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”
Absolutely feel the same. I’ve complained in the store, to Blockbuster online, and called their customer service number. Keep getting the run around.
They had BETTER NOT automatically renew me in this worthless program.
When it was sold to me they did NOT divulge all the caveats – not even half of them.
Hmmm… BBB = I’ll give that a shot but it’s only $10.
Netflix is a real cock. You have long waits and never have new releases available. I also live in the town that wasnt delivered there movies for a week because an employee didnt send them out. I get sent scratched dvds in the mail and it sucks because if i rented the movie from blockbuster its a quick fix. Blockbuster has movies like Avatar, Blind side, Sherlock Holms and many other titles before you or red box. The Rewards I baught for 10 dallars for a year gave me free movies and games. I am Rewarded by this program. You all sound like Cheap Bitches
Also, the little coupon you discussed is printed out at the end of the month or beginning of the month depending on when you visit. If you lose the coupon, any employee can get it for you, and they can also check your account to make sure you haven’t used it for that month.
I think it’s slightly rude too the way you criticize the staff. To be honest, everyone has to work (even college students) and every place has trouble with some employees. I do believe the way the guy helped you was wrong, and I’m sorry if the way they explained things wasn’t the best. Honestly Blockbuster has been trying to rearrange its stores to make it more user friendly, if you need help finding something, ask the staff. That is what they are there for, and it is usually easier for them to find something.
You’re clearly not understanding the program. The Rewards program is of course $15 for the year, but you actually get more than one rental a month for free. You get one rental a month for free PLUS for every five you rent within a month, you get a sixth one free PLUS Monday through Friday for every rental you purchase, you get a free older rental. You’re actually saving hundreds of dollars considering every free rental you get is actually a free $5 five day rental. And right now when you purchase the Rewards program, you automatically get a free New Release rental for free for 5 days, a third of the cost off right away.
On top of the Rewards program, Blockbuster offers a ton of rewarding programs. They have an in store pass where you can have one or two movie(s)/game(s) out at a time and can exchange them as many times a day as you want, usually running 22 to 35 dollars a month (which easily covers the cost if you rent a lot). There is also the online program which beyond doing exactly what Netflix does, it also lets you bring your online rentals into the store and exchange them for other rentals completely free, as many times as you want. That way when you return your online rental, you can have another movie in the meantime while waiting for the next one to mail to you. Plus, if it’s a newer movie that take forever to get to you, you can just come into the store. Also, Blockbuster is now doing Blue Boxes which are in Publix stores that work exactly like Red Boxes so if you think they’re pricey, you can actually get your brand new releases for a dollar a day.
The best thing Blockbuster is doing currently is a program called Direct Access. If there’s an old movie/game we don’t have in store OR a game/movie we’re always checked out of you can actually order the movie for the same price as a rental and have it mailed to your house to enjoy for a little over a week. This allows you as much access to movies as the online program while still experiencing the store and staff, and without all the online/comp work.
I write this because I have worked for Blockbuster and am still a constant customer because I believe they are totally a better deal than any other place. I think you are just being hypocritical because you don’t completely understand the program or the offers of Blockbuster. You should actually give it a try because you’re a getting a lot more than you are anywhere else, and believe I’ve tried it all and KNOW FOR A FACT I can always depend on Blockbuster.
I see that the problem you keep responding to people is that you have to pay to recieve your coupon, however as a former BB employee my suggestion, would be to have it sent my email, not only will you not have to buy something to get the coupon you will recieve reminders by email to use it if you hadn’t already. If you dont have a printer you can right the barcode number down on a piece of paper and bring it in, I also know that we can check to see if you have used it and just use another coupon that is sent by distro. The rewards is very useful, so to say that its not is completely wrong, however the rewards is for those people that rent alot, if you bought it just to use for the 12 free movies then its not going to seem like a huge investment. Anyways just a friendly suggestion to at least get your money worth for now.
I am not Blockbuster’s biggest fan so you certainly won’t catch me defending them often.
YES, your coupon for your FREE NON NEW RELEASE prints with your receipt after the first transaction of the month. Perhaps Blockbuster created it that way not to screw you but because it is a REWARDS account and it REWARDS you the more you rent. Are you smarter than a fifth grader, because all these kids got it right. Yes, most people who buy into the program rent more than just the free rental per month. They can get a free rental with every paid rental Monday-Wednesday (and the free rental is a non new release, which “blows” until you realize that there are good movies out there and, despite what you say, you have NOT seen everything out there. Look again!) and with every five paid rentals they can get any rental in the store for free. Most folks are renting their five and getting one free. Their coupon prints after they pay for a rental or two and they get a free one next time. It works like wonders.
However, you should be glad to know that Blockbuster recognizes there are times people just want the free rental for that month and period. So they do send the stores a certain number of coupons to replace those receipt tape coupons for those customers. Ask the manager for one.
If that doesn’t work, have them scan a bag of popcorn, void it off, clear the account and print the receipt. Your coupon should print then.
Blockbuster’s computer systems are old and archaic. I bet it was created before most of their customers were even born, and that’s not an exaggeration. Like I said, I don’t defend them too willingly. But wow…a lot of ignorance is going on here. There are ways to get the coupon to print without paying for anything. It just requires being smarter than the computer. And a fifth grader.