, if this letter is for every budy tell me a person they speak for phone, Im not evry budy, because i send a check sep 16, and the check was changed at the bank yesterday novenber 24….
Sorayra of Montreal Nord, QC
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yesno11/25/10
I fell for the 3 c.c.s for a dollar, and received them,then the web site refused to acknowledge my sign in,and there is no way to contact them.
Thu advertise only old T;V;shows,and do not have any decent movie
although their original 3 order is movies.
galefoehner of st.louis, MO
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yesno11/23/10
They sent me to collections and ruined my credit and I bought nothing from them and Experian froze my credit but refused to provide me with proof of delivery or take it off even though I never received any DVD’s.
patrice of Mooresville, NC
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yesno11/16/10
My Husband and i have been overseas in support of the military for over 3 years now. A few months ago we had fraudulent charges show up on our credit card and we filed a report with the credit card company who notified the vendors involved with this incident. A couple of months later we started getting bills in the mail from them and we called the company (there were numbers on this bill) and went back over the situation with them. We thought this was cleared up at that point. We live very rustic lives overseas and do not carry paperwork around the world with us.
As we thought this issue was settled we did not think anymore of it. There were missions to concentrate on. Now our mail has caught up with us again and there is a letter threatening to turn this over to a collection agency and on our credit report.
This is the shadiest company i have ever seen.
Mary of Bluff City, TN
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yesno11/11/10
Many years ago I received an offer from BMG that pertained to a trial deal. I cancelled shortly after the trial. Six to 8 years later, I received a negative remark on my credit report. I do not think it is fair to pay for something that I never received or a service that I discontinued.
Furthermore, no one attempted to reach out to me to let me know that my membership was still in progress. This National Credit Solutions is no help and they are not able to provide any information. I truly think this is a scam and consumers are being taking advantage of.
Dawn of Walkerton, VA
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yesno11/10/10
Columbia house is running a “Gift-a-Day Giveaway” contest where we enter our email address into a form to see if we win a prize.
Of course the user doesn’t win anything but once the screen tells you you didn’t win there pops up a screen that says you get free shipping on all orders over $35.00. I have made several attempts to order to get their promised free shipping but there is always a shipping and handling fee added to my orders.
I wrote to complain once and was told all I had to do was telephone them and they would remove the charges. I do not want to call in my order, I want the contest to work as promised.
This is dishonest.
Pat of Fair Oaks, CA
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yesno11/7/10
A few years ago I bought DVDs from Columbia House, having to get a certain amount during a certain length of time. I had 6 months to order the rest.
They started sending me DVDs I didn’t order, so I sent them back. I asked them to send me a list to choose from. Them kept sending me old movies that you can get from a certain retail store for 2.99 or 3.99. The were asking me for something like 17.99. I kept writting them and they kept ignoreing me. The next thing I knew they were charging me $98.00 for nothing, then turned it over to a collection agency.
Now they say I owe over two hundred dollars. Someone told me to send my notes (which I still have a copy of) to the Attorney General. I pray people will learn about these people, they are so wrong. They just put it on my credit record and claimed this happened a few months ago.
Betty of Akron, OH
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yesno11/7/10
i had a hit on my credit for 143.00 by a collector, national credit solutions, back in feb of 2010 for a bmg (columbia house) music service. thay had my name and someone elses address. i proved where ive lived for the last 10 years, and it was taken off my credit. ive never used this service now inoct 2010 the same company has hit my credit agian for 100.00 they say i owe columbia house.
there is definetly some scam going on..
patrick of bainbridge, OH
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yesno10/21/10
ONLY THAT TELEPHONE NUMBER,THE OTHER NUMBERS NEVER AVAILABLE. THIS COMPANY IS A FREUD, I ORDERED SOME DVDS ON 2008, THROUGH THE PAGE OF “my points”, ok, then problems, I began to received dvds they I never ordered, they charge my credit card, but I dispute, return the dvds they credit my account.
I try to eliminate the credit card from the banking information and the system they have do not let you do that. So, the credit card has to be cancel from my bank. Now in 2010 more problem, they say I have a purchase commitment since 2008, to buy 5 dvd at price club 19.95 or up, if not they charge the credit card, that in their records is already expired.
Amelia of orlando, FL
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yesno10/21/10
ONLY THAT TELEPHONE NUMBER,THE OTHER NUMBERS NEVER AVAILABLE. THIS COMPANY IS A FREUD, I ORDERED SOME DVDS ON 2008, THROUGH THE PAGE OF “my points”, ok, then problems, I began to received dvds they I never ordered, they charge my credit card, but I dispute, return the dvds they credit my account. I try to eliminate the credit card from the banking information and the system they have do not let you do that. So, the credit card has to be cancel from my bank.
Now in 2010 more problem, they say I have a purchase commitment since 2008, to buy 5 dvd at price club 19.95 or up, if not they charge the credit card, that in their records is already expired.
Amelia of orlando, FL
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yesno10/21/10
I recently join Columbia House. I had joined the club a few years back and had a great experience. Again, I Wanted to experience watching new movies, without having to go to the movies or leaving the comfort of my home. Well, I first recieved my first 3 DVD’s for .99 each, and place the order on a personal bankcard.
Since then they have been sending me a new DVD each week, before I even got the second new DVD, they have already taken $25.94 out of my account twice, out of my bank account without my authorization. I became furious, and called and spoke to one of the representatives, she wasn’t telling anything that I wanted to hear. I asked to speak to a supervisor that was more educated on the matter.
She said because I used to card for my purchase it also gave them authorization to use it, so I asked her to closed the account. Because first of all, there was no signed consent for Columbia House to take money out my personal account, if you can’t trust me to make payments on merchandise that I order, what make you think that I am going to trust you to in and out my account when you feel that you can
The Supervisor wanted to close the account right there on the telephone, but I wanted to fulfilled the contract agreement first, Today; I have made my final purchase to fulfilled that agreement and have now closed the account. And will be sending them a letter to follow up on that committment, signed, sealed and delivered.
I will never use their business again.
Pat of Cary, NC
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yesno10/20/10
I opened an account with them when i was like 18years old. It ended up in collections… We refinanced our house, settled ALL our debts. including this one…now, at least 5 years later… I supposedly owe them all over again!! what was originally a $59 debt is now over $100! has not been on my credit report for years!! at least 7 because my report was clean 11months ago. . not now!!
Jennifer of Antwerp, OH
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yesno10/13/10
Several years ago, I received an order from Columbia House with several horror DVD’s. I do not have an account with them nor did I order the DVD’s.
I promptly returned them with a letter stating that I did not order them (theoretically by law I didn’t even have to do that). Five years later I am getting HARASSING phone calls from a credit agency requiring payment before I can dispute my claim! I am ready to consult an attorney,
I believe Columbia House is scamming people and I plan to uncover whatever scheme they are trying to pull! If you have considered using them for anything…DON’T They are “dirty”
Dana of Fredericksburg, VA
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yesno10/6/10
They keep sending me dvds iI said I was very upset about the whole thing.
sandra of alliance, OH
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yesno9/12/10
I’ve rec’vd a letter stateing that i owe $188.86 for a past due account. I called the number on the letter to find out what was the debt for, and they expained to me that it was a broken contract; not for something i ordered and did not pay for; From COLUMBIA HOUSE which i had no knowledge of until now the debt has supposedly accured in 2005, between that time and now August 2010, I’ve rec’vd no calls and no notices. The account is with a debt collection agency {National Credit soluctions}, and they claimed they did not have any further information. This has created a problem because it is now a part of my credit report in a time when I’m trying to purchase a home
c of miami, FL
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yesno8/20/10
I have been harassing phone calls from a collection agency representing Columbia House. They claim that in 2006 I recieved an introductory package. I never ordered it, never recieved it. I do not owe the bill, but I continue to get the phone calls, and it will probably go on my credit report.
Debbie of Red Lodge, MT
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yesno8/18/10
My wife’s credit card was fraudulently used to set up a “trial offer.” We received 3 DVDs with a $5.97 bill. We were told the account would be closed but that WE would have to pay postage to return the videos. We refused. They charged a late fee. I had to call them a second time before they agreed to send a postage-paid envelope. Acknowledging the fraud and send the envelope when the fraud was reported would have been the right thing to do, but they wanted to save a few $$ – poor service in my book.
Ron of Vancouver, WA
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yesno8/11/10
i have gotten a credit report and there was a charge on it from columbia dvd from march 2010. i left for iraq in feb 2010. it said that i owed them $99 i’v never been to the website or called them. it ****** me off that this is on there. i say everyone gets together and gets them shut down.
travis of ft riely, KS
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yesno8/8/10
I use to order from Columbia House when they use to sale albums but I haven’t order from them since 1986 and that was the last time that I have order from them. Now they are billing me for something that I didn’t even received. I haven’t order no dvd’s or anything from you all. I don’t know who have use my name and address but you all better remove it off the list because when I find out who did this to me they ass is mines!
Antoinette of East Hartford, CT
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yesno8/4/10
I have been tricked into this scam. I have not signed up for this but suddenly one day I started getting mails from them saying they are going to ship out DVDs for 20-30$ and I have to call them everytime to decline. Also I tried to cancel my account but with no luck. They decline to close my account. I am trapped.
Even when I am on vacation I have to check my emails everyday just so that I can decline the offers they send out on time. It has become such a nuisance. I have seen so many complaints on them. Why is it that no action is taken against them for so long?
nileena of columbia, MD
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yesno8/3/10
I was a member of Columbia House for years- fulfilled my obligation- but then their prices were so high, I decided to quit. Called and closed account. Now three years later (I’ve moved to another state too) I get letters saying I owe money as well as late fees.
Never got a bill in between the three years- nor was it ever stated that I owed a balance when I called to cancel either!!
I wrote back a detailed letter- of course there is no phone # to call! Got back another statement again.
I don’t want them to send me to collections- I have great credit- but, don’t want to pay and be ripped off either. They should not be able to get away with this!!
Any suggestions??
Kellie of Eden Prairie, MN
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yesno7/30/10
I am having a problem with Columbia House. I enrolled in a promo they had going. I have fulfilled my agreement but, they still send me things I haven’t ordered. I tried to log onto they’re website but, the message says they are currently working on it.
James of hawkinsville, GA
Helpful?
yesno7/29/10
I have this problem with Columbia House, on November 5 I sent back a dvd movie that I did not order, Wild Things, when I took it to the Post Office, the lady told me to send a notice to be signed by them when they receive the movie and I paid for it and have the receipt to prove it. I have sent them a copy of the receipt but to no avail and now they said they have given my name to a collection agency and it is hard to deal with them, but I canceled my membership a long time ago, but they keep sending the movies and I return them. how do I deal with this problem.? thanks for your help
Patrick of New York, NY
Helpful?
yesno7/28/10
I just checked my credit report to find that I had a collections account opened on 4/1/10 for $95. I called the number listed to find that this was opened by Columbia House because I “did not fulfill contractual agreements” from an account opened in August, 2005. In speaking with the collections rep, Columbia House reported that I paid them directly to fulfill my contractual agreement in 10/2006. Since 10/2006, I’ve changed banks, gotten married and moved.
The collections rep was very nice and told me that if I go to the bank and get the reciept proving I paid the company the amount THEY QUOTED to the collections company, they can take care of my collections account. It’s just unbelieveable that this company can pop up 4 years later and claim that I owe them money and ding my credit report without any just cause! I see that many others are having the same issue. Is there any sort of civil action suite we can join? Lowered my credit score for no reason.
Kim of Brooklyn, NY
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yesno7/26/10
I’ve been reading people complaints about Columbia House, my opinion is if you’r buying anything from Columbia House never give them your credit card or home phone number. If you order anything online never give them your credit card information, let them bill you for what you order. So far I’ve never had an issue with them, now you know why.
Bruce of Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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yesno7/24/10
I was thinking about purchasing some cd’s from this company but after getting on here and reading the negative experiences I changed my mind and will just pay cash for my music at a music store. Thanks consumers for your comments.
Kathryne of OKC, OK
Helpful?
yesno7/15/10
I signed up for Columbia House to purchase family DVD’s for my young son and fulfilled my obligation. I opted out of every Director’s Selection and still they charged my account and never sent anything to my address. I tried calling their phone numbers- and either got a busy signal or could NEVER get to a live person to speak with. I finally had to cancel my debit card, close that account and threaten to report them for unethical and fraudulant business practices to the BBB and the FCC in an email through their customer service section on their website. They emailed stating they would remove the Director’s Selection option off of my account and I would not receive any more charges and would no longer have to respond to the monthly selection…I’m waiting to see if that is also a scam on their part.
Michelle of Sylacauga, AL
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yesno7/12/10
Last month I call the customer sevicer to let them know that they were not take any money out of my account. after I did the suvery on line and I the three movies that I did order I had paid for it so on May of 2010 I paid them their money. last month on the June 25, 2010 they went to my account of $19.95 and then $25.84. now on July 9, 2010 they done hit me again without my concent and I would like for them to pay me back my money. My bills are being late cause they are touching something that’s not their’s from the beginning
TANJLA of MIAMI GARDENS, FL
Helpful?
yesno7/9/10
I started receiving phone calls about an”unpaid” balance which had been turned over to Aegis collections. They told me it was from 2006. They wanted me to pay $54.88. I asked for them to send me the paperwork in the mail to look over since it was 4 yrs ago. I never received anything. When he called back to get a payment I told them I still had not received anything and that I didn’t believe they were legitimate. He said it was mailed June 15 and that he couldn’t do anything else but to send it to my e-mail address. He did.
I looked them up only to find that there were pages of claims exactly like mine and even one that was verbatim with my letter and same yr and amount owed. Apparently, when you fulfill your order and quit, they just lie dormant for awhile and then act like you’ve started up again with your acct. I don’t owe this. Never thought I owed this and now it seems others have been duped too. But, they are reporting to the credit bureaus. You can’t get through to Columbia House except their automated system which goes nowhere. How does someone get this taken care of and avoid the damage to the credit rating?
LeAnne of Wichita, KS
Helpful?
yesno7/6/10
I read this site to see that others have been scammed by this company. I received three DVD’s and an invoice…asking for my credit card number and stating that if I don’t cancel I will automatically receive DVD’s from them, and be charged. I never asked to join a club, never even heard of them. Now I have to get in touch with them, and cancel. This is an outrage!!!
Shawna of Brooklyn, NY
Helpful?
yesno7/4/10
AEGIS Collection Company has been calling my phone day and night for the past 4 days demanding payment for Columbia House. I know nothing about this. I told him to send me a contract and a detailed statment of what it is that I owe and he said he does not have that information.
This communication is in response to your recent inquiry concerning the above referenced matter. After reviewing this account we have determined that Aegis Receivables Management Inc will accept $54.88 as full and final payment of the obligation set forth above.
1) We request that your payment be made with certified funds.
2) Please be sure to note your account number on your payment.
Please note, if your payment is returned by the bank for any reason, your account will not be considered paid in full. In such case legally authorized interest and fees will continue to accrue on your account.
Amy of New Orleans, LA
Helpful?
yesno6/23/10
I recently began receiving calls from a Hector Williams from Aegis Receivables in India. He wanted my credit card number for $57.82 for a debt to Columbia House in 2006. I told him I knew nothing about this & he explained that although he was aware I had NEVER rec’v any DVDs from Columbia House I was being charged $$5.30 for an introdutry fee to join Columbia House DVD Club, then $6 ($3 twice) in late fees, plus $$46.52 due on contract. I then spent two hours locating a live person at Columbia House via phone 717-918-3232. Spoke to Kristen who verified I never rec’v any DVD’s, apologized, told me she would contact her Fraud Dept. to remove charges.
I then called Hector Willliams/Aegis Receivable at 866-873-9172. I explained this would be straightened out shortly. He then ‘badgered’ me for my credit card number for $30 to straighten this out with credit bureau. I asked for his supervisor, but Hector eventually hung up on me. I then called Columbia House back & was referred to Mr. Anurage Sett from Orion Collections – which contracted Aegis to my account. I explained how I wanted to report Aegis for trying to get $30 for no service at all…he said he was sorry but that is how they do business. I spent a total of three hours trying to get this straightened out only to find that I had indeed already been reported to the credit bureau for non-payment for merchandise years ago. This has affected my credit rating as I was not ever aware it was on there as a ‘bad debt’ for years.
Donna of Wilkes Barre, PA
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yesno6/22/10
This company refuses to post payments in a timely manner thus incurring late fees. They deny this fraud so I closed my account.
They continue to send “directors selections” and bill me for them even thou I refuse delivery. I can no longer access the website so I can’t refuse the selection of the month. What a racket. Someone needs to stop them.
Sheila of Vero Beach, FL
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yesno6/22/10
In this day and age keeping a good credit rapport is a MUST! I have done this paying all bills owed. Long and Short the BBB is helping me with an initial complaint sent to the mentioned company for reported collection activity on my credit report back in 2005 for an unpaid balance. I had an account with Columbia House my contract was fulfilled sometime as late as January 2005 by purchase the Shrek DVD. I paid the final balance which at the time was 46.22 give or take with my Orchard Bank mastercard. This was the final transaction due to Columbia House. I paid the 46 dollars for my cc and in fact closed this account as well.
Sometime in April – Columbia house report to a collection agency that I owed $46 dollars several fax were sent and confirmed affirming the payment in question – Columbia house dragged their butts so the information was reported to the BBB. To my amazement Columbia house updated their records to show that the account was in fact paid in full and the contract was satisfied, although my 2nd attempt went unnoticed.(I send via certified mail proof. The information was signed by a representative named Robert H on 4-20-2005) Thanks to BBB involvement Columbia House recanted their claims of a debt and stated that my account was paid in full and that the account has been closed.
After this activity I assumed everything was taken care of as one would. 5 years 2 months later June 12th I notice a collection account on my credit file (NCO). Columbia House now with a different address and perhaps a different account number is the culprit. Imagine my surprise as well as my disappointment. Now I am being charged 166.00 Almost 120 dollars more than the original attempt. I have no problem paying debt I owe but to remain dormant for 5 years after stating the account was satisfied is alarming to me. It was just a month ago I ran across my fax documents along with the original complaint and may have discarded the information as I am in the process of moving again. I am not trying to ruin my credit over someone else oversight or perhaps erroneous accusations. Through Gods grace I have done just fine and don’t need false information reported. Things are tough in the economy as it is I don’t need a creditor falsefying information and ruining my credit worthiness. As of today they are stating they don’t have a record of any transaction for me. If this is the case WHY the collections. Per the collection agency the balance was charged off in 2006. There should not have been a balance to charge off however nothing should have been sent to collections. Collections is when a company tries to make an attempt to collect a debt and is unsuccessful this was never the case.
Tamekia of Powder Springs, GA
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yesno6/22/10
i have paid what i order and cancell my member ship in 2003 and now has apper on credit collection for 190 dollar
michele of gilbert, AZ
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yesno6/21/10
I cancelled my membership after I fulfilled the contractual obligation. I never heard another word from them regarding a balance due until I received notification from a credit monitoring service that I had a collection account added to by credit bureau report. It is for a balance due to Columbia House DVD Club. I have received requests to come back and rejoin, but never a bill. This has placed a negative item on my credit bureau. I have worked very hard to improve my credit score and this has hurt my credit score. This is going to cause any future creditors to charge me a higher interest rate if I apply for credit.
Valerie of Highland, IN
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yesno6/21/10
seven years ago Columbia house approached me about becoming member of their club, which I did. The contract stipulated that once I purchase 2- DVDs at the regular price I could cancel my contract. I did purchased the DVDs and cancel the contract. This people will not take the word “cancel contract” and kept sending me automatic shipments, which I returned back as “return to sender”. I called them and a representative said that they will take care of the account and I will not owe anything.
Now 7 years later, I received a letter from a collection agency in New York saying that I owe them $ 76.61 and if I don’t pay within 30 days they are going to report me to the 3 major credit reporting agencies.
Angie of Panorama City, CA
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yesno6/20/10
back in 2006 i had a columbia house membership. it is now 2010 and they are now saying i did not fill my agreement with them. never got nothing from them until now and they put me in collections. how is that fair?
joe of bentley, MI
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yesno6/14/10
I was charged $22.95 to my credit card by columbiahouse.com without being notified May 28, 2010. I did not buy anything for the 22.95. I called them, and mentioned this, and Columbiahouse respresentative immediately hanged up the phone. I called again, another representative said I once bought their DVDs at a low price and that means I joined their membership, therefore I have to buy at least 3 DVDs over $19 each within a year, otherwise, they will continue to send DVDs and charge to my credit card.
I asked to cancel membership, the answer is no. I asked about membership agreement which I have never seen, the answer is the agreement should be there when I bought the first 3 DVDs at a low price. Actually no hint of membership is given when buying 3 DVDs in the beginning. At that time, I checked relative items and did not find any bondage for buying the first 3 DVDs. I know many other people are also cheated by ColumbiaHouse.com, and they are doing evil! economic: ~$70 Psychological: huge. Cannot believe such evil thing can exist in US for many years with so many people suffering, How can US people take no action against ColumbiaHouse evil?
Xiaolu of Charlottesville, VA
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yesno6/11/10
I received a call from Colubia house that if I joined again I would recieved free vdvs and I only had to order 2 for the year. which I did.
Then I find out it was more so I paid out 97 some $ for nothing and they sent me a credit where I could order my other selections free and only pay shipping. I paid my bill in full and did not order my selctions as I just wanted to be ride off them app.
six months later I start to recieve a bill for around seven $ or so. After a# of calls with no success and long distance call bills.I could not get to speak to any one concerning this matter. Now they a threatning to send it to collections and are charging me 2.50 a month intreat on a balance under 10.00$. My recomendation stay away from them. They can obviously get away with fraude. If I soon do not get any responce to clearing up this matter I am goin to contact the media about this. It would make a great story.
Mona of Midland, ON
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yesno6/11/10
I am so MAD! Entry added to Credit report 5/2010 for $138.00. Called credit company and they said it was from Columbia House for CD’s ordered 2004-2007. We have not purchased CD’s since the 90’s. We have NEVER received a letter stating that we owed the money. Had we received a request for payment, we could have tried to figure out who, if anyone, was ordering CD’s. I have been told I cannot do anything. I can contact Experian, but they will probably just send the info about our call back to the credit collection agency as Columbia House does not own our account any longer.
Mark of Apopka, FL
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yesno6/11/10
received numerous hang up calls and harassing calls from Aegis on behalf of OPS 10, supposed buyer of Columbia House account, demanding money for DVD’s which I never ordered on a CLOSED ACCOUNT. Sent and refused Dreamgirls back. they are stating I owe them $134.70. sending them a MO made out to Columbia House as they have ruined my credit and I am also filing complaint with Attorney General’s office for the State of Virginia. has caused much dissension in house/ interrupted sleep of son that works graveyard. caused financial hardship as we live on fixed income and are both husband and i are disabled.
Catherene of front royal , VA
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yesno6/10/10
Colombia Phone # not available.
Did not order, did not receive,
years later asking for $112, was told by Columbia that they would clear this matter, did not owe, every year harassed by a someone, today collection agency from India who speaks poor english.
M of Santa Monica, CA
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yesno6/7/10
I write letter to Columbia. was interested buying some movie and explain I dont have membership. it was best to mail order with money orders. after two weeks the money order came back to me. when I call customer services advise me have be member if Im able make payment bye money order. why such big deal if change their will lost a lot people!
Terry of Philadelphia , PA
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yesno6/1/10
Account # 044541864 Before doing the membership I called and asked if I was going to be charged, I was told that there was no charge. So I continued and purchased 3 movies for a dollar each. The following month I got charged $25.94 for a movie I never requested. That’s when I called and asked why I was getting charged they told me it’s automatic if I do not answer to the email. This time I spoke to a gentleman whom told me he would cancel and I asked if they could just bill me for the first 3 movies and please get me out of the membership, he told me ok and just sent me the statement with no balance and another offer which I had to return with a response of course declining.
I just declined a 3rd offer yesterday and I called today asking why and for what I’m being charged, I was told that I’m either doing it wrong or there is a computer glitch, I have no money and I had declined the director’s selection. I want out of this membership. And I want the money back in my acct. Economic- I live with my boyfriend. He unfortunately got laid off his job, and gratefully I have my job I got to pay rent, bills, gas, food, ect., every cent counts.
Josselyn of north mjami, FL
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yesno5/28/10
A few weeks ago, I checked my credit score and found a unknown company by the name of columbia house on there. I disputed it and have been waiting to hear back.
Today I receive a letter in the mail from National Credit Solutions attempting to collect a debt for Columbia house in the amount of $235.71.
I called the number for NCS and talked to a man named Justin. I got no information from him other than this was supposedly from the yr 2004-2005. I was only 16 yrs old and never did I order DVD’s from this company, especially $235 worth.
Justin would not give me any information as to how to continue disputing this or how to get ahold of Columbia house. He would not even talk, at one point in time I didn’t even think he was on the phone. Then he asked me to repeat the question I had asked, he was absolutely no help at all and told me to go online.
I was really disheartened to get on here and see that alot of people are having the same problems and ironically enough it was around the same time period also.
Trista of Lewistown, MT
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yesno5/24/10
In April of 2010 I received a phone call from a gentlemand representing Columbia House. He told me that he was trying to collect a debt. I told him I did NOT have an account with them and even if I did it would have ben filed in my bankruptcy that was just discharged in January. He asked for the discharge number and when I came back on the pfone to give it to him he had hung up. Today, May 20,2010, I received another call from a lady stating she was with Aegis which is a collection company. She immediately accused me of ordering DVD’s and told me that I needed to pay. I told her had not received any DVD’s. She went on to inform me that the account was from 2005 and gave me an address to where I lived a long time ago but not in 2005. I asked to speak with her manager becasue we were obviousy getting nowhere.
Kevein is the manager. We went throught the whole conversation again and he told me that I did receive the DVD’s and I had to pay for them. I asked him if he had a piece of paper in front of him that I had signed with my name on it saying I received the DVD’s and he said no he doesn’t. He said they can’t do that for millions of people. I said, “Well I am not millions of people, I am one person and only need to worry about me.” He continueds to tell me I owed the money and that I needed to call my parents because they had accepted a collection letter on my behalf. I asked him if he sent a certified letter that they had signed and he said no. I am very upset by this whole process. I do not owe them the money and I will not pay the money. He said he would just report it as refusal to pay. I do not know what steps to take from this point. I do not need this on my credit report. I know I do not have good credit because of my bankruptcy but I do not need this on there when I don’t even owe it.
Summer of Kill Devil Hills, NC
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yesno5/20/10
I just looked at my online banking account and saw that I was charged $25 a few days ago. I looked at my “account history” on the Columbia House web site and they charged me because I failed to decline an offer that they offered me. It said, “shipped automatically” because I did not decline the Directors special. Since when is it appropriate to charge someone without their consent? what this organization is doing is wrong!
Sarah of LAWRENCE, KS
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yesno5/17/10
I am in the process of trying to purchase a home and something from Columbia House shows up on my credit report. It was sent to a collection company over 7 years ago and when I call to find out what it was I am told it was for movies. I asked what movies did I supposedly get and of course they could not give me any answers, they somehow though had all of my information so if anyone knows your information they can sign you up for anything and you are supposed to pay it? that sucks!
FRANCES of BELLEVILLE, MI
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yesno5/12/10
I have always found Columbia House to be a fine, honest and upfront company to deal with. The problem I believe is PEOPLE DO NOT READ THE AGREEMENT THEY ARE SIGNING UP FOR!!! Read carefully and don’t agree to free movies thinking you never have to buy anything. EVERYWORD should be read and digested. The rules are not hard to understand….I have a problem when good and honest companies are belittled because of consumer errors. I HATE crokked compsanies like everyone and like everyone have dealt with my share. However, Columbia House is not one of them. Are there errors?? Of course….but generally things can be worked out I believe. That is my experience
William of North Providence, RI
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yesno5/9/10
I just received a phone call from a collection agency representing Columbia House CD Club. They informed me that I owe $94.00 since 1997. I told this person who called that I owed them nothing, and that I was not going to pay for something that I did not owe, nor was I going to allow them to extortion money from me and ended the call.
I contacted Columbia House CD Club customer service and spoke to a gentleman by the name of Scott. I explained what had just happened to me. He asked me for my account number which I do no have, then he asked me for my full name and the address where I lived at that time. He searched for my information and could not find it in his data base. I do not understand how this people got my information and I am affraid that they will report this debt to the credit bureu and damage my credit.
Blanca of Calexico, CA
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yesno5/5/10
I joined Columbia house several years ago and have fulfilled my obligation to them. I few weeks ago, I received an email telling me that I need to still buy 3 more DVD’s from them. Then I received a form in the mail, telling me that they tried to bill me for a DVD that I ordered (which I did not) and use my debit card information, which fortunately my bank caught this unapproved transaction, canceled my card and issued me a new one.
Since then I have received another bill in the mail, still trying to bill me for yet another DVD which I did not order. I want this harassment stopped and will contact whatever necessary agency to get this done. They are a dishonest company. There are over 121 pages of complaints that I have researched. All the same things. They try to rip people off!
Kristy of Shawnee, KS
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yesno5/4/10
Columbia House. They called me at home saying I owed a bill from 2005. I have never received a bill in 5 years. They said they were going to fax a bill to me, but I’m extremely suspicious because I don’t remember this “purchase” AT ALL. They tried to imply that one of my family members may have purchased something BUT I DON’T HAVE ANY. What is going on? I have no idea. My credit is excellent. I can’t imagine a $87.26 bill should wreck it.
Doris of Germantown, MD
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yesno5/4/10
Hi, I have recently been receiving phone calls from a collection agency on behalf of Colombia House “DVD, CD etc.” for $54.00 worth of DVD’s they say I bought 3 years ago. I cannot get any reply or list of this supposed purchase from Colombia House or the collection agency. The amount is irrelevant, it is the principal. Thank you for your time
Robert of Norwalk, CT
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yesno4/28/10
I had a problem trying to get my ‘Fun Cash’ of $22 credited to my account early Dec of 09. My screen wouldn’t link to the ‘right’ place & customer service told me to print my question (how do I get my credit?) & their reply & to send it to the company with my small payment. This I did. Since then Columbia House has hounded me for the $22. Letters sent to every address I found made no difference. Then with a collection threatening & as I had no wish to be sent in that direction I reluctantly paid the lousey $22 a few days ago. However, I tried one more time to see if CH’s customer service had anything to tell me & all they said was that Fun Cash expired at the end of the year! I have to wonder how many people have had the same problem. CH could make a lot more money denying members access of being able to apply their earned rewards.
Kathy of Schertz, TX
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yesno4/28/10
I am being charged for dvd`s i have not purchased.I have cancled these accounts which there are three,more than four times.Customer service is terrible,and i am always getting the run around.This is the worst run company there is,ripping off consumers day after day. Like many people i am on a budget,so getting charged for a extra 50.00 is a very bad problem.I also was charged an overdraft fee in my bank because of the charges!!I do not know where to turn?
ROBERT of SANTEE, CA
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yesno4/26/10
I closed my account by fulfilling their purchase requirement but they insist that I owe them $45.90 and referred me to a collection agency. i refuse to pay for a bogus charge, Referred me to a collection agency
Michel of Honolulu, HI
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yesno4/24/10
I’m writing about a matter with Colubia House I joined their DVD club five years ago and I satisfied my committment to purchase DVD’s. However movies I did not want they sent to me any way and I paid to ship the movies back my self. Now after 5 years they are billing for movies they sent to me after I have paid for the movies to be sent to me.
If anybody have any snese you would not buy from Columbia House for any reason I’m in collections to pay twice for mmovies they sent me. Well Hell will freeze if they get the money from me I’m not paying them two times for movies I don’t even have. and they got the movies back.
Larry of Atlanta, GA
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yesno4/24/10
After reading some of the complaints againts Columbia House I too decided to share my experience. Three years ago I purchased a DVD from Columbia House at a very good price. I did not join their club nor did I purchase any other DVD’s. Shortly after I received two DVD’s which I returned unopened. Then the bill show up for $43.88. They insisted I had joined their club and I should pick two DVD’s. I refused.
Charles of Williamsburg, VA
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yesno4/21/10
I didnt hear from them in 1 1/2 years. When Ifinally decided to buy to meet the contract guidelines (which meant buying only 2 more DVD’s for me), I found that they had charged me without consent for the 2 year payment if I hadn’t purchased the agreed amount. They didnt even send me a notice or asked for consent to charge. When I asked them to send me what they owed me (since they charged me) & to close my account, they closed it ASAP but forgot to send me my choices to finish the contract. I keep waiting for them to send me an order by mail since I am locked out of their website to make my choices but they keep sending me these rude e-mails as if I were dumb. I called them & got a different answer from each time. I am reporting this to the BBB!
gg of chicago, IL
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yesno4/18/10
I received a DVD a few years ago, I didn’t order it, I sent it back but still received bills for it. I just received a phone call from a collection agency saying that my debt will be turned over to collections. They say the movie was 11.00, but I owe 120.00, after I pay that I will receive 109.00 in vouchers/coupons for Columbia House. I never ordered anything from then, and I would not ever in the future. They are going to damage my credit score
christy of nevada, MO
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yesno4/17/10
This company has been harrassing me over and over about products that they say I have ordered. I never ordered anything from Columbia House and they are a fraud. I tired of these people calling me and saying I bought something that I did not purchase and plus saying they are turning this information over to my credit file. I will go to the media if necessary to exposed these people harassing people when they own this company nothing. They need to be shut down!
Clarietha of Palmetto, GA
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yesno4/7/10
I have had nothing but problems with this club and they have now, in my opinion, reached a point of harassment. Every time I have called customer service they say something different. First a DVD counts towards the club, then I pay for it, and they tell me it doesnt. They keep trying to get me to buy more DVD’s to fulfill a stupid committment. I finally bought 4 of them just to get out of the club. I didn’t get one shipment. I had to call them and they finally resent it. I paid for them.
Now I am waiting for a shipment they say they have sent out. I still don’t have them after a month and they are threatening me to send me to collections. They are going to send me for DVD’s that I have never even recieved! This is total crap. I just want out of this stupid club. I want my last shipment so I can pay it and get out. I don’t want to pay money for something I am not getting though. Calling, emailing and such does no good. I am told it is all worked out and then I get harrassed again for money. Is there any way to get these people to stop this?
loni of Albuquerque, NM
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yesno4/7/10
Was called today by this collection person claiming I had purchased 2 Harry Potter movies in 2006, cancelled the account without paying. First off—we do NOT watch Harry Potter. 2nd, I would NEVER pay over $25 for a movie. Who would these days? I was given an account number and told to Google Columbia House to get a contact number to dispute the charge. The person did give me her name and call back number, and said she would send me a letter. If I have owed a bill since 2006, don’t you think I would have been receiving statements from them before now? I am not paying anything, and I will not accept anything negative being put on my credit. My kids did not do this, and I do not know of anyone who would have used my information for this purpose.
Jackie of Russellville, AR
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yesno4/6/10
A DVD that was sent to my house that I did not order. I refused the item with the post office and wrote refused on the box itself it was supposed to be sent back to the sender Columbia House DVD Club back in February. I don’t know if they are playing games to get money but I don’t have the product. Everything that was ordered was paid for by checks and credit cards. I refuse to pay for something I don’t have. Something needs to be done about this company.
TIMOTHY of BROOKLYN, NY
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yesno4/6/10
I recieved a letter from the mail stating that I owe the amount of $325.73 for some cd’s which I have not order! So i called NCS to find out what going on He stated that the company turned the account over to them and they here collected a debt. I asked them for a phone number they didn’t have contact number. So i just got a address thats all they had.I recieved this letter on March 19,2010. So i asked NCS when the account was made ,She stated in 2010. I have never order no cd’s never got a bill from them!
Barbara of Hammond, LA
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yesno3/29/10
I have requested multiple times to cancel my account. They still keep trying to make me get the director’s selection, but now I can’t even log in to deny it. So they are forcing their product on me, charging me for it, and I have no way to get in touch with them.
Jeremy of Flint, MI
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yesno3/29/10
I am receiving notices and calls from the national recovery Agency in regards to Spanish language DVDs being delivered to an apartment I never lived in. My brother and I shared an apartment for three years at one address. When we moved to separate addresses, all the mail was mistakenly sent to my brother’s address. Now that he has moved, the current residents are using information to order from COLUMBIA HOUSE and are not paying the bill. I am currently being hit up for $34.94. I do not owe this amount and am not paying it. I think COLUMBIA HOUSE should be taken to task. I have repeatedly notified COLUMBIA HOUSE to cancel my account and they have not taken action.
Brian of Xenia, OH
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yesno3/28/10
after been out of this agreetment with columbia house(6 years ago) now recently i been getting call from a collection company saying the i own columbia house some money for some dvd that i supposed ordered 2 years ago. I told them that i wasn’t living in the addrees by the time, i had a different phone number,.. anyways botton line, they want me to pay them money for something that i didn’t order, please any advice for this matter, they told me it will show in my credit report, i told the collection i wont pay, i call columbuia house and they say they can find my account, i don’t know what to do? please advice
Rafael of duluth , GA
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yesno3/26/10
I’m getting married in 3 weeks and needed a last minute loan. When I applied I was told my credit was too low to get it. I’ve never had a late payment or collections in my life so I pulled my credit report and there it was, a collections account from National Collection Agency for Columbia House. When I contacted them they said it was back from 2003 for the amount of $47 and said I had two choices, either pay the $47 and they will delete it from my credit report or it will stick on my credit until 2013. I have never dealt with this company before, nor have i ordered anything from Columbia house.
Also, the date of that was back in 2003 and California has a statue of limitations of 5 years. When I brought that up the agent said becuase I contacted them it made the debt valid even though I told them it wasn’t mine. Unfortunatly I didn’t have any choice but to pay of the balance and have it deleted from my credit report. I need to get the loan for my wedding and it really ****** me off that I had to give in to these crooks. If anyone is doing a class action lawsuit please include me or if an attorney wants to use me as the main person. Not only did this company damage my credit but from a mental standpoint they really screwed me up. I’ve been stressing on this loan ever since it was rejected becuase of their actions.
trung of sacramento, CA
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yesno3/19/10
I belonged to the Columbia House (CH) Music club for about 20 years, approx 1980 to 2000. I cancelled my membership and closed acct. In 2009 I was contact by National Recovery Agency regarding a $72 charge for CDs I supposedly ordered in 2005. I asked the collection agency to send me a bill and if I owed anything I would pay it. They have sent no bill and continue to harass me by calling all hours of the night. They have even posted a negative transcation on my credit report that result in my being unable to cosign a loan for my daughter’s college.
I contact Columbia House and they have no record of my being a member or having any outstanding debt. They told me the would get back to me. I am still waiting.
I read on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_House)
that Columbia House has been involved in a fradulent debt scam. I am certain I am a victim of this scam. I am told the only way to clear my credit record and stop the harassment is to pay the $72.
This is extortion and I will not pay it. Someone is responsible for my child loan being denied and it isn’t me.
Daniel of Crescent City, CA
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yesno3/18/10
On 02/18/2010 I received a credit alert from Experian. The business name is National Recovery Agency which is a debt collection for Columbia House. Total dollar amount $74.13 which Columbia House stated that I ordered two DVD’s from them going back 2007 for which I never did. I am very upset about this situation therefore I called National Recovery Agency on 02/18/2010 and I spoke with a Portia and she said that this matter had to do with Columbia House concerning acct#JHJ433 for two DVD’s. The name of the DVD’s are Superman and Shooter.
I am disputing this charge from off of my credit report and asking that the dollar amount of $74.13 be removed because first of all I never ordered any DVD’s from Columbia House. I live alone and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I never ordered any DVD’s from Columbia House. If that is the case I could have went to Walmart and purchased them. Here it is 3 years later and Columbia House is stating that I owe them money.
I just went in on Columbia House website and noticed that they been scamming a lot of consumers out of monies. Columbia House need to be stopped and shut down, or refund the consumers back all their monies. It is not fair to us that these allegations are going on our credit report, and our interest rate are going higher. This must be stopped.
Therefore I’m disputing this and asking that it be remove immediately. How it can be possible to file a collection on someone credit, without proof of purchase for it? I never signed anything and don’t have to account with Columbia House. I would like to see my signature for these DVD’s? Can someone please respond back to me immediately concerning this matter. The physical damage that resulted is that they closed out my Discover credit card. 1. Inactivity on my account 2. Derogatory public record or collection filed.
Sharon of Trenton, NJ
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yesno3/17/10
This letter is in reply to your threatening letter to charge a balance to my debit, credit card on file. You should know, as Ive posted on your website before, I never agreed to be a part of your club. The interaction with your company is the result of using a website (Monster Jobs.com) to find a job, seek education, or improve my employment status. I was coerced, tricked and bamboozled, scammed (if you will) into your DVD plan.
In March of 2009, after six DVDs showed up in my mailbox, someone who collects packages for my address informed me one day that I had a package. I did not expect a package, nor did I request any of your DVDs, I was on your website, chose some DVDs, but once I saw the purchase terms, and saw that it was your company, I opted out, to my dismay this was impossible. My debit card was not entered on your website, however, I did make an attempt to abide by the rules, since it seems that I had no other choice. I never entered my data on your site, but within the many choices given to just post a resume, look at some data concerning an online institution, my personal information was obviously diverted into your website.
Not having any income, I felt suckered, and made an attempt to try and comply. No DVD on your list were to my liking, and they could be found cheaper at the local Target store, via Netflix, or from a rental machine at my local grocer. DVD sent were not ones I would choose. Your genre is limited, there were not enough quality DVDs, the prices were too expensive, and most of all they were not ones I would purchase.
I received a DVD, opened it, and saw that I already owned it. Others listed were ones that I had seen via Netflix, I paid to return it, insured. That cost should go into your purchase agreement. Once again, I have no funds, so I am demanding you remove requirements that I repeat, I never agreed to.
No employment, actively searching for employment, your threat to charge my card with charges (which I never agreed to) is a fraudulent activity by your company. It is well known that media company profits are decreasing at rapid rates, so you are doing anything to generate profit.
Ive returned your DVDs, and you have yet to offer or send anything worth purchasing. I have no money, and your letter with blanks asking me to choose four overpriced DVDs without my signature, permission, listed on your list to purchase is not an option that I choose to make at this time.
This letter is a request that you accept the DVDs that I was dumb enough to purchase, and terminate this agreement, which I never actually agreed to and we part ways on equal footing.
Your organization has sent my name to a credit reporting agency, I ask that you revoke any charges of non-payment, since I was forced into participating. I repeat, I have no money, no employment, and any monies I receive must be placed toward basic subsistence, like lights, rent, and food, not a horrible, limited, and narrow choice of DVDs.
I have reported you to the NY State Department of Consumer Affairs, sent you an email with the same data, and at my expense a snail mail copy back to your customer service, and if I can find it, a copy to a corporate address.
Deborah of Brooklyn, NY
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yesno3/16/10
I keep trying to log on to their web site to let them know what movies I do or don’t want and it keeps telling me that it doesn’t recognise my member number. If it continues I will keep getting movies I don’t want and not the ones I do. this is notwhat I signed up for and will not pay for these movies.
Irene of Vancouver, WA
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yesno3/16/10
I keep getting collection calls on my cell phone from an agency call Takhar Group on behalf of Columbia House DVD club. They are accusing me of owing Columbia House $130.00, which is not true and demanded a credit card on the spot. I refused to give my information as I know that I havent done business with Columbia House. The person accused me of stealing and now they continue to call me and harass me.
I have called Columbia House, but they said they couldnt help me. That I was in another system. I have also contacted Columbia House by email, and they just asked for more information. I have done some research on my own and found out this is a common business practice for Columbia House. I am not sure what else to do. I have turned them into the BBB, but they dont have an account with them. I have contacted the FTC and havent heard anything back. Please help America from falling victim to mafia techniques from Columbia House and the Takhar group.
Bryan of Thornton, CO
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yesno3/11/10
I received a letter today, March 9, 2010, from this company, stating that I owe $132.94 from a debt to Columbia House…from 2005. When I asked them to send me proof of the debt, there was none. The rep said nothing was ever ordered, and that it is late fees and interest. I have never done business with this company. It is very odd, that this just now showed up on my 2010 credit report.
I told the lady that I don’t owe this, and want it removed. She informed me that the only way to remove it, is to pay it. It can stay on my credit report indefinitely! I will not be bullied into paying something that I do not owe! I was told that they report weekly, and it will severely damage my credit report.
Toni of Smyrna, TN
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yesno3/9/10
Found on my yearly free credit report that a delinquent account was reported back in Aug of 2009. I was never notified of the account or the reporting despite having a current address and phone on file with my credit report. I called the agency and they used only my name and address to place the debt on my credit report from an account allegedly from 2005.
Because of this i have been paying higher minimum fees, higher percentage rates and possibly losing my student loans. They also refused to give me any information on Columbia House. Im contacting a lawyer to see if its legal for them to do so considering anyone can order things and use a persons old address to fraudulently destroy their credit rating.
Higher fees, higher APR’s. im being financially drained because of these people! My minimum payments are so high but I manage to pay them and then some every month. 40$ on $400 for example.
Alethia of jacksonville, FL
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yesno3/9/10
I have a credit monitoring service through FreeCreditReport.com. I have to say its money well spent. They contacted me via email last week to inform me that a collection has appeared on my credit from National Credit Solutions phone number. When I called them they told me it was for Columbia House. I never opened an account with them. The collection agency tells me it’s from 2002.
Furthermore, they told me that if I settle for less than the $227 they are claiming I owe it will stay on my credit as a collection for the next 7 years. However, if I paid in full they would delete it from my credit as if it never existed and within 30 days my credit score would increase. She also informed me it’s a very damaging collection because they report weekly as opposed to monthly. She said unfortunately the only thing Columbia house needs is a name and address to open an account and attach any collection to your credit report. I ended up paying the full debt.
After much searching I found a customer service number that actually works for Columbia House. I talked to a representative there who told me, of course, she can’t locate an account. She said she talked to her supervisor and took my name, number, and email to get back with me. She also said it didn’t sound like something they would do.
We all need to contact them at the number above so some resolution is made. I read back and almost every day over the last few years someone has been affected by this. My score is now a 632 because this agency is reporting this weekly.
Erin of Waynesboro, PA
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yesno3/9/10
I ordered a movie from them on the Internet and paid for it. They then sent me another one that I didn’t order or want. I returned it and told them I didn’t want any more but they billed me and have called me and now have collection agencies call me.
They should be closed down for illegal business practices. I’m sure their bullying tactics have made them money they shouldn’t have. We should get together and sue them class action or the government should close them down for illegal activities. Where is the government when you need them?
Josie of Saint Jerome, QC
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yesno3/4/10
He alleged that I owed 29.50 on an account#. That I never had with Columbia House or any other compamy
Walter of 519 Ave J. Place, TX
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yesno3/4/10
Today I clicked an ad, which says I can buy 3 DVDs at $1 each at a website called Columbia House. I entered and bought 3 DVDs. But later my friend said that I fell into a trap, and then I read terrible complaints about Columbia House at your website.
At this moment, they charged me the 3 DVD price (that’s fine), but I am really afraid that there is subsequent “hidden” charge which will hurt my credit record.
I am willing to give up the “discount” but I cannot find anyway at this moment so that I can cancel the account. What should I do now?
Y.K. of New York, NY
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yesno3/1/10
I received a call last September from some collection agency(don’t remember the name) from Columbia House and they said, what I own them about $100 for some DVDs, which I never ordered and of course never received.
Checked my credit score recently, because I am looking for a house for rent… My credit score dropped from 747 to 680!!!!because of collection filed…
How it can be possible to file a collection on some one credit, without proof for it?
YELENA of SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA
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yesno2/28/10
Just got a call from a collection agency stating that I owe Columbia House a hundred and something dating back to 2007. I can not recall ever having an account with the company. I have been trying to call Columbia House to try and get to the bottom of this matter. I am so upset with them turning me over to collections and yet i have NEVER had an account with them. my credit score is getting lower scores with this stupid and false account the claim i have with them.
Christine of San Felipe Pueblo, NM
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yesno2/25/10
I have received over a dozen phone calls from the Talker Group collection agency. I never had a Columbia House account, nor do i owe them the $134.00 that they say i owe. I told them i was going to contact the BBBureau about this matter. I am sick of people getting a hold of someones info. and selling that information to 3rd parties. The collection agency told me that if i did not pay, that they would lower my credit score immediately. Screw that!!! I don’t know who they think they are, but Columbia House needs sued! This is illegal!!
Serena of Des Moines, IA
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yesno2/19/10
I was just contacted by a rep of a collection agency stating that i owe columbia house for an unpaid dvd from a membership i NEVER had. I dont even know how this program works but they dont have any numbers on their website to contact them, only comment forms which are not returned pr most likely even looked at. This delinquency on my credit report is making interest rates higher on my purchases even though its only for 30 dollars.
wayne of durham, NE
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yesno2/16/10
I keep receiving rude amessages from Matthew & automated messages from 8664088299 saying they are from Tarak group representing columbia house that I owe $24.94 from 2006. That they will be reporting this the credit bureau now I have worked very hard to maintain my credit. I do not owe Columbia House anything they have nothing that can be sent just want money this is not right
virginia of royal palm beach, FL
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yesno2/11/10
In Oct 2009, a Columbia House ding on my credit report appeared for $59. I have never purchased any merchandise from Columbia House in my entire life. It’s now in collections. When I got through to a rep a Columbia house, I was told that I’m not even in their system, she could not locate any info about me.
I called the collection agency, I was told it’s from an unpaid bill back from Feb 2007. It then became a pure care of extortion, I was given two options, just pay the bill or good luck trying to fight it and taking 24-months to remove from my credit score. As stressful it was to pay, I did. Makes me sick to have to pay, it’s not the $59, its the feeling of being fully taken advantage of and no way of finding any help out but to pay.
It’s a perfect scam for them, $59 is nothing to an individual, but get 1 million people to pay, it’s $59 million dollars in their pocket. Look at their financials, I bet their most profitable sector of their business is selling “default accounts” to collection agencies over and above all DVD and music sales.
Why cant we make this go away? THIS IS ILLEGAL! THIS IS EXTORTION! I paid to make it go away. Before I found out this was on my credit, I bought a car. I couldnt figure out why my credit score had dropped so much, so I took a higher intrest loan based on my credit score. Not only did I pay the $59, i’m also paying higher intrest on a loan for something I never got myself into.
Nathan of San Diego, CA
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yesno2/10/10
Cloumbia house scams you into signing a contract by offering you free movies. In 2005 I bought movie from them. They hide the terms on a page and you don’t have to read them you can click on the i have the read terms. They thrive off of quick shoppers.
I never provided them my Social Security nyumber neither credit card information, they are still able to track you. I guess this company buy data (your personal informations..) from some 3rd party company. Which is again a big SCAM.
They put my name in nation Recovery agency list. They never sent me any email for the bill to pay the hidden cost of $88. And NRA gave my name in credit bearue and they reduced my credit score by 100 points.
Thats unfair and bad business.
