After our first trimester of participating in the Blockbuster Rewards program, I’m not happy, I’m not feeling rewarded and if there was ever any doubt in my mind why this company is financially troubled and young upstarts such as Netflix are so popular, it’s long gone.
First, an introduction. The program offers what seems to be a decent incentive: Join for a reasonable fee (roughly $10, but the cost may vary by store) and you get 1 free rental per month. I’m not the brightest bulb in the bunch, but I know enough to realize this won’t be a new release. Still, their stores are fairly well stocked, and the kids like some of those movies in the middle of the floor, so when the manager-type says that you get to select from anything “not on the wall”, once a month, for an entire year, for just $10, it’s really not a bad deal. Guess again.
The first rental wasn’t bad. The second rental wasn’t either. The third time around was like a mugging, only worse, because you paid for the privilege up front instead of just being jumped in a dark alley. After the joy that is watching your kids fight over who gets to choose that month’s video, you stand in line and are charged for the rental. When you ask if this isn’t free, you then have the privilege of being berated by a high schooler because you don’t have your free rental coupon.
What’s worse is that the kid doesn’t know how to get the coupon. He just says that you’re supposed to get it with your rental each month, implying that you are stupid for not knowing it, or perhaps trying to pull a fast one by not bringing it with you. But what if the last time in the store was to get your free rental last month? Maybe you went to another store, he says. No, we don’t go to any other stores. One bad experience is plenty, thanks. Perhaps check your email? No, we didn’t get it by email, and we’re pretty competent on that front. No, it didn’t get blocked by the spam filter, thankyouverymuch. After several minutes of feeling like a criminal, he finally gives in, prints out something and gives you the free rental.
So with this experience safely forgotten, we try for month number four. The kids mill about, now realizing that the middle of the store videos pretty well blow, and half an hour later find something that isn’t bad at all. So we head for the register to get out while the getting is good. There is one person at the register – perhaps a college student this month – and three or four people in line. It’s not looking good. Once again, we’re charged, and I ask about our free video.
Again with the suggestion that we bring in our coupon, so being the helpful soul that I am, I try to figure out just when we’re supposed to get this coupon. The kid has no idea. He goes to get the manager, who does not improve the situation. I’m generally an easy-going person. But when I start to get impatient, it’s not a good idea to flick your hair and add “my friend” to the end of everything. As in “I’m trying to help, my friend” or “let me tell you how we do that, my friend”. It’s just bad.
So first, the manager tells me how the kids have managed to get a video that isn’t one that we can rent. But it was in the middle of the store. So he proceeds to tell me how they rearranged the store and now the middle of the store is no longer what can be rented for free. So I try and find out what can be had for a free rental. And he goes on about the middle of the store can still be rented for free (“my friend”). Except for certain areas (“my friend”). Finally, it’s three little bins that are in a particular area that are off-limits for free rentals (“my friend”).
The only problem? The movie didn’t come from one of those bins.
It came off the wall of new rentals and someone picked it up and put it down in the wrong area. I have no problem with that – really – but why it took this guy 10 minutes to explain why we picked it up from the wrong place when in fact we picked it up in the right place was not the right tactic. Just say “that’s a new rental”. Don’t try and explain it. Why do people try and go into so much detail making you look stupid?
Back to the little coupon. I was determined to figure out how to get it and avoid this next month. Apparently at some time during the month, Blockbuster physically prints these things out. But they do it at various times, so you have to guess when they do it and you can pick yours up (there’s a waste of money, my friends). So after they do it, and assuming you guess right, and if you have a transaction, and if they can actualy find your coupon, then you will get your coupon and you can then remember to take it with you so that the next time you can come in and hand it to someone so you can get a free rental without all the hassle.
If you don’t, you will need to get a manager to give you your free rental, wasting at least ten minutes of a clerk’s time and five minutes of a manager’s time, not to mention all the wasted paper and the untold hours of people standing in line – all in the hope that they will get you to come in and rent a movie next month in order to get your stupid little piece of paper so that you can then remember to bring it back the following month. Fat chance, my friend.
