BFC Book club - is it a rip off or a bargain?

[Astrophe]

I've just been sent a catalogue in the mail and there are loads of books for 50p etc.

I know if you join you have to buy 4 more books in the next year, but are they good books? And are they cheap too (obviously not as cheap as 50p)? Has anyboby joined?

My kids love books and we do buy new books fairly frequently, so I'm thinking of joining but don't want to be ripped off or to have endless junk mail coming through my letter box.

Nah, don't, Astrophe. It's one of those like World Book Club, once you sign up you have to say no each month, and sometimes they'll send it anyway and you have to send it back, and they're hell to deal with. PITA.

Stick to The Book People or Red House

HTH

Book People collections are the most amazing bargains!

Thanks for that UTSW...they look good. But I am just SO tempted by the introductory offers...I could get about 15 books for less than £5. I know, I know, thats how they reel you in, but can't you just call them up after you've bought the extra 4 books and tell them very firmly to take you off their mailing list?

Well, you could try that but they are sticky enough when you try to get out of it after the first year.

Anyway you would have signed up in order to get the cheapies, wouldn't you? They would then be legally entitled to insist on return of books, or take you to small claims court, or even involve a debt collection agency.

Not worth it IMHO.

How old are your kids? Do you know about Bookstart?

Oh sorry, I misread your post - you mean buy 4 books the first month and then try to get out of it? The monthly ones are not cheap though, and I know when I did it I struggled to find 4 that I wanted; it makes the introductory books seem a lot more expensive!

Ask if you can see a samply monthly offer before you sign up.

"samply", good grief

I signed up for BFC but TBH wasn't impressed with most of their books (not that cheap or exciting)and I cancelled after the first year. It wasn't hard to cancel (I contacted them by e-mail and they cancelled my membership straight away). They still send me mailings to try to reel me in again but these just go in the bin.

These days I use the Book People.

Hmm, good idea.
We got some freebies from bookstart, but I didn't know you could buy from them. My kids are 2 and 6 months - 2 year old DD spends hours a day reading in her 'book nook', which we are so thrilled about. DS likes to chew the corners!

Ah - when I was a member it was in the dark ages before the internet and you had to send them a letter and it used to mysteriously not arrive. I forgot about the wonderful instant response of email!

Thanks gingernut. Just added up the ones I would buy from the intro catalogue and its 21 books for 8 pounds (they are 'propper' books too, not those dodgy computer generated ones...The Ahlbergs, Angelina Ballerina etc). I just can't help thinking that its a bargain even if the next 4 aren't cheap...and then I could cancel.

But maybe I am tres naive.

Oh I don't think you can buy from Bookstart, it was the freebies and goodie packs I was thinking of.

Honestly the Book People is the dogs boll*x (even Red House is only discounted a bit - Book People stuff can be more than 75% off!)

The introductory books we got weren't that nice either (although it was a different offer to the one you mention).

And the normal price books you will have to order subsequently are not cheap, see here . (sorry I can't get the link to work properly...click on some of the `Bestseller' categories).

If you do sign up, keep copies of the forms etc. When my contract arrived they had increased the number of books I had to buy in the first year (compared with the ad I responded to). Luckily I had kept a copy of the form I signed, so I wrote to them to say I was only going to buy the number of books I had originally agreed to, and they backed down.

Also, I signed up to receive e-mail reminders to manage my account (so I would remember to say `no' to the editor's selection in time, before they sent them) and this worked for a couple of months, then the reminders mysteriously stopped coming and I missed one deadline and ended up with books I didn't want.

I had loads of hassle with BFC - sending me the wrong books, books I had ordered not turning up for months, the "no thanks" letters getting 'lost', just as Janh describes (I was with them pre t'internet too ). It all culminated in them saying I'd had a book which I hadn't - loads of hassle/phone calls/letters...and appaling customer service. Personally, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole - no matter how good the introductory offers. The Book People are fantastic.

Haven't read the whole posts here but have heard awful things about BFC and clubs like it. Like someone else said The Book People and Red House Books have some great prices for kiddie books and no obligation to buy etc. We always use them for DD's books.

Oh, well I'm a bit sad as I so wanted the 21 books for £8...but you have convinced me not to get sucked in. So The Book People it is.