Blockbuster DVD rental - slow service since Easter.

Honeydog

I've been with Blockbuster since about October. Some of the films I put on my list when I joined are still there. (old CSI episodes plus a few others). I was on the 5 disc deal until a few weeks ago. The service has become so slow since the Easter holiday that I dropped the number of discs on my deal to 3 and then down to 2.

One of my slots has been 'awaiting allocation' since last Wednesday. I am so fed up with the slowness of it that I am a whisker away from cancelling altogether!

I emailed customer services. Their suggestion? Put more discs on your list. OK so the 45 discs I currently have on there aren't good enough?

Thing is I'm a film buff - I don't want to watch !!!!!! films. The mix of films I have of my list is wide and varied. I can't believe they don't have any of them.

I'm beginning to wonder if - when a disc is broken - it gets replaced at all. They could have loads of films listed on the webste and no copies of them at all! :mad:

Is there a decent DVD rental service or are they ALL rubbish?

Anyone else had a problem with the service slowing down since Easter?

TIA,

Honeydog

uktim29

I've had that. 2 of mine been saying "Attempting to Allocate Stock" since the beginning of last week. There were 35 on my list to start with. I've had a letter from Lovefilm mentioning 3 months for 1 if I go back, I might do that. Then go back to Blockbuster in 6 months time when they do the same! If I do that I'd get 4 months free each year, might well be worth playing them like that.

Honeydog

Thanks for that Tim. I'm sorry it is happening to you too but it is useful to know that other people are going through the same thing. I just checked my account - it still says 'awaiting allocation' today.

I've thought about Lovefilm too. I'm going to have another look at the email they sent me to see if it is the same deal they're offering you.

Do you think it is worth emailing Blockbuster Head Office? Maybe get a free month or something out of it?

I wonder if it is worth swapping companies every few months or so because they seem to try really hard when you're a new member and then it drops off.

Cheers,

HD

thepuppetking

I read an interesting article a while back about this type of business, written by someone on the inside. The thing that impacts most on their profit is the postage. So, if like me you watch a dvd the same day you get it and return it promptly the next day, you're gradually reducing their profits.

They build delays into the system to negate this effect to an extent. But if you do return stuff quickly, you're not their ideal customer and they'd rather not have you.

Honeydog

Yeah I'd heard that too puppetking but I don't always have time to watch them the same day they arrive and send them back the next day. I've kept some discs for as long as 4 days.

I don't necessarily need a budget service (not particularly short of money at the moment) but I do want to watch the movies I put on my list and not have to fill it up with rubbish just so they've got something to send me.

My local BB store is woefully small, 4 miles away and mostly full of games these days. There's a bigger one but it is 8 miles away. The stores also don't stock that many older films.

Like a lot of folk I like the convenience of postal rental but won't put up with poor service.

I've switched to Lovefilm now and they've sent me 3 CSI's from the top of my list within a week. BB couldn't manage to send them in 8 months!

I know Lovefilm can be dodgy if you try to get as much as possible out of them before cancelling but that's not what I want to do. I just want to watch the films on my list and LF are doing that admirably at the moment.

uktim29

I'm going to go back to Lovefilm with a 3 months for 1 offer they sent me but can't log in as I have 2 accounts. Probably 1 from the free trial I did a year back before joining them mid summer last year and then then one when I properly joined.

I've sent them an email asking whats wrong/how to log in etc so once thats sorted I'll go back with them. I've got to the 11th of May to take that offer so I should be fine. My Blockbuster payment is on the 25th of the month so thats a 2 week overlap to delete my list and send all the films back with no gap.

The only thing is I'll have to print out my 'seen it' list from Blockbuster, I can never remember what some films were called!

Honeydog

The worst thing for me was deleting the 45 or so films from my Blockbuster rental list! I'm still on dial up at home (no point getting Broadband with the old PC I'm running at the moment plus I've got access to broadband at school for free) so it took about an hour and a half! Then it took an hour to get them all loaded onto the Lovefilm list.

Still I'm happy now watching my old CSIs. Didn't get them on TV first time round because reception for Channel 5 isn't great around here. Sometimes it is watchable but mostly it isn't!

WallaceAndGrommit

Hi guys

Just to concurr - exactly the same here "Attempting to Allocate Stock"

Had it on two of my titles since the 9th now a full week ago !!!
albeit one of my three was only received back y/day...

Still waiting for a response after a full day without a reply.
Makes one wonder what exactly is going on and I too am a whisker away from unsubscribing (and perhaps re-join the less flexible Sky movies but I'd probably just be watching many movies we already watched!!!)

Been excellent up until last week - what is going on ?

WallaceAndGrommit

Just one other thing that comes to mind.......
School holidays