I would have to call Customer Service (or go to their web site) and ask them where another machine is in my area. I'm sure there are many in the three zip codes that make up my town. I just have no idea where they are.

This actually happened to me recently. When I emailed them complaining, they sent me a couple of codes for free one-day rentals- but offered no help on the DVD that I had in hand, just saying something like "find another box! We have over x redboxes across the country." I live in the city without a car, so I certainly can't go cavorting around looking for a Redbox that will take my DVD. I ended up not using the codes, because I was worried the box would be full after THOSE, too, and I'd have to pay again.

I'm pretty sure I'll stick to Netflix after that experience. It's not like any of the Redboxes I've seen have decent taste in movies, anyway.

Hmm...

A box that gives entertainment for $1 per night, that this guy is unable to access because the lines are too long and the box is always full...

A lesser site would have a 'just like (insert someone's name)'s mom' joke inserted somewhere in the thread by now.

I'm glad that the commenters on this site are too classy for that, though :)

I've never used Redbox before (GASP.. I know), so please enlighten me on this.

If I rent a DVD from Redbox 'A', watch it at night, do I have to return it to Redbox 'A' or can I return it to Redbox 'B' down the road?

If I can return to Redbox 'B', then that's why this is a problem and it should be fixed.

Rent from Redbox 'A' and you must return to Redbox 'A', otherwise people get burned like this.

@ZeGoggles: One of the wonderful things about Redbox is you can return at any of the machines, anywhere. You could rent it on the east coast, hop on a plane, and return it in CA if you really wanted to.

@ZeGoggles: Good point- however, I believe one of the advantages of the current system is that you could pick up a DVD in city X, watch it on your laptop/portable DVD player on the plane, and return it in city Y. It's a pretty cheap way to get an in-flight movie.

If wondering if a middle ground would be that you have to select your return destination when you rent it (something like "Return Here" -or- "Return to Another Location", that then prompts for a different RedBox)?? I don't know if it would help or how much effort it would take...

@ZeGoggles:

With RedBox you can rent from any RedBox and return to any RedBox.

The OP's problem is his usual RedBox just happened to be full. All he had to do was go to another RedBox in the area or wait until he saw someone in the long line actually rent a DVD thus freeing up a slot to return his movie.

@acknight: I personally see a huge problem with that.

One, because now east coasters are filling up west coasters Redboxes.

Second, and a more serious observation, you're taking hit movies from one Redbox and moving them to another. Now, people that frequent that box are frequently missing out on good movies.

This is not that big of a deal. I doubt it happens often. In my area Redbox is in every major grocery store and some various convenience stores. I don't have to travel more than a mile to get to the next one. If this becomes a more mainstream problem I suspect the location will get another box.

Keep in mind they only charge $1. Compare this to the hassle and expense you may have experienced with Blockbuster or Netflix. I find this to be the lesser of all evils

I have many ideas to make Redbox better, but I am impressed with service overall.

I browse at home (you should all try this) and then reserve it online so its there when I get there. No angry eyes burning through my back while browsing!

Maybe someone can look into this, but I suspect Redbox works on a similar model to the major airlines. That is, airlines overbook, and Redbox doesn't have space for the particular box's inventory.

Think of it like this: say a box has space or 100 discs. 40% of its inventory is out at any given time, so if the box's inventory were 100 discs, you'd only have 60% of the space full at any given time, and you'd be wasting 40 spots.

Instead, the box has an inventory of 166 discs. That way, Redbox is taking full advantage of the box's space and keeping the maximum inventory possible.

Of course, there's a major difference between airlines and Redbox. When an airline overbooks and has to bump a passenger, there are FAA regulations as to what the airline must do. When a Redbox is full, they make the customer do something about it: find another box, pay for another night, etc.

We need an app that will search for a Redbox nearby that is not full.

Some of these machines have a little lockbox attatched to the side where you can drop DVDs if the machine is having problems. I've done this in the past after talking to a CSR over the phone.

I have had this problem before. I called customer service and told them that it was a going to be inconvenient for me to return the DVDs to another location. They put a note on my account, and once I returned the DVDs a few days later, they credited the extra nights back to my credit card. Their customer service reps were very helpful.

"All he had to do was go to another RedBox in the area"

If there was one. If he had a car.

Nothing like spending $5 on bus fare to return a $1 DVD rental. But I forgot: all real people have cars, only subhuman scums-of-the-earth take the bus.

@ZeGoggles: You're taking movies from Box A and dropping them off at Box B while other people are taking movies from Box B and dropping them off at Box A, or C or D. I promise it all works out in the end. In the rare case they don't have your movie, you can drive 3 more minutes to another one that does. If you have the time to watch 3 movies in one night, you probably have the time to go to another Redbox. Or you can see online which locations have which movies and map out a few on your way home (you can also reserve them to ensure they're there) It's much more convenient than one Blockbuster shared among three or four cities.

