Blockbuster Throttling Total Access Customers?

I'm a high-volume Netflix and Blockbuster customer (do you really think I'd be doing this if I wasn't?). I pay Netflix $16.99 per month, and I pay Blockbuster $34.99 per month for the 3-out unlimited Total Access plan.

Three times since late January I've waited days for Blockbuster to ship the next movie in my queue, and in each case I finally had to call them. This week I returned 2 movies Sunday night, and I had to call customer service today to have them release the movies (they'll ship tomorrow). In two cases I was offered several in-store coupons for the trouble. I was told that the movies hadn't arrived in the warehouse, but they had been checked in at the store, which is why they hadn't shipped.

Blockbuster issued a press release in 2006 stating that they don't throttle, but if the movies were checked in at the store why are the next movies in my queue being held for days until they are received at the warehouse? Until recently, Blockbuster would receive the movies at the store and ship the next movies in my queue the following day. Is this another technique that Blockbuster is using to get rid of high volume customers?

The Blockbuster customer service representative told me that this will be fixed soon. Has anyone else had this problem?

Comments

[shanky]

BB sucks goat pubes.

I had them, left netflix to try em out.

After having my rates raised 2x, and being throttled, they can keep their garbage.

Netflix rocks.

[Michael]

I typically do one set of movies per week (3 by mail and 3 in store), although sometimes if I get a delivery quick, am able to watch them all, and am heading out anyway, I'll get a second set. Usually, the replacement movies ship the day after I return them to the store. Sometimes they take longer. Usually when it takes longer, it's the second set in a week and the first set hasn't disappeared from my "Shipped Movies" yet (so they are "Received at store" but not yet at the DC).

In that case, it often takes several extra days. For instance, I returned three last Thursday. Normally, three more would ship Friday morning. Nothing Friday. Nothing over the weekend. Nothing Monday. One shipped late this afternoon (Tuesday), but late enough that it probably missed today's mail. Still nothing on the other two. Assuming they ship tomorrow, that's 6 days (4 business days).

I'm near a DC, so I usually receive my DVDs the day after they ship.

So far, Blockbuster hasn't raised my price much. If they go up, I'll drop them immediately and switch to Netflix. I've already seen almost everything (that I want to see) in store, so the in store trading is no longer a big benefit to me.