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Blockbuster "late" Fees charge for full price of movies but not tell me what or why, taking my bank information and not telling me why Grand Rapids, Michigan
Let me start out by saying I am notorious for returning movies late. I have been with Blockbuster since I was old enough to have an account and always return movies late, but paying the late fee because it's my own fault. I was actually happy when they changed the policy because a restocking fee is much better for me than paying like $3 a day in late fees.
BUT
I just went to rent a couple of movies from Blockbuster. The woman behind the counter said that she needed to update my credit card information so I handed her my debit card and she began typing away and handed it back. She then told me I owed $31 to one store in the same city (which I used to live by and of which I have no movies in my possession) and in a city in another state that I used to live a year ago and haven't rented any movies there for a year. I asked the employee what the charges were for and she said that she didn't know and that I had to go to each location to pay the fees. She would not give me any other information.
One, it is impossible for me to just drive 2 hours to the other state I used to live in to pay a fee for something when I don't even know what it's for. I have rented movies from the blockbuster that I supposedly owe $31 to and they never told me that I have any late fees. She then became very short and rude with me, telling me that she couldn't rent me any movies and refused to say anything else to me. I WOULD HAVE PAID HER THE ALMOST $50 SHE SAID I OWED HAD SHE SIMPLY TOLD ME WHY I OWE IT! Now if it's a charge for movies they've credited my account full price for, I would have expected them to give me the movies because I surely do not have them... (A policy that I find BOGUS to begin with. They got the movie and I'm sure they didn't order a new one to replace it).
Then I got to thinking about why she asked me for my debit card and THEN told me I owed money. I went home and google searched if they would simply charge my account and low and behold, I found all these ripoff reports.
I have called and reported my debit card lost so that there is now a block on it (I did this within an hour of leaving the store) so that come tomorrow (today is Sunday) they cannot illegally take my money. Blockbuster was very sneaky and underhanded in the manner of which they obtained my personal bank information so that they could charge my account without telling me that were going to do so. Had the employee simply been nice about it (because I sure was, admitting that I might owe them money and willing to pay it) I would've made the 20 min. drive to one of the stores that I owed money to to pay it. I'll get a new debit card within the week with a different card number and they will not get their money. Oh-and my boyfriend and I will be back to that same store to rent movies under HIS card, and I hope that same employee will be working.
So until this shows up on my credit reports (which I check 3 times a year and it isn't there yet) Blockbuster can blow me.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Nuggets
Stroudsburg,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Another misinformed "customer"
#2UPDATE Employee
Sat, December 05, 2009
So, I'll be honest, I only read bits and pieces of this overly long and complicated post. But here's the reply to what I did read:
1. The employee couldn't tell you what the charges were for. The computers POS systems are not intertwined. She could have called and found out, unless it was a busy weekend night, and there's a long line, then I don't really blame her (the also could have been a CSR and in that case, they don't know much about that ICV block). And you can also CALL them instead of driving to them. Duh! That's what phones were invented for...so that you, specifically, can call and find out what you owe and why!
2. Blockbuster employees cannot simply charge you for a movie or any amount of money whenever they d**n well please. The charges are made automatic when a movie is kept out too long.
3. You can't rent at any blockbuster with a balance over 30$.
4. The new rental policy as of 10/6/09 is rental period, 10 day grace and a 10 day window to return movies for refund minus the 1.25$ to restock it. So, now you can't say that no one told you about the new rental policy.