Disturbing Blockbuster Situation - Page 2

DeanWG · 08-28-2007, 03:38 AM

I'm wondering if a simple browse through your customer agreement (namely, that thing that you probably just checked "I agree" when you signed up for the service.) If, in that agreement, it says you have 30 Days, that's the legally binding agreement you have with Blockbuster, and that's what should be enforced.

Will_B · 08-28-2007, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChristianB

2. I also don't get it why Blockbuster didn't just waive the $1.25 (!) restocking charge and move on with life. Why bother creating more work and hassle for what it's worth - we're talking a BUCK TWENTY FIVE.

Because it costs more than that to run the credit card transaction.

Jason Roer · 08-28-2007, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeanWG

I'm wondering if a simple browse through your customer agreement (namely, that thing that you probably just checked "I agree" when you signed up for the service.) If, in that agreement, it says you have 30 Days, that's the legally binding agreement you have with Blockbuster, and that's what should be enforced.

I disagree. The e-mail that was sent to me specifically stated I had until 9/23/07. It could therefore be reasoned, even if it does say differently in an earlier contract, that this is an addendum to the earlier contract. Policy changes. I used to go the local movie theater all the time on Friday morning to see the new movie of the week. I always paid full price, which here in Manhattan is up to $11! Yikes! Anyway, one day I strolled on in and swiped my card through and found out I was only paying $6. Well - they went ahead and changed policy - and it worked out in my favor. As far as I'm concerned - the same thing happened here (if, in fact, it did ever say in the original contract that you have only 30 days after termination).

You have to go by what the latest information tells you. I have a written document telling me 9/23/07. That's the information I used to make my decision.

Cheers,

Jason

PerryD · 08-28-2007, 09:48 AM

I think you would have a lot better chance of getting the late fee removed if you would return the movie first.

Jason Roer · 08-28-2007, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PerryD

I think you would have a lot better chance of getting the late fee removed if you would return the movie first.

It's not a late fee that was charged to my account. They charged me the purchase price for the disc. When I return the movie, I will get the purchase price refunded to me, LESS THE RESTOCKING FEE. That's what I'm being unjustly charged for. Admitted by the supervisor, this is an error on the part of Blockbuster and yet they still want me to pay for it. That's why this whole thread was started. So people would be aware of what happened and could watch out for themselves should a similar situation arise.

Cheers,

Jason

Josh Steinberg · 08-28-2007, 11:45 AM

Jason, might I suggest you draft a letter (not an email) to the CEO of Blockbuster? In my experiences, whenever I've had a customer service issue with any large corporation that wasn't satisfactorily resolved through normal channels, writing directly to the head of the company has always yielded favorable results, for both large and small matters. I never come right out and ask for any special favors or reward for the trouble, but I almost always wind up with something regardless.

Having spent more time than I care to remember in customer service, it's my experience that people working in lower positions (even a supervisor at a call center) do not have the mechanism available to them that would allow these mistakes to be fixed. The primary purpose, again from my experience, seems to be to explain to customers why they're being charged or why it's not the company's responsibility, while hopefully not upsetting you too much. Emails rarely in my experience seem to go to anyone who might have the power to do something. On the other hand, each and every time I've written a letter directly to the CEO's office of a company, I've gotten a favorable response. I always make a point of being polite (even when deep down I don't feel like it), don't understand why I'm being charged for this, confused that the email said I had until the 23rd but I was charged now, etc.

I bet if you do that, within a month you'll be getting a phone call from a much nicer sounding customer service person who will be more than happy to work with you to settle the problem. It costs the company more money to recruit new customers than it does to keep existing ones, so once it reaches the top, they'd probably much rather spend the $1.25 and throw in a gift card or something to keep your business. Financially speaking, it's smart business for them. If you're pissed off and stop shopping there, chances are you're going to tell people, and they might lose a couple extra people. On the other hand, if they throw you a bone, you're more likely to continue doing business with them and also likely to share your overall experience with other people. They'd rather have you telling your friends that even though the company did make an error that they more than made up for it, instead of telling your friends that the company sucks and doesn't care about their customers.

Blockbuster Online is by credit card subscription only, correct? The bottom line, at least for me, is that you don't EVER want unauthorized or inappropriate charges to be put on your credit card. When you provide someone with that number, you're signing up for a specific service or sale and authorizing them to bill you accordingly. You place a certain trust in them, and you expect them to honor that. You could also fight it with your credit card company, but I'd go that way only as a last resort. In your case, when you canceled your account, Blockbuster sent you an email clearly stating what was required of you to close out your account without further financial obligation. You've followed their email and done what they've asked. The last email sent directly in response to your cancellation request should supersede any and all previous agreements you may have signed up for.

Generally when things like this happen, companies get away with it because a lot of people aren't looking that close at their bill, or they figure it's not worth arguing over a dollar. But anytime someone puts an unauthorized charge on my card, be it for one dollar or one hundred, I take it extremely seriously.

Jason Roer · 08-28-2007, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Steinberg

But anytime someone puts an unauthorized charge on my card, be it for one dollar or one hundred, I take it extremely seriously.

As do I. Thank you for your thoughtful and well written comments. That was the plan. The first step was to fax over the e-mail as requested by the supervisor I had on the phone. I did that today and we'll see how she responds. If she continues to tell me there is nothing she can do, I will follow your course of action.

Cheers,

Jason

King Jeff · 08-28-2007, 07:23 PM

Trust me, Netflix is better, I've had both.

Jason Roer · 08-28-2007, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by King Jeff

Trust me, Netflix is better, I've had both.

Yeah, I have too. And now, when we have the time to sign up again, we're definitely going back to Netflix.

Cheers,

Jason

JohnRice · 08-28-2007, 10:03 PM

OMG folks. Yes, Blockbuster is one among a long list of companies which can have incredibly crappy CS. No, they don't really care if one individual customer becomes so annoyed. They are so big they can't see customers anymore, and they are far from alone in it. Yes, it is remarkable now little a CS rep has to do in order to turn a negative into a positive. My guess is that even if they explained that the system doesn't allow them to credit the restocking fee, but in exchange give you a free rental, odds you would be fine with it, it would save them time, which costs more than the $1.25 and doesn't really cost them a cent. They just don't care, so they don't make the effort or give it a second thought.

troy evans · 08-29-2007, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobraleigh

i used to work for bbv and trust me , they don't care. if i were you i wouldn't let that $1.25 sit out there too long. when i worked in the store we had to send people to collection agencies over fees. i wouldn't put it past bbv to send you also. you'd be surprised how many people had their credit messed up by having a collection agency report from bbv show up on their report. it was up to the store mgr to set a cut off. some said they would write off $5 and below, some wouldn't write off any. it affected their bonus.

half the time we'd find movies had been returned, but the employees were too lazy or high or whatever to put them back in the right place.

one of the happiest days of my life was when i quit

This was the basis for my own Blockbuster complaint. I had rented "Soldier" w/Kurt Russell and "Seven" w/Brad Pitt. I got a call a week after I returned them to the store saying that they did no