Blockbuster Abolishes Late Fees....
 

So does this grandfather in my current late fee (i hope so)

http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/14/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes

I am not particularly fond of Blockbuster right now, because of an incident that happened with me.

My brother rented a DVD from the local store. I returned it that Monday by Noon. No problem. Three weeks later, I get that annoying card saying that I didn't return the DVD and that I owe the company money. That evening, I go to the store and explain my situation. The clerk left a note for the manager saying that they couldn't find the DVD in stock at the store.

The next week, I rent two other DVDs and returned them without problem. After returning them, I get another card from Blockbuster saying that they're charging my credit card thirty two dollars for the missing DVD.

I call the store and apparently they have found the missing DVD. I just need to come down to the store and they will refund my money. I went down and they did just that.

That incident has made me bitter about the company, and that particular store. I will be driving the 15 extra minutes to the other Blockbuster store.

:mad:

What I thought was interesting was the phantom late fee I received a few months ago. I returned a certain movie well within time and they had charged a late fee.

Those folks will not back down when you tell them they're wrong.. And for $4.50, I'm not going to waste that much time dealing with it.

I hate that they're just about the only thing left in movie rentals anymore. The "2-day" rental thing is crap as well.

Well the same kind of thing happened to me i rented a dvd and returned it promptly...just one problem. I returned the case without the actual disc. It was an accident. Like 2 weeks later they called me and told me I needed to bring the disc back and that I owed like $42.00 in late fees. They wouldn't budge. Even though I didn't know that I had the disc. I mean c'mon $42 because of a little mistake? And they didn't call me for weeks to let me know that my late fees were building up? I quit using blockbuster after that.


Also, I think they are doing this due to the new internet movie rental comanies like Netflix. They charge you a flat fee for the month ($17.50) for unlimited movies and NO late fees...EVER! So I'd say that hurt Blockbuster's business.

It's reasons like these that I stick with Netflix!!

thats cool that they are abolishing the late fees at Blockbuster but i really dont go there often anymore like i used to, im mostly sticking with Netflix to watch my movies that I rent

You're not the only one to complain about phantom late fees. I've heard lots of people say they have been charged late fees on movies that have been returned on time. Now obviously I have no evidence to susbtantiate this claim, but from what I have heared they do this to a lot of people, they automatically charge you a late fee when you've returned a movie.

i like hollywood video. it's 3.99 for 5 days and they have a great deal with 2 movies, popcorn, drink and candy for super cheap. no more blockbuster here!

What a ridiculous load of crap.

Essentially they are ripping you off here and making you think they're doing you a favor. In other words they're pissing on you and telling you they're doing you a favor by quenching your thirst.

Obviously they've found out when most people return late DVDs. Then they charge you and you get "store credit" which is forcing you to use Blockbuster.

I use netflix. Sometimes the movies are late...sometimes they're scratched. Overall I get access to a large collection which has quite a few small independent movies and foreign films in it.

-Rudey

I can't remember the last time I rented from Blockbuster. I have no free time - when would I watch a movie?

A few years back, I rented something from Blockbuster and dropped it off through the return slot on the morning it was due back. A few days later, I went in to rent a movie and was informed that I had returned the other thing after noon and therefore owed a late fee. It had been logged into their system as returned at around12:30pm. Where was I at the time... at work, sixty miles away! :rolleyes: It turned out that the person who logged the returns that day was quitting and was bitter, so she just waited until the afternoon so everyone would get hit with late fees. They refunded my fee, but I never went back...

Blockbuster is doing the same thing now: Blockbuster Online.

Same deal as Netflix plus 2 free in-store rentals per month, which allows you (or perhaps more importantly the kids) to satisfy the sudden urge to watch a particular movie.

Makes me hate to tell you that Blockbuster is negotiating to buy Hollywood Video.

Wow. When I lived in the suburbs, there were 3-4 different rental chains. Blockbuster is the only thing remotely close to us now.

I'm strongly considering netflix because I'm sick of getting screwed over by BB.

I've got to say that, as much as I hate the uber-conglomeratization that goes on, I've never had any trouble with Blockbuster. Shoot, they've forgiven our late fees more than they charged them.

We looked into Netflix but decided Blockbuster Online is a better deal, at least for us -- there just are times, especially with kids, that you're in the mood or are geared up for a particular movie (or the kids are sick and want to see a particular movie), and so we knew that joining Netflix wouldn't stop us from going to Blockbuster from time to time anyway. At least with Blockbuster online, we get a few free rentals from the store every month to cover those impulse movies.

as we get into a late fee story....

i rented from a local video store at Dartmouth. I was off for the spring of my junior year. when i came back senior year i had a 150 dollar late fee for a movie (that i have never seen) that i supposedly rented while i was 2000 miles away in Denver Colorado. I refused to pay the late fee. It sucked.

In general I hate late fees. I tried netflix for a while, but stopped using it so much so i cancelled my subscription.