Renting Movies Online is the easy way to go with Blockbuster
Written: May 23 '05
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Renting movies online is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Going to a web-site, browsing through all of the titles, and choosing what movies you will want to see, all without even having to leave the comfort of your own home. The only drawback is that you don't get your films instantly, so you have to wait a few days for the gratification from your actions. The whole process is really easy for me, and I have gone with the Blockbuster Entertainment Online account, along with the in-store Ultimate Pass to see all of the movies that my heart desires.
Sign-up / Using the Site
To get an online blockbuster account, it is very easy to sign up. All you have to do is log on to www.blockbuster.com, create your account, and provide basic information including a shipping address to have the DVD's sent to, and a credit card that will be charged your monthly fee. For the first month, Blockbuster only charges $9.99 for 3 DVD's out at one time, and you can decide from there if you want to upgrade or not. After the first month it is bumped to $14.99 per month, but if you are unhappy, you can stop your account at any time. The site itself is very easy to navigate, with several menus that you can access films from. On the left side, you have a Highlights button for new releases and the Top rentals, A movie categories section which lists all of the major categories that films might fall under, A DVD showcase of past oscar winning films, and finally a set of in-store links and deals which you can use at your local store. At the center of the screen, you have a movie Queue which is used to organize all of the titles that you are interested in renting from blockbuster online.
How the Plan Works
As I stated, I signed up for the basic plan which allows you to have three DVD's out at any time. What this means, is that you will be sent three selections that you have chosen for yourself on the queue. Soon after signing up for your account, the site sends you three of your selections and you are on no time limit with which to have them watched. You can take as long as you like to watch them, only returning them when you are completely done with the film. This is a really great process, because then you don't feel pressure to make sure you are getting home at night with enough time to watch a full film. For the films themselves, they come in an envelope that contains a second envelope and the DVD itself. You take off the outer envelope, and slide out the DVD to watch. Once you have completed your use, you slide the DVD back into the second enveloped, seal it, and drop it in the closest mailbox. The great thing is that shipping is already paid for, so you don't have to worry about figuring out postage.
For the process itself, the great thing about the site, is that it sends you an e-mail when a DVD has been put in the mail for you. This makes it easier to figure out just when it will arrive, and plan out your schedule accordingly. I live in the same state as a Blockbuster hub, so I receive my DVD's very quickly. If I am sent an e-mail on Monday, I can expect it in the mail by Wednesday at the latest. I have had a DVD appear the day after an e-mail, but I tend to think 1-2 days is not that long to have to wait for my choice. Once I have watched it and dropped it in the mail, it takes about the same amount of time to get back to the hub. The bonus here, is that the site also sends you a confirmation e-mail upon receiving what you have sent back. This helps you know how fast the mail is going, and soon after seeing that e-mail, you can expect to see another e-mail letting you know which one of your next choices has been shipped.
The Queue
The queue is what you use to prioritize which selections that you most want to see from Blockbuster Online. In there, you decide in what order you want to see your films. They recommend that you put a lot of choices into the list, because you never know exactly what will be in stock. For me, I have had a lot of luck with my list, because I have always received the films that I have wanted. Even after getting a confirmation e-mail that they received one I sent back, I was able to go in quickly, put a new #1, and have that film sent to me the very same day. I have had a lot of success getting the films that I have wanted, and thus have been very satisfied with the way that the site is run.
On the queue, there are two separate lists for users. The top list contains the films that are currently checked out to you. Either they are already in your possession, or they are in transit from you or from Blockbuster. On that list, you are given the movie title, its rating, the shipped date, and the estimated date that it will arrive to you. It is nice to be able to check when a DVD was sent to you, and how long you have had it, but with the quick turn-around I have with DVD's it hasn't really been of much use to me. Below that you have the main queue where you list all of the movies that you hope to be renting through the site in the near future. From left to right you have your priority ranking of the films, the films title, its rating, its availability, and a box to remove it from your queue if you are no longer interested.
The queue is really easy to manage, and if you want to rearrange your list, it is entirely up to you how active you are at doing that. Sometimes you will put a film in there, and then realize later that you don't really want to see it as much as something else. So, the process of moving them around is made very easy just in case you do change your mind. I do this all the time, mostly because I change my mind about what type of film I want, but also because I start to think of new films that I want to see sooner than others. For one part of the queue, you can see the availability of the films at blockbuster. They are split into 3 categories which are available, short wait, and long wait. Self-explanatory they are, and you will receive the films that say available first in your list. Most of the films I have put in there are available, but there are a few (Notorius being one of them) that have shown up as Long Wait. On the whole though, I have been happy with the availability of the films that I have wanted to see.
Search Engine / Film Archive
The best thing about the Blockbuster Entertainment Online Store, is just how many movies they have in their database. They range from the most popular of selections, to the hard to find Independent films, and even to television series that have been released on DVD. In all the movies that I have searched for, or looked for, I have never found one to not be in their database. I often am looking for films that are older, and I would think those would be harder to find, but with Blockbuster Online it has been very easy to find any film I am looking for. If you know what film you want, it is very easy to locate it in the database, however, I have found that if you are searching by a genre, that the site becomes a little bit more difficult to navigate. A lot of the engines produce the same results, and there are many movies that cross over between several of the genres. This means if you do a general search you often come up with the most recent releases. As I said though, this is only a problem if you don't know what you are looking for.
Additional Aspects
If you are even more into movies than I am, you can choose to have more than 3 films out at a time. For $27.49 you can do 5 films, and for $37.49 you can do 8 at a time. If you are using one of those plans though, you must really be into watching 2 of maybe 3 movies a night if you really want that turn-around time to be so fast. With 3 films, I find that I can get through them pretty quick and then take off a day or two before worrying about sitting down again. Basically once you have watched 3-4 movies in one month on my plan, it has already paid for itself. In addition, you receive two free in-store rentals per month that you have the plan. So, if there is a new release that you just cannot wait to see, you can print off the coupon and run down to the store to get it. This can come in really helpful for you if you need a movie right away.
Overall Thoughts
I use the Blockbuster Entertainment Online Store rental plan, because it helps me to rent older films. There are millions of films that I haven't seen, and most of them are not currently kept in stores. What the online account allows me to do, is rent all of these older films, and watch them at my own leisure. I love the process of being able to think up a film, search it out, put in on my queue and expect to see it in a few days. Having waited so long to see these films, I think nothing of the couple extra days it takes to get to me in the mail. I have yet to have any problems with the site, with the mail, or with any of the DVD's that I have received, and that only make me love the site even more. I am very satisfied with this product, and I plan of keeping my account with them for a very long time to come.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? I purchased the plan which allows you to have 3 DVD's out at all times
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