I am not making this up. I actually asked the overly-friendly manager if he was serious about this and he was completely serious. He said that if we don’t do anything other than pick up our monthly freebie, we should ask to see the manager each visit, because we won’t have the printed coupon. As I mentioned, I understand they want us to come in and rent a movie every week.
I understand that a $4 rental is going out the door for less than a dollar when we don’t do so (12 rentals per year for $10). I get the economics. But surely someone realizes that making $0.83 per rental on movies that otherwise sit there is better than wasting 15 minutes of hourly employee time on top of that with each one, don’t they? I don’t know. I don’t think they do.
In any case, I guess I’ll be checking in with my new friend next month.
The conclusion? If you live in Charlotte, go to the library instead. The selection isn’t as good, but the DVDs are free – at least, they are unless you choose a new release, and even those are cheaper than Blockbuster, and in any case, the lines are shorter and the people are generally nicer and at least you won’t feel bad if you don’t go, because you don’t feel like you’re missing out on something you paid to get. And you certainly don’t have to make friends unless you really want to do so.
Comments
56 responses to “Blockbuster Rewards Are Anything But Rewarding”
Also the rewards program at out store is $12.95+ tax which is around $14.65 – $15. What I am not getting is why everyone is complaining. It’s for a whole YEAR. A whole year, 365 days. Excuse me that some people are so in debt they can’t waste $10 – $15 dollars for a membership that lasts them for a whole year. It’s not like it’s a monthly thing, damn. People are stupid, and it seems that bbv employee and myself are practically the only ones that really understand this. Here is most likely the reason you people are having difficulties: 1. Bad employee, or 2. Store polices and guidelines. Not every Blockbuster is the same, so if you don’t like the one you are going to…try another one. There are two Blockbusters I can go to, the one I work at which it pretty damn good and gets a lot of business during the weekends. Or the one in New Braunfels which probably gets the same amount of business. And there is Blockbuster Total Access online. And yes at our Blockbuster if you also do bring in your online Blockbuster movie into the store you can trade it out for another movie for free(not sure if it’s rather for an old or a new), but it does act as a coupon. So if you have 2 online trade-ins you can get 2 free movies. I really don’t see what all of you are complaining about, and especially over monthly coupons. If you guys are just going to give up over a free monthly coupon, you guys need to start thinking more. I’m sorry people have a hard time wanting to spend a whole $1 on a old movie. To people over here that’s practically a blessing. People rent like 9 movies at a time knowing the fact all those will be .99 cents. I just can’t believe people are really this picky nowadays. Well you can’t please everyone.
Chad et al., I feel your pain. My wife and I have been struggling like crazy to get our free non-new-release rental. A week ago, I told a perfectly nice young kid at our store in MA that I wanted to cash in our montly freebie, and he was like, “No, no, you can’t do that on the weekends.” Which is wrong, of course, but I still had to pay.
The good news, such as it is, is that we’re occasionally able to catch a manger who knows how it’s supposed to work, and rides to the rescue when his clueless employees give us the run-around. But there’s absolutely no reason it should be that difficult. By design or not, Blockbuster Rewards really bites. Don’t think I’ll be renewing when the time comes.
I have been a member for about 10 months and have told about 5 different employees plus called in to tell them I am not getting my coupons by email or spam- I work at a computer and check my email about 20 times a day. They have checked and doublechecked and reentered into the computer and I still have never received my monthly free one. It is a constant struggle and an absolute scam. I have to call and complain every single month to even get it.. Otherwise I have to buy a rental to even get my “monthly free one” for the coupon to print out.
Blockbuster is going to go belly up they are so clueless and Redbox can just take over.
Heh – people who don’t read are funny.
@BBV Employee – the whole point is that it’s a very simple program if, and only if, you actually rent during the month. If you don’t, it’s like pulling teeth to get the coupon.
And I hate to tell you, but Blockbuster’s rentals aren’t very good values. So I wasn’t going to rent during the month. Thus, whether it’s $10 a year or a completely free program, it’s false advertising, saying that you get free rentals every month when you can’t get the coupons without renting.
