SmartFlix drama

Have you tried SmartFlix.com?  I purchased the "Sewing University" membership on February 26th and I've had nothing but problems since then.  The way it's supposed to work is you pay a monthly fee of $22.95 USD to receive 3 DVDs that you can keep all month.  They have an extensive list of sewing-related DVDs.  You don't get to pick the DVDs you get each month so you have to send them a list of the DVDs you don't want from the list.  To date, I've received 2 DVDs I didn't want and a broken DVD I did want.  To make up for it, they are sending me 2 copies of the same DVD.  So far I've paid $22.95 USD for basically one DVD rental.  I could've bought that DVD for less!

I think this all could have been prevented if customer service responded within 1-2 days of your request.  I sent one email on February 26th stating I didn't want several of the DVDs on the list and asked how do I cancel those.  I didn't get a full response until March 2nd, after 2 unwanted DVDs shipped.  I was promised replacements, which I still haven't received.  When the unwanted DVDs arrived, a 3rd "wanted" DVD was included and it was broken.  I reported the problem only to find that 2 copies of this broken DVD are on the way to me.  Huh?

I'm not going to bail on them yet because they offer a 60-day money-back guarantee.  So far I'm not impressed though.  Has anyone else had an experience with SmartFlix?  The reviews I found initially were quite promising.  Maybe this just isn't my month for sewing.  Can't get the right DVDs, can't get my fabric on time, can't get my garments to fit,....

I did manage to snag some Palmer & Pletsch goodies at 40-50% off thanks to Victoria's tip (at "Ten Thousand Hours of Sewing").  This may not be the month for sewing but it is definitely the month for shopping.  I've secured tons of great OOP patterns that I've been hunting for!  Anyway...I've wanted these Palmer & Pletsch items for awhile but couldn't bear to pay full price online or in my local Hancock's.  I'm a bargain shopper and it seriously pains me to pay full price for anything.  I called Hancock's and got the scoop on their coupon policy.  They will accept competitor's coupons, like JoAnn's, but only one coupon per item per transaction.  I wanted 2 DVDs and a book so I had to pay for 3 separate purchases.  I can feel some of you rolling your eyes now.  Yes, I am that shopper with the fist full of coupons holding up the line.  In my defense, I will only do separate purchases if there is no line.  I also look for the longest line when I have a fistful of coupons and stand in that one so I don't make a shorter line unnecessarily slow.  I also make sure the person standing behind me knows I have 20+ coupons.  For some silly reason, they stay in line behind me anyway and then impatiently tap a foot on the floor.  Tap away, honey!  You were warned and I won't leave my hard earned money in the store. 

These $20 DVDs were $12.80 each including tax.





This $30 book was $19.30 including tax.  And I didn't have to wait for it to ship to me!!



I've done way more shopping this month but more on that later.