Tom Connor wrote:

>Anyone have an opinion of the Columbia Record Club.  12 free Cds for
>joining, only have to buy 5 over 2 years, etc.  Shipping is high, but I'm
>curious about members experiences.

Generally, it's been pain-free for me.  I don't believe that Columbia has
had quite the same attractiveness of deals that say, BMG has been known
for, but they appear to be coming around (I'm still working on my obligated
purchases, and perhaps the deals get better for members who have fulfilled
them).

I do my ordering on-line, and find that the orders are filled reasonably
quickly, about as well as other online CD places do.  I wish they would
have a secure online payment option as does BMG, so I can save the stamps.

Yes, the shipping costs are high, but perhaps no worse than BMG.  Whether
it's worth the initial freebies is up to you, but even with the postage
figured in there's a significant break per CD versus the Tower Records down
the street, if you choose your discount options carefully.

Bill H.