Blockbuster Sends Online Bonus Movies for Mistake

Carissa writes:

I noticed a while back that Blockbuster had been shipping me extra dvds from time to time, I thought it was just a lucky fluke for me. This email confirms that it was just Blockbuster trying to keep me as a customer.

Here's the e-mail she received from customer support:

Hello Carissa,

You may have noticed a delay in the shipment of your DVDs early last week. And, by now, we hope you're enjoying the extra discs we sent you as a token of appreciation for your patience.

Once we identified and fixed the problem that caused your delay, we immediately sent you TWICE the number of titles you were to have received. That's right -- if you had two available slots in your list of Shipped Movies, you should have received four titles to make up for your delay.

We realize the extra DVDs may temporarily find you with more movies out than typically allowed by your rental plan. Simply enjoy the extra movies and return them at your convenience. Additional future DVDs will be mailed to you once you've returned the necessary number of DVDs to execute shipment under your plan.

Again, please accept our apologies for this inconvenience.

We appreciate your loyalty,
Your Friends at BLOCKBUSTER Online™

This is excellent customer service. Has anyone else received a bonus movie from Netflix or Blockbuster?

Comments

[Zachary]

It is not excellent customer service. It is a outdated company that has survived for 20 years off of late fees and other annoying charges to customers, it is now locked in the fight of its life trying to crush their only competition it has in this market.

Blockbuster *obviously* cares less about keeping you or aquiring new subscribers, than it does keeping you from subscribing to Netflix and conviencing others to switch. This is why it will not offer 2 free months and a DVD to its regular subscribers, only those willing to switch from Net Flix.

Blockbuster is willing to rent DVDs online and lose money until they crush Netflix.

-Z

My sister-in-law received this, but I did not. We live in the same town. Don't know why she got one & I didn't unless they did not screw my account up.

[scott]

I have received extra DVD's two separate times. I just wish out of the 51 movies in my queue - more than 20 would be available now.

[bob]

That is my biggest gripe with Blockbuster, I am a regular Netflix user, but I figured I'd try Blockbuster after I suspected Netflix was throttling my film returns. After signing up I realize that not only is Blockbuster's queue and search system is clearly inferior to Netflix but the avalibilty of titles (with Available Now status) is simply *horrible*. Not just on new releases, but even older low demand titles (i.e. Raging Bull, Aliens, The Godfather, Ghostbusters all have a wait on them) I'm going to drop them as soon as my free trial is up.

[scott]

I really like walmart because ANYTHING I wanted was in stock. Netflix seems to put you on the slow boat to china after 1 - 2 months.

[Chris]

I have the Netflix 7 out at a time plan, and I've got 5 new release that have sat at the top of my queue forever with short wait and long wait. I even put Roy Jones Jr's Greatest Knockouts on there. It was "available now". Well even so, they shipped me a movie below that. Now it's on Very Long Wait. WTF?!?! How does a movie go from available now to very long wait in one night? I think Netflix just doesn't want to make me happy. They will lose my subscription very soon if things don't turn around.

Demand for new releases should be met. Or I should get my money back. This waitin around forever for a new release crap is not acceptable.

[CaT]

I've received a bonus selection from Blockbuster but I didn't get a cool e-mail!! I've also noticed that most of the new releases are Available Now at Blockbuster Online from the past 3 weeks or so. It appears as if the availability problem with BB might be coming to an end starting with DVDs released a few weeks ago. I don't care too much about the website either but who cares. I'm on the website 5 minutes a week and I joined to watch dvds. Dare I say that BB's service has greatly improved over the last few weeks?

[BoB]

"We appreciate your loyalty,"

I noticed that BB has started using this tag line on all their correspondece. I'm afraid with NF opening a center in my city now, my loyalty is going "bye bye"!

I was willing to put up with a poor website, poor titles with waits in return of getting quicker turnaround (with usps scanning) and cheaper prices. But now that I can get NF overnight, I'm afraid its back to NF.

[Chris Perry]

Zachary, companies offer promotions to new subscribers/customers all the time that are not given to existing customers. Another example is Earthlink's constant offer of a free month or a $9.99 subscription for a few months, while I sit here and pay $21.95 even though I've been a customer for years. It's not a scam. Okay, let the accusations of Blockbuster sympathizing begin! (I hate BB, by the way)

[Steve]

I got a bonus rental from Netflix a couple of years ago. I got this e-mail:

We have sent you Charlie's Angels as a free bonus rental.

Charlie's Angels

Arriving on or around: Tuesday, Jan 21 2003

Why am I getting a free bonus rental?

When your first choice is not available from your local Netflix shipping center, we try to locate another copy elsewhere.

We located a copy of Charlie's Angels and have sent you:

1. Your next available choice from your local shipping center

2. Your first choice, Charlie's Angels, as a free bonus rental from another shipping center

Since we are sending you this bonus rental, your next movie will be sent to you only after you have returned two movies to Netflix.

[Smart Aleck]

Zach, BB doesn't have to worry about keeping people from subscribing to Netflix. It's not an either/or deal. Many subscribe to both services, and also GreenCine, BB Movie Pass, Hollywood MVP, and others services. All these have unique titles the others don't carry. Netflix refuses to carry ALTERNATE VERSIONS for all but a few titles, while Blockbuster has all available versions. Netflix refuses to stock titles that are out-of-print. They just give up and tell you the item has been removed from your queue. Try finding "Thursday", "The Last Days of Disco", "Clean Shaven", "Blue Collar", or "Double Indemnity.")

