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We sell DVDs as sets for several reasons: We've built our huge media library only because we've had the commitment of customers over the years to buy series/sets as they were produced. When DVD sets are used together they have more impact, helping families gain a broader understanding of the scriptures. We are also predominantly a direct-sales driven company. By selling as sets we give a more marketable product for sustaining a sales force and helping them to be successful.
You may purchase these products using several Plans. Most of these Plans help you to customize your subscription purchase to fit your family's interests and budget. Additionally, many parents' experience has shown that when receiving DVDs as a subscription, their children use the videos more while they wait for a new DVD to arrive each month.
Subscriptions are available in sets as small as 6. All animated DVDs come with the valuable Resource & Activity Books. And when you purchase 20 or more DVDs, we add in valuable Bonus products that provide even more value. By choosing the frequency at which you receive subscription shipments you can reduce the cost of shipping and handling.
Sets may also be purchased at once. These "Cash Plan" purchases are shipped FREE (within the U.S. and Canada) thus saving $5.50 per DVD shipping and handling charge.
We also offer a limited selection of DVDs from all our series that can be purchased individually. These products are flagged with an additional red "Purchase DVD" button. And, from time-to-time, we offer smaller packages or popular videos—usually tied to a theme or season.
Why can't I just buy the videos without the Activity Books or other Bonuses?
We understand the monetary investment many parents make in a Living Scriptures library. Bonuses are a way for us to deliver extra usefulness and value, while keeping our pricing as consistent as possible in all the places or ways we market: direct sales, events, malls, retail stores, television, catalogs and Internet.
Some Bonuses will ship up front with your first order. And some will ship over time with your subscription. (Cash Plan purchases always receive all Bonuses in that shipment.) Our new website now allows you to browse among our many valuable Bonuses and choose exactly what you'd like. If you need assistance, you may call Customer Service at the number above.
Our Resource & Activity Books really increase the impact and usefulness of your new library. Many customers find them useful to photocopy for clip art, lessons, etc. Because of their great value, animated videos are sold together with their activity books. We also provide these for download online at LDSFamilyFun.com together with FHE lessons, Print 'N' Play activities, recipes and other resources. It's a wonderful site to recommend your friends and family to visit.
Additionally, we add value to your subscription purchase by extending a 25% or more discount on thousands of products* at the Latter-day Harvest bookstore. Visit Latter-day Harvest to browse the complete selection. Saving on all the LDS products you would normally buy at such a low rate makes the price of Living Scriptures videos even more appealing.
(*Discounts do not apply to Living Scriptures products, scriptures and selected software titles.)
How much is shipping and handling?
FOR U.S. and CANADIAN ORDERS: Shipping and handling is US$5.50 per parcel. A parcel is one DVD, four CDs or a special product package.
FAMILY PLAN: Subscription shipping installments are one parcel every four weeks at a S&H rate of US$5.50.
HALF PRICE SHIPPING: When you choose to use the Quick Plan receive your product faster-—2 to 4 parcels every four weeks—shipping per parcel is half price.
FREE SHIPPING: There are two ways to get free shipping: When you elect to be shipped and billed for everything up front (the Cash Plan) or receive 5 or more parcels every four weeks (the Package Plan), shipping is free*.
*Free S&H is limited to U.S. and Canadian addresses.
Can you ship internationally or with UPS?
Shipping at our regular rate comes through regular US mail. Expedited UPS shipments can be arranged for an additional fee, which varies based on package weight and delivery speed; please call our Customer Service (1-800-548-4647) if you have an order with these special shipping needs.
Our website does not presently compute shipping costs nor offer subscription purchases for customers residing outside of the United States or Canada. Such "international" customers may build an order using the Cash Plan options. Such customers should browse our site for the product they seek, then contact us via phone or email so that the S&H can be computed, and the order finalized. Once the shipping and final cost is approved by the customer the order will be processed.
Why do I have to pay sales tax on an Internet order?
Although you can order conveniently here on the web, Living Scriptures is predominantly a direct sales-driven company. In other words, our products are sold via many independent salespersons who market our products door-to-door, in malls, events or at community gatherings. Because we have a direct sales presence in so many areas, we must collect your state sales tax just as if we had Living Scriptures stores in your area.
