Blockbuster - Rental returns refused at alternative branches

meet_mark_ford

Despite the obvious financial advantage of online rentals, my girlfriend and I still utilize the convenience of the local Blockbuster rental stores. As we don't live together, this weekend we rented a few movies up in Orpington. As we didn't get round to watching one (my favorite) before I had to travel back home I brought it back with me, thinking that I could just drop it back to my local branch. But apparently not, I hear you cry.

Today, the Orpington branch we originally rented from rang to inform me that I'd deposited their film at my local branch in East Grinstead. I concurred - and was then informed that unless I went and collected the disc from my branch, and took it all the way back to theirs, I would incur a fine for everyday it was not with them.

My reply was; 'This is ludicrous. You've just told me you know I've returned the DVD.' It appears that Blockbuster consider it an inconvenience when customers deposit returns at any other branch than that from which the item was originally rented from. And I was informed that this is a regular problem customers encounter.

The staff member was not inclined to show lenience (perhaps, as he'd already told me, 'because this happens a lot'). Therefore I have just shot off the obligatory 'customer service email' to see what the official company policy makes of my little consumer episode.

As I stated in my email - returns of any other kind on the high street, from all leading retailers, allow for customers to return the goods at their convenience in whichever store suits. I don't understand, when my local library has no problem with alternative branch drop offs, why a massive chain such as blockbuster comes to a grinding halt because one branch has one more, and another has one less copies.

Anyway, it got me disgruntled enough to tell you guys, so I will of course let you know the outcome. But you have been warned...

fluffnutter

I've never understood why they can't take returns at alternative stores. Although I'm prepared to accept that it probably does cost them to do so. And at £4 a pop, they're already cutting their profit margin to the barest mininum*

* They're not though, are they.

meet_mark_ford

And of course fines, for such a 'crime' as this, are where they make said margins back - ha.

cyberbob

Well if everyone does this The shop has the cost of transporting titles between shops The costs would then be passed on to you as the customer and they would rise. You would then be moaning about the high costs of rental.

hoyles10

I can see their point in a way. Each store will have a set number of copies per movie, if you went to rent something and they didn't have any copies available because they had been returned to other stores then people would complain about that as well.

meet_mark_ford

True enough - but that's if you believe there's no transit between the store and a central or localized stockists anyway.

custardy

I would have thought transport between stores would be ad hoc
I can see little reason for regular stock movement between stores

meet_mark_ford

Well, to suggest any more about the process would be to second guess their response. So I'll give them their due, for now.

Googlewhacker

meet_mark_ford wrote: »

True enough - but that's if you believe there's no transit between the store and a central or localized stockists anyway.

There isn't

sookipeaspud

Surely, the branch that you posted the film to could post it onto the said blockbuster. Then they could charge you the postage.
If they did not charge you then they would increase the prices for rentals and I would end up paying more, which I do not want to do.

Therefore, like every other normal person, please drop off your films in the correct stores so I dont have to pay any more money.

masterlumps

i have no idea why they should accept them at any store? you rent from store x, which is store x's stock, so why would you return it to store y, meaning store y would have to take up the cost of returning the stock to its rightful place. if everyone started dropping dvd's back at different stores stock would fall in each store over time, and costs for the customer would rise