Blockbuster online is pi$$ing me off!!!

[LuckyDevil13]

This post is more of a vent than anything.

So I have been using the Blockbuster online service since January and have had no problems until recently. "Million Dollar Baby" was shipped to me on BD and I took it back to my local store. After doing so it stayed on my queue saying "Recevied in store" for a month making where i was only getting two movies at a time instead of three. I contacted cs and they removed it from my queue and sent me two free game rental coupons (which was cool of them ), but then got the same movie again in the mail and it was not even in my queue. Now I have the movie "Man of the Year" being shipped to me and I have not even put that movie in my queue since I watched it back in May. Not only that but I have had "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" BD on the top of my queue for a while now and it keeps skipping this even though it is available.

Anyways thanks for taking the time to listen to me vent.

[darkpoet25]

Yeah my brother and I are having problems too. Most of the time if we try to get a BD title it always says, not available, or long wait. I did a free trial with Netflix and have had no problem with them. Not only do they have most of them in stock, but none of them are scratched!

[BStecke]

Get Netflix, you won't have these problems

[Sylin]

It's been my experience reading through this forum and others that both Netflix and Blockbuster Online have their fair share of pros and cons. It seems hit or miss for most folks.

I've tried both and never had a problem with either. But I decided to go with BBO due to the fact that I can return them in-store. I always get my movies w/i 1-2 days, and I've never had an "Available" movie not ship, except for once. I contacted CS and they suggested emptying my queue and re-doing it. At 90+ titles, this was a pain, so I didn't do it (hehehe) but I also haven't had a problem since.

Realize, too, that if you return your movies to a franchise store, not all of them (even though they claim to be) are properly set up for Total Access. For a few months, my local store would let me rent a new movie right away in-store, but they MAILED my old one back, so it took 5-7 days for my next queued movie to arrive. But since they "upgraded their systems", my next queued movie goes out ASAP.

[GarettP]

I'm about to go back to Netflix, we'll see if they take care of their latest problem, but queue which is almost all Blu-Ray is Long Wait, coming soon, or very long wait, however Sahara is available and Syriana shipped to me on the 5ht of July and still have not got it, but for my wife Memoirs of a Geisha shipped on the 9th and we got it today.

[smiley]

Netflix has been so much better than block buster for me. You should really try it.

[Blus Brother]

I dont see the point in online renting anyway - stop being lazy!!! LOL same with buying tickets for movies online - you still have to wait in line to pick them up, and pay more online to buy them. Not trying to offend anybody, just my opinion.

[GasCat]

From what I have read here, Blockbuster is just now starting to stock their shelves. I'd give them a break for a month until they are up to speed. There are so many people renting from them now that they need time to get moving.

Call them and let them know of the problems and ask for a free month of service. It sounds like with the game rentals they gave you the value of one month already. They very well may give you another if they still screwed up. This time if they offer free game rentals say no and get one free month. Give it a shot.

Netflix helps HD-DVD, that should go into your decision on if you should wait a month's time. G/L

[reiella]

Kinda curious, how does netflix help hd-dvd?

[ra1024]

I recently switched back to BB and I wouldn't be staying with them if it wasn't for the stores carrying BR. At least I can get dvds mailed and then exchange them in store for a BR. I'm hoping they just got swamped by their BR announcement and are in the process of ordering more titles.

[PaulDubya]

Originally Posted by reiella

Kinda curious, how does netflix help hd-dvd?

It doesnt. It just doesnt.

[Merc1785]

I've tried both Blockbuster & NetFlix. Without a doubt Netflix hands down is better...not even close.

Blockbuster

• Rarely has any Blu-Ray "Available"

• If it actually has Blu-Rays available, it ships them randomly out of the queue! No logic.

• Website is poorly designed for choosing Blu-rays. You have to find a movie click on it, then click on the format to add to queue.

• One good thing - Turn around time is slower than Netflix, but that is off set by being able to go into a local BB and exchange a movie [again, if is in stock].

Netflix

• Has almost every Blu-Ray "Available".

• Ships movies in the order I have them in my queue; always.

• Website user friendly to rent Blu-Rays. Just set your preferences to Blu-Ray rentals and find a movie and it is easily added to queue.

• Turn around time is 2 business days usually.

[smiley]

Originally Posted by bosels11

I dont see the point in online renting anyway - stop being lazy!!! LOL same with buying tickets for movies online - you still have to wait in line to pick them up, and pay more online to buy them. Not trying to offend anybody, just my opinion.

And where am I going to rent a Blu-Ray in a store? I would be impressed if I found any place withing 40 miles to rent it. And now if I drive 40 miles each way it will be a total of 80 miles. Then I would have to drive another 80 miles to take it back. What I would have paid for gas could pay for a lot of online rentals. Also if were to find this place how would the selection be? Probably not nearly as good as NetFlix. And really if you average it out, my Netflix rentals only cost me about $1.25 each.

There are about 3 Blockuster stores that are around the 40 to 50 miles from here. In the near future I could see one of them having Blu-Rays so for a total of 160 to 200 miles of driving I could rent a movie. But why not pay the $25.00 and have my 4 at a time rental for the entire month.

[smiley]

Originally Posted by Merc1785

I've tried both Blockbuster & NetFlix. Without a doubt Netflix hands down is better...not even close.

Blockbuster

• Rarely has any Blu-Ray "Available"

• If it actually has Blu-Rays available, it ships them randomly out of the queue! No logic.

• Website is poorly designed for choosing Blu-rays. You have to find a movie click on it, then click on the format to add to queue.

• One good thing - Turn around time is slower than Netflix, but that is off set by being able to go into a local BB and exchange a movie [again, if is in stock].

Netflix

• Has almost every Blu-Ray "Available".

• Ships movies in the order I have them in my queue; always.

• Website user friendly to rent Blu-Rays. Just set your preferences to Blu-Ray rentals and find a movie and it is easily added to queue.

• Turn around time is 2 business days usually.

I saw this and complained to BlockBuster. They sent me a generic were sorry resonce. Then I switched to Netflix and saw the same results you described.

[BStecke]

Originally Posted by bosels11

I dont see the point in online renting anyway - stop being lazy!!! LOL same with buying tickets for movies online - you still have to wait in line to pick them up, and pay more online to buy them. Not trying to offend anybody, just my opinion.

I would hardly call not paying $4 or whatever exorbitant in-store price they charge "lazy." That's just smart budgeting. For the price of 4 and change in-store rentals at $4 a piece, you can have unlimited rentals, three at a time with Netflix. Plus, one reason I hate Blockbuster is because of their typically slow, incompetent staff.

Movie theaters (at least all the ones I go to) have an electronic pick-up booth for tickets purchased online. Again . . . saves me from the typically slow, incompetent staff.

Not a single one of my BD's in my Netflix queue has any kind of a wait. Maybe it has to do with where you live, but I've only had one BD ever, and that was when Netflix JUST started carrying BD, that had any kind of wait, and it was like, two days.