Any Canadian members use DVDHype.com? (1 Viewer)

[Richard Travale]

I just found their website and it has piqued my interest. It is essentially the same type of thing that Netflix is. They charge $24.95CAD per month and you can have three movies at a time with an unlimited total per month.
I was wondering if anyone knew what kind of turn around they have and if it is worth it or not.

 

[Richard Travale]

bump

I'm sure someone here has tried this...

 

[James Bergeron]

Interesting..... but A) they don't mention anywhere, where they ship from, it would be nice to know so that I can judge my delivery times accordingly.
$24.95 a month is not bad but you have to rent a lot of movies a month to get anything out of it.

IE. average say 3 days in shipping both ways that's 6 days which is basically a week, since there is only 5 shipping days a week. So that means the MOST dvds you could rent would be 12 based on getting 3 one evening watching them all and putting them in the mail before the next pickup! So realistically maybe you could get in 5 or 6 rentals, let's stretch it to 8.

At 8 that's not bad $3.11 a rental.
But I doubt realistically I would get 8 in with the mailing back and forth and such so I'd say not really worth it. As I can rent for $5 flat accross the street from my home any day. So that's 5 movies.

Or you can find better deals, such as rent 1 get 1 free at blockbuster all the time, or other such deals. I got a deal at another store, if I rent Monday to Thursday I pay $2.75 for a rental. That's 9 a month on my own time for $24.95.

Anyway, it's great idea, I really don't know why NetFlix is so popular based on my calculations it really isn't that great. You pay for the convience and selection I suppose.

Because if you are busy one month you pay the $24.95 and get nothing out of it, or say only a couple of movies. I realize they can't really make it less expensive since they have to pay for shipping and have to make money.

I don't see it as a viable business model unless there is a faster way to ship, IE next day service, but then it's too expensive.

Only real viable way would be to have outlets in major centres like NetFlix does. Don't use the postal service but delivery services.

Blockbuster could easily do this, by delivering right to your door.

 

[Richard Travale]

Hmmm, you've made some good points James. I read a little more and there is a section that states they send out of Montreal. They have a "quit when you want" policy so I was thinking I would give it a shot for a month and see how it goes. If it sucks, I quit and wait for them to set up a hub in Vancouver. If it seems ok, then I stick with it. Besides, with their cheap first month, how can I go wrong?

 

[James Bergeron]

Montreal, that's interesting it wouldn't be too bad for me. My g/f works for canada post said you can expect to wait 4 days. So that's 2 weeks for every 3 dvd's. Since it's in Montreal I would wait around 3 being in Ottawa, a major hub.

If you try it, let me know!

 

[ChristopherS]

There are two companies in Canada that do this: HollyWebDVD based in Calgary; and DVDHype out of Montreal.

I live in Cantley Quebec, which is just north of Ottawa, and found the shipping time for HollyWebDVD to be four days minimum to eastern Canada. On the plus side HollyWebDVD has outstanding customer service, and an incredible selection (from action to art house films). They are also quite willing to buy new movies that customers suggest. An excellent company to deal with, especially if you are in Western Canada or do not mind the shipping times.

DVDHype has a poorer selection of movies and a very limited selection of art house films. If you like main stream, DVDHype has it. The customer service is non-existent but they get the job done. The big plus to this company, especially since I do live in Quebec, is the short shipping times. I can regularly get movies in two days. Because of this I get many more movies from DVDHype than HollyWebDVD.

Please note that for four months I was getting movies from both companies, Art House from HollyWebDVD, and main stream stuff from DVDHype. I canceled both in May because I am too busy in the summer monthes to watch movies. I will
restart DVDHype in November. If shipping times for both companies were equal I would not hesitate in recommending HollyWebDVD. Better customer service, and a better selection. As the original poster lives in BC I suggest trying out HollyWebDVD. You should get the best of everything.

Chris

 

[Richard Travale]

Wow Christopher, that sounds like the ticket. I already signed up for DVDHype yesterday afternoon but I will give this one a try too. Then I will quit one at the end of the month. In fact HollyWEb has a deal on right now where you get an extra DVD (4 at a time) for just a dollar more making it $25.95 per month.
Thanks.

 

[MichaelPe]

I've used both DVDHype (in 2001) and HollyWeb (this year), and I much preferred HollyWeb. Their Classic Rental plan was the one I most preferred, and their customer service is unbeatable.