Complaint Review: BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO - MORTON GROVE Illinois

Hey, the only thing I'd disagree with you on is that low wages do create bad employees.
You have too easy of an answer- "just quit and get a better job". Your answer tells me very clearly that you have come from a middle class family or better.

People born into poverty are already defeated in many ways.  And in our American culture, poverty is seen as not only something shameful but as something that is the poor person's fault- which is reflected in the attitude of your statement of "just get a better job". This is not to say that there are people scamming the welfare system and etc. and this is not to say that some people born into poverty don't find a way out of it, but I am talking about most average working Americans who are born into poverty and want to work and want to feel some self respect but do not because all they can get is a min wage job that does not even pay enough to provide a place to live. And I understand this very well because I was born into a low income family. For myself, I was able to escape the poverty for a number of years, by LUCK, having landed a fair paying job, but in this economy, having now lost that job, I again am back in it and struggle to find work- ANY work. I try to always do a good job, but when I see my co-workers slacking off and not giving a d**n because they are treated like s**t and their pay does not reflect any modicum of respect for their work, their behavior does make sense to me and I do not judge them. And as for the idea of the hard workers getting promoted- please do not make me laugh. In your world, yes, most likely so. But in the Block Busters and Walmarts of America, this is not the case. Yes, you will get a twenty five cent raise now and again, but once your pay reaches something outrageous like $10/hr you will be fired on bogus charges or your time shift changed or other incentives trumped up to make you quit your job. If you want your job back, you usually can get it back- at min wage again. I bet you get health benefits at your job. There is such a difference between your world and the world of your min wage earning brothers and sisters. I wish everyone could experience it, maybe then things would change. Personally, I think it is criminal for any company to pay any person less than a living wage.

There was a time when employers cared about their service and their product and their employees. There was a time when we had pride in ourselves and took care of our employees, coworkers, family and friends. There was a time when MY profits weren't more important than how I treated others. Today, although most companies make billions more in profits then they did just 40 years ago, they see only the goal of making greater profits. product quality means little and their employees are totally expendable. There is a rampant attitude in our country- which is reflected on most stupid reality shows- which is that only I matter. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, stomp on who ever you need to stomp on and get that ring of gold.

 Not everyone is so lucky as to have a good job that pays you a fair living wage. And not everyone can just quit their job and get a better one. It is just not that easy.

For anyone interested in understanding the difficulties of being poor in modern America I would recommend the book "Nickle and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich
It explains things in a much better way than I ever can.

I really get upset when I see/hear/read things like, "Oh, what do you expect from them, they only get paid minimum wage." No, if you don't want to work for minimum wage, then show some initiative and get a better job. If an employee is going to be lazy because he/she is only making minimum wage, then fire that employee.

It does make sense in a way though, I rarely see hard working minimum wage employees - mainly because they have worked hard and have been promoted.

In my past visits to BBV, I have seen both. A hard working CSR typically working with 2 incompetent CSR's and a virtually comatose manager. I have seen bold-faced liar customers who physically just returned DVD's and then try to lie and say they were dropped off the day before. I also have been the victim of an employee who wanted to keep the PS2 game I had returned (and didn't realize I was a good friend of his manager.) Really, the whole video rental thing was a bad experience so now if I want a DVD, I just outright buy it.

So if you don't like your job where you have to deal with complaining customers - then quit. Stop torturing yourself. I wish you well, hopefully you can get your keyboard fixed soon.

It sounds like you are a good employee. And since I also work with customers, I understand that some customers get nasty, and that is just as uncool and unhelpful as the employees who smirk and don't help anyone. If most people experienced decent, helpful, understanding employees at blockbusters, like yourself, there would not be so many complaints against BB.
My personal experience with BlockBuster is that most employees are not interested in helping and in fact a good percentage of them are scanning things late or even taking them home on my nickle. I have stood at the checkout waiting for 5 to 10 min while employees totally ignore me, reading a magazine. And I have been charged late fees which were later proven bogus.
I now use netflix and love it!
One of my dvds recently got lost in the mail and netflix told me no action would be taken against me- since I am a good customer who does not typically have dvds going missing-  and I was not charged anything. Later the dvd did show up and netflix informed me!! All good customer relations. How totally excellent.
The real issue is why are BB employees usually so snotty? I think it is that they are kids being paid crappy wages and they know it. And they are growing up in a society that tells them to get "what's theirs" no matter how it's obtained. So ultimately the company and society is just as much to blame as the kids. I dont get angry, I just dont use BB anymore.
They are a total ripoff. :)

