SlashGear Japan
Just i thought Blockbuster’s Total Access is on to something with the upcoming video game rentals, apparent something is going away, and if you are a Total Access subscriber, i guarantee you wouldn’t be pleased. I got this email from Blockbuster today with an exciting header that reads “No More Due Dates for free in-store exchanges”! That’s a shocker! Now I can keep my Total Access’s in-store redeems for as long as I want? Heck yeah but Wrong! The Blue Envelop online rental is up to no good: Yes, there will be no time frame for in-store exchange but it will count as the regular rented item, in other words, the upcoming Total Access will entitle you to access both in-store and online movies, but not longer free. Shame on them to continue promoting “Free” In-store exchange. Read the new Total Access features after the cut.
Coming soon, there will be no more due dates for your free in-store movie exchanges!
In other words, as long as you are an active BLOCKBUSTER Total Access subscriber, you can keep your free in-store exchanges as long as you like. In order to eliminate due dates, the free in-store exchange from participating BLOCKBUSTER® stores will now count towards the number of DVDs you may have out under your BLOCKBUSTER Total Access plan. Once you’ve returned your in-store exchange, we’ll then ship you the next available movie in your queue. Your free in-store exchanges will now show up on your Queue page and in your Rental History, making it easy to keep track of the movies you’ve rented.
5 Responses to “Blockbuster’s Total Access in-store movie exchanges are not longer ‘Free’”
moviequeen1393 February 16, 2009
Ok…I’m missing something here. “The Blue Envelope Online Rental is up to no good.” Where’s the conspiracy? I get to pick up FREE new releases (DVD or Bluray) immediately in the store in exchange for my online envelopes? Great! No waiting for the snail mail to send me the next item in my queue or hoping I’m in the mood to watch the next movie coming to me? Fantastic! Then Blockbuster Online is going to note my in-store selection in my queue so that I can avoid duplicating movies coming in the mail. Wonderful! And I can keep it for as long as I want? Unbelievable! But wait! There IS a catch! They won’t send me my mailer movies until I return my in-store movies? Wow… Guess I’ll just stagger my in-store exchanges so that I always have a mailer to trade (and 1 on the way) instead of taking them all in at once. Problem solved! And still the great benefit of no due dates on my in-store exchanges at no extra charge. Thanks Blockbuster!!
-14Daniel Lim February 16, 2009
A quick glimpse of what BB’s Total access “used to be”. In-store exchanges are bonus and not counted as mail out item (online). With appropriate plan, says 3-dvd with unlimited store exchanges, you get 3 DVD from online plus 3 redeems at B&M store, but you have to return the free titles in a week. But now, you only get 3 DVD either from in-store or online. That’s half the movies for the same price! Free exchange is not longer applied, it got twisted, having the total access plan only accessible to both online and in-store titles and both should not have late fees anyway.
+4moviequeen_sucks March 5, 2009
Either moviequeen1393 is a blockbuster employee or she totally doesn’t get it!
This change completely sucks and BB is no longer worth it for me. I am on an old Total Access with 2-out and 1 monthly eCoupon for 16.99/mo. The incentive was to be able to go to the store to exchange DVDs with ‘extra’ DVDs, and the next DVDs in my online queue WILL SHIP IMMEDIATELY. The store exchange feature was what swayed me from Netflix 2 years ago. That is no longer the case. The store exchange DVDs now occupy my queue until they are returned. There is no benefit at all.
Netflix’s plan for 2-at-time is $13.99 compared to BB $16.99. Guess which one I’m going with next month?
+6Notneeded March 13, 2009
BB has been dinkin’ around with the whole process ever since it started. After they doubled the price for online rentals within a 6 month period it was time to start looking for an alternative. FWI this double increase was designed to eliminate the non-profitable members. Which means if you were maximizing the mail return to get the most movies the increase was aimed at you. The increase reduced the membership by 500k. To me this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
When BB introduced total access I thought this was great. I could return the movies to the store and double my movie viewing. So I stayed on a bit longer. With this new version of total access your movies are no longer free and the total access is a pile of smoldering c**p. They have in effect doubled the price again. Total access is not in addition to it is now instead of.
The store employees are saying that the customers have been asking for no due dates or fees (I find this hard to beleive, if one can not get their movies back with in the 12 day period, well you can add your own then). They are also telling me if there is enought complaint about the revamped total access then there could be a change back to the original.
I have been talking to a few members and have discovered that they are not saying anything to the BB about this version of BB. So I’m asking all those that are a member of online rental and the total access from BlockBuster to send them an e-mail to express your opinion of them distroying a good thing.
Thank you for listening to my rantings
NeutralNotneeded
marchaycook March 30, 2009
I need to rant about the crappy shipping of titles from Blockbuster. Here is something to watch…
If you keep your movies at home for a couple of days and then return them to Blockbuster, they usually process your queue quickly and ship your new movies the same day.
If you return your movies the day after you receive them, Blockbuster will not process them for several days and it will usually be two to three days before your queue gets updated.
As a network engineer and software developer, I’ve noticed these scenarios and the results are the same each time.
I have contacted Blockbuster several times by e-mail concerning this practice and I get generic replies back about not having enough available movies in my queue. Because I have over 300 movies in my queue, I find this hard to believe.
+1