Reader and blogger Morgan went to his local Blockbuster to rent a movie. He'd never rented at the store before, so he needed to sign up for a membership. We've all done this before, but this time, something was different:
The guy at the counter told me that I had to show a driver's license and major credit card (perfectly reasonable), pay a $10 dollar fee (a bit much, but acceptable) and sign up for their Netflix ripoff, Blockbuster Online. Wait, what? I told him that I didn't want to sign up for Blockbuster Online, and he refused to let me start a membership without signing up. And of course I couldn't rent movies without a membership, so I was forced to leave without my movies.Morgan tried emailing Blockbuster to see if this was a store-wide policy or just one rogue manager. They didn't write back. Has this happened to anyone else? Are they inflating the subscription numbers for their Netflix ripoff by bullying in-store customers? Lame. —MEGHANN MARCOI don't want to sign up for Blockbuster Online. I know I wouldn't use the service enough to justify the monthly fee. I know that canceling is likely to be difficult-if the company's this obnoxious about forcing you to sign up, they'll be at least as obnoxious about trying to keep you from leaving.
Blockbusted [Whose Faulty Vision]
(Photo: Maulleigh)








