Blockbuster's hidden late fees

[mcurphy]

What a bunch of BS! The manager at Blockbuster tells me today that I have $3.99 in charges on my account. I'm like, "no, I haven't had a late fee in months." He says "well it's not a late fee, it is a restocking fee since you returned three movies 8 days past their due date." He then continues on about how you are only supposed to keep them a day or two and blah blah blah. I argue with him for about 5 minutes telling him that its a scam and that they are just charging late fees and calling them restocking fees. He says that it costs them money because they actually charge the movies to you as purchased previewed movies if they aren't returned after 8 days. Then when you return them the "restocking fee" is applied for their trouble with all the transaction they "had" to process. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP. He of course goes on and on off of some pre rehearsed speech. And the funny thing is, this guy actually believes what they are doing is all legit. I told him I am a member of the online rental program and that I am going to cancel and switch to netflix, and he says "Oh, but you won't get the two free in store rentals every month" and I told him, "well, I won't have to pay your bullshit fees either."

So I took my movies and left. I will return the movies I rented today in about 4 weeks and never go into that store again. I refuse to pay their bullshit fees. They can send me to collections for whatever less than $10 worth I fees I might acquire.

Time to sign up for netflix where I should have gone in the first place.

 

[minendo]

idiot

 

[TheNinja]

you should be able to rent as many movies as you want and keep them as long as you want....even years if you wish...and NEVER have to pay a late fee. Blockbuster is large enough to handle it and it's not like it's a business that is actually trying to make money.

 

[sciencewhiz]

Originally posted by: mcurphy
So I took my movies and left. I will return the movies I rented today in about 4 weeks and never go into that store again. I refuse to pay their bullshit fees. They can send me to collections for whatever less than $10 worth I fees I might acquire.

I suggest you keep them more then 30 days for the full effect.

 

[OulOat]

Originally posted by: TheNinja
you should be able to rent as many movies as you want and keep them as long as you want....even years if you wish...and NEVER have to pay a late fee. Blockbuster is large enough to handle it and it's not like it's a business that is actually trying to make money.

I thought Blockbuster was a non-profit organization?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: TheNinja
you should be able to rent as many movies as you want and keep them as long as you want....even years if you wish...and NEVER have to pay a late fee. Blockbuster is large enough to handle it and it's not like it's a business that is actually trying to make money.

I thought Blockbuster was a non-profit organization?

Yeah. Didn't the Salvation Army recent buy them out, using their remaining inventory of old ratty sweaters from the 1940s as equity in a stock-for-movies buy-out? Don't forget, even homeless people need their first-run hollywood blockbusters too!

 

[bluewall21]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: TheNinja
you should be able to rent as many movies as you want and keep them as long as you want....even years if you wish...and NEVER have to pay a late fee. Blockbuster is large enough to handle it and it's not like it's a business that is actually trying to make money.

I thought Blockbuster was a non-profit organization?

Yeah. Didn't the Salvation Army recent buy them out, using their remaining inventory of old ratty sweaters from the 1940s as equity in a stock-for-movies buy-out? Don't forget, even homeless people need their first-run hollywood blockbusters too!

Really? Tell me more!

 

[Fingolfin269]

Read the fine print. The world does not owe you.

 

[Acanthus]

A month ago that would have been $12-16.

The restocking fee is what they charge to work the videos back into their inventory, it is automatically removed from their inventory after a certain threshold of "late" (i think 7 days) and marked as sold at their used price to you. If you return it, it is added back into their inventory and you are charged $1.

 

[TwiceOver]

You should definately know better. They are going to get money off of you one way or another. About 6 years ago I cut up my card in front of them. Recently everytime I pass LackLuster and see the big yellow "NO MORE LATE FEES" posters plastered across all of the windows the first thing I think is "Poor Suckers" and I am not talking about the business.

 

[Albis]

why do people always blame the company when the rules are set up right in front of you

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
You should definately know better. They are going to get money off of you one way or another. About 6 years ago I cut up my card in front of them. Recently everytime I pass LackLuster and see the big yellow "NO MORE LATE FEES" posters plastered across all of the windows the first thing I think is "Poor Suckers" and I am not talking about the business.

