Blockbuster Online: A great way to rent movies!
Written: Mar 07 '05 (Updated Mar 07 '05)
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Blockbuster's online rental service is still a fairly new program, but the idea of renting dvd's online is hardly of their own conception. I do believe, however, that they have given new life to a plan of this type.
No Late Fees...Really: Although even the Blockbuster stores are proclaiming the dissolution of late fees, the online rental program can truly make this claim. If you rent from a physical Blockbuster store without a set program, you will be charged for the full purchase price of the movie on the 8th day (may be lower if previously viewed pricing is available on the movie you have rented). In contrast, with the online rental program, you can have up to 3 dvd's at a time, as long as you want. Really!
Promptness of Movie Receipt: Once you sign up for the program, or once Blockbuster receives a returned movie, I've found they send a new one out within 24 hours maximum. Sometimes in even less time than that! They also give you an ETA for when you will receive the movie they have shipped to you. I've found that I receive most within 1-2 days of when they have informed me it's been shipped, and most of the time, even before the ETA they have provided! I've had only one movie come later than projected, and this is of the 24 movies I have received so far.
Ease of Return: When I was renting from the video store, I found it difficult to find the time to drive all the way to the other side of town to return my dvd's. My days are filled with enough hustle and bustle without the addition of extra treks across town just to drop a movie into a drop slot. Having rental return be as easy as sticking a disc in an envelope and dropping it right out my front door has saved me a lot of time. I've also find that my movies arrive back in Blockbuster's hands within just a day or two of dropping it in the mail.
What Movie Do I Want?: Ever wandered aimlessly through Blockbuster trying to think of a movie you'd like to see? With Blockbuster online, searching for a new title is easy! You can conduct a search just about any way you like: by new release, by actress, by genre, you name it! You can also look at a movie and see recommendations made by others who liked that very film! You then add the titles that you like to the queue in the order in which you wish to receive them. When Blockbuster receives a movie back from you, they send out the next available movie from your queue.
Customer Service: I have had to email Blockbuster's online customer service department only once with a site glitch that had come up that was not allowing me to add a movie to my queue. My answer came less than 24 hours later and was both clear and courteous.
Site Reliability: I've been using the website about 2-3 times per week over the past two and a half months and have encountered only one system glitch (described above in the Customer Service section).
Selection: This is where the program gets loses a bit of luster. Although the selection of titles on Blockbuster.com is very extensive, the number of copies they have of each film may not be. I've had several movies at the top of my queue that have been sitting for over a month showing that there will be a "Short Wait" or "Long Wait" for them (even some older titles). It seems that they haven't yet caught on that it might be time to order additional copies of certain films that are in higher demand.
But I Want it Tonight!: That's okay! You get two free in-store rental coupons a month as well! This, in many cases, can even make the selection issue online less of a predicament! These coupons can also be used to rent games (the online program does not currently include games).
Overall, I've found this program to be of great use to me! In just a couple of months, I've gotten much more for my $14.99 a month, and found many more movies I was interested in seeing, than I ever did by renting in the Blockbuster location.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Blockbuster Online Rental Program
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About the Author
Location: California, USA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
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