In the past week, I had to drive from San Antonio, TX to Birmingham, AL because of a mistake made by a blockbuster employee. On may 30th I rented two games, and returned them on June 5th; however my credit card was billed in the full amount of the games because a CSR failed to properly scan the bar codes on the box. After speaking with Blockbuster Customer service for three days in a row and being assured on all three days the district manager would contact me within 24 hours to help me with my problem; I was never contacted by her, so I cut my vacation short and drove for twelve hours to try to get my money refunded. After a very unpleasant conversation with the store manager, she checked my games back in. Thinking that my problems were over I headed home. The next day the funds still had not been replaced. This is the fourth day after having the store manager check the games in, the funds still have not been replaced. A similar event occurred while I was in the employment of Blockbuster Video, it was dealt with properly and led the the firing of a seasonal CRS.

Think about this. If you rent a car from Hertz or anyone else and you tell them it will be back on Sunday night by 5pm you are quoted a price for that rental period. If you keep the car until Monday morning at 10am, they are going to charge you more money. Right? Now put that into perspective. If you rent a movie and you're told it has to be back before midnight on Friday and you don't return it until Saturday at 4pm, is Blockbuster or any other movie chain going to not charge you? What if you rented a car and asked for a grace period? Or if you could keep it for 30 days and only pay 1.25 restocking fee. They'd laugh you out of their agency. When you check out a book at the library, they tell you when it's due and they charge you if it's late. Why aren't you ranting about the library? If you borrow (rent) money from a bank, they charge interest. Do you complain about that? Would you drop off a rental car without checking it in? Would you send cash to your bank for a loan payment and not get a receipt? It's all "consumer beware" Beware is just a contracted word for BE AWARE. I've worked at several video chains. They're all the same. You rented it. Bring it back on time. Contract complete. If you keep it late, expect to pay for the time it couldn't be rented to others. How hard of a concept is this? Think about your own job? What do you do for a living? Do you work at the gas company? Do people accuse you of stealing their payments? Do you "forgive" their late charges if they pay a month late? No, you don't. You can't. And you don't steal their payments. If you did, you'd get fired. Just like I would get fired if I took your movie. I get 5 free a week, why do I want yours? Remember the golden rule: treat others as you expect to be treated. If you yell at me, I am unlikely to go the extra mile to help you. If you come in and say you have a concern because you're pretty sure you dropped your movie in the box on Friday and can I help you? Yes, I can help. I will scour the store, check the shelves, check the mismatch drawer, check the drawer of movies that came back with missing labels. I will check your history. I will check the wrong store drawer. I will make a note, look for it more and call you back. I am not the exception, I am the rule. We are all trained to do this. If an employee is being rude it's either the employee's bad behavior or a reflection of yours. And please, don't blame the messenger. Employees are just reading what's on the computer and trying to help. They will help if you let them.

Right on man! Another annoying thing is that if you rent a movie and you come back and say that the movie is scratched and want a credit, other people rent the movie! Of course it's going to get scratched because people don't know how to take care of bloody discs!

