A&E Shop

Full review



In the past most of the things that I ordered from the A&E online store were for the boys but that all changed when they started carrying more progressive programs like “Inked”, “Mindfreak” and “Growing Up Gotti”. The prices on most of the season packages are comparable to what you would pay for them at a video store and most items arrive in a timely manner. The website sells titles that appeared on The History Channel, Biography Channel and the entire A&E network including History International [not available in all areas or on all cable systems]. So why buy something that you can tape from the television? That’s what I used to think. For one thing, most of the DVD sets contain extra footage, no commercials, unaired segments and more. When I ordered “Inked” it was four dollars less than what any local store was selling it for and I didn’t have to search through the Direct TV listings to see when they were going to air.

So what all do they sell? You might be a little surprised to find titles like “The Sopranos” and “CSI: Miami” but if you are a regular watcher of any of the channels that A&E is partnered with you will know that they also have “Kids In The Hall”, “Airline”, “Upstairs Downstairs”, “Mr. Bean”, “Horatio Hornblower” and even “Highway To Heaven”. Then there are the incredible documentaries like ”Ground Zero”, “America’s Castles” and “Tomb Raiders: Robbing The Dead”. In most cases these are DVD titles but they do have some available on VHS if that is your preferred format. It’s a tough call for me, I really like shows like “Dog The Bounty Hunter” and “Inked” but I always get sucked into watching shows like “City Confidential” and “American Justice”. To me A&E is a channel that I can turn on at any time of the day or night and there is always a good chance that something good is going to be on. The same thing can be said for the website, if you are really into one of their series or shows, getting it on DVD lets you watch it when ever you want and most of the time with a lot of extra perks you just can’t get from the regular broadcast.

Customer Service

A&E Online
687 Marshall Ave.
Williston, VT 05495

[888] 423-1212 - order
[802] 864-9846 - fax

Return Policy

If you aren’t happy with your purchase you have sixty days to make a return, that’s twice as long as what most sites give you. This in and of itself should tell you how much they want you to be pleased with your order. Use the packing slip and address sticker to send back items that you are not pleased with, to ensure that it gets there safely you may want to send it with a signature confirmation or delivery confirmation. Be sure to read the details of an item when you are ordering it so you know if it is a final sale item or if it falls under the guidelines of their return policy. The will only accept returns on items that were purchased through the website so if you buy something at a retail store, even if it is one of their products, you can not return it to the site. Currently they only ship to the United States and Canada

Shipping Fees

In my opinion the shipping fees are not outrageous, of course nothing beats getting things shipped for free. You can check the shipping amount at the site and remember that if you live in certain areas you will be charged sales tax as well. Most of my orders cost between five and eight dollars to be shipping which isn’t that bad but I’d really like to see them offer a ‘media mail’ option to drop the price even lower. The packaging is top notch and I’ve never received anything defective or damaged from the site.

Payment Options

You can pay for your order using MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover but they will also accept a personal check or money order. If you choose to pay for your order using a check or money order it will delay the shipment from going out because it has to clear their bank. I’ve used a debit card as well as a regular credit card to pay for purchases and have never had any problems with them being processed, approved or had any type of billing discrepancies. If you are a teacher and need to order items in bulk or interested in packaged educational kits, contact the customer service center to see what they have to offer you.

The Bottom Line

Can’t find that perfect gift for someone? They have the solution; an A&E gift certificate that can be redeemed at the site within one year of the purchase date. There’s no hidden fees when you buy a gift certificate and they even include instructions on how to redeem it at the site when they send it. You can have them sent via email or in the post and it is a great way to give someone ‘the perfect gift’. There is a twenty dollar minimum but you can purchase any amount in ten dollar increments. The boys are really into the “Dallas SWAT” show so when that comes out on video I am sure I’ll be getting that from the website, they’ve already asked me to order the documentary 㥶 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America” and a few others that have been aired in the past. Having a site like this lets me get officially licensed products of the shows and documentaries that we love.


As always, thanks for the read!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2006 Freak369


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