@ZeGoggles: My friend uses Redbox (Screw Redbox, I have netflix instant streaming on my Xbox) and has encountered this. But he has a pattern to fix it.

Rents movie afterwork at HEB.
Watches movie that night.
Returns movie at McDonalds when he picks up breakfast.
Rinse and Repeat if neccesary.

Problem solved! The great thing about these kiosks is that they're everywhere. And, in the event that they're full in the morning, then he drops it off at lunch.

And personally, I feel that for the convenience, occassionally the extra work is neccesary. Otherwise, they'll have to hire more people to restock it and prices will go up and then we'll see this post:

NETFLIX PRICES GO UP 50 CENTS. WORLD IN PANIC.

Then people will say,"WHY NETFLIX? WHY HATH YOU FORSAKEN US!!" and I can say,"Well you wanted to avoid late fees." Cause and effect.

@ZeGoggles: It is a problem if you don't have an auto (or this is the only RedBox in town). I would call them and ask for a free day since it's there fault. They are usually good about giving free codes to make up from problems, even your own mistake.

@MikeM_inMD: You think it is your responsibility to drive all over your town to return a DVD because the company cannot manage their inventory?

You could just hang out by the box for a few minutes and then try again after a few people have picked up rentals.

@ArdelisDeeson: Make that "their fault".

I think the RedBox at Walgreens in my town dispenses oxycontin or something. There is ALWAYS a line there. It's the weirdest thing. And there's only one in our whole town, so finding another location would require driving at least 15 miles

I've never encountered a totally full Redbox, but here's something similar: what about a kiosk that's out of service? The Redbox app on the iPhone will tell you where one is, but not whether it's in operation. I've had several instances in which I show up to get a DVD or return one and the kiosk is out of order. What then? Is it my responsiblity to find another kiosk just because Redbox hasn't fixed their machine?

I, like others, take public transportation, and rely on the convenience of Redbox locations near me to pick up and drop off my DVDs. Should I be obligated to walk another mile just to get to a functioning Redbox machine?

@ArdelisDeeson: Or subways. In the Boston area, you'd be hard pressed to find many big grocery stores (I haven't seen these in McD's here yet) off the subway. If you don't have a monthly pass, you'll pay about $3.40 to return a $1 movie.

I'd call and get a free code, use it and then see if that freed up any space for my return. Or I would use one of the free codes they have (try DVDONME or BREAKROOM) to empty out some space.

@icantreplyright: I agree. You'd think with this system, you'd be able to somehow validate your movie so that the next 24 hours were free of charge by simply scanning the disc and applying the free code to your account because the box is full.

Granted, it would still require you to come back the next day, but the odds are pretty good that if you have to come back the next day anyways, you'll rent another movie which actually makes them some money instead of just pissing people off because they have to drive to the next store on their short lunch breaks.

I don't get the Redbox phenom. I can see it being useful if you only rent once or twice a month or if there's some new release you just have to see right then. Otherwise, it seems such a waste of money when you're probably spending what it costs to get unlimited rentals from Netflix.

I rented 1 movie from one of those machines, Bolt. Took it back the next day, machine happily ate the DVD. 30 days later I get a bill on my credit card for 30 bucks (after 30 days they charge you the buck a day and you can keep the DVD). I was like WTF, contacted customer support and while they quickly refunded the money they kept acting like they were doing me such a favor by refunding my money and insisted that these problems were very unlikely and very rare. Sorry guys when you try to F'k me the first time I use you I'm done. I'll stick to netflix and Family Video, at least there I'm assured the pimply teenager will physically handle my DVD.

FYI - The DVDs in the machines have a circular barcode sticker that is placed in the center of the DVD. I placed one of these in my PS3 and it started humming loudly. I placed one of my DVDs in and it didn't hum. The stickers cause the DVD to be imbalanced and the result could be an exploded DVD that destroys your player.

You'd hear of these stories years ago when CD labels were popular.

I haven't rented from RedBox since...that and the fact they are loaded with a bunch of knock off movies.

@macdude22: But it was a rare occurrance. It's really not something that happens much at all. Methinks you overreacted.

@TCama: So Redbox should offer the DVD $200 and a free hotel? :)

@pecan 3.14159265:

Methinks they shouldn't have acted like I was a crook trying to fleece them out of the AMAZING film Bolt. If I hadn't had my s't together and kept my return receipt email I suspect they would have been less likely to refund the dough.

I don't think finding another Redbox or calling customer service should preclude kicking the machine.

@Muthafodder: What do you mean knockoff movies? If you mean the discs that don't look like the discs you get if you buy the DVD (though why on earth someone would rent a disc from Redbox to compare it to something they already own, I have no idea) it's because some studios release rental discs that don't look like the ones you get when you buy the DVD.

@Coles_Law: Unless it was due to weather, legal issues, equipment replacement, an act of God, labor strikes or the like.

I should maybe clear up something in the article, thought most people seem to under stand it. The OP says, "There were no options to enter your information or swipe your card or anything like that so that they could give you an extra day."