I too have been victimized by Blockbusters inability to properly check in movies. I had turned in a move on time, but received an automated call saying that something was overdue - the computer could not tell me the name of the movie, so I called the store. Got put on hold for 8 minutes, got tired of waiting so I hung up and called back - back on hold for over 5 minutes. Got tired of waiting, so thought I would try back later. 2 days later, I noticed that my checking account had been debited by BB. Now I walked my lazy butt over to the store to find out the particulars. By this time I was more than a bit perturbed. Since the store was not busy I had the undivided attention of the 4 employees on duty. All, including the the assistant manager, were uniformly snotty and uncaring. I had the feeling that customer is never right. One employee actually did help a bit and went the shelf where the movie should have been. He found it there and brought it back up to the counter. He scanned it and lo and behold - it was the "missing" movie that I was charged for. I was given a refund - but they could not / would not produce a receipt. Checked my account the next day and noticed I was not refunded the full amount - it was $1.25 short. Stopped in again to find out why and was informed that it was a restocking fee and the store had no control over that - it was a "corporate" thing. I asked how in good conscious they can charge me a restocking fee for a movie that was not properly checked in by one of their employees. The answer was that they charged me because they were allowed to under the membership agreement that I signed - notwithstanding that I had been a member for over 10 years and have no idea what I may or may not have signed originally. As if last week, I am now an ex-blockbuster customer for life. I figure I will vote with my feet since I did not appreciate the TOTAL lack of concern exhibited by the employees, assistant manager and manager for the particular problem I had. I sent BB's CEO an email wishing him well and hopping that my $1.25 late fee was worth the loss of a customer they have had for over a decade. I also pointed out that BB's stock value has tanked 78% in the last year and congratulated him on his stellar management of the company. I just hope he jumps with his golden parachute before the company hits ground level.

I worked for Blockbuster for a while. Personally, I liked it but left to have and raise my child. If you don't want late fees, here is a simple solution, BRING YOUR RENTALS IN BY HAND AND MAKE AN EMPLOYEE SCAN IT IN ON THE SPOT. When I worked there, half the customers did that. It's very easy. Can't take a minute to drag your lazy butt into the store and do that? Then don't complain if your movie gets scanned in late. It can get VERY busy quite often in a Blockbuster store for MANY reasons. You might drive up and see no other customers there and ASSUME your video will be scanned in on time, however this is not a wise assumption. For all you know, the employees could be pricing, stocking, cleaning up the store, etc. I can't believe I hardly ever see people mentioning the simple task of taking your rentals in by hand and having it scanned on the spot. Goes to show people would rather argue than come up with a SIMPLE solution. I'm sure someone will come back with the argument "I'm too busy to come in and have someone scan it". In that case, don't get a membership with a rental store like Blockbuster, go with Netflix. There is no way on God's green Earth, that an employee in Blockbuster can use some kind of magical psychic power and somehow know your busy lifestyle and schedule. Come on people, it's common sense!

I have a solution to this whole problem. Blockbuster has to come out with a memo and give to every customer claiming that there are no more late fees, can't pull any punches on anyone, has to report it to the FCC and any other agency. As long as its in writing then we all can see some kind of documentation. There are reports on this site that some say they get 2 nights, some others get 7 nights to rent. Unless you tell me what exactly the contract says then the corporate should be liable in damages. If a customer returns the rentals on time as everyone says they do then Blockbuster must have a receipt printed out no questions asked. If no receipt then its free no fee at all. The receipt should get printed out the exact time the return is made. If it goes to the credit card its proof that the customer doesn't do squat. I don't want to hear from any employees that work at any Blockbuster in this country that it states in plain english about those fees. That tells me nothing. Thats one way of doing it. Like I said if Blockbuster ever goes down you all better find different jobs thats all I have to say.

The previous person. I didn't get to read the whole thing. I did read about hours getting cut. Why not force them to fire you and then sue them for different things. I am going to email blockbuster b/c it just seems some people just don't get it. If I ever do rent from Blockbuster and they illegally put a late fee charge I will go in the store and rip the card up in their faces. I will also tell them I hope someone chokes on their gumballs and hopefully sometime down the road the crooks who head scambusters go to jail for fraud. There will be something mentioned that I will make them call their corporate offices and tell them to stick the movies up their butts. There are states in this country going to court b/c of those bogus late fees. When I saw the commercial as well as on a bill board it made me sick to my stomach. We the people have choices in America. As for anyone that works for BB you might as well find a new job. I don't know how some of you put up with their bullshit.