Usually, Netflix only offers one version of a movie - it may be wide screen or full screen, it may be rated or an unrated, it may be director's cut or theatrical version. The bottom line is they don't give you a choice. So you can't get "Basic Instinct - Unrated" on Netflix, "Wild Things - Unrated", or "The Mummy Returns - Widescreen". You can't get "Back to the Future - Full Frame" (it was shot in a 4x3 ratio and matted for studio release, plus a few people genuinely prefer the TV ratio). Blockbuster gives you a choice. Netflix thinks they know best, so you only get one choice 99.9% of the time...

[Zachary]

Chris,

I dont mind so much that BBI offers special offers to new subscribers, it bothers me that BBI makes this offer only to current NFLX or WMT subscribers. They are less interested in growing their subscriber numbers than crushing NFLX.

-Z

[PlungeBob]

Chris,

I wish I had a better answer for you, but with the demand
where it is, none of the online services is likely to meet
your new release needs.

Have you considered joining BB's in store thing? I use
this for new releases and online services for their huge
inventory.

Take care.

[Chris Perry]

Zach - gotcha, point taken.

"Netflix refuses to carry ALTERNATE VERSIONS for all but a few titles, while Blockbuster has all available versions"

BB does not carry the unrated version of "Team America: World Police"! No puppet sex for you!!!

BB has the puppet sex, just not the few seconds where the puppets defecate on each other. this was not in the theater release. BB does now carrythe therater release.

it is netflix that will advertise you get criterion collection films yet when they arrive they are not, but the versions which retail for half the price.

Ya I got team america from BB, and it had the sex scene. I'm not sure what the Unrated version has, but if it goes any farther it probably would be porn.

Also, why in the hell would a company offer it's existing customers free service? It is insane to expect free stuff just for being a customer when new promos go out. Promos come and go, just because a better deal comes along, don't be greedy and expect compensation because you didn't join at the right time. You don't have to be a former Walmart or NF subscriber to get a good deal. Anyone can join and get 2 weeks free, 4 weeks if you know the right promo code to enter.

Netflix just sent me a broken DVD too, on the weekend no less. For $20 a month and knowing that they hand sort thier stuff unlike BB's machines, it is really irritating to know my disc wasn't checked on the way out.

BTW, like it or not, this is excellent customer service by BB. They had a problem, fixed it, and mass apologized and compensated. Some people didn't even realize there was a problem(like me) and I got a 4th DVD out...which worked out really well cuz I had a 3 disc box set that was missing the 3rd disc because I already had one out when it began to ship. On top of that, I sent an email to them about the outage and they gave me 2 extra E-coupons. ROCK!

[Zachary]

Now BBI is advertizing $4.99 for the first month. They seem to be getting really desperate. I suspected having Ichan on the board would reduce spending and giveaways....

Am I the only one bothered by companies that lure you in with a good offer that only lasts while you are a new customer? Lots of companies do this...cable, banks, mortagage, and credit card companies.

-Z

Geez! You people are too literal. The original poster said...

"Netflix refuses to carry ALTERNATE VERSIONS for all but a few titles, while Blockbuster has all available versions"

My post about BB & Team America was that - No, BB DOES NOT carry all the alternate versions, they do not have the UR version of Team America.

The "puppet sex" comment was a takeoff of the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" (no soup for you!) Appearently some of you need a sense of humor!

Zachary

Exactly how SHOULD a company gain your business? If you don't have an incentive to join, why in the heck would you join them, other than having an absolute need or trusting a friend?

Promotions play a huge part in why people choose to go with certain businesses. People like free and cheap products and services, this is the nature of business. This is the exact reason why I am with Compass Bank right now. I never have to pay for checks again, plus I've had any ATM fees refunded just as they told me when I signed up.

I don't really understand where you're going with this. You know exactly what you are getting in to when you join as far as pricing or free service..there are no contracts, you can quite anytime, what is the downside again?

*quit

The cynic in me thinks this annoucement from BB could just have easily been:

"We recently updated our DVD shipping logic, and a bug was introduced which caused us to immediately sent you TWICE the number of titles you were to have received. "

"DVD shipping logic"

That logic is highly illogical to a logical man like me in this illogical world... logically speaking of course!

[Ed Alomia]

I am having big problems with Blockbuster.com Customer Support. In my queue I have a bunch of movies that show as "Available now" but they are actually not available since they are not shipping them to me even when I have zero movies with me. I subscribed to the 3 movies / unlimited option. When I contacted Customer Service they said they would look at the problem. As days went by and they did not get back to me, I added a new movie to the queue that was available. That movie was not shipped imediately. It took a couple of days. I kept sending emails to Customer service and the last response was that my queue shows that a movie was recently shipped. Nothing is mention on what is going on to the other movies in my queue showing as "Available now". What do you guys recommend. I wish I could just call the main headquartes Blockbuster phone number to complain but I cannot find the phone numbers. What do you guys recommend I do.
Here is the list of movies showing in my BB queue:

Amelie R Available Now
Sahara PG13 Coming Soon
Safe House NR Available Now
Alaska PG Available Now
Goonies PG Available Now
Cloak and Dagger [WS] PG Available Now
7 Seconds R Short Wait
Herbie Rides Again G Short Wait
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo G Short Wait
Swiss Family Robinson G Long Wait
E-A-G-L-E-S Coming Soon
Amazing Panda Adventure PG Short Wait
Herbie Goes Bananas G Short Wait
Y Si Te VI No Me Acuerdo Coming Soon
Crash R Coming Soon
One Small Hero PG Coming Soon
Kill Bill, Vol. 1 R Available Now

Ed-

Cancel BB, and go with Netflix.