The machine already has your info. Its rental system is a passive one...if you keep the video for another day, it charges you for another day. You don't have to ask for another day, you just take it.

However, I tend to agree that in this case, it might be worth the OP calling to complain if he can't find anywhere to go before 9 PM. Freebies are never a bad thing. :-D

@pecan 3.14159265: that's the studios that cooperate with redbox. a good portion they buy from walmart and then rent...

@engstewart: Are Redboxes showing up in airports now because of that flexibility? Seems like a logical extension of their business plan if they can get in the door at major airports.

(I flew recently but wasn't specifically looking for them while I was in the airports, I brought my own entertainment.)

@TCama: Probably. But the problem they run into is that you can return a disc from one box to another one. So if the box you return to happens to be popular with a lot of other folks returning discs you run into a problem. Sort of like how the starbucks in the boonies might not be busy at 9 am, but the one in the center of Boston will be chock full. Same sized stores, but more traffic.

@scoosdad: Very interesting idea. That would be a great way to increase Redbox usage.

I'd call the number and explain the problem. If he's truly unable to make it to another machine (I can think of maybe 5 of them within 3 miles of here) then explain that and they'll likely just credit him an extra night and hopefully apologize for the inconvenience.

Having said that, you're paying a dollar a night and dealing with a self service box. You get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, I use them too from time to time, but honestly, if you want more reliable service, you'll pay the 4 bucks and rent from a place that's charging 4 dollars because they have to cover the cost of a store and the pimply faced kid that's taking the movie from you.

@MikeM_inMD: I'm sure there are many in the three zip codes that make up my town. I just have no idea where they are.

For those of us using public transportation, that's not just an additional timesuck, but also an additional expense. This is like when Western Union is down (every other week) in my local shop, and they blithely tell me to check somewhere else in the area. Sure, there other places to go, but I plan my errands around specific locations to cut down on wandering the streets in 95° sun.

I'm not saying your comment was blithe; just that its not as simple a solution for a large segment of the population that are carless - by circumstance or choice.

@scoosdad: I think that would be such a great idea. Just post a kiosk at every major terminal. Of course, then you're going to get the fools who don't have a laptop, renting them out anyway. Not all hotels have DVD players in the rooms, either.

Looks like you're renting two more movies!?! Cha Ching!

Happened to me once and I through a fit for 2 minutes then realized there's a walmart to city ratio of 1 per 4 mile radius (not including walgreens, smiths, albertsons, and mcdonalds locations). Yeah...it's a pain to have to park and go inside a store to return a movie but at least you don't have to pay 5+ bucks to rent a movie from them.

@pecan 3.14159265:

I rented 'The Day the Earth Stopped' thinking it was the movie that was just released. ALL of the RedBox stations I have seen are loaded with Asylum knock-offs.

I don't recall stating I compared discs to something I already own. Swapping the DVDs out led to the discovery of the barcode sticker on the RedBox DVD that was causing a disruption in my player.

This kinda happened to me the very first time i rented a movie. it had to be returned by 9pm. Well i went around 6 or 7 but there was a sign saying the machine is being serviced. ok, fine. i went out, ran some errands, did whatever and ended up returning it around 11pm. I honestly thought 1 day rental meant until midnight the following day like blockbuster did. So i ended up getting charged an extra $1 for returning past 9. I called customer service and explained that I did return it but that I couldn't before it was actually due because of the maintenance. She either was able to look up that it was being maintenanced at that time or just credited me out of good customer service.

it'll probably cut into their profits for extra day rentals but i still would like to see the return time be a standard midnight the next day. it makes more sense to me rather than try to keep track of what time i rented each movie

@Muthafodder: This was nonsense then, and it's nonsense now. The imbalance was with stickers that were on the art labels of the disks and not completely circular but strips (ala security strips). Center circular strips don't do this. If your PS3 is making funny sounds it's probably your disk drive and not the disk itself.

@riroon: Your mom is a hooker.

[Couldn't resist.]

@nstonep:

Yeah, it was nonsense that I have only heard it on the DVD rented from RedBox. Even crazier nonsense when I removed the circular sticker from said DVD and the loud humming stopped.

@ArdelisDeeson: It's called a bus pass or a metro card; seriously...if you don't have a car I'd figure you'd need to take public transportation to work and they seriously hose you with 1 way tickets (even 1 week tickets); get a monthly or yearly then just go joy riding (unless it's on a bus which is never a joy).

Two things:

A) Customer service probably would have been happy to give him one more night free so he could return it. Its not like its a big loss or they need the disc if the machine is bursting as it is.

B) You are paying 1 dollar. Thats 1 dollar, You can't expect world class service and performance on the extremely cheap. If you want no worries you can go to a video store and rent for $4-6 and be worry free - other than late fees and lousy video clerks. Even if you kept it another night on your dime you would still be a lot cheaper than renting anywhere else.