I had always despised Blockbuster and a few months ago, I was offered a job from a good friend that worked at one and decided to take it just to see how they operate. The whole no more late fees is very misleading especially when one of my coworkers, he is the only one at my store, was telling customers they could bring the rental back 'whenever you want'. When a customer would bring the rental back 2 months later they find out that they have been charged for this movie and after 30 days they can no longer return it because it auto shrank out of our inventory. To make the situation even worse, you can return it after these 30 days, not get the money back for the movie they autosold you and you don't get the rental back because of somthing signed. These new policies are so confusing and as an employee, I was not told about this policy of customers not being able to return their rental after the 30 days so I was not able to inform customers of this until I had a woman screaming at me and my manager telling her there was nothing they could do. The Blockbuster corporate offices have cut ALL employees hours to pay for the new 'compass program' and to make up for the no more late fee's policy. I don't understand how employees can defend Bluckbuster so much when we go from working 35 to 40 hours a week down to 15 and the salary employees work nearly 80 hours a week. I gotta payy for food and rent and this is depleting my savings rather quickly. They also send in secret shoppers about every 2 weeks to make sure that we are saying hi to every customer and that we try to sell people things at the counter. If I followed the checkout procedure correctly, it can take about 5 minutes per customer to check out. It goes like this and I hate it, "Hi! Did you find everything okay? Would you like to try out our new movie pass program? We are currently updating out customer database and could you give us your email address so we can put you on our list for free coupons? We have nestle candy 2 for 2 dollars behind you would you like to get some before you check out? Okay, that's be $19.95 will it be cash or credit? Okay, thank you! The due dates are on the reciept. You have 7 days after the due date to return your movie or else you get charged more than you want. Anyways, if we don't go through that for every customer, the we lose points on the secret shopper report and the district leader screams at the store manager and the store manager cries. Finally, the customers that say they brought something back and were charged. I have searched the entire store for a rental after having a very unhappy customer yell at me because they were charged. My fellow employees always give me a hard time about this but since some of them can't check in a video correctly, I continue the search. It is surprising at how many times I will find this persons video out on the wall, with the lock in it, meaning a employee didn't do their job. Last week, I had the normal 'I brought it back' conversation, the man was red in the face yelling at me, following me as I looked around the store for his video constantly telling me I ws going to find it and how Blockbuster was wasting his time. I spent nearly 30 minutes looking for his video like this. I never found it and the guy ran out screaming the f word in front of kids. 2 days later, he back in the store and he's holding the video in his hands and tells me his wife still had it in the car! This is something that happens way too much and I was a very lucky employee because he apologized to me so many times and most employees do not get an apology at all when the customer is wrong. Just be nice to the Blockbuster employees and if ya don't like the policies DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! By something, I mean stop going to Blockbuster.

I was talking to someone who works at Hollywood Video. He tells me that Blockbuster illegally charges on credit cards 14 days after if the movie isn't returned when they don't mention it in the contract. So, does that make it right for a company to scam hard working americans in this country. I hope bbv goes down and gets their pants sued. Then when you all get your unemployment from the company they can't run anywhere and they're assets will be gone. I agree with the gentleman about returning on time I think the CEOs have to get their heads examined. I also think the CEOs are pocketing money and I have a big problem with that and the fact that they are liars. When you give bad PR you have a problem.

First of all, I am an employee at BBV. I love working there. I love my customers. I am very happy in what I do. Of course there are some customers that love to complain. But, who doesn't?? And, some of you talk about the young lazy people that BBV hires. Some of those young people could be you sons or daughters. And, just because you are late bringing your movie back and feel like you don't deserve to be charged, dosn't mean we can do anything about it. If it was obviously late, there is nothing we can do. I'm sure you think "Oh, you can take that off for me can't you?" If it is your first time, sure we will. But, if you are constantly late on your movies, why should we? That just says "Sure, we don't follow any rules and we want to be fired." And, we don't make the rules. We just follow them. We tell you when your movies are due back and if you aren't listening, that isn't our fault. You are grown people. Act like it. And, I'm sure you could ask the customers that come in my store and they will tell you that BBV is the only place they will rent. I'm sure you ask why. Because we are friendly and we do our jobs. Just because some of you are irresponsible, doesn't mean all of you are.

