Blockbuster Video - BBV Incredibly Deceitful Ripoff, 'Cancellation' Fakeout Seattle Washington
Obviously one engages in these rants only when absolutely necessary, and this qualifies. In JUNE of 2005 I cancelled my automatic payment for the 'monthly pass' program with Blockbuster Video, just in time (before the payment for the next month would come out of my account), and all appeared to be kosh.
My husband and I told the 'helpful, friendly' sales associate that we wanted to cancel before the May fee of about $30 would be automatically taken out of our bank account at the end of June, and he reassured us that it would be completely canceled, done and done.
So, getting no 'proof' of this transaction having occured (our first mistake), we left. The sales associate never told us to wait for our receipt or anything, just told us our automatic payment plan/monthly pass had been canceled and to have a nice day.
Three months later: I'm looking over past bank statements
(being very busy, fell behind on balancing the old checkbook)and I notice, the Blockbuster charges never stopped after we supposedly canceled. Which of course sucks, because we never accounted for those losses in our records as well as being in the middle of buying a house and being short on money (like everyone else).
In a nutshell, I'm freaking out so I go back there with the statements, and I ask the manager of the store to explain. He, of the flustered, sweaty and nervous state, informs me that I never cancelled because if I HAD, the sales associate would've given me a receipt of the transaction which the computer is SUPPOSED to print out automatically when such a cancellation occurs.
There's 'nothing he can do'. I'm OUT OF $100.00 BECAUSE OF HIS INSUFFICIENTLY TRAINED EMPLOYEE WHO DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO CANCEL AN ACCOUNT AND NOW I'M PAYING FOR IT. Geez, if I'd have known I was going to be paying for three more months of suckbuster I'd have rented some movies. Oh, yeah, the fact that we hadn't rented movies for three months was apparently inadequate proof that I'd canceled my acct. and that THEY had made a mistake.
Kate
Seattle, Washington
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Patrick
Gilbert,Arizona,
U.S.A.
This will be fun.
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, November 15, 2006
OK Jason,
Normally, I do not get worked up by these reports, but your comments cannot be ignored. First, let me start by saying you need to brush up on your reading comprehension skills. For example:
Kate said - "In a nutshell, I'm freaking out so I go back there with the statements, and I ask the manager of the store to explain. He, of the flustered, sweaty and nervous state, informs me that I never cancelled because if I HAD, the sales associate would've given me a receipt of the transaction which the computer is SUPPOSED to print out automatically when such a cancellation occurs."
In reply to that, I said - "At first I was going to say get the Store Manager and have him look at the history on your account (it goes back 90 days) and use that as evidence (it was always good enough for me), but I saw at the end you had already gone that route."
And you said (to me) - "Second, if you were a SM, you remember how counter productive it was for customers to go straight to the DM, and it just shows how out of touch you were and are to suggest so."
Um, excuse me, but can you point out in my post where I said go straight to the DM, bypassing the SM? No? I didn't think so.
Now, about the receipt situation. When I terminated my employment with BB in March 2004, our registers did not print a receipt when the pass was cancelled, and no movies were rented at the time. That may have changed since then, I don't know. But I do know this. Two weeks ago I went into the store where I have my movie pass and cancelled my account as I'm moving. I did not rent anything at the time as the movies were at home, and I just happened to be passing by the store. And wouldn't you know it, no receipt printed when the employee cancelled my pass. I wonder why that was, hmmm?
And regarding this comment by you - "Obviously the training error is not with the current manager, and perhaps this (is) why you aren't with us anymore."
Just for the record, I decided to terminate my employment as an SM when my previous employer offered me a substantial raise ($20K per year MORE than I was making at BB) to come back to work for them. Three years later I'm making 3 times what my annual salary was at BB. You don't know s**t about me, so don't go presuming you know why I no longer work for BB.
Check your neck Jason, your intelligence is showing!
Jason
Spokane,Washington,
U.S.A.
Easily Corrected
#4UPDATE Employee
Thu, November 09, 2006
First let me help you out Kate. All you need to do is go in to Blockbuster, ask to see the Manager, they can look up a history on your account usage, if you have cancelled your pass and have not used it for 3 months, this should be easy proof that you cancelled it. Just tell them if you hadn't cancelled it, why haven't I used it for 3+ months. They should have no problem correcting the situation. Be sure though that you are speaking to the Store Manager, not just a Shift Manager.
Now on to dear Patrick,
Let me correct some of the mis-information Patrick passed on. Patrick, I am sure your intentions are pure, but you should probably stay with what you are doing now, and leave Blockbuster to those who know what they are talking about, when you cancel the autocharge on a movie pass, it prints a receipt confirming your end date of your pass, whether or not you rent at that time... Obviously the training error is not with the current manager, and perhaps this why you aren't with us anymore. Second, if you were a SM, you remember how counter productive it was for customers to go straight to the DM, and it just shows how out of touch you were and are to suggest so.
Patrick
Gilbert,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Maybe I can help.
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, August 08, 2005
Kate,
I am formerly a Store Manager of a store here in Gilbert, and I have seen this situation happen before. Here's some information that I hope can help.
At first I was going to say get the Store Manager and have him look at the history on your account (it goes back 90 days) and use that as evidence (it was always good enough for me), but I saw at the end you had already gone that route.
I don't know what the manager was talking about when they said you should have gotten a receipt. The system does not automatically print one if you do not check out any movies. If you had taken out more movies on the pass, you would have gotten a receipt that showed the due date of the movies.
Obviously, this manager was either not trained well, or just didn't care. My advice to you is to get the name and number of the District Leader. Usually, their information is posted inside the store up on the signs above the registers. Give them a call. Calmly explain the situation to them. They should be able to resolve this matter and get the store to refund the amount.
I hope this information helps.