Amazon DVD rental customers: rate your experience

MSE_Jenny

This is a special poll & discussion as part of the

Cheapest DVD Rental

article, to rate

Amazon's DVD rental service

Please add feedback on your experience, range of films and how prompt the service is

Just answer the poll or click reply

parahandy

I have gone back to Amazon DVD Rental twice now. I got a free trial with Lovefilm and stayed for a few months, then left - I got another free trial later in the year and took it then cancelled and went back to Amazon.

I've never had any major issues with Amazon. A few times DVDs that I have returned have disappeared - I let Amazon know and without any problem, they simply updated my Rental List.

A major selling point for me is the 10% discount on DVD purchases - although this has now been reduced to 5% for new members.

I like how the Rental List is managed. I couldn't get used to the Rental List on Lovefilm (you rate how much you want the title - reeeeaaaalllly bad, quickly or whenever - perhaps this has now changed). With Amazon you just move the titles around, and you can always see what titles are in stock.

I've read elsewhere that some people get sent multi-disc titles sent out in the wrong sequence. I assume this is a rare problem - it's never happened to me.

One downside I have experienced is two-disc DVD titles. You don't always necessarily get the second disc sent ("A Night at the Museum" springs to mind). Also the discs are Rental versions, so sometimes you get vanilla discs even though you are looking at the version you would buy which may have extras on it.

I am now on the Unlimited 2 disc at a time plan £11.49 (I think) a month. I recently got yet another three-month trial offer from LoveFilm, but I don't want to lose my 10% discount from Amazon!!

The question in the poll asks how long to I have to wait for a new disc after I've returned one. It can be up to five days, but that's fine for me - I've got plenty of bought titles that I need to watch!!

If I were to rate the service I've had, I'd say 9/10.

UKoap

MSE_Jenny wrote: »

This is a special poll & discussion as part of the

Cheapest DVD Rental

article, to rate

Amazon's DVD rental service

Please add feedback on your experience, range of films and how prompt the service is

Just answer the poll or click reply

A bit about Lovefilm,,Anyone notice they seem to be working a 3 day week? Wednesday. Thursday, Friday?

jamesmarson

I'm getting really fed up with LoveFilm (Sofa Cinema) - it seems to be taking ages to get new DVDs. Is it the postal service or LoveFilm? I'm thinking of moving elsewhere.

Bibariba

Blockbuster online - I found the range of films good, the 'mix' you can set up really helpful, and if you're stuck at home for a few weeks, the 3-films-at-a-time is great. Films came quickly and the only minor trouble I had was in ensuring the disks were received in time to not incur a further monthly fee.

Lovefilm - the turnaround initially was good, but.... good grief the service is appalling! I was sent the wrong disks, and when I alerted them to this by email I was told I was mistaken, they had in fact sent me the dvd I requested (?). It took over two months and lots of emails and 'phone calls for the correct title to be sent. They then tried to charge my card (which thankfully, for me, had expired) for another months' rental. Lots more emails and several 'phone calls ensued. Some emails from them make no sense at all. Others are apologetic, but the service didn't improve. As a 'gesture of good will' they sent me a bonus disk (once I had already seen, sigh). I again clarified this by email and returned the disk. (24 emails back and forth at this point). Fast forward from November 2007 and yesterday I received a letter from a collection agency. A call to them and another to Lovefilm elicited the usual 'we're sorry, we made a mistake' response.....
Really long barge pole and
Don't go anywhere near
would be my advice

rancid-a

I tried them all using free trials the whole of last year just do see how far I could go without paying a rental fee. I used a dvdrental comparison site (name escapes me but do search at it was really helpful).

The ones that stuck out in the end were Amazon and Blockbuster.

Amazon always seemed to be able to deliver most titles in my top list - ie newest releases, Blockbuster did okay too.

Lovefilm was pretty crap - making a large list is essential and you can forget all about viewing the very latest releases - long queues. However when I cancelled, they did offer to extened my free membership A few months later, they sent me a voucher/code to entice me back for THREE FREE MONTHS. It's still valid even now and I'm probably gonna go back to them

http://www.uk-dvd-rental-guide.com/ A must visit before joining a rental site.

Clive_Woody

We are with Amazon and while the service is not bad, the availability of new releases is awful, they are always listed as 'VERY LONG WAIT'. If you are happy to watch old films then this is ideal for you.

The turn around from posting to receipt of new DVD is around 5 working days but has been longer on occasions. First class post seems very much a joke, but whether this is Amazon taking their time to record receipt of the DVD then dispatch the new one, or is simply Royal Mail being a load of rubbish, I don't know. I suspect a bit of both, no doubt Amazon will blame Royal Mail and use this as an excuse for taking their time to send the next title on your list. Consequently the unlimited deals aren't as good as they first appear, with turn-around time the limiting factor.

Amazon have just sold out their DVD rental to Love Film, a company I have not heard too many good things about so we are seriously considering switching.

parkside_stroller

I had an email from Amazon saying that Lovefilm and Amazon DVD rental are joining together. I'm currently with both but only because I took a trial with Amazon and never got around to cancelling it.
I hope that the new service will be as fast at sending titles out as I previously found with Lovefilm - I'm very happy with them. I can't say the same for amazon dvd rentals - really slow.

womblin3

I am getting seriously annoyed with Amazon. I received an email two days ago saying that they've received the DVD I sent back and that they would dispatch, immediately, the next film on my list.

I got an email today to tell me they've sent it out. Two days = immediately?

As this keeps happening, I'm wondering if they have been in cahoots with Love Film for the last couple of months. Amazon's service has plummeted during this time.

Anyone know of any other DVD by post rental service I could try? One that's reliable?

Jenny_Wren_3

we have been with amazon for quite a few years now and I've noticed how the service has dropped over the last few months. They used to be really quick but turn-around has got a lot slower. We don't have very many problems with long waits though, maybe we just choose unpopular films!

snowy_toes

womblin3 wrote: »

I am getting seriously annoyed with Amazon. I received an email two days ago saying that they've received the DVD I sent back and that they would dispatch, immediately, the next film on my list.

I got an email today to tell me they've sent it out. Two days = immediately?

As this keeps happening, I'm wondering if they have been in cahoots with Love Film for the last couple of months. Amazon's service has plummeted during this time.

Anyone know of any other DVD by post rental service I could try? One that's reliable?

You are right - Amazon have sold their DVD rental business to LOVEFILM. Here is a quote from an email I received last week

Dear Customer,

As a customer of Amazon.co.uk DVD Rentals by Post, we wanted to let you know that LOVEFiLM International has acquired Amazon's DVD rental business, and Amazon is now a shareholder of LOVEFiLM. Amazon will continue to handle your movie rental queue and DVD deliveries for the next few months to make the transition to LOVEFiLM as smooth as possible. LOVEFiLM offers the most extensive collection of latest-release DVDs and hard-to-find titles, as well as games. They also have great movie reviews, ratings, site features and movie trailers, and Amazon is excited to be part of its future.


Your rental plan and the price you pay will remain unchanged. So LOVEFiLM can serve you better, your rental service agreement and DVD rental account information (including your payment information) will be transferred to LOVEFiLM. In the future, LOVEFiLM will be responsible for your DVD rental account, which will be subject to the LOVEFiLM Privacy Policy:


As I have read so much bad press about lovefilm I am going to cancel my subscription from now.