Okay, just to reinforce some ideas here. I work for Blockbuster right now, and have for the past year. As someone stated a few posts back we do check the drop boxes at one o'clock to make sure no movies are missed. There are a few occassions where movies are missed and they get put out anyway, but if one of those movies gets brought up to the counter the computer will tell us that it's checked out. Also we have a list printed up once a week and we go out and search for every single movie that is currently late. And let me tell you that can be a LOT of stuff. My store does four checkins a day. One at 10, one at noon, one at five, and one at eight. Usually in the morning someone is continuously checking the drop box until 1 so nothing is missed. I have had people tell me that they computer was wrong when we checked it in, that the clock was wrong. Well, we clock in and out by that clock too, and it tells us what time it is, I think someone would notice. I have had people tell me that they turned it in the night before it was due when it was two days late. Are you suggesting it sat in the box and was singled out during eight different checkins done by four different shifts of people? Yes, like any store there are the idiots who don't do their job, but they don't keep it long because of that, yes there are theives, they also don't keep their jobs long. What aggrivates me the most is that most complainers use the word 'you' when arguing. "You didn't check it in on time" "You must have lost it". They make it very personal against the CSR and that's really not nice. We're doing our jobs, you have your job, I have mine. I have to make money too and trust me, it's not like we're getting commission off of these fees. If the computer is wrong, if something did happen, and it does on occassion, please don't get mad and yell and whatever. We don't get up every morning to get our jobs threatened or our lives in one case I know of, by the people we are there to help.

I used to work for Blockbuster while in College and I am really upset to hear what was going on. I can tell you that some Blockbusters are Franchises and others are corporate. The one I worked at was corporate, and the matters discussed in the complaints usually don't (or at least didn't) happen at corporate blockbusters. Corporate Blockbusters dilegently train(ed) their employees and EXPECT(ed) them to satisfy the customer with whatever means possible. That is to say if a customer says they returned a movie on time, to wipe the late fee clean and apologize to the customer!! Accidents on my shifts happened and I'm sure still do, such as movies not being checked in. When this happens there is something called a 'found on shelf' system that will check in the movie and wipe the previous renters fee encrued away. Blockbuster was one of the best experiences of my life. I don't want to over sell it or anything but I got my younger sister a job there and that along with college really taught me responsibility. I'm sure there are employees who aren't as dedicated as I was, and that's unfortunate. All I can tell you is that when I worked there corporate always emphasized the importance of EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER! And if any of you ever experienced anything less but outstanding service to contact them and they will do EVERYTHING to resolve the matter. Anyone on this site who is being disrespectful and claiming to work at Blockbuster disturbs me the most. While in customer service one should try to please as best as they should. I'm a twelve year veteran of customer service and always try to go beyond (regardless of what position I have held) what is expected. Don't argue, Don't take attacks personal, and always ALWAYS try to please. Just remember this sentence: "What will it take to make you happy this evening?" And it will work wonders!!!

I used to work for Blockbuster while in College and I am really upset to hear what was going on. I can tell you that some Blockbusters are Franchises and others are corporate. The one I worked at was corporate, and the matters discussed in the complaints usually don't (or at least didn't) happen at corporate blockbusters. Corporate Blockbusters dilegently train(ed) their employees and EXPECT(ed) them to satisfy the customer with whatever means possible. That is to say if a customer says they returned a movie on time, to wipe the late fee clean and apologize to the customer!! Accidents on my shifts happened and I'm sure still do, such as movies not being checked in. When this happens there is something called a 'found on shelf' system that will check in the movie and wipe the previous renters fee encrued away. Blockbuster was one of the best experiences of my life. I don't want to over sell it or anything but I got my younger sister a job there and that along with college really taught me responsibility. I'm sure there are employees who aren't as dedicated as I was, and that's unfortunate. All I can tell you is that when I worked there corporate always emphasized the importance of EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER! And if any of you ever experienced anything less but outstanding service to contact them and they will do EVERYTHING to resolve the matter. Anyone on this site who is being disrespectful and claiming to work at Blockbuster disturbs me the most. While in customer service one should try to please as best as they should. I'm a twelve year veteran of customer service and always try to go beyond (regardless of what position I have held) what is expected. Don't argue, Don't take attacks personal, and always ALWAYS try to please. Just remember this sentence: "What will it take to make you happy this evening?" And it will work wonders!!!