Nishant of Des Moines, IA
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yesno2/3/10
Cloumbia hourse scams you into signing a contract by offering you free movies I bought one movie from them and they poped up with pick your free movies they hide the terms on a page and you don’t have to read them you can click on the i have the read terms. They thrive off of quick shoppers I wanted one movie and they sent one I didn’t want and charged me for it. I sent it back and lost my money and changed my card so they couldn’t do it again now they are calling me two times a day sometimes and saying pay or else. If i don’t want a product why is it leagal for them to force me to do so. Now they just want me to pay for something I didn’t get. Thats unfair and bad business. I will join everyone in a class action laysuit aginst them.
Tracy of Des Moines , IA
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yesno2/1/10
I have fullfilled all obligations to Columbia House in reference to ordering products. I reviewed my current credit report only to discover inaccurate information. I have not been notified or billed. I will dispute this item. I have been turned down for employment because of the amount and the newness of the collection.
NICKIE of Houston, TX
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yesno1/30/10
Got a call 2 months ago about some supposed DVds we bought from Columbia House 15 years ago that we never paid for. My wife and I don’t remember any such DVds we did use to buy from Columbia house but we always finished are contract with them, why now after 15 years to ask for movies, witch we can’t even remember about and have this agency International Collection agency call every now and then, asking us to pay this dept or else! they claim Columbia been sending notices to our house calling us since 08 trying to collect this dept.
Lies all Lies”. What a scam this is it looks like were not the only ones caught up in this little scam! What needs to be done is everyone complaining about the same thing should file for a Class Action Law Suit against Columbia House for implementing such false accusations. Me and my wife feel emotional drained by these calls I personally have medical problems witch are even more aggravated by these calls from International Collection Agency Columbia should Apologies to everyone who they been witch Hunting! over these stupid Dvd’s
Louie of La puente, CA
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yesno1/29/10
I received a phone call at 9:36 a.m. from Takhar Group. I called back to see who it was. They said that I owed Columbia House $99.76. I tried to explain that I fulfilled my obligations and always paid for any movie I ever ordered. The lady I spoke with was very rude and begin raising her voice to me and threatening me. But then she said if I pay it they will send me vouchers for future movies. She was very rude so I just hung up.
She said her group would place this on my credit report for 7 years if I didn’t pay them. I just received a notice from my employer that they will be closing on 1/31/2010(Cumberland Hall). This collection matter is the least bit of my worries right now but it would be nice to speak with someone who is not rude and explain.
Andrea of Fort Oglethorpe, GA
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yesno1/28/10
I have never ordered a DVD from Columbia House. I received a call from a company called National Recovery Agency telling me that they were trying to collecton a debt for columbia house. This was Dec. 2006 or 2007, because when they called I was crying because I had lost my husband 12/7/2006. I explain that I never ordered a dvd. I never received a bill from columbia house.
Now National Recovery Agency has contacted me again,1/25/2010, and I received a letter from them today,1/26/2010 regarding Capital Management Vent for columbia house.
This is the first letter i have received from anyone. I don’t even know who capital management vent is. I never received anything from them either.
They have put this on my credit report what can i do?
Rosetta of Inglewood, CA
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yesno1/26/10
they called saying i owe 135 dollars for a columbia house dvd membership which i never sign up for… i never order any dvd’s i have cable! really i know the economy is bad but to charge people for so called membership, i ask for proff he said he could give any…. i want this matter to be done with!
esteban of la puente, CA
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yesno1/21/10
A couple of years ago I started getting calls from Columbia house saying that I owed them $30.00 for a movie titled the pursuit of happiness. I told them I never ordered or received said movie.I in fact asked them to provide me with something showing I had ever made this request. They couldnt, and I made it clear I would not be paying.
Many months later I started getting calls from collection agengies about this. I also explained the situation th them and after awhile it stopped so I assumed it was straightened out. Now after months and months it has started again and somehow they have gotten my cell phone #. They used to only call my home. How can I make this stop? and what if they have damaged my credit report for something I never ordered. I fear my credit has been damaged.
Susan of Baldwin, NY
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yesno1/15/10
Columbia DVD Membership.
Yesterday, I got a phone call from DVD membership house. I have canceld this membership in 2002 when I noticed that they keep sending me unwanted DVDs. For the last 7 years, I haven’t get any contact with Columbia. So, it was forgotten and becmea history. All of a sudden, I got a phone call whole 7 years after saying that I owe $74! I had an argument but they hung up. I got several phone calls probably from them, but they didn’t answer. I have a paper to submit tonight, I can’t waste my time with them. What should I do?
Anna of Urbana, IL
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yesno1/5/10
I joined Columbia House for the 3rd time. I left the last 2 times because they wouldn’t stop sending me unwanted DVDs.
It was normal at first but I stipulated they were not allowed to use my credit card info and that I would pay by check or credit card and that I wanted to be billed.
After a while I got a letter saying I was delinquent in paying for an item. I thought I had paid but it was my mistake. Up until this point I logged in and paid my bill with a debit card.
When I checked I found an unauthorized withdrawal for a movie I did not order and did not authorize payment for. A few days later the movie turned up, 2 weeks later another and another until they had nearly 80 dollars of my money and I had 4 god awful movies I didn’t order. Meanwhile they begin to send me threats about the first movie I hadn’t paid for, yet they had no authorization to go into my credit account. So I owed them 20$ and they owe me about 80$. They said if I sent the movies I didn’t ask for back to them they would give me my money back, I did but no money and now they are going to report me and ruin my credit. Oh they also told me I authorized the payments by merely using my debit card to pay one bill. This is a lie. I can’t contact these people as they have changed their number again.
Susan of Beaverton, OR
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yesno12/21/09
I ordered two dvds. when i received that order, the package was opened and i was missing one dvd. i tried contacting them and now on my bank statement they billed me TWICE for the dvds when i only wanted a replacement for the dvd i was missing. now i have been billed double for dvds i do not need and that i definitely did not order!
NaTisha of McComb, MS
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yesno12/19/09
They sent me a DVD that I did not order and I called Customer service and they told me to mark on the outside return to sender which I did. I never opened the box. Now they keep charging me for a movie that I returned. I went into my account on line and it dosen’t even show this DVD at all.
I keep reading horror stories of how they extort money out of people. I am afraid.
I lost my job and I can’t afford to pay for movies that I never bought. Please help
SUSAN of HIGHLAND, CA
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yesno12/17/09
Last week missed 866 number on my cell and called back – Takhargroup Collection Agency lets me know that I owe $137.01 to Columbia House. I tried to explain that it is impossible since I am current customer of Columbia House with little balance, but for the purchase I made 3 weeks ago and did not even receive my order yet. Lady on the other line provided me with info who to call and I called Columbia House. The representative from Columbia House told me I owe them money since they sent me DVDs to fulfill my commitment of purchasing 2 more DVDs for the club price. I asked them to check their record, since I did satisfied the requirements and even closed the old account, but did renewed it after they literally begged me to do so. Which company renews membership to members with outstanding balance?
CH Rep took my phone number down and told me that someone will contact me shortly to resolve this issue – no respond so far. Meanwhile I am in collection.
Wrote letter to collection agency with request to send me copies of all my purchases, payments, statements, email communications, etc. Similar letter goes to Columbia House – I am not paying for bogus charges. I do have all copies of requested papers – and it will be easy to dismiss all those stupid charges – but I want them to try proving me wrong. I want to see how they will try to find their way out, especially when I send them copies myself. Bunch of crooks.
As far as for the new order from Columbia House – it is almost a month – and no order – requested info, but so far got only bill by mail. Nice. Never thought will have problems with Columbia House. As soon as I get order – one more DVD to buy before March 2011, which of course will be purchased right away – and I am closing my account for good. And as soon as I get email confirmation of cancellation – printing it out along with balance info from website and sending it out by Registered Mail to Columbia House, so they would have it on record. I guess I will have to do their job for them – keeping records straight.
Margarita of Brooklyn, NY
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yesno12/15/09
I have been a customer of Columbia House DVD for over a decade; recently they are alleging that I received a DVD which I didn’t pay for. I never ordered the DVD and they keep harrassing me to pay a bill for $36.76!
I have written to them twice to explain that I do not owe them money for a DVD which I did not order and did not receive! They are now threating to report me to a national consumer reporting agency! How do I get them to believe me? They will ruin my good credit score if I do not pay the bill. Yet, no one has answered my letters from customer service. I will probably end up paying the bill just to get them off of my back and to avoid having them ruin my good credit score. This is a totally unfair situation. I have been a loyal customer of Columbia House and have always paid my bill for orders. I will definitely cancel my membership with them. I cannot deal with this company any longer!
Patricia of Summit, NJ
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yesno12/13/09
Upon checking my Credit Report I noticed that Columbia House is in my Credit report stating that I owe them $99.00. I called the collection agency and the lady was very nasty she told me that I placed an order back in February of 2009 for a set of Gospel music. now mind you I do not listen to Gospel music at all and I never placed an order for that. I e-mailed Columbia House and told them that I never placed this order. Now how could I have placed this order if I never did it online or even have a credit card with them.
This is outregeous and impossible. I have to resolve this problem. I e-mailed them back and told them if there is a 800 number that I can call and resolve this issue. Columbia House never responded to my e-mail.
Ileana of Bridgeport , CT
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yesno12/11/09
They said I joined back 2005, never received anything and said I owe them $99.99 for being a member. This is not true, I have no idea what they are talking about. Put it on my credit report.
KEN of AUSTIN, TX
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yesno12/5/09
I “joined” the DVD mailing club years ago and I was still in High School and probably not 18. Over the years here and there I have received maybe a total of 4 DVD’s in the mail and kept only one of the 4. I kept sending them back and told them to cancel and stop sending them. In order for them to cancel copmpletely they say I 1st owed them $25.?? for previous shipping and “items that may be on the way to me?” Now they are asking for $125.00 “which includes items on the way to me again or items I am returning”. How can they PRE- charge for something that isn’t there or in my posession? I have never received a bill or anythign saying I owed money or for any DVD’s. This is a Rip-off.
Cody of story, AR
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yesno12/2/09
I received an e-mail from Col House offering 70% off on DVD’s with the purchase of 1 at regular price. This particular e-mail did not exclude blu ray like most of their e-mails do. It only excluded Boxed sets and pre-orders. I clicked on the e-mail and ordered several blu ray titles that were priced at regular price.
I then contacted customer service (it should be called non-customer service) to ask them to honor the promotion (with a copy of the e-mail promo attached). I then proceeded to receive canned non responsive e-mails from a variety of morons who either can’t read, are in India or are trained to **** off customers. After 4 e-mails I gave up.
Bottom line, if you have a problem with them forget it. Their customer service is non existent and its extremely difficult to get a human being on the phone. They specialize in mis-leading advertising and many of their prices were rip-offs. I did much better at Best Buy over the weekend which had Blu ray Titles for 75% off and regularly see new releases for 50% off. Just a waste of my time. It’s their loss since they just lost a good 20 year customer.
Kennethn of Los Angeles, CA
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yesno11/30/09
They have harassed me so many times that now I’ve noticed they they have just recently taken a peek at my credit report (but does not show to other creditors just me) Anyway, Columbia House/BMG are telling me I owe them all this money when I signed up a few years ago with them. They sent me movies I DID NOT order and I always told them I did not want the movie every time they sent the card out asking if I wanted the “feature title”.
If I called the 1-800 number to decline the movie they would still send me the movie and they were deducting my bank account so much to the point were I had to go to the bank because I was overdrawn and also get a new debit card. Now they have sent my info to this harassing collection agency when I do not owe Columbia house any money and if any thing they owe my bank because they were kind enough to put the money back into my account. Takhar Collection Services Ltd said I owe $30.94 and $124.70! I’m so peeved.
Jennifer of Attalla, AL
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yesno11/29/09
Signed-up for DVD program. Get x amount of selections for ridiculously low price and buy just 5 more “at regular club price” during the next x amount of time to fulfill your obligation. Made my first “regular club price” purchase for $17.95 and it was not counted toward my 5 obligatory purchases. When trying to find out why, I was never able to contact a human for clarification.
I wrote to Columbia House but never received any response and when calling the telephone number provided on correspondence, I was always hung up on because my issue could not be answered by their auto-attendant system. I refused to make additional purchases without understanding what a “regular club price” meant and how to select the DVDs that would count toward my obligation.
Then I started receiving collection notices but still was not able to EVER speak to a human representative. They finally sent my account to a collection agency who was not able to clarify my issue either. Now I have a collection being reported on my credit! Numerous phone calls from collection agencies, letters written to Columbia House with zero response or clarification and now my credit has been compromised.
Erin of Rindge, NH
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yesno11/18/09
I got a credit card cancellation in the mail saying they closed my credit card account to do a negative collection on my credit. I pulled up my credit and I had a collection for $66. I called the collection company and they told me there is nothing they can do and that I need to call Columbia House. Calling Columbia House and getting a hold of someone is impossible.
I signed up for Columbia House back in early 2003 and I fulfilled my end of the deal by buying all the full priced DVD’s. They kept sending me movies after that and I repeatably had to tell them to cancel my account. I told them to cancel my account 8 times and then I finally stopped getting movies.
And now over 6 years later I get a collection on my credit. The worst of it is that the collection company says this account was opened in Jan of 2009! This has dropped my credit score by 30 points and also caused one of my credit cards to be closed down. I don’t know how much more my credit score will drop now due to my closed credit card account.
Kirsti of Everett, WA
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yesno10/29/09
I just received a call from a collection agency telling me that either I pay them $135 by credit card RIGHT NOW or they are putting this on my credit report for an account through Colubia House that I never signed up for. Not only did I not sign up for it, I never received anything from them, and I haven’t heard a peep from anyone until now. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Nice company. I asked the lady to send me something and she said they don’t send things to people to prove this claim. Sounds like Columbia House is a total joke. I guess I’ll wait and see what happens.
Jim of Chaska, MN
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yesno10/14/09
I have been trying to cancel my auto dvd orders, i have fulfilled their requirements. trying to contact someone is impossible. I try to login to my account to cancel the service, which I dont know if it is possible to do, I enter my password and it rejects it and offers to email me my password and displays my correct email address but it never sends it to me. I have tried several times to request my password and have never received it and I cannot find a number that will take me to a live person to talk to.
John of Los Angeles, CA
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yesno9/24/09
I recently pulled my free credit report and was shocked to find a collection on my report from a collection agency called National Credit Solutions. I have NEVER had anything derogatory on my creit report.
The collection was from a company called Columbia House (which I had never even heard of). When I called the collection agency, they said I owed money for an account I had with Columbia House DVD club. I have never had an account with Columbia House, never aouthorized an account, never received any products and never receivd a bill from Columbia House. In fact, the address they have on “my account” in not an address where I have ever lived.
After numerous calls to Columbia House I have not been able to get them to give me confirmation that they are going to clear this matter up with Nation Credit Solutions. I was dropped from my new home owners insurance policy for the reason of the collection from National Credit Solutions (from Columbia House). My credit score went down over 100 points. I have spent numerous hours trying to clear this up.
Ashleigh of University Place, WA
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yesno9/21/09
I signed up by buying a $5.00 DVD and then fulfulled my contract and they KEPT ON sending DVD’s after that and bills. I talked to people and I even spoke to someone who says she cancelled my account and then got another bill, for something I returned.
Diane of Belvidere, NJ
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yesno9/19/09
Sent in payments on this account was told they never got them it went to collections now they are charging me more than the account was, plus when i informed them that when i was sure the payroll was deposited into my account I wouild call in a payment, but they wanted me to give them the card number in advance. I told them no not until I knew the money was available. so I would not get charged an overdraft fee. That was not good enough for them and now they call 2-3 times a day
Richard of Hamilton, OH
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yesno9/3/09
I order CD’s from them in 2005. It was order 12. You would received 6 and when you bought one at regular price they would send the other 6 and you needed to purchase 3 more at regular price during the membership. I received the 6 CD’s and paid for one. I never received the other 6 but kept receiving bills for them. I e-mailed them on 3 occasions when I received the bills that I had not received the other 6 and sent back any other’s (return to sender) that they sent me for purchase (2 of them). After my third email to them, I never heard from them again and assumed (I know that is stupid of me) that it was all taken care of. I could not call them because a number was never listed just an email. Now in October 2009 I apply for a load and find out that I have a credit bureau account of $185.00 that I owe. They told me they received the account in December 2008 but did not need to notify me, it was up to me to find out and contact them. Now I have to pay because I broke the contract (when I never received the other 6 CD’s that they were suppose to send). I was not going to pay full price for CD’s when they even gave me my full introductory offer. They broke the contract first and now I have to pay. The sad part is that I have been a member of Columbia House for DVD’s for years and have purchase 50-60 CD’s from them during this time. If I had known this, I would never have been a member. Is there anything to be done?
Helen of Canton, NY
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yesno9/1/09
This company is a scam, I was somehow sucked into being a member, and justified it by thinking, the prices were good, if I just fulfill the obligation to buy a few more, etc… I’ll be done… turns out, you’re never done, they will forever send you one more each month for jacked up prices ($28)… I finally figured out how to request they not send them, but also, I was stumped that I could not get out of my membership, despite having dropped over a hundred dollars (way more than I thought it would be) to fullfill my obligation… and still, they made it impossible to cancel. Finally, I sent a letter requesting it… (almost 4 weeks ago, after my last DVD) and the other day… another stupid DVD!!! I’m so sick of Columbia House… and they are charging my credit card… (four charges so far I didn’t want)… Plus, I’ve been trying to send the movies back the way they instruct “write return to sender, put back in mail box”… first of all, if that is their policy… isn’t that fraud against the USPS??? Second, if I’m doing this, but once in awhile, they ‘forget’ to credit my money back… isn’t that STEALING??? And how do they get away with not being able to provide anyone a secure for sure way to cancel? Isn’t buyer protection a right we have as citizens? HOW DO YOU STOP THESE PEOPLE??? PLEASE HELP!
Shawn of Queensbury, NY
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yesno8/28/09
I started to fill in the video club online. I didnt finish it and stopped next thing I know is they are sending me a bill for videos I never recieved, I contacted them and they said they would fix it,,That was 3 yrs ago.. I just got a letter in the mail from a collection agency and they are demanding money in full or it goes against my credit.. I am totally frustrated and dont understand how they can charge someone without sending the merchandise.
rena of beaverlodge, AB
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yesno8/28/09
I ordered movies from them on their website. I printed the receipt and waited for the dvd’s to come. When they arrived the invoice with them had a higher total than what was listed when I ordered the movies. I have e-mailed the company numerous times I have called but no response. I now have a collection agency harassing me for the membership dues due to my no payment.
leon of sunrise, FL
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yesno8/27/09
I am consistantly being billed for the same movies over and over. A representative called regarding payment and I explained to her that I have paid for the same movies twice and wasn’t going to pay another penny. I ask that my membership be cancelled but got another bill for the same movies instead.
Margie of Norfolk, VA
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yesno8/19/09
I fulfilled my contract but didn’t cancel my membership. I would go online to mark that I do not want the Directors Selection so they wouldn’t send me a movie and I’d have to deal with the inconvience of sending it back. Granted, there was a time or two that I forgot. They would send me movies anyway. I emailed them a few times and sent a letter to complain and cancel my membership. I also told them that the next movie I received, I would consider it a gift from them. They sent another one!
Over a year later, I’ve gotten phone calls, to the point of being harassment, from Habib in India telling me to pay the bill. He can’t understand what the big deal $28 dollars is. I told him if it was no big deal, why harass meover it. I just don’t get it….
Cheryl of Tullahoma, TN
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yesno7/24/09
Over a year ago, i fulfilled my contracted purchases with columbia house, ordering the given amount of dvd’s at ‘regular’ price to end my membership.
about six months after, i received a bill for $92, stating i had breached their contract for not ordering the specified amount of dvd’s in the required timeframe. WHAT?!
after arguing with the rep for more than 30 minutes, during which i was told that some of the dvd’s i ordered from their catalogue at listed regular price were REALLY not regular price, like they were discounted and should’ve been $25 instead of $19.99, etc. NONE of that was disclosed anywhere on the catalogue, and they were specifically listed as regular price, in a seperate page and category than the ‘special’ offers.
out of sheer frustration, i paid the entire amount they were demanding, even though i was furious and SURE i had not done anything wrong.
two weeks ago, i got a call from a collection agency, demanding i pay that SAME $92, that i had never paid it, and was collecting fees and interest on it!!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!?!
this has to be illegal–it’s fraud and extortion, pure and simple!
Johnathan of Norman, OK
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yesno7/23/09
Trying to collect on supposed Columbia hOUSE…WON’T PROVIDE ANY INFO
b of detroit, MI
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yesno7/22/09
About six months to a year ago I got a call from a collection agency stating that I owed Columbia House for DVDs. I never ordered any DVD’s from Columbia House. I told the agency that and they said they would check it out. Two days later I get another call from them saying that I owe $52 and change for DVD’s. Again I said I do not owe this and they said that I ordered them and have to pay for them. After several minutes of trying to explain to them that I never ordered DVD’s I finally got a supervisor.
They told me to contact Columbia House and that they are the ones to deal with this. I asked for the phone number for Columbia House and they told me to go on line and get it. They would not help me one bit! I went online and there is no phone # for customer service on their web site. So I looked up Columbia House and got about 5 different numbers. It took about 45 minutes to an hour to get the right number and a real person. The representative at Columbia House said that they would take care of it and that was it. I never heard anything again until July 8th 2009. At that time I got a call from another collection agency saying that I owed Columbia House for DVD’s that I never ordered. The first person I talked to at this agency said that I should pay a little something on it so it wont be reported to credit bureau.
I said I would not pay for something I did not order and that this was suppose to be taken care of at Columbia House end a long time ago. After several times telling the man that I would not pay anything for something I never ordered (he was persistant that I pay for these even though I told him I wouldn’t pay for something I never ordered) He gave me the number to another department. There I got a lady that told me to call Columbia House because they have to clear it. She gave me the proper phone number and the extension to dial. I called and got a lady that told me it would be taken care of. I related to her my frustration and that this was told to me a year before.
She then said that she already took care of it while we were talking. So I then called the collection agency back and told them this. They informed me that the lady at Columbia House lied to me beacause it took at least six hours for any information to reach them if she sent it as an emergency! If she sent it through normal chanels it would take at least a week! So, even more frustrated, I called Columbia House back and got a different person. This person told me that she would fill out the proper forms herself and send them through herself. This person was very helpfull. Then on July 10 I get a call from the collection agency again. This time I talked to a lady who said that she apologized and that she would take care of my account herself and said I should not recieve a call from them for at least two weeks.
She also promised to let me know if this situation is resolved. Not trusting Columbia House to have done what they said, I called them again and this time got a lady who told me that this had been filed and that it would take some time (about a week) to go through processing. I asked her to send me a letter stating that this is cleard she said that it was the responsibility of the collections agency. I told her that the collections agency said it was Columbia House responsibility. Then she said they could send one.
Danny of Vestaburg, MI
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yesno7/10/09
Was given a copy of my credit report from my credit union and there was an unpaid balance of $73.08 on the report. I called the number that was listed on the report and it was to a collection company called National Recovery. They went into detail to tell me that it was for Columbia House/BMG. I explain to them I did not have an account with them and the man I talked to argued with me told me this would not leave my credit report until I paid the balance due. Why should I have to pay for something I never ordered nor do I have.
Shannon of Waterford, MI
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yesno7/10/09
All this happened while serving in the Air Force from 1999-2003. I was staying in the Air Force Dorms at my duty station when one day I received a promotional offering in the mail. You know, junk mail. I had thought they were offering great deals on DVDs. Boy was I naive. Well I signed up and had fulfilled my first membership with them and a while later I renewed for another promotional deal. I knew I had to purchase so much and so many in a certain amount of time. They give you this invoice with a number printed on it showing how many DVD’s you have left to order to fulfill your obligation to them. Prior to experiencing any troubles with Columbia house, I distinctly remember that the invoice said I had 3 left to order before my obligations were satisfied. I called customer service and spoke to a female representative that took my order. She gave me a good deal on one of the DVDs. I ordered two. The DVDs arrived.
Let’s pause for a moment and revisit simple math taught to us in elementary school. 3 minus 2 equals 1 right? Ok great! Let’s continue.
I get the next month’s invoice and it says *drum roll*……I need to order 2 more DVDs to fulfill my obligation~! Wait….3 minus 2 equals 2????? So I called customer service and spoke to one of the most incompetent customer service representatives I have ever had the displeasure of speaking to. Since she was of no help at all I escalated to a supervisor. She explained that the “good deal” I got on one of the DVD’s that I paid for did NOT COUNT because of the “good deal” I received on it. WOW! REALLY????????? Well HAD I KNOWN OR AT LEAST BEEN TOLD THAT WOULD BE THE CASE, I WOULD HAVE PAID FULL PRICE FOR THAT DVD INSTEAD.
So….after a bit of explaining my side of it to her, she stated she corrected the issue and I only owed 1 more order. Ok…just to make sure I didn’t order anything for about 2 months JUST TO MAKE SURE what was told to me that would happen….would happen. The next two invoices came to me and it only said I owed 1 order. I made that order. I’m done right? WRONG!!!!!!!!!
Fast forward now to 2009, July 8th. I get out of the shower and here’s this lovely automated voicemail. I call the number back and it’s a collections agency. I ask them why do I owe them any money? This rude snotty little representative who must have been having a bad day said that it was for Columbia House and that I owed them $22. REALLY???? 6 YEARS LATER THEY TRY TO COLLECT ON SOMETHING I CLEARLY DO NOT OWE THEM???? Then I asked how they got my number. She said she didn’t know and that it was given to them along with the account. Really now….it was MY CELL PHONE they had contacted. The number I currently have WAS NEVER ACTIVE when I was in the air force. Funny….I don’t believe them. But whatevers right? They also said they were the third collections agency that has worked the account or tried to collect. LMAO FUNNY!!! NOT!!!!
Let this be a warning to all. DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING THROUGH COLUMBIA HOUSE!
Steve of Colorado Springs, CO
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yesno7/9/09
I received a call from a collection agency Takhar Collection Agency. I had no knowledge of my daughter, age 16, ordering DVD’s from columbia house. I have never received a bill or what DVS’s were ordered.
I asked for some type of acknowledgement that this order was placed.
Renee of NEW YORK, NY
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yesno6/18/09
Columbia House is engaging in deceptive business practices when you first sign up for a membership you agree to purchase think it’s 3 dvd’s
at regular club prices ( in all honesty
what they call a club price ends up
being more costly then what you would
pay at any store upon a dvd’s release)
okay so what happened to me I met my
obligation then I got calls from reps of Columbia House offering a deal which
I assumed was perk of my membership nope each time you except a deal they
sign you up for another membership in which you are obligated yet again to buy 3 more dvd’s within a year at regular club prices an so on there were times I was getting sent and charged for two of the exact same club featured selections so I finnally stopped authorizing them to charge a
selection on my card because I got tired of being charged for movies I didn’t want let alone two of the same
I ended getting a nasty letter from Columbia House citing my membership
obligations have not been fullfilled
demanding I pay $54.00 which is the price of two featured selections thats
funny coming from a company that’s ripping people off man I would of thought I would have met my membership obligations through the other memberships I had with them. Their collection letter was very nasty just
like some of their customer service people I called their automated service
an they tried to strong arm me to pay
them $54.00 I said I would when I got good and ready they were well aware of my other membership accounts basically
they know their engaging in deceptive business practices what I did say and
I do plan to follow through if they send my one membership to collections I will sue Columbia House for every penny their worth. I cannot fathom as to why so many complaints have been made against Columbia House for deceptive business practices an nothing is being done about it.
Jennifer of Houston, TX
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yesno6/18/09
I filed a complaint with Equifax regarding this “DEBT” I supposedly had/have with Columbia House from 2004/2005. Originally the company that was harrasing me was National Recovery, the results of my disputes from Equifax clearly indicates DELETED FROM MY CREDIT FILE. Then why did Columbia House sent my “file” to Attorneys at Law? I faxed them the results of my dispute and “R. Hill” stated “well obviously its not enough and you still owe it” WHAT!
I had to do short sale, due to all a bad adjustable rate I had and struggled to maintain for the last 5 years, so I am in the proces of fixing my credit, I dont need any of this nonsence on my credit, specially because I dont owe anything to Columbia House. The harrasment, the unprofessionalism, the unpoliteness of this attorneys office and that National recovery collectons is unbelievable, never thought USA had some of those uneducated people.
DIANA of Simi Valley , CA
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yesno6/17/09
I joined Columbia House for some DVD’s. I fulfilled my membership and still keep getting emails stating that I have to purchase more DVD’s. I trioed to find a customer service phone number. I Sent them emails and they have not replied back.
James of Greenwood lake, NY
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yesno6/9/09
I signed up with their membership to get around 5 DVD’s for I think it was like $.50 each. It was my fault for not reading the fine print about how I needed to fulfill an obligation to purchase another 4 at full price in the next two years. Anyways, once I took care of that obligation, I cancelled my membership.
Ever since then, they CONTINUE sending me DVD’s I HAVE NOT ORDERED in the mail, and if I don’t send in payment they’ll send follow up invoices with late penalties and threaten to send me to collections. There is no phone number they supply with a representative, they only have an automated system that isn’t helpful AT ALL. I’ve had to dig around for hours to find a phone number that gets you in touch with a real person. And when I finally do. I AGAIN tell them to cancel my membership.
After 2 to 3 months go by, my membership is magically reinstated (in other words these scamming con artists don’t respect my wishes and sign me up without my consent since they already have my information on file). I begin to receive DVD’s in the mail again and the cycle starts all over. I wish I knew of a way I could press charges for harassment.
Ashley of Upland, CA
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yesno6/6/09
The Several months ago, I was randomly cruising the Internet, and came across Columbia House DVD site. It went on to their site and thought perhaps I would join, and even began filling out the list of what movies I might like to order. However, I came across mention that there was a monthly or trimester fee of almost $40 a month, which I did not want to pay. Therefore I exited the site, without entering any information, not my credit card information or anything. However, they sent me a huge box of DVDs, some of which had been on my make-believe list of what I might like to order, and several others that I’d never even heard of. Thereafter, I began receiving a monthly selection for which I was expected to pay.
I contacted Columbia House letting them know the situation: that I had never pressed a Join button on their site or even given credit card information, and that I did not understand how they would have card information for me. Because the credit card information that they somehow pulled up was under my husband’s name, they set me a letter telling me they could only deal with him. When I returned another complaint to them, this one under my husband’s name, they only sent the same form letter, stating that they can only deal with my husband. This was confusing, since the letter I sent them was in my husband’s name.
Today I am holding yet another unsolicited DVD, which I have no intention of owning or wanting or paying for. I’m going to put it back in the mailbox saying Refused Return to sender, Not a Member, Did not Order. I have a suspicion that they will continue to send me unsolicited DVDs, anyway.
We have excellent credit, despite enormous medical bills. I have cancer, have had a stroke, a complete hip replacement, and have suffered many miscellaneous medical illnesses associated with these major problems. The stress this is thing with Columbia House is causing us us is huge, and nothing that we need to deal with at this time. I am facing another serious operation in the near future, and I’m about to go out of my mind with stress and worry.
If anyone knows how to stop these people. I would appreciate some advice. I have looked literally everywhere for a phone number for them but have not found one.
There must be something illegal about this, because I never pressed any join button on their site. I they simply looked the site over and play with their fill-in boxes a little bit. But I never did enter any credit card information. How they randomly pulled that up, I don’t know, but it was a true surprise to me to find that we had a box of DVDs at our door one day
Kaaren of Candor, NY
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yesno6/5/09
Wow! After viewing this complaint site, I can’t believe how many consumers are negatively impacted and affected by this company. Too many of us are having to deal with either their grossly inept record keeping errors and/or scams which end up taking an enormous toll on our credit report. Isn’t anyone doing anything about this?? I, too, just today, received a collection bill out of the blue claiming I owe over $113.00 for not not fulfilling my purchase agreement. For one thing, it has been at least 6 or 7 years since I had last ordered DVDs from this company and secondly, I know I had made all the necessary purchases. I canceled my membership afterward and never heard from this company until now – with a bogus bill. I will be making calls tomorrow, but after reading the testimonies, I am not very hopeful for a successful outcome.
Victoria of Marysville, WA
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yesno6/2/09
Ever since I joined CH it has been a pain. They offer “Director’s Selections” through email and if you don’t respond you don’t want it, they’ll send you it and charge you. After dealing with the over charging, sending DVDs I never wanted, and trying to cancel my account I get a call. I haven’t received any emails from them since 10/08 and today out of the blue I get a call stating I need to pay $49.88 to fulfill my obligations. I made sure I ordered the minimum number of DVDs then emailed the company to make sure they canceled my account.
At first I was scared they never canceled the account but as the minutes passed on the phone I was more and more certain it was a scam. The man said I couldn’t log into my account because it has been set aside because I never payed. I think I couldn’t log in because I canceled my account. He was very insistent he was trying to help me out by telling me I needed to make this payment over the phone immediately or it would have a negative impact on my credit score. I asked him for my account number which I entered into the website and it gave me a page to create a new account using the account number the “CH rep” told me on the phone.
I looked through old emails and found out that wasn’t in fact my account number. Also while trying to log in to the website I would get error messages that included “…or it could be someone trying to impersonate the server.” I hope someone sues this company and wipes them out. It really is a pain to go through all these things. I’d love to be a part of it.
Jordi of Cape Elizabeth, ME
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yesno5/20/09
When I recently applied for credit from my credit union I was denied for credit because some negative report that came form some collection agency that I was not aware of anyhow, I had appilied for this same loan in January 2009 in which at that time was not on the credit report. I had never heard of this Company before.. My credit union had given me the number of the coleection agency and they had told me that I was responsible for the bill. I told them I knew nothing of this only until that was mentioned to me by my bank. furthmore, the credit agency also says this has existed since 2005.
I want so much to get intouch with this company who claims I owe them $87.88. I owe nothing, I recieved no products and most of all these are scams. I would like to get in contact with these people because of something such as this is affecting my credit of something I didn’t get or authorized for.
Danette of Honolulu, HI
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yesno5/20/09
they claim i ordered some dvd’s and never paid them, 1st i don’t have the time to watch dvd’s, 2nd this would be a bill that is 3 years old, they are threatening to ruin my credit rating if i don’t pay even if i didn’t order it,really pushy people, i’ve asked for the paper work to prove that it is mine & they say they can’t do that, i’ve searched for an address for complaints for columbia house & this is what i keep getting.
MARILYN of BANGOR, ME
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yesno5/19/09
My Mother had an accout with them.
She had the same name.
It now is on my credit report and the collection agency says it is my debt.
It is not my debt and I can not get it removed from my credit report.
I can not get in touch with Columbia House DVD club.
BettyAnn of Bangor, PA
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yesno5/12/09
i had columbia house DVD subscription back in late 90’s early 2000- i bought the few dvd’s as obligated, and never heard from them again. Until 2009- When a collection appeared on my credit report from NRA for 62.50, i emailed them, demanding correction, and wanted to know why they failed to inform me that they were reporting a negative item, failing to give 30 day validation period. Credit officer put in writing that per FCRA they are not required to provide notice. Nevertheless how does a decade go by- then one day a collection.
BRIAN of SANTA CLARITA, CA
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yesno5/9/09
They keep harrassing me about an account that was turned over to them by columbia house. i canceled that account and they say i still owe $139.00 dollars. This account is about 7 years or so old, I think. Anyway they call me on sunday night and in the morning and in the night and sometimes they answer and sometimes they don’t. They use two different numbers just to disguise who they are. It is harrassment and i want it to stop. I don’t owe it and I keep telling them i don’t but they keep calling anway.
susie of hitchcock, TX
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yesno5/7/09
It would seem Columbia House has one set of rules for other customers and a different set for me..when I first joined they forced me to complain to the Attorney General because they refused to adhere to their own agreement…I won and they were forced to send me the rest of my intro package prior to my paying..they tried to force me to prepay for my intro package..I refused and the AG sided with me..now it seems they are bound and determined to make my membership a living hell…
I placed my first order I was forced to reorder because they refused to ship out my first order..they finally did and the one set that would count as 1 toward my obligation arrived heavily damaged..I informed them of the damage I might add the shipping box was undamaged yet the cd case was smashed beyond repair and the discs were scratched, I believe this set was damaged prior to shipping and sent on purpose why else would the set be damaged, but the shipping box not be..
I was sent two different emails the first said to “send it back” and the second said to “throw it away”..I find it funny I was sent a damaged set and of course it was the set that would count as my first obligation purchase..the cost was removed from my balance..I still owe for the rest of the order a mere $24.96…I placed more orders and was shocked when none of them were shipped..3 were not yet released when I placed my order..however one has since become available, but has not shipped..
to their credit they did ship me a replacement title for one from my intro package that was no longer available..of course that one they cannot bill me for in any way so it does not count toward my obligation nor does the one title I was sent..get the picture? They are sending me titles that do NOT count toward my obligation, but holding out on sending the ones that do!! They ignore my email complaints that is until I start sending in complaints elsewhere!!I was shocked when I received a note saying until I pay off my balance I might add that is NOT past due nor was it past due when I placed my other orders..I spoke with a customer of theirs online who said he “placed orders totaling almost $300 BEFORE they sent him such a notice!!” It seems the rules are different for me then for other customers and if this is the way they want it to be then I will take my business and money elsewhere..I usually buy up to 5 dvds every two weeks, but if that’s not good enough for them then they can kiss my money and my ass goodbye..
Donna of Apopka, FL
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yesno5/5/09
I signed up for a free trial and after receiving the promotional DVDs I was to agree to buy 4 more within a set time. That part was okay with me until I call my bank and found out that they charged $25.94 to my account for the Director’s Pick DVD which gets sent if you do not reply and say NO Thanks to their email (which I have yet to receive to let me know they will be billing my account).
What makes it worse is that this has happened when I have not had enough money in my bank account so I am not only charged the Director’s Pick DVD price of an outstanding $25.94 but also an NSF fee from my bank in the amount of $35, meaning I am basically paying over $60 for a DVD I dont want just because I did not reply to their email (again, I have not received one) as the lady explained very rudely to me over the phone. Now, I have to buy 2 more DVD’s to finish out the contract or they’ll bill me $75! Even though some movies are only $5!
Again today they charged my account $25.94 for a Directors Pick DVD I dont want but when I went to MY ACCOUNT on their website, it does not show which movie I am being charged for or even that the charge exists under MY ACCOUNT, but it shows on my bank account! Why would they charge me $75 for cancelling the account because she said it would pay for the last DVDs, which like I said some are only $5. I check my emails on a regular basis and havent found any from Columbia House telling me to say “yes” or “no” to the DVD’s.
Tashina of Fargo, ND
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yesno5/5/09
I signed up for an introductory membership with Columbia but they have now started charging me for DVD’s i never even ordered or recieved. They do not seem to have a helpline number present on their website and now i learn i have a membership committment to purchase 5 DVD’s. Even so, sending any title if i have not responded is fraud. Please let me know if there is a way out of this mess.
My Debit card is being charged without my consent nor am i getting any service. $50 has already been charged to my account and am not sure how much more will follow.
Harish of Milford, CT
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yesno5/3/09
Someone ordered DVDs in my name off of some post card or something that was sent to an address that I have never lived at. Now I find out that I have 106.00 charge placed on me credit and have no idea from what come to find out it is Columbia House and I have never ordered anything from them. Beware. I call the company to find out how this happened and why they are not making sure of the persons identity before they allow items to be ordered, they claimed that an application was filled out and a credit card was given if that was the case then why wasn’t the credit card given charged for the balance?
It obvious that they are liars and could care less about verifying the identity of these orders. I am so ****** and when I called them I was treated rudly and told they do not have any information regarding my account and that they never had my social well…. how the heck did it get placed on my credit report? it is truly unfair to place charges someones credit without first making sure they are the person who acquired the debt.
Angaleia of Columbia, SC
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yesno4/24/09
I also have received today a letter from RecoverCorp.Inc in regards to an apparent account that I have with Columbia House stating that I owe $91.06. I have not subscribed to Columbia House so why am I getting this bill. I have never, at any point, received any mailings from Columbia House (nor have I received product) So what is this bill about!
When I tried to contact Columbia House I received a voice mail stating that my account had been turned over to collections and to contact RecoverCorp. Guess what?? Answering machine (voice mail there also). Any suggestions on how others got this straightened out for themselves?
Pamela of The Pas, MB
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yesno4/22/09
About eight years ago I join Columbia House DVD Club. I spent over $600 (within the first three years) on various movies and had no problems with overbilling or refusal to accept returns on Director Selection that I had not declined in time. So, nearly three years ago I accepted an unsolicited call to join the Columbia House TV club. They sent me my introductory offer and I paid the special price and all was well. Until. My husband was diagnosed with cancer. It turned out to be terminal. I cared for him during his final days. I did not have time to look at DVDs.
Several months after he passed, I received a letter from Columbia House stating that since I had failed to complete my obligation by the deadline, they were billing my credit card for $99.76 and were including four certificates and a special catalog to order from. Well, I looked through the catalog. The catalog only had movies. I did not join a movie club. This was supposed to be for TV shows. I contacted their customer service and explained what happened. I was told that that was too bad but I had failed in my obligation and the contract was final. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was connected to Trenton. I asked if I could get my money back or the TV shows that I was really interested in. He told me that since I had not made my choices in a timely manner I was stuck. This was said with a very cavalier and smug manner.
The financial consequences to me are that not only am I out nearly $100 dollars with no product to show for it; but, my credit card was charged just two days before statement closing. Not expecting any charges I did not visit my account (I only used this card for subscriptions). By the time I received the letter from Columbia House my credit card payment was overdue (this charge was the only charge on the card) costing me $19.00.
By the time I made contact with Columbia House and found out just how callus they are the due date was just passed costing me another $19.00. I do not have much in the way of a pension from my late husbands job. In fact it does not quite cover my monthly expenses. The $140.00 plus finance charges (must not forget those) represent almost two months worth of groceries (I eat cheap). As for the emotional consequences, well, those are incalulable.
Lisa of Covington, GA
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yesno4/14/09
Bad customer service, receiving DVD’s that I didn’t order, multiple billings for the same product. Not getting credit for payments that I have already made. It’s just a big hassle to deal with this after several attempts to get them straight I just finally cancelled my membership!
Charlette of Detroit, MI
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yesno4/9/09
Received offer in Mail in 2002 for 5 DVD’s for a certain dollar amount, then I was required to buy a certain # of additional DVD’s over the next year or two. I could send first ones back within a specified time for full credit and to negate the contract, which I did. I then received a number of bills over the next few months for DVD purchase and refused to pay anything additional as I followed the directions to be excused from the contract within the specified period of time. I would call and speak with a rep when each bill came, document the call and to whom I spoke to, etc.
They eventually stopped sending me any bills, etc., and I believed the matter was fully taken of back in 2002. I have received nothing regarding the matter since then. I applied to refinance my mortgage today and found out I was turned over to a collector as of March, 2009. I long ago threw out any records regarding who I spoke to, etc., yet my crediit rating has been downgraded because of this experience. I have never one time in my life not paid a bill in full and have absolutely no other blemish on my credit report. I have not yet begun to fight. To be honest I can’t believe a class action suit hasn’t been filed against Columbia House.
Credit has been tarnished.
Tom of Waukesha, WI
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yesno4/8/09
I signed up with Columbia house for dvd movies about a year ago. At first they failed to send any paperwork director selections and started sending me dvd’s i didnt order and billing me for them before they even arrived. It took 4 months before finally getting a hold of them to send paperwork. But by then my account had 4 negativities 4 months in a row totaling $236. I’m on disability a fixed income i couldn’t afford that.
They make it very hard for you to contact them regarding any problems. Columbia house should centralize their customer service, show that they value their customers, from what i’ve seen they treat their customers like crap. And i would warn anyone before ordering anything from columbia house. They dont care about you, just their money, and running your credit, and your bank account.
4 negativities 4 months in a row totaling $236.
Timothy of Vinton, LA
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yesno4/8/09
i joined this club several years ago,am positive tha i have meat my obligation i want out because i was laid off on 10/24/2009 i called several time to customer service they finnaly close the account but hey want me to pay 24.94 plus 3.00 late fee. i refuse because iam not working and also because they have over billed in the past when i did order from there catalog at one price the billed would indicated a higher price for the dvd’s they would aslso charge a return fee and a late fee for any return item. i have receid 2 letters from customer service indicating that they are going to report my account to a consumer reportng agency.
Ms of Miami, FL
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yesno4/7/09
Lorie’s credit/debit card number was stolen. The same thing happened to me two weeks ago, although the charge did go through. If she hasn’t already, it’s very important for her to contact her bank to have her card canceled and a new one issued, as well as examining her bank statements for other fraudulent charges. My guess is that the thieves have Columbia House send their victims a set of movies (I got five of different genres) as a kind of thank you – Columbia House refunded the charge in my case *and* told me to keep the movies.
Ben of Seattle, WA
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yesno3/31/09
i have joined the columbia club, not knowing that i will not be able to cancel the account when i want to. i’m in financial hardship right now, please help me cancel this account.
well my credit is score is suffering because of this.
Marie of Spring Valley, NY
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yesno3/31/09
I was a member of columbia house for over 2 years with no issues got great movies fullfilled my commentment fast and then some. Then last month i declined a directors selection ( i had not ordered a movie in a while so my card on file is expired and address is outdated) then my card gets charged for a movie i did not order and shipped to my old address i guess. How did a expired card get charged?
I emailed customer service since i could not find a number at first. They tell me to just send the movie back for a refund? I was getting no where fast so i called them and talk to a girl and she says the movie was shipped and i should get it within 48 hours and she had my current address? She told me it was my banks fault for accepting the charge!! I go to the bank and they tell me no. So at this point still no money back no movie no nothing im just going in circles.
So i Canceled my account and after reading all the comments on here with people getting charged even after you cancel. i filed a fraud charge with my back against them got my money back canceled my atm card got a new number and but a block on my account so columbia house could never charge me again. But still nothing back from columbia house. i cant just let this go so i sent one last email stating i filled fraud against them and if i didnt have my money back within five working days i was going to sue.
Two day later i get a email stating my money is being returned reguardless of where the movie is and that they are sorry. I know i wont get the money because there is blocks on my account from them now but its ok i already got it from my bank but just gos to show what you have to threaten to get any results from people. Like i said i had no issues for two plus years till this but now after this and all the other complaints these people should be in jail. I hope this helps anyone out there having issues.
Robert of Fresno, CA
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yesno3/31/09
I joined columbia house a few years ago and last year I decided to buy some DVDs that equaled the amount I owed to fulfill my obligation. I ordered and received the DVDs only to find that Columbia House said that none of the DVD’s I ordered met their criteria and I was still obligated for the amount. Today I received a letter stating I owed them $99 and some change. I went to their website, logged in with the intention of first sending them an email to have them tell me exactly what kinds of DVD’s I could order this time to fulfill my obligation only to find that it only takes me to a page that says I have to pay the $99 to reactivate my account.
I feel misled from the first encounter where I spent roughly $70 only to find that they did not apply any of it to my contract. Now they want me to pay $99 without even giving me a chance to at least get something for my money, I am sure that is how they planned it all along. Please help, I want to fight this ripoff company!
Bryan of Urbandale, IA
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yesno3/31/09
I received a form letter from Columbia House. It begins, Thank you for joining the DVD club. Unfortunately we have not been able to obtain the necessary authorization for your VISA credit card ending in —- in the amout of $12.40 for your introductory shipment. I never applied, but wondered how they got this information about my credit card #. I googled Columbia House, Consumer Fraud and read the extensive testimonies about this company’s fraudulant activity. Why, after this many reports, can’t they be shut down?
Lorie of Denver, CO
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yesno3/26/09
They keep sending me these movies I do NOT want. Due on Contract and Burn after read. I keep sending them back. I got so mad I canceled my account. Now they say if I do not pay, they are going to report to to an agency. I sent the movies back. I want to be able to choose my OWN movies, but they will not allow me to go in and choose. I want them to account for their actions. They have a poor business practice. Threatening me with collections and my credit ?? Who do they think they are.
I am on disability and I will not tolerate their threats.
Karen of North Waterboro, ME
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yesno3/26/09
I was with Columbia house for about 3 years. I never had any problems. I fulfilled my membership agreement quickly, spent about $3k to get tons and tons of movies, and cancelled the program when I bought a house. The number I cancelled at was right on their website when following faq’s. By mail there are lots of chances to miss the reply card, but they were always great about refunds, I’d just write Refused or return to sender on the package, and send it right back, no extra postage.
The cases are even easy to rip a tiny bit to see what’s in there before you open it all the way, so it’s easy to not pay the return postage. I just felt they deserved a satisfied customer to stick up for them a little. If you stay on your account, you shouldn’t have problems, and refunds are quickly and easily processed if they (OR YOU) Make a mistake.
None, except that I always wanted more movies and spent a lot on them cause they were such good deals!
Bree of Portland, OR
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yesno3/24/09
I recieved an unsolicited package from Columbia House DVDS,and was charged around $13.00 for the half dozen discs they sent me.I am extremely concerned that because i have not returned the discs that i will automatically become a member and be charged in the future.I still have the box and discs(unopened) and will return them right away.The box that arrived did not have any return information or indication of who sent it,and i thought it may have been a gift from relatives so i opened it up to discover this sham.How do i handle this.there seems to be no way to contact these crooks!!
I will have to pay the $13.00,and postal fee to return the package which is very frustrating given the fact that i never joined their stupid club to begin with,but what concerns me more is the possible future charges.
Tom of Renton, WA
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yesno3/20/09
I really want to close My account, in this shiit company, I just bought 1 dvd..and then I paid that. Than in the next month I don’t order any DVD but they keep sending me dvd which is they charge me $25/item..thats suck…
They just charge me through my account…
then I return it, its way to expensive…then they keep charge me every months…thats why I close my bank account..
until now colombia still asked me regarding my debt with them which is I don’t have any…I send it all back every dvd that they send it to me…
I don’t know how to close this because they don’t have phone number, contact.
Please The goverment do something with this company…
Sasongko of West Palm Beach, FL
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yesno3/12/09
We were a customer of Columbia House approximately 20 years ago. We recently received a collection notice from RecoverCorp that we owe them around $27.00. I contacted RecoverCorp immediately to inform them that there must be an error as we have not been notified of such a debt of contract. Nearly 2 weeks later I received an 8am phone call from RecoverCorp insisting that I owe this debt.
When I informed them that I would not pay a 20 year old debt that I had no knowledge of the lady abruptly told me fine by the 15 of March it will go against my credit good bye. They have not given me proof of debt or any vital information. How can this become a mark on my credit? I now have a bad credit report.
Kathy of Three Hills, AB
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yesno3/11/09
A representive called me about my account.She said that the account was over due,and that I needed to pay the bill right away so she aask for billing information over the phone. I gave her my routing and accounting numbers.