Try and keep up, okay?
you people are stupid… I hate my job as much as the next person but you shouldn’t be complaining about something you obviously do not understand. The rewards card is 10 dollars for the entire year. Every month you get a coupon for a non-new release. In order to get this coupon you have to be renting or buying in the store because it prints out with your receipt towards the end of the month. Also every 5 paid rentals you get one free. That can also be used towards games which are about 9 dollars. Another benefit is that monday-wednesday every paid rental you get an old movie for free. If you get 3 movies for free after purchasing this card you not only broke even but then some (rentals are over about 4 to 5 bucks depending if it’s new or old) Its a good program…you are stupid
I have had the same horrible experience with this and have to deal with a teenage guy who is straight up rude and accusatory of me when I say I lost my monthly coupon. I have had to call the customer service number about 5 times with issues stemming from them not printing out the coupon for me and making me buy something to get it. Half of the employees know how to give you the coupon and half don’t from the register wtihout a purchase. Yeah its a nightmare- I could go on and on! thanks for blogging about this!
THE SAME SITUATION HERE. I AM FROM MIAMI …. WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND IS …….. IF THERE IS 6 PEOPLE IN LINE WAITING AND ONLY 1 PERSON IN THE REGISTER …. WHY IS NOT THERE A PERSON THAT SUPERVISE THIS PLACES, OR BETTER YET… HAVE MORE PEOPLE WORKING AT THIS PLACES …. THE SAME SITUATION WITH THE FREE RENTALS …. I RENT ALOT FROM THEM BUT LAST 2 MONTHS IS LIKE YOU HAVE TO ” PUSH ” HARD TO GET YOUR FREE RENTAL, AND AT THE END YOU END UP PAYING FOR ALL MOVIES YOU TAKE ….. ONE PERSON TELLS YOU THAT YOU WILL GET YOUR FREE RENTAL NEXT TIME YOU COME FOR A VISIT, AND NEXT TIME YOU GO IS THE SAME STORY WITH ANOTHER COUNTER “MANAGER” ……THIS IS MY LAST TIME THAT I PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM …… MEAN TIME I GUESS I HAVE TO KEEP ON TOP OF THE GAME …… ( THAT’S WHAT IT HAVE BECOME ) NETFLEX IS MY NEXT CHOICE, THAT I CAN PROMISE
GOOD LUCK GUYS!!
Well, now I know why I haven’t received a coupon in the mail. I was waiting and waiting to get my 2nd coupon since I signed up in the store over a month ago, but, I guess I’ll have to have a talk with my local store manager every month now. GREAAATTTT.
So I am in Atlanta and the same problem here, can’t get the coupon unless you rent and they wouldn’t give me a free one either. I gave the email address at the beginning and kept checking to see if it was right. I did an online survey for blockbuster and finally started getting the coupons by email at the beginning of the month so at least I was finally getting them by the half way point of my membership. Unfortunately May hasn’t shown up yet? My membership ends in June. It was definately a headache. The good part is I got my membership free from a survey company so I don’t feel quite so bad.
Wow. I don’t know where you guys are being sold to for $19.95, but that is a rip off. My store here in Alabama is a franchisee so we have more freedom on what we can do. first off if you just want your free monthly rental just come and tell us and we will take it from their. all of my employees know this. also we accept that monthly coupon for any 5 night movie rental. yes that includes new releases as well.
On top of that we do rent 1 get 1 free Sunday-Wednesday. Sunday and Wednesday it’s R1G1 on new releases and then mon and Tue is R1G1 on non new releases. on top of that with every 5 you pay for you get your 6th free.
Mainly though i would just like to say at my store i do not require you to perform a transaction to get your coupon nor has any other store i have ever worked for or ran. you my friend (had to throw that in their 🙂 have been screwed and i admit that. however i truly believe the rewards program is more than worth it. especially if you rent from me.
Better yet i sell my Rewards program for a flat fee of $9.95 a year. you will get way more than your money’s worth when the year is said and done. I just wanted to throw this at you and let you know that in some places you can still get GREAT value for under 10 bucks.