I used to work for Blockbuster while in College and I am really upset to hear what was going on. I can tell you that some Blockbusters are Franchises and others are corporate. The one I worked at was corporate, and the matters discussed in the complaints usually don't (or at least didn't) happen at corporate blockbusters. Corporate Blockbusters dilegently train(ed) their employees and EXPECT(ed) them to satisfy the customer with whatever means possible. That is to say if a customer says they returned a movie on time, to wipe the late fee clean and apologize to the customer!! Accidents on my shifts happened and I'm sure still do, such as movies not being checked in. When this happens there is something called a 'found on shelf' system that will check in the movie and wipe the previous renters fee encrued away. Blockbuster was one of the best experiences of my life. I don't want to over sell it or anything but I got my younger sister a job there and that along with college really taught me responsibility. I'm sure there are employees who aren't as dedicated as I was, and that's unfortunate. All I can tell you is that when I worked there corporate always emphasized the importance of EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER! And if any of you ever experienced anything less but outstanding service to contact them and they will do EVERYTHING to resolve the matter. Anyone on this site who is being disrespectful and claiming to work at Blockbuster disturbs me the most. While in customer service one should try to please as best as they should. I'm a twelve year veteran of customer service and always try to go beyond (regardless of what position I have held) what is expected. Don't argue, Don't take attacks personal, and always ALWAYS try to please. Just remember this sentence: "What will it take to make you happy this evening?" And it will work wonders!!!

I used to work for Blockbuster while in College and I am really upset to hear what was going on. I can tell you that some Blockbusters are Franchises and others are corporate. The one I worked at was corporate, and the matters discussed in the complaints usually don't (or at least didn't) happen at corporate blockbusters. Corporate Blockbusters dilegently train(ed) their employees and EXPECT(ed) them to satisfy the customer with whatever means possible. That is to say if a customer says they returned a movie on time, to wipe the late fee clean and apologize to the customer!! Accidents on my shifts happened and I'm sure still do, such as movies not being checked in. When this happens there is something called a 'found on shelf' system that will check in the movie and wipe the previous renters fee encrued away. Blockbuster was one of the best experiences of my life. I don't want to over sell it or anything but I got my younger sister a job there and that along with college really taught me responsibility. I'm sure there are employees who aren't as dedicated as I was, and that's unfortunate. All I can tell you is that when I worked there corporate always emphasized the importance of EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER! And if any of you ever experienced anything less but outstanding service to contact them and they will do EVERYTHING to resolve the matter. Anyone on this site who is being disrespectful and claiming to work at Blockbuster disturbs me the most. While in customer service one should try to please as best as they should. I'm a twelve year veteran of customer service and always try to go beyond (regardless of what position I have held) what is expected. Don't argue, Don't take attacks personal, and always ALWAYS try to please. Just remember this sentence: "What will it take to make you happy this evening?" And it will work wonders!!!

Well, I can see from the Blockbuster employee comments here that Blockbuster has plenty of brown nosers working for them. I wonder how many of them printed their stories and took them to their managers to see if they would get a free movie rental as a reward. But if you don't return it on time, you will still have to pay the late fees! As I said in my complaint story about the store in Southern Pines, NC, I sent an email to the corporate office, but they didn't even care enough about it to reply; so I'm just going to take matters into my own hands and go to my bank and have them reverse the charges on my account. If Blockbuster wants to continue the fight after that, I will put on my boxing gloves and we will throw down! This is one of the unfortunate things about these big corporations as opposed to the small "mom and pop" stores. Blockbuster is so big that all you are to them is just a fly speck. And you are pretty much treated as such. Gone are the days when customers were treated with respect. Also, gone are the days when businesses lived by the adage, "The customer is always right". But this is the 21th century. I guess we just have to learn to live with that.

