Walmart InstaWatch - Cheaper then Just Digital Copy

[natemac00]

So it's worth keeping an eye on Walmarts Instawatch page, they seem to have some good deal that would be cheaper then buy directly from Vudu. Below are a few examples I saw.
Walmart Instawatch

A.I. $6.23 Walmart - $13.99 Vudu HDX
Star Trek Into Darkness $6.49 - $13.99 Vudu HDX
Minority Report $6.38 - $13.99 Vudu HDX
Tomb Raider 1 & 2 - $7.88 - 27.98 Vudu HDX
Kill Bill 1 & 2 - 7.88 - 25.98 Vudu HDX

[hokies5007]

Couldn't you also just sell the disc unopened on eBay after the movie appears in your Vudu library? That way you could end up getting it for free or very cheap.

[budzmcgee]

Originally Posted by hokies5007

Couldn't you also just sell the disc unopened on eBay after the movie appears in your Vudu library? That way you could end up getting it for free or very cheap.

Yes, and many InstaWatch titles include a UV code on the sticker too that you could theoretically separate to sell/trade as well. I've made money off of the $7.88 Blu bin at Walmart while also getting the movie for myself.

Word to the wise though, if an InstaWatch title doesn't go through right away it can be a nightmare to get sorted. I did the above with "We're Back" since they were selling the Blu for $7.88 and it regularly went for like $9 on eBay. The InstaWatch didn't go through and it took three months to sort it out with Vudu customer support. Even after providing them photos of the blu-ray (with the sticker on the front cause that is what they needed) the receipt and the UPC. Basically full proof I had purchased the disc. still took like three months for them to just give me a UV code. Even at one point they suggested just using the UV code instead but I persisted because I shouldn't have had to.

[neverfinished94]

Originally Posted by hokies5007

Couldn't you also just sell the disc unopened on eBay after the movie appears in your Vudu library? That way you could end up getting it for free or very cheap.

I do this ALL the time

[Scarab]

This is nice when it works. More than once the instawatch doesn't work and it turns into days or weeks (sometimes months) of support emails to get the digital copy through VUDU support. Walmart support only directs you to VUDU as they don't even really know they own them.

[budzmcgee]

Originally Posted by Scarab

This is nice when it works. More than once the instawatch doesn't work and it turns into days or weeks (sometimes months) of support emails to get the digital copy through VUDU support. Walmart support only directs you to VUDU as they don't even really know they own them.

I'm bummed to hear that others have had this experience. I was hoping mine was a fluke. I seriously opened an issue in late February and it wasn't resolved until early June.

[Trailbreaker77]

Yea once Vudu and Walmart realize what's going on this will end up going away I think.

[owlboy]

Vudu is not Digital Copy, it's Ultra Violet.

[Scarab]

owlboy not all of Vudu is UltraViolet. They are plenty of instawatch copies that aren't UltraViolet movies and only allow you to watch them on VUDU.

[budzmcgee]

Originally Posted by Trailbreaker77

Yea once Vudu and Walmart realize what's going on this will end up going away I think.

Why would Walmart care? The whole thing starts with someone buying the blu-ray at Walmart. The only thing they could potentially argue is that in reselling it I prevented someone else from buying the blu-ray from them, but I wouldn't have bought the blu-ray from them myself without intending to re-sell it so in reality they are getting the sale either way.

Can maybe even argue it's a sale they wouldn't have made otherwise (I wouldn't have bought it without being able to re-sell, the person who bought the blu-ray from me may not have a Walmart with the blu-rays stocked near them to buy from).

[owlboy]

Originally Posted by Scarab

owlboy not all of Vudu is UltraViolet. They are plenty of instawatch copies that aren't UltraViolet movies and only allow you to watch them on VUDU.

Oh, so Digital Copy and Ultra Violet are both incorrect broad labels for the equivalent it's cheaper then.

[crazylikeafox11]

I'm not familiar with instawatch so apologies if this is a dumb question but is there something preventing people from purchasing a movie with instawatch/ getting the instawatch copy and then returning the physical copy? If you return the movie, does the instawatch copy get removed from your library?

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by crazylikeafox11

If you return the movie, does the instawatch copy get removed from your library?

Yes.

[Blaze_Chamberlin]

Instawatch customer service is a complete mess. You can add me to the list of people that have waited more than a month to get a situation figured out.

