Doubleday Book Club: Good Service, but Greater Personal Commitment
Written: Mar 14 '06 (Updated Oct 24 '06)
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Book clubs provide a simple means to accumulate many book titles for relatively little money. At one time or another, I have been a member of dozens of different clubs and I generally follow the policy of joining; fulfilling my member agreement as quickly as possible; quitting; and then joining again in the future. One book club I have been a member of several times in the past is Doubleday Book Club, a well- known name in book clubs with a strong web presence.
Basic Club Facts:
Doubleday is a diverse book club that offers titles in many different areas, including fiction and non- fiction. This club offers books on a wide range of topics from cooking to politics to biographies and more. The club even offers audio books and has occasional sweepstakes offers.
To entice consumers to join, Doubleday offers an introductory package that (typically) includes five books for 99 cents plus shipping. Often, this deal is extended further and includes a sixth book for the same 99 cents plus shipping. Once shipping is added in, one can expect to pay about $14 to $16 for their first shipment of books- a discount of about 85 percent or more off of the store price.
Like all clubs, Doubleday insists that you purchase some more books as part of the agreement. In the case of Doubleday, the required number of books you must purchase is four, over the course of a couple of years. This requirement varies from one offer to the next, but the standard requirement is four books at regular club prices.
How Does This Club Work?:
Doubleday operates like other book clubs. Every few weeks, members receive a catalog in the mail that includes about 150 to 200 books to browse. There is also a featured selection of the month and this selection will be automatically shipped to all members unless the club is told otherwise. To decline the selection of the month, you must either return the card by the indicated date or logon to the web site and decline it on- line.
Purchasing books can be done either by mailing back the card (that comes with the catalog) or by logging into the web site, adding books to your cart, and completing the order. On- line orders offer the advantage of instant confirmation and a faster overall process.
To help remind members about featured selections, Doubleday will send you an e-mail message to the e-mail account you established when you joined the club. This is a helpful reminder and it makes it easy to decline the selection of the month. With a few clicks of the mouse, the selection of the month will not arrive at your home.
Once you have purchased the required number of books, you can quit at any time. If you decide to continue, you can get books at a lower cost and you can accumulate points with each purchase- points that can be cashed in at a later date for free books.
Customer Service:
Information on this club can be found in the company web site, doubledaybookclub.com. Here, you can inquire into the types of books the club offers and lookup answers to specific questions. If you have a question than cannot be answered directly through the site, you can call customer support at 717-918-2665, between the hours of 8am and 5pm Eastern Time.
Final Thoughts:
Doubleday Book Club is a popular club that has been in existence for decades, first as a mail- order club exclusively and now as a mail order and internet based service. I have been a member of this club on and off for many years. Like with other clubs, I usually join to take advantage of the introductory offer. Then, I buy the minimum required number of books and quit the club. I rejoin at a later date and repeat the process again.
With Doubleday, the introductory offer is typical of what you get with other clubs as far as the number of books goes. Depending on the offer you have in front of you, the number of books will be either five or six for a total cost (including shipping) that will fall between $14 and $16. This is good, and it is nice that Doubleday offers books for sale across such a wide range of categories. They often include many newer titles as well as some classic older titles and some books that are difficult to find.
Once the introductory package is shipped, you must fulfill your agreement to buy the required number of books. This can vary slightly from one offer to the next, but the standard amount is four books. This is more than most clubs require, and this is a major strike against joining Doubleday. With other clubs, the requirement is typically two or three books and while four books may not seem like a big deal, it significantly reduces the overall value of joining this club. When everything is added together (assuming you join, buy four books, and promptly quit), the total cost of membership will be in the neighborhood of about $95 for nine or ten books. This works out to roughly ten dollars per book- a savings from what you would pay in a book store but not as good of a deal as offered by other clubs.
Part of the reason for the high price per order is the shipping charges. Doubleday charges $4.99 for the first book and $1.99 for each additional book (subject to change at any time). So, if you order only one book at a time as you attempt to complete your agreement, the total cost per book (most have a base cost of about $15 each) will increase by about one- third. Doubleday has to do this, of course, to recoup some of the losses incurred from the introductory package. But it really adds up and when you consider that you have to do this four times, it makes sense to bundle your purchases into as few shipments as possible.
Another thing about Doubleday that I find annoying is the assessment of late charges. This club will add late charges (about $4.00) if your payment is not received within the allotted time frame (about three weeks after you receive your books and invoice). As much as I am annoyed by this, one good thing is that I can usually get this fee reversed with a phone call to customer support. Just a simple explanation is all it takes to get the fee removed.
Speaking of customer service, it is pretty good with this club. Like with other clubs, Doubleday usually has no problem accepting returned shipments and they tend to follow the “customer is always right” motto. They generally do not ask questions or intimidate members who have a concern about a selection of the month shipment, a late fee, or other complaint. They usually listen to you and give you want you want, no questions asked. And they also offer multiple ways to pay. You can use a credit card or you can request to be billed and send a check or money order for payment when the shipment arrives.
Doubleday must spend a large amount of money on advertising because among all the different book clubs in existence, this is the one I see and hear about most frequently. I find links on the internet in hundreds of places. I see ads in magazines. I get offers in the mail. One way or another, Doubleday is ready to persuade potential members to join. And keep in mind that the offers are slightly different from one place to the next. The offers to be wary about include those that give new members some other type of benefit- like the offers where you link through another site and gain a reward. What you will quickly find is that these offers are not as good as the one available by simply logging directly into the site. Often, these click- through offers give you one less book as part of the introductory offer or they do not give you as many books to choose from. If you use a reward- based click through offer, I recommend opening up another window first and logging directly into Doubledaybookclub.com. This way, you can make a comparison and then determine if the reward you are about to receive is worth it or not.
Overall, Doubleday Book Club is a decent club that can help book junkies accumulate a good number of books for a lower overall cost than that from a store. Doubleday’s offer is not as good as many other book clubs, mainly because the required number of books you have to purchase is greater. But it is still a good club to join due to its good selection of books, its easy to use web site, and its helpful customer service.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Book- Related Web Sites:
Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble
Books- A- Million
Mystery Guild
Zooba
Amazon Marketplace
Half.com
History Book Club
Recommended:
Yes
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