My problem is that I don t have any movies from the club because I don t want to be in it. I told her that I told the rep. who called me not to send me anything but they sent me a membership package and now there saying I owe over a hundred. Can you please resolve this matter
Krischone of New York, NY
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yesno3/10/09
I signed up for their membership which allows you to order a certain amount of CD for pennies but you must then buy a certain amount of CDs at regular club price which after shipping is about 28 dollars or so. Once you meet those requirements you can cancel but you must purchase them by a certain time frame. Furthermore you have to respond to their Director’s Selection or it will be automatically shipped. This wouldn’t be a problem if A)they would inform you of when their Director Selection is going to be shipped and give you ample time to respond, and 
they wouldn’t automatically charge your checking account just because you gave them this information in order to purchase your introductory membership CDs.
However I might be even willing to forget all that if they would have a live operator to talk to when they do something in error. Case in point I was never told about a shipment that was coming and they automatically charged my account. I called my bank and had the charge reversed. I finally figured out what it was due to a letter, which beat the DVD that they had decided to ship me without my permission, funny thing is they charged me a month before the CD got to my house and were about to send me to collections for a charge of a CD that they had on backorder but were billing me anyway. I refused to reverse the charge, got a hold of them through their email customer service option which is the only way to get to them. They then decided, okay we want to really work her nerves and billed me for two more CD’s that they never told me about, then both of those CDs were on back order.
So I’m being billed 28.08 for items that they started charging for back in Dec of 2008 but I haven’t gotten because they are on back order. I have send repeated emails informing them not to ship these items, I don’t want them, since they are on back order they have the power to stop them before shipment and credit my bank account for these charges. Well all I get is a standard reply, oh sorry but we can’t stop something that has already been shipped (ahhh their website says it’s on back order so it hasn’t and they can but if you don’t want it simply return the merchandise and we will credit you back the fee (ahhh can’t return what they don’t ship?). Finally I get one of the CD’s that they charged me for, I return it, get a credit and weeks later wouldn’t you know they billed me 28.08 for nothing!
There is not new CD there’s no old outstanding CD, there is however another 28.08 charge for another CD that I didn’t order which has been on back order since Dec of 2008. My recourse, I have to go to my bank, close my account, charge back the charge for the CD they didn’t ship, but I can’t cancel due to customer dissatifaction, you know why not, cuz I haven’t bought all the CD’s to satify my membership and if I don’t do that then they will send me a lump sum bill for the supposive cost of the CDs that I should have bought which would probably be over 100 dollars and then send me to collections when I don’t pay that amount. SCAM
Do not sign up for this nonsense, go to the store and buy what you can afford. It is not worth the 5 cd’s for .49 cents plus shipping and handling, if I could get paid for the hassle of trying to deal with them!
It has become so stressful, I have had may account overdrawn because of them, other merchants have then charged me for NSF charges when their payments return do to these unauthorized charges. Not to mention emotionally and physically the stress that it causes every time you think you have dealt with them and find out later that they are at it again. It’s like a festering sore that just wears your body completely down!
Lorraine of Austin, TX
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yesno3/6/09
they chaged 49.98to my checking accoun via debit card cause term ran ot and dont let me get toorder any movie viainternet wneh i tried to contact themvia phone they hang up
bank overdrapht in adition tio 49. 98 for a total of119 dolars and 98 cents
Yvette of Henderson, NV
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yesno3/5/09
I noticed a charge to my bank account for $49.88 from Coulmbia House DVD. I called to see what the charge was for since I hadn’t placed an order. I was told that I was automatically charged for not fulfilling my order obligation on time! When I said that I wasn’t notified of the charge in advance I was told that that was all explained when I joined the club. Obviously I don’t remember.
I sent an email to Columbia House stating that I had every intention of fulfilling my obligation as soon as possible, but my husband lost his job in August and DVD’s were not at the top of my list. That $50 they stole from my account would have paid a bill, but I can rest knowing that Columbia House has a little more money in their bank! They are pitiful! I will NEVER use them again!
Cindy of Dallas, GA
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yesno3/3/09
I rec’d a letter from recovercorp Inc the other day stating that I owe columbia house 116.20. This was a complete surprise to me as I never once used this service. I contacted recovercorp this morning after trying several times last week, only to get their general voicemail box. I left several messages with no return call.
Finally after calling today I got a hold of a Sarah. I inform her of my situation and she told me in a very rude way that she will send this to columbia house as a dispute. I asked her what the next steps would be, and she told me that if I don’t hear from her by end of week, consider it all taken care of. I tried to call columbia house directly, but cannot speak to any live operator. This is very frustrating and I am very stressed out as this will affect my credit. I have worked so hard over the years trying to maintain a good rating, and this comes along….something that I never used! Can anyone help.
This will affect my credit rating, which will have a long lasting affect.
Nawaaz of Mississauga, ON
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yesno3/2/09
I received a statement from RecoverCorp Inc. stating that I have an outstanding balance with Columbia House. I do not have a membership with Columbia House and have no idea what they are talking about. I have not received any product or statements from Columbia House, so this has come as a complete surprize to me. I have tried to contact Columbia House and RecoverCorp to get some details, but have been unsuccessful.
This action taken by Columbia House affects my Credit rating and this dosen’t make me very happy!
Leonard of Winnipeg, MB
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yesno2/27/09
i have received the directors choice movie for the past two months. the account number 50568405604 has been inactive for the last 3 months. i am tired of having to send these movies back to you. the account was canceled 3 months ago. i want this stoped now. if i receive any more on this account, they will not be sent back.
this problem has caused problems between me and my wife. it gets her upset everytime i get one of these movies we do not order. she has a nerve problem anyway and this makes it worse on her and me.
Lonnie of Chesterfield, SC
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yesno2/27/09
I have had completed my agreement with Comumbia House recently. Told a customer service representitive that I didn’t want to extend my membership in any way. I also told him to put me on the do not call list! I just got a letter from Columbia House with and additional two peurchases that I had to make PLUS they mentioned in the letter that I James ordered a perverse DVD LES GIRLS when in fact I didn’t. They are super-imposing my name with a fake order. This was not ordered by me or anyone in the house. I want this letter rescinded and my name and family taken off any future advertisement and billing.I had origionally ordered that to happen.
I vehemently will tell you that I did not in any way authorize the order nor did i extend my membership in any way. I will take this to the BBB if this matter is not resolved immediately. Bad business like this is why the American people do not do internet or mail in business a frequently in the past as it is NOT to be trusted in any way. You need to correct this! You don’t know me, but you will when i forward a copy of this e-mail to my legislature in Florida and Washington DC. I will work to have your company on ther list of bad business practices in America. I would take care of this before your CEO has to.
This has stressed us out, given us a reoccurrent headache as we have had bad dealings with this company in the last year. Very bad communication. They couldn’t even give me my proper ID and Password when prompted! I am additionally upset at the fact that **** was being ordered by one of your people in my name! I want that person fired immediately!
James of Pensacola, FL
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yesno2/25/09
enrolled in their dvd club, fulfilled my obligation for buy required dvds, tried to cancel my membership. I was told thet i would not recieve any more dvds unless i ordered them. I have received 3 dvds in 3 days, which i did not order.
My checking account is now over drawn for the amount of the dvds and the overdraft fee of $35.00 per item. the total is $183.00
Jackie of Lagrange, GA
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yesno2/20/09
My credit card was charged for $25.94 today without my authorization. I did not order anything from them in the past 3 months. I already have some movies in the shopping cart I am thinking of buying, but I did not do so yet, and the cart still contains the movies I selected last week. I think it’s unfair that my credit card gets charged for something I did not approve, especially that I am trying not to use this particular card because if its APR. I still have until November 2009 to fulfill my obligation with them.
My credit card (with a high APR)was charged for an amount I did not approve. Now I have to pay an additional amount of finance charges when the statement is ready.
Haitham of Baton Rouge, LA
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yesno2/20/09
I keep receiving videos I never ordered from Col*House Video Club. They keep taking money out of my checking account. I never ordered anything from them.
Debra of San Ramon, CA
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yesno2/19/09
i ordered 5 movies from them and they took the money 2 times off my credit card and i never recieved anything from them or even a email.
money being taken off my credit card
Amanda of Shreveport, LA
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yesno2/18/09
Years ago, I subscribed to a trial offer from Columbia House. It’s been a while, but membership entailed buying a minimum amount of DVDs over the year, but I opted out of the membership before committing to their scheme. For whatever reason, my cancellation of membership has not registered, probably on purpose. I never heard from Columbia House again, but now years later, I find a collection notice on my credit report for $93. I had no idea what it was until I followed up with the collection agency.
I coughed up the $93 to fix my credit, but all in all, Columbia House is a scam. Be careful!!!
Marion of Miami, FL
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yesno2/18/09
On 02/14/09 I received a bill from Columbia House DVD Club in the name of a non-existent individual. This bill was for the amount of $78.77 and was labeled FINAL NOTICE. The bill threatened the residents of 6143 with reporting to a collection agency and being listed on a “Bad debt” database.
There is no one by the name- nor has there ever been anyone by that name at this address. It is impossible for any DVD’s to have been delivered to this address and intercepted by a 3rd party; all packages go into a locked mailbox. Furthermore, I have lived at this address for 7.5 years and there have been no other bills or mailings from Columbia House to this residence prior to this “Final Notice.”
I called Columbia House 3 times before I was able to talk to a CSR. I was told that the reason we received this bill was that our address had the recipient of DVD’s. I stated empathically that I had not joined Columbia House. I was told that Columbia House would investigate the matter.
Melissa of Austin, TX
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yesno2/17/09
A woman called first and I asked if I could call back because I wanted to find my old check registers to make sure I did make the payment. A Daniel B answered and I asked where I was calling. he said the number was a New York address. I asked where he was (physically) and he said “very far away”. He spoke with an Indian accent.
They are trying to collect a debt that was already paid. They are saying that I owe $49.88. He said that they have access to my account.
So I asked him if he was all of my payment history. He could not answer that. I asked him if he received the payment that I sent on 9/13/08. He said he did not see it. I did pay this account in full and actually wrote “please cancel” on the payment card when I sent it because I had fullfilled my obligation. They repeatedly sent me things that I did not order. Like kids movies. I don’t have kids and did not order them. I would send them back and that would then cost me additional money. I want to know what they did with my payment and why I still owe them $49.88
And the Indian I spoke to on the phone was rude. He’s not only taking away american jobs but then has the nerve to be rude to me. I’m sick of these companies sending our work over seas. I would like to have my account corrected.
Stephanie of Masury, OH
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yesno2/17/09
All of a sudden my account was being charged $25.67. When I realized it went to bank , of course they told me to contact Columbia House so I did the gentlemen I spoke with told me he could not talk to me because my name was not on the account. I informed himn that it was my money they where taking. Unfortunately my husband has suffered 3 strokes in 2 years. He had a membership in 2006 met all obiligations but now they are starting up again , yet we haven’t received any movies. Mailed letters they sttopped for 2 months but now they are doing it again…being the soul provider for my family now I CAN NOT AFFORD for them to keep taking money that does not belong to them, and my bank acts like its no big deal because my husband had an account with them in the past.
I have had to deal with overdrafts because of this. I’m about to close my bank account because of this crappy company. Like I said I CAN NOT AFFORD this, never know when its going to happen.
Charles/connie of Mt. Washington, MD
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yesno2/15/09
I have just been charged for $27.00 dollars today from Columbia House. I did not order anything and i did not approve this transaction today or anytime since my first intitial transaction. I may be charged an overdraft fee because of this. I would like my money refunded back to me and if I end up with an overdraft fee. I would like a reimbursement for the $35.00 overdraft fee.
James of Tucson, AZ
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yesno2/13/09
I spoke to saomeone more than a year ago, to cancel my membership and don’t send me anything, I still keep getting a monthly selection and received a bill for it after 4 days.. but I always refuse it and return the package, I call the 800 number again this morning and cancelled it again , but htey say I owed them some money for the package that I return 3 days ago. I can not tell my family and friends how bad of a Costumer Services this Columbia House is.
I never bought anything from them for years and still someone start calling me at work to sell thier product on a discount basis after I told them that I cancelled my memberhip, they start harrassing me at work ,The mistake on my part is not getting thier name right away and report it.( This person said that he is going to call me back ,never did so I can’t take their name.) This is just need to stop, I know it cost money to mail this package, but I don’t want thier services anymore….. Please make them cancelled my memeber ship , and I did not owed them anything , they received everything they mail me.
Elsa of South Holland, IL
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yesno2/13/09
I’ve been with Col House in the past and had minor problems. This time it’s over the top. On 12/08/08 I enrolled and got the extra cd to reduce the required number of cd’s. No problem other than finding out that the required number was 6 when the ad said 4. On 12/11/08 I ordered 3 more for Christmas with the expectation that it would reduce my requirement by 1 cd. As of this date 02/04/09 the change hasn’t been made Last month I got a pending debit of $24.95 posted on my bank account. The posting was probably earlier as a rather large number of debits were posted on that date that were a week of so old.
The only way I found to contact them was by email My first e-mail was answered by Barbi who said I was charged for a Director’s selection (which I had denied via their web site) that she said had been accepted but not shipped. A week or so later the debit was dropped – never saw the DVD. Today I have a pending debit on my bank account for $52.88. Nothing has been ordered since early December. I also received an email from Phoenix (what’s with these names?) answering a request I made about the required CD credit. His answer We are currently processing your order for the DVD’s I order Dec 11th – and which I’ve had for over a month and that I would be given the credit when it was processed.
I haven’t received a response on today’s debit since I just sent them a scathing email (and a complaint to the Attorney General’s office) that my debit card is being fraudulantly used. I’ve asked for the debit to be immediately withdrawn and all my credit information to be removed from their website and that I be put on paper billings. I didn’t ask for the account to be closed as I still have a commitment for 4 DVD’s. I’ll post again when I get an answer.
The first debit was on a firewall card that the bank gave me for use on the internet so that my actual account could not be accessed. That account was empty as I only put money in it to cover purchases. I received a OD fee of about $35 which the bank refused to refund. My account currently is extremely low and so far I’m fortunate that their second unauthorized debit didn’t put me into OD.
Lloyd of Springville, UT
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yesno2/5/09
i joined columbia house payed for all my selections that i ever ordered completed my agreement then out of no where they cancelled my membership
Kelly of Akron, OH
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yesno2/4/09
I haven’t been a member since 2006 and have always had the same mailing address. Today Feb 4/09 I received a note from a collection agency saying I owe $19.00. Hello, I completed and terminated my contract with them and am now receiving this when we haven’t received any further correspondence from Columbia House. No billings, nothing. Before I cancelled I made it clear on whether we owed anything or not. Some DVD’s had been returned but I assumed they had been received. I’m not impressed
Craig of Calgary, AB
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yesno2/4/09
After joining this club to buy dvd’s I did not find any movies that I wanted to purchase in the allotted time frame of 2 yrs.And instead of continuing to send catalogs for me to look over just in case I wanted to make a purchase , this company turns me over to a collection firm demanding that I pay in advance for the remaining dvd’s on the contract.When I complained that I would like to make a selection first before I pay any money out ,I was informed that that would not be possible since the contract had expired, they wanted payment in advance and only then would they send out certificates.
My complaint is in these hard economic times to demand payment for something I do not have and there is a chance that I may not receive does not seem right to me . I would feel much better even if I could choose the selections and pay for them at that time than what they are demanding. And on top of it all they turn this account to a collection agency.
Gwen of Pine Bluff, AR
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yesno2/4/09
I entered into there contract with an obligation to buy 3 more dvd’s in the next 3 years approx. 8/08, I didn’t receive the correct selections but didn’t send them back because I would have to pay for the shipping and handling, I started the account by paper and elected to have my monthly selections sent to email which occurred about 3 times and then I wasn’t getting any notifications but the movies were being sent automatically, I emailed customer service several times, adjusted my inbasket in case my computer just wasn’t letting the emails come through and after SEVERAL emails I requested monthly notifications to be mailed to mailing address which never happened and then finally I emailed them and said I would buy my final three selections and then I would cancel my membership.
They then proceeded to send me a final due on contract bill and I ordered the three final movies which they have not credited for me. I have no way to contact customer service as the telephone numbers are only automated. Also I would note that the selections they automatically sent me and I sent back they claimed twice to have not received and then they did say they found them This company is worthless.
Keith of Iola, WI
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yesno2/2/09
I joined via some idiot application to myspace and i cannot order more dvd’s at spec prices or cancel my subscription, i have no password and i have requested it via email at least 40 times, no joke, i found an email addy on one of thier sites and sent it 2 weeks ago and still no responsel. I am going to call my bank and see what i can do to stop them from ever taking anymore money from me, i don’t know what else to do, it is the first and last time i order anything online from anyone.
no response from anyone there. I am just stuck here trying to cancel an account, since they won’t give me access to it at all or have a person i can talk to, i only make 10,000 a year and i cannot afford to go on taking movies and dealing with annoying ads, knowing they have my account info.
Cheryl of Orion, IL
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yesno2/2/09
I ordered a movie in Dec 08 using fun cash issued by columbia house. I received the wrong movie. I called columbia house and told them what happened. I was told to return movie and correct one would be sent. By the time the process of me returning the movie took place, my fun cash credit expired. I was told by rep I would have to pay the full price for the movie. I reminded the rep that a mistake was made and I shouldn’t have to pay full price and that my fun cash would pay for the movie. the rep said it had expired. I asked that it be honered-rep said fun cash wouldn’t be honored.
2-1-09 I spoke with Betty(mgr) she said in defense of the previous rep -I hung up on the rep and she couldn’t cancel the membership as I requested during our phone conversation. When the rep said I couldn’t use the fun cash credit I told her to cancel the account. She said ok and I throught that was the end of the conversation so I hung up.
Patricia of Hammond, IN
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yesno2/2/09
I receive a box from Columbia House that was addressed to someone else, but to my home address. I never ordered anything from them. Returned to sender, and got another one, and another one. Tonight I am checking my account online and I see that they withdrawn my account 3 times. I called the bank and they found out that the charges were made with my credit card. The card is cancelled and the bank is refunding the money and they assigned a fraud unit to my case.
Lucky for me, I had funds available at the time of the withdrawals, but the hassle is now starting, my card is cancelled and wait for a new one. How am I getting gas for my work commute? Get groceries or lunch? And how about changing my card info on all the utlity sites…
Yannick of Gloucester, VA
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yesno1/31/09
My daughter order a couple of DVDs from Columbia House in which she just opened an account with them. I told her I would pay for the DVDs. The balance at the time online was $5.35 which I paid on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 and my daughter proceeded to pick 3 more DVDs; we DID not check the box that stated Columbia House could take money at any time from the credit card that was on file. I checked my checking account today and see that not only was the $5.35 taken out but so was $27.76 and $63.02 twice; which these were not charges that I authorized.
Now I’m out of $159.15 and all my daughter has is 1 (one) DVD. I was only using my checking account that one time to pay the $5.35 and thereafter I had intentions on using another credit card but I wasn’t given that option nor did I receive the items before I actually had to pay for something I didn’t have in my possession; which is illegal because once again I didn’t authorize those other payments.
I looked on Columbia House’s website to find a number in order to speak to a representative and the automated voice prompts you to press numbers but none of them are related to speaking to a live voice. I also sent an email yesterday and still no response. I would like my money credited back to my account as well as cancel my membership with this company because after some investigation I see there are quite a few people that have filed complaints about this company. And they should either be penalized for taking customer’s money without their permission or put out of business if there are that many complaints about them.
Adrienne of Hackensack, NJ
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yesno1/30/09
My daughter order a couple of DVDs from Columbia House in which she just opened an account with them. I told her I would pay for the DVDs. The balance at the time online was $5.35 which I paid on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 and my daughter proceeded to pick 3 more DVDs; we DID not check the box that stated Columbia House could take money at any time from the credit card that was on file. I checked my checking account today and see that not only was the $5.35 taken out but so was $27.76 and $63.02 twice; which these were not charges that I authorized.
Now I’m out of $159.15 and all my daughter has is 1 (one) DVD. I was only using my checking account that one time to pay the $5.35 and thereafter I had intentions on using another credit card but I wasn’t given that option nor did I receive the items before I actually had to pay for something I didn’t have in my possession; which is illegal because once again I didn’t authorize those other payments.
I looked on Columbia House’s website to find a number in order to speak to a representative and the automated voice prompts you to press numbers but none of them are related to speaking to a live voice. I also sent an email yesterday and still no response.
I would like my money credited back to my account as well as cancel my membership with this company because after some investigation I see there are quite a few people that have filed complaints about this company. And they should either be penalized for taking customer’s money without their permission or put out of business if there are that many complaints about them.
Adrienne of Hackensack, NJ
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yesno1/30/09
They continue to charge my bank account for the featured selection every month although i decline it and have proof of the declination. They credit me the cost of the dvd, but never credit me the overdraft fee back.
its causing a burden on my account to be charged unexpectedly and they NEVER crdit me my overdraft fee.
Marcia of Parkville, MD
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yesno1/29/09
I was sent two movies which I did NOt order and sent them back post hast. The Movies I ordered were paid for in full and now I continue to recieve bills for them even though they will not ship them unless they are paid in ADVANCE ! The have said they will turn my account over to a collection agency ,yet every time I tried to contact someone there I was on hold after bewing on an automated response for quite some time.Very sad company to do buisiness with….never again
David of San Antonio, TX
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yesno1/24/09
So, contrary to the popular belief Columbia House is a scam artist I have had nothing but excellent customer service and all around a great experience. I have to say that I have received one or two Director’s Selections that I have said no thanks to through email, but I always notice a day or two after they charge my account for the $28.08.
What do I, I call the 1-800 number which I found next to the transaction I am looking at online whether it be my bank account or a credit card account. For those who do not do banking or any credit card stuff online…I suggest you use it because generally it is free and it saves a lot of headaches in the end, especially with misc. charges. Anyways, when I call to see what is being shipped they can always tell me what the shipment is even if it isn’t on my order history log on Columbia House DVD online.
Then if the movie comes and I don’t want it I just write return to sender and then depending on my credit card billing cycle I either never see the charge or it disappears by the next billing cycle. Seemingly simple, right? For those who don’t know using a credit card vs. a debit card is usually easier for online purchases…in the event you have any problems with the purchase or problems with things you did not purchase. That way it isn’t money being instantly taken from your bank account. You say no one will give you a credit card, which I know can happen, you can do a secured credit card through a variety of banks. It kind of sucks because you have to match with cash the amount of the credit card you prefer. But a secured card is a great way to start establishing credit, I know I had one. After 28 months of no delinquencies BOA unsecured my card, doubled my limit, and gave me my $500 deposit back.
Anyways, most of the complaints I have seen on different websites about Columbia House I am sure are valid to a degree. But if you are responsible, read the fine print, and make sure you fulfill whatever commitment you obligate yourself at the start of the contract…YOU should have absolutely no problems. I don’t and I have even closed my accounts after fulfilling my commitments and reopened them several times, just to get my 5 dvds for free + shipping. Shopping online is not for people who don’t have the resources to stay current on their accounts, it’s unfortunate but being responsible goes a long way to assure any issues get resolved or at least noticed before they get out of hand and the consumer gets screwed and/or extremely irritated.
I love Columbia House…in fact when I called the other day to resolve a Director’s Selection I had denied already they gave me a free dvd…well almost I still had to pay shipping.
Tiffany of Austin, TX
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yesno1/23/09
I have twice asked them to cancel my membership and twice they have taken money out of my checking account without notifying me. I fulfilled my obligation on how many dvd’s I had to purchase, My checking account was overdrawn because of this.
Donna of Melbourne, FL
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yesno1/23/09
It has been over 4 years now that I have cancelled a membership to Columbia House DVD after I fufilled my membership requirements. Not only was it difficult to cancel my account but now they keep trying to send me bills for things I did not order or receive. I just want them to stop bothering me. I fufilled my obligations and now they are trying to take me for more.
Matthew of Sunset Hills, MO
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yesno1/22/09
I had made sure I had no more obligation to them other than my bill. I received emails showing the newest director’s selection and I went into the website and opted out of the selection every time. I have been on paper bill since I opened the account. I have made payments to them using a debit card over the internet. I recently changed banks and had to add my new card information to make the payment to them that was due. I added the new card and there is a box that if checked means they can automatically withdraw dues from your card without further authorization, but I made sure that the box was NOT checked. I submitted payment and my payment was debited from my account and then I saw 3 more posting for the same amount of 25.94. I thought at first that those were verification prior to post and that they would go away once the original amount was actually charged. That wasnt the case.
I called the bank while the three charges were still pending and asked them what they were and I was told that they were in fact more incurring charges and that she would credit the pending amount but that they could post and she couldnt stop them because they were already authorized. She advised me to call CHV. I called the customer service center of CHV and managed to get a woman on the phone who told me that three videos were shipped to my house already and that those charges were for that. I told her that that was never authorized. She said that my account had been set up for automatic withrawal of funds from my debit card but that she could change it so that it didnt happen again. I informed her that I NEVER authorized them to automatically draw from my card and that that was a new card and she needed to reverse the charges and bill me if she needed to but to no debit my card.
Several times we went over this and she told me that there was nothing she could do, it was done already and that she couldnt reverse the charges. She told me to return the movies whenever they arrive and that once processed that the money would be returned to my account. Needless to say it was a no ended conversation and I finally just hung up. I went to the my bank and told them what happened and we filed a fraud against them to return the funds to my account. I went online and signed into my CHV account and there is no way to remove my card AND the box that allows them to automatically take funds from my account is checked and there is no way to uncheck it. Strange that I didn’t check it, the customer service rep supposedly changed it and now it’s checked. I have yet to find a way to cancel the account completely but at least they cant charge my bank anymore since the card was closed due to fraud.
My main damage is that because they charged my account for an unauthorized $77.82, subsequently all of the transactions I incurred took my account into the negative, and then the bank charged me $35 per transaction and the actual totals come to $250 just in overdraft fees and then to add their $77.82 is a grand total of $327.82.
Lisa of Green River, WY
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yesno1/21/09
I became a member of Columbia House and the first thing I didnt like was how they put your credit card on file. I understand it for their sake so they can charge the card when you order something to make sure they get paid but I do not agree with the fact that the card can be charged when you dont order anything, i.e. Directors Selections. I emailed them, cause its impossible to find a number for them or to talk to a customer service agent, and told them that I do not want them charging my card again without my permission. They agreed and said it wouldnt happen again. A month later I had another unauthorized charge to my card and called the customer service agent and they said it will take a while to process the refund back and that they would not charge it again. I dont understand how come they keep charging my card even though I keep telling them not to and why they cant refund the money as quick as they took it out. I am ready to file a lawsuit against the company and I am looking for others that would want to do the same. Lets shut this company down once and for all so they can quit preying on others.
Crystal of Grand Prairie, TX
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yesno1/21/09
I joined under the premise that all DVD’s would be free shipping, not only did I not get that but I got DVD’s that I didn’t order that were not director’s selections. I also closed the account and asked that they remove my credit card and still got billed after the account was allegedly closed. Their customer service is awful and there is no response to getting things fixed. I don’t know where to go from here.
Janna of Vernon, CT
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yesno1/19/09
Four years ago i received a call from a columbia house rep, which spoke to my 11 year old son, they asked him if he would like to receive some movies for being such a long term customer, at no point am I awarer of this conversation, until I found my son watching the movie that had come in the mail. I called Columbia House they said no problem they would cancel the extended membership and bill me for the one movie.
Four years later they are still trying to collect on a membership they started with a minor. I have dealt with one collection agency after another, finally coming across one actually recommending what I can and should do. So I called Columbia House again and their response was a get a lawyer – they dont care if the child is 2 years old I made a payment….This is what they told me to do – pay for the movie that was opened because i could no longer return it they have been in business for over 60 years.
Any suggestions
Now I am not even aboe to get a credit card, my credit is totally shot
Kari of Delta, BC
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yesno1/19/09
This is a minor issue compared to the other complaints listed but I wanted to let people know about this anyway. At the end of November 2008 I placed a large DVD order which earned me $38 in FunCash which are bonus dollars that can be used to order additional discs. Since I had so many to watch, I didn’t need any more right away.
When I went to use my FunCash in January, I was told that my FunCash expired 12-31-08. Since they didn’t tell me that it would expire when I earned it or remind me that it would expire soon, I asked them to reinstate it but they refused. They did honor my request to cancel my membership.
Richard of Lakeland, FL
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yesno1/14/09
I became a member of Columbia House DVD in September 2008. I ordered my introductory items and paid for them on time. I then purchased 1 of my 5 contract purchases I agreed too within the time frame given. Only 4 more DVDs to buy. In December I got a call offering me 10 for $10 each plus shipping. I receive 6 DVDs within the December (to now) and with my last DVD came a bill for $174!
I called to get to the bottom of this, but their customer service is no help. You’re either on hold for hours and when you finally do get connected you end up getting disconnected by accident, or you are said they will correct this issue and give you their extention number and to call them back the next day to confirm the issue is taken care of – only to find out the extention number goes to a different person and she has no knowledge of a Toby working in their department! Either she lied to me or Toby gives out fake names!
I was charged $174 for 6 DVDs! That’s my damage!
Patricia of Wappapello, MO
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yesno1/13/09
My mother was in the DVD club. She had been in it once before and had fulfilled her commitment but somehow two more accounts were opened. She recently had a stroke and had to go live in a nursing home. She contacted Columbia House customer service on their website and asked if her account could be closed with no further cost to her even though she couldn’t meet her commitment of four movies left to purchase. She explained to them that all her credit cards had been cancelled and that her SSI and Black Lung had to go to the nursing home so she could not pay for the remaining movies she was supposed to purchase.
They cancelled the account and went into her checking account even though the debit card she had used to sign up was expired and took $109.48. That was money that was supposed to go to the nursing home for her care and that I keep in there to pay her insurance premiums with. I am so angry about this. I am worried sick that they will continue to take money out of her account and cause overdrafts and fees even if I close it. There is still one account with them that she is afraid to close for fear they will take more money out of her account that she can’t afford.
Sandy of Oliver Springs, TN
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yesno1/12/09
I ordered one DVD months ago thru DVD.com. Nowhere did Columbia House appear on the form. Then I started getting getting monthly mailers. It said no selection would be sent to me unless I requested it. I have since returned two unordered DVD’s unopened. Several years ago I was a member but after my husband died I cancelled my years long membership. But this time I did not solicit or agree to a membership.
Olivia of Jonesboro, AR
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yesno1/11/09
my son-in-law stole my name and ordered movies while i was at work and i got the bills and collection notices an got a judgement against me because of him. he had previsouly been sent to jail for steeling movies from other places i cant get columbia house to listen to me to press charges against him and i still have this on my credit what can i do?????
Kathy of Dalton, GA
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yesno1/7/09
This is not a complaint, just some information. I see the constant thing being reflected by people complaining is unsolicited movies being billed and shipped to them. This is their Director’s Selection. If they don’t want to hassle with it, keep an eye on their e-mail and deny the selection. Once they fulfill their commitment they can call Columbia House and have the Director’s Selection cycle removed from their account. The Director’s Selection is not blind information, you agree to it when you sign up with the membership. Should read all the print 
Ryan of Colorado Springs, CO
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yesno1/7/09
I signed up online for Columbia House 5 DVDs for $5 and selected the DVDs I wanted but did not receive the items ordered. Sept 2008 I received one DVD and received a bill for $5 plus shipping. I refused the item, sent it back indicating it was not what I had ordered and thta if the $5 for 5 DVDs was not honored I would refuse membership. I received a follow up bill for the same amount plus late fee.
I called customer service, they indicated that I had agreed to a contract for 5 DVDs at $25 each. I asked for the contract I apparently signed but they to date have not been able to supply it. I now have invoices which continually add late fees and are being asked to pay $124.70 for 5 DVDs. I am filign a formal complaint against Columbia House for poor business practices.
I have a concern that Columbia House may try to file a credit rating against me for none payment. I have excellent credit.
Charles of Shafer, MN
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yesno1/7/09
Upon being contacted by a telemarketer trying to convince me I need a bunch of things I don’t. I spoke very clearly. listen if it isnt free then I don’t want it.I repeated this probly 10-20 times. Finally she says this is FREE! I told her I am only intersted if there are no string attached. She claimed as far a s she new it was completely free. So I said it was fine if they sent me a complimentary DVD. Sure enough a few weeks later I received a DVD in the mail. A few weeks after that I received a bill for $5.00. I was very bothered by this. Being that I was extremely busy during the holiday season I had very little time to deal with this.
Weeks later I receive a bill for $133.00. This time I had to take action because there was no way I could afford that. So I went on to their website and tried to cancel, send a message, complain, explain myself do something. I canceled my membership or so I thought but I kept getting harrassed via email and mail. Finally I got the bill from collections. I called the number and was relieved to finally be able to talk to a live human being. I told them what happened and that I wasn’t going to pay. They said they would send my case back to columbia House DVD and put a note of my claim.
Meanwhile I went online searched complaints for an alternative number to contact them and found a manager #. I called it immediately. Of course no one answered. I was able to leave a message. I told them that unless this was cleared up in one week I was going to contact the authorities. They called me back the next day and referred me to there main phone line which just leads you in circles. They made no effort at all to clear this up. I am desperate to get this taken care of. My perfect credit is on line.
I am due to have a baby in 6 days and I don’t want my baby born into ruined credit. I am completely broke. I had to work 7 days a week during my second trimester just to make ends meet. I can’t afford to have my credit ruined by these dishonest greedy [people]. Please Help Me!
Stephanie of San Francisco, CA
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yesno1/5/09
I had ordered some Dvds from Columbia House back in November and I paid for them with my Debit/visa card. Well since then I have had $25.94 tooken out of my account for a movie I never ordered and another $25.94 token out for a different movie I never ordered. I didn’t even have internet at the time they sent these invoices to me stating that these movies were charged to my card. I would appreciate them reinbursing me the money back.
That money they took out of my account was already accounted for and I want it back.
Crystal of Rutland, VT
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yesno1/4/09
I am being billed $133.45 for membership in a DVD club that I never joined. I have never ordered or received any DVD’s
I am being threatened with collection agencies and damage to my credit reports
Mary of Vero Beach, FL
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yesno1/2/09
I have been receiving movies from Columbia House for a couple of years. I have returned every package they have sent to me without opening. However, the packages keep on coming. Now I am getting a bill that says if I do not pay them $124.64, they are going to turn me over to a collection agency. I have had my identity stolen in the past and am not sure if this has anything to do with it, but it stinks that hardworking, honest people must suffer at the hands of others.
They are threatining to turn me over to a collection agency. I have just got my credit score back on track after two identity thefts. I would hate for this to hurt my credit score, but I am not sure what to do.
Cory of Dalton, OH
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yesno1/2/09
I enrolled in the DVD Club, and asked them to bill me. They sent me 3 of my 7 DVDs for enrollment, and then I was asked to pay $49.00 and they will send the rest. I told them I was not paying anything unti I got the rest of my order. They are demanding me to pay the full amount, 49.00 before they send the rest.
I HAVEN’T RECEIVED ALL MY INTRODUCTORY DVDS, AND WANT THE REST BEFORE I SEND MONEY.
Christopher of Huntington, IN
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yesno12/31/08
I had ordered movies from Columbia House and wondered why I wasn’t recieving the Flyers or even the movies till one day my daughter and I were outside my Apt. and see was grabbing flyers out of the garbage in the lobby to find my mail in there with the Address being wrong they had #1 not #10 so my movies went to another Apt or sent back so had called Columbia House to tell them this
they wanted a list of the movies I ordered and they would send out new ones. I told them not to bother cancel my account. I thought everything was dealt with until I had the collection department Calling me looking for money. I am a very honest person and I will not pay for something I didn’t recieve.
Nor-Don is the Collection Company calling me for this money that I will not pay 145.95 for something not recieved. I would be willing to go to court over this.
Derek of Charlottetown, PE
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yesno12/28/08
My husband had fulfilled his obligation to columbia house. We asked them to stop sending things to us. Each month a new product arrived in an insecure apartment mailbox–just asking to be stolen. Please stop sending us these. Please cancel our account, we asked. No deal. Finally I told them he died and please stop sending products. That worked.
Barb of Dexter, MI
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yesno12/28/08
They are sending me movies that I do not order . I recently refused an order, received an email that acknowledged my refusal, and then learned that they have shipped it anyway. They claim that I owe them fifty dollars.Pror to this incident, I removed my credit card number, yet they sent me a movie which I hadnt ordered and then charged the very card that I had told them to remove.
This company went against my wishes and used a credit card which I had requested to be removed. Thay took money out of my account. I couldnt even afford it and I believe that I was charged a fee.when I called the company customer service told me that there wasnt anything that I could do about it and refused to stop sending me movies because I still had membership committments.
Jessica of Bakersfield, CA
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yesno12/27/08
My 13 yr old daughter used my credit card to order movies online. I emailed the company immediately(within an hr) and sent numerous emails explaining what was done. They REFUSED to stop the transaction by saying they couldn’t, even though the order had not made it to the shipping warehouse YET. Numerous emails were sent. I FINALLY found a number(among many) on the Better Business Bureau website, for Columbia House and called them directly. I was told they would refund my money w=once I send the DVD’s back to them, (EVEN THO THEY HADN’T EVEN BEEN SHIPPED AT THIS TIME.)
THE MONEY THEY TOOK FROM MY ACCOUNT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR MY XMAS DINNER. I HAD NO XMAS DINNER BECAUSE THEY WENT AHEAD AND PROCESSED AN ORDER (CHARGED MY DEBIT CARD)FROM A MINOR…WHEN I GAVE THEM ADVANCE NOTICE OF THIS.
Tracey of Caro, MI
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yesno12/24/08
I have no Complaint but thought I’d add this. For all of you who have received movies in the mail which you have not ordered, all you have to do is take the unopened package and mark it as refused and have the Post Office sent it back. Columbia House will have to pay for the return postage. After they receive enough of them, they will stop sending them.
Douglas of West Sacramento, CA
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yesno12/24/08
I refused to Director’s Choice through emails that they sent and they still charged my account and sent the DVD’s. I sent one back and was never credited. I called the 1-800 number and was refunded the first amount immeditaely and will get the other charge back when I send the other DVD back. The trick is to call and pretend that you are a new customer and want to join. You are immediately connected to LIVE person and get the problem fixed. Worked for me today..Already have the fisrt charge back on my account. Good Luck!
Karen of Indianapolis, IN
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yesno12/23/08
I declined 2 director’s selections, and received the email stating it was declined, yet they were both shipped anyway. This resulted in 2 overdrafts on both occasions because I was not expecting this. Now they have ordered a movie for me themself, and charged me. This movie is on backorder, but they say they don’t know if they can cancel it. I did not order this movie. It was NOT a director’s selection. They just put it on my account themself!!
I have received two overdrafts totaling $65, and it is possible I might receive another one if they do not get this next movie canceled. This really stresses me out when i do not have money for groceries for me and my son, because they are THEIVES.
Jennifer of Meridian, MS
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yesno12/23/08
I fulfilled my membership agreement with Columbia House and stuck with them because they had good deals and I hadn’t had any issues with them up to this point. Starting in July I began to have problems with them offering free shipping and then never getting the free shipping. I would receive packages I had not ordered. Things got progressively worse over the next few months until we placed an order for Christmas. The free shipping was not given, the order was shipped to the wrong address and to top it all off they doubled the order.
The orders had two different prices and we were charged the more expensive of the two resulting in almost $100 difference. They haven’t been helpful in the least little bit and I had to search all over the internet to find a phone number that actually worked. They still haven’t helped. I have reported them to the BBB because this is a ridiculous and pathetic way to run a company that should do better. As soon as this mess is figured out we are canceling our account.
Laurie of Riverton, WY
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yesno12/21/08
I joined the columbia bouse tv/dvd club & purchased a few dvd’s then all of a sudden they told my credit card bank to charge $ 99.76 cause I had not completed the amount stated in thr rules. THEY DID NOT GIVE ME ANYTHING FOR THIS $99.76 & thats fraud. do I disputed it thru the bank who handles my card. NOW I am trying to get in touch with columbia house.
HOWEVER 5 emails. I have sent them since 10 am. today have come back so I do not know how to contact them to try & work something out to complete the obligation & get out of the club FOREVER. 12-21-08 I DISPUTED THE CHARGE as an unauthorized charge
they sent me a threatening letter BUT since I cannot get in touch with them I do not know what to do & it is making me ill cause I am worried about what they might do. I am a DISABLED SENIOR citizen without much money
Stormy of Columbus, GA
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yesno12/21/08
I have been a customer of Columbia House for years and have always paid my bill on time for their discounted DVDs. They must be experiencing the recession crunch because unbeknownst to me I now have a balance of $50.00 for product I never ordered or received. In two days it went from $25.00 to $50.00 with no action on my part except to cancel my subscription.
Upon cancelling my subscription I was notified my account would be sent to collections. I am still trying to reach a CSR to have an explanation of these charges.
Eric of Portland, ON
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yesno12/21/08
I have spent the last 4 months trying to contact these people to get my e-mail address off their list, and asking them to stop sending director’s club selections. They say if I don’t respond by a certain date my credit card will be charged. I satisfied my obligation to purchase dvds over a two year period and want nothing further to do with them. When I got the last e-mail, I declined the offer and was directed to a sign in page, when I signed in, it came up that my membership was inactive and to contact customer service. Their offer stated if I did not respond, the dvd would be shipped, I tried to respond and got no-where. I can not locate a telephone # for them. I just want them to stop sending e-mails, and not to charge my credit card. I have e-mailed customer service several times, with no response. WHAT CAN I DO??
None so far, but do I have to constantly refuse their offers and hope no charges are put on my credit card?? This last time, I couldn’t even reach them to refuse the offer!!
Theresa of Cumming, GA
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yesno12/11/08
I received a letter from a collection agency that stated that I owed Columbia House $79.75 for CDs/DVDs that I order. I DID NOT order any CDs/DVDs from Columbia house. I asked for the date and the address that I supposedly order these items. The order was made four years ago and I did not live in the state of New York during the date that these order was placed. I have no response from them when I explained this to them. What can I do?
This has been placed on one credit report.
Kim of Bronx, NY
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yesno12/11/08
I am being charged full price for DVds when the promo says there is supposed to be 60% off of the cost on the 2 DVDs I agreed to pay at regular cost. The DVDs are way more expensive than is purchased at other supplier. The costs are jacked way up in cost and are a rip-off.
No damage but their promotion for the prices is misleading and they have no justification for charging such an exhorbitant cost.
Philip of La, CA
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yesno12/11/08
I have tried to cancel a memebership several times. I have called twice & was told that I would no longer be recieving movies from them.I had satisfied my agreement with them,by buying a couple dvd’s. Then about 60 days later I started to again recieve movies that I do not want! I now have 10-12 movies(possibly more) that I have not opened & do not want to keep. When I contacted the company by e-mail they told me they had no record of my account.
However, I still continue to recieve movies & getting billed for them. I can not seem to get any assistance from them at all. They will not respond to me as to how to return the movies I have. I really don’t feel like I should be responsible to pay the return shipping for items I NEVER requested. I am also afraid that they may impact my credit for unpaid bills.
i can not afford the shipping it costs to return items I DID NOT ORDER.I am afraid that my credit will be impacted, because I will not pay the bill for movies I DID NOT ORDER. What can I do now? My husband thinks that I have just forgotten to take care of this, since we keep getting movies. We have had several arguments regarding this account. He warned me that I should never have set it up in the first place & now I have to admit that he was right all along.
Lisa of Sac, CA
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yesno12/9/08
I recieved a card saying ive had several orders shipped back to Columbia House DVDS. I did not send orders back. I want my orders sent back to me ASAP.
Misha of Reno, NV
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yesno12/8/08
I purchase two DVDs on 12/6/08 and met my obligation where once you have paid for 5 DVDs within two years you are off the hook in paying full price. On 12/8/08, I called my bank to check my balance (a usual every mMonday) after spending over the weekend to balance my check register and found out that I had a charge that I was not familiar with. I spoke with a bank rep who told me that I have $28.18 pending it was from Columbia House. I know I didn’t authorize this, so I tried calling but I didn’t have my account number so that was a dead end even if you press 0 for the operator.
Last year summer (2007) I noticed that I had $25.00 consecutive charges on my account and when I spoke the rep they told me that Columbia House has $75.00 dollars pending on my account. I tried calling them for a while and finally got through, but is was to India which is difficult because they are not familiar with the American way of doing things. I was told that they can’t return my money until they get their products back which I didn’t have because they take your money and then send the product up to two weeks after. I asked them to remove my Debit Card information and don’t use it without my permission, they said that they did and here we are again in the same dilema.
Columbia House has made themselves elusive and that is frustrating and I must say they have the worst customer service setup in all the companies I have ever dealt with.
I wanted to add that money along with money for gas and groceries. Thank God I check my account before I charge my debit card again or else I would have gotten an overdrawn account.
Marie of Rockville Centre, NY
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yesno12/8/08
Apparently on 4-16-08 someone used my name to open an acct. Recently 12-1-08 I am now receiving letters stating I owe $140.00 for my subscription.I NEVER have open any such acct and now I am getting the run around about resolving this issue. If anyone can help me with this matter with any advice.
Gene of Omaha, NE
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yesno12/7/08
I placed one order for 2 DVD’s now I am seeing they duplicated my order and probably will charge for the same order twice. I cannot find any way to contact them by phone so I sent them an email through their website. One of the DVDs I ordered is a set and should count as 2 toward my commitment so now I can cancel the membership they may not let me
double charge for duplcation of the order in the amount of $84.84
Gail of Corvnille, AZ
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yesno12/5/08
I received an e-mail stating that a DVD was mailed to me. I never oder an e-mail an look at the club on-line simply for titles. How could this have happen. I am not at alll interested in joining any club gor DVD’s are anything else. What could I possibly do. I sent a letter stating the fact and the service rep. stated that I needed to send the payment when I get the order and then cancel membership. Why cancel when I never joined in the first place? I am not getting it.
Elmira of St. Louis, MO
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yesno12/5/08
On 04/28/07 I joined the DVD club which the offer was 99 cents for 6 DVD’s which the website Said you had a two year period to buy 4 CD’s at $19.95 while joining after I ordered the 6 DVD’s a window came up telling me I could buy 1Dvd at $14.95 which was 25% off the $19.95 price and would be considered as one of the four selections. And If I bought a second for$9.95 which was 50% off the $19.95 price this also would count as one of the four selections. So i purchased the 2 DVD’s for that offer.
I received the DVd’s and later received a mailing from Columbia house that I had not made any of my four selections. And I should order one of the selections from them. I telephoned them and asked why That my two purchases that were offered when I joined were not counted as two of the four selections when it told me they were being counted as part of the commitment. The representitive told me because I did not pay $19.95 for them. I explained to her that I would have not ordered those two DVD’s if they would have not counted towards the agreement.
Then I was told I had one year to complete commitment. So on April 28 th of 2008 I had made the last purchase the 4 selection which meet my commitment. ON Oct.28 I received a bill from them for $49.88 I contacted my discover card and told them I wanted to dispute my last two purchases from them. But they told me I could only dispute the last one because it fell into the 6 month window and they are unable to dispute anything after 6 months.
Now that Discover Card disputed and took the money from the last purchase back. They sent me a new amount which I owe them. $72.82 I will one last time try to rectify this but I should of never had to go through all this trouble. So I meet my obligation and they are going to attempt to muddle up my credit rating or something.
Robert of Racine, WI
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yesno12/3/08
They sent box of DVD’s to my house and some how got my credit card number and charged it $12.40. I did not place any orders with them. They claim someone used my credit card number to order. They dont have a verification process to ask for the security code on back of credit card and I think this should be mandatory. I mean what good is the security code if nobody asks for it? They were quick to refund the $12.40 which leads me to believe that they are scamming people for orders. They even told me I did not have to send the DVD’s back to them?
Rick of East Peoria, IL
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yesno12/3/08
This is a sequel to an earlier (11/25/08) complaint of a bogus DVD club membership that I had been signed up for involuntarily using my work address, a completely phony e-mail address and my stolen credit card number. I called the customer service number on the invoice, and fairly quickly got a woman who seemed helpful. I politely but firmly told her the story and told her I wanted out of the club and to return the merchandise as I didn’t order it anyway. After a little mild resistance, she agreed to terminate the membership and send me a label I could use to send the unordered merchandise.
Well, seeing the track record of Columbia House in this regard, I didn’t expect much. But lo and behold, she was as good as her word. Today, I got a letter saying that as a courtesy my membership was being discontinued and to disregard any further mailings. A return label for unwanted merchandise was included. So, in the interests of fairness, I wanted to present a positive side to things and say there may be a way out of the Columbia House maze after all.
Positive resolution. They agreed to terminate the bogus membership after all.
David of Potsdam, NY
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yesno12/2/08
I received a letter from Columbia House stating that I had to pay 124.70 immediately or they would send me to collections. I have never signed up for COlumbia House. A couple of years ago I received an invoice in the mail stating that I owed like $26.00 for shipping and handling on 7 free movies that I had received. I never received 7 free movies. I called and explained this to them and told me that I either needed to send the movies back or pay the fee or I would be sent to collections. Rather than battle the fee, I just paid it.
I continued to get featured selections but I would just write return to sender. I continued to call, but would get the run around. Today I received a final letter. I called and it is automated. However, I dialed 6 for more options and then there is an option to cancel your account. I told the girl what happened and she said, no problem, she would cancel my account immediately and I requested that a letter be sent to confirm that she would cancel my account.
It really urked me because if I wouldn’t have called, I would have been stuck paying $124.00 for an account I never created and obviously they know that the account was fraudulent by how fast they close it.
Krystal of Grants Pass, OR
Helpful?
yesno12/2/08
I received a letter from Columbia House stating that I had to pay 124.70 immediately or they would send me to collections. I have never signed up for COlumbia House. A couple of years ago I received an invoice in the mail stating that I owed like $26.00 for shipping and handling on 7 free movies that I had received. I never received 7 free movies.
I called and explained this to them and told me that I either needed to send the movies back or pay the fee or I would be sent to collections. Rather than battle the fee, I just paid it. I continued to get featured selections but I would just write return to sender. I continued to call, but would get the run around.
Today I received a final letter. I called 1-800- and it is automated. However, I dialed 6 for more options and then there is an option to cancel your account. I told the girl what happened and she said, no problem, she would cancel my account immediately and I requested that a letter be sent to confirm that she would cancel my account. It really urked me because if I wouldn’t have called, I would have been stuck paying $124.00 for an account I never created and obviously they know that the account was fraudulent by how fast they close it.
Krystal of Grants Pass, OR
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yesno12/2/08
In June 2008 I ordered DVD’s from Columbia House for a special promotion. Buy 7 DVD’s for $.49 or something like that and then I have to buy a couple DVD’s at regular price in the next 2 years. Sounded good but then I received 7 DVD’s that I didnt order. I picked 2-3 of the ones I wanted and was going to order the rest but they sent me ones I didnt order. So I decided to cancel as its too much hassel.
They did refund my money but little did I know when I applied supposedly for a rebate from their website I inadvertantly signed up for a program called Great Fun. I found the $35.99 charge twice. Once on 8/5/08 and then on 11/4/08. This charge showed on my online bank account and was a fluke that I found it. Anyway the Great Fun phone number was on my account next to the charges so I called them and they told me that through Columbia House I had signed myself up for their program which I dont know what it is.
