Warning - Don't Sign Up For BMG!

Just a quick warning to my friends to not sign up for BMG, based on the horrible experience I just had about...oh 5 minutes ago. I decided to finally redeem some of my free CD's, so I added the 4 that I wanted and went to the cart to checkout. I selected the Free CD drop down list and selected that I wanted to redeem 4.

I clicked the Update Your Cart button...nothing happened. Hmm...I clicked it again...again, nothing happened. I guess there's a bug in the system? I didn't get any error messages. Well, maybe I'll click Submit Order, and I'll get a page where I get to validate my order looks correct.

I click the Submit Order button - I get "Thank you, your order has been placed and a confirmation email has been sent...yada yada." But wait, I wonder, how will they know where my order is going? Oh, silly me, I forgot that I setup the Express Checkout...and yet they still don't display the shipping address...why? That should be on the screen so you can confirm.

I go to my email...surely there the order has been updated so I'm not being charged for all these freakin' CD's. No...my order is still $60! Ouch...I just wanted to redeem my free CD's.

Ok, I'll call the company, I think. I search the customer service page...no phone number...listed...ANYWHERE! What the...? Luckily, I do a google search and find this site (click here). Here's the BMG phone number: 317-692-9200 (just in case the other web site ever closes or whatever). Coincidently, the site also has Columbia House's phone number.

So, I call the phone number and get someone on the phone who tells me that the CD's I ordered are "Premium Titles", which means that you cannot redeem them for free. Huh? How am I supposed to know what a "Premium Title" is? I don't remember seeing that these aren't available to be redeemed for free! "Click on the info button for the CD and it tells you there," she says. What info button? I never found one...I can only assume she meant this one - Sales Exempt:

After you click Sales Exempt, you get a little pop-up that says, "Already specially priced, not part of regular sale, or available as a bonus or free selection, or free with Music Points." Now, how on earth was I supposed to know I had to check that little link to see if the CD was ok to redeem for my Free Music?

Oh ok...my bad. Well, let me cancel my order, I say. No...can't do it. I ask to talk to the manager...still can't do it. I just placed this order, literally 3 minutes ago...I can't cancel it!? Nope. No can do.

FINE...I want to cancel my membership. But, you have 8 free CD's they say. I know that though...I just feel so deceived, and so tricked into spending $60 when I expected to spend $10, that I don't even want them. Much like breaking up with an A-hole who has some of your stuff at their apt...sometimes you just have to "cut your losses," as a good friend once told me. BMG could have easily displayed bolder messages to alert people that these CD's are not available to be redeemed for free, but instead, they try to hide this fact and trick their customers into buying CD's they don't want to buy. If I wanted to pay money for these CD's, I'd go to Best Buy, or a used CD store, where they are much, much cheaper.

It doesn't end here...

Well, I tell them I want to cancel my membership and update my shipping address since it's wrong. They say they can cancel my membership, but they can't update the shipping address. What? You can't just change the address? No can do. Why not? I just can't do it b/c blah blah blah...something about the shipping and billing address being different (which the order confirmation doesn't say). I mean, I understand if the order has already been processed ...or shipped...that you can't change the address, but it hasn't even hit the system yet! It's been 4 minutes! You can't change it? Nope.

FINE! BMG, you stink! I'm never using your service again, and I'm warning my friends!

Sorry for the rant, friends, but I do want to pass on what I feel is an important warning.