Blockbuster Total Access Unannounced Policy Change 250
NuclearCodeMonkey writes "Blockbuster Total Access has changed the terms of its user agreement without notice to users. Previously, users could return online (mailed) rentals in-store for free rentals. The next set of online rentals was immediately mailed out. Now, without notice, they have changed their policy so that the in-store free exchanges count against you, and no more online rentals are mailed out until the in-store rentals are returned. No wonder they are closing stores and losing to Netflix! Needless to say I am canceling my account in protest."
Update - 3/15 at 11:55 by SS: NuclearCodeMonkey has sent new information about an email from Blockbuster which clarifies the situation. Read on for his follow-up.
NuclearCodeMonkey writes"A second email from Blockbuster Support admitted that a change in policy had taken place (the first didn't acknowledge it). And they stated I should have received a notice: 'We have updated your "Terms and Conditions" with regards to in-store exchanges. A week before March 2, 2009, notifications for this new policy was added as banners on the top of your queue page, announcements were also posted at your local Blockbuster store, and we have sent out emails to inform customers about the new change.' I did not see any of the aforementioned notices and I have double-checked and did not receive any email. At least one commenter did indicate he had received an email. So, maybe an announced change after all and I just got missed? I wouldn't want to mislead anyone."
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:3, Informative)
Seems reasonable to me, too. Here in the UK, you can't return your mail-out DVDs to a store, anyway. Mind you, their main rival LOVEFilM is just the same, since they have no physical stores for you to return the DVDs to. Netflix hasn't made it to the UK, yes, and they'd have a hard time against LOVEFiLM if they did; aside from a few customer service issues (not to gloss over that...) they're doing pretty well...
Re:BBI Stock drops last week (Score:3, Informative)
That was on news that they were going to announce bankruptcy. It didn't happen, but the market took it seriously.
The market took it seriously because everyone knows that BB has been in deep trouble for years (see recent Circuit City / BB talks last year) and many expect them to go bankrupt any time now.
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:2, Informative)
Dead?
I just read that Blockbuster is one of the few companies experiencing growth in profit. Apparently during a recession, when people are cutting costs, they spend more time at home watching rented videos.
Re:I am a bit confused (Score:5, Informative)
Oh well, over to Netflix. The in-store exchange was the only thing BB had over them anyway.
old news (Score:4, Informative)
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:5, Informative)
Do in-store exchanges count towards my BLOCKBUSTER Online® membership plan? [custhelp.com]
On a linked page they have another answer that completely contradicts the answer linked in the article.
Do in-store exchanges count towards my BLOCKBUSTER Online® membership plan?
Free in-store movie rentals are in addition to the number of DVDs allowed out by your BLOCKBUSTER Online® membership plan.
one says they count against you, one says they dont and are an additional perk. They cant decide apparently. Im glad I have netflix instead.
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:2, Informative)
But they did announce it. I have a subscription and received notification of the pending change (via email).
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:5, Informative)
I am a suscriber, and so far this year, other than confirmation they they have received my returned movies and have sent new movies, I have received a total of 6 emails from them. All 6 of those are ads telling me to add certain movies to my list. This article on slashdot is the first I've heard of this change to my plan. Regardless of my feelings for the change itself (which I do find a bit annoying), the lack of notice really irritates me.
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:3, Informative)
I've been on the Blockbuster plan for years, and I love it! I've never been "throttled" like people on Netflix were, either.
No wonder they are closing stores and losing to Netflix! Needless to say I am canceling my account in protest.
Well that makes sense, I guess with Netflix you can take home as many DVDs from the store as you want! Uhhh... wait, what? Netflix doesn't have any stores? Well... um... so how is it better, again?
Actually, I don't have the "Total Access" plan. That's what I used to have, but then they went up on the price so I canceled. Well they immediately contacted me (I guess they figured I was probably ready to jump to Netflix, since it would be cheaper) and offered me a deal on the "mailer only" plan, which didn't include trips to the store, and was much less than I could get from Netflix, so I took it. I almost never used the store, anyway, it just wasn't convenient.
Re:Yawn (Score:3, Informative)
I have the same feelings. Blockbuster also had a habit of losing my membership, forcing me to fill out their silly form multiple times. I complained and it took three months (!) to get a reply to my complaint. By that time I had given up on it forever.
They don't deserve to be in business IMHO.
Wait? What? (Score:2, Informative)
I don't like the new policy. In fact I'll be switching to netflix because of it. But saying that it was changed without notice is crazy.
Not only did I get an e-mail on this change, it was posted on the front page as an alert, and I was told when I returned some envelopes for rentals.
Maybe you just didn't pay any attention?
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:3, Informative)
This may be out of date. I hope it is, since my favorite is Sainsbury's. I'm very concerned after seeing the Sainsbury's web site has a "finance" section. Either food has gotten VERY expensive in the UK, or Sainsbury's is getting involved in financial services. Both possibilities are unsettling.
Re:One spoiled idiot from the crappiest generation (Score:4, Informative)
They marketed the contract by talking about how you could get movies from the store for free by returning your mail-in movies. That was part of the deal. They've changed the terms after the fact. There is no "entitlement mentality" in this. Blockbuster is providing less service for the same price. That's definitely a "negative impact."
The obvious solution is to walk away from Blockbuster. That's what you do when the other party doesn't live up to their obligations.
Re:It sounds reasonable to me. (Score:2, Informative)
In a way it was double-dipping. However, that was the edge that they provided over Netflix, considering that Blockbuster has historically charged more for the same level of service from Netflix.
The advantage was that you could watch more movies while waiting for the new ones to arrive through the mail. That advantage has now been reduced to having quicker access to movies in the short-term only, since it now delays the ones you would receive through the mail.
I wouldn't mind the change in the rules, except that Blockbuster is notorious for intermittently and inconsistently sitting on the returned movies for a week or so before mailing your next ones out. Being able to exchange them locally in the meantime took the sting out of that. Now it's only going to make it worse.