So if you order anything from CH, if you give them your billing information and then click on a box on their website which appears to be part of the order process, you will have signed up for this program. If you look up Great fun through Google there are many complaints about them and some people are not getting their money back. I was told I will get $48.65 back from Great Fun. It will go into my checking account but the remainder of the $71.98 I have to reguest in writing and send the rtequest to a fax number they gave me. What B.S.
Be careful anyone who orders anything on line. Some of the people on the complaint websire for Great Fun either ordered shoes or Avon or it could be anything. Anyway it started with Columbia House Website. Maybe Columbia House is getting some kind of kick back from all the money Great Fun is taking from people. They say they sent me an email and something in the mail to confirm my order and I never saw anything. But that is because I didnt order anything. And Yes you cant hardly talk to them as they sound foreign and they says your name every few words. Its annoying.So watch out and read all fine print before you fill out anything or order anything.
Jennifer of Yacolt, WA
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yesno12/2/08
My mom past away 6 months ago and she was belong to columbia house and they send here a bill saying she owes 146.86 for movie’s she hasn,t even order , if she doesnt pay this they’ll send her to credit brueo , she dead and they want to do this .
Sue of Windsor, ON
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yesno12/1/08
Each statement I received i was charged 25.94 for each movie which was Jumper, Vantage Point, and 21 these are the movies i received in the mail and sent them back also called to let them know plus when i was charged i called and told them i did not order those movies and i was told that it was taken off my account,but still i am being charged. Now each time i call i am told the something.
The only thing that was suppose to be resolved was the movies being taken off my bill which is not happening.
Susan of Ann Arbor, MI
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yesno11/30/08
I received a phone call at 6:00 AM West coast time saying I needed to pay my bill or I would be turned into a collection agency and ruin my credit. I never had an account with Columbia House. In fact, I did not know it existed. I got on line and got info to contact them. I talked to someone in Argentina and she asked for my full name and zip code and then proceeded to cancel all charges which I never had. I wanted to know how they had my name and phone number and she said she could not give that info.
Lavonne of Long Beach, CA
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yesno11/30/08
Some women from this company called me out of the blue and said that i own them for movies that i never got.
she said that if didnt pay today then they would send me to the collection agency
Kimblia of Hartford, CT
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yesno11/27/08
I received a phone call today 11/25/08 from a bill collection agency (sounds like they are from India) claiming that I owe Columbia House $138.00 for DVD’s I allegedly received in March of 2008. I never ordered anything from Columbia House. They would give me no specifics about this order: They are using my first initial and cannot tell me what my first name is; no information as to where this order was sent or what specific items were ordered; they would not give me a telephone number to Columbia House customer service so I could clear up the mess.
I tried to find Columbia House’s phone number on the internet and was unsuccessful. They apparently don’t want to speak to anyone live and suspect this is by design. I was told that this debt would be sent to the credit bureau because I refuse to pay it.
I have been the victim of identity theft and this appears to be another episode of this on-going saga. Columbia House needs to get their house in order to prevent this sort of thing from happening by verifying who they are dealing with and making phone calls where necessary. Now I have to waste more of my valuable time trying to get this mess cleared up.
Frank of Bear, DE
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yesno11/25/08
I was involuntarily signed up for a bogus DVD club membership. I recieved several unsolicited DVD’s in a single shipment at my work address, and they placed an unauthorized charge on my credit card. In addition to the membership, I was signed up for on-line access to my account, using a completely phony, non-functional e-mail address.
Possible damage to my credit rating. The general stress and hassle and wasted time of dealing with the scam.
David of Potsdam, NY
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yesno11/25/08
Columbia House can kiss my _ss (want to buy a vowel?). They hired a bunch of quasi-english speaking idiots from National Capital Recovery Service in New Rochelle, NY to collect a bogus debt from me and report the same information to the credit bureaus. I allegedly owe $56. I wipe my _ss with $56. This isn’t the issue, what is upsetting (like most other folks who have taken the time to write on this website) is the fact that they (Columbia House) give no notice before they sick the relentless phone calling Pakistanis and Indians from NCRS.
There is something involved here called principle – something that the dip-sh_ts over at Columbia House haven’t yet learned. When provided a product or service, I usually receive proof of completion (e.g.- an invoice, bill, etc.). This is when I pay for the product or service rendered. If Columbia House had any couth they would have sent me a statement, invoice, demand letter, etc., to collect the money that I allegedly owe them. No, they choose instead to get Haji and his buddies to call and harass me. Say, is there an Immigration and Naturalization office nearby that can verify that Haji and his buddies are here legally and allowed to work? Unlike what they do on the telephone trying to collect from the unsuspecting, it’s not considered harassment when CBP is protecting the homeland.
Summary: Columbia House can go to hell.
This is a waste of time and a loss of revenue for me. I have spent close to 30 minutes (and I make over $150/hr) letting people know the under-handed tactics of Columbia House. I expect no monetary compensation from them. After all, they must not be able to afford a phone since the only way to communicate with them is via email.
Jake of Laredo, TX
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yesno11/18/08
I have been trying to have negative information removed from my credit report as a result of Columbia House saying I have ordered something from them and owe $118.00. I have repeated filed disputes with the credit bureau which they come back stating the account is valid yet I have not been told when the account was supposedly opened and where deliveries were sent to.
This negative information on my credit report has cost me from getting a refinance on my auto loan that I currently have opened and I am trying to clear this matter up to obtain a favorable answer from my loan company.
Karen of Mcdonough, GA
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yesno11/15/08
I keep getting collection call from this company and I have never had an account with them they said I have a bill for 124.00 for dvd I told them that it was a mistake and to send me the bill or give me the number of the company I rude man told me no and it was to far along for that
I would just like to know how to deal with this when it come up on credit report I also would like to contact a lawyer. Iam very upset not only beacuse of the calls but also a the fact the collection agncy had the nerve to say american people dont like to pay there depts
Hope of Bushkill, PA
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yesno11/15/08
I don’t know their address or phone number and I don’t know my account number. I have cancelled this account and the sent me a movie and took the money out of my checking account on October 14, 2008 for $25.94. At the time I had their phone number and called they credited my account back for the amount. Now on Nov. 12 they took out another $25.94 out of my checking account when my account has been closed for months.
I don’t know how to reach them I remember when I called you get nothing but recordings and is very hard to speak to a human person. Can you please tell me what I can do to stop them from taking money from my account. Thank you
Carol of Youngsville, NC
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yesno11/13/08
I purchased 2 box sets and the very next day the box sets I purchased went on sale. I contacted the CS thru the website and the responses I was getting had nothing to do with what I was asking. I googled a number for them I found several. I called. I didn’t choose any options that ask if I was a member. I pretended I was a potential member and got thru to CS and got my issue resolved. Also, ask them for a bill me option.
Karen of Hyattsville, MD
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yesno11/13/08
i cancewlled my membership with Columbia House abd when i lookked into my account they had debited my checking account in the amount of $145 WITHOUT my conscent or knowledge. I have tried to get in touch with these people but they only talk to u in email. Over a year ago they charged my account for an item i told them i did not want and i had to contact my bank and file a dispute and have it removed from my account, but this time they refuse to give me back the $145 that they charged to my account without my knowledge or conscent.
First of all i am on a fixed income, i received social security disability because i have spinbal bifida with my check being fixed that $145 will cause me to have to be in the whole really bad with my bills.
Sherry of Fostoria, OH
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yesno11/13/08
I declined my September directors selection online. However, the movie I declined was sent to me anyway. This movie was charged to my checking account twice on September 16, 2008. One charge was then credited back to my account. As the second charge overdrew my checking account, an overdraft fee of $25.97 was charged to my account by my bank, leaving me with a balance of -$16.56. The next morning Columbia House charged me for a movie that I had ordered which resulted in a second overdraft fee of $25.97.
If Columbia House had not charged me twice for a movie I specifically declined, the balance in my account would have been $35.35 at the time the movie I had ordered was charged. This amount would have paid for the movie without overdrawing my account or generating any fees. As the error was on Columbia House DVD’s part, I requested reimbursement for the two overdraft charges of $25.97, for a total of $51.94. I called Columbia House DVD and was advised that the online decline feature doesnt work sometimes? and was told to fax in a letter with supporting documentation. I faxed a letter explaining the situation and attached a copy of my checking register with the charges from Columbia House and the resulting fees highlighted.
A couple weeks later I received a brief note from Columbia House stating that my contract states that they are not responsible for any fees. I sent a second letter by mail on November 1 cancelling my account and advising them that they had 7 days mailing and processing time, after which I would treat any contact, including email promotions, from Columbia House DVD as harassment. Today I got yet another Director’s Selection DVD email. After reading this forum I can’t understand why no one has initiated a class-action lawsuit against this company.
Mfc of Boise, ID
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yesno11/11/08
I’ve received threating letters about a outstanding debt on my accout for the sum of $25.94! I sent a check in on 11/6/08 to cover such cost and without my permissiion they charged my credit card for this amount and as a result I have to pay a penalty of $39.00 for being over my credit limit with my credit card.
You have double dipped on my credit card account twice and as a result I’m in poor standing with my credit card bank! I don’t want any thing further from you and will look into fraud charges against you! CANCEL MY ACCOUNT WITH YOU!!!
Frank of Casper, WY
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yesno11/9/08
They have been sending my information to a Credit company who keeps calling me, refusing to understand I NEVER ORDERED a thing from them. I NEVER RECIEVED a thing from them. They are demading payment.
My credit has been destroyed, I was buying a house now I can not. The phone calls are driving me crazy. The debt collectors are calling all hours of the day and night. Columbia house called me at 9:30 at night harrasing me. How do I get them to LEAVE ME ALONE. What part of I did not buy anything from you won’t they ubderstand?
Diane of Miami Lakes, FL
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yesno11/7/08
columbia house has billed me for an account which i have not even opened. they billed me $69 for dvd’s but all they dvd’s were sent back to them. I refuse to pay for something I don’t even have. Also, they have sent that amount to a collection agency, I don’t knonw what to do.
I recently received a letter from a collection agency which is NCO group. In the letter it says that I must pay the amount of $69. This is causing me mental stress, what do I do?
Vick of Surrey, OTHER
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yesno11/6/08
columbia house has billed me for an account which i have not even opened. they billed me $69 for dvd’s but all they dvd’s were sent back to them. I refuse to pay for something I don’t even have. Also, they have sent that amount to a collection agency.
I recently received a letter from a collection agency which is NCO group. In the letter it says that I must pay the amount of $69. This is causing me mental stress, what do I do?
Vick of Surrey, OTHER
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yesno11/6/08
I dont know how they got my address. They simply sent me a DVD. I have not even visited their website.
I tried to call them back. But I did not manage to get to speak to a person. Now they have sent me a notice for $135.
Veeramani of Everett, WA
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yesno11/6/08
what happened thet they sent me so many directors selections whit regular price,i did not have time to pay it of on time and they sed i have to just by 2 directors selections on all year,and nothing else.So i vas gona be nice and not return them.iI was stil paying what i own them and they quit senting me bill’s.So i did little search on my payments and the bill is more then i payd for.
so now im crying to pay what they say thet i own them.I sent them a mesage to not sent me eny orders what i did not order.Ther respons was well u have to contact them,we can’t do nothing about it.And i order some order on 60% off ind they charging me whit regular price.So i sent them a mesage to corect my price.They told me they cen’t do that,becose they sant all ready whit regular price.So i have to be fine whit that.
i sent so many payments and just dont add up.I sant more maney then they sad that i did.
Ormon of Kenner, LA
Helpful?
yesno11/6/08
what happened thet they sent me so many directors selections whit regular price, i did not have time to pay it of on time and they sed i have to just by 2 directors selections on all year, and nothing else. So i vas gona be nice and not return them. iI was stil paying what i own them and they quit senting me bill’s. So i did little search on my payments and the bill is more then i payd for.
so now im crying to pay what they say thet i own them. I sent them a mesage to not sent me eny orders what i did not order. Ther respons was well u have to contact them, we can’t do nothing about it. And i order some order on 60% off ind they charging me whit regular price. So i sent them a mesage to corect my price. They told me they cen’t do that, becose they sant all ready whit regular price. So i have to be fine whit that.
i sent so many payments and just dont add up. I sant more maney then they sad that i did.
Ormon of Kenner, LA
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yesno11/6/08
Yesterday, I received a notice from Columbia house that I owed a remaining balance of 49.88 to fulfill my obligation of membership with them. Since my membership expired in September of 2007 I was surprised to be seeing the letter as I hadn’t seen one previously. Frankly, I know I ordered from them in the past and agreed to their membership terms. I do not clearly recall just how many videos I purchased but I know it was quite a few as they were Christmas gifts for my sons. Apparently not all of them could be counted as membership movies so I am told.
Okay so this was the first statment for payment that I received. They sent it on the 24th of October according to the date on the letter. Today I go online to see what two movies I can pick out to fulfill my obligation and get them off my back only to find that because I used my debit card in the past to purchase movies that they had already charged my account and overdrafted my bank account for the amount.
I dig up a customer service number online (not on their site) and finally talk to a live person only to be told that since my account was actually due 13 months ago they had every right to use my credit card info to get payment and the bill in the mail was just a mistake on their part. So basically I was told by management that they didn’t have to notify me that they were taking the money and that I would get a couple coupons in the mail to get my two movies. Now I have to pay 100 dollars in bank fees to clean up the mess and I’m told there is nothing I can do about it. Is this true?
My Bank account was overdrafted and overdraft fees were incurred leaving me having to come up with over 100 dollars to cover the expenses. I am a mother of 3 in a family of five where my husband is currently not working due to a brain Anuerysm (three surgeries since May 2008) and I don’t have enough income to keep everything paid on my own.
Jean of Butte, MT
Helpful?
yesno11/4/08
I signed up for the membership in 2007 and I order one selection and was charge for another selection that I did not order they returned my money. Recently I received a letter saying that I had 2 months to complete my member ship or they was going to charge my account. I called customer service and they were saying my account was not found. On Nov 1 2008 My account was charged $100. 1 it hasnt been 2 months since the letter and for 2 they saying that they cant give me a refund because I had a year to complete this obligation.
Columbia house suppose to be cheaper then going to a regular store why would I pay $25 for a movie thats $15 at the store. I was out of work and that was all the money I had and they just took itand didnt even send a letter of the amount that I would be charged. Is it fair no because the members who sign up and dont use a credit card just get a bill in the mail but since I have the opportunity to have a card they feel like they can just take money out of my account and send me a paper to chose movies from.
It don’t work like that the same way they went into my account the same way they can return my money. When asked to speak to a supervisor the rep pretends no one is available. Should they be allowed to rip people off like this hell no. I filled out the paper work for fraud because when you take money out of someones account without their approval thats fraud. They should accept their neglect on their end and stop blaming us for their tecnical difficulties.
I wasnt able to pay my phone bill or get food for my 3 year old son or gas
Shante of Detroit, MI
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yesno11/3/08
I received an invoice in the mail last week saying that I owed Columbia 124.70 and that they had sent me a letter letting me know that I was about to come due on my membership and had not fulfilled my obligations. I have never signed up for an account with Columbia House, and I have for some reason, been receiving DVDs from time to time, but I sign the return to sender. I am so aggravated.
I have sent them several emails telling them that I do not have an account with them, but they insist that I did sign up with them 2 years ago. However, I will not pay that ridiculous amount of money for something that I never signed up for. Can they report me to a collection agency if they don’t have my social security number?
I cannot believe that a company can truly go after people the way that they have legally.
Krystal of Grants Pass, OR
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yesno11/3/08
in the spring of 2007 i was notified by a collection letter that i was sent to collections for columbia house for 68 dollars. This was for something that purchased by someone and sent to a differant address than mine. they used my name. I never lived at the address that was indicated.
i called columbia house and i explained that i have not ordered or recieved anything. i further explained that i never lived at that address and went on to tell them where i lived currently and previous address. i also gave my phone number to them. they said that they would indicate that i dispute the charges and wont have to pay them. this week, a year and a half later i get a phone call for this issue again.
here the catch. now it is the same price but supposedly i got this sent to avis drive in 2006. i did not move to avis drive until 2007.
i dont know yet. how far can they actualy take something like this? this is not my bill
Robert of Burton, MI
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yesno11/2/08
i received a bill out of nowhere for $135.45 stating that i had an open account and did not fulfill my obligation. i have not received anything from them in years accept advertisements which i immediately destroy. i sent a letter stating this and am waiting on a reply.
i do not owe this nor do i have an open account. i asked for proof of an open account. my credit will be marred. i currently have excellent credit
Mary of Holbrook, NY
Helpful?
yesno11/1/08
I signed up for a Club membership in June 2007. I do not remember the number of DVD’s I agreed to purchase at regular price. I received monthly featured selection emails. I purchased one movie at regular price, and soon following that, it showed on my online account that I had fulfilled my agreement. I did purchase one additional movie in May 2008, and the online information continued to reflect my payment and that the membership agreement was met. I looked into how to cancel the account in June 2008, but I never wrote and sent the letter because the monthly director’s selection emails stopped coming, and it became less of a priority with the birth of a baby around the same time.
Today, October 31, 2008, I noticed a pending charge on my debit card from Columbia House. I was certain that it was a mistake and looked at my account online. Again, it reflected a balance of zero and that my membership requirements had been fulfilled. I decided at that point to call Customer Service to see if they could explain the charge. Imagine my surprise when they informed me that the charge was for two DVD’s at regular price to fulfill my membership obligation!
I told them that for months my account had shown that my membership was fulfilled, but they countered that it could only have reflected that since the charge in question was made. I asked them why then the account showed a balance of zero? They had no answer. I was told twice that an email had been sent informing me that I had not met my membership requirements. I never received such an email, and they flatly refused to resend it.
Of course they are refusing to reverse the charge to my card. The supervisor I spoke with admitted they had experienced problems with their online system, but flatly refused to do anything for me. I am now out $50.00 of grocery money to feed my family with next week. While I am thankful I noticed the charge and did not overdraft my account, it is still very inconvenient and comes at the worst possible time.
Hannah of Lynchburg, VA
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yesno10/31/08
I have been getting phone calls for about to months now saying I owe Colubia House $100. something. I have told every representative that has called me that I have never recieved anything from this company nor have I ever signed up for anything from them. I was told once to write a letter and have it noterized saying this and I did so. But the phone calls continue and the other representatives I talk to say they dont do that and I have to pay this no matter what. That they are going to report it to my credit and they dont care if I signed up for this or if someone used my name, they just want their money.
THen today they called and I talk with a guy from Brazil and he asked me if I was married. He asked is that your child in the background. He then asked me what colture I was from and I said America. He went on to tell me that I wasnt right and how could I make will one if Im not married. I told him we couldnt afford to get married at this time. Then he asked if he could speak with my 4 yr old. Now what business does he have to ask if he can talk to my daughter let alone down me for my choices in life. I am very upset that companys can do this to people and get away with it.
Joshua of Pekin, IL
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yesno10/30/08
sent me a DVD, witha bill of $5.00, I did not order this,I did not pay for this, then they send me another bill for $11.00, for interest and late fees. before it was over they sent me a bill saying I owe them $135.70 for DVDs which I did not order, did not receive, did not sign a contract for. they have called and harassed me multipe times, they have sent this to Allied Interstate Collections, who I have done some investigating on line and see they are as Ill reputed as Columbia House is
Frustration. I didnt sign up for any of this, and it has been nothing but a pain in the neck, they have turned this over to collections, I am concerned about my credit rating. I wonder just how many people they are doing this too, there should be a class action law suit against these companies.
M of Mexico, MO
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yesno10/28/08
I received a very disturbing call from a collections agency for an account I am supposedly supposed to have with Columbia House. I tried explaining to the man that I do not what he was talking about and said I refuse to pay for a $50 account that I don’t have any knowledge. He kept being very insolent about the whole matter and I finally hung up.
He continues to call and leve messages for me to call him back. I am so upset about this that I have had an anxiety attack which I get from my heart problem. This should stop and I am beside myself over these threats. I have the phone number of this person if needed. No resolution was established.
Carol of White Settlement, TX
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yesno10/27/08
My credit card is being charged by Columbia House DVD without my permission. Emailing the cst svc is USELESS & there is no way to contact a live person! I’m so angry about this. The charge they made overdrew my checking account & now i have $50 in fees from my bank.
Elizabeth of Columbus, OH
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yesno10/25/08
I have never signed up with Columbia House and never recieved a DVD which they mailed me. Now, they asking me to pay $146.57 with the late charges for something which i never recieved. I never even recieved any mail earlier than this. In this mail marked as Urgent Message, also indicating if i don’t pay this amount, they will refer my name to collection agency. I have a good credit report and they are screwing me up which i didn’t even order and have never recieved. I’m so upset please tell me how i can prevent them to enter my name in collection agency.
Kavita of Flushing, NY
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yesno10/25/08
I received a phone call from Takhar collection Service about a collection for the amount of 103.17 for movies that i have ordered. I should not have an account at Columbia House because i work for a video store I can get all my movies for free or if i want to own it cheaper than Columbia House. I called multiple times to both the collection service and Columbia House and they keep saying i don’t have to pay and they will contact the other to take my name off the list and the next day i call they said i still owe money and they will send it to the one of the bureaus.
My credit is damaged and the annoying calls that my family gets.
Anthony of Loganville, GA
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yesno10/24/08
I have received mail and phone calls from a collection agency trying to collect 163.00 for a member ship of this club of which I did not sign up for. They are threatening my credit score. I dont know how they got my personal info, but this is starting to become harassment. Please help!
My credit is being threatened.
Guy of Kailua, HI
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yesno10/23/08
I’ve read about previous security breaches exposing customer addresses and credit info, so I tried to delete my own credit card info from the website but can find no options to do so without providing a decond credit card. I emailed customer service, ask that my CC info be removed and I will provide it at time of purchases. They replied for now on I will have to pre-pay orders by CC/check/mo (which is what I did anyway), however my CC info is still being ‘kept on file’ on the website.
I feel that since I initially volunteered it be kept on file for the convenience when ordering, and since keeping a CC on file was not part of the initial contract, they should now honor my request to remove it (I would think there is some legislation regarding such consumer requests)
No damages have occured, this is purely preemptive to protect myself from future problems.
Chuck of Columbus, OH
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yesno10/22/08
I did join the Columbia House dvd online club. I picked out and paid for my introductory package. I even picked out and paid for 3 other dvds shortly after joining. Every few weeks or so I receive the Directors Selection or whatever it is they call the automatic dvds they send out. I called the cs line and even sent in a request to please stop sending these selections.
I work 2nd shift and am not home when my mail arrives. Plus, its a pain to go online or call to request a return label! I went thru this process two or three times, yet kept getting the unwanted selections. The last I recieved was a double set of the SpiderMan movies. I can not remember which two they were, be it the first and second or the second and third. I went online yet again to request the return label. I didnt recieve one, so a couple weeks later I requested it yet again. Finally recieving it and getting the dvds sent back.
But now Columbia House is saying they did not get the dvds back and they want me to pay $36.00 for dvds that I dont even have! I have been trying to get this resolved for months. I refuse to pay that kind of amount for something I do not even have! Now to top off the entire mess they have reported me to a collection agency that wants even more. All together, they are now trying to charge me $66.88!
April of Springdale, AR
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yesno10/21/08
Today I recieved a bill from Columbia House for $135.70. It lists intro package $5.00 Late payment $3.00 another late payment of $3.00 and a Due on contract $124.70. It also in bold letters Collection Alert! warning notice before your account is referred to a nationwide collection agentcy. I have never ordered or recieved any products from Columbia House.
I am disabled and I have a payee who handles my finances. If this reports on my credit it could cause problems for me and my payee. I never ordered products or club membership from Columbia House. Can this be resolved?
Raylene of Live Oak, CA
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yesno10/17/08
For months now I have been getting Final Notice on a DVD, that I did order or received. They are trying to collecet in amount of $134.70. While I was writing them a letter, regarding this issue, I had stopped for a moment to check my checking account. There I noticed on October 14, 2008, has a pending charge of $25,74 from Columbia House DVD Club. Supposely be for a DVD I did not order.
This not the first time they credit the account. Several months ago they did the same thing, and I wrote a letter out which I still have copies for regarding a purchase I did not order. They did credit the account back. But has turned around and credit again. How dare they.
Just pure frustation regarding the whole matter.
Ella of Alexandria, LA
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yesno10/15/08
You can reach a live person at Columbia House by calling 888 and entering your 11-digit account #. Hope this helps, because e-mailing them is useless, and finding ANY way to contact them on their website is non-existent.
Mike of Valparaiso, IN
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yesno10/14/08
I have composed numerous emails and made several phone calls to inform them that I have not received a selection that I have paid for. They have used the same email form telling me I must wait and additional four weeks before they will deal with the situation.
Larry of Appomattox, VA
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yesno10/14/08
12 months ago we tried to cancel our membership after fulfilling our obligation to the original contract. My wife made the mistake of letting them withdraw charges to pay for the dvd’s we received when we were active members. Once we cancelled after fulfilling the contract, we noticed Columbia House had withdrawn 8 times from our account without us knowing about it.
I tried to handle the situation myself but since I wasn’t the person who originally set up the account I they wouldn’t talk to me, and while on the phone with them they hung up on me. I had my wife call them right back and demand that our membership be cancelled. They said they would and that we needed to return the dvd’s we had received. We hadn’t received any dvd’s since we had asked them to cancel our membership the first time. They told us they couldn’t reimburse our money if we didn’t have dvd’s to return to them. They told us our membership was cancelled.
It has been 3 months and they stopped withdrawing from our checking account until two weeks ago, they started making withdraws again. In a one month time period they have withdrawn $84. We called them and they said we needed to return the dvd’s they sent us. We haven’t received dvd’s in over a year but they have automatically withdrawn money from my checking account 11 times. We told them we were going to block them from being able to automatically withdraw money from my checking account and they said they would turn us in to a collection agency if we don’t pay for or return dvd’s they say they’ve sent.
Jeff of Trophy Club, TX
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yesno10/13/08
I have paid over eighty one dollars in fees for movies I have not received because of mail theft, in attempt to keep my credit in excellent condition. I have threatened reporting them to better business bureau yet the movies continue to be charged to me. I even told them I am deceased
Nothing resolved. They email me payments yet there are no movies
Cheryl of Delta, UT
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yesno10/13/08
I fullfilled our agreement w/Columbia House and just received a collection call from PCS. I was told by the gentleman that I had to pay 82.19 to close the contract. Even though we had met the contract obligations we had to pay to get out. This is a scam!
I do not feel that we have to pay for a fee to cancel an agreement.
John of Corpus Christi, TX
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yesno10/8/08
In 2002 I opened an account with Columbia House DVD. At the conclusion of the contract I hadn’t purchased the 3 or 4 DVDs required to complete their contract. Instead of giving me the option to resolve it, they turned it over to collections where I paid the $94.00. I then wanted the 3 to 4 DVDs that I now had credit for. They would not repond to my requests and actually getting a live person on the phone at their office in Terra Heute, Indiana was impossible.
This went on for months before I finally started a new account with them just to recoup the 4 DVDs. I sent them a letter stating why I had done this and that now we were even. The account was closed in August of 2005. I thought the matter was resolved. In July of 2008 they filed a collection agency report for the $94. I have worked for years to restore my credit and then this. I now know that there are hundreds of people just like me. I am a federal investigator with a clean record.
Unjust damaged to credit and an unwarrented bill for $94.00
Randall of Langley, WA
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yesno10/6/08
I am trying to get out and it is impossible. Then they want to charge a ridiculous ammount to cancel with them. The customer service is non existing. I was actually told to learn how to read. That is bad, really bad costumer service. The best way to hit them were it hurst is to spread the word and for people NOT to sign up with them EVER.
I will be charge $100.00 to get out of their contract with nothing in return. They will even charge me for shipping that will NEVER occur and $25.00 for movies that I will never get.
Marie of Raleigh, NC
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yesno10/6/08
I enrolled in a DVD club with minimum purchase requirements, minimum membership time, etc. I signed up over the Internet, but now I cannot un-enroll from this program. If I do not email/call (a number which has no humans working it!) each month, they send me a DVD I have not ordered and charge it to my Visa, even though I have met all minimum requirements and do not want to be in the club anymore!
Amanda of Morganton, NC
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yesno10/5/08
When I first established an account with Colimbia House, everything was fine. However, it didn’t take long before I was receiving selections I did not want. The first time I received a selection I thought I had not ordered, I just wrote it off as an oversite on my part. Of course, I had to pay for it. I knew I was obligated to buy a certain number of movies from them and it didn’t take long to fulfill my contract.
It has been well over a year or more since I fulfilled my contract with Columbia House. Apparently a contract means nothing to the Columbia House staff or the customer service department. I could not say how many phone calls to the 800 number led only to dead ends. Marking the, decline, box for my Director’s Selection via email, sending email requests to cancel my account and to receive no further mailings of any kind from them fell on deaf ears and apparently blind eyes.
Now, as of today, October 05, 2008, I have another selection which I will need to return to sender, as well as, a letter from Columbia House saying that I, recently mailed us a request to cancel. But, until they receive further information from me my, account will remain open. Dealing with this situation time after time has been such an emotional stress. Even my grandchildren have become frustrated with the situation for me. How can this company get by with these scams? I wish i had had the mind to check with this website BEFORE I became involved with this company.
Linda of Grayson, KY
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yesno10/5/08
I received a dvd in the mail once from columbia house. I never signed up for the account but I decided to pay for the dvd since I liked it, however, I also circled the option that I did not want anymore dvd’s from columbia house. I made the payment by cheque and mailed it. A month later I noticed that I got a dvd in the mail from columbia house. I wrote return to sender on it. I also mailed columbia house a letter stating that i did not sign up for the account in the first place and to cancel my account.
Unfortunately, they kept on sending me dvd’s and I kept on returning them by writing return to sender and putting them back in my mail box. This continued for over a year. A few months back I noticed that they sent mail which said I owed them $69.22 in late payment fees. This is a lie since all the dvd’s were sent back to them. So I mailed a letter saying that all dvd’s were sent back to them and to cancel my account. However, they sent a letter to me saying that I opened up the account and I owe them that amount. They have also recently sent a letter that if I do not make the payment within 72 hours then they will take more drastic measures. I don’t know what to do, please help.
Vickram of Surrey, AL
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yesno10/3/08
I have been a member of good standing for Columbia, now they refuse to cancel my account and keep sending me dvds that I did not order. I am a senior citizen and deaf and I am unable to cancel this on the phone, but they refuse to stop sending me dvds and cancel my membership that I already fulfilled.
I have three dvds to return and still they keep sending me more that I did not order. They refuse to stop sending me the director’s choice that I declined and keep sending, they keep harassing me. Please stop. Thanks.
Patrick of New York, NY
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yesno10/1/08
Columbia House has Director’s Selection that members can either except or reject. Well I rejected my Director’s Selection and they still billed me for the movie. When I contacted then they told me I was billed because I did not decline the Director’s Selection. I save all of my emails from them so I sent the email confirming that I did decline the selection.
I asked that they returned my money to my account including any fees that I may have incurred do to their error. They have not replied to my request.
Because of them taking the money out of my account I incurred a $35 return payment fee because I already had a bill tat I was using that money for. My account is now grossly overdrawn.
Tiffney of Gary, IN
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yesno9/29/08
I had never ordered anything from columbia house. I received not one, but two orders of the same CDs. I sent them back, noting retuurn on the envelope. I then received one statement from columbia house telling me I owed them $33 dollars. I called Columbia house and informed them that I had not ordered this package and that I had no interest in the CDs I received, nor in a membership. They informed me that the accountg woud be closed.
About 6 months – 9 months later I received a paper in the mail from NCO, a collection’s agency. I claled them to explain what had happened. They told me to call Columbia house and the that the problem would be recitified. Once again, I called columbia house to see what happened. They again, assured me that it would be taken care of. That was 6 months ago. This morning I received another invoice in teh mail, for the same balance, from yet another collection’s agency. These are going to ruin my credit for a $33 balance that I never owed. I pride myself on my credit rating, have never had any amount go into collections!
Now I am being harrased for the third or fourth time for $33 dollars! That I don’t even owe! I’m thinking about hiring a lawyer to sue. I’m actually considering getting a collective lawsuit against Columbia House. My name is being damaged! My credit rating is being damaged! There can’t be anything worse.
Melanie of Montreal, OTHER
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yesno9/28/08
Debit $59.66. i have purchased some movies from columbia house and they took my money from my account, but i never got my movies. i wrote to them to refund my money to my account and they didnt do it. instead they without my authorization they took my money again 09/24/2008 Debit $59.66. can u help get my money back into my account please
because they took my money without my authorization. i owe my bank money that i dont have now
Lissette of Bronx, NY
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yesno9/27/08
I never signed up for service and never received any merchandise and out of the blue I see a pile of invoices. I do not even live in the USA. Someone needs to do something about this fake company.
Urban of Castries, OTHER
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yesno9/24/08
I was a member with Columbia House several years ago and got seriously screwed over by them (product never shipped, overcharged, payments taken out of my bank account without my authorization, etc). After a couple of years I decided to give them another chance — big mistake. Now they send the Directors Selection (even though I declined it online), charging me a late fee when I only just got the shipment 2 days ago (this just happened – got the package on 9/20, I called them today, 9/22, and the telephone tree informs me I owe $3.00 more than what was on the statement in the box! I DON’T THINK SO!).
I work in the Fraud Dept for a large international bank and see claims against this company on a regular basis. You use to be able to get a live person by selecting ‘cancel’ in the telephone tree but they’ve apparently changed that. I just looked up their info, so I can provide everyone with the Corporate address and phone number, and it says they employ 2700 people….I’d sure like to know where because it’s not in their customer service department! I plan on sending certified letters to each of these people to let them know just how bad. They probably won’t make it past the personal assistants but it’ll make me feel better and I’ll have it on record when this gets legal.
Celia of Chandler, AZ
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yesno9/23/08
I joined the DVD club in early summer and selected and rec’d the 5 free DVD’s; however, they were not free as they billed me for shipping charges which I paid the shipping bills promptly. I ordered 4 more DVD’s on 8/14- as of 9/22 which I still have not received. Total amount was approx $68.00. They claimed they couldn’t ship that amount until payment history was established so they wanted a credit card. When I hear what others have experienced, thank goodness I had the good sense not to give them my credit card information. I then instructed last week to cancel my account.
I got a threatening message from Marco in Customer Service that I was liable for the 5 DVD’s that I was supposed to purchase during the upcoming year and they are going to send me a bill. I told them if I get a bill I will not pay and will forward to my attorney. I plan to report them to NYS Attorney General’s office, among others, in an effort to get them banned from doing business in the State of New York. There customer service [is bad] and in my opinion they are running a scam, especially what I see from other people who have filed a complaint against them.
They are threatening to send me a bill for five videos I did not order claiming I am liable to purchase this amount over the next year under contract. These people should be put out of business. Fortunately they do not have my credit card or I’m sure they would have already run it through. I do not intend to pay any bill I receive from them.
C of Lake Grove, NY
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yesno9/23/08
There are debting my bank account every 3 to to 15 Days and I plan to contact my attorney general office this moring to see what they can do about this maddness and I will urge everyone else to do the same thing in your state.
Judy of Freeport, IL
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yesno9/16/08
I received an unsolicited DVD in the mail from Columbia House. I purchased it for 4.95. Now they sent me another unsolicited DVD, and they are billing me for 28.11. There is no way to contact these people to cancel, and I fear that I am obligated in some way to buy these DVD’s before I even have the right to cancel. It was not represented that way when I purchased the first DVD. I just want to return this unsolicited DVD and terminate this so called contract.
I feel that I am being billed for something that I did not order. I strongly feel that I do not owe this 28.11 plus 3.00 late payment charge. Can you please help me?Any help will be appreciated. I am very upset by this. Thank you.
I fear that my credit will be damaged by this scam.
Corazon of New York, NY
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yesno9/14/08
I had order God Father DVD April 2008, but didn’t get any DVD. I received the Letter from NCO Set.10 2008 for collection. I always pay what I get.
Thomas of Vulcan, OTHER
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yesno9/11/08
Well a little over a year ago I did join the club they were taking payment from my checking account no problem right. Wrong, around Christmas time I sent a request to cancel my membership god knows I had already bought enough movies at regular price. I had lost my debit card so I called for a new one they gave me a new number on my card and canceled the old one.
I NEVER called and gave this number to Columbia House but about 2 months later i was being charged again and for movies in which i did not recieve. I called and asked why and how they got my new card number and they stated it was the same one. i proved it wasnt but yet they never refunded my money and now they are calling me saying i have an outstanding balance. Why can Columbia House do this and get away with it?
Well they chared me for four movies on my account at 28 dollars each that i never recieved so i am out over 100 dollars and now are saying i still owe them money and now are saying that they are going to send it to my credit score
Anita of Cleveland, TX
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yesno8/29/08
I had ordered some movies online and paid for them online and never got them. I have never recieved anything in the mail, what so ever. The money was taken out of my account. I would either like to get what I paid for or my money back. Thank you
Debbie of Murphy, NC
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yesno8/28/08
Columbia house is billing me for dvd’s that i have not recieved from the company. I had written the company to cancel my account because they charged my bank account for someone elses dvds which I DID NOT authorized them to do so and the result of that contract we are set in I’m being charged 93 dollars. I have written the company on more than one occasion on this situation with no real response back.
Now I have a collectors calling me. You are unable to call the company because they have no phone numbers and now I need an address to conduct this situation once again and have no address. I think this company is a rip off and is trying to scam money out of people whom do not recieve the merchandise. I feel my contract with Columbia has should be voided since they bill my bank account for someone else dvd’s without my knowing.
It has been fustrating with this company for over a year with not being able to contact no one on this issue. I am trying to establish my credit and with them threating me to send this to the credit bureau will ruin my credit.
Sharon of Port St Lucie, FL
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yesno8/26/08
I got a dvd from columbia house DVDS and I havent orded anything and they keep sending me bills that I have to pay. I hate it and this following letter that they sent me they said they where going to take legal actions of some kind. I just want some answers for this screwed up buisness
Francesca of Santa Barbara, CA
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yesno8/19/08
Received a letter from CHDC stating that a selection I made, Elizabeth, Golden Era #048527032W cannot be purchased with a certificate. Okay, that’s fine, but nowhere on the magazine page does it say that this film has the SR designation.
Then in trying to reach a real person, there is not phone extension named by the automated voice to talk to a person to straighten this matter out. It is really bad service to have to go through two complete menus and still not get a person. Especially after the hundreds of dvds I have purchased from them.
Philip of Richardson, TX
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yesno8/18/08
I stop buying cd’s in November or December 2002 or at least Jan 2003 when I was living in California but I always paid on time and never got a letter from them saying I owe some money. In September 2004 I moved to Texas and I just got a collection letter saying that I owed them 42.40 posted by them in 2004
they’re ruining my credit because I use to pay always on time
Yeny of Dallas, TX
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yesno8/18/08
I haven’t subcribed to them and don’t even have an idea about this place, but they keep harrassing me with calls that I owe them unpaid bills. They claimed before that it was an error and they would get my name off their list. It’s been over six months since it happened, but few days ago again, I have started receiving calls from a collector that I owe Coulmbia House.
I am sick and tired of being harrassed for something that I have no clue about.
Emeric of Brookeville, MD
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yesno8/15/08
Recvd a random collections notice that I owed $98.85 to Columbia House & have to pay it w/in 30 days or Columbia House will take legal action. I called the Nationwide Collections & spoke w/Vivian who explained I had ordered some CD’s in 2004 from a certain address I did not live at in 2004, but in 2001-02 & I told them I do not recall EVER ordering CD’s via mail order. Vivian informed me I would need to go to my towns police department to fill out a Fraud report. I do not believe they have the right to demand any monies from me just because they randomly decide to send me a bill?? I can not locate a telephone number on Columbia House re:CD’s.
I am just getting started, I recvd this notice this week, 8/04/08. I am not sure what to do, I do not want to pay for something I do not owe and believe I should have been contacted before this if this in attempt to collect like normal companies would do; my credit is excellent & shows I am an outstanding citizen and pay what is due and right.
Sue of Riverview, FL
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yesno8/8/08
This company has continued to send me products and charge me for them despite repeated requests for my account, credit card, and membership to be deleted.
Thankfully, none yet. I canceled the credit card they have the information for. However, they have repeatedly billed me for the dvds they send unsolicited, and I will undoubtedly be encountering a debt collector in the future.
Megan of Nashville, TN
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yesno8/8/08
i pre-paid for a movie order titled 21 and it still shows it’s back-ordered after two weeks when the movie is already on store shelves. i’ve made two attempts already to contact their customer service which is only by email as they have no telephone number to contact them by and so far no one has responded back. i wouldn’t be so upset if i hadn’t already paid for it but since i did i’m sitting and waiting when i could have just gone out and bought it from my local walmart.
i’ve did some online research and it turns out i’m not the only one with complaints about columbia house. my request to them was to either get my movie out to me or cancel my order and reverse the amount i have paid for that order back to my credit card.
well, i have a charge of $39.17 on my credit card for the movie i pre-paid for and have not yet received
Tammy of Bullhead, AZ
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yesno8/6/08
columbia house dvd’s owe’s me 3 dvd’s payed for in full acount 50562274d48. my wife is driving me insane i can’t live on couch forever. help me please. i forgot to fill in the selection sheet form 99vc/97. please email me!
Theodore of Labelle, FL
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yesno8/6/08
i filled out a new paper to receive dvds and that was fine because i had not recieved anything from them in years. now they want me to pay another $200 because they gave me three different accounts! Now they are sending the last to collections because when i noticed i had a balance i assumed i paid it because i was only suppose to have 1 ACCOUNT. i looked in the membership guide and it says i basically have no rights thanks to thier huge oversight.
I am on medical disablilty and when i received the stimulus refund i gave it all to them to pay for what i thought was two accounts. now they tell me i have three. They are sending it to collections if i do not pay it all right away. Im bipolar and if my credit is ruined there is nothing left for me. I have no reason to stick around
Gwen of Saltsburg, PA
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yesno8/5/08
I have not got any notice as of when I am going to get the dvd’s that i ordered a long time ago. I already paid for them with my mastercard. If i could get something in the mail showing when I am going to get them, that would be great. Thank you for your time.
Jessica of Marion, IA
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yesno8/5/08
I am receiving invoices for membership in a club that I did not agree to be a member of. I did not initiate anything online because I have had a bad experience before with my card being debited and i did not mail them anything. I was solicited by a phone call and I should not have been called and i guess the customer service representative took it upon themselves to enroll me in their club. I constantly receive bills and threats to be turned over to a collection bureau and with being reported to the credit bureau.
I can’t get anyone on the telephone. I did receive an introductory package in the mail that i have of a movie that i never opened. When the box came you were not aware of whom it was from, there was no name identifying it as being columbia house so of course you opened it. I however did not open the movie. I still have it and they can have it but I did not agree to be a member or to purchase anything from this company.
My credit rating is going to be affected if this is reported and I did not request their services
Vicky of St Louis, MO
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yesno8/4/08
Columbie house send me a past due balance of 132.70 and for one i never recaved anything from them i am 20 years old just starting my life and they are sending bills to me when i never seen anything for columbia house or nothing i dont even know what it is for and i want it to stop or im sueing them
its screwing up my life when i have nothing to do with them
Amelia of Pana, IL
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yesno8/4/08
I received two DVD’s from this company which I did NOT order. Along with it was a bill for $11.00. I returned the DVDs and told them that I did not order them and I did not want them. A few weeks later I received a bill in the mail from them for $11.00 along with a Service Alert notice saying that my membership privileges (I never even became a member – I had never even heard of this company before) have been suspended and that if I don’t pay this bill they will report me to a consumer reporting agency.
Ruth of Boise, ID
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yesno7/30/08
I was delivered a package 30 minuets ago to find out I was member to Columbia house canada Dvds and was given two dvds and a bill for $6.28. First off I never signed up for any membership, offline or online. second off I’m 17 I don’t think I should be on any mailing list yet. I am currently trying to return the dvds and see if I can have the dvds returned and the bill become void.
If they don’t cancel the membership or take the dvds back I could have my credit rating ruined before I actually do anything.
William of Prince Albert, OTHER
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yesno7/30/08
I am a member of the US Army and recently returned from a 15 month deployment to Iraq. Prior to leaving, I never cancelled my account as this was the last thing on my mind. When I returned, I had a past due bill for 54.00 from them because I didn’t fullfill the contract by buying the required number of DVD’s in the alloted time frame.
I contacted customer service via the link on their website and twice was refused an extention in order to complete the necessary purchase. I think it’s [bad] that Columbia House won’t grant me an extention to complete the membership.
I will never again enter into another purchasing agreement with Columbia House or any of it’s affiliate companies.
Art of Ilion, NY
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yesno7/29/08
this company has sent my son to a collection agency( based in india!) for a bill we never received, for some dvd’s we never ordered and never received. from all the complaints i have read from other people thru the years, this company is getting away with charging people for things they didn’t get or want to get. i see this to be as bad as identity theft.
they say we did it, and if we don’t pay, they are going to ruin our good credit rating. it’s black mail i say, their a bunch of theifs. i need help, and so do alot of others, i hope something can be done to these people. thank you,
this is a new problem for us.
it has been very stressful to me and my son. he has taken time from work to try and find some answers to this and i have been in a verbal dibute over the phone with a man from the collection agency in india, his name is juan carlos. not an indian name, i’m sure its made up. they want me to give him money over the phone, i don’t think so! i can’t sleep, i can’t stop thinking about this, this will always follow my son if we can’t get this taken care of. and i WILL NOT pay this bill.
Michelle of Torrance, CA
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yesno7/29/08
I ordered Movies…i recived a letter with my first bill stating that i needed to pay the bill before i recived the movies. Of course i paid the bill thinking that it would be fine. And no it wasn’t I am getting ripped off. After numerous emails to the company telling them i want my money back or my movies sent to me i have gotten nothing. It has been six months since the money order i sent was cashed by one columbia house. I know this because i got the money order through my bank and i got my bank to make a certified copy.
They are telling me that they have no record of my being on their system. If this was the case then why did i recive my first bill to my address with my account number? I have all Documents and e-mails sent to and from. They requested the documents to be faxed to them…so i faxed them and they e-mailed me saying that they could not see the fax. So i mailed copys of the documents and still i have nothing.
After emailing them again. They respond to me saying that they recieved nothing. So what does this mean that the envelope i sent them got lost in the mail? I am quite upset about this ordeal and i would not want anyone else to go through this.
Stephanie of Edmonton, OTHER
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yesno7/29/08
I had joined Columbia House and have fulfilled my obligation(s). When I recieve an email stating that the monthly “Directors Selection” is available, I click on decline the stated “Directors Selection”. I recieve a message that I have opted to decline this offer. I then recieve an email also stating that I have declined that particular months “Directors Selection” and that it will not be mailed. Several days pass by and I notice on my online bank statement that I am charge the price of the DVD. I then have to send the DVD back and my account is credited with the same amount. If they are doing this to me, then how many others are they practicing this on. If 1000 people are being treated in the same manner, it seems to me that at $25.00 per person, that would equate to $25,000.
Of which I suspect collect interest on. I am getting very agitated with them and the thought of Columbia house, what I consider fraud, using others peoples monies. I have saved several notices of my declining these offers which I know that it is not a mistake on my part due to their acknowledement. I am wondering if a class action suit can be justified against this company and individuals that knowingly are using mine (and other peoples) money by this deception and what steps are needed to initiate it.
I am very agitated with people, which in my opinion are the same level as common thieves. I know that the reimburse my account with the same amount that they deduct. I have to take time out to go to the post office and return my already unwanted package only to have it happen again month after month
Ralph of Cocoa Beach, FL
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yesno7/26/08
Columbia House had sent me an e-mail that I had placed an order for a cd/dvd. I have not used Columbia House for several years. The order and e-mail solicitation was unauthorized. I visited my local post office and submitted a return shipment to Columbia House. Now, they are requesting that I pay for the unauthorized order. Please help.
Nima of Torrance, CA
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yesno7/26/08
I received a call from a collection agency that I owed $55.23 for DVD’s that I ordered from Columbia house. I never ordered anything on line nor did I ever receive product. I ask for a telephone number to contact someone and was told it was past that and I could not talk to anyone. I was also told that if I just gave them my email address they would send me a bill via the email.
I ask for a bill to be mailed to me at the address the gentleman had and he told me he could not do it. I then ask for a supervisor and the person I was talking to put me on hold and in turn came back on the phone acting as a different person. He gave me a phone number that was out of order to contact. I looked up two other numbers on the computer to have both of those out of order.
If this is not resolved this will go against my credit ruining my credit rating.
Judy of Lithia, FL
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yesno7/24/08
I received a dvd in the mail from Columbia House that I never ordered. When I called the gentleman on the phone told me not to worry about it if I did not order it. He told me to keep it since the error was on their part. I had rec’d cds in the mail before and always returned them only to have a phone call telling me that my bill was past due…When I told them I had returned the cd they of course had no record of it. I asked how they got my information and an answer could not be given to me. They did tell me that someone either ordered the item online or by mail.
I thought that this was taken care of an now here I am 3 years later and Columbia House has a collection agency calling me at work to tell me I have a delinquent bill! I want to know how I can be obligated and threatened for a bill to be submitted to a collection agaeny when I never asked for any items from this company. How can they charge me for a cd that I have never asked for?
Shows on credit report…which hinders me from financial assistance.
Michelle of Bensalem, PA
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yesno7/24/08
I received a dvd in the mail from Columbia House that I never ordered. So I looked up the phone number online . When I called the lady told me not to worry about it and I could just keep it for my inconvience. I asked how they got my information . They could not give me exact information only that someone either orderd online or by mail. Again she told me to keep dvd for my inconvience. I thanked the lady and was glad it was all taken care of.
Well a little later I get a bill in the mail stating that I owe $8.00. I called them again and the women was very hateful on the other end of the line. They were charging me $5.00 for movie and a $3.00 late fee that she informed me was now $6.00.I was so upset. So I offered to send movie back . She said I would still need to pay. I said whatever in my mind and just told her I would pay the $5.00 plus the late fee. I would call in later aftering I get check and pay.
Today I get a bill in the mail for $135.70 and a warning that it was being sent to a collection agaency. I called the again today 7/22/08 and was told that I am obligated to buy 5 more movies within the next two years but since they have not recieved payment that I owed $135.70. First of all I never asked for these items , never signed up and even agreed to pay for the dvd that was sent to me that I did not order.
I have indeed filed a complaint with the better business bureau. The more they get they will eventually have to do something. I want to know how I can be obligated and threatened for a bill to be submitted to a collection agaeny when I never asked for any items from this company.How can they charge me for dvd that I have never asked for and want to charge $135.70 for a obligation they say when I have never received any dvd other the one I was told to keep. Thank goodness they don’t have my credit card number.