Nevertheless, because Latter-day Harvest, our associated discount LDS bookstore, only has a retail presence in Nauvoo, IL, and Palmyra, NY, customers outside these states don't currently pay sales tax.
What is your warranty?
We will replace any product containing manufacturing defects without cost for 90 days from date of purchase. A postage-paid merchandise return label may be obtained for these products by calling our Customer Service department.
After 90 days, DVDs will be replaced for any reason for half of the current retail price plus tax, as long as Living Scriptures is still marketing the product. Such products being replaced must be mailed or delivered to Living Scriptures at the customer's expense along with payment.
What should I do when I get a new DVD?
DVDs with manufacturing defects or the wrong program on them are not common. Nevertheless, when a new video arrives, sit down and watch it. This gives you a great opportunity to enjoy the video with your family, but you will notice any manufacturing problems right away. If you only place the DVD on a shelf, or only the children view it (they often don't notice any problems) and later discover a defect after the 90-day warranty period, then you may not be able to get your product replaced for free.
How should I care for my DVDs?
We are dedicated to providing you with high-quality content on high-quality materials. Each DVD is rigorously tested when produced at the factory. In spite of these quality control measures, you can preserve the life of your DVDs by following these recommendations:
- Take care when handling the DVD. Though we have gained much in convenience and quality with DVD media, they are less durable than video cassette media. Handle the DVDs without touching the bottom face to reduce the chance of dirtying or scratching the mirrored surface.
- Avoid extremes in temperature and direct sunlight. These conditions can be very damaging. It's a good idea not to leave DVDs in your car for any extended period of time.
- Keep DVDs in their protective cases. If using a portable DVD storage case, we recommend ones that have a soft surface in each disc sleeve, and are easy to remove the disc without catching. This should help prevent damage caused by dust, dirt, scratching or dropping.
- If you need to clean the mirrored DVD face, we recommend using commercial disc cleaners. Otherwise, use a soft microfiber cloth, after spraying the data surface with a light mist of a commercial disc cleaner, computer monitor cleaner or eyeglasses lens cleaner. (Always confirm from the label that any cleaner you use is safe for DVDs.) Wipe in a radial motion, from center to edge, not in a circular fashion.
- For deeper scratches, you may try a commercial DVD scratch repairer. These, however, do not always work.
What if my DVD player isn't playing the DVD?
DVD playback problems present themselves in many ways: a disc may not play at all; it may freeze at any given point; it may skip; or you may see digital artifacting in the picture. If the DVD once played, and now exhibits playback issues it almost always due to a dirty or damaged disc. If it is new it may be a rare manufacturing defect or player incompatibility issue. Please follow these steps before contacting Customer Service:
- Confirm that the DVD is not a dirty, scratched or otherwise damaged disc. (See DVD Care above.)
- Confirm whether the problem DVD is only the title in question, and not also other DVDs from your Living Scriptures collection. If other Living Scriptures discs work, and the one it question doesn't, and it is a brand new disc, then it is likely a manufacturing defect. Please contact Customer Service for support.
- Confirm whether it is all DVDs from your Living Scriptures collection that exhibit playback issues. If you are a NEW DVD CUSTOMER and no brand new Living Scriptures discs work, particularly ones that are marked with "Complete Learning System" on their covers, but other DVDs you own from other companies may work, then it is likely a player compatibility problem. While compatibility issues are not common, we are aware of them. Compatibility issues, unfortunately, arbitrarily occur throughout the industry. The animated Complete Learning System DVDs are an advanced product with hundreds of menus on each disc (quizzes, two language programs, etc.). The product has been thoroughly developed and tested for compatibility, but where playback problems occasionally crop up it is due to manufacturing differences among DVD players. If you have a new DVD player you should return that player to the retail merchant or contact the model manufacturer. Otherwise, please contact our Customer Service to discuss how we may be able to assist you.
What are the "light specks" that I may see?
