How many times have you signed up for a music club, book club, or video club just because they offered free products. All you had to do was purchase a few more over the next few years at regular price and you were done. Nothing else to worry about?

If you haven't ever done this before, let me give you some helpful advice. This is a lot like Bankruptcy ... Don't Do It! Yeah, it seems like a great idea to begin with, but there's always something lurking in the background waiting for your mess up. Consequences you may not have realized were there.

So let me tell you a little about the club, what it has to offer, and why you should probably avoid using these types of deals. Or at least if you do, do it quickly, get it done and over with immediately, and get out of the contract.

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Columbia House - The Lure
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Pick 12 CDs for FREE - Choose from over 16,000 titles! You can choose from rock, country, alternative, classical, dance, gospel, holiday, soundtracks, and more. Just pick out which are your favorite cds and take them FREE!

You can do this in one of two ways ... over the Internet or through their mail-in program when you receive their big bulky envelopes that crowd your mailbox.

If you decide to go the mailbox route, be prepared with a large glass of water or a soaked sponge so you can play with the hundreds of stamps that they offer their selections on. Or you can simply avoid the stamps all together and just write the numbers in boxes to receive them. It's pretty simple ... they make it that way so young, unsuspecting kids think it's cool to receive FREE cd's and send off for them.

The other way is to go to their website and surf around picking out all your choices and adding them to your shopping cart. It's all very easy.

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Columbia House - Applying for your CD's
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Yes, I use the word "Applying". You see, you aren't automatically guaranteed to receive them, so you can only select the FREE CD's at the time of your first order. You can't choose to select the free CD's plus purchase the remainder of your CD obligation at the same time. You first have to have your credit and your credit card approved.

But if you are approved, you should receive a large box about a month later with your FREE CD's in it. Cool. Have fun. Look at all the CDs you just got. But make sure you look at the invoice too.

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Columbia House - Were They Really FREE?
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Of course not! Well, OK, the CD's were FREE, but you have to pay to get them to you. The shipping and handling charges are quite high, on the average you'll end up paying about $5 for each CD you get. When I was dumb enough to fall for this, my FREE CD's cost me almost $50. Considering I don't like a lot of the newer artists, I prefer the classic rock, I could have gone out and gotten most of the CD's that I'd gotten FREE for about the same price.

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Columbia House - Monthly Ordering
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Until you have fulfilled your obligation of purchasing another 5 CD's a full price (which tends to be higher than most music stores) you must send in your card or go to the web site to decide if you want their monthly selection. If you ignore it, you'll end up with a new CD that you may not want and your credit card will be automatically billed with the full price plus the shipping and handling charge. It really starts to add up and your FREE CD don't seem to be worth it for much longer.

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Columbia House - Get Out as Quick As You Can
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My husband wasn't as quick as I was. He got the FREE CD's, somehow convinced the customer service rep that he didn't want to be on the automatic shipment program, but then ended up with a bill for almost $80 because he didn't purchase anything else. So instead, he can no longer order the CD's, he just owes them the money.

Don't get caught in this web, if you decide to join, make sure you order your extra CD's quickly and get it over with. If you want to continue, call Customer Service and ask them to take you off the automatic ordering.

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Columbia House - Sales Items
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Every month they do offer sales items that are about half the regular price that you can purchase. Sometimes they offer a buy one get one at half off (sometimes even free). At first they seem like good deals, but you have to remember to add in the shipping and handling fees. After that, they may no longer really be a deal.

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Columbia House - My Recommendation
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Unless you actually purchase a few CD's every month already, I would highly recommend staying away from music clubs such as Columbia House. It can actually be more expensive in the long run. In addition, if you don't complete your contract, you may run the risk of messing up your credit also.

The music program isn't for everyone. Actually, I think the only ones who would really benefit are those that purchase a lot of the newer CD's and they purchase them often. Otherwise, the prices are more than you might find in your local retail stores.

So FREE isn't really FREE ... If you decide to try it, make sure you complete your contract quickly.

Recommended: No