Blockbuster - Late fee (1 Viewer)

[James T]

I guess your SSN is our SIN card. and we don't need it for you to be sent to collections. We require a driver's license and a credit card to sign up. But as long as you give up two pieces of ID, you can be tracked no problem.

A customer came by to the store a few weeks back and asked why he got that nasty letter without anyone contacting him. I explained(since it was me trying to call/mail him) that I did try and showed the records of my attempts...he still never bought it. He continued to complain and saying that he wasn't going to pay for the movie. I kept telling him about his credit history, but he didn't seem to care.

I also had a customer who tried to buy a car, but he couldn't because of a movie he didn't return. He came to the store, paid the $100 worth and left.

And for anyone that recieved a BB collections letter, was it actually from the collection agency or from BB? I ask because if you pay BB the late charge money, the collection gets nothing($50 fee is gone when you call them to confirm that the customer paid off the late fee) which they don't like very much. So...maybe that's what BB is doing. It's kinda like buying a new suit for a party, then returning it the next day for a full refund.

 

[Matt Pelham]

Most Blockbuster stores in the US are Corporate owned stores, although there are franchise locations as well.

 

[Tony Whalen]

I remember some years back BB sent me a letter, threatening to send me to collection for something like 7 bucks. Shortly thereafter, they called to inform me they had cancelled my membership. I couldn't believe it. (Note: I'm not in the habit of NOT paying late fees. If memory serves, I was a rather broke student at the time.)

I've not set foot in a BB since then, and I have spent a LOT of money at their biggest competition in Canada (Rogers).

 

[James T]

I've not set foot in a BB since then, and I have spent a LOT of money at their biggest competition in Canada (Rogers).

Good choice

 

[CraigF]

I also had a customer who tried to buy a car, but he couldn't because of a movie he didn't return. He came to the store, paid the $100 worth and left.

Anybody who that happens to *must* have a terrible credit history, or none at all. I don't feel sorry for those with a bad history, they cost everybody else money. Sorry.

If your credit history is good, something like that makes no difference at all, people are begging to lend you money or give you credit. Right?

The way to get a good credit record is to *pay* off your debts that you incur by your own doing, however that may have been...nobody gets a bad credit history by "mistake". Maybe just a bad notation for something by mistake, but not a history or record.

If you get into a habit of owing people even very small amounts of money when you're young, things will be tough when you're a bit older and maybe *need* some money for something significant. Credit card companies can destroy your credit record very easily, and thus prevent you from doing all sorts of things, so be careful.

Yes, I won't deal with BB because of their ridiculous late fee schedule (35-40% of their revenue they state comes from late fees) which should be capped at a reasonable value (disc replacement cost at most), rather than on the basis of theoretical "lost revenue" etc. But them's the rules you agree to by renting. Anyway, I predict the not-too-long-in-coming demise of video rental B&M's, not that I'll miss them.

 

[nolesrule]

You sure the collection notice was from a collection agency and not from Blockbuster? When I worked there 8 years ago, we would send out 30, 45 and 60 day notices for accounts with balances owed as part of the daily opening shift routine.

 

[Anthony Connor]

Block Buster or Big Brother