Consumerist
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movie rentals
Watch Out For Throttling If You're On A Blockbuster Rental Plan
Robert's recent experience with his local Blockbuster just underscores how ill-equipped the rental chain is to compete against Netflix and new-star-on-the-block Redbox. Whether Robert has caught them deliberately throttling his account, or he's just the victim of a poorly implemented system, it's not the kind of customer experience you should have to settle for anymore. More » -
fines
Blockbuster Busted For Overcharging Customers, Must Pay $300k
What do you do when the foundation to your business is crumbling and bankrupcty lurks like the Grim Reaper just outside your drop box? If you're Blockbuster, apparently you charge customers more at the register than what's displayed on the product, at least in California. More » -
If we owned a Blockbuster franchise, we'd seriously think about just renting out the space to a bunch of Redbox kiosks. Blockbuster reported a 42% drop in revenue for the first quarter of 2009, which CEO Jim Keyes blamed on people going out to watch movies at theaters instead. Regarding the Redbox threat, Keyes said they hope to have 3,000 kiosks functioning by the end of the year. Redbox, on the other hand, has about 12,000. [Reuters]
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market destruction
Redbox Kiosks Crank Out Cheap DVD Rentals, Doom For Hollywood
With its ubiquitous DVD rental kiosks, Redbox has been known to toy with our emotions. The machines have taken up all the choice grocery store spots where your favorite stale gumball machines used to sit. And company execs taunted us by dreaming up that awesome Free Movie Mondays promotion only to vow to take it away by the end of the summer. More » -
funny
This Blockbuster Has Pretty Much Given Up
We guess when you're hurting as much as they are, you pick your battles.
(Thanks to Jess!) -
tips
How To Delete Your Online Accounts
PC Mag has assembled a list of instructions on how to wipe your account from a long list of websites, including Classmates.com (you'll have to call), Windows Live ID (it's complicated), and Friendster (ha ha ha). In many cases, canceling is as straightforward as clicking a link and authorizing the cancellation, but it's nice to see all the phone numbers and tips collected in one spot. More » -
blockbuster
Blockbuster's Stock Nosedives On News It Is Investigating Bankruptcy
Blockbuster's stock just dropped 79% this afternoon after Bloomberg published a story that said the company hired the firm Kirkland & Ellis "to evaluate restructuring options, including a possible pre-packaged bankruptcy." Blockbuster says they've only hired the firm for "refinancing and capital raising initiatives," and that they do not intend to file for bankruptcy. More » -
blockbuster
Blockbuster Reduces Total Access Benefits, Disguises Change As "No More Due Dates!"
Blockbuster's Total Access subscription service—their bid for relevance in the Netflix era—used to ship the next movie in your queue as soon as you dropped it off at a Blockbuster store in exchange for a free rental. Now the next movie won't ship until you return that free store rental—in other words, now it will count as the next movie in your queue. Of course, in Blockbuster marketing-speak, that's considered a great new benefit. More » -
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blockbuster
Blockbuster To Add Video Games to TotalAccess Service, Netflix Yawns
HackingNetflix has sent word that Blockbuster will be testing video game rentals through their Netflix-variant "TotalAccess". More » -
blockbuster
Blockbuster Will Offer 99 Cent DVD Rentals
Reuters says that Blockbuster will begin offering 99 cent rentals for the first time ever, according to CEO Jim Keyes. The details of which movies will be 99 cents have not been announced, but Keyes did say that the price point would include "thousands of DVDs, including many classic older movies." More » -
Something we noticed while looking up info on Blockbuster.com today: the $25 cash back promo they've got going with PayPal is still being promoted on the front page of their site, but the fine print says it expired on August 31st. You probably shouldn't take advantage of that "offer" until Blockbuster clears up the expiration question.
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paypal
Blockbuster Double Dips In PayPal Account; Naturally, PayPal Does Nothing
Blockbuster debited Anthony's PayPal account two days in a row for the same monthly plan. PayPal won't help—they say it's between Blockbuster and Anthony, offering further proof that PayPal is a great service only as long as nothing goes wrong. More » -
blockbuster
Yikes: Blockbuster Dumps Plan To Buy Circuit City
Blockbuster has finished snooping around Circuit City's medicine cabinet and the verdict is in: Blockbuster has changed its mind. More » -
netflix
Netflix Profiles To Stay!
Netflix announced today that they will not be removing the beloved profiles function that let users set up separate movie queues. Hooray! Speaking from personal experience, when two people share one netflix account, having two queues is essential to maintaining domestic tranquility. Looks like they listened to the 1270 people who left comments on the blog post announcing the feature's removal. An email to subscribers also thanked them for the customer emails and calls that advocated for keeping the profiles. The news was released on the Netflix community blog by one of the Netflix website production managers. Full announcement, inside... More » -
Netflix profiles
Netflix Eliminates User Profiles, Infuriates Customers
Netlfix announced yesterday that they'll be eliminating the ability to set up separate queues or "profiles" within one account. Some customers, like reader Stephen are hopping mad about it. More »
9:29 AM on Thu Jun 19 2008
By Meg Marco
0 views, 231 comments -
video wars
Does The World Need A Blockbuster Digital Download "ATM?"
At their shareholders meeting Wednesday, Blockbuster announced that they would soon begin testing a "ATM"-style machine that consumers could use to download movies "on the go." More » -
annoying
Policy: Blockbuster Debits $1 To Test Your Card, Then Charges You For Your Rental
For every debit or credit card transaction at Blockbuster, the company will now debit $1 to "test" your card. If the transaction goes through, they'll then debit the full amount of your purchase. Blockbuster tells us your dollar will be returned in 3-10 business days. Reader Jason says he rented a game on Thursday and hasn't gotten the dollar Blockbuster borrowed back yet. Will he get it before the 10 days is up? More » -
satire
Step Back In Time To The Blockbuster Living Museum
Before the days of Netflix and the internet there was the "video store." According to The Onion, Blockbuster was "a specialty shop where customers would exchange money for the short term use of videos in an archaic system called "renting." Now we can visit the Blockbuster Living Museum to relive those days of yore. Watch The Onion video, inside... More »
blockbuster
New York, 6:11 PM
Sun Jul 5
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