As a result from all this. My blood pressure is way up because I am stressed out over this dang bill. I can’t sleep. I have been put on anxiety / depression meds. I am so fed up with this company. If they put on my credit report. I will dispute every single month until they get tired of hearing from me.
Kimberly of 1024 Florida Avenue, WV
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yesno7/22/08
I received a dvd in the mail from Columbia House that I never ordered. So I looked up the phone number online . When I called the lady told me not to worry about it and I could just keep it for my inconvience. I asked how they got my information . They could not give me exact information only that someone either orderd online or by mail. Again she told me to keep dvd for my inconvience. I thanked the lady and was glad it was all taken care of.
Well a little later I get a bill in the mail stating that I owe $8.00. I called them again and the women was very hateful on the other end of the line. They were charging me $5.00 for movie and a $3.00 late fee that she informed me was now $6.00.I was so upset. So I offered to send movie back. She said I would still need to pay. I said whatever in my mind and just told her I would pay the $5.00 plus the late fee. I would call in later aftering I get check and pay. Today I get a bill in the mail for $135.70 and a warning that it was being sent to a collection agaency. I called the again today 7/22/08 and was told that I am obligated to buy 5 more movies within the next two years but since they have not recieved payment that I owed $135.70. First of all I never asked for these items , never signed up and even agreed to pay for the dvd that was sent to me that I did not order.
I have indeed filed a complaint with the better business bureau. The more they get they will eventually have to do something. I want to know how I can be obligated and threatened for a bill to be submitted to a collection agaeny when I never asked for any items from this company. How can they charge me for dvd that I have never asked for and want to charge $135.70 for a obligation they say when I have never received any dvd other the one I was told to keep. Thank goodness they don’t have my credit card number.
Kimberly of 1024 Florida Avenue, WV
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yesno7/22/08
I am another denizen of the disgruntled Columbia House goon squad. While my problem with them is not as severe as that of other people, I have the time to do something about these scumbags. I’ll be in touch.
Jean of Casper, WY
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yesno7/18/08
I recently started columbia house DVD’s and have already fullfilled my obligation, immediately when I signed up. Though, in my account information it says I still 5 more dvd’s to fullfill my contract. I haven’t received my DVD’s yet and my credit card has been charged for the five dvd’s for $0.49 each, but not for my five to fullfill my contract.
Anyway, I have there phone number. It will try and delay you from getting to an agent, but just keep fooling around with it until you reach an agent. They’re open M-F 10am-6pm est time. The reason I knew they had to have a number is they have job opportunities on they’re web site and one of the job opportunities is in a call center. Of course, my credit card statement helped more by giving me the number I hope this helps you all. I certaintly am going to make sure they send me my dvd’s and only the ones I ordered.
I haven’t received my DVD’s yet and under my account info it says I still have five dvd’s to buy to fullfill my obligation, yet I bought the five dvd’s (which cost $22.95 for two and the other for $19.95) immediately after signing up so I could get them and cancel my account. Though, it says they’re still processing whatever that means.
Ashleah of Lakeland, FL
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yesno7/17/08
I paid off my bill months ago and yet a collection agency keeps phoning me daily and yelling at me, stating that I need proof that the bill is paid.I told them that the cheques had been cashed, again months ago. Also told them that I work night shift and they are to stop calling me, which they stated that they would continue to call.
They wake me up when I am sleeping as I sleep during the day due to working the night shift, dirupting my household
Eileen of Edmonton . Alberta, OTHER
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yesno7/11/08
columbia house sent me 2 dvds without my authorization. i never ordered these tapes, and i never opened the package.
they billed me,and turned me over to north shore collection agency, and i’m they are charging me interesest on the bill.
Gerardo of White Plains, NY
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yesno7/11/08
This company keeps sending emails claiming that I am enrolled in their DVD club. I have never requested anything from them.
Doug of Medford, OR
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yesno7/7/08
I paid Columbia House off 9 years ago, completed my purchase commitment, became a preferred customer, and successfully (I thought) closed my account in good standing. Even though it was EXTREMELY difficult to get them off my back and it cost me about 3 times what I actually owed them, at least I was at peace for the past several years.
Well, today I got a letter from a collection agency stating that I owed Columbia House over 200 dollars and that I was lucky to get a tax time special (I wasn’t aware that July was tax time) and was being offered a deal to pay them off for 150 dollars and some change. I am furious. They threatened to send this supposed bill to the credit reporting agencies and ruin my credit if I do not pay their extortionary fees.
I do not even know how they located me. I have moved 5 times since I paid them off and have never communicated with them from my current address. I think someone at their company either neglected to remove my account from their system after I closed my account or they kept my information on file and sold it, deceitfully indicating that I still owed them money so that they could get money from the collection agency.
I would like to take Columbia House to court and have them be forced to remove my contact information from their possession and have them and their representatives banned from ever contacting me by any means for a term of, oh let’s say, FOREVER.
D. of Altoona, PA
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yesno7/6/08
I recently received an invoice. I moved to my new address in November of 2007. This invoice went to my prvious address and was forwaded to my new address. This the first invoice that I have received and it has a late charge on it. I did not sign up for the club and have never received any DVDS. I do not wish to receive any more invoices. Thank you
Phyllis of Henderson, NV
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yesno7/3/08
I ordered dvds for a gift well in advance of the time needed. When Columbia House deducted the amount plus expedited shipping charges from my bank account, they requested the amount 63 times thus compromising my account to the point where my bank froze my account until they could find out what happened. The bank called me to ask me and I told them that I had ordered from them for that amount but didn’t understand why the request was made 63 times.
I immediately emailed Columbia House and asked them to please request the amount again as I had settled things with my bank. Well, they duplicated the order and I received a response from Mr. Frank Russel. He did not respond to what I had said and now it is July 1st and I still do not have the order which was placed on June 20th. It has become a nightmare.
I, too, experienced the problems with communication and orders that have been cited in numerous letters on this website.I could revamp their customer service department in 3 weeks and make it run well.
Now if I can do that at 70 years old, why can’t they?
Gini of Milledgeville, GA
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yesno7/2/08
The above has changed their webpage making it impossible to order or deny current selections.This is extremely frusterating when they give you a deadline to respond. Please Help? if you can!
Mental anguish.
Robert of Front Royal, VA
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yesno7/1/08
joined the dvd clu with the understanding that they would not send me anything which I did not personally order, and fullfilled my commitment. Then I started getting automatic shipments which I had not ordered, which I returned. Then I contacted the club, and cancelled my membership, and asked them to remove my name from their mailing list. They said they would, but evey month I geta packet mailed to me which I just throw in the garbage. Today I receivedon, and for some reason, I opened it, and it said that I had to buy four more dvd’s to fullfill my obligation.
I have not been able to find a phone number to contact them, and in the past,when I had a similar problem with them, they just ignored my letters of complaint.
Donal of Ephrata, WA
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yesno6/30/08
I tried to opt out of the Columbia House DVD Club after fulfilling my committment. I was told that I couldn’t do that if I wanted to continue shopping at the Columbia House website. I asked for a no automatic shipment membership and I was told the only way to continue as a Columbia House DVD Club member I had to continue going to the site and responding to the Director’s Selection.
Well I have written to the organization and asked to be discontinued as a member. I still get Director’s Selections. Once I didn’t see the e-mail until the respond by date. I clicked on the link and couldn’t find the I don’t think so button. Now I have a balance of $25 plus late charges but I haven’t received a dvd.
Althea of Mountain Home, ID
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yesno6/29/08
It’s been 5 Days sense I sent in an order then I get a message saying my account is past Due I don’t even have the movies yet! I’m not paying for things I havent got I need the Bill before I can send it in….
Richard of Pocatello, ID
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yesno6/28/08
I have been a member for years with Columbia House and have never had a problem until the past few months. I was always billed for my purchases and then I would pay them online after I received them. The company changed my account to reflect automatic payments withdrawn from my debit card without my permission instead of billing me. I emailed them and they changed it. This has happened over and over in the last 4 months. Columbia House has overdrawn my checking account twice and I have been charged NSF fees by my bank by the day, not by the month. ($25.00 each time!)
I am on social security and cannot afford this. I did not authorize them to automatically withdraw from my bank account. I also notice the bill me option has totally disappeared off their web site and there is no phone number to contact them. Can’t someone do something about this legally to stop this? What they are doing can’t be legal so how are they getting away with this and why, after reading all of the complaints from other consumers, isn’t something being done about this company? You cannot get in touch with these people at all! I have requested that my account be cancelled.
So far, I have been charged $50.00 in overdraft fees from my bank because they are taking money from my account without my permission! I have a zero balance now with Columbia House, but I hear it is a nightmare trying to cancel my membership with them.
Faye-Linda of Westbrook, ME
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yesno6/27/08
They keep sending the directors selections, and I send them back with Refused, Return to sender. This last batch I sent about 5 back and have only been credited for 1. I went to their website to contact them and tell them that I want my refund but to no avail. Columbiahouse doesn’t have a contact number or even an email address. Not to mention upon looking at my economic damage, I saw that they are claiming I owe them for something that was paid for automatically and that I kept from December 07.
As of right now they owe me 105.76 That I know of for sure.
Heather of Las Vegas, NV
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yesno6/26/08
In 2003 I joined the club and fullfilled all purchase requirements. I 2004 I renewed and again fullfilled all purchase requirements. In 2005 I declined membership,because I discovered Walmart sold the same movies for less. In 2006,2007 and now again in 2008 Columbia House is trying to extort money from me through a collection agency when I don’t owe them any money
this causes a negative report to the credit bureaus effecting my FICO score and purchasing power with other companies. It is very stressful and unwarranted.
Mellody of Compton, CA
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yesno6/26/08
After paying a bill they asked if they should keep my debit card info on file. I said no. They did anyway. I went to use my card it was declined. I called my bank. Columbia House has a hold on my account three times, for the same amount. I contacted Columbia House. I recieved an email saying they only charged me once, I replied I never ordered anything and I shouldnt have ever been charged. I let them know they were wrong for keeping my info stored when I asked them not to. I asked that they lift the hold on my fund right away. Five days later no response and no funds.
Iam a single disabled mother with limited funds. I have no other way to pay for things. I cant even go food shopping at this time.
Erika of Carmel, NY
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yesno6/25/08
I had signed up for the Columbia House DVD club and after 2 weeks, no e-mails or anything and then later I got an e-mail saying my cc was about to expire. well I thought it was just a mention, so I changed the credit card info to a new one. then they said the selections would be on the way.
I told them I wanted to cancel since they never got back to me or gave me any way to contact them directly. No e-mail or phone number. I finally got a response and said if I marked REFUSED – RETURN TO SENDER I would get a credit or my cc would be refunded. I just got my credit card statement and the charge is there and today I got my DVDs.
I have not opened it and about to resend them but I went to the website to ask how do I know when or if the refund has been applied. I went extensively through all menus on the site to contact them…very irritated. All pop-ups and links to other menus but no direct way to call and ask anything.
I still have found no way to contact and ask anything other than a letter in the normal postal system.
Wesley of Morgantown, WV
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yesno6/24/08
They keep calling the house and threating us with bad credit and saying we owe money but they are always foreign and they their name is Smith or something we have not gotten any bills from them and cannot get phone no. get very rude and will not send us anything or give any information we can check on. We are getting very mad at them and want this to stop.
Richard of Buffola Junction, VA
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yesno6/21/08
I had just payed off a credit card but did not want to close it. So I wanted to cancel my memberships linked that card. Magazines subscriptions and automatic payments were easy to deal with EXCEPT for COLUMBIA HOUSE!!! There is NO number to reach them. I googled the company for a phone number. The number that was listed was out of service– However after extensive research I finally came across a phone number.
Natalie of Spring Valley, NY
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yesno6/21/08
I signed up with their company a few years ago. I did not fulfill their agreement so, naturally, they sent me a letter stating that i would be charged for the DVDs i would have purchased and my account was canceled. totally fair. they sent me vouchers to pick movies and i did that in October of ’07. i received themovies, but started getting new movies and packets in the mail about my new account i had opened. i have contacted them numerous times without any result. my discover card (on their records from my previous account) has been charged (unauthorized, by the way) over $300 for DVDs i receive, but have never ordered. i’ve only managed to get somebody on the phone ONCE during this time, and i can’t log on to the website because it says my account number is already registered (my old log-in doesn’t work).
i’m sending a great-big insured package of the unopened boxes of DVDs and a fairly nasty letter threatening further action if my card isn’t credited. if nothing else, i’ll just have to cancel my discover card. i can’t believe they’re still in business. i thought that it might have been an oversight on their part.
i am totally frustrated and angry that my card is billed without my consent. it’ll cost me to ship them back, which i hate. overall, more of a nuisance than anything, but this should be (if it isn’t already) illegal!
K. of Twin Lakes, WI
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yesno6/20/08
I owe lots of money to Columbia House DVD club. I haven’t made a payment since May. I live on a very,very low income. I have been copaying Humana/ Medicare part D. Which has put me in the red, on all I owe! Columbia House will not work with me to bring, amount owed to them.
Peter of Lexington, KY
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yesno6/16/08
I joined the DVD club. I gave them my VISA no to charge my introductory selections to. The authorized my card 3 times and I had to duplicate charges. The 1-800 they supply is an automated line. E-mail gives you the runaround and they never address the problem. Plus all the selections are out of stock???
K. of Greenville, SC
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yesno6/15/08
1st off I used to be a member of Columbia House back in 2001. I fullfilled my requirement and all was paid that was due to Columbia House. Last year about this time I received a letter stating the $32 had gone to collections. After talking the the collection agency and Columbia House not having any record of my account or what the $32 was for the collection agency terminated the payment of $32.
All was well until last week when I get a phone call from a different collection agency stating that I now owe Columbia House $150 and some change. Gas prices must have made the price go up. Not sure what is going on here but if this is not bad business I don’t know what is.
I am a military member and they don’t take litely to individuals not paying their debt. I can actually be kicked out of the service for this. With deployments and having to leave my family, a bill that was taken care of back in 2001 is something that I don’t need to worry about right now.
Ray of Surprise, AZ
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yesno6/15/08
This is one of the worst rip-offs I have ever encountered. They are charging me over and over again for late fees and I have not been late. They are charging nearly 25.00 per DVD selection. When you order a DVD, they tell you that was not a part of your contract even though the DVD was on the list of eligible DVD to fulfill your obligation. I will never do business with such shady underhanded practicing companies again. I learned a very hard lesson. I have sent them over $170.50 and they are still billing me for a $7.00 late charge two months later and I still do not have the selections I have paid for.
Ruth of Folsom, CA
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yesno6/13/08
I had previously fulfilled my Columbia House membership requirements and canceled my account a year or two ago. I started receiving e-mails from the once again this year, and my account was re-opened without my consent. I responded to the e-mails, out of fear of being charged for DVD’s I did not want. I went to the website, and could not find a link to cancel my account, which I had used previously. There is also no contact number for customer service. The only thing I found was an address to which you can send a letter. I do not trust a company that re-opened my account without my consent to respond to a letter. I want to cancel my account.
I currently have a $0.00 balance due, but only because I responded to the e-mails once they started reappearing. I am more frustrated that I can’t cancel my account, again.
Reynold of Toledo, OH
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yesno6/13/08
I was sent an unsolicited DVD and bill. When I pointed this out by telephone, they quickly agreed that they would cancel my account, that I wouldn’t have to pay, and that I could keep the DVD. I was concerned about identity theft and sought information about how and when the order was placed. Citing some a so-called dvd privacy act, they said I would have to subpoena the information or write to corporate headquarters in New York. When I asked for the telephone number of the legal department at corporate headquarters, I was told that the legal department did not accept phone calls.
James of Malverne, NY
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yesno6/13/08
I was charged on my Mastercard and sent DVDs which I did not order. They sent them to my old address and used [different name]. I tried to call and there are no people to talk to. I cancelled my credit card.
Had a huge temper tantrum and wasted my time and energy.
Elizabeth of Manchester, MA
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yesno6/12/08
A few wks ago i got an email welcoming me to the CH dvd club! it had an acct number but an incorrect address. A day later i got another email stating that a dvd had been shipped to me. i was outraged as i neither joined the club or had ordered. i went on this website and saw all the negative feedback. i did read and read until someone had actually posted a phone number. i called the 1-800 and since i had an acct number was able to get through. when i pressed the cancel membership the phone got disconnected. so i dialed again and chose the option–order dvds and that actually put me through to a live person in about 4 minutes.
i explained the situation and she said no problem i will cancel the acct right now. i said that they had mailed a dvd which she stated to keep for my inconvenience but i told her thanks but it wont come to me as the address is wrong so i just want to make sure this is not going to have a negative effect on me. she said no and that the acct was closed. i guess i will have to wait to see if it is actually true but i hope that it is and i hope that this might help someone else!
Nellie of Honolulu, HI
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yesno6/12/08
I was contacted by Allied interstate via mail (a collection agency for Columbia House) Stating that I owe Columbia House $117.70. I contacted them asking them what this was and when told I informed them that it was not me. I Have not ordered from Columbia House, I have not recieved any merchandise from Columbia House, and Have never recieved a from them either. The first correspondance I recieved from Columbia House was a letter from a collection agency.
I told a woman from the collection agency that i was a victim of fraud in december and that i had to cancel my debit card, after she had informed me that i signed up for the service in january of 08(in which I DID NOT) she told me that no credit information was needed at which point i asked her how could she continue to acuse me and threaten this to be on my credit when they had no defenitive proof that I was the one who ordered the service (if that is infact what it is).
The bottom line is that i did not Order this service and I was told that it will reflect on my credit based on the fact that they were given my Name and Address by someone. Or where they? Was my information purchased in an effort to try to extort money from inocent people based on the fact that we dont want our credit tarnished.
Patricia of Birmingham, AL
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yesno6/12/08
Approx 4 years ago I ordered 5 dvd’s on-line from Columbia house.I have never received the product or products.They now have turned this over to collections who will not give me any information regarding a # to call to get this matter resolved. I asked this company on numerous occassion not to contact me any longer as my [number] is on a federal do not call list. They have replied by saying we will continue to call until you pay your 30.00 bill. The 30.00 is not much to speak of. However I’m not just going to pay a BILL for products never received.
They are harrassing me at work & home & have also marked this on my credit report.
Richard of Baltimore, MD
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yesno6/11/08
I received a bill for DVD’s that i never ordered or received. I sent them two letters informing them of this and no response. I then started receiving phone calls at home from Columbia House again asking me for payment and I explained to them that I did not order or receive any DVDs. I asked them to send me proof of ordering and shipment information but they would not provide any details to me.
Maria of Pacific Palisades, CA
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yesno6/10/08
A few weeks ago I was contacted by a collection agency called Southwest Credit Systems. They informed me that I owed $39.21 for some DVDs that were shipped to a P.O. Box in a town I don’t live in. I said I’m sorry but I haven’t ordered any DVDs and I don’t have a P.O. Box in that town. I was told to call Columbia House and so I did. Columbia House told me to call them back and ask for a letter with details of the debt because they can’t even pull up the account number in question on their computers and that this must be over two years old. Well I called these people twice and they have yet to send a letter.
I’ve contacted the Attorney General of my state and the Fair Trade Commission. I think if everyone writes their attorney generals and the FTC, something might be done about these people. I mean they ship DVDs to an address that isn’t even yours and then want you to pay. Unbelievable. I’m also going to speak to some lawyers.
Angela of Lewisville, TX
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yesno6/10/08
I am sent dvd’s never ordered, I dont receive dvds I did order. They want to charge me for the return of dvds I never ordered and latecharges for the retirned items. I have fulfilled my ommitment to them and want them to never send me any offers, letters or dvd’s again.
I can never get a live person on the phone. They are so screwed up that I received someone elses invoice with mine and that person will probably be charged late fees.
Rene’ of Temecula, CA
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yesno6/7/08
Never ordered or signed up for any service or products. After receiving a letter from them stating that I had not fulfilled my required order, they automatically charged my debit card. Upon logging in to their website, found discrepencies, wrong e-mail address, wrong phone number etc. Someone obviously sold my information to columbia house for some sort of a commission and did not have all the information and made some things up.
Sean of Mililani, HI
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yesno6/6/08
i have had them take money off of my credit card with out my permission tha main problem they dont have a phone were you can talk to someone about youir account
they took 45.00 out of my visa card with out my permission and this is the secound time and have not recieved any merchandise. i have sent emails and no return back yet.
James of Terrell, TX
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yesno6/5/08
I am 17, i recieved a dvd from comlumbia house(i did not order it) everytime i try to send it back it gets pushed to the back of the mailbox. they do not let you speak to a live assistant. everytime i call im on hold for at least an hour and when im not. i am waisting my time pushing every button for every option.
i do not need this on my credit i need to get this done with for good. what a scham! i also recieved three books from literary guild..i called them and resolved the issue in less the two minute(literally). columbia house keeps sending me bills for this. i will not pay. i am going to bring it to court if it isnt resolved.
if i do not resolve this it will be on my credit
Bobby of Browns Mills, NJ
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yesno6/3/08
I received a DVD I didn’t order from their club that I hadn’t joined. They refuse to tell me where they got my name and address without a court order or subpoena. After spending about 10 minutes searching the internet I have found that Columbia House is affiliated with Random House, of which Doubleday Book Club is a division. Since I am a member of Doubleday Book Club, that is where the got my name and address. I have now closed my account at Doubleday. I really don’t care what the law allows them to do, I don’t do business with any company that plays fast and loose with my personal, confidential information.
Cj of Thayer, IL
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yesno6/2/08
After fulfilling contract, I am still getting billed for account.
Oscar of Brookwood, AL
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yesno5/27/08
I have fulfilled my contractual obligation and have sent back all cd and have tried to cancel no phone number to call so here it is!ISusan of Dundas Ontario canada have quit Columbia House Music club!The only way you stopped sending me more CDS is when I didnt send them back well their in the mail now STOP SENDING THEM .i am NOT paying any late fee as you send me cds I don`t WANT !STOP!
S of Dundas, OTHER
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yesno5/26/08
I was lured into joining this club last year, and after they did not fulfill their obligation I elected to cancel my order. It been 3 months and I still continue to be electronically billed for this. I tried blocking them from my bank, but CH changes the amount to bypass that control. I called my bank and changed my account over this, they cannot bill me now.
However, now I’m worried I may suffer the credit problems, but I am armed with the knowledge of the users on this forum who have taken action. I have filed complaints against this organization already, and have called the numbers listed on one of the post. I did get in touch with someone at BMG and sent her my name and email address, she promised it would get taken care of, we’ll see.
Keep getting billed, they change the dollar amount so it bypasses blocking. I fear this will show up on my credit report.
Darwin of San Antonio, TX
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yesno5/22/08
tried to cancel account told i could not terms of agreement i believe are misrepresented. inflated purchase prices of dvds.
I am newly employed 100.00 committment is challenging for me
Gwen of Los Angeles, CA
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yesno5/22/08
I’ve received several calls from a collection agency telling me I owe money to Columbia House. I advised these people that I’ve never ordered anything from Columbia House and their calls are illegal. I’ve never done business with this company and have also sent a direct email from Columbia House website to Cease & Desist there claims against me.
They say I owe $51.00 but they can report their bogus claims to credit agencies which can prevent me from actually working in my licensed field of business (insurance). I am in recovery from an accident and getting ready to go back to work but many insurance companies will not allow me to represent their product if I am in collections. This is a potential major financial attack & loss against my business. (I am self-employed). Thanks
Jerry of Bay St Louis, MS
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yesno5/21/08
I have tried to cancel my account with them, but they refuse to allow me to, and just recently they took money out of my account, without my authorization. That is called embezzelment. And I would like to cancel my account with them soon, because I am no longer interested in being a customer of their business.
Teresa of Kirkland, WA
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yesno5/20/08
I received a call from a collections agent on 05/17/08. I was told that there was an out standing balance of membership fees in the ammount of $375.00 They would settle the matter for $94.84 they could waive the $50.00 cancellation fee and cancel the account. Or, they would report to a credit agency under my wife’s name in the ammount of $375.00 and there by damage her credit. I tried to dispute their claim, and was told that the time for dispute was past. My only options at this point were to 1) pay the $94.84; or 2) let them report a bad debt to a credit reporting agency. I had explained that we never received any information from them, and as far as I knew there never was an account with them…
I paid the $94.84 to save my wife’s credit. I have a confirmation e-mail, and a written statement is on the way via USPS. I am now out nearly $100.00, for services we never received. The collectio paractices were nothing short of extortionary. The period of billing was supposedly 2006-2007, during which time we never received any correspondence from the club, nor did we place any orders with them…
Andrew of Jacksonville, FL
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yesno5/17/08
They kept sending me DVDs but there was never any Directors Selection message to decline and they never shoed up in the web page or order list. I closed my account and it shows up as closed but they still keep sending me DVDs. All emails to them bounce back. Their phone center is always closed no matter what time I call and they don’t respond to letters. All the movies they send are the worst disgusting crap. I can see the titles down in the box.
Every week I have to go all the way out to the post office to pick up a package and its always this junk.
Alan of Austin, TX
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yesno5/17/08
My 4 year old received a bill from the company stating she was owing $220. Contacted them and they said they spoke to my daughter already. Once I sent proof of her DOB these charges immediately dropped and were not reported to a credit bureau.
Mel of Buffalo, NY
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yesno5/13/08
I also received a letter from a debt collector saying I owe Columbia House $78.61. I have never ordered from them and of course I refused to pay for the bill. However I was told yes I did signed myself up for promotion. They blamed me for the fact that I didn’t read through the agreement before I clicked on I Agree. And once you clicked on I agree…basically you bind yourself to this contract – joining Columbia House…paying them a membership fee. It is very unethical how Columbia House is doing this. But well lesson learned!
Annie of Toronto, OTHER
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yesno5/12/08
I have paid up-to-date with this company. And they sent me an email saying I owe for movies I already paid for. I have to receipts, and bank statements where they deposited the check into your account over a month ago. So now they just keep telling me to send them $100 dollars. I’m convinced they will just keep telling me the same thing. They have a list of movies I have already paid for. It’s the principal of the thing. Times are too hard for them to try and profit on other people. This stops here!
Darlene of Chattanooga, TN
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yesno5/12/08
On 5/9/2008 I spoke to Cierra a Columbia House Cust Serv Rep. I asked her to please stop shipping me DVD’s. Advised I only wanted the 3 or 4 dvd’s for $12. and change, which I had already paid some months ago. She claims I agreed to more shipments and I told her I absolutely did not unless the writing was in a small covert place on the initial web site that I couldn’t readily view. I
told her to please cancel the account because I don’t want anymore of their merchandise and instead she charged me another $87.76 Preauthorization Settlement charge. She Charged me that amount of money for products I don’t have and didn’t request. It’s theivery and cold blooded trickery to be treated this way and have my child’s account constantly bombarded with charges despite my continued request to Columbia House not to send me anything, (written on almost ALL the unopened, returned shipment containers).
This is a disgrace and a crime for Columbia House to abuse my private bank account this way and the customer service person Cierra was very nasty and disrespectful to me during the course of my trying to explain to her that I wanted the account closed and not to be charged for anymore DVD’s. She insisted I agreed to more shipments that I did not agree to. don’t have my signature anywhere agreeing to anything. If anything they covertly had something in small print that I was not aware of. Nevertheless, I DON’T HAVE THEIR MERCHANDISE OR PRODUCTS AND SHOULD NOT BE CHARGE OR PENALIZED FOR NOT ORDERING ADDITIONAL DVD’S OTHER THAN MY ORIGINAL 3 OR 4 WHICH I’VE ALREADY PAID FOR.
Miraca of Kennesaw, GA
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yesno5/12/08
This is my first time and I sent Them a check for I am Legend and for 25.94 and I just got a new cd alvin and Chipmunks and they said i have a prior balance of 25.94 that didn’t get cleared yet. I sent them a check last weekend so I don’t know why they didn’t deducted 25.94 I think they are scaming me to pay double for the movie that I already sent them a check.
Sean of Hanover, MD
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yesno5/11/08
Collection letter from Hall & Associates for Columbia House products never purchased. Despite phone number on collection letter Hall & Associates do no pick up or return calls. Columbia House returned my email asking for my address and other billing information! I didn’t give it to to them for obvious reasons…given they are telling me I have an account with them it seems like admitting it’s a scam to me.
Has anyone gotten to the bottom of this? Figured out how they get peoples details? It’s got to be illegal, how can they keep doing this to people with out getting sued?
Amanda of South Boston, MA
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yesno5/10/08
I have had major shipping and billing problems with Columbia House.I am in the process of writing a letter to the president of the company to get out of my obligation. For some reason, the only movies I receive are the ones I pre-order. When I place an order with several movies, I do not receive the order. I have to call to let them know that I have not received the order.Then they send a theft investigation form for me to sign and then charge my credit card again for the order. Then once I send the form back, they credit my account and then I finally receive my movies two months after the order has been placed.
During the 2 months, I call and send emails.I have also asked them to check to see if the movies were shipped.There is a glitch in their system where the movies I have received are listed on my account as pending and the movies I haven’t received are listed on the account as shipped. I have been told by several customer service reps that the pending status is a glitch, but the shipping status is unexplainable. If the pending status is a glitch, then it is possible that the shipped status is a glitch too.
Tanya of Bellflower, CA
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yesno5/10/08
I received a bill from a debt collector; saying i owe Columbia House $166.04 – i’ve never heard of this company, never received a bill from them or purchased anything.
it had damaged my credit rating.
Amanda of Boston, MA
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yesno5/8/08
Well this is not a BAD experiance but a good one and a few tips to help people. First let me say I have been a member of Columbia House DVD club for years. I have had some problems but they fixed it fast. My only problem was when I return a DVD they charged me shipping and handling for the new DVDs which they say they credit me. I have not seen any credit.
Even though I cant complain because I have 100’s of DVDs that I have got from them and I got them all really cheap or free. Columbia house also has DVDs you cant find at other places.
If you do not want your credit card billed then goto the HELP link at the bottom of there webpage and go threw the list until you see a small link that says CONTACT US under where it says Still cant find your answer or whatever. Type in the e-mail that you wish to NOT have your credit card automaticaly billed. Then from there on out you have to authorize it. Also you can do the same thing with the directors selections. Just put in the e-mail that you do NOT want to be on the directors selection list. They will no longer bother you with them then. Columbia House is great you just got to pay your bills and respond to the selections on time.
The of Apple, IA
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yesno5/7/08
i just got a letter from a collection company saying i owe 132.88 for suff they are saying i ordered from them… i have never ordered from columbia house and the address that the letter came to was my grandparents house … i find it rather weird that i’m getting bills for things i have never ordered is it really that easy for people to order things offf the internet and bill it to you?
Eliza of Kelowna B.c, OTHER
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yesno5/6/08
WELL I SIGN UP WITH COLUMBIA HOUSE DVD MEMBERSHIP AND THEY NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT GIVING MY visa card number to 2 differn’t agency travler advantage,and tlg great.sun.They said it was in the agreement but it wasn’t when i went back 2 look at the page.I told them that i just wanted a membership with calumbia house not with these other agency’s.They said that i did tell them i wanted to which was a lie i did not give them permission to do that.I want justice!
STRESS AND WASTING MY TIME CALLING AND I HAD PLANS WITH THAT MONEY I HAVE KIDS THEY SHOULDN’T BE GIVEING MY INFO TO NO ONE….
Mark of San Antonio, TX
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yesno5/5/08
I received an email from Columbia House indicating that the DVD I ordered was sent. There was a link from that email which brought me to a Columbia House web page which contained a membership account and zip code password ID entry box. Upon entering my zip code I gained entrance into the web site where upon I found out that an account had been set up for me. It indicated that I had a balence due of Five dollars and change. Plus that I had to purchase 5 additional DVDs to fulfill my membership obligation.
I received the DVD 5 days later in the mail. Let me make this perfectly clear. I have not or has any member of my family or friends sollicited any interest in joining the Columibia House or any affiliated company. I have not ordered any DVDs from Columbia House. I plan to immediately return the package marked return to sender. It bothers me to no end to find out that I am among many to have an issue with Columbia House’s unethical and improper business practices.
Marie of Garden City, NY
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yesno5/5/08
The double charged my order 5/5/2008 Card purchase authorization COL*HOUSE VIDEO SOURCE: AUTOA (Pending) $46.24 5/5/2008 Card purchase authorization COL*HOUSE VIDEO SOURCE: AUTOA (Pending) $46.24 I will continue to try to reach a live person. Have been unable to yet.
I am unable to pay my electic bill which includes water and sewage. If i do my account goes negative. If i dont i loose my electricity in 15 days. I am disabled and recieve ssi disability
Timothy of Vinton, LA
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yesno5/5/08
My credit card has been charged twice for movies that I didn’t order nor had received. I tried emailing the customer service department from the link on their website only to have it returned to me as undeliverable. I have tried numerous times to talk to someone over the phone but apparently the company is ran entirely by robots, because their is no option to speak to a live person. My credit card company suggested I put a block on my card and order a new one, which I did, but I still would like the 75.00 and change back that they have charged me for the movies that I didn’t receive.
I’ve wasted alot of time dealing with this issue and it’s very frustrating and stressful to know that someone is using your credit card info without your authorization.
Donna of Beaverton, OR
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yesno5/4/08
Me and my husband is having a problem with the columbia house account named after my husband. This acct. was never applied for by my husband. We suspect that somebody else in the internet got his name and other details from a promotional offer that my husband received from the internet.
We were greatly surprised to receive the VCD and the bill in our mail. Though we dont apply for it we are compelled to pay the bill plus the surcharge with the plan to close the account the soonest because we dont want to mess up with our credit report. But when the time we close it we were charged by columbiahouse with exoberant fees for the CDs they said we should suppose to receive but those CD’s we dont want to get. The present bill sent to us is $124.12 dollars.
We wont be needing those CD’s and DVD’s and we dont even register or subscribe for it in the first place. Its just that somebody got my husband’s information. We tried to email columbia house about our woes but we cannot access their website and the email address they put in the bill wont go through. what should we do now? I dont think we need to pay for this big amount. Thank you.
We dont know how this would affect us… i mean with our credit report. Another thing, the name used in the account is nickname of my husband.. how would this affect us.
Janet of Stewartsville, NJ
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yesno5/3/08
I requested that my account be closed in Sept 2007. And in April 2008 Columbia House began shipments and charging my credit card again. They told me that at the time I requested them to close the account that I was told that they were putting me in a different status that would restore the original account after six months. I told them that I specifically expressed that I did not want anymore automatic deliveries or charges and at that time I was told that I would no longer receive them. But this was not true, the representative was not helpful at all and when I asked to speak to a supervisor she told me that they would tell me the same thing. But after I received the mailling just to return them and I would get a refund after several weeks.
I received call from a supervisor and she said that they now closed the account and made no appologies for what happened. She insisted that I had to have been informed about the terms and further I agreed to them. I insisted that I was not told that my account would be restored to its original status or I would have told her again the the purpose was to CLOSE THE ACCOUNT! I objuected to the fact that they bill my account prior to even shipping the meerchandise and she said that they would try to stop the shipping but did not address the fact that I was already billed.
These representative are often very abrupt and matter-of-fact with you and do nothing to ease the customers concerns. I will never purchase anything online again from anyone. This happened to me before and I lost several hundred dollars as a result. Online purchases are just too costly. My bank representative say as long as they have your account information you are at their mercy. As a disabled individual on a fixed and limited income I cannot afford the subsequent charges from my bank and creditors because of the shortfalls these unauthorized transactions cause.
Christine of Wyncote, PA
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yesno4/30/08
My husband gets a dvd in the mail, with a bill for 5 dollars. He did not sign up to get any dvd, nor did any business with Columbia house. He thinks his identity is stolen, I suspect they got his name and that this was an insidious marketing campaign. It takes me 40 minutes to get someone to cancel the account. When the woman on the phone tells me to feel free to keep the subscription I know that I wasn’t the first one to call with this problem.
I won’t be shocked if in a few months, we get a bill with late fees. I’d like to sue, even more, I’d like them to stop. By the way, I think they got our adress from a hotmail account, as we set it up, and promptly forgot about it…we never used it. The email they had for us was this account.
40 minutes at least on the phone during a work day by me, another 40 minutes from my husband, and the impending trouble when this is not the last we hear about it.
Brooke of New Orleans, LA
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yesno4/26/08
I was planning to order a dvd for $5, but never signed up. Lo-and-behold, I get a the dvd in the mail anyways. Apparently, in an extremely surreptitious way, this guys have got me ‘somehow’ to agree not only the $5 dvd, but to buy 5 more at a regular price of 19.99.
I sent the DVD back and asked that the acct be canceled. Three month later, they are sending me harassment letters and want $120. By the look of things, the postings on Columbia House are just the tip of the iceberg.
Danny of Boulder, CO
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yesno4/16/08
My husband sign up for this we paid the first charge then they sent the next movie we paid for that one ,then four months later we get charged for 4 dvds they said were directory slections at 25 to 27 dollars a piece all on the same day which then we had stuff bounceing everywhere due to this and 3 overdraft fees of 35.00 a piece now we owe the bank 150.00 for 4 dvds that I do not even have yet !
When I called them they are rude and said the dvds were being sent out I said what if I dont want them ,return it they say ,Im like my understanding was that the dvds came if u wanted it then keep it and pay for it NOT bill somebody on they bank for 4 dvds they dont have and never got a bill for !
It stated when u gave the debit number they would only use it for default payments mine were NOT I had no idea they were just going to start deducting from your bank for what ever dvds they want to give you!
Jenniufer of Jacksonville, FL
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yesno4/16/08
Back at the end of 2005, I got a bill from Columbia house. I called and explained to them that I had never, nor would I ever, use them to buy movies, as they are ridiculously overpriced and a huge hassle getting movies you never even ordered and being expected to ship them back. I was told that the matter would be taken care of and they were sorry for any inconvenience.
Now, 2 weeks ago I start getting calls from a collection agency calling on behalf of Columbia house! I told them, that unless they have any info confirming my identity and that I was actually the one who opened this account, to stop harassing me. I’m assuming this is being reported to the credit bureau and negatively affecting my score! I’ve tried many times to call Columbia House directly but because I don’t have an account number (because I’ve never had an account!!!) I can only email or write them a letter!
I assume this is being reported to the credit bureaus and I’m being called 5-10 times daily but when I’ve tried calling the number back there is no ringing, no people, etc.
Shoshana of Oceanside, CA
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yesno4/15/08
I signed up for this because of my brother. Everything was okay and i ordered the minimum amount of DVDs to fulfill my obligation. Afterwards, I looked everywhere for the area to cancel membership. I couldn’t find anything. Then,I tried calling them but there was no option to cancel or talk to a real live person.
After a while, the monthly Director Selection turned into every three weeks which turned to bi-weekly without me being aware. This caused me to miss the opportunity to decline two or three times causing me to be charged and send them back. Even then, it took forever to get the charges revoked.
Finally, I ended up changing banks which ended the debit card i was using to pay them. I still get e-mails saying i owe them money even though I stopped receiving the movies.
Brandon of Wichita, KS
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yesno4/14/08
Today in the mail I received a bill from Hall & Associates collection agency based in Orangeburg, NY they sent me a bill of $141.65 (Hall & Assoc.) has been retained to represent Nationwide Collections, Inc. the title holder of your debt by assignment ‘Columbia House DVD Club’ or ‘Columbia House Music Club’.
I have not had an account with Columbia House or BMG Music Service EVER. I have never received ANY merchandise nor have I ever received ANY kind of (wrongful) bill previous to now. I attempted to contact both Columbia House/BMG AND Hall & Assoc. both with no luck in reaching a human being. I can see from all the posts that I am not the first person this has happened to. And the fact that they make it SO HARD to reach them proves that they do not want to resolve issues with customers, AND could possibly be committing FRAUD in cases such as mine.
I have not yet been able to determine the damage caused. I JUST received this in the mail and turned to the internet to find PAGES and PAGES of complaints, sad stories, and frustrating moments. I have not yet pulled my credit history to see if this is on there. I do plan on contacting ANYONE else who will listen; including the BBB, Ripoff report, my Ohio congress representative, and most likely all the local call for action programs with my local Toledo TV to see if ANYONE will pay attention to this RIDICULOUSLY obvious problem that is being ignored.
Laura of Toledo, OH
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yesno4/14/08
I received a bill for $8.00 from Colombia House Dvd club, for a movie I never recieved and then a few months later I recieved a bill for $120.70 for the movie, late charges and the due on my contract, seeing how I have no contract or never recieved any product from this company I refuse to pay it, according to them it will be turned over to a collection agency.
I have no idea where they got that I signed up for their service even. I was on the internet and was looking at their service but never completed any application thereof.
Jason of Decatur, AL
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yesno4/14/08
I subscribed to the DVD club because they had a great deal on a DVD we wanted. I knew full well I had to make four more purchases within the next two years. Unfortunatly upon subscription I had to offer them my bank debit card information for the purchase, which they kept on file. The way this club works is they continuously offer you director’s selections which you must deny or it will be charged and shipped to you. I made a point to do so and things were fine for over six months.
One day I check my bank account and there is a debit of $40.99 from Columbia House. I scoured the website for a way to contact them or at the very least view the details of the transaction and was not able to find it. After searching numerous Columbia House sites I was finally able to find a phone number. That was all that was offered, no e-mail address, no complaint form, just a phone number. I called this number and explained the situation. I was told I failed to deny my director’s selection which is untrue. I was told my only option was to wait for the DVD to arrive, then ship it back and once recieved, they would refund my money. I asked for my account to be cancelled to ensure this didn’t happen again.
I recieved the DVD and shipped it back unopened. I am now being charged a further $71.10 for cancelling my account prior to completing the commitment. I still have not recieved my refund of $40.99. Again I have tried to contact them, but when I go to their site I am only allowed to view my account page which asks for the payment. Even though my account is cancelled they continue to send me e-mails. I have replied to those e-mails with my complaints yet they have gone unanswered. I have recieved a bill by US postal service for the $71.10 they feel I owe them and I have written a note back again explaining the situation. They have yet to respond. In fact the only time I was able to actually speak to a live person, I was hung up on.
An unauthorized debit of $40.99 to my bank account and now a bill of $71.10. I was lucky enough not to have a fee charged by my bank for having a negative amount, since I was not expecting the debit, but due to it I was unable to pay a required bill on time and nearly had my power shut off. Basically the whole ordeal has cost me a lot of stress and anger. I am only lucky the financial consequences did not cost me more.
Amanda of Jordan, NY
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yesno4/14/08
I have received notices from various collection agencies since 2003 regarding a balance I allegedly owe Columbia House. I do not have an account with them and have never purchased anything from them. I have attempted to reach a live person at Columbia House, to no avail.
To date, nothing negative has appeared on my credit report, which puzzles me. If I owed them money, why haven’t they reported it to the credit bureaus? I’ll tell you why – BECAUSE I DO NOT OWE THEM ANYTHING! Although I have not suffered any damages to date, I am sick and tired of receiving threatening letters from collection agencies and want it to stop!
Kathleen of Portland, OR
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yesno4/14/08
I recieved a DVD titled Alpha Dog about two weeks ago. Never signed up for the DVD program. And now i have a bill for $114.70 and no way to contact anyone to dispute the charges that are unwantd and un asked for.
Now i have a $114.70 charge sent to a collection agency for a service i didn’t ask for and do not want.
Alicia of Sweet Home, OR
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yesno4/13/08
I NEVER ordered anything from Columbia House and all of a sudden I get a DVD in the mail and they said I owe them money. So called and canceled but since I couldn’t get a LIVE person on the phone and it said I had to pay for 5 more movies. This is INSANE. No way will I pay for something I never ordered in the first place. This is such a scam and I am going to do whatever I have to in order to get this rectified. This is outrageous and so unfair.
Herbert of West Monroe, LA
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yesno4/12/08
My account was cancelled 12/2007 & confirmed via letter by them of this 12/14/2007. March 2008 my American Express was charged twice – March 8 & March 26 for dvd’s I did not order, nor received. I contacted them again and received a letter telling me to return these DVD’s. Since the account was cancelled 12/2007 at that time Columbia House was to cease all activity. Today, 04/10/08, I received yet another email, one to rejoin the club and another to decline my featured selection. I have again contacted them via fax as I have called 8 times and cannot reach a live person to help.
I have lost money because my credit card was charged. I have lost valuable work time in addressing this issue.
Julie of Chicago, IL
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yesno4/10/08
On 4/5/08 I spoke with a woman in the DVD Center in regards to cancelling my membership. I explained that I did not want to use the services. She infomed me that I had received movies. I agreed and explained how there was already funds taken from my account on 3/28/08 and if there were any other fees for the movies, to send a bill and I would take care of that. She asked if I would be returing the movies, unopened? I said No, I would pay for the ones I already had.
Then on 4/7/08 the company took another $65.82 from my account. I was not aware of this amount and I did not authorize them to take any other funds. I asked for a bill. Then on 4/9/08 I received a box with DVD’s, which I never ordered.
Since they were able to just take whatever funds they wanted to,when they wanted to, this took from my ability to pay my rent for my home. At this point, I still have not paid my rent and have to figure out where to get the money to pay. $65 may not seem like much, but when living on SSI/SSA, I do not have much to budget. I could get evicted.
Verka of Vancouver, WA
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yesno4/9/08
A DVD entitled Alpha Dog was sent to me, UNREQUESTED, UNSOLICITED and UNINVITED! In the paperwork, the company had ARBITRARILY AND WITHOUT NOTICE, assigned me an account number and issued me an invoice for the DVD. I have called numerous times to their customer service number to cancel this UNREQUESTED ACCOUNT and have been put into an IVR system equivalent to voice mail HELL! I have always been sent through a complete menu of prompts only to get to the same end result each time….NO OPTION TO CANCEL THE ACCOUNT AND NO OPTION TO SPEAK TO A SERVICE AGENT TO CANCEL THE ACCOUNT!!!!!I also called the phone for BMG DIRECT, the parent company, during business hours, with the same result!
This is an unwarranted waste of my time in dealing with this in an attempt to preserve my credit rating. This has taken valuable time away from my classwork and study time away from my goals as a college student. It has cost me personal long distance charges and the time I have spent in trying to address this UNWANTED AND UNREQUESTED ACCOUNT!
Katie of Charleston, IL
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yesno4/9/08
Our address changed in October of 2007. We declined the director’s selection from October 2007 through March 2008. In January of 2008 we received a bill stating we needed to pay for two movies (Transformers & Spiderman 3 Bun). I notified the company through a written letter that we did not receive these movies and reminded them we had canceled our membership at the beginning of January. They still sent us statements in February, March, and we received another this month (April). We have informed them every month since January that we did not receive these movies, our address has changed (and they have YET to fix it). Since we are not going to pay for movies we did not recieve, we are being threatened with going to collections.
Stephanie of Hoxie, KS
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yesno4/8/08
Not posting payments to accounts. When placing orders on line, you are given an order number, individual DVD charges, shipping charges plus tax. Orders are not shipped as ordered. If you pay the amount of the order, you are later billed again when order ship. I made a payment on Dec. 11, 2007 of $95.53. I called customer service to inquire about the payment appear to be missing. They then sent a letter of all payments that they had posted up to March 4, 2008. That payment was not included.
I was called a liar, hung up on and bluntly told that I owed the amount being billed and that I had not made the payment. This went on for over a month. I then made copies of my statement, scanned the copy and emailed it to customer service. Once they received the copy, they then added it to my payments and did not deduct the amount from my balance owed. I called them again and had to literally argue the fact that I did not receive credit and was told that I received credit back in Dec. I then stated that I had been told that particular payment was never made and I had to send copies to prove that I had made the payment.
nce they had gotten the payment, they attached it to my payment but had not credited to the acct. She then credited my acct. I then asked what was the amount owed to put me at zero balance, because I felt like the charges shown online when I placed the order wasn’t the same when the order ship.My balance at the time was showing $340.78. I also stated that I was being charged for a movie as being shipped that I did not receive and that particular had been charged to me twice. One as being placed over the phone, the other as a director’s selection. She then told me that she would remove the charge for the movies that I did not have and the other movie would not ship but I would pay for the movie and it would credit back to my acct.After I paid the balance due. with the deduction of the $9553 & the $24.83, the balance for the order pending shipment to clear my balance was $220.42. I told her that I would pay that amount to clear my balance.
After clearing up my balance, I then noticed a charge for $45.80. I called again to asked what the charges was for. I was told that the were for a pre-ordered movie and the movie that had been re-sent. I then informed them that I had in fact paid for both movies in the order that I had placed on March 19th. They told me that was impossible because it would only be billed when shipped. I told them that I could provide the order numbers, cost per movie, shipping and handling plus the tax. and both those movies were included in the amount that was paid to clear my balance. She then told me that the order number would serve no purpose. I then asked why then was it a pre-order if it is charged when shipped and why when you place the order the charges figure into the amount owed, then when they ship it they charge again?
When I place an order, the cost when totaled is the amount I anticpate paying, when I pay that amount I don’t expect to be charged again when the order ships separately. It was ordered separately and was included in the total cost that I had paid. Then when they realize the mistake, they tell you that they are making an exception this one time and no more exceptions can be applied. They aren’t doing me a favor,I paid for the order. I have printed copies of my orders have proof of the payment history.
Since dec. 2007 to March 19, 2008. I have spent $1007.00 with Columbia House.To be treated with such degradation. Called a liar, hung up on, offered no resolution, no one would even listen or try to resolve my situation. After going through these changes, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I was being cheated all along. I even called to inquire once, that I felt like I was being double billed. When I place the order I was charged, when it shipped it was another price. This is a scam to those who is building a library and order so many movies as I do. So much activity, you barely notice. I had to just stop and compare notes.Then when you request transcripts of your activities, they doctor them to match what they are telling you over the phone.
I just feel violated and abused and paid more than i ordered. They offer good benefits to being a customer, yet they siphon it back cheating unsuspecting customers. They are using Customer Service, when in essence it is telemarketing the sales of the DvDs. Their only oobjective is selling not satisfying the customers. I have the names of all the agents and a couple of supervisors as well. No information is given when you need to lodge a complaint. There have to be someone who can look into these matters.
I am not looking to bring about a suit. This maybe the wrong place to persue the fact that consumers should beware and to be educated on what they do to consumers that have a lot of activities on their acct. I know I am not the only one. I just want it looked into. It’s sad when you’re told they can’t go by your order number.
Barbara of Richmond, TX
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yesno4/8/08
Columbia House billed a fraudulent charge against my credit card for $19.95. I assume this is a membership fee; however, I am NOT a member. I am unable to get a representative on the phone since I do not have an account number. I do not have an account number because I am NOT a member. I am having to rely on my credit card company to process the dispute.
Denise of Estill Springs, TN
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yesno4/8/08
Someone has been using my debit card to purchase video items which I did not buy or purchase and did not give any authorization to do so.
This money they took out is for my daughters child support money that she gets every two weeks for her.
