FREE Music!
Written: Aug 17 '01
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The Bottom Line
Except for the shipping fees this service is very good and it's a great way to build your CD collection!
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| Full Review |
I know I am not the only one who remember's using Columbia House and BMG in the past. I never could remember to send those postcards back in when I didn't want the featured CD and I would always end up with it my mailbox and then have to send that back and hope they would credit my account.
Then remember when all of a sudden you were able to call in and make your selections and submit whether you wanted the monthly selection or not. That made it a lot easier but you still needed everything next to you with the codes on it and sometimes those were lost too. But this made it a lot easier and then I seldom got unwanted monthly selections but it still happened because I would lose the papers.
Now we don't have to worry about those problems anymore. Everything is on the screen in front of you when you log-in with your username and password that they give you when you sign-up (even if you sign up through the mail and have an older account). The featured selection is also on the screen and they now make it very simple to let them know that you do not want this selection.
This is very simple to use.
Site
The site is very easy to get around on and explains every step of the way. This will help you get everything that you want. Be warned that if you are looking for something very obscure this might not be the best site for you since they do tend to carry regular CD store merchandise. If your looking for rare items by your favorite artist you might want to check an auction site like EBay.
On the main page you will see that they have several selected features there for you to start with also. There are also many categories for you to look through:
BestSellers
Well as the name says these are the bestsellers that BMG has to offer. Good category if your looking for a gift because it will give you an idea about what is selling at that moment. Always a good place to start if your not sure about what to buy.
This Just In
Very self-explanatory also. These are the newest selections that they have to offer to their members. These are not always the newest CD's that have been released but they will be new to BMG. I have always been a little disappointed that they didn't have brand new CD's but at the price you are getting them for it's not expected.
What's Hot
Similar to Bestsellers but these are what is in general selling at all stores and not just BMG so you will get a few different titles here. Again a good place to start if your just looking around and your not sure where to start.
Search
If you have something exact that your looking for you will want to start here. You can search by the following:
Artist
Album
Composer
Selection Number (if you happen to have the mailer on you this might be the best way to search)
This search is very fast and usually brings back very good results for what you are searching for.
Signing Up
There are two ways to sign-up for an account now. You can do this the old fashioned way and mail in your selections (I'm sure we have all gotten the invitations in the mail) or you can sign-up online.
If you decide to sign-up online just go to http://bmgmusicservice.com and click on the banner on the top of page with their advertisement. This will take you to a new sign-up page.
Start by picking a category to start selecting your first 7 CD's that you will get free (don't worry after you buy 1 CD you will be allowed to order your other 5 CD's).
When you have picked your 7 CD's you will be taken to a form to fill out your personal information and complete the sign-up. Then you are done and your CD's are on the way.
Logging In
After you have an account all you have to do is go to http://www.bmgmusicservice.com and type in your username and password. If your not sure about this and it's your first time here look at your mailer and it will be at the top right. I just set my computer to remember me next time I come so I don't have to worry about this. When you get in it will show you the Featured Selections that you have to choice from and here you can decide whether you want them or not.
Now you can also go shopping from here by using the categories above or using their search tool. When you find what you want simply put it in your shopping cart and you can buy those when your done.
Selection
Their selection is pretty typical of online music stores in general. They won't always have the newest material in them but they have a good selection of CD's for the past few years so you still shouldn't have a problem finding a selection that meets your needs.
Shipping and Delivery
The worst part of this site is the shipping charges. Yes, they are high and I have never been given any shipping options on my orders. From what I observe they are about $5.00 per CD. Although when you think about it your still getting a good deal with the 13 CD's so for that reason I can live with their high shipping fees.
Their delivery is done through U.S. Mail so it can be slow if your post office is slow. I have had pretty good luck with this and have gotten my orders within a week so that's not bad at all.
Monthly Featured Selection
Yes, they still have this feature. Basically what they do is look at the categories of music you selected as what you usually listen to and offer you music within that category. Sometimes these are not the best selections for me but I can tell that they are trying to get something that I would like.
If you want to order the selection or make sure that you don't get the selection sent to you, just make sure that you have logged in with your account and click on "Featured Selections" and everything else will walk you through what you need to do.
Customer Service
I have always had great experiences with the customer service department. There are two ways to get in contact with the customer service department:
Page Link - yes there is a link on their main page to contact the customer service department. They have always been fast to get me an answer using this feature so if you don't mind waiting at most a day (if you don't want an instant answer like on the phone) then this is a good idea.
Phone - Of course you can still call their offices to get help with your orders. They have always been very polite and helpful with any questions that I have had about my orders.
Payments
Of course you can still send in your payments so don't worry that feature has never changed. You can also still use MasterCard, Visa, and AmericanExpress to make your payments. So you won't lose a thing in your payment options.
Conclusion
If you want to build up your CD collection and have it more convenient than ever this is a good choice for you. Of course the shipping costs can get high but when you add everything together at the end of getting your 12 CD's and your 1 paid CD it's still a lot cheaper than buying 13 CD's at your local store or online at a CD store.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kiko_cat
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Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 207
Trusted by: 198 members
About Me:
Well life has been insane but trying to write more again.
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