I am currently a Blockbuster employee for almost a year now. I have had my run-ins with those who were blatantly lying about turning in a movie on time, and i have had those that I sincerely appologized to because human error cause thair dvd not to be scanned in on time. At my location, we abide by all of the regulations we're supposed to (by the way, you MUST have card or picture I.D. at all times to rent). When we check movies in, we do it in stacks of 20 & make sure that the number scanned in is 20 after we finish each stack. However, there are some instances where we may make a mistake, as with anyone in any occupation (how many of you have forgotten to put the disk in the box & returned it??.. human error.. & don't feel bad, EVERYONE does it at least once). We also have scheduled times to empty out the drop-box, & we even give an hour leeway period for those who are a little late (instead of clearing out the box at noon, we clear it out at one). We do have a 3-hour window for checking in the movies due at noon, so anyone coming in the store before 3pm & handing their movies to an employee to check in actually register as being on time (we normally don't make this too public because the due time IS noon). When giving new memberships, we explain that all movies must be returned to the location you rent them from and by noon on their due dates. We then show you where the dates are printed on the receipt with the noon time listed at the bottom. There are automated calls (I have gotten them a couple of times myself while working there) to remind you that your movie is overdue, but your telephone number must be current on the account. There are also postcard-like statements mailed when it is overdue (I just got one of these last week for one I had), as well as notices when your debt has been written off to collections &/or your card is being charged for a movie that is way overdue (never gotten this, thank goodness). But to receive these, you must have your current address listed on the account. If at any time you do feel you are being taken advantage of for any reason, take the movie in & get a receipt for the return. This verifies that it is on time & you can prove it if there are any questions later on about it (however, if you have the receipt showing this, that is how it will be registered in the computer also). Ok, so now to the supposed stealing of the movies by employees that people have been talking about?? I get 5 free rentals a week.. I rarely use them due to lack of time, but still end up keeping a few here & there over the due dates. (Also, as a courtesy to customers we can only rent them before they come out or THREE weeks after the street date, if they are not returned by midnight the Monday before they come out, we get written up..) Anyhow, back to the stealing.. I know that no store in my area has any such problem with employees, but I can't say that all people are honest. There are some employees out there, I'm sure, that are liers & stealers, just as there are customers that are liers & stealers.. If you knew how many dvd's get stolen in the period of one month, you'd be surprised.. Chronicles of Riddick just came out yesterday.. already 3 missing, believed to be in some dude's underpants as he walked out the door.. I won't go into detail as to how they do it for the obvious reasons, but you don't have to be Einstein to figure it out... Well, I have written a book here.. wow.. but my main point that I wanted to say is that you shouldn't generalize & think that because one employee happens to be a little uneducated that the rest are idiots too. There are some bright, educated, well-mannered, civilized workers out there that want to do a good job & make the customers happy. After all, that IS what our job is intended to do, keep 'em coming back.. :-D Also, as a side note to all those NetFlix people.. try the Movie Pass at blockbuster.. no waiting for the stuff in the mail! But we do have the mail deal online too, & it's actually cheaper online than in the store.

I am a former BB manger. We all tried to have fun and make sure the customers did too. Late fees generate a lot of revenue for video stores-BUT- not having a video on the shelf to rent loses a lot of revenue. The average new movie cost BB about $125. That cost has to be recouped ASAP to buy more movies. If a customer disputed fees we looked at their account and if this was a 1st or 2nd occurance we waived the fee. If the customer came in every week asking for fees to be waived, we gave a printout of account history and explained the fees were valid.( Please don't ask for printouts when you go in unless offered ,because the person behind the counter probably doesnt know how to do it. Ask the Store Manager). We checked ID when noted on account but in case of fee disputes then see above paragraph. Yes, it is true most customers were cool people,but some thought that shouting,threatening to sue or shopping some where else would get us to change our minds. I've personally cut up membership cards of customers that were unjustly rude to my employees. Yes,some of the kids working there are lazy and not too bright but for $8 an hour thats what you get. Do you want the job? Some steal but most don't. If your issue can't be resolved at the store level then ask to for the District Managers number and he will bend over backwards to satsify you. BB is like any other business. HERE'S A TIP: The nicer you are to the person at the counter, the more likely you are to get fees waived or at least a coupon for a free movie. The bottom line is, just rent the movie,go home and enjoy it.