Marilyn of Paterson, NJ
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yesno4/7/08
I NEVER ordered anything from Columbia House and all of a sudden I get a DVD in the mail and they said I owe them money. So called and canceled but since I couldn’t get a LIVE person on the phone and it said I had to pay for 5 more movies. This is INSANE. No way will I pay for something I never ordered in the first place. This is such a scam and I am going to do whatever I have to in order to get this rectified. This is outrageous and so unfair.
Leah of Philadelphia, PA
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yesno4/2/08
I’ve paid for the DVD’s that I ordered and they keep showing up on the next month bill. I’ve tried hard to fine a number so I could call and get this matter straightened out, but the only number I can is the automated service.
Curtis of Elkton, MD
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yesno4/2/08
I joined the Columbia House DVD club last year which worked out pretty good until recently. On 4-1-08 I paid Columbia House $79.86 for a bill I owed. Something told me to check my bank account so I did. There were two charges made to my account without my permission. The amounts were for $25.94 and $27.94. I really do think something need to be done to this company that is ripping innocent people off. I do not have thid kind of money just to give to anyone. Cam someone please help me out with this situation?
This unselfish con act will interfere with my checks clearing since I’ve already paid my bills.
Johnny of Fort Gordon, GA
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yesno4/2/08
I was charged for a movie that I declined. As a result, I was charged $35.00 for an overdraft because of it. All they claim I can do is, if I get the movie to return it and then, only then, will I get a refund, but not for the bank charge.
I was charged an overdraft fee which resulted in a domino effect for the other bills that came in afterwards. I am already having money problems with the IRS and this just adds to my stress.
Sharon of North Las Vegas, NV
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yesno4/2/08
I have an account with Columbia House. They claim that I have an outstanding bill with them and they also claim that they have sent me a few dvd’s that I personally have never received.
I have tried writing them to cancel my account and that they need to take those charges off of my bill. Trying to call this company is a waste of time because you can’t talk to a person or leave a complaint on the phone.
Janice of Valley Park, MO
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yesno4/1/08
I kept telling Colombia House DVD Club that I didn’t want a particular Director’s Selection for four months in a row now. They keep sending them to me and keep billing my Visa card. I return them exactly the way I am supposed to but I have not gotten credit for any of them.
I want to cancel my account but every time I call them I can’t talk to a human being. They say I can cancel on line using my acct number from the invoice but there are only X’s where the invoice number should be. I want out of this fruadulent club which I feel is nothing but a rip-off.
Mary of Davenport,, IA
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yesno4/1/08
Last month they mailed me a DVD movie that I’ve never ordered. I called and there was no customer service to talk to so I chose the cancel dept to hope to terminate forever. Then I returned the package. I regret now that I should have it certified.
Today, I received the bill of $114.70 for the cancellation! I am terrified to think that they will keep sending more bills.
Tomoko of Chino Hills, CA
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yesno4/1/08
I ordered 8 dvds for $34.30 on-line and used my visa for payment. After putting in my security # for processing, it denied me and said to use another card. This lead me to believe that my order was denied and something was wrong with my visa card, which I know that I have plenty $ in my account.
The next morning I called my bank and they told me that I was overdrawn and that Columbia House charged my visa 4 more times for the same order. Now they say that I owe them payment. I then requested to speak to the Fraud Dept. and they told me to wait 5 business days to see or monitor my acct. to see if it is debited or credited. What kind of sense does that make, I guess I’ll see.
Larry of Bowie, MD
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yesno3/29/08
I have been a customer for at least two years. They mailed me a selection that I didn’t order and took money for it. They gave me a credit but I cannot use it for some reason. I have had this credit over a year. I have emailed them several times over the past year and I get no response, nothing!
Then I checked my bank account and found they took $20 for some reason. My account is current and always has been.
I typed “need to speak to columbia house” in Google. All of these other complaints came up and some answers on how to speak with a representative and get past the system. So I called it and now I have been waiting on the phone for 20 minutes so far with another automated message.
Amanda of Price, UT
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yesno3/27/08
I just received a bill for $46.20 that was sent to my old address that I moved from over a year ago! I cannot get a live person when I call them.
I was a member about 2 years ago and fulfilled my agreement with them as outlined. It is frustrating to me that this is happening. I refuse to pay this until I at least speak with someone about this fraudulent charge.
Brandon of Preston, ID
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yesno3/27/08
I closed my account with this company over two years ago. Today I got a bill in the mail stating that I owe $42.47, they want me to order two more DVD’s, and check this out I even have a credit balance of $69.12. I used this company from around December 2004 til February/March 2005, while in the Air Force deployed in support of Iraqi Freedom/Global Wor on Terrorism. This robbery without a gun and this company and owner should be shutdown. Money is being stolen from the consumer, we have little to no defense from this, cant make contact with the company.
Cases like this put the credit history and financial integrity of individuals in question! Once reported to the Credit Bureau this could prevent home purchases, high debt to income ratio, personal loans, and many other financial burdens. With financial burdens come mental/emotion disturbances within an individual and/or disruptions within a family/home. What can we do about this?
Rashaad of North Charleston, SC
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yesno3/26/08
This company is making fraudulent charges, and there os no way to contact anyone without the 11 digit account number.
This is a University held card; who knows how deep this could run. We had to cancel the card vs. having the charge removed.
Chris of Baltimore, DE
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yesno3/18/08
I was part of columbia house and was buying my movies and paying them. Then I started getting movies I did not order and I told them this and it kept happening and I just wasn’t going to continue my account. Now they have me in collections and want $87.76 and it’s now on my credit report.
Keli of Vacaville, CA
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yesno3/15/08
I ordered movies and paid them off in full but now Columbia House is trying to say they never received payment and charge me again. I tried to explain to them they had already been paid but they were rude and demand more money.
Now they call and harass me on the phone stating they will ruin my credit if i do not pay them again.
Nikkel of Tyler, TX
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yesno3/12/08
We randomly received a DVD in the mail that no one in the household ordered, along with a bill.
On the bill was a phone number if we needed help. When we called we could only reach a machine, so we went through the process to stop the contract that we neither ordered or signed to have. A couple weeks later we received a bill for $114. At the bottom of this bill was the same phone number, only this time it says that this number is not for use and that one can not reach live help.
We have talked to a lawyer friend but he believes that we have no choice but to pay the bill and that there isn’t much we could have done because we canceled the contract and thus proving we had one. If we pay the bill who is to say that next month we won’t be exactly right back in this position paying another $114 or more for a contract that doesn’t exist.
I don’t want this to happen to us or anyone else.
Lisa of Kenner, LA
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yesno3/12/08
They sent a bill for $109.70 but I never received the merchandise. I tried to call but no operator was available, but they are wanting the money. I now do not want the merchandise but I refuse to pay for things that I have not received.
Carol of Salt Lake City, UT
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yesno3/10/08
I recently received a collection letter from Nationwide Collections Inc. stating that I owe $42.90 to Columbia House for movies. I have never ordered movies from them EVER!!!
This happened to me about 4 years ago and I told them the same thing, that I had never ordered movies ever. We finally came to an agreement to settle on 20 some dollars, after they threaten it would affect my credit score.
So now I am dealing with this again. They say they have no information about the account except that $26 was paid about 4 years ago. The lady told me that these are accounts between 3-10 years old that she is trying to collect on. To me it sounds like a good way to get money from people by threatening them with reporting it to your credit report.
Tammy of Baudette, MN
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yesno3/10/08
I received a nasty collection notice from OSI Recovery Solutions saying I owe $117.65 dollars. I have NEVER, EVER done business with Columbia House nor have I communicated with them in any way. I have never received any merchandise from them, but at past addresses they have sent me offers to join their clubs, which I’ve avoided like the plague because of all the horror stories I’ve heard about them.
Rick of Pittsburgh, PA
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yesno3/10/08
I received a nasty collection notice from OSI Recovery Solutions saying I owe $117.65. I have NEVER, EVER done business with Columbia House nor have I communicated with them in any way. I have never received any merchandise from them. At past addresses they have sent me offers to join their scam clubs, which I’ve avoided like the plague because of all the horror stories I’ve heard about them.
Rick of Pittsburgh, PA
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yesno3/10/08
I am getting calls constantly (in some cases 2-3 times a day). They have a predictive dialer and not enough people to answer the phones. I understand this industry pretty well. I finally got an answer; I called back their out going line and got connected. It picked up on that line and was for an out going call…. I told the representative to stop calling us, and he said ok. But it hasn’t stopped. This is the second time, maybe third, that I have asked them to stop calling. Most of the time I’ll answer, and since there is no one to take the call, it will hang up. I’m not sure you will get through at this number, but he brought up our account via my home phone number. Please feel free to reference it.
I am ready to change my phone number; the calls are day an night–never at illegal hours, but close to it. We get calls every day between 08:00 – 21:00. My caller ID has a log of them. My wife is very ill, and this is a nuisance to us at the very least.
Paul of Chandler, AZ
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yesno3/9/08
I quit this lousy club approximately six months ago; today they charged my credit card $27.84. Trying to contact them has proven fruitless, as they have endless voice mail that WON’T connect you to a live person. I am going to demand my money back somehow and if anyone is starting a class action suit against them I would love to be included. They took money they had no right in taking from my account, money I was depending on for other things.
George of San Diego, CA
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yesno3/8/08
I paid for dvd movies but have not received them. It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve sent my money order check.
Antonio of Manor, TX
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yesno3/5/08
Some how I had 2 accounts with these yahoos and even though I’ve only been using one and never knew I had the other one, they still said I had to fulfill the commitment on the unused account. Hence pay $89 or get sent to collections. I went ahead and paid it since there was some dvds I wanted, but getting a hold of these people is near impossible. And all I can say is be persistent and question all their so called rules
I’ve paid the 89 dollars, selected my dvd’s but I’m still showing a balance. I’m still trying to get this taking care of.
Irena of Riverside, CA
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yesno3/4/08
I’m having a difficult time ending my relationship with Colombia House DVD Club. After getting very tired of dealing with their telemarketers calling me everyday, I decided to try and cancel my account. They make it very difficult to cancel an account. They have a phone number that they provide which gets me to a voice recorded message telling me this service is unavailable at this time. Then I find a mailing address where I can mail a letter requesting to end my account. So I mail a nice polite letter requesting my account to be cancelled. Figured I was all set. Done deal. No way.
In the meantime one of their telemarketers called me trying to get me to buy some more DVD’s. I decided not to hang up on him immediately and listened to what he was trying to sell me. After he got through his sales lines about what was supposed to be an offer he started telling me how they were going to start mailing me DVD’s and that I would owe them money for. I was never asked if this was something I was interested in. He was basically telling me that these were the DVD’s that I was going to buy. I finally told the guy I don’t want you to mail me any DVD’s. He didn’t want no for an answer. He kept trying to push the DVD’s on to me. I finally hung up on him. Anyways, after all that, they mailed me the DVD’s anyway. I mailed them back. A few day’s later I get a letter saying that they cannot cancel my account because I owe them money for the DVD’s I mailed back. I am not going to pay them for DVD’s I don’t even have and I am going to get upset when my excellent credit gets messed up because of this pathetically run company. I find it hard to believe what they are doing is legal.
They cause me mental pain. They may screw up my credit score. They waste my time by being so difficult to do business with.
Cappi of Gorham, NH
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yesno3/3/08
I received a box in the mail and when I opened it, to my surprise, it was from columbia house. Being aware of their tactics on how they force people to get into their subscription, I started to wonder how they got my information in the first place. Tried to cancel, it is automated system and I have no way to return the dvd I received which I never even ordered. And they are billing me for the dvd they forcefully sent. And the automated message says if the next selection of dvd’s is already sent out, I am obliged to pay that as well. It is a total scam and rip off.
I will take every action necessary to get my money back and even become part of a law suit on this organization if I do not get my money back. This has caused me enough stress and pain – It is the issue of principal and Ethics.
Lavisha of King Of Prussia, PA
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yesno3/3/08
I became a member ordering possibly $200 dollars worth of DVDs. I was the usual promotional-type customer. I would get monthly DVDs unsolicited, but always returned them. I purchased probably as many as I returned. Finally, I had a conversation with a Rep stating that I wanted a true balance subtracting all returns and purchases against my membership commitment. I was given a zero balance pending receipt of returns. Yet still I felt they were telling me that I had yet another commitment selection unfulfilled. I stated that I had reached fulfillment and that I continued to receive unwanted selections and was forced to return them all. I asked that I continue to get emails on the monthly selections so that I could place orders if I wish. They agreed and said no more unsolicited mailings would come.
Still I continued to get unwanted DVDs. I emailed them a complaint. That didn’t seem to work. They finally responded saying that it was very costly for them to ship DVDs to me that I repeatedly return. I agreed and reminded them that I didn’t want them making choices for me and that I had no further obligation to them. The most recent letter dated February 22, 2008, Columbia House still says that I have $21.94 balance due. Among other things, they threatened to report me to a consumer reporting agency for a disputed delinquent balance.
I lost trust in Columbia House and any online product membership services. Much time and frustration with an unresolved situation. As I lodge a public complaint, perhaps it maybe worth $21.94 to expose their unethical consumer tactics.
Julie of Oakland, CA
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yesno3/3/08
I received an order today from Columbia House that I DID NOT PLACE. I DID NOT AUTHORIZE THEM TO CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD, either. This is obvious FRAUD on their part. I AM NOT A MEMBER and did not have ANY communication with them. I had to open the box as it is unmarked. HOW convenient for them! They say you can’t return the box if it’s been opened except for an exchange. I DO NOT WANT A REPLACEMENT ITEM AS I DIDN’T ORDER THE 1st ONE! I want a refund, and I want it NOW to include shipping charges. I will complain to every possible source/area. I’ve started with THE FCC. I don’t know how they got my information, but I DIDN’T GIVE IT TO THEM. They are not available by phone.
I had to cancel 3 credit cards as the invoice doesn’t say which credit card I authorized them to use. I am sure that this isn’t over. I am seeing from your website that they will continue to defraud you until they get what they want.
Angela of Virginia Beach, VA
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yesno3/1/08
Columbia House bilks people by placing a person’s name and address in as a subscriber to their service, without the person’s permission. Many times the person does not even receive the product, just a bill. They should be closed down.
Either a person receives a product he/she did not order, or they receive a bill for a DVD they did not order. They threaten legal action if you do not pay the bill. They then go out and try to ruin your credit rating. They have a long history of nefarious activities involving bilking of old and defenseless people. Damage is loss of one good credit rating. I have asked time and again that they be closed down, but with no success.
Roger of Scotsdale, Az 85258, AZ
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yesno3/1/08
I did not sign up. Somebody signed me up as a practical joke, using only my name, address, phone number, and email address; information readily accessible via internet search sites. Now I am receiving DVDs and bills. I canceled my account, but nothing happens. You can’t call and talk to anyone. I fear they are going to ruin my good credit FOR SOMETHING I NEVER SIGNED UP FOR!
Much aggravation, bills for stuff I never received or wanted.
Will of Locust Grove, GA
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yesno2/29/08
I filled out the introductory offer on their website and per their advertising. I ordered another one to reduce my membership obligation and ordered another at a reduced price. Received an e-mail stating “welcome to the club” and that my order would ship soon. They sent me 3 of the dvd’s and wanted full payment for the order they agreed to bill for. I made a payment for the 3 items that I have received, and they said they would send the others–but now are saying they won’t until payment is received.
I have not given them my card number through their website, so they can’t automatically bill it.
Holly of Fuquay Varina, NC
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yesno2/29/08
I enrolled at Columbia house in December of 2007. I received my first shipment already but I have not received any information since. They are taking money out of my account and overdrafting the account 3 to 4 times a week and I am not receiving any movie or information. This is without proper authorization from me.
They are overdrafting my account a lot, to where my whole check is being used for overdraft fees and I can’t afford it. I don’t bring home a lot of money and I have to pay rent every week and I can’t do it if my account is overdraft.
Carl of Fort Wayne, IN
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yesno2/28/08
I want to cancel my membership, but I don’t have my account number–and the phone number to contact doesn’t have anyone to talk to. I am being billed for absolutely no dvd’s and being billed often. They don’t have a way to allow me to cancel, and they keep charging my credit card with no way to stop them.
Sherry of Pineville, LA
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yesno2/25/08
They sent me a movie and I’m not even a member. That’s wrong and on the same hand I DON’T EVEN have an account. Shouldn’t they check and see if there’s even an account there? Well I don’t have one so I am not paying for anything I don’t want.
Devon of Grove City, PA
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yesno2/24/08
I received a dvd from Columbia House by mail. I did not place an order nor have I MADE ANY ATTEMPT TO PLACE AN ORDER. I tried to cancel the account, and the automated service said I WOULD BE BILLED FOR 5 MORE MOVIES. What do I do?
I will not pay for something I did not order!
Scott of Winchester, TN
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yesno2/20/08
Columbia House is taking money out of my account without my authorization. Also, there is no way to get in touch with Columbia House service center. This company needs to be dealt with. Thank You.
Ray of Hillside, NJ
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yesno2/20/08
I have canceled my membership twice, and yet they continue to send DVDs and charge it to my credit card. Isn’t that interstate bank fraud?
When I send the DVDs back, I have still been billed for the shipping and handling for when they sent the undesired and not-ordered DVDs–PLUS I have to pay to ship them back!
Richard of Vero Beach, FL
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yesno2/19/08
I have been trying to cancel my account with Columbia House, but it’s impossible. To start with, they do not provide any phone number so you can talk to anybody. Secondly, they do not provide an option online to delete your account; and thirdly, I keep on getting CDs and DVDs I did not order.
They have already reported me to one of the credit reporting agencies claiming that I did not settle one of their forced bills on me. Why should we be suffering as if we are in a third world country, instead of enjoying our democratic rights? Is Columbia House above the law?.
Samson of Rohnert Park, CA
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yesno2/17/08
STAY AWAY FROM THEM! After enrolling, I began getting not the once-a-month ‘director’ selection notices they promise but a barrage of almost daily junk mail and more offers. In addition, although I refused the selection in the manner they suggested, I still got them anyway. And when I did order, I continuously got the wrong titles. I demanded they close out my contract/account because they breached their commitments to me, repeatedly. Yhey said “Sure” and quickly billed my account almost $70.00.
I deal fairly with people, but how these crooks have cheated people for so many years and gotten away with it says a lot out where our Congress’ head has been. But I will pursue them. Oh, by the way, once you ‘cancel’ you are blocked from all further online contact with their customer service or your statements; you can, however, order more merchandise. They did not cancel my credit card as I requested!
M of Sedona, AZ
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yesno2/16/08
On Oct/13th I bought 4DVD at a Columbia House online offer being charged my credit card, US$13.44. For my surprise, on Nov/14th they charged on my Credit Card US$28.11. On Nov/15th I called them to cancel the charge because I didn’t accept to join their DVD CLUB that was promptly agreed; so, on Dec/4th I got a refund for this amount. In the meantime I received one DVD by mail that I have never asked for and I returned it. On Nov/30th Columbia House charged me again an amount of US38.95. I called my Credit Card Service to avoid any charges from Columbia House because it could be a fraud. Then on Dec/19th I received a refund from it.
On Dec they send me again one parcel with DVDs by themselves, I returned it unopened again. On Feb/5th I received a letter from Columbia House charging me an existing balance of US$ 118.88 for a service that I have never received or asked for; inside they included a threatening advice: UNLESS YOU SEND US YOUR PAYMENT PROMPTLY OR CONTACT US TO REACTIVATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP, WE WILL REPORT YOUR ACCOUNT TO A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY, WHICH WILL RETAIN THIS INFORMATION IN ITS FILE FOR UP TO SEVEN YEARS.
Jack of Flushing, NY
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yesno2/15/08
While I did not complete my purchase commitment on time, I did end up completing it by paying Columbia House $71.25, at which time they issued me 3 certificates worth $19.95 each.
I sent in the 3 certificates to redeem in early November. Two were sent back to me because my dvd selections exceeded the amount of each certificate, which is understandable, but what about my other certificate? They have had more than 3 months to send me that dvd.
Each certificate limits me to a small selection of their DVDs which are $19.95, none of which I want to buy. While they do have other dvds for $19.95, I can’t get access to their website for pricing, since my account has been suspended. How will I know how much it costs? They won’t let me pay more to get dvds that I actually want.
Caitlyn of Austin, TX
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yesno2/14/08
I discussed a new account with columbia house dvd and 3 unauthorized charges were made to my account. This was before any dvds had been received, I had no account and no confirmation number at opening of account.
Ms Walker stated the charges would be removed, time will tell.
Charlie of Dallas, TX
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yesno2/13/08
I received a plain box in the mail with no information on it. It contained a bill, with my info on it ,and movies from Columbia House. I never have signed up for anything! Finally, after calling for two days, spoke to a human being and was told that I would have to pay the expense to send back or I will be billed continually for the account.
They could not tell me where they got all my personal information. I requested they send me a pkg to return it and they said that would take to long and I would be billed more because of late fees!
Kelly of Miami, OK
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yesno2/12/08
I recently put in a new membership online. I ordered some .49 cent dvds and agreed to buy 3 more in the next 2 years. I haven’t heard any thing from them, so I checked my account I had with them before which I had paid in full. Now I have a balance of $26.53 that they want to take out of my credit card. I do not want it on my card, I ask them to bill me. Please have them to take that off my account, I have always been a good paying customer and if they don’t want to send the movies, that is ok but don’t charge my account with something I didn’t get.
Mary of Benton Harbor, MI
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yesno2/11/08
I signed up for the 5 DVD’s for $5 thing, and a few weeks later, without my authorization they had chosen some random movie I would not have even picked out, sent it to me and charged my credit card $27+. I called them to cancel and they told me I need to receive and be billed for at least 2 more (random) DVD’s before I could cancel. The lady I spoke to was very rude and treated me as if I was the one who was annoying her. I asked her why I could not at least CHOOSE the DVD’s I had to pay for. She said that I should’ve received an email letting me know what they were sending, and that is the time to let them know you want something else instead. I then gave her a different email address that I check more frequently. Well, she must have put it in wrong because I haven’t received an email since but I’ve been billed 2 more times since then. I was billed twice in two weeks and I decided to call, only I could not get through because I don’t know my account number. I don’t know it because they bill my credit card directly so I haven’t been receiving any bills or statements or anything! I think it’s horrible that they are able to get away with doing business like this. Is there anyone who can help?
Tuera of Drexel Hill, PA
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yesno2/8/08
I fulfilled my obligation and canceled my membership. I have continued to receive selection of the month e-mails but have declined each time. Today there are 2 charges to my account.
This is going to cause me to be overdrawn and cost me approx 66 dollars in overdraft fees. I’m sick of this.
Ronda of Paoli, IN
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yesno2/8/08
I signed up for an account but was charged for 3 movies in one week. I believe that the contract was for 5 movies. So, when I checked my debit card, all of my money was gone. They pre-charged my account for movies that I never agreed to. I canceled my account, and now they want me to reinstate or pay 90+ dollars.
The consequences are apparently that they are going to report me to a consumer reporting agency. I feel that they violated just as much for deducting that money when I didn’t authorize it. So my question is this: How come I can be penalized but that corporation can deduct money from my account with penalizations, and cause reprimands against me?
Paige of Butler, NJ
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yesno2/5/08
I was called to join up again after quitting the service. I was told I would receive only half price on all dvds. I never received mailings from them, but I would get DVDs I did not want. Therefore I returned them. I then received a condescending letter about my returns that was extremely aggressive. I then quit the service. They have since been demanding money claiming I owe them for a DVD I am supposed to purchase, even though I had been told my earlier completed purchases would be applied to my reopened account with them. I am seriously thinking of finding an attorney to consider a class action lawsuit. These people are so careless, rude and ruthless.
Cynthia of Watertown, CT
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yesno2/1/08
I received a bill for products I did not receive. I cannot get through to anyone because the number is automated and I get no response to written complaint.
The bill is going to collection.
Helen of Irasburg, VT
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yesno1/29/08
Received notice from Nationwide Collections, Inc., stating that I owe $113.99 for an outstanding Columbia House Balance. I have never been a member nor have I ordered any goods or services from Columbia House. I called NCI and the operator was unable to give me any details of the purchase proving the validity of the claim. She said that this open balance that NCI purchased from Columbia House was ‘certified’ by the government. She said for $39, however, she would ‘make it go away’, because of the lack of purchase information. I refused to pay.
NCI claims that once the claim goes into litigation they will report this debt to the credit bureaus. The operator even said, ‘wouldn’t this be a shame if you were trying to buy a house and this came back to ‘bite’ you’ and your new wife.’ I never told her I was recently married.
Benjamin of Brooklyn, NY
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yesno1/28/08
I joined the columbiahouse dvd club on December 15, 2007. They took money from my debit card and never sent me any dvd’s or the membership information. On January 25th they took more money off of my debit card and I still have not received anything from them at all.
I tried contacting them for over the past month and they never responded to any of my e-mails.
Netecia of Bronx, NY
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yesno1/28/08
They say I enrolled in their club, but I never did. They keep charging me for dvds that I never order or receive. I’ve called but do not get answers. I’ve emailed them but never resolved anything.
Elizabeth of Fort Myers, FL
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yesno1/27/08
We have taken advantage of a very generous membership offer, fulfilled our obligation, asked several times to not be on the “DVD of the Month” automatic mail-out and we are still (going on more than two years now) being mailed the DVDs.
Mark of Deer Park, WA
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yesno1/25/08
I was filling out a questionnaire that said I could win a new TV, and they asked for interests. Somehow I got enrolled into Columbia House membership. They would not cancel without charging me hundred of dollars that was part of the membership. So now I have 6 movies I didn’t really want–especially for $130 out of my pocket that I didn’t agree to.
Brian of San Diego, CA
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yesno1/24/08
I am a member of their club. They have charged me for an item that I did not order and did not receive. I went through the website for the club and have submitted four or five complaints. I never heard back from them. I then called a number that I had called once before when the same thing had happened. The first time I called it was not during their 9-5 business hours. The second time, I was connected to the department that handles accounts, but they were at lunch. This lunch came at 3 in the afternoon.
Today I have called several times, and no one is answering the phone. It is only 3, and their message says they are open until 5. I am extremely upset because I have been trying to get this bill removed from my account for months, and I am worried they might send it to collections.
Sara of Ogdensburg, NY
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yesno1/24/08
I am being harassed by a collection agency saying that in 1996 I did not fufil a CD membership, and now they want cash. I called Columbia House; they said: sorry, they made a mistake and the account is okay. But this collection agency calls daily, yelling at me and saying that if I don’t pay them they will mess up my credit and my name. I don’t know what to do; please help. I think this is illegal.
Jayson of Brooklyn, NY
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yesno1/24/08
Columbia House is charging me $22.76 for a dvd (director’s selection) that I did not order. They have so far sent me one bill with two late fee charges for non payment of an order I did not make–and a dvd I did not receive. I did not receive the first bill with just the initial charge for the dvd, nor have I received a bill with the first late charge for the same dvd (Transformers). When I call their automated service, it tells me that I may have not receive the dvd and that when I do, I could just send it back for a refund.
One of the many problems are: How can they be charging me late fees for a dvd I did not receive? Secondly, they give you no number or extension to talk to a customer representative (a live person) to straighten this matter out. Thirdly, how can they charge me for a dvd I did not accept nor have received to this date (1-23-2008)? I have even emailed them two days ago and still have gotten no response. I am very worried that they will send this to a collection agency, and are almost forcing me to pay this bill that I did not create, while ruining my great credit which I worked so hard to build and keep. I need help badly.
Larry of Irvington, NJ
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yesno1/23/08
NCO Financial Systems sent a letter saying I owed $86.82 to creditor Columbia House Records. Transaction was November 22, 2006. I have never ordered a thing from them, never been billed before, and never knew a thing about this until this letter. I called NCO immediately and my two options are to pay it, or file a fraud report. No telephone numbers for Columbia house go through, no description of the transaction avaialable. This is not right.
Jay of Bloomington, MN
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yesno1/22/08
I signed up in this company believing that they offer a great price, but I realize that was their only catch to be hooked up with them and up-sell everything. Recently I was receiving phone calls that I need to pay $150.00 for the DVD that I ordered, which I haven’t received. Someone please help me to get out of this horror situation with with Columbia House.
Ynah of Saskatoon, OTHER
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yesno1/21/08
We received a letter in the mail telling us that we owed money to Colombia House for the amount of $20.66. No one from this residence had ever ordered anything from this company. We tried to call the company number with negative results. We then received a letter from the collection agency called Nationwede Collections, Inc. Again this company would not return any calls or answer their phones. What is going on here?
According to this nonexisting firm, National Collection Inc, my wife is now in their delinquent files.
Beverly of Bristow, VA
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yesno1/20/08
We received an unmarked package in the mail. Upon opening discovered that we had unknowingly become a member of COLUMBIA HOUSE DVD. We tried to contact and cancel but can only hear a recorded message stating the member ship can be cancelled but not until 4 more DVDs are purchased. HELP!!! We have 5 kids with grandchild on the way and have no money for this. Someone needs to shut down this gangland type of extortion.
Anthony of Lakewood, CA
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yesno1/17/08
I recently received a bill for $43.99, that also said I had to order two DVDs. I had already canceled my account with them; but they said if I would reactivate my account they would drop all the charges on the account. Sounds like extortion to ME. I have no interest in ordering any DVDs, and I do not see how they can force us to order anything. What kind of country do we live in now? You can be forced into paying for something you do not want, or they will report you to the credit bureau. Somebody needs to do something to stop this rip off.
Am just notices as of now, but if I don’t pay the bill I am sure they will report it to the credit bureau.
Sherry of Hartford, KY
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yesno1/14/08
I was checking my credit report, and there is an outstanding debt for this company. I have never opened an account with this company.
I am trying to refinance my house and cannot proceed until this debt is paid.
Tessa of Hermitage, TN
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yesno1/14/08
I made a payment of the amount of $36.82 but Columbia house overcharged three more amounts for $27.82, $37.46 and $38.55 and CH agree that when I return the movies that they send me they will credit my bank but CH does not take any responsability on the $140.00 of overdraft that the bank is charging me.
Bank of america is charging me $35.00 for four items that thanks to Columbia House I’m overdue on and they not accepting any responsability.
Jaime of Cypress, TX
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yesno1/11/08
I got a call that when answered played music. I listened for about 10 seconds when someone came on the line and said hello. They then asked for me by name and I said yes, this is her. He then proceeded to tell me I had a debt of $65 something and that I had to settle with him now or he would put the debt on my credit report. I told him I’ve never ordered anything from Clumbia House and he said I would have to prove it, but in the meantime I needed to settle with them now then take it up with Columbia House. I was near tears and asked for the number for Columbia House. He gave me the number 317-452-6000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 317-452-6000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. I then asked for his name and id number. He asked why I wanted it. I told him I wanted to know whom I was talking to. He finally gave me the name Steven Brooks. He said there was no id number but I could reach him if I called 866-452-6655 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 866-452-6655 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. I then asked for the name of his supervisor. He refused to give it to me and then asked if I would like to hold to speak to the supervisor.
I agreed and was transferred to a man named Shaun Rogers. He reiterated to me that I needed to make arrangements to settle the debt they claimed I had. I told him I’ve never ordered from columbia house. I asked who I needed to contact to clear this up. He said I would have to prove I never placed the order and that since I couldn’t, I would be responsible for it. He said it had happened before to people that their information had been used to order things and they had to pay upwards of $1000.00 to clear it up. He said I should make arrangements to pay and once they had my correct information they would send me an itemized bill that I could then dispute. I said I wasn’t paying for something I never ordered. I told him that Columbia House would say I was accepting responsibility if I paid and could refuse to refund money. I asked if I needed to find a lawyer, change my social security number or what. I was crying by this time. He wanted me to go drink a glass of water while he held the line so I would clear things up with them. He said I didn’t need to get so upset and that he was my friend and trying to help me out. He said the best solution was for me to make arrangements to pay or postdate payment so I would’nt be sent to collections. A lot more was said and I was on the phone for proably a 1/2 hour. I finally was crying so hard I said I would have to call my husband and ask him what I should do. The man didn’t want me to hang up without clearing up this matter. He wanted my correct home information and I said I wasn’t giving out my info over the phone for anything I wasn’t responsible for. I told him I had to call my husband and hung up.
I then tried to call the number for columbia house they had given me. It was a wrong number. I then looked it up online through a search engine. I got through to a live person and they told me I needed to contact the dvd department. She gave me a number and it, too, was a wrong/disconnected number. The other numbers I found online and tried never reached a live person. They kept asking for my account number and then would hang up on me when I couldn’t provide one. I don’t know what to do!
Emotionally I was a wreck for quite awhile. I suffer from a few disorders and I had major panic attacks and bouts of crying. Financially if it goes on my credit report I don’t know what to do. My credit isn’t great to begin with and this is at least the second instance of someone ordering things with my information. I’m on disability and only receive SSI and SSA. I don’t know what to do.
Tracy of Airway Heights, WA
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yesno1/9/08
I was in the hospital when I decided that I could watch a few movies. I subscribed with the Columbia House, then I read the fineprint on the contract, and decided to unsubscribe. So I sent over five e-mail requesting to unsubscribe. They said that I was unsubscribed. But guess what? They sent me a DVD that I never asked for, and they say that I am still a member! They are charging me over $113. Or they threaten with harrasing mail to turn me over to collection agencies. Guess what? I am willing to pay 10 times that amount to a law firm and sue them and not pay them a cent.
Rajeh of Richmond, VA
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yesno1/9/08
I pulled my credit and saw a collection for $88. I paid the charge but the colection agency told me it was collecting for Columbia House. They gave me an old address of mine for the charges.I have not lived there for over 2-3yrs. I need to know how this is possible, but I have paid for the account to stop affecting my credit score. I need to get to the bottom of this please. What did I get from Columbia House for 88 dollars. I have no clue. I do not buy cds or movies.
Teku of Houston, TX
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yesno1/7/08
Columbia House started sending shipments of DVD’s to my previous address months after I had moved. They had been informed of my move weeks before the actual move and I had been declining selections to avoid any deliveries being made to that address. The current occupants obviously have kept the shipments.
CHC made no attempts to contact me at my current address and the first time I knew that there was even a problem was after NCO, a junk debt collector, contacted me to pay up on the shipments (Dec ’06). We were back and forth with emails when finally NCO decided that they weren’t going to pursue it further (June ’07). Now another debt collector is taking it up again (Dec ’07). CHC is again claiming that I owe money for shipments that I didn’t make, didn’t receive, didn’t accept and don’t want. CHC has refused to confirm the address that they actually sent the DVD’s to.
Janice of Binscarth, Manitoba, OTHER
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yesno12/27/07
Last month I was billed $5 for a DVD I did not order or even sign up for. Later I find that one of my nephews, a child/minor, signed me up for this membership. I sent the $5 and canceled the account. About a month later they billed $114 for cancellation and the DVDs I did not order. They also charged me a late fee.
I do not understand this at all. Why should I pay for something I did not even sign myself up for?
Jose of San Fernando, CA
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yesno12/27/07
I joined Columbia House a few years ago. I fulfilled my contract and have had virtually no problems with the company. Then I decided to order DVD’s for Christmas again this year since they were running a special that gave me 50% off all dvd’s. I ordered a total of 12 dvds and paid for expedited shipping. The email confirmation said the items were shipped DHL ground in 2 separate packages. I received the first package but not the second package, even though they were shipped on the same day.
I tried to call an 800 number that appeared on my charge account. Two different reps hung up on me after I asked for a supervisor. They told me there was no supervisor available and I was not able to wait.
Stephanie of Wyomissing, PA
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yesno12/26/07
I was charged $25.94 on 12/21/07 for an item I did not order. I have been very careful to decline all the Director’s Selections because I simply did not like their choices and did not want the items. Each time, I responded to their choices, I got a confirmation email stating that my rejection request had been received. So the question is, why are they charging me?
It’s like trying to contact someone on the moon to get to speak with someone, and my account number was never printed on a previous order, so I don’t even have it to use as a reference number should I actually get to speak to REAL person at Columbia.
Karen of Petersburg, VA
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yesno12/26/07
Columbia House keeps sending me dvd’s which I never ordered. I drop them right back in the mail and get billed for them. I never signed up for anything from then.
This is affecting my credit score. I’m under Chptr 13 protection and shouldn’t be ordering them anyway. Now I’m getting nasty letters from them.
Patrick of Livonia, MI
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yesno12/22/07
My Ex wanted revenge on me, after we broke up, so he signed me up for Columbia House DVD movies. He gave them an account I had when we were together. I had closed that account but had opened a new one at the same bank.
I received a package from Columbia House but did not open it and mailed it right back to them. Then I received a letter from CH stating I must fill my obligation to buy 10 movies from when I “signed up”. After calling CH a dozen times I finally reached someone, not a machine. They told me, after I explained to them what happened, that since there was no proof that I did not sign up (I could be lying to them) I had to pay $100 cancellation fee and fill my 10 movie obligation.
I was not about to pay the $100 for movies I never watched so I ordered my five 1 cent movies and exactly 10 full priced DVD movies. I paid over $200 over the course of 6 months. Then they started to send me literally 2 movies every 2 days. I mailed them all back unopened. They still send me fliers like mad, but finally after 6 weeks of calling every week they stopped sending director movies.
All this grief over something I never signed up for.
Kim of Jacksonville, FL
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yesno12/20/07
I fulfilled my obligation to Columbia House DVD and canceled my account in December 2005. I just received a notice (December 2007) that I am a preferred member and would be receiving the monthly selection in January if I did not respond. And that they would automatically bill my credit card.
After searching for a phone number to contact the company I was only able to get automated response and cancel my account once again.
Ken of Birmingham, AL
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yesno12/19/07
There was a $25.94 charge made to my visa credit card. Me nor my wife knew anything about this charge. I’ve just filed a dispute with my credit card company. I phoned 1-800-262-2001 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-262-2001 end_of_the_skype_highlighting to try to reach these people and all I heard was ‘on hold’ music for 2 1/2 hours. I finally had to hang up.
Tyler of Romeoville, IL
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yesno12/19/07
I joined Columbia House a couple of years ago. At the end of the 1st year they simply went into my account and took the money for the last 2 cd’s, fulfilling my obligation without my authority–and said I could pick out two dvd’s. Later they were sent and charged me for 2 dvd’s/director selects that they say I did not respond to. I have the decline confirmation saved for the one they just sent in November. That was after I tired of attempted phone and internet contact; and I sent in the statement from the movie to the service center with: CANCEL my membership written all over it.
Today via email I get a new director select, but it will not let me in to my account to respond to it; so I’m sure they’ll be trying to get into my account and charge me (even if they still owe me 2 movies). I just want it to stop and to never hear from them again. It would be nice if someone could make them pay everyone back what they owe us!
Angie of Stratford, IA
Helpful?
yesno12/18/07
Columbia House has billed me for DVDs that I have not received, and I refuse to pay for something I did not order or receive. When I tried to contact them via email phone and a written letter, I get no response. I have also tried numerous times to cancel this account with a written letter, but this does not work.
I have been turned over to collections (North Shore Agency) and my credit score has dropped because of this. I now do not qualify for a loan that I need because of this $35 bill that I supposedly owe to them. I just think it is bogus that I have to pay for something I did not receive nor want in the first place.
Patrick of Folsom, CA
Helpful?
yesno12/17/07
In June, 2007 I ordered dvds and charged them to my bank card. After 2 months I inquired about my shipment and they claimed my card would not allow the charge and they would resubmit my order. They said they would email me on it’s progress.
Immediately after I received that email I went to my bank and asked if there were any problems with my account, there were none. I’ve been emailing for 6 months and have yet to receive an answer to what happened to my order, nor when they will mail it. I did get one apology over my inconvenience but not a word on when they would mail the order.
I resently asked the company to close my account. I was surprised to recieved a response: I owe them $87.76 to fulfill my purchase agreement and can order their dvds now in order to fulfill such agreement. OK-where is my original order and why have they not owned up to the fact that they broke their own contract with me?
Maria of Albuquerque, NM
Helpful?
yesno12/17/07
I had a membership with Columbia House that I canceled at least 3 years ago. All of a sudden, I’ve received two catalogs in the past 2 months with an order card that states if I don’t mail the card back or go online to de-select the offer of the month, it will be auto-shipped to me. I returned the first card with large black print informing them I am not a member and do not send further catalogs. I just received another today. How can I get these people to leave me alone and not fraudulently bill me for merchandise I have not requested? This is mail fraud!
I don’t want to wait for the damages….I’m going to have to keep returning these cards or return DVDs when they show up.
Hammond of Castro Valley, CA
Helpful?
yesno12/17/07
Columbia House has continued to send me bills for dvds not received. Even when I canceled my membership, after fulfilling my obligations, they still continue to try to get money. They try to bill for ‘late charges’ also.
Jasmine of Powell River, OTHER
Helpful?
yesno12/17/07
I joined the club. Columbia House sent me a card after the first shipment for the featured selection. I did refuse it online,then I noticed they debited my account for the movies. I returned them the day they came, unopened. I have been waiting for them to refund my money, and they have failed to do so.
The money they debited made my account go to a negative, causing me to pay bank fees.
Jerri of Lexington, SC
Helpful?
yesno12/14/07
Columbia House took it upon themselves to use my credit card number to charge me for purchases that I didn’t ask them to charge me for. They charged me three days in a row. I called my credit card company and told them not let them charge me anything else. Then they sent me the movies that I didn’t want. I am having the hardest time getting my credit card refunded for the returned movies. They even charged me twice for the same movie.
I wouldn’t recommend Columbia house to anyone. They are crooks. They took over $200 out of my account. The customer service rep was real nasty to me , as was her boss Mr. Krause. I tried to find the number to the Greenville, SC office but it’s not listed. The numbers I have is for the Terre Haute branch. These people are nothing but rip off artists. I have returned all movies to them.
Aurelia of Matteson, IL
Helpful?
yesno12/14/07
I had joined Columbia House DVD Club in October 2007. The agreement was to buy 5 DVD’s at regular price in a year. They did an unauthorized transaction to my Visa Debit card as they charged it for the Directors Pick which I never even knew about. I never received an email nor mail from them regarding this. When I saw the charge on my online banking, I immediately tried to contact them; the phone number they give is automated, and it would not let me through to speak to a human being. So I have been contacting them through email. In the email I had told them that I did not authorize the charge, and I was unaware of the directors pick as I had not been notified of it. Someone emailed me back and said they put my request to cancel the order through, but my credit card still has not been refunded.
This unauthorized charge resulted in insufficient funds in my bank account when my bills were paid. It caused an overdraft of $90 in my account. I would have been fine until they Columbia House charged my card. Now through email they tell me that they are not responsible for my bank fees. I think they should be, considering they make it impossible to communicate with them through a human being and had I been able to do so, this possibly would not have happened. I am in a financial struggle right now due to a change in income and I do not need any insufficient charge fees taken out of my account. I think Columbia House Customer service is lousy, and they need to make it easier to contact them via telephone.
Tracy of Arnold, MD
Helpful?
yesno12/14/07
I recently purchased some movies from Columbia House. The offer was get five for the price one, with two more tapes at the regular price, within two years. I received my tapes, but not all the ones I ordered. I never received the other tapes but I did have $35 deducted from my account, without my permission.
Every time I call I keep getting the automated service.
Jan of Chicago, IL
Helpful?
yesno12/13/07
One year ago ColumbiaHouse continued to debit my bank account after I was finally able to close my account. This time without my consent, they appearely sold my Visa card number to another company and they too debited my account.This compamy could not even tell me what I supposely purchased. Is this illegal?
Marilyn
The account that was debit did not contain the funds.I have no idea what the bank paid for, but I was charged an overdraft fee. I am on a fixed income with social security and cannot afford this!
Marilyn of Colorado Springs, CO
Helpful?
yesno12/13/07
An account was set up in my son’s name by a classmate. The account had a different address, that was actually a neighbors’ house.
Upon getting a call from the neighbor that told me he had received a package for my son, I tried contacting Columbia House but the only number is for an automated and not a live person.
The account that was set up has a balance of $5.35 due and is obligated to purchase 5 more DVD’s at regular cost totaling over $100.
Thomas of Linden, NJ
Helpful?
yesno12/12/07
I have been enrolled in a Columbia House DVD Club without my consent and very much against my will. I can find no way to get in touch with them to cancel my account, and I am afraid to ‘log in’ as they might use that against me. What can I do?
Heather of Columbia, SC
Helpful?
yesno12/10/07
I bought two DVDs from Columbia house that I was exicted about getting. I was willing to pay $77.00 for both but they did not arrive after a month of looking for them. I contacted them about this and they said they would send them again but they would pay for one of them and I would be refunded for the other. I did get the orders but did not get a refund for one of them. After emailing them for what seemed like forever, they said that they would pay for both of them and refund me through the credit card. I am still emailing them about that but I think they are ignoring them now. This has been fustrating as they keep giving me a hard time about the refund and it wasn’t even my idea about the refund. I am about to cancel my membership but I want my refund and I don’t know what to do. I wish I had never even gotten involved.
Laquinta of Mccomb, MS
Helpful?
yesno12/6/07
I was recently a victim of identity theft by Columbia House with my credit card. There was absolutely no way I could get hold of a living person without an account number. So I couldn’t call to let them know that it wasn’t a valid charge and to please remove that card from future use. I finally reached a girl who said to email them @ dvd_customer_service@columbiahouse.com., but after reading all of these complaints I am worried they will never respond.
Ryan of Clinton, WI
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yesno12/5/07
While reviewing my online bank statement I recently came across two consecutive charges from Columbia House for equal amounts of $25.94. Neither my husband nor myself has ever had an account with Columbia House or any of its affiliates. I attempted to contact Columbia House through the phone number that was provided on my bank statement and found myself calling an automated number. The number could only help me if I knew my Columbia House account number–a tad difficult to find since I never opened an account with them. I opted to email them, explaining my situation. I received a return email the next day providing me with the same phone number that was strictly automated and required an account number. They also gave me the option of sending in my bank statement for them to review! Can you imagine: Columbia House can not provide me with the number of a live Customer Service Specialist or provide me any information, but expect me to mail in my personal bank information to a PO Box in Indiana and trust that THEY will handle things for me?
I immediately called my banking institution and filed a claim through their fraud department. My husband and I are canceling our Visa debit cards–the only way to move forward with the fraud complaint and assure that Columbia House does not charge us again. Thank God I regularly check my online bank statements. $51.88 could go unnoticed, and this company could have continued to steal from our family without consequence. I definitely encourage anyone who has experienced something similar to contact their banking or credit institutions and file a Fraud Complaint. Columbia House MUST be held accountable for this type of behavior. It is personally violating not to mention–illegal!
Amanda of Aurora, CO
Helpful?
yesno12/5/07
I cannot find anything online from Columbia House that is worth having, and they still send videos even though I have mailed the “Do not send” notice to them. I will try by phone one more time before I start litigation to stop them from sending their trash my way.
Don of Calgary, OTHER
Helpful?
yesno12/2/07
The DVD club charged my credit card without my consent and continually sends me videos after I have rquested them not to do so. I called and spoke to a customer service rep requesting that they remove my credit card number and never automatically charge it again. I was told you have to refuse the directors selection by email and no dvd will be sent but I refused a selection and still received another one. Please help in getting these concerns addressed.
The economic damage that resulted was my account was overdrawn once because I had not anticipated that these charges would post to my account. I endure stress worrying about if I missed an email from Columbia house to decline and if they will automatically send out a dvd without my permission or arbitrarily charge my card again.
Yvette of Williamsburg, VA
Helpful?
yesno11/29/07
I have been trying to cancel this membership because they keep claiming that I need to fulfill my membership by ordering one movie at regular club price and getting others on discount. I should have fulfilled my membership a while ago but now they say that I have only 2 credits towards my membership fulfillment. They have charged my account three times in a row for movies not ordered and I am sick and tired of this. They are well kno don’t want to change my account but need someone’s help on cancelling this membership before they take anymore money.
The amount of money taken is $25.94 twice, $59.94 once and now there is a $35.94 charge for something that isn’t even showing up to show me what movies this time. I don’t have money to give away.
Virginia of Augusta, GA
Helpful?
yesno11/29/07
This is the second complaint for Columbia House. After all I’ve been through with Columbia House billing me for videos I didn’t receive, and I have been now receiving DVD’s which I have returned and with over 6 emails telling them that I had enough of their business and that they were crooks. I now get an email saying I did not honor my contact and now I owe them for 2 DVD’s. This company needs to be shut down. I have contacted them again telling them to stuff it! There are many complaints in here about that company, and they are still going. WHY?
Diana of Algoma, WI
Helpful?
yesno11/24/07
Colombia House sent me a DVD in the mail, saying I’d signed up for a service. They sent a package that implied a trial offer. I never explicitly signed up for any service and don’t know where they got my information. That first DVD I kept, and paid them, expecting they would stop. I was shocked when they sent me 3 more DVDs, unsolicited. I sent them back w/ a letter of cancellation and wrote to NOT try to bill me for these. But they did, and they are now trying to collect, despite not having kept the DVDs I returned to them! This is just outrageous! Pathetic!
They’re trying to get around 50 dollars from me for a product I returned and never asked for in the first place. They’re threatening me w/ a bill collection agency! This is appalling!
Matthew of Austin, TX
Helpful?
yesno11/19/07
I cannot get in contact with Columbia House customer service and don’t even know what is my account number. please call me
Joaquin of Hayward, CA
Helpful?
yesno11/18/07
My mother unwittingly became a member of Columbia House. Somehow they decided she is a member, unbeknown to her or anyone else in the family. She tried unsuccessfully for an hour to talk to a human on their consumer relations number. She wrote a letter stating this ‘misunderstanding’, requesting a cancellation. (I’m still baffled by the concept of canceling something one’s never signed up for.) Now we’ve received notice that she owes them $89 for canceling and not fulfilling her purchase agreement. After recovering from the outrage I felt upon learning of this absurd scandal, I called consumer relations myself–to no avail. After the experience of calling various automated systems that led to nowhere I emailed a complaint to the company. However, I’d like this to be on record in case they do not respond in a reasonable and timely manner. Thank you and hopefully all will be resolved.
Lynn of Mayville, WI
Helpful?
yesno11/17/07
I entered into agreement with Columbia House. They did not send all of my selected items I wrote to them by email and they asked me to tell them which DVD’s hadn’t gotten. I asked them if they could email me a copy of my purchase and I would tell them which ones I did not get. They sent me absolutely nothing! however, they are withdrawing money from my account monthly. I have tried to email them on several ocassions and get no response.
Anne of Taunton, MA
Helpful?
yesno11/14/07
Recently I received a letter from Nor-Don Collection saying that I owe Columbia House $43.88! I tried to get a hold of customer service. IT is always automated service (no answered person). It is frustrating me. I returned dvds to them but they forced me pay 43.88. If I didnt pay, they will send it to collection agency right away.
Tony of Elk Grove, CA
Helpful?
yesno11/10/07
I had an account with Columbia House (CH) and did cancelled after I bought the required amount of DVD for a certain price. My account was cancelled months ago and in October I received a the same DVD I purchased from them months ago. Now they are charging me another fee for the same thing after my account had been cancelled. I called the automated number listed on my bill but to my suprise there aren’t any customer service HUMANS available to help me understand why this fee and DVD occur.