Why would you think that? I haven't had a late fee in years. But then again I personally hand my movies to a clerk and get a receipt showing they have been checked in. Call me crazy for protecting my self interest!

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Albis
why do people always blame the company when the rules are set up right in front of you

uh the commercials all scream "NO LATE FEES"

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
You should definately know better. They are going to get money off of you one way or another. About 6 years ago I cut up my card in front of them. Recently everytime I pass LackLuster and see the big yellow "NO MORE LATE FEES" posters plastered across all of the windows the first thing I think is "Poor Suckers" and I am not talking about the business.

"Poor suckers" indeed. I cancelled my account 7 or 8 years ago after being called a thief on half a dozen different occasions by their moronic employees. Blockbuster sucks.

 

[mzkhadir]

no late fees if you keep them for 8 days or less and you keep them even more, they think you are keeping the movie and you get charged the amount of the movie.

 

[isasir]

Originally posted by: armatron

Originally posted by: Albis
why do people always blame the company when the rules are set up right in front of you

uh the commercials all scream "NO LATE FEES"

uh it's a restocking fee. duh.

 

[Acanthus]

I already explained it to you, if you dont understand it, cancel your BB account, live with your parents, and make sure they pall all your bills.

 

[HonkeyDonk]

blockbuster sucks bigtime. They should all be converted to hollywood videos.

I only say that b/c I have never had any problems w/ HV. I've had maybe 3-4 occasions where I was charged BS late fees for movies I never rented. Bunch of stupid ass morons at BB.

 

[b0mbrman]

They called it "extended viewing" fees for me :|

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
They called it "extended viewing" fees for me :|

extended viewing fees are what they used to call late fees. Either it was an idiot employee, or a franchise store (privately owned) and they opted not to adopt the no late fees program.

There are multiple franchise stores in NJ being sued for putting out all the "no late fees" propoganda and not participating (false advertising).

 

[TheNinja]

seriously...WTF is wrong with half of you people?!? Do you honestly expect absolute NO fees for bringing a movie back 3 weeks after the time of rental? How do you expect them to make any money if they charge $4 a DVD and let you keep it as long as you want with no fees whatsoever? Theoretically you could keep the movie forever then, no? Just think about how business works for a minute. If you still don't understand why they have to charge money then you are even dumber than I can possibly fathom and it makes me want to headbutt your dog to make him dumber than you.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: TheNinja
seriously...WTF is wrong with half of you people?!? Do you honestly expect absolute NO fees for bringing a movie back 3 weeks after the time of rental? How do you expect them to make any money if they charge $4 a DVD and let you keep it as long as you want with no fees whatsoever? Theoretically you could keep the movie forever then, no? Just think about how business works for a minute. If you still don't understand why they have to charge money then you are even dumber than I can possibly fathom and it makes me want to headbutt your dog to make him dumber than you.

Yeah nobody could ever make money with that business model.

:roll:

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor

Originally posted by: TheNinja
seriously...WTF is wrong with half of you people?!? Do you honestly expect absolute NO fees for bringing a movie back 3 weeks after the time of rental? How do you expect them to make any money if they charge $4 a DVD and let you keep it as long as you want with no fees whatsoever? Theoretically you could keep the movie forever then, no? Just think about how business works for a minute. If you still don't understand why they have to charge money then you are even dumber than I can possibly fathom and it makes me want to headbutt your dog to make him dumber than you.

Yeah nobody could ever make money with that business model.

:roll:

That's not NetFlix's business model. NetFlix charges you a monthly fee. You could keep a movie for 3 months at $20/month if you wanted. Blockbuster charges a one-time fee, and as a result they must have due dates.

 

[StageLeft]

I argue with him for about 5 minutes telling him that its a scam and that they are just charging late fees and calling them restocking fees.

Of course you're right. BB claims to have no late fees, and there is a lawsuit against them. Still they insist "we don't have late fees". It's utter garbage. They do, it's just 7 days now instead of 3 or so.

You should have known this going in, but I still take issue with their insistance that it's not a late fee.

It's like how walmart calls their low-rung employees "associates". Yeah right.

 

[royaldank]

I suggest reading the fine print from now on and not expect information on a spoon.