No more late fees at Blockbuster!, could be worse (1 Viewer)

So blockbuster has decided to have no more late fees, acording to their website. But what is really happening is that there is a one week grace period after the movie is due. After that grace period Blockbuster charges you for the movie minus what you paid to rent it.

I don't know what to think of this.

That's cool I suppose, but if they charge you if you keep it for longer than a week after the due date, isn't that a late fee!?

It seems that all they're really doing is extending the time you get to keep the rentals.

Blockbuster could offer free rentals for eternity and still wouldn't go there.

Late fees isn't waht drove me away from Blockbuster...it was their lousy selection (including lackluster and inconsistent support for 16:9 titles) and the fact that with Netflix I can get movies in my mailbox.

"Blockbuster could offer free rentals for eternity and still wouldn't go there."


Ditto.

I hope BB doesnt buy HV.

I do have to say that Blockbuster's online service has been very good. Their selection is fairly deep (enormous compared to their stores) and the turnaround on discs is fast. I have a feeling that it will take a further bite out of their store business.

all normal rental policies are still the same for the initial rent.
if it's a 2 day rental it's still due in 2 days.
if it's a week rental it's still due back in a week.
now here's were it changes.

if it is due back on sunday and you dont return it sunday you now have a 7 day grace period to return the rental.
this starts with the next day after it is due back.
so a sunday rental not returned,
has a 7 day grace starting, 1 day after, (monday).

if it is not returned on that 7th day, you bought the rental, at the retail price or previously-viewedplayed price.
whichever is the current lower price.

now at this point you still have 30 days to return the rental.
if you do return it within 30 days
you get the cost you payed, back, minus $1.25 restock fee.

this goes for games and movies.

thats really it.
so if you can't get you rental back, let's use a week rental as an example.

you get it on sunday, it is due back on the following monday.
that's 8 days.
now starting tuesday you have 7 more days to get it in.
total so far 15 days.

now you own the rental.

but now you have another 30 days to get the rental back in.
if you do you get back whatever you were charged for the rental.
minus $1.25. and thats all.
origional rental price plus $1.25.

total 45 days.
so if you cant get the rental back in 45 days, well boy what else can you do?


how is this bad for poeple who rent movies.
i think if bbv had rentals for free all the time people would still complain.
the op said, "could be worse."
how is that?

rent a movie for about 45 days and only end up paying less then $6.


by the way why is this i the ht software film and doc section?
there is a section for retail stores.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...=24&daysprune=

I saw a funny TV ad promoting this...

"The end of late fees...
The start of more"

That had me laughing my ass off!

I think this will just cause more problems for BB. J6P is going to run screaming to the manager when he rents a game and keeps it to long and a $50 charge shows up on his credit card bill. BB will explain that if he returns it now he gets his money back except for a $1.25 restock fee. J6P will respond by saying "that is still a late fee and you said 'no more late fees.'" What does this mean, people will still be pissed at BB.

You don't get the money back once you return it within the 30 day period, its my understanding that you get BB store credit.

raasean, read my post 3 posts back.

the only people who would not get charged anything are people who have no valid credit card on their account.
this would generate a charge on your bbv account of the amount owed.
this would have to be paid when you come into bbv.
if you dont pay you just cant use the account anymore to rent.
i suppose some will have their wife or girlfriend or buddy open a new account then add their name to it.

the other thing is that when you open an account your phone number will be used to validate the address.
so you have to use a real address because it will kick it out if it isnt a match.
i dont think that has been put into effect yet but it is coming.

Man, I love Netflix.

I work for Hollywood Video. I have had to answer the following two questions, countless times a day for a couple weeks now..

"Can you remove all the late fees from my account? Blockbuster stopped charging late fees so I will go there unless you do, too!" (or something along those lines), and....

"Is Blockbuster REALLY buying you guys?"

First of all, as many have pointed out, Blockbuster has not really stopped charging late fees, they've just changed the name of the fees. The whole thing is very difficult to explain and I would not be at all surprised if someone eventually sues them for false advertising. (And if anyone thinks that's farfetched, both Blockbuster and Hollywood have been the target of class-action lawsuits by people who think we should charge late fees literally by the minute, rather than for an additional rental period).

As for whether we are being taken over, I honestly don't know. Upper management is assuring us that won't happen, but then, I understand they pretty much have to say that. If Blockbuster were to purchase Hollywood it would put it at or over 50% of the video retail market which would likely draw the attention of antitrust lawyers, although I hear on CNN that the deal probably wouldn't be blocked. I'm not sure really what to think at this point....just going day by day.

I think we can pretty much all agree that ANY one company controlling that much of the video retail market would be a bad thing. Doubly so if that company is Blockbuster. We're already to the point where Blockbuster and Wal-Mart are literally dictating to the studios what kinds of movies to make and how to market them. The last thing either of those companies need is yet more power.

STEPHEN how can you say that "Blockbuster and Wal-Mart are literally dictating to the studios what kinds of movies to make and how to market them."

thats pretty far fetched isnt it?

were's the evidence?

and how is the no late fee false advertising?

If you can keep the movie for a week past the due date with not one cent of additional fees.
then you are charged for the cost of the movie.
thats not a late fee it's a charge.
besides why wouldnt they have a right to charge you for something that was theirs, that you decided to keep.
plus you get every cent of that back if you just simply return the movie or game.

ok so they called it a restocking fee, so what.
it's $1.25. call it a late fee if you want.
how can anyone conplain when they can keep a movie or game for 45 days and only end up paying another $1.25.

it all comes down to responsibility, the responsibility belongs to the person who rented the product to return it when they are supposed to.

Any word on how this policy affects Canadian stores? This would be great news for me as I have incurred a lot of late fees at BB and I'm usually only a couple of hours - a day at most- late on my returns.

Walmart is the single largest retailer of music and movies in the country. I believe that a recent article in USA Today stated that they account for about 30% of the market.

Walmart refuses to carry "parental advisory" labeled CDs, while Blockbuster refuses to carry NC-17 DVDs. The whole "unrated version" option appears to be hit and miss at Walmart (I've never seen them, but some posts here claim that they carry them).

The second that Walmart refuses to carry a title because of its content, the studios will run like scared rabbits.

I can't say that this bothers me all that much, frankly. Wal-Mart has no obligation to support artistic freedom by carrying certain products.

Well it does bother a lot of us! I haven't shoppeed at Wal-Mart or Blockbuster for more than 8 years for this very reason. So many people shop at these stores that they begin to believe that what they sell is the only available product. The more this happens, the harder and harder it gets to find smaller independent films or films with controversial content, especially for those who live in rural communities that are dominated by Wal-Mart.

Just because it's not a problem for you doesn't mean that it's not a problem for others. If you're fine with allowing monopolistic companies control what you're allowed to buy and view then more power to you, but I for one am not!!