Shenena of Washington, DC
Helpful?
yesno11/9/07
On Nov 3 2007, my account was charged $65.81 by Columbia House. I have no idea what this charge was for. When I tried to contact them, I got an automated answering system. I tried to sign into my account, but it was suspended and only allowed me to make payments–for what, I don’t know. Something needs to be done with this company
Courtenay of Kannapolis, NC
Helpful?
yesno11/4/07
Today I saw that Columbia House DVD took $25 out of my checking account. I canceled my account after I fulfilled my obligation (and then some) about a year ago.
The credit card I used back then has long been canceled, so now I’m wondering how they got my new information. It scares me that they got into my checking account without my permission.
I went to the web site hoping there was customer service info but it’s under maintenance.
Sandi of Ft Thomas, KY
Helpful?
yesno11/2/07
I joined Columbia House in 9/07 and made some introductory purchases with my credit card, and with the knowledge that within one year I needed to make 4 more dvd purchases. However, they have taken it upon themselves to charge my credit card at will for additional purchases that I had not ordered nor did I receive.
I have emailed and called several times. They have responded saying that I gave them permission to charge my card for future selections even if I don’t choose them. I ask, “who would agree to something like that?”
They apologized in an email and deleted the transaction and later I find that they went back and recharged my credit card for the same amount three days later. I feel that they have breached our contract and that I should be allowed to cancel membership without fulfilling any obligation to them.
Tangie of Philadelphia, PA
Helpful?
yesno10/30/07
They keep sending me DVDs I didn’t order. I finally canceled but there is NO way to talk to a person to get credit for the items returned.
Anna of Greenwood Village, CO
Helpful?
yesno10/30/07
I cancelled my membership with Columbia House a few months ago. Now my account is being charged again twicw a month for DVD’s that I’m not receiving. They will not speak to me nor give the name of or allow me to speak with their Supervisor. Someone has changed the address on my account, but of course left it in my name with my billing information.
The funds are coming out of my checking account which is causing me financial issues and resulted in NSF earlier this month.
Dana of Waterford, CT
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yesno10/26/07
Someone opened a Columbia House account with my name in 2002. I received a letter from NCollection Service on Sept. 20th, which was the first I’d heard of an account with Columbia House. Email after email to Columbia House got me no where, and the stuff they did tell me did meant nothing to NCS about the balance I owe them. BUT…I have found a number not automated like CH’s number.
The lady’s name is Shana and she’s in customer service. Her number is: 317-542-6421 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 317-542-6421 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Wendy of North Lewisburg, OH
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yesno10/24/07
I received a bill statement from Columbia House, and when I pulled out the contents there was a broken, dirty piece of metal in it.
I called the police & the post office, but no one could help me with this matter. When you call Columbia House you get an automated service. So, I can’t even tell someone about this issue. What if one of my kids opened it and was hurt? Take precautions before opening your mail.
Charron of Utica, NY
Helpful?
yesno10/23/07
I never joined Columbia House. They started sending me CD’s. I returned two packages with a note to stop.
I just found out that my credit report now lists an “Account in Collection” with Columbia House for approx. $160-$200. I cannot reach them. I don’t have an account number and their contact (800 262-2001 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800 262-2001 end_of_the_skype_highlighting) asks for one. On the internet BMG is listed as the company to call. I called them at 317-692-9200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 317-692-9200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. They say they have nothing to do with Columbia House.
Brewster of Brooklyn, NY
Helpful?
yesno10/16/07
Recently I received a letter from Nor-Don Collection saying that I owe Columbia House $79.01! I recalled that a year ago I got another collection letter from another collection agency asking for $49 for membership with Columbia House. I felt this was nonsense, all of it, because I am not a member nor order anything from this company, Columbia House.
Just like a nightmare to me–how can people like Columbia House do business like this?
Kentin of Vancouver, OTHER
Helpful?
yesno10/7/07
I keep on geting charges on my bank account even though i never set up and account with Columbia House. When I called I got a machine, so i e-mailed them to stop. When they replied they said they were canceling my account. This was in April or May of 07. It is now Oct. 2007, and I am still being charged.
These charges go against an account I don’t use often or keep that much money in, so it ends up putting me in the red. Then i get charged delinquent fees. This makes me look as if I’m irresponsible with my money.
Richard of Pembroke Pines, FL
Helpful?
yesno10/6/07
In order to close my contract with Columbia House so I wouldn’t have to buy any more dvd’s, I paid $72.24 and was sopposed to be able to buy dvd’s up to that amount. After I paid for them I received 3 certificates that entitled me to buy 3 dvd’s at $19.95 each. Along with the certificates, I received a 2-page flyer showing what I could purchase. I am 64 years old and I am disabled. On these very few pages of choicest here is not even one dvd that I like. After a dozen e-mails back and forth one rep. said I could buy a dvd of lesser value, but I would have to pay the certificate price. I was not aware of any of this when I joined this rip-off company. I live on very little money and wish I had used better judgment joining this so-called “club”, but it is hard for me to get out to make many purchases of any kind. I am not supposed to be under stress of any kind, and to me this is a lot of money and it has become very stressful. I have e-mailed them several firm e-mails telling them I was not going to be bullied into buying just anything.
As I described, I am not supposed to be under any stress, & $72.24 to me is a lot of money, not counting the monies I had already spent with this Columbia House.
Bertha of Smyrna, TN
Helpful?
yesno10/6/07
I filled out a contest to win some movies and Cd’s. Although I didnt finish and I didn’t receive any email stating I had won I recieved a CD and few weeks later. Then in another few weeks I received a DVD. I had to pay for shipping on each of these packages. Every few weeks I get a movie or a CD that is sent to me and I have to pay for it and I do not want them anymore. I didn’t win anything so Columbia House should not be sending me anything and I do not want anything to do with that company.
Becky of Lennox, SD
Helpful?
yesno9/26/07
I have been in the DVD club for 2-3 yers and about a year ago, I wanted to cancel, but I could not find out how. I finally did. On their website, they say to cancel call this number. 1-800 262 2001. You listen to the first menu, press the 5 for more options and then 5 to cancel account. Then enter your account number and you finally get to talk to someone. They offer you a few other offers, say no and they say it is canceled and give it 48 hours to take effect.
The lady said you might get 1 or 2 more mailers, but ignore them, I’m paperless so i’ll just respond no on the emails and hopefully my account really will be canceled.
Neal of La Jolla, CA
Helpful?
yesno9/24/07
I belonged to the Columbia House DVD club for some years and long since fulfilled my membership obligation. I decided several months ago to quit after they messed up my account.
CH sent me one of those invitations to cancel my membership, start a new one, and get several new movies; but when I sent it in, I got a reply saying I was not eligible. After that, they left the old one open and somehow started a new one, so I was getting duplicate mailings.
I emailed them resigning my membership. They ignored this and continued to send me mailings. I sent all the videos back unopened, and called their automated customer service line and told them I had already tried to resign. They continued to send me videos and bill me. I sent them a certified letter, and got a return receipt back. I got another bill.
It appears they’re calculating that if they pester people long enough we’ll just pay them to get them to go away.
James of Albuquerque, NM
Helpful?
yesno9/14/07
I canceled my account months ago, but I am still getting DVDs and my Visa card is being charged.
I want my account with Columbia House closed!
Joseph of Baltimore, MD
Helpful?
yesno9/12/07
I received a letter from National Credit Solutions collection agent stating that I owed Columbia House DVD Club $153.92. I fulfilled my purchasing obligation and canceled my membership about 10 years ago. In fact, I purchased more DVDs than my obligation. I couldn’t prove it because I don’t keep my credit card statements for 10 years long (who does?).
I called National Credit Solutions and tried to find out the facts. They refused the details. All they have is my name and SSN.
I feel this is a fraud.
Tzuchang of Hackensack, NJ
Helpful?
yesno9/11/07
Today, I received a statement from a lawyers firm that I owe Columbia House DVD club or Music $126.02. I have never received anything from this company because they asked for a credit card on line, which I did not have at that time and I did not further my information to them. How can I owe someone something if I never got anything from this company. I have call them and tried to call Columbia House but you have to be a member to recive information or a telephone number to call them.
Lelia of Jacksonville, FL
Helpful?
yesno9/5/07
I have fulfilled my obligation long ago and canceled my program but they are still billing my account. I cannot talk to an individual and nothing I have tried to do has stopped them thus far. My bank wants me to say my card is lost or stolen and get a police report before I can be reimbursed.
Charles of Lufkin, TX
Helpful?
yesno8/29/07
I received a collection notice from Nationwide Collections, Inc. for a debt to Columbia House in the amount of $105.82. I did have an account with Columbia House, but it was a different account number.
I called Nationwide, and apparently a whole block of these debts were sold by Columbia House with the Federal Governments blessing. As a result, my only recourse seems to be, pay the extortion money or have my credit dinged.
I have tried to contact Columbia house to no avail. I have also tried to contact a company called AIS Services that seems to be involved somewhere. Also to no avail.
Les of Boston, VA
Helpful?
yesno8/29/07
I joined the club, have more than fulfilled my obligation, am currently still with the club but will soon cancel which apparently won’t matter from what I have read.
They have reported me to a collection agency claiming I owe them $200. CH has consistently over-charged me and they have not sent a proper billing statement showing my payments. I have tried to call but cannot get to an actual person.
Debra of Dayton, OH
Helpful?
yesno8/14/07
I received a notice from the post office regarding a package. It was a set of DVDs, as well as two envelopes that had a list of more DVDs for “members”. I have never signed up with Columbia House or asked for any of the DVD’s that they sent. The envelope does not have a forwarding address nor a contact phone number, so we thought it was a free gift (my husband and I do not even like the selection they have chosen for us).
We are now being charged $101 for membership and some other DVD we supposedly got.
Maria of Richmond, CA
Helpful?
yesno8/14/07
In April this company had an interesting TV promotion: Buy one season of Stargate SG-1 and get the season 2 for free, only $29.99 plus S&H. I ordered on-line the DVDs but before sending me anything, not even a customer account #, I was deducted from my bank account $97.40 as it was also included another season of the show.
I sent many emails complaining to only receive the automatic response You will be contacted soon by a Customer Representative.
Gustavo of New York, NY
Helpful?
yesno8/14/07
I received what appeared to be a DVD from Columbia House. I have never ordered or even been near a site which would authorize this. (I AM SURE)
I had a bad experience with Columbia with CD’s about 20 years ago and trust me I would never have anything to do with them. I received an invoice for $5.00 and now another for $8.00. This is out of control and I sent the DVD back immediately.
Deby of Littleton, CO
Helpful?
yesno7/31/07
This company has refused to have a rep contact me to explain exactly what I have joined. They also refuse to stop sending me DVDs and charging me.
They keep threatening to report me to collections. All I want is someone to contact me so I can resolve this.
Anthony of Neptune, NJ
Helpful?
yesno7/27/07
Over the past few months, my family has received bills and actual DVDs from Columbia House. Nobody in my family has ever requested membership or purchased any products from Columbia House, and I have stated this to them by returning their products and sending them letters to that effect. They never replied to any of my letters, including one in which I stated that I would seek legal relief from harassment and fraud if it continued.
After receiving another mailing from them this week, I began calling their 800-number, but it is so automated that it took me 3 days to finally get through to a person. In Argentina.
Finally, a compassionate soul connected me with a Company official who said this: “Columbia House/DVD and CD has been the victim of fraud against their company in the form of illegally solicited memberships. They have taken care of future occurrences, but are working to satisfy the need to eradicate bills and accounts of consumers who have been victims in this situation.”
A defrauded consumer can call the 800 number on their bill and get to a person (whether in the US or Argentina), and the consumer who has never requested membership WILL receive customer service to their satisfaction. She proceeded to resolve my situation, and asked that I let others know that they apologize for everyone’s inconvenience!
S of Charlotte, NC
Helpful?
yesno7/27/07
I accepted a membership with Columbia House (4/2007). I had to purchase 4 more DVD’s, regular price, within the next year, in order to fulfill my membership. However I am receiving DVD’s that I did not order, about 1 every three weeks. My checking account is being credited for the amount of a DVD that I didn’t order or knew I was getting.
I have now fulfilled my membership in less than 3 months with DVD’s that I would not have ordered. I have tried to contact customer service, what a joke. I have tried their e-mail address, this is also a joke.
Yasuko of Clayton, OH
Helpful?
yesno7/24/07
Few months ago I got a DVD from columbiahouse.com with a invoice of $5.00 to pay. But I haven’t signed up for their membership to my knowledge or ordered any DVD.
I returned the package immediately. After few weeks I received another dvd, which I returned again.
But now I got a “Service Alert” letter saying that I owe an amount of $5.00 to columbiahouse.com and if I won’t pay, I will be directed to national consumer reporting service.
Ganesh of Gaithersburg, MD
Helpful?
yesno7/21/07
I canceled my membership with columbia house in April, 2007 and paid them in full. I got a call today from a collection agency that said they represented columbia house and I owed them $108. They refused the details.
Robert of Maysville, GA
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yesno7/20/07
My husband received a “final notice” statement saying he owed $60 in late fees for a movie membership he never signed up for.
I’m currently having difficulty getting a live body. They’re stating if I don’t pay this amount, they’re going to report it to the credit bureaus.
Cynthia of Haltom City, TX
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yesno7/20/07
I received an unsolicted DVD in the mail. I do not have an account and I did not order it. I have been unable to find any human to speak with and so I gave up. Now I’ve receievd a late notice with a late fee for something I never wanted or ordered in the first place. I see that hundreds of other people have had same or similar experiences. When will this company be dealt with?
Ninette of Chatsworth, CA
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yesno7/11/07
I’m constantly receiving dvds even though I’ve fulfilled my obligation and cancled my subscription. You can’t talk to anyone and they don’t answer e-mails.
Garry of Trenton, NJ
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yesno7/11/07
After I canceled my membership with the company I recieved a bill for a dvd I recieved the same day. I sent back the dvd, wrote “cancel” on it and the next I hear a collection agency has the account!
I don’t owe Columbia House any money and yet they still sent my account to a collection agency.
Sandra of Milwaukee, WI
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yesno7/1/07
I have received a letter from National Collections that I owed them $106. I don’t remember opening an account with them and for pete’s sake, I have never received any bills before I got this collection!
Is this scam or what?
Riza of Elk Grove, CA
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yesno7/1/07
About two years ago I joined the club and got the free dvd. I ordered my 2nd dvd along with another movie, but I only received one. Last month I got a letter saying I had to order three dvds to fulfill the membership and then last week I got a letter saying if a didn’t order I was going to be sent to collections.
That was 5 days ago and now I get a collection letter and I have to pay for a service I didn’t get.
Anne of Brooklyn Park, MN
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yesno6/28/07
I agreed to get a couple of movies free. All I had to do is buy 1 movie at regular price. All of a sudden I’m getting hundreds of dollars taken straight out of my checking account!
I called, got the run around, told them I did not want any more movies sent to me, and if I wanted something I would call them and tell them. And I told them not take anything out of my checking account.
When I approved it the first time that was a 1 time thing, not a 2 and 3 times a month deal!
Roger of Dillonvale, OH
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yesno6/28/07
I fulfilled my membership obligation with Columbia House DVD last year and cancelled my membership. They suddenly resurrected my membership two months ago without my knowledge and began charging my credit card $25.00/mo. I thought I had broken clean with this company without collection letters you read about and other horror stories. This time I have an account page on-lien with them that says the account obligation was fulfilled.
Cheryl of San Francisco, CA
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yesno6/28/07
I fulfilled my membership obligation with Columbia House DVD last year and canceled my membership. They suddenly resurrected my membership two months ago without my knowledge and began charging my credt card $25 per month.
I thought I had broken clean with this company without the collection letters you read about and other horror stories. This time I have an account page, on-line, with them that says the account obligation was fulfilled.
Cheryl of San Francisco, CA
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yesno6/28/07
I did the 5 DVD’s for the low price of $12.95 or something like that. Then you agree that you will have to buy 1 movie at regular price within a year to meet your contract-ok, not a problem. A month later, I get a letter from my bank saying that my account was overdrawn so I check my online account and here CHDVD withdrew $27.50 for a movie that I never even heard of nor AUTHORIZED for them to send me.
I try to contact the company regarding this issue and you can NOT get a live human- being on the phone-its all automated and it redirects you to their web address. SO, I sent an email regarding my concern. In return I got a very generic email back saying that they cancelled my account and I would be charged full price for the 5 movies they sent me in the special deal. Two days later they withdrew another $93.10 from my account again overdrawing it.
Aja of Lebanon, PA
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yesno6/27/07
I received an unsolicited copy of some ridiculous movie and an invoice for $5.00. I finally was able to talk to someone. She stated that I, or some mysterious person, signed me up to the program. This was a complete lie.
Chip of Walled Lake, MI
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yesno6/27/07
I joined the club about 4 years ago. I didn’t receive two of my free dvds (never did get them) and when I only had one more dvd to buy, I didn’t do it fast enough and was turned over to a collection agency for $21.
The collection agency calls every other day. They have you call them back and if you are lucky you won’t get hung up on. I have paid the bill, but I ‘m still getting the calls. When I tell them it’s paid, they hang up on me and call 2 days later.
Ronald of Des Moines, IA
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yesno6/19/07
I did not subscribe to Columbia House, but they sent me a DVD to pay $5.25. Okay, to avoid problems I paid, but later they sent me another DVD and this time the bill said that I had to pay $24.95. I did not pay this one because I did not order it. Later they sent me a letter, through another company, telling me I had a delinquent account. So ok, I paid the $24.95. Today I receive another DVD, and my account is now $77.82!
Jose of Vancouver Apt. F, WA
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yesno6/19/07
Without our permission they send us a DVD with bill of $5.35. You try their 800 number but nobody will pick up.
I tried 1-812-466-8636 (phone number for Columbia House Management) and spoke to a rep. She told me that the membership has been canceled immediately & they will send us prepaid return envelope to send the DVD back.
I hope this will help others.
Amal of Iselin, NJ
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yesno6/19/07
Columbia House send me a introductory package along with a bill of $5.43 and a dvd movie that I never ordered.
I called the 800 number and immediately canceled the account. I received a statement from CH confirming they had canceled my account and then billed me for $53.09 ($5.43 and $47.66 due on the contract).
I have never requested anything from Columbia House, no movies or agreed to any contract.
This is one of the most annoying experience I ever had.
John of Plainview, NY
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yesno6/12/07
I found a package on my front step, so I opened it. It was a movie and a bill saying I owed $5.
I immediately called Columbia House, however I could not speak to a human being. I sent an e-mail asking to be removed and all bills be waived. The e-mail I received back told me that all bills were waived and I was off of their mailing list.
Hopefully nothing will happen in the future, but they did sell my name to other companies and I have received other bills.
Patrick of Dedham, MA
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yesno6/12/07
On January 19, 2007, I sent a check for $21.59 for a DVD to fulfill my obligation for the DVD club. Shortly after that, I received three DVDs with the same title.
I sent CH an e-mail notifying them of their shipping error and returned the two extra DVDs. On 2/13/07 CH rep reponded to my e-mail apologizing for the error and confirmed that I had completed my purchase commitment.
Then, last month I received a Membership Service Alert indicating that I needed to send a payment of $15.42. Again, I responded via mail and e-mail explaining that I had I already fulfilled my commitment. On 6/12, I received a statement saying they are processing my request for cancellation but that their records indicate that I have not fulfilled my purchase agreement AND that they are assessing me for late charges because of the overdue status!
Lu of La Puente, CA
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yesno6/12/07
I received a DVD in the mail that I did not purchase, as well as a bill with a subscription/ obligation that I never applied for, nor did I want.
I asked them to remove my name, and advise in writing that this account is closed. The customer service number listed on their site does not allow me to cancel or speak with a live representative.
Ross of Deltona, FL
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yesno6/10/07
I received an unidentified package that contained a DVD and a bill stating I had joined Columbia House DVD Club. I never joined the Club, in fact I do not have a DVD player.
I returned the DVD to its’ South Carolina PO Box and indicated on the bill what I have stated above. I also called the 800 number but was not able to talk to an individual so I chose the option to cancel the membership, though I had not joined the Club.
I just received a bill for canceling the membership!
Steven of Laguna Woods, CA
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yesno6/9/07
Just like all of these other people, I received the box in the mail with a DVD, a welcome and a bill for $5.41.
I returned it with a note stating that I did not order the DVD, didn’t have a DVD player, and not to send me any more.
I have now received a bill for $52.91, with a couple of options: 1. I can order the remaining DVD’s all at once by paying the regular price (who know how much that is), plus shipping, processing and tax, plus the past due amount of the tape I returned or 2. I can reactivate the membership and continue to receive the DVD’s for the membership period for $52.91.
Shirlee of Frisco, TX
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yesno6/9/07
CH sent me an unwanted dvd thanking me for joining their club that I never joined. The bill with the dvd didn’t even use my full name so it was a dead give away that it was some sort of scam.
I tried the 800 number – that was a joke and a waste of time. I believe I was able to cancel the unwanted membership but the automated system says I owe for the 1 dvd plus 2 more!
Mark of Alexandria, VA
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yesno6/5/07
I received a DVD from them that I did not order. They are saying I owe them $5.30. I realize that is not a big amount, but I don’t want something I did not order.
Linda of Paoli, IN
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yesno6/4/07
I never ordered this CD or DVD, they got my address and email from the internet and sent me the DVD and bill.
It was so difficult to speak to their customer service to cancel the account. I’ve spent so much time dealing with them, but I know I have to as I want to keep my good credit report. This website is very helpful. Thank you all.
Li of Jamaica Plain, MA
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yesno6/4/07
I wrote CH a letter because I could not talk to anyone. I did not order the DVD of Forest Gump and did not join the club.
I do not even own a DVD!
They sent me a letter wanting me to sign a form saying I experienced a problem with the DVD I ordered. I did not order it and will not sign the form for that reason.
Jean of Rapid City, MI
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yesno6/3/07
I received a DVD from Columbia House that I didn’t order. I’ve never been interested in joining any DVD club, and I’m being charged $5 for the DVD.
Donita of Gulfport, MS
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yesno6/3/07
I opened a box that I received via USPS that was marked only with a return address of Service Center. Inside was a $5 invoice with a DVD and a introductory membership to Columbia House DVD.
It’s a brilliant scam. You can’t get a human on the phone 800-262-3001 to ask them why they sent you this dvd. You will however be told you owe $5 when you enter your unsolicited bogus membership account number trying to get through.
My advise is to mark the box “Rejected-Return to Sender” and mail the unopened DVD movie back ASAP. Take a picture of the marked box for proof. You should also send an email to qjdu@columbiahouse.com to complain and refuse membership. Don’t stop there. Go to your States Attorney General’s website and print the consumer complaint form then fill it out and mail it in or email it. You may even want to attach this forum’s 100+ complaints in your letter. Then go to the United States Postal Service website click on Contact Us to send them a complaint by email (Postal Procedures-Legal Decisions) for mail fraud.
Beware: Columbia House has and will turn you into collections. A collection on your credit report will drop your credit score 20-50 points. Good Luck!
Doug of Edmond, OK
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yesno5/29/07
I received an unsolicited DVD from Columbia House in the mail today and was told I owed them $5.00. After repeated, frustrating attempts to talk to a CSR (which is impossible) I hung up and emailed them.
I read up on mail fraud laws with USPS and I marked the package “refused” and am going to put it back in the mail tomorrow morning. I think this is the worst consumer fraud.
Cheryl of Chantilly, VA
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yesno5/29/07
I received a package in the mail today. It was a DVD from Columbia House and stated I owed them $5.41.
I called the 800# but was unable to actually speak to a person. I did cancel the account but they claim I owe the $5.41 for the current DVD and that I am responsible for paying for 2 full priced DVD’s.
The problem is I NEVER opened an account with Columbia House. I want no part of it!! They are making it very difficult to cancel and correct the situation.
Maureen of San Angelo, TX
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yesno5/29/07
I received a CD in the mail, without having requested anything like this and neither did I have any contact with Columbia House at any previous time.
I tried in vain to contact them by phone and thru their website as well as Email. No success.
I’m 82 years old, on Social Security, and I do not intend to pay any of the charges levied against me.
Roger of West Warwick, RI
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yesno5/29/07
I received a package with a DVD in it from Columbia House today. I did not join their club and do not want to be part of it. I tried to contact them, however when you call their customer services number all you get are recordings and no way to talk to someone. I don’t know where they got my name and address from.
Christine of Acworth, GA
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yesno5/26/07
We received not only one but two packages in the mail from Columbia House. One in my name and the other in my wife’s name.
I, in NO way, ordered or signed up for this nor did my wife. Of course there was a bill in both and a “your next DVD will be coming soon”.
I called the 800 number and NO WHERE was an option to talk to a REAL person.
Gary of Rome, GA
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yesno5/25/07
I found a package at my door with no company name on the outside. I opened it to see what it was and I found a DVD (that I would NEVER order), envelopes with more offers for dvds, and an invoice welcoming me to the club. I NEVER joined the club… NEVER ordered ANYTHING from Columbia House.
This is definitely a scam!!! I tried calling the customer service number, but there was no way to speak to a live person… this is so FRUSTRATING!
Shirley of Clifton, NJ
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yesno5/23/07
I received a membership # to CH dvd club along with a dvd. I have never joined or contacted Columbia House and don’t know how they got my name or address.
I am very concerned about the inability to reach anyone to cancel this.
Leslie of Bethel, CT
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yesno5/23/07
Received DVD package on 5/22 from CH saying I joined, but neither my wife or I did. I tried calling but like others couldn’t talk to a live person. Sent blistering email that night and told them I was going to report to my state’s BBB.
CH answered my email on 5/23 telling me they were canceling my membership, deleting any monies owed, and would send me a return postage label to return the unopened DVD.
I am concerned about getting future bills from CH and having our outstanding credit adversely affected.
Gary of Stratham, NH
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yesno5/23/07
I received a DVD from Columbia House. I never applied, opened an account or ordered a DVD.
I could not contact an indiviudal to speak with on their line or a web site to issue a complaint.
Edward of New York, NY
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yesno5/23/07
I received a DVD with an invoice in my mailbox last month. I was charged $5 for the DVD I never ordered.
I cancelled my “so called” membership through a number on the invoice. I received another bill today, after a month, stating my due payment is $48.88.
I don’t understand why on earth I should pay for something which I didn’t order. And why don’t these people have a customer care representative?
Prasad of Amherst, MA
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yesno5/22/07
Received a box in the mail and opened it thinking it was something I was waiting for. Lo and behold it was a DVD that I did not order and a statement from CH claiming I owe them $5.
I called the 1-800 number but there was no way to speak with anyone.
Mary of East Windsor, NJ
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yesno5/22/07
On 5/21/07 I received a shipment that I did not order. When I tried to contact their customer service department I could never reach a live person. It was a loop.
I put the package back in the mail with a note to let them know that I did not order and not to send anything more. Now I guess I wait to see what happens.
Peggy of Hollywood, SC
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yesno5/22/07
I had been a member for over a year and had no problems whatsoever. I didn’t need the service any more so I called and cancelled my membership.
The next day I received an email welcoming me to their club as a new member! I then tried to cancel by email, then got a number to call, but only got a recorded voice system. The machine said that I would receive a statement for billing on the movies I was supposed to order to fullfill my purchase obligation!
Now this morning there is a box, with a movie, on my porch and a bill from Columbia House.
Melinda of Mount Morris, MI
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yesno5/22/07
I received a package by USPS and I opened it not knowing. I absolutely never ordered or submitted a request for anything from CH.
They are pulling our names off the Internet somehow, and like many of the other complaints, I tried calling CH and all I got was auto voice responses. I will be contacting California Consumer Fraud.
Michael of Palm Desert, CA
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yesno5/21/07
Columbia House DVD sent a DVD to my residence that I didn’t order. They are sending these statements to my address, but not my name.
I sent all materials back to CH and told them I didn’t order this DVD, but I got a bill for an Intro Package of $5.00 plus $47.94 on contract.
Les of Nashville, TN
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yesno5/20/07
I have been a CH member for about a year. I started getting calls from a collecton agency saying that I owed Columbia House DVD $46.99. I have not ordered anything.
I have asked for them to mail me a statement but have not recieved anything.
Amy of Thornton, CO
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yesno5/15/07
I joined the club and bought all the dvd’s I was suspose to. They then started sending dvd’s I did not order.
I would go on line and respond that I did not want the selection of the month and they would send it anyway. I keep sending them back. I have sent a letter asking them to cancel my membership. That did not work so now I am going to send a certified letter.
They have me locked out of my account. I can only get to the payment screen.
Linda of Dayton, OH
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yesno5/15/07
Received a DVD that I did not order. Called them and got caught in a loop. Cancelled the service by automated phone and returned the DVD to them.
Sent them a certified letter. It has been 2 weeks and I have not received the receipt for the certified letter, but I received a letter 5/14/07 (dated May 4) saying that I have not fulfilled my purchase agreement. Now they want $51.93.
Suzanne of Loves Park, IL
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yesno5/14/07
I am so happy to see other letters about this company. I received a dvd in the mail that I did not order.
The only number listed with the DVD is automated and I could not get in contact with an actual person. There was no number for the company in Indianapolis and the NYC number just rang and rang.
Marie of Brthel, CT
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yesno5/14/07
They set up an account, forwarded a dvd with an invoice, with no authorization or order on my behalf. There is no one to talk to to straighten this out.
I have already spent too much time in trying to contact them. I have to spend additional monies in returning this dvd and certifying any correspondence related to this.
Since I have no intention of paying for something that I did not order nor intend to keep, my concerns stem around my credit, which is excellent at this point.
Nicolina of Cedarhurst, NY
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yesno5/14/07
An account was opened in my name without my knowledge. Although I have sent and they have responded to 4 separate emails, they continue to send emails and ship DVDs.
I am not interested in the product. I have no desire to be held responsable to returning or paying for unwanted DVDs. And I am not interested in taking a credit hit for failure to meet club obligations.
Paul of Atkinson, NH
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yesno5/14/07
I received a box in the mail with a DVD and charge for $5. I am not a member, nor have I ever called them for a products.
Their invoice also indicates I will be charged a late fee of $2.00 if not paid within 30 days.
Fred of Norwalk, CT
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yesno5/13/07
I received a package by USPS and I opened it thinking it was a part that I was supposed to get for an appliance under warranty. The box had a return address as Service Center, PO Box 1900, Greenville, SC 29390.
Like many other complaints, I tried calling CH and all I got was auto voice responses. I will be contacting Wisconsin Consumer Fraud.
Linda of Denmark, WI
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yesno5/12/07
I received one dvd in the mail and I did not order it. I sent back the bill with a note saying this was never ordered and to cancel.
They sent me a bill for $48.88 and as of May 4, 2007 they say they are going to report me to a national reporting agency. What a scam!!!
Cathy of Grosse Pointe Park, MI
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yesno5/12/07
I received an email from CH DVD Customer Service on 5/7/2007 with the subject line: “Your order is on its way”. When I replied stating I had never ordered anything from Columbia House, CH DVD replied that they had indeed received an application from me.
When I asked to see proof of such an application, Columbia House responded with “Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a copy of the original application you submitted”.
My account shows a balance of $5.00 for a movie I never ordered.
Kevin of Grand Junction, CO
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yesno5/12/07
I got a letter in the mail from Columbia House stating that I owed them $97. I told them I never orderd anything from them and they said they would take the charges off. That was about 4 months ago.
I just looked at my credit report and low and behold its on there!
Tonya of Austinburg, OH
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yesno5/12/07
I received a bill and dvd today in the mail. I never ordered anything. I called customer service and could not reach anyone. If I cancelled I would be charged with 2 more.
I found the site on the columbia house scam and some numbers other people had luck with, but when I called no one picked up and I was referred to the same number I tried before.
I haven’t recieved my credit card statement yet but how did they get the number?
This company should not be aggravating so many people.
Theresa of Stamford, CT
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yesno5/11/07
In reading the complaints about Columbia House I too am one of the recipient of a box delivered to my home. Inside I found a DVD that I did not order, so I retaped it and put in back into the mail box with return to sender.
Now I am receiving order packages in the mail and a statement that I owe $5 for the DVD plus $3.00 dollars late fee and another $43.88 for two more DVD’s that is due on the contract.
It seems this company is playing games with people and the only way I can figured that it happened is on the surveys that sometimes come up on your E-mail.
Edna of Acworth, GA
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yesno5/11/07
My daughter received a package without a sender name. There was a DVD with an invoice. My daughter did not order the DVD and contacted the number listed on the invoice but was unable to speak with anyone. However, there was a recording that mentioned she will be charged the regular price of two DVD’s for breaking the commitment. I have also tried to contact over an hour trying the different options but there was no way to speak to a representative.
I went on Columbia House’s website and that option was not available either. There is no way that my daughter will be coerced into paying for something that she did not order nor signed up for. I will be sending a letter to the address as advised on this website. Also, I am contacting one of the local investigative reporters from a San Diego news station to help put a stop to this activity.
P of Honolulu, HI
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yesno5/9/07
I received a package in the mail with a DVD and bill enclosed. I have never joined the DVD Club and have no desire to do so. I returned the DVD with a letter saying so but now continue to receive their timed offers. If I don’t reply they will send the DVD. I have tried to contact them by phone with no results.
Carol of Canastota, NY
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yesno5/8/07
They automaticly charged my daughter’s debit card that was not on my acct (she had her own acct) then would not return the money to it. My daughter had to call her bank and they refunded the money because they could not get hold of anyone at Columbia House. I confirmed with Columbia House that I had a credit on my acct. then a few months later they send me to collections for the amount they have a credit for. They stole my daughers money and now sending me to collections.
Joyce of Loveland, CO
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yesno5/4/07
I received a small box in the mail with return address service center po box 19004 greenville,sc 29390. I opened the box and there was a unrated movie with naked pictures and the word nudist on the back naked men running down a beach after a girl. I would never order such filth!!!!! Then there is a bill for $5.00 and a $3.00 late fee if not paid. I have attempted to call the 800# but you never speak to anyone just a recording , I have tried to find a number and each one I find its the same thing no person just a recording even when I say Im canceling the recording says I must pay the $5.00 plus pay for 2 more movies at full price. I never ordered anything from them never signed anything or gave my permission to join a club or anything.
Jill of Niles, MI
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yesno5/4/07
In my mail yesterday evening I found a box without a company name on it or any indication of what was inside, so I opened the box. In it were two sealed envelopes and a DVD from the Columbia House DVD Club. On the outside of one envelope was the statement: Welcome to the Columbia House DVD Club And on the other envelope was: Thanks for joining the club.
I did not join the club or request any DVDs from Coloumbia House. In fact, I had been a member of the Club several (4-5) years ago and canceled that membership several years ago (with much difficulty). So I knew that Columbia House was not a reputable company to do business with and wanted no part of the club. Over the years I have received several letters and emails trying to get me to rejoin – all of which I have ignored.
When I realized what was in the box I opened, I was upset because I couldn’t simply reject it at that point. I went on the internet to see how I could get in touch with Columbia House to make it clear that I do not want to be club member and to find out how to return the materials in the box without cost to me.
I found this 800 number for customer service – 800-262-3001 – and when I called it, I kept getting caught in a loop that would not let me speak to anyone in person and would not deal with my issue. In fact, in the one loop, dealing with canceling the membership, which I never agreed to to begin with, the recording stated that I would be responsible for paying for two more videos at their full price. So, unless this is resolved quickly, I will be billed by Columbia House for the membership and two more videos – at a cost of around $60. I cannot find any way to get in touch with someone to stop this fiasco, and I do not want to get caught up in this mess.
Joseph of Seven Hills, OH
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yesno5/4/07
I joined the Columbia House DVD Club online. I used a debit card and made sure that all correspondence was to be by mail (USPS). They ignored it and never sent anything by mail except the DVD’s. They also sent me one DVD I did not requested and automatically charged my card.
On May 1st, I discovered there was another order pending against my card. I called customer service and was assured that the order was cancelled and would not ship and that I was removed from auto-payment, which I had never authorized. On May 3,2007 I discovered that the dvd had shipped and was charged against my card. Between the two orders, there are nearly $60 unauthorized charges against my card.
Caroline of Plantersville, TX
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yesno5/3/07
I was sent a movie I did not order from this company. I want to now how to get rid of the bill or not receive the movie at all.
Cynthia of Santa Ana, CA
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yesno5/1/07
My two year old son has received a Final Notice from Columbia House. It says that he owes $48.88 for something that we never ordered.
I got the DVD in the mail and returned it. Now they are about to report a two year old to a collection department!
There is no way of contacting this horrible company except by paying them money. You can’t speak with a live person on the phone it is only a recording.
Mylinda of Clarkston, MI
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yesno5/1/07
A few weeks ago I got a box in the mail from Columbia House. I’ve heard of their scam before, they send you a box, you open it and then have to pay for the contents. So, I wrote “return to sender” on the box and gave it back to the postman.
On 4/30/07 I received a bill for $8, $3 of which was for a late fee. I attempted to call the customer service number on the bill several times, but it’s all automated.
I’m concerned this will hirt my credit rating and am hopeing to fine any info or a phone number to a live person that will allow me to deal with this situation. Help!
Maura of Stamford, CT
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yesno4/30/07
Same story, I received a DVD with a welcome to Columbia House packet of literature. I never joined this club or ordered anything. Called their 800# and the only automated option was to cancel the acct and I will be billed for more DVD’s that I never ordered to begin with. Also emailed their customer service dept.
Lisa of Webster, TX
Helpful?
yesno4/30/07
I received an e-mail indicating a DVD has been sent to me. Our address is shown as the mailing address and there is an order number, selection number, etc.
We have not had dealings with Columbia House for at least 10 years, maybe 15. Having read the others’ compliants about Columbia House, we are fearful of the consequences. We anticipate a lengthy and tedious process to get this scam resolved.
Denice of Keizer, OR
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yesno4/28/07
I received a bill from Columbia on 4-20-07. I have never signed up for anything at this company, nor do I have any idea how they received my information. I have tried numerous times contacting them by phone, but you cannot even leave a message. There is no live person EVER available, so I haven’t been able to resolve this issue.
I mailed back the DVD and all the information (expect for the bill) along with a letter saying that they had to cancel the account. I’ve called them over ten times trying to cancel the account and each time I call, the account is still active.
Courtney of Wevertown, NY
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yesno4/24/07
I joined the club online. I selected a number of introductory DVD’s and agreed to the terms of membership. A month or so later a received a reply card, on which a DVD is ‘picked’ to be sent to the customer, and you must say yes or no, send or don’t send it, and you mail the card back. I received two of these like I was a member of the club, and mailed them back. I never received the introductory package, so on the second card I requested an order be sent.
They sent me a card stating my account had been placed on hold until my account balance was paid in full. I was leery to send them the money when I had not received any merchandise from them, just cards to send back. They then sent me an invoice for eight dollars. I went ahead, against my better judgment and sent them the money, thinking at least I could get the order I wanted.
Now I received a bill for an additional eleven dollars, one dollars in late fees and they say my membership privileges have been suspended. They have still not sent any merchandise and will not tell me what this bill is for. When I look at my account information on their website, there is no evidence of them ever shipping anything to me.
Angela of Pawhuska, OK
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yesno4/21/07
I received a bill from Columbia on 1/10/07. I have never signed up for anything at this company. I have no idea how they received my information and where/who these DVD’s were sent to.
I have tried numerous times contacting them by phone, but you cannot even leave a message. There is no live person EVER available, so I haven’t been able to resolve this issue.
My husband received a call from a collection agency the other day, but they do not have any information. I have not checked my credit reports yet. I am afraid that this has affected our credit rating.
Alida of New York, NY
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yesno4/15/07
I keep recieving dvd’s I didn’t order. In fact, I call the automated system to decline the director’s selection but they keep sending it anyway and charging my checking account.
My checking account keeps being charged.
Carolyn of Oklahoma City, OK
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yesno4/13/07
I received an email welcoming me to their DVD club and a second email the same day with shipping information.
I’ve never been to their website to order anything, nor have I joined their club.
Jessica of Levittown, PA
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yesno4/12/07
I notified Columbia House through their website several months ago that I wished to cancel my account. I received email confirmation of my cancellation that said to ignore all future mailings.
Approximately two weeks later I received a regular monthly mailing, which I ignored as instructed and discarded. Several weeks later a DVD arrived anyway. I submitted a second cancellation via Columbia House’s website along with a message that I had already cancelled this account and received yet another confirmation. After receiving notice that my (non-existent) account was delinquent, I returned the DVD in its original shipping container.
On April 9, 2007 I received a collection notice stating that my unsatisfactory account has been reported to a national consumer reporting service, which will retain this informaion for up to five years. The notice went on to say If you ignore this notice, your account may be referred to an outside collection agency.
Dan of Alpharetta, GA
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yesno4/11/07
MY mother became critically sick, she had a stroke unable to effectively communicate, so whereabouts on info pertaining to membership info is impossible. We have been trying to reach columbia house to cancel membership/account, however there is no contact # or email or person to speak with for help
Ingrid of Philadelphia, PA
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yesno4/10/07
I recieved a bill for services rendered and did not even join the club and they are billing me.
Dennis of Baltimore, MD
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yesno4/6/07
I have never signed up for anything at this company. While in the process of purchasing a home, I discovered that Columbia House has placed a collection account in the amount of $68 on my credit file. I checked my credit 2 months prior to this and this collections account has significantly lowered my credit score. I take great pride in paying my bills on time and maintaining my credit, so this really upset me. I have no idea how they received my information and where/who these DVD’s were sent to.
I have tried to contact Columbia House several times and the 1-800 numbers are all automated, so I haven’t been able to resolve this issue. Buying a home is stressful enough without having to deal with fraudulent information being reported on my credit file. I did send letters to all 3 credit companies, so hopefully that will resolve my issue however; something needs to be done about this company. How can this company charge people for items they never received or for that matter never ordered and then make it impossible to contact someone within the organization to resolve the issue.
Holly of Chesapeake, VA
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yesno4/6/07
The last time I had any dealings with Columbia House was 3 years ago when I closed my account. This week I received a letter from a collection agency threatening legal action if I did not pay $34 to Columbia House. In the last 3 years I did not receive one invoice, bill, itemized list, or courtesy call informing me that I owed them any amount of money. More to the point, now there’s a black mark on my credit report for money they claim I owe them, despite being told I had filled my membership obligation, and had a balance of zero dollars at the time of closing my account.
Craig of Madison, WI
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yesno4/6/07
I had a similar situation with this company today, but I actually HAD an account with them. They cancelled my account after one year, when it should have been two, and then tried to charge me for the movies that I never ordered to fulfill my agreement. I had only ordered one….and this was even messed up, since I had tried to change my credit card information with them on the website at least three times, and the changes would never process correctly, meaning that they were continually charging a closed account for the ONE movie that I ordered in January 2007.
Nicole of Colorado Springs, CO
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yesno4/4/07
I just got a call from my mortgage broker and she told me Columbia house has a delinquent debt on my report for $56.00 dollars. I have never used them or signed up.
They are ruining my credit. I have never ordered from them.
Brian of Cranberry Twp,, PA
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yesno4/4/07
Back in 2004, I received a letter of completion from Columbia House. I began returning every DVD and CD they sent me after that. While cleaning up to move out I guess about 6 months later, I threw it away. BAD MISTAKE!! Now here it is 3 years later and I find out that they have turned me over to a collection agency for $65.82.
I had to pay this debt to avoid any more damage to my credit rating.
Columbia house has been unreachable and the crackerjack collection agency they use gave me a fictitious website to go to make a payment and the 5 digit extension they gave me to contact them is what I am to use in a phone system that only accepts 4 digit extensions.
Elizabeth of Roanoke, VA
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yesno3/26/07
I have never had an account with them and a week ago it showed up as a deliquent accoumt on my credit report for $69.99. I can not contact anyone at their company in New York, I have multiple messages and no one has returned my call.
This has impacted my credit report my dropping it by 30 points!
Hannah of Fort Lauderdale, FL
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yesno3/20/07
I cancelled my subscription to the DVD club and they sent me a movie anyway. I sent it back. They then sent me a bill and I wrote back stating that I had returned it.
I received a bill today and a notice that they have sent me to the consumer reporting agency for a bill of $2.99!
So, not only did I not order the CD, they billed me for returning it, and then turned it over to collections with no warning.
Jennifer of Dayton, WY
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yesno3/18/07
I checked my credit report and there is a $86 collection from Columbia House. I have never signed up for this and have been deployed for the last 7 months.
This can cause me to lose my security clearance in the military.
Bryan of Apo, NY
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yesno3/16/07
Anyhow, I did not sign up for this club, never received anything from this club, until I received a bill from them in the amount of $93.04 stating I did not fulfill my contract to purchase 4 DVDs at regular club price and that they were sending me to collections if not paid. I made a $25.00 payment towards the balance to try to get more time to resolve the issue! I then contacted them again, no answer, just another bill, I then made another $25.00 payment & attempted another email, no answer! I finally gave up & paid the total balance to avoid collections, therefore they owe me the 4 DVDs that I just paid $93.04 to fulfill my contract.
Jaime of Orlando, FL
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yesno3/7/07
While a member they charged me and sent dvd’s that I declined. Despite email confirmation of the decline. When I could not find selections I wanted the company charged my debit card without notice or authorization. They never disclosed that they would do this if I did not complete the requirements under the contract. Since I did not know these charges were being assesed it caused several overdraft charges they claim they are not responsible for. After much back and forth with numerous customer service reps they finally told me I had four completion certificates. When I tried to inquire as to how they work I recieved the same canned response that did not address any of my questions.
At one point they admitted a mistake was made in regards to my account but would not tell me the nature of it even when I directly asked for an explanation. I had to ask three times how much the company owed me in products and when I finally recieved the answer I was livid. Instead of honoring the monetary value of what I purchased the company insisted I can only redeem the certificates for one dvd each. The dvd’s I’ve selected are far less than the While a member they charged me and sent dvd’s that I declined. Despite email confirmation amount they charged me. Now I’m being forced to either purchase products I don’t want or take a 50% or more loss on the products I do want.
I simply want products equal to the same amount they charged me. Dealing with them has been extremely difficult. They switch me from one rep to another and I am forced to explain the situation over and over again. No one ever gives me a straight answer even when I directly ask the same question repeatedly. Columbia house’s business practices are shady at best and their customer service is deplorable.
Salvatore of St. Louis, MO
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yesno3/6/07
I received a Delinquency Notice from RMCB on behalf of Columbia House for $11.99 for DVD which I never received. I have been out of the country for almost a year and have not received their products. I have tried to call them, which is next to impossible to get a person to talk with about this.
My fiscal reputation has been damaged because they have sent this account to collections. All this for $11.99, which I will pay today to defray frustration of having to contact them. Perhaps this is exactly what Columbia House is aiming for.
Giselle of Tacoma, WA
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yesno3/6/07
I received a phone call from a Babytobee.com customer service agent a few weeks ago. I turned down all of her offers except the offer of a free video. What a MISTAKE that was!
I had no idea that this “free” video was through Columbia House. I have now paid $5 for the FREE video and immediatly knew I had been taken for a ride. I then cancelled the membership (which I never joined). The most recent turn of events is they sent me a bill for $43.88 stating I did not fulfill the purchase agreement saying that “When you joined the Club, you agreed to buy a specific number of selections during your membership period”.
I am worried sick. I have never had a credit issue and don’t want to pay for a service or product that I never agreed to.
Alison of Wake Forest, NC
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yesno3/4/07
I have been getting billed from Columbia House for products that were never shipped or received. I have emailed the company several times as per their request but I have got no response, I am now getting billed for late charges also.
Ash of Denver, CO
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yesno3/1/07
I had an account in 1999. I honored the required numbered of purchases. I requested they close my account in writing, but they continued to send me unsolicited CDs. I sent each shipment back without opening them. Columbia House would send me bills and I sent them each back with a note explaining I had closed the account, and sent the product back unopened. The last bill was for $103.44.
Last month I received a bill from Credit Collection Services again, who state that Columbia House had sent my account to them for collections again.
Veronica of Sunriver, OR
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yesno2/21/07
I recently received a collection notice from Columbia House telling me that my account is past due and if I do not pay the bill I would be sent to a nation wide collection agency. The letter then goes on to say they have already sent me to a national consumer reporting service.
I requested that this account be closed as I filled my committment with Columbia House over 9 months ago. I am now being charged for product I did not receive. I am absolutley FRUSTRATED with this company.
Manuel of Santa Maria, CA
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yesno2/21/07
My 90 year old mother has never ordered anything on the telephone in her entire 90 years, not even a pizza! She never owned a credit card. She resides alone.
She told me in tears that she was in trouble. She received a bill for DVDs from the Columbia House. She didnt know what a DVD was and had no idea why she was being billed. She said it sounded like a naughty disease. A lady friend of hers had to explain to her not to throw away the bill but to call me.
My mother is very frail and was emotionally upset. I told her not to worry and that I would take care of it. I located this site and will send a letter to the address you provided.
Harry of Willowbrook, IL
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yesno2/20/07
I was on Babytobee.com. They were oftening free baby bottles so I click and filled out some info about myself. By the end of the form, I decided not to continue so I close the web site.
And few days later, a girl from Babytobee.com call and said “Thank you for signing up the free baby bottles”. I told her that I cancelled and I’m not interest in it anymore because I was giving out too much personal information. She said ‘that’s ok, I’ll cancel it out and still send you the baby bottles’.
A few weeks later Columbia House sent out the first DVD. I returned it and wrote CANCELLED, I DID NOT ORDER ANY DVD’S on the invoice. Columbia House wrote back saying “We have received and processed your request for cancellation. Our records indicate that you have not fulfilled your purchase agreement. When you joined the Club, you agreed to buy a specific number of selections during your membership period”!!!
Now for me to get out of this I have to pay $52.42 to end the membership for something I did not sign up for, nor receive any their DVD’s.
Shaari of Pleasant Hill, CA
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yesno2/19/07
Columbia house sent a shipment about three months ago. I sent it back with instructions to cancel my membership. I haven’t heard from them so I assumed that it was taken care of . They have charged my checking account and are still shipping their merchandise to me. The consequences of their actions have caused my checking account to bounce another check.
Jamie of Savannah, GA
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yesno2/11/07
A solicitor called to see if I wanted any DVDs. I told him “no, that I only order on the web page”. A supervisor called 3 days later to see if I actually wanted the movies. I told him that I told the other person “no” that I only order on the web page. The supervisor said he was sorry but the shipments were on their way.
I returned them and they credit my account. Then here comes another movie in the mail today (1/31/07).
I cancelled my account the first week of Jan.2007 and they are still sending me movies. I have sent them emails and they will not repond. I call the phone # 1-800-262-2001, and that is all automated. This is the 4th time they have done this to me.
Mary of Mechanicsville, VA
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yesno1/31/07
I had a membership with Columbia House. I believed my contract to be fulfilled and never renewed it. I recently received a notice telling me I was deliquent with payment and needed to select my final two dvds. I tried to make my payment and selections and was then forwarded to a representative. I held for 45 minutes with no response the first time and 30 minutes the second time.
