Consumerist
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blockbuster
You Will Probably Never See A Blockbuster SD-Card Kiosk
Here's an idea: When your top rivals are renting dirt-cheap DVDs from ubiquitous kiosks, or streaming thousands of films as a free bonus to customers who rent mail-order rmovies, what do you do? If you're Blockbuster, you start a trial run of kiosks that will allow consumers to rent DRM-protected videos on SD cards, and play them back using a proprietary box that will do nothing else. Yeah, that'll show 'em. More » -
video on demand
MPAA Asks FCC For Control Of Your TV's Analog Outputs
The Motion Picture Association of American wants to rent movies to TV viewers earlier in the release window, but they don't want anyone potentially streaming that video out to other appliances. That's why last week they went back to the FCC to once again ask for the power to disable analog ports on consumer television sets. More » -
vacations
Rent Someone's Home On Your Next Vacation
The next time you travel to another city, it might be cheaper, or at least more interesting, to rent directly from a local homeowner. Cool Tools says Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO.com) is a great way to find rental opportunities when you travel. More » -
polls
Would You Live With Ghosts For Cheaper Rent? 69% Would
Rent.com conducted a survey that found more than 2/3 of renters ain't afraid of no ghosts, and would live with them as long as they got a hefty discount on rent. More » -
due dates
Woman Arrested For Keeping Rented Movies 10 Years Past Due Date
A woman in Iowa was arrested last week for the theft of three video tapes from a local video store. She rented them in May of 1998, and a charge was filed against her in September of that same year after she repeatedly neglected to return them. More » -
video games
Rumor: Game Crazy To Close 200 Locations
Joystiq reported last night that Game Crazy "plans to close 200 of its approximately 680 locations at the end of October." There's no official list of which stores are closing yet, so feel free to ask your local Game Crazy employees and see if you can scare them. More » -
gouging
Comcast Raising Cable Modem Rental Fees This Fall
Comcast is going to start rolling out a $2 fee hike across the country this fall, which means your cable modem rental fee will go from $3 to $5 by the end of the year. Comcast says they absolutely have to do this or they'll never be able to pay for service and equipment upgrades, which makes us wonder how the poor underfunded company manages to stay afloat at all. More » -
follow ups
Ryder Refunds Customer $120 For Forcing Him Into U-Haul's Arms
Jesse, who wrote to us last week to complain about Ryder's broken guarantee, has contacted us again with a follow up. We also spoke with Ryder directly to ask how their "Guaranteed Availability" promise actually works, so that future customers know what to expect. More » -
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lawsuits
Redbox Sues Warner Bros. And Asks For Help From Consumers
Concerned that rentals are hacking into DVD sales profits, Warner Bros. has restricted rental companies such as Redbox and Neftlix from offering its movies until 28 days after movies hit retail shelves. More » -
follow ups
Zipcar Apologizes For Terrible Experience
Jen, who was left stranded in another city recently when her Zipcar lost its zip, managed to get through to the New York area general manager for Zipcar this morning:
More »I e-mailed the two Zipcar e-mail addresses I had. I thought I'd at least make a last-ditch effort because of all the comments the Consumerist stories were getting.
Shortly after I sent that e-mail (I copied and pasted what I'd written to you guys) and included links to both stories on the Consumerist, the NY area general manager called my cell phone.
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unhelpful
Zipcar Ceases To Zip For Temporarily Stranded Customer
We've always heard good things about Zipcar—the biggest complaint from friends here in NYC is that reserving one in the summer requires a lot of patience. Jen and her friend, however, just had an experience that was so bad that Jen finally had to dispute the charges on her card, and now she says she'll never do business with them again. Based on her encounter with them, we think she has a good reason to feel that way. More » -
misuse of words
Ryder's "Guaranteed Availability" Does Not Guarantee Availability
If you saw this image on the Ryder website, you might think that it means two things: that they guarantee some sort of vehicle availability to customers, and that they will make sure you are satisfied with your experience. You would be wrong. Update: Ryder has responded to Jesse's complaint. More » -
money saving tips
Students Can Use Internet To Rent Textbooks Rather Than Buy Them
The college textbook racket is a cruel exploitation of a captive market, and book prices seem to rise faster than Google stock. More » -
netflix
Deciphering Netflix Pricing Strategy
If you've found Netflix's pricing pyramid a bit tough to unravel, you're not alone. The cost of renting 3 DVDs is $17/month, whereas 6 DVDs is $36 (16.99 and 35.99, to be precise, but we don't count pennies here). Similarly, 4 DVDs is $24/month, 8 is $48. By traditional economies of scale, this may not make much sense: Getting 6 DVDs costs MORE than getting two 3 DVD subscriptions. And getting 8 DVDs isn't any cheaper than getting two 4 DVD plans. More » -
cheap stuff
Have Your Way With Blockbuster For $10 A Week
Looking for a way to stop the hemorrhaging, Blockbuster is offering a clever little promotion to lure mega-movie geeks back into its dusty aisles for one more fling. The Summer Escape Pass offers all-you-can watch for $10 a week. More » -
follow ups
Twitter Lawsuit Company Tells Its Side Of Story
Horizon Realty, the Chicago company that sued a former tenant for libel after she posted an offhand remark about them on her Twitter account, must have felt the full effects of Internet notoriety today. Jeff Michael—who was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times saying that Horizon was a "sue first, ask questions later" sort of company—has issued a response. Click here to read it (PDF). The short version: he says the tenant in question sued them first (about a month after the tweet in question), and they're all in deep disagreement about any existence of mold in the apartment. (Thanks to Alyssa!) More » -
lawsuits
Tenant Sued After Using Twitter To Complain About Moldy Apartment
If the the puiblic didn't read Amanda Bonnen's Twitter feed before, they will now, thanks to a defamation lawsuit brought against her by Horizon Group Management in Chicago. More » -
damaged in transit
Are Blu-ray Netflix Customers Paying Extra Because The Discs Keep Cracking?
Do you rent Blu-ray discs from Netflix? Have you had any show up with a crack on the outer edge that makes the disc unplayable? Victor just wrote to us that he's received several Blu-ray discs lately that are damaged, and he's wondering if it's just him or part of a wider problem. More »
rentals
New York, 9:26 AM
Wed Nov 11
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