[Scarab]

I bought 5 instawatch movies from Walmart a couple weeks ago. I got 2 of them via instawatch. Still waiting on the other 3. The same day I took multiple pictures of the front of all 3, back of all 3, bindings of all 3, individual front and backs of all three. Multiple clear pictures of the single receipt and sent it in.

Hours later I got the response saying my case was created, not sure why an automated system took so long but whatever.

Next day I got a response saying everything was there and it was being sent to the proper team, yet the case was marked waiting on customer. I waited a few days and updated the case asking why it was marked that way but updated it so it wasn't closed.

Nearly a week later I called up asking about my case and was told that it takes a week before someone will look at it. I then told him that it had been over a week and he said he would investigate and put me on hold. Eventually he came back saying my Walmart.com account wasn't linked to my Vudu account. I tried to explain to him that if that had been the case I wouldn't have gotten any of them let alone 2 out of the 5. He insisted I login to Walmart and link them. I logged into Walmart.com and verified it was already linked. He then told me he would check with the other tier and I spend the next 15-20 minutes waiting on hold while he randomly told me he was waiting for a response. Eventually I was told that they would look into pushing them through but there were several ahead of mine. He did assure me I would hear something by then end of the day. I never did and that was Thursday. Still waiting. At least my case says it is in progress now.

Now if they would stop closing my complaint tickets that I was told to put in to complain about a supervisor. I see no other way other than Walmart corporate to complain about a supervisor on the phone but the supervisor keeps closing them instead of escalating them. Great way to report a problem don't you think? I have started re-opening my complaint and every week I open an additional ticket referencing the complaint. I now have three tickets open about the same complaint. They just keep closing them and I keep re-opening them.

[budzmcgee]

Originally Posted by Scarab

I bought 5 instawatch movies from Walmart a couple weeks ago. I got 2 of them via instawatch. Still waiting on the other 3. The same day I took multiple pictures of the front of all 3, back of all 3, bindings of all 3, individual front and backs of all three. Multiple clear pictures of the single receipt and sent it in.

Hours later I got the response saying my case was created, not sure why an automated system took so long but whatever.

Next day I got a response saying everything was there and it was being sent to the proper team, yet the case was marked waiting on customer. I waited a few days and updated the case asking why it was marked that way but updated it so it wasn't closed.

Nearly a week later I called up asking about my case and was told that it takes a week before someone will look at it. I then told him that it had been over a week and he said he would investigate and put me on hold. Eventually he came back saying my Walmart.com account wasn't linked to my Vudu account. I tried to explain to him that if that had been the case I wouldn't have gotten any of them let alone 2 out of the 5. He insisted I login to Walmart and link them. I logged into Walmart.com and verified it was already linked. He then told me he would check with the other tier and I spend the next 15-20 minutes waiting on hold while he randomly told me he was waiting for a response. Eventually I was told that they would look into pushing them through but there were several ahead of mine. He did assure me I would hear something by then end of the day. I never did and that was Thursday. Still waiting. At least my case says it is in progress now.

Now if they would stop closing my complaint tickets that I was told to put in to complain about a supervisor. I see no other way other than Walmart corporate to complain about a supervisor on the phone but the supervisor keeps closing them instead of escalating them. Great way to report a problem don't you think? I have started re-opening my complaint and every week I open an additional ticket referencing the complaint. I now have three tickets open about the same complaint. They just keep closing them and I keep re-opening them.

My favorite was when after two months they just randomly closed my missing "insta" watch title case. I immediately re-opened it and opened a follow up but the best part was that I was still actually sent the automated "leave feedback" email for the first case they randomly closed.

Odds are they are judged by their CSAT scores and that was not a good one to say the least.

[boberthavok]

Does anyone know if the Transformer movies are instawatch? I bought the Blu-Rays for the first three movies months ago and the first and third appeared in my Vudu account yesterday. They did not have a digital copy in it.

[randian]

I thought Instawatch was only in SD even for Blu-rays. Is that not true?

[natemac00]

Originally Posted by randian

I thought Instawatch was only in SD even for Blu-rays. Is that not true?

Nope, not true.

[randian]

Originally Posted by natemac00

Nope, not true.

Then the Vudu CSR I dealt with was misinformed.