Blockbuster Sucks
I have been using my local blockbuster for about 12 years. Additionally, we have been a subscriber to the online service too. However, we had a video rented and kept it 35 days. I would always forget to pick it up and drop it off for whatever reason. I wasn't worried since it was the 'No Late Fees' policy, but I did know I would be subject to the restocking fee, which is under $2.
I go into blockbuster, pick up X-Men3 and go to the counter. I inform the girl that I just dropped off an overdue movie and she goes and grabs it. Well, she's like, 'You own this movie'... and I tell her just to credit it back. Tha'ts what has happened a few times, when I take a movie back late... they charge my card for it, and then credit it back once the movie is returned, and charge the restocking fee.
She says the policy is that if you keep it over 30 days.. you are keeping it. After arguing back and forth and about 14 customers move to the OTHER line... she says I can talk to the store manager on Monday. They could not show me in writing the policy, and simply said.. we've been doing it for a year, you should know. My bad.. i'm not omnipotent, maybe they didn't get the memo. To me.. No late fees means NO LATE FEES. The most ludacris thing is that they want me to pay $25 for it.
Additionally, I said I would deal with it on Monday, and I wanted to go ahead and get X-men 3. The counter girl says "Not until you pay that bill... I can't rent to you." On top of that, I can't even have the movie back that I just returned.
The girl at the counter said there was no way that the store manager would take it back... and the best I could hope for is the fact that she might reduce the cost and sell it to me as a previously viewed movie. Yea right.
It's a huge scam, so be careful, if you keep it 31 days... you own it.
No wonder New Jersey has filed a class action lawsuit against them. iTunes just won another customer.. as did Net Flix. And Blockbuster wonders why they are losing business.
UPDATE: Ok, I called my local Blockbuster, spoke with the store manager, Lisa. She was already up to speed on the situation and was expecting my call ( I didn't even give her my name when I called). After I said about 4 sentences, she said, "If your position is that you are not going to pay this, then I will take it off, just this time". I was pleased.. but I continued to tell her my concerns. I appreciate that she is fixing my problem, but what about the others that don't have a clue about the over 30 days policy, like I was up until Friday. At the least, I told her that ALL employees should know where to find the fine print and show it to a customer. I'm going to ask next time I go to pick up a movie. For now, I am not canceling, since they took care of my problem, but you should beware of this policy, you may not be as fortunate as I am.
Comments
I could not disagree with you more. How can NO MORE LATE FEES mean that you never have to return it? I am guessing you are all for frivilous lawsuits where no individual needs to have any accountability. I am use to returning movies after 2-3 days. I now know I can be a few days late and they won't ding me. Never would I assume I could keep them out for 30 flippin' days. Are you away on fishing trips?
There is something in this world called logic. It means that not every item needs to be spelled out for every human. There are moments (like this!) where any reasonable being would guess that they could keep it a few additional days..not 30. Just for fun, I am assuming you thought you could keep it indefintiely? Hold on to it until 2011? If not, what was your magic number of days?
I find it ludacris (spelling intentionally incorrect) that people sue for hot coffee, expect the government to protect them from everything and that individuals take a good thing and bastardize it.
Movies can be downloaded anyways, so who cares? I just get so frustrated at people who lack common sense and blame others. I don't see anyone on here agreeing with you...I wonder why? You are lucky that Blockbuster bowed to your whims...if I owned it, I would have laughed you out of my store. Good luck getting thru life, as it appears you need everything typed out for you.
I can feel your pain in dealing with Blockbuster. I went to rent a video and was told to renew my Rewards. I did and then came back just two weeks later to rent another movie and was told to renew again and then they asked me again a month later. It's supposed to be a once a year deal. It's cool though because Redbox is closer.