When the animated Complete Learning System was created our films were digitally re-mastered and digitally retouched. DVDs do not degrade over time like video cassettes can. We rarely get complaints about film defects. Nevertheless, since many of our animated films were produced with the classic cel-by-cel, hand-painted frame animation process, there may be occasional minor variations that were present in the source material. It does not mean that there is a manufacturing defect with your DVD.
Are your movies High Definition?
Our DVDs are in standard DVD resolution, otherwise known as 480i. (Note that High Definition systems require HD media, HD players and HD TVs/monitors to deliver a true Hi-Definition experience.) If you have a High Definition entertainment system (or a portion of one), and especially if you have a good "resolution upscaler," our DVDs will work well like any standard resolution DVD program. They are not HD DVD nor Blu-Ray discs. While these formats compete for market share, and due to unknown factors and high expense of frame-by-frame HD film restoration, we are not presently mastering them for the 720x or 1080x High Definition formats. We are working to stay mindful of where the future may lead, however.
One warning: the earliest High Definition players to reach the market have been known to be slow or problematic in menu access. If you have one of these new players and use the Adventure Quizzes on the Complete Learning System discs you may experience some slowness or issues in performance.
Are your movies compatible with "international" DVD players?
Our DVDs have no regional coding. (North American players are Region 1 players, Europe and Japan are Region 2, etc.) However, our DVD program signal is NTSC not PAL. Therefore, while the DVDs will play on a DVD player coded for any region, make sure that the player and TV you use are compatible with an NTSC signal.
Why can't I hear surround sound?
Our DVDs are mastered for Hi-Fi two-channel stereo. If you aren't hearing the DVDs in stereo, make sure you have a Hi-Fi player that is connected properly to a Hi-Fi television or a stereo amplifier. In a Dolby multi-channel home theater set-up, you will need a receiver/amplifier that can create Virtual Surround Sound in order to hear sound from your center/surround speakers.
Is Living Scriptures a part of the LDS Church?
No, it is a for-profit business with a mission to Teach Values and Change Lives by creating and distributing unique, wholesome entertainment to Christian families, most of whom happen to be Latter-day Saints. Furthermore, our LDSFamilyFun.com site seeks to promote and make our products useful to many LDS families by providing free resources. The owners are faithful Latter-day Saints. The Equal Employment policy of the company, however, welcomes any honest person of any affiliation who can support and grow the mission of the company.
Why do some of your movies use the King James and New International Versions?
Our Animated New Testament and Animated Old Testament video series are licensed from NEST Family Entertainment. Both of the series form the most widely used Bible video series among Christian congregations today. They were developed with oversight from an interdenominational Advisory Board, and all the content is doctrinally sound, focusing on the teachings of the Bible that unite people of all Christian faith.
All content was developed in harmony with the traditional King James Version. In order to make the Complete Learning System product accessible to more people, especially children, supportive scripture from the widely-used New International Version appears as an option in the Adventure Quizzes. In choices of terminology the traditional KJV wording is favored, but there is nothing in the inclusion of NIV references that an LDS family will find offensive.
Why do you sell door-to-door?
The huge library we sell was made possible through years of hard work by our independent, direct sales force, and the wonderful families who support all of us. We strive to hire ethical and hard-working individuals who will conduct themselves by the highest standards. If you encounter any problems with anyone representing our products, please contact our Customer Service.
Naturally, some people may prefer to shop through a catalog, in a store, or over the Internet—so we seek to make our products available through various sales “channels.” We seek to reach new customers without competing with our direct sales force. Without them this library would not exist.
If you are a purpose-driven, hard-working individual who loves our products, please visit our Jobs section to learn about various desirable opportunities with our Sales teams.
Are you going to sell downloadable movies?
It is possible someday but unclear when. We are also concerned that downloads don't deliver the "DVD experience"; the Complete Learning System interactive quizzes and learning options, for example, are not available through download technology at this time.
Yet, if you are a customer who buys films via downloads, please send an e-mail and let us know. When there is a market and demand for our films to be delivered this way we hope we will be able to serve those customers—including customers we'd never be able to reach otherwise. Who knows? Someday your kids may be enjoying our films on their iPods or phones.
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