So I tried the website which gave me no access, with the exception of making a payment. I then received another notification in the mail telling me it was going to collection. So I was forced to make a payment on the website to close out the account.
I can’t find anyway to make selections or confirm that the account will be closed to prevent having to deal with this again. I find myself to be a fairly rational person but this is inexcuseable to me.
Jon of Tampa, FL
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yesno1/25/07
I have been taken advantage of not once, but twice by Columbia House. As with the numerous other persons, I am being charged with videos I never recieved and this is reported to all credit bureaus.
If this were not bad enough my 14 year old son got an intro package in the mail. I immediately returned the dvd. Now my son continues to get invoices with late charges piling up on a product I have already returned. No contact can be made to this company due to automated voices and incorrect e-mail addresses.
Christy of Mayfield, KY
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yesno1/25/07
I was sent an invoice for 90.00 saying that I ordered some movies. This is totally false…I have been deployed and TDY so I know it wasn’t me…I have not been able to speak with a represenative or anyone regarding this because it is an automated system…
Reported to the credit agencies all 3.
Tammy of Augusta, GA
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yesno1/17/07
They wrote a collection notice on Dec.8,2006 which I received on Dec. 22, saying they will report my unsatisfactory account to a national consumer reporting service and this info would be in a file for up to 5 years and that I owed 109.70 because my 5 years was up and I did not buy 5 DVD’s. I emailed them and said Iwanted a copy of my contract. Because mine I have at home, I signed up in Feb of 2003 and only needed to buy 3 DVD’s. You can’t talk to any one on the phone and they do not answer your emails.
On Jan 5,2007 they mailed a final notice letter which I received on Jan 16. Saying they would refer me to a national collection agency,if I did not pay $109.70. I have never received any other letters than these 2 in the last month. I told them I would like to buy DVD’s if I am going to pay that much for nothing in return but they do not answer my email.
Bonnie of Hesston, KS
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yesno1/16/07
I recently received a notice saying my membership obligation had expired. They were going to report me to a consumer reporting agency if I did not send them $70 for the balance of my obligation. They said they’d previously contacted me (never received the notice) and that I had to fulfill my obligation. I sent in their notice along with my 3 selections and credit card information. I received one selection in the mail and it said ‘other activity’ in the amount of $49.
I tried to reach someone on the phone impossibility) to discuss the statement. There was no information regarding the other selections. The next day I received a “Final Notice” stating they’d turned my account over to a collection agency and that I still owed them $49. When I logged on to my web account, my account balance was $-1.81 and I had NO access to any information since the account had been closed.
A. of Round Rock, TX
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yesno1/16/07
Columbia House sent me an unsolicited DVD of Scareface with a bill for $5.36. I already have Scarface in my collection. I live by myself so I know it did not get ordered unless by someone else.
If this is nationwide as I suspect the Attorney General should be made aware of all these scams. Some people would pay this and get tied up in their web.
I’m not paying a nickle and if they ding my credit so be it. If i need my credit i’ll explain this scam.
Michael of Garden Grove, CA
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yesno1/13/07
I tried to use my FUN CASH ($29) just before it expired on 12/31/06. No where on the site could I find the Fun Cash button (which days before had been much in evidence) that would send my selection to that cart.
I’ve sent several emails to customer service asking that the FUN CASH be reinstated because this was their problem on their web site. I have been stonewalled, including denying me access to a manager’s email address to continue my complaint up the line of supevision.
Donna of San Lorenzo, CA
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yesno1/10/07
We found a charge for DVDs from Columbia House our on credit card which we never ordered. Someone frauduently opened an account using our name and credit card number. The credit card company put the charges in dispute status.
Then I received a postcard from Columbia house stating they are going to charge my credit card for 5 DVDs unless I respond to do otherwise by 1/27. When I tried to call there is no way to talk to anyone. When I try to cancel my acct the message says that in order to do that I must pay full list price for the 5 DVDs that are my fulfill committment.
It is ridiculous that there is no way to cancel a fradulently opened account or be able to talk to a live person to fix this issue.
Steve of Concord, CA
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yesno1/6/07
They say I have an outstanding balance of $109.00. I have yet to even buy anything from them. I got the free DVD’s in the beginning but have always responded to my emails (about buying any of the monthly director’s cuts) with “no thanks“. And I couldn’t even get a phone number off the website because my access was limited. I know my mom contacted them one time about a charge and they gave her a credit, so I know there is some way to talk to a real person.
Sherry of Conyers, GA
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yesno1/6/07
I’ve belonged to Columbia House DVD club for several years; they sent me a DVD selection notice in December 2006 for “Talladega Nights”, which I declined on the phone through their automated call center. A few weeks later in Jan. 2007, they sent me a DVD of “Superman” which they never sent me a notice or order form on, and debited my checking account as they have my debit card number.
I tried to call them (I sent the DVD back the first week in January) but the voice menu options are designed to prevent you talking to a human being. I tried the website but I can’t get far because they won’t accept my password even on the first registering. I want out of the club and want to stop them from debiting my account without having to close it. Help me – these people have their hand in my pocket and they send things they don’t give me a choice about now.
They now have $25.00 of mine which they may reimburse me in my checking account, but they might again debit it for a selection I never ordered or was informed about and given a chance to decline.
Sheila of Beaverton, OR
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yesno1/5/07
For the last few months I had been trying to access my account online, but I forgot my password and did not have my account number handy. I began the search looking for a number where I can discuss this matter with a real person and not a computer. I even sent an email back to the automated emails I receive asking for help. The return reply to my email was that they will see what they can do. I have yet to hear back from them.
Recently I received a letter explaining that I still owed $43.88 towards my club obligation. Not only did the letter state that I owed this amount, but they also threatened to report this to a credit reporting agency. To resolve this issue I tried calling the number on the letter. However, when I tried calling all I got was a computer system. I am extremely frustrated with the professionalism and the customer service I have received from this company.
Beth of Vancouver, WA
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yesno1/5/07
They charged my card for 2 DVD’s that I canceled through their service. They started sending me collection letters even after sending certified letters indicating that I have canceled the credit card for non receipt of the movies. I have just sent another certified letter off to Fred Christensen, their CFO, explaining that I will NOT pay for movies I did not receive.
Joe of Glenn Heights, TX
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yesno1/5/07
I joined Columbia House about 4 years ago. They stopped sending me mailings after about a year. About one month ago, they sent me a notice saying that I had not fulfilled my membership obligation and that I owed them $70.59.
I sent them an e-mail saying that I would pay if they kept their end of the bargain and sent me the 3 dvds that they owe me for the $70.59. They said they would send me a catalogue to choose them. They never did. I received another mailing from them saying that if I didn’t pay, they were sending it to a collections agency. To add insult to injury, there is no way I can even talk to a representative, as they have no number other than an automated 800 number.
Rustee of Sherman Oaks, CA
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yesno1/4/07
I had been a member of the Columbia House dvd club. Near the end of my membership I received a letter advising that I had not yet fulfilled my obligations.
I tried a number of times to contact CH. Once I was able to talk to someone, I was told that, after rechecking their records, I had in fact fulfilled my obligation and to disregard the notice. About 4 months later I recieved a letter from a collection agency advising I owed $68 for failing to fulfill my contract! I disputed this a number of times but eventually paid the money because I have a perfect credit record and didn’t want a blemish on it.
Gina of Stillwater, OK
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yesno1/2/07
Columbia House is saying that I opened up an account with them and agreed to purchase a certain number of movies. However, never have I opened an account with them and on the bill it says my previously married name, which I have not had for over 2 years. They say I owe $109.70, which is outrageous! Never have I recieved anything from this company nor have I ever done business with them. The consequences that they are threatening me with is that they will send me to collections.
Kristie of Soulsbyville, CA
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yesno12/31/06
I quit their club a year ago. They made me pay them almost $70 for not fulfilling my membership requirement. Then they suddenly (within the past week) sent me two DVDs. I wrote and told them I was not a member. They had my new (3 mos) address, which I never gave them. They cancelled my account and now say I owe them for these two DVDs I never ordered.
I’m out $70 plus the $58 they say I owe for these two DVDs I never ordered. They will probably try to ruin my credit if I don’t pay.
David of Palm Beach Gardens, FL
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yesno12/28/06
Columbia house sent me a letter from a Collection Agency without prior notice stating I owe them $95.17 and I have 30 days to pay or this will be reported to the credit bureaus.
Andrea of Buffalo, NY
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yesno12/28/06
I have been a long-time customer of Columbia House and have 2 accounts with them. I recently received a bill stating I did not fulfill my obligation of DVD’s by one. They are threatening to turn me into collection. I have not received any other prior notification about it expiring. They only have an automated system for a phone number, no way of trying to contact them to resolve it.
I would have fulfilled my obligation if I had received notice but instead they closed my account and threatened to send me to collections without a way to talk to someone to resolve this matter. I am hoping that they will change their policies or make it easier to talk to someone to resolve conflicts. I have had to pay the bill so they will not ruin my credit. I have a great standing with all my creditors and don’t want this to become a problem.
Delania of Paradise, CA
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yesno12/21/06
Unlike some, I actually did sign up for an account and had 3 remaining movies to buy. I forgot about the account and recently got a threatning letter that I owe them $70.59. They say they reminded me my account was expired already and they are going to report me to a national credit agency!
This was the first notice I received, and of course, I never received any warnings BEFORE my account was about to expire. That would prevent them the fun of billing me for the movies without letting me buy them. Yes that’s right, now I cannot even purchase the movies that they want me to buy. I can only pay them the $70.59 they say I owe for the movies I didn’t buy in time.
There is no way to contact them since the phone system is automated and if you don’t make a selection it will just hang up on you. The only way to e-mail them is with a form on their site which they block once you enter your account number if it’s an expired account.
Jason of San Jose, CA
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yesno12/21/06
I logged in to my Columbia House account and found that, without warning, the account had been closed and $21.94 was due, even though I hadn’t ordered anything. I was given no prior warning that my that my membership requirements were in danger of not being fulfilled – even though they seem to have NO trouble sending me their catalogs.
I went round and round with them last January after they failed to send me a DVD I ordered. They claimed to have sent it to my old address, even though I had UPDATED my address. That was interesting, considering the catalogs themselves had NO trouble getting to my NEW address, but the Madagascar DVD that was SUPPOSED to be my son’s Christmas present took over two months to arrive.
Leslie of Fairfield, OH
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yesno12/20/06
I joined the DVD club several years ago, and never fulfilled my obligation. I have not heard from them in forever, and last week I got a letter stating that I owed them $87.76 otherwise they would turn me into a collection agency.
I went to the site to pick movies, but my account was deactivated. I am not going to pay them without getting the movies. I’ve tried emails and phone calls but have gotten nowhere.
Angela of Atlanta, GA
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yesno12/17/06
We recently received a bill for $70.59 and they are threatening collections. We have never ordered or received anything from this company.
After doing some research, I found a couple of phone numbers answered by live people who either hang up or routed my call to a voicemail system that either hangs up or takes a message. All of our emails, letters and voice messages go unanswered.
What I don’t understand is why Columbia House is still allowed to continue their current business practice.
Patty of La Mesa, CA
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yesno12/5/06
I have been a member with columbia house and have not completed my selection comitment. I am aware of this.
When I moved almost 4 months ago I gave them my change of address, received a confirmation via e-mail but never received any letters/catalogs to my new address. Now 4 months later, I am receiving a threatening letter stating that I owe almost $50.
When I try to call to discuss the matter it is impossible to talk to a represantative, I am also unable to access their e-mail through the web site because they put a block on it.
Adriana of San Francisco, CA
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yesno12/5/06
I had an account with Columbia House and met my obligations. Then my husband decided to join. Recently I was sent a bill for the movie “RV”, which I never requested. I called and stated that I didn’t owe the money and told them to cancel the account because we have a new one.
They cancelled my husband’s account , not mine and then they sent him a bill for “RV”. Two days later we got a bill threatening us with Consumer reporting service because the bill was deliquent!
Kathy of Nashville, TN
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yesno11/28/06
BMG Columbia House has reported my wife to a collection agency, and has sent a threatening letter to my home stating that we owe $70.05 on a delinquent account. Neither my wife nor myself have an account with Columbia House. The company that sent the letter, and now is calling, is NFS of Canada, located at 335 Ontario Street. About two weeks ago, Columbia House sent me an e-mail thanking me for opening an account with them. I never did anything like that, nor am I interested in doing business with this company.
After I received the e-mail, they mailed two packages to my attention, which I sent back to them unopened. This company is defrauding innocent citizens, lying about accounts that have never been opened, using Nazi style tactics to try and retrieve money that is not owed to them. We DO NOT have an account with this company! Please note there are three different addresses given on the documentation sent to our home, one of which is for Matrix Imaging Solutions in New York.
This is considered harassment, and unethical business practices by Columbia House, and has caused undue stress for myself and my wife.
Steven of Belle Mead, NJ
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yesno11/24/06
I received an unauthorized charge on my credit card from Columbia House for $65.82. I had not ordered anything from them. Now I am being told that since I had not purchased all of the movies in the allotted time that they simply placed that amount on my credit card and canceled my account. I was never even given the opportunity to request additional time.
Mr. of Kodiak, AK
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yesno11/24/06
About 5 years ago I ordered some movies from columbia house and I also finished my membership with them. They sent me, by mistake, 2 of the same movies which, of course, I did not order.
I phoned them about this and got it cleared up about 4 years ago, but now they are phoning me again claiming that I did not pay for 1 movie. This movie, which they sent by mistake, was sent back to them. I was told that my membership was in good standing and I no longer need to buy any more movies.
Why are they calling four years later to try and get the money for a movie that I did not order?
Evelynn of Winnipeg, OTHER
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yesno11/23/06
I had a withdrawl from my bank acct of $94.12. I tried to call Columbia house but I could never get in contact with anyone. I have tried to delete my account information on their website, but their system does not allow me to do that.
I face NSF fees from my bank for other legitimate bills I have paid for.
Lupe of Victorville, CA
Helpful?
yesno11/22/06
These guys sent me 3 DVDs that I did not order and billed me $83 without telling me. It is impossible to cancel your membership with them since their calling service is automated and has no option to cancel the membership. I think this company is one big fraud and it should taken to court.
Ananth of Philadelphia, PA
Helpful?
yesno11/22/06
Columbia House debited my account for $93.04 on 11/17/2006. I have had no transactions from them since February of 2006. I have fulfilled my membership obligation long ago. They are saying I did not. What I believe happened is that I got phished by a website and someone else placed an order…or Columbia House has turned fraudulent. Either way, fraud is being committed in my name. I used their online email to dispute the charge. Now my account is closed, and they are demanding the money.
I am being billed for something I did not order, nor did I receive any products or services. This unauthorized debit will create overdrafts.
William of Gettysburg, PA
Helpful?
yesno11/20/06
I tried to fulfill my membership requirements, but everytime I order a DVD they tell me that it doesn’t meet the standards. They keep shipping me DVD’s every month that I don’t want, and yes, I sent in the card to tell them not to. Now that I am down to one DVD to meet the requirements, they closed my account and I can’t order anything because you don’t get to talk to a real person. There is no customer service for email or telephone.
I am not paying them the $23 that I owe them. I want to order a DVD but ithey won’t let me. Absolutely the worst company I have ever dealt with.
Marla of Centralia, IL
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yesno11/20/06
They keep sending me the stuff that I didn’t order. This company is a fraud. I have unauthorised transactions on my credit card. This company have no ethics what so ever. I am seriously considering filing a lawsuit against this company for the frustration they have caused. I tried calling them. They have no live person answering the calls. They have set up this scam pretty well.
55$ worrth of money + Mental frustration of going through this crap!!
Surender of Pine Brook, NJ
Helpful?
yesno11/14/06
I was sent a package from this company stating it was my first order from their business. I never signed up for a membership nor have I ever done business with this company. In order for me to cancel my UNAUTHORIZED membership I am supposed to pay the cost for the first order, which I NEVER DID ORDER. If I send the package back I have to pay for the shipping. I do not make a lot of money and can not afford the shipping cost to send back the UNAUTHORIZED package. This is a scam and someone or some people should be put in jail for this.
Dwight of Santa Cruz, CA
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yesno11/14/06
I never ordered anything from Columbia House. I never received anything from Columbia House except a bill for $8.31
James of Crystal Lake, IL
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yesno11/9/06
Over a month ago I received a box of DVD’s that I did not order. (Never even considered ordering, never looked at their website, etc.). The invoice stated my mastercard would be charged. I checked my online account, of this card I have not used in 6 months, and sure enough they charged $27.00 to it. I have no idea how they would get this card number. I called them many times, and of course cannot reach a human voice. Finally I called new account services and she gave me an e-mail address and fax number. I sent a letter to both of these addresses. No response.
Two weeks later I sent a second notice. No response. Meanwhile I filled out a fraud report for my credit card, closed the account and reopened a new account with a new number. The fraud investigation from mastercard is pending. However, I just checked my new account and there is another charge on it!! This charge came in 4 days ago. Somehow they are getting my account numbers and this is a complete outrage. I am seriously considering legal action as well. I am in law school and am going to do some research on this matter. This is so frustrating!
Lindsay of San Diego, CA
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yesno11/9/06
In the mid 90’s I opened 2 or 3 accounts for Columbia House movie and music club and to my knowledge I fulfilled my obligation to them. Two weeks ago I got a letter from a National Credit Collection Agency, saying I still owed them around $40.
I called them to see if I could get the number for Columbia House, but the agency had no number for them and I have been unsuccessful.
Then a couple of days ago I received another letter asking me if I would prefer a sheriff show up at my work or at my home to give me a summons!
Rachel of Gillette, WY
Helpful?
yesno11/4/06
I placed an order for 1 movie and 1 game. I received an email stating that the game was backordered, and that I could cancel the order if I followed the link on the email. I did so, but it wouldn’t go through. I tried emailing from the “contact us” section on the website, no response other than “We received your email and will respond within 48 hours”.
That was a few weeks ago. I, of course, landed in “Phone Hell” using every number I could find relating to them. Meanwhile, I was billed for the game, and have not yet received it. I am sick to death of this company, and their total lack of regard for their customers.
I was billed $ 18.46 for a game I have yet to receive (and tried to cancel) and they have my debit card on file, which I WILL cancel before I let them charge anything else to it!
Cynthia of Chino Hills, CA
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yesno11/3/06
I have been receiving notices from Columbia House stating that I owe them $116.30 for an account and products I never authorized them to send me. I never signed up for anything with Columbia House. Columbia House in their letter to me failed interestly enough to leave a call back phone number so that I may speak with someone about this issue. In doing some investigating on line I have found that they have done this several people around the country. I am definatley intersted in taking legal action.
Columbia House has threatend to report me to a national consumer reporting service.
Justin of Reading, PA
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yesno11/2/06
My two children, ages 12 and 13, are being harrassed by Columbia House. They got a pop up on a site they were on, but when they found that the “free” DVD required a credit card, they exited the site. However, the company has been billing them for CD’s of which we have not received and even though I have cancelled these accounts, they continue to send bills.
I have written letters to no avail.
Angela of Aurora, CO
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yesno10/30/06
I went through a survey and obviously got tricked into becoming a member. I am very worried and anxious. I got the $5 dvd which I paid for and now, by checking my account, I find out that I now owe some $43, not having received anything.
Trying to cancel or talk to somebody is yet impossible to cancel my membership and end it all. I don’t know where this billing came from. I feel tricked and betrayed.
Morgane of Maple Grove, MN
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yesno10/30/06
I just received a box of DVD’s on 10-21-06 which I did not order. Invoice states my Discover card will be billed. I do not have an active discover card. Tried to contact service rep. Phone # I have is disconnected. Phone # on statement does not connect you with a live service rep. I have not been able to talk to anyone about this fraud order. I am also contacting Discover card. I do not want to be billed for something I did not authorize. Any suggestions? I think 1 complaint is too many for any business. I feel something should be done for Colomia House trying to take advantage of consumers and billing them and having to waste our time to clear their fraudulent business tactic.
Esther of San Jose, CA
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yesno10/23/06
Columbia House sent me a DVD I never asked for, enrolled in a membership I didn’t consent to. I’ve beeing trying to reach them, but there’s no way that you can speak to someone at the Customer Service line. I tried another phone number and it was responded by a rude operator that put me back into the line when I was trying to talk to him. I sent e-mails to Columbia House. Instead of addressing my concerns, they’re sending me their offers!
Ada of Yonkers, NY
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yesno10/19/06
I was billed $119.63 for not living up to the club agreement. They have locked me out of my account so I cannot choose the 5 DVD’s to cover the cost of my comittment. If I can choose my 5 dvd’s I’ll pay the cost, if not I’m not giving them a red cent.
It appears that this company has played this game on many club members.
Gail of Conyers, GA
Helpful?
yesno10/18/06
I have received a letter from a collection agency for DVDs I have never received and have never been sent a bill for. The collection agency has no telephone number that I can use to contact Columbia House.
I do not have any paperwork or trace I can use to dispute this claim since I never received any correspondence from the company prior to getting this notice.
S. of Dallas, TX
Helpful?
yesno10/17/06
I entered the Columbia House dvd club and soon after received a letter saying they had tried to bill my card four times for a movie I did not order.
When I got a phone call from them I informed them I never ordered the movie. I was called a liar and instead of helping me all the woman on the phone would do was try to sell me more dvds!
I told her I was cancelling my account and soon after started to receive statements for not only the movie I did not order, but a bill for $93.34 for more movies.
Scott of West Columbia, SC
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yesno10/9/06
I owe Columbia $58 for two movies I did not order. I have owed this for quite some time. They were just not a priority in my life. To get to the point….they call me everyday (3-4 times). I spoke with someone there and made arrangements to pay balance in two weeks by check. He called again and again telling me that the only arrangement he will accept was when you get your checkbook out and pay what you owe I told him the check will be sent in two weeks as agreed, he told me there is no agreement and he will keep calling my home until the bill was paid. When I told him that this is harassment, he slammed the phone down on my. Now, I’m not a lawyer, but to me this is harassment. I am very upset with how Columbia House handles collection. I didn’t get his name, but I am sure my account can be pulled up to see who calls me.
Madeline of Sewell, NJ
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yesno9/29/06
I had a membership from Columbia House and I have not ordered the movies per my agreement yet. They sent me a notice stating that I had to pay $116.30 now or I will be turned into collections.
I tried to call customer service but you can not talk to a person. You can not get past the automated system. I do not want to pay the $116.30 unless I am going to receive 5 movies per the contract.
Ginamarie of Apopka, FL
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yesno9/27/06
I have been billed for DVDs never received, I’m not able to talk to a human, and they sent me a letter saying I have not met my obligations, even though I have. I intend to send emails to any and all higher ups at Columbia House or their parent company BMG to see if there’s any response.
I think Columbia House is a house of deceit and bad business.
Nancy of Brandon, FL
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yesno9/27/06
Like most everyone else, I received a DVD I did not order. When I called the customer service number I was prompted through useless extensions. There is no way to talk to a person at 800-262-2001! A legit company would allow you to talk to a human. The only option they give you is to cancel and get charged for the 1st DVD and 2 additional DVDs at the full price.
I think this all started when I clicked on a free Gillette razor’ link.
To bid adieu forever to Columbia House, send a certified, return-receipt-requested letter to : Columbia House Service Center 1400 N Fruitridge Avenue P.O. Box 1131 Terre Haute IN 47811-1131 In the letter, simply say that you no longer wish to receive any mailings or offers from them. Be sure to keep a copy of the letter.
Ken of Wilder, VT
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yesno9/26/06
I ordered about $95 in dvd’s and received not one! But they charged my account.
When I called I accidently got a person (I’ve tried since and can’t get past the automation) but I didn’t know the exact amount of the charge so the customer representive would not check my last order. When I received the statement I called back several times but couldn’t get past the automation.
I called my credit card and asked to stop payment. They are investigating but Columbia House will not respond to them.
V. of Cleveland, OH
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yesno9/20/06
I CLOSED my account after satisfying my membership obligation. I have NOT contacted Columbia House AT ALL since cancelling my membership and paying my account in full, but I just received a DUPLICATE of my original introductory order, complete with ALL of the CDs I ordered when I joined, with a NEW MEMBERSHIP NUMBER!
Needless to say, I do NOT want another introductory membership and I do NOT want the duplicate copies of the movies I’ve already received! Further, my credit card has been charged TWICE now … once for my original introductory order and another time for this second, DUPLICATE introductory membership order!
What I want is simple: I want to speak with a HUMAN at Columbia House DVD club who can assist me with RETURNING the duplicate items, CANCELING this erroneous account and getting REIMBURSED for $44.28 that was taken from my credit card TWICE! *heavy sigh*
Coree of Fremont, CA
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yesno9/19/06
I enrolled with columbia house and somehow ended up with two accounts. I tried to cancell one which they would not allow until I had completed the full contract. I decided to just go ahead and pay it out to avoid a problem however the second account they sent unsollicited selections which I sent back and they claimed I did not pay them (even though I did and have proof via bank statements). Now I have recieved a notice from a collection agent threatening me.
so far I do not know what the consiquences will be however I do know because of their **** poor hours I will have to take at least one day off to deal with both columbia house and the collection agency
Melvin of Edmonton, AL
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yesno9/18/06
I enrolled a few months ago and by some error on their part I was given two account numbers. I noticed this when I received two mailings. I contacted CH on their website email and gave them the information. Silly me, thinking the problem would be handled. Today I received a collection letter!
I called the collection company and was told to contact Columbia House to clear up the problem. Well, it takes an act of God to contact them. I have to take a day off work to clear this up and I am spending way too much time trying to make contact.
Linda of Sterling, CO
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yesno9/11/06
I did not join Columbia House Dvd club, but I was charged $17.90 for dvds that I did not order.
I feel I should not have to pay for these as I did not order them.
Roger of Mesa, AZ
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yesno9/6/06
My daughter is 14 years old. Columbia House sent her a movie that she did not order.
I tried to call them, but I could not get hold of the customer service center.
Maryent of Olympia, WA
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yesno9/5/06
You really have to wonder about this bunch. I received a plain brown box in the mail, no specific biz name in the return address, just dvd service center. Addressed to me personally, and delivered to my work address.
What a deal, a DVD I didn’t order, from a company I have only heard bad things about. Upon trying to contact the collection of buffoons that operate this bogus company I was caught in automated phone hell – never to get out!
I found their real phone number here, and contacted them. I had the pleasure of talking to one of the rudest people I think I have ever run across in customer service (ya, there is a joke). She said “someone in your house had to have ordered it”. Too bad it’s only me, or maybe my hound did it? Then her excuse was that you must have clicked a popup on your computer – wrong. After a bit of a go around I finally managed to get her to say to return it marked refused on the box. We will see if this works, or I continue to get garbage (or a bill) from them.
Colleen of Pine River, MN
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yesno9/5/06
I received a letter from a collection agency stating that I owe $69 to Columbia House and that it was going to be put against my credit if I did not pay it. I attempted to speak to someone about the validity of the charges and did not receive a response. I did not want to ruin my credit over a $69 bill, but it seems like this is a common practice that is keeping this company running. Something needs to be done about this company and their unfair and unethical policies.
Matthew of St. Petersburg, FL
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yesno9/2/06
I received a bill for 2 movies that I did not keep. I sent the movies back the day they arrived so I would not be charged, but I received a bill for both movies.
There is no contact at Columbia House to speak to live – this is ridiculous!!!
Brandon of Oneco, CT
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yesno9/2/06
Colombia House is one corrupt, disorganized and IMPOSSIBLE company to deal with!!! I have been sent invoices for DVD’s I neither ordered or received. When you call customer service u keep hitting buttons and never get a live person to talk to — seems like they are actively evading calls. FRUSTRATING! I hope the whole issue is resolved fast.
Ann of Waterloo, OTHER
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yesno9/2/06
Someone called columbia house, ordered movies and charged it to my account and had the movies shipped to their address. spoke to Columbia house customer service manager who showed no empathy. She just bushed me off, like i was the criminal.
Someone now has all of my information and they do not care.
Niki of Detroit, MI
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yesno8/31/06
I requested to be a member of the club because they offered 5 free DVD’s with a purchase. They sent me the first DVD, which I did not ask for (their selection) and charged me $5.80. I paid it so since I had already paid for the 1st one, I decided to select what they were going to sent me, and order 2 DVD’s that I was willing to pay for (Pink Floyd & John Lennon).
They decided to send me a movie for $27.50 instead! I have been trying to contact Coulmbia House, but there is no phone numbers on the web-page and the phone number that appears on the bill, no one answers it.
I just received a new bill for $50+ because I cancel my membership on line which was the only way to do it. I just want them to sent me the DVD’s I asked for and stop sending me bills for what they want.
Salomon of Weston, FL
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yesno8/28/06
I have received a letter from a collection agency stating I owe then 100 for an unpaid account from Columbia house 5 years ago but they have no information as to what I owe the money for. The collection agency gave me my account # from Columbia House and told me to ask them but when I gave them the account # and my personal information they have no recollection of me ever being a member. If Columbia House is not showing me as ever having an account there why is the collection agency harassing me for an unpaid debt to them? also at the time I enrolled into Columbia House I was only 16 and in order to sign with Columbia House you need to be 18 years of age or older so they should not have even let me sign up in the first place.
Gloria of Hamilton, OTHER
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yesno8/24/06
Since moving to my new house in Nov of ’05, I have received numerous charges for DVDs that never arrived at my residence. I have received a flood of DVD catalogues from Columbia House, so clearly my address is registered in their system yet they continue to insist on having mailed DVDs to me that I have not received.
I have been charged over $200, most (but not all) of which was automatically charged to my credit.
Rachel of Richmond, VA
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yesno8/20/06
I signed up with Columbia House, under the impression I was going to get a Digital Camera – FREE. After three months…NOTHING! I contacted Columbia House and they said to contact their affiliated program (National Consumber Brands dot com). All emails returned undeliverable. I did a search but to no avail. The company had 2 web pages last archived in Oct 2005. Columbia House claimed I enrolled with them, therefore I am still obligated to pay the full membership amount, even if I cancel. This company should be audited and shut down for false promotions, in addition to being affiliated with a non-existent company to promote FREE GIFTS. I don’t know what’s worse?
Full refund or send my FREE Gift, plus all applicable professional and legal fees to whichever company can get these people to pay up.
Luan of Annandale, VA
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yesno8/18/06
My account was cancelled, with all obligations fulfilled but Columbia House has charged my account without my authorization. They refuse to refund me the money for a product that I have not received.
The money taken from me was directly out of my checking account because columbia house had my debit card number, this was clearly a mistake on my part. Luckily I had the money to cover the transaction however this has cost me many hours trying to get in contact with them.
Jacob of Goleta, CA
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yesno8/13/06
I was also the victim of Columbia House. I received a DVD in the mail welcoming me to a club I did not enroll in. I followed all the instructions to contact a representative at the phone number they published and also found there was no human being to speak with. I emailed the company and received NO response. I found another phone number in the collateral included with the package and finally selected enroll in the club where, amazingly, a person picked up right away. Unfortunately they weren’t able to connect me to a Customer Service Rep and they had no other number I could call.
I tried the number someone else had posted on this website only to find it now sends you to the Security Dept and they promptly put you back in the automated system hell you’ve already been to. So, I did some more research and finally found a list of contact numbers for BMG and Columbia House (FYI, they are one and the same company). I started with the first number on the Columbia House list and was actually sent to a service center with people. The number I used is 812-466-8402 and was helped by Leonard. I explained the situation and was also told they would send me a return label and cancel the membership. But I also kept pushing to make sure I was taken off their marketing list and that any pending offers were declined by the rep. I also told him I was going to this website to give out this number. I hope it helps.
Nancy of Anthem, AZ
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yesno8/10/06
I cancelled my order with Columbia House in early 2006. My corporation moved me to Columbia, MO.
I received a letter from Columbia House stating that I owe money for three movies that I never received. There is no way to contact them except to write to customer service and they never contact you back.
My account is about to go to collections and I am going to fight this all the way. I have fullfilled my memebership duties and cancelled my account a long time ago. I never ordered any movies. I think this is fraud!
Danielle of Columbia, MO
Helpful?
yesno8/10/06
I have NEVER applied or bought anything from Columbia House and I recieved a bill in the mail for 54.00 and something cents. I call and call and call to talk to a live person or to cancel this membership that I so called have, and unable every single time to talk to someone. This has now ruined my credit score and I am FURIOUS about not being able to clear this up. If Columbia House is such a great corporation for customers to have why is there never anyone available to speak to!
Ivy of Merritt Island, FL
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yesno8/8/06
I joined Columbia House in April 2006. I received the first order and I was happy. Then I was supposed to receive the Director’s selection “Pink Panther” but I never received it. I have called and not have been able to speak to a live person yet. I have sent email after email and the response that I get is, “give it a little while sometimes it take four weeks”.
Well, it has been two months and I have not received anything. I am being billed for $22 or $23 and I refuse to pay for anything that I didn’t recieve.
Tina of Evergreen, AL
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yesno8/5/06
They sent me a bill for DVDs I never ordered and never received. Late fees charges and the DVDs added up to $11.30. I think this is a scam they are trying to pull.
Anamaria of Pembroke, FL
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yesno8/4/06
I received a bill in the amount of $11.31. I never ordered or received anything from Columbia House.
Reginald of Springfield, IL
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yesno8/1/06
I never signed up for Columbia House but I received a Mean Girls DVD and was billed for it. I called customer service and, like others, could never reach anyone. I then cancelled my account and a recorded voice told me I had an obligation to buy two more DVDs. I am now required to pay Columbia House $5 for a DVD I never requested, plus purchase two other DVDs, as a result of cancelling an account I never opened.
Sharida of Round Rock, TX
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yesno7/29/06
I was contacted by a man representing BMG whom I had an account with a couple of years ago. I told him I did not want anything. I hung up on him after being badgered by him. I receive a box in the mail from Columbia House with a DVD in it. I call the number provided and complain to the lady I spoke with. She said she would send me a return label and take care of taking my name out of their system. Today I receive a mailer saying I owe them 4 DVDS. I never signed up for anything. Now they are saying I owe them money? I tried calling the number listed and 800 number and can not get a real person on the line to talk to.
I am an unemployed displaced housewife. I do not order things like this over the phone and hang up on telemarketers. This young man sent me items I do not want and put me into a system I have no desire to be in. This has caused me no end of emotional stress.
Cathy of Eagleville, TN
Helpful?
yesno7/24/06
I have never signed up for Columbia House and never had any desire to. They sent me a SpongeBob SquarePants DVD and billed me for it. I called customer service and, like others, could never reach anyone. I then cancelled my account and a recorded voice told me I had an obligation to buy two more DVDs. I am now required to pay Columbia House $5 for a DVD I never requested, plus purchse two other DVDs from them as a result of cancelling an account I never opened.
I am now required to pay Columbia House $5 for a DVD I never requested, plus purchse two other DVDs from them as a result of cancelling an account I never opened.
Blake of Washington, DC
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yesno7/20/06
I tried to reach Columbia House, but when you call their number, you are given recorded information. No matter what menu you go into, you cannot reach a live customer service agent. I tried to enter 0 to get help and that didn’t work. I tried every prompted menu option and not once was I connected with a live representative. This call (calls) took place at 4:00 p.m. Central time Wednesday June 14, well within their (brand new pamphlet) published operational hours.
What should have been a simple phone call, turned into a 2 hour long ordeal.
Kevin of Peoria, IL
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yesno6/14/06
I just joined Columbia House and odered an intro package plus two more movies. When I got my order one movie was not included and they just sent me a rain check. When I called and told them they forgot one of my movies then they said they would ship it as soon as I paid my bill.
I told them I would not pay it until I got my first, complete order. Now they keep sending me late fees and they won’t send the rest of my intro package.
Colin of Henderson, NV
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yesno5/31/06
CALL THIS NUMBER 812-466-8375. Thanks to Amy of Sanford FL (04/04/06) who supplied this website with this number. I am writing so this number will be posted towards the top of the page again. Columbia House charged my account 23.26 saying I had not fulfilled my obligation. Well, I thought that I had – I placed an order for 95.69 which should have fulfilled my obligation. Here is the tricky part – they lowered the price of one of my movies, so it did not count towards my obligation! I called this number and did speak to a nice woman named Debra, who said she would refund my money, we shall see….This company is full of ways to deceive you, and get your money.
Jenny of Gulf Breeze, FL
Helpful?
yesno5/23/06
I keep receiving notices from Columbia House that I owe $23.53 on my account. My bank has confirmed that the payment was received by CH but I can’t get through to anyone to stop the notices. I have contacted them 10 times via e-mail and the ‘auto response’ keeps saying to make a payment.
Columbia House is threatening to report me and my account to a national collection agency.
Kathie of Santa Clara, CA
Helpful?
yesno5/12/06
We joined the DVD club and paid for the enrollment package, plus a couple of extra movies. Two of the movies we ordered were not in stock, so after several emails, we were given a credit for one of the movies and a Rain Check for the other.
A couple of months later we placed an order for a movie, using the Rain Check. We just received a letter stating that the Rain Check had been sent in error, they would not send the movie, and the coupon was confiscated.
I have tried to find a way to contact “Janice” again but I cannot find an email address for her and I cannot find a way through the automated phone maze.
Kenneth of South Jordan, UT
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yesno5/10/06
I have recently sent full payment for a selection on an account that my mother’s name is on. I have sent Columbia House a Western Union money order for $24.33 which as of May 5, 2006 has been cashed but hasn’t been posted to that account which I have already canceled out. The phone system is a complete mess they have made it virtually impossible to reach a live person to resolve problems. This is not the only time that money has been received by this company for which I wasn’t promptly credited for.
Susan of Titusville, FL
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yesno5/5/06
I keep getting charged $25.94 by Columbia House. I have never received any movies, nor have I evered ordered any. I attempted to contact them, but you cannot get through their automated telephone service. I have sent several e-mails, but I never get a response. $25.94 is being charged to my checking account; This is money I have not spent, and it is affective my checking balance. I am affraid it will eventually cause a negative balance. I was charged twice this week. Please help me…they are taking my money and not sending merchandise.
April of Cherokee, AL
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yesno5/2/06
They cashed my check but failed to credit my account. I’ve sent them copies of the cancelled check and still heard nothing back from them. Forget about getting a person on the line to talk too.
Nadine of Branford, CT
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yesno5/1/06
I have been a member of the Columbia House Dvd club for over a year and within that time I have ordered over 300 Dvd’s and Telivision seasons. (As I am military and as I live overseas this works out best for me). Well withing the last month or 2 CH has started charging me for items I did not receive and has started sending me doubles on many of my selections or has just outright double billed me and not sent in the doubled selection.
When this first began I thought it would just be a simple matter of contacting a rep and getting it resolved quickly. Well, calling in to their telephone number is an impossibilty, I was given the runaround on the automated system for well over an hour, so I decided to try online. After sending an email in I received an automated response letting me know I would be contacted within 24-48 hours. Four days later I received an email stating that I should mail in the doubles and my selections I didnt receive would be mailed out to me..
So after a month of waiting and after I sent in the duplicate selections I still hadnt received a refund or my movies. Once again I email the customer service dept. and asked what was going on…They said that everything had been resolved and that I owed $346….Now I would have gladly pad that amount had I received the Dvds that I never received and if I had been reimbursed for the duplicate movies…Now I cannot cancel my account due to the fact that I “owe” them $346 and I wont pay because I didnt receive 85% of the movies they charged me for!
Being a military member this is really a drain on our limited funds. The astronomical charges are about 20% of my monthly paycheck from the Air Force. My family cannot afford this and no other family should be put through this same ringer that Columbia House seems to be famous for.
Robert of Apo, NY
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yesno4/20/06
I and receiving bills from Columbia house for the movies that I never received. I tried to contact them with phone but it is automated number with no human interaction. I tried to conact them on their web site but no response. I do not know how to handle this and I do not want to pay for something that I never ordered or received. How can a company like Columbia House do business without any communication from it’s customers.
I am getting bills $27 and late changes for something I never purchased.
Vijay of Cupertino, CA
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yesno4/10/06
Columbia House keeps billing my Discover card for stuff I didn’t order and didn’t get. I did get 1 dvd in the mail I didn’t order. I always their silly postcards the day they come marked NO SELECTION . Then I wrote “return to sender” on the package and mailed it back, but they are not offering any proof of order or return so I can get credit.
Sharon of Godfrey, IL
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yesno4/4/06
CALL THIS NUMBER 812-466-8375. This is an actual Columbia House Office- they have security and everything. I talked to Carrie who can look at anyone’s account number at her desk. I used to have a DVD account and fulfilled my agreement- then I cancelled. 2 months ago they called me up wanting me back- I said no- they said are you sure- it would just take a few moments since we have your old billing information from your old account!
Amy of Sanford, FL
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yesno4/4/06
I am trying to cancel my rip-off Columbia House DVD club and have spent a better part of an hour going through their “customer service”(?) trying to get a real person to speak with. There is not one option to get a real person to talk to. I have had to listen to advertising, options that mean nothing to me and other things that are very time consuming. It will eventually say that they are sorry I’m having trouble with my account and that I can visit the website or write them a letter, say goodbye and then the canned voice will hang up. It is extremely annoying not to be able to talk with a real person. Why do they call it customer service? Can’t something be done? The company is a rip off.
Melody of Jacksonville, OR
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yesno4/3/06
My daughter received a bill from Columbia House for $51.24. She is only 14 years old. My daughter knew nothing about this, in fact she didn’t know what columbia house was.
According to the bill theyhave sent my daughter’s name to the three major creditors for something we never new existed. So in the interest of protecting my daughter, the only wayI knew how,I paid the bill.
I’ve tried for hours, with no success, tocontact someoneto fix this problem. I have received a complete runaround -there are no live customer service reps at the number given.
Javier of West Sacramento, CA
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yesno3/30/06
I received a call from a collection agency stating that they were trying to collect a debt owed to Columbia House in the amount of $83. I did have an account with them, but everything I purchased I paid for when I got the bill.
I asked the collection agency rep how old the debt was and why it was not showing up on my credit report, and she told me that it was from 2004. She had an address that I haven’t lived at for four years! I contacted the owner of the house where I was living and she told me that they never received any mail or materials from Columbia House and that she would put that in writing.
When I told the collection agency rep that the claim was ridiculous, she informed me that my so-called debt would be turned back over to Columbia House for further review.
Tracey of Coatesville, IN
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yesno3/29/06
I called in and canceled the selection of the month Batman Begins, the following months selection “The Longest Yard” I wanted so I did nothing. When the DVD came it was the wrong one I returned it with a note stating they sent the wrong one and to please send the correct one. I am still waiting for the one they were suppose to send. But instead they keep billing me for the one I sent back plus late charges. I have written and written them and they have yet to respond. You can’t reach them by phone it’s all automated.
If for some reason the dvd was not logged in as returned or if it got lost or stolen in the mail, I should not be held responsible since it would not have had to be returned if they hadn’t sent the wrong one. I refuse to pay for something I did not order and that I returned. I can’t get in to my account yet they now sent me a bill for 99.00 saying I haven’t fullfilled my commitment. I refuse to buy anything more until they correct their error. It’s rediculous that you can’t speak to a live person and since they won’t respond to the emails sent how is this to be resolved? They need to get their act together and since they made the error they need to correct it.
Niree of Fairview, OR
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yesno3/28/06
Columbia House has sent me bill for $51.88, I never give my name and adress. I will not pay for something I did not get and at this point I dont want my credit to be bad.
Eric of Revere, MA
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yesno3/28/06
An order was never placed with them, yet they sent us a bill saying that we received a music CD and have a balance that must be paid.
I tried to resolve the matter by calling their number, which did not have an automated system that included the options I needed or a live representative that can help me resolve my issue. It took me an hour to go through all the prompts. Then I decided to email them like the system said but when I went on their website, to customer service, there is no option to contact them. It took me another hour to browse through their site only to realize that I cannot contact them to resolve my issue.
I sincerely hope that nobody else will ever have to deal with them. That’s two hours of my life that I’ll never get back!
Marat of Brooklyn, NY
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yesno3/27/06
Columbia House has sent me some movies at Metter GA but I have not been living their for 8 months. Someone has used my name to purchase this dvds from columbia house. I dont want my credit to be bad.
Maritza of Texas City, TX
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yesno3/24/06
My son is being billed for DVD’s that were not ordered. There seems to be no way to talk to a real person at this company.
They are trying to collect $93.04 for product not ordered or recieved.
Patrick of Sanford, FL
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yesno3/22/06
I enrolled online in a membership in the Columbia House movie club last fall. After 2-3 months, and receiving continued advertisements, I ordered via US mail. The US mail order was delivered within 6-8 weeks. Then within days, the original online order was received. There were some duplicates in the online order.
I called Columbia House and the rep said he would send a postage paid return label and a form for selecting replacement movies. He told me to include a letter explaining the return and replacements requested. I agreed to keep BOTH accounts open. The postage paid label arrived, I completed the replacement request form and included a letter.
2-3 months have gone by. I’ve called many times. They’ve emailed me many times saying I returned all of the introductory offer (I had not). They said I had a credit (I do not, I’d paid both original introductory invoices).
Today I received 2 movies (2 of those I’d requested to be replaced) with a bill (I’ve already paid for them) and a note saying for credit reasons the other 2 movies could not be sent. Columbia House owes me two more replacement movies at NO charge. The company is impossible to deal with!
Ken of West Sacramento, CA
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yesno3/21/06
I am a member of the Columbia House DVD Club. When I originally joined, I purchased the required DVD’s and received my free ones – everything was fine. I would browse on-line at new movies, and use the site to decline featured DVD’s.
Then, in February, I could no longer get to my account on the website. I received a statement for $25.53, explaining that I had not kept my commitment and needed to pay the amount “due on contract” or further action would be taken.
I thought my obligation had already been met, and now can’t even view my account to see for myself. The phone number is automated and I have yet to speak to anyone about this matter.
Christina of Hayward, CA
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yesno3/14/06
I have called on several different days, at different times of the day, but it is impossible to speak to a live person to voice a complaint or correct a problem with this company.
I do not wish to be charged late fees for DVDs that I have not received.
Joseph of Lake Worth, FL
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yesno3/14/06
Columbia House deliberately charged my account a $3.00 late fee because of a $0.03 credit I had with them. In other words, they owed me three-cents, and charged me a late fee on top of money that THEY owed to me. The bill came to $2.97, so because of the $0.03 credit, that I supposedly owed to them AFTER the late fee, was LESS than the late fee itself.
Then they said they told the Credit Bureau so my credit is in jeopardy.
Asim of Astoria, NY
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yesno3/13/06
I am the victim of fraud and scam by Columbia House DVD Club. I opened an account with them on 12/1/03 and agreed to buy 4 selections at regular club price within the next three years. Besides cancelling my account early, they are charging me for a dvd that I neither ordered nor received. Additionally, I fulfilled my commitment to them with my last order and verified, on their website, that my account was in good standing. The information provided on the website confirmed my records that I had no more dvds to buy, and I had about $20.00 in “Fun Cash”, a sort of rebate program to be used toward other purchases.
However, now they are saying that I did not fulfill my commitment and are charging me $23.53 for “Due on Contract”. Additionally, they are charging me $26.75 for a dvd that I never ordered nor received and they cancelled my account so that I cannot log in via the web to check account.
I have tried calling their customer service number but I cannot get through to a person. They are threatening to send this information to the National Consumer Reporting Service and this will then affect my credit rating.
Bill of El Cajon, CA
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yesno3/13/06
In November of 2005 I started receiving billing statements from Columbia House DVD Club. I have advised them several times that I do not know where they got my personal information but I never joined their DVD Club. I have requested that they show me any documentation that verifies that I joined their club but all I get are statements. I can never talk to a actual person but have sent e-mails and personal mails advising them that I did not join their club.
They also advised me that they have reported this to a National Consumer Reporting Service which will retain this information up to 5 years. I do not know what is going on here but I do not feel up to dealing with threats.
Mike of Halls, TN
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yesno3/12/06
Basically they keep charging me for things I have never received. Every time I call to talk to customer service I get put on hold, have to wait for an hour and never get an answer.
I would like them to stop charging me or let me talk to a live person.
Hugo of Bountiful, UT
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yesno3/9/06
I have been trying for the past two months to log on to Columbia House to decline my monthly selections or order other DVD’s. The only thing that shows up on the website is a notice saying the site is down. However you can enter the site if you want to become a new member.
There is something with a website being down that long.
Willa of Kansas City, MO
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yesno3/8/06
I received a bill in the mail today for my minor daughter stating she owes $68.88 to fulfill her contract and because her bill is “past-due” she has been reported to the National Consumer Reporting Service.
First of all, my daughter who is just 15 began receiving solicitations from Columbia House via mail last year. I always marked them ‘return to sender’ and wrote a letter advising them to discontinue sending solicitations to my minor child. The mail kept coming. Evidently, my daughter got her hands on one and what 15 year old wouldn’t want 5 DVD’s for .49 each? So, long story short, they’ve entered into a contractual agreement with a minor and are now attempting to collect.
I’ve attempted to contact the company via phone but keep getting trapped in the automated system from hell.
Melissa of Fordland, MO
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yesno3/4/06
I received an offer for some DVDs, filled it out and sent in the payment for the movies. After waiting several weeks I recieved a letter stating that they were unable to issue a membership at this time but I didn’t receive my payment or my movies back. So, I keep calling their 1-800 number but all I get is an electronic system that asked me for an account number in order to get through. Since I didn’t get an account number I’m not able to get through to a real person.
All I expect back is my payment if I’m not able to get my movies.
Antonio of Chicago, IL
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yesno3/2/06
I got a mailing from Columbia House that I decided to respond to, “Purchase x amount of DVDs for x amount of dollars (low price)”. After sending that in and eventually purchasing a few more dvds, it said that I had two more to purchase by January 2006. Fine. Well, for my own reasons, I wasn’t able to purchase the two more by January 2006.
I also continuously declined their “Director’s Selection” and the “alternative options for the Director’s Selection”. One day, this mysterious $46.52 gets withdrawn from my account. “Hmm,” I wonder, “I don’t have $46.52 to spend, nor have I spent that much since last weekend. What could this possibly be?” It wasn’t until a few days later, when my roommate came home and complained that Columbia House took out some astronomical amount from his account that I had an idea of what this mysterious amount was. . Great.
But, here’s where the fun begins: I had declined every Director’s Selection they could possibly think to send me. I had logged into my account, via their website the day before, to look at my account history and nothing was there. I tried to log into my account again, only to find out that I can’t log in. Why? Because after charging me $46.52, they CANCELLED my account.
Now, I’m trying to speak to a customer service representative, and I can’t get past the automated menu.
S. of Pittsburgh, PA
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yesno2/24/06
I have returned selections but am still getting billed for them. I have been told that my name will be put on the National Consumer Reporting Service for 5 years. I have written and written to get this straightened out and I just received another letter today.
I can not get them to clear my account.
Angela of Lawrenceville, GA
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yesno2/21/06
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