Its funny you think a blockbuster store in your area closed because of issues you had with them lmao , what are you going to do when net flix loses your dvds in the mail and charges you for them ? it happened to me and it sucked, i love my local blockbuster they are so friendly and polite and i have never had a problem with them they said i didnt return a movie once but found it on the shelf appologized and took of all the fees they always go out of the way for me and other customers i have never seen a blockbuster employee ever be rude, but i have seen customers loose it and act like little kids for no real reason i bet you are one of thoose people, grow up seriously if you can do nothing better but complain all the time a dwell on blockbuster you need to grow up and find something more constructive to do.....good luck with netflix they suck........:)

Apparently I wasn't the only one with issues of the particular Blockbuster in question: THEY ARE NO LONGER IN BUSINESS. Had one problem with Netflix and that was so easily resolved and without attitude or bogus late fees.

all of you complaining and trying to "investigate" are so ignorant that i wish for one day you could work at your local blockbuster1 for the guy who said they lost galaxy quest and complained than didnt return for 4 months,and that he was no longer in the computer system ,well if you dont rent with in 3 months the computer deletes your account to make room for other customers, and the only way to get back in is if you have your card so we can scan it. and what do you expect us to do when you are being rude and yelling in our faces i think your lucky all you got was a smile or as you say a "smirk" i for one think we should be able to yell back because you customers who are yelling at us often fail to listen and try to understand what we are trying to calmy explain to you and if a movie gets lost we have looked every where for it and still. it has not showed up we have no choice but to wait till the end of the month to do inventory so we can search the store top to bottom for you. we are always trying to resolve problems in a nice manner but if you have $75 worth of late fees chances are its not the first time! so unless you have actually worked for blockbuster and now all the policies i suggest you get your facts straight and listen before you yell in the employees faces because at that moment your so mad you wont even listen to reason.

Its funny how when a tape or DVD has been dropped of and then when the customer is told he never returned it, and the customer goes into investigator mode, all of a suddenly managers are not available customers are told they have to wait for the next inventory and then when the customer is persistent on the subject like I was and a couple of posters here, all of a sudden the customers name is wiped of the database with no record of the DVD, DEBT or any requirement to pay. Sounds like blockbusters staff STEAL the tapes before they are scanned back in.

It's attitudes like yours that prompt people to post replies like that. ;) here is just one report on NetFlix. It is not an isolated story, in fact as I said before, you can find a multitude of reports on THIS site against NetFlix. http://www.attrition.org/movies/netflix.html Your precious NetFlix is not above human error. That is all that any of these complaints against Blockbuster are amounting to... human error. How many more commercials for NetFlix are people going to post here? I personally find it very difficult to believe, and highly unlikely, that EVERY time you rented from Blockbuster you were charged a late fee. That is just completely unbelievable. Blockbuster has a very high standard for service and the company considers it a top priority to assure that company policies are upheld in as many Blockbuster locations as possible. As such, they offer very clear methods of filing a complaint against an employee. If you have a problem, file a complaint against the person you believe to be responsible and the matter will be resolved, if there is any truth to the complaint. Go to the Blockbuster website, go to the Contact Us page and file a "Service Concern" and give ALL the details. I assure you that these complaints are received by Blockbuster and dealt with, and this method is much more reliable than filing a complaint with the manager of a locally owned franchise location. However, you should try that as well. Just because an employee is not efficient, does NOT automatically mean that everyone, including the managers, are incompetent as well. Do not make assumptions.

It is attitudes like yours that prompted me to take my Blockbuster card and cut it into tiny pieces. Your prices are high and no matter when we turned in DVDs, at least one was charged "late fees". Thanks for souring me on Blockbuster. It is because of fine employees such as yourself that I turned to Netflix.com. It is easy and the turnaround time is never more than 2 days, and usually only one. The convenience and selection can't be beat, not to mention not having to deal with surly kids, who obviously have never been taught the concept of customer service. Some people shouldn't work with the public..

I come here to read reports and get a little bit or drama in my life. It is obvious that some people come here to just whine, some come here and legitimately file reports and others just come here to raise heck. Here and there I get the urge to reply and this is one of the times. I have to admit that I frequent Block Buster here and there, I have had late charges (my own) and I have been victimized so to say. Yes, I got the smirks, and yes I got cooperation (didn't like the smirks though). If there was a disputed late charge, they usually were nice (with smirk) and worked it out with me. But I would like to add more to this. To the people who come here and just say people are whining, and get a life ect ect, these people have not obviously been victimized by anyone recently. I can vouch first hand that I have, not by Block Busters but by another video store. Like the people above, I returned a top (outside drop box bad idea) when I went to rent it, they said they never got it back. Like the other people I inquired about an inventory, ect ect and was told I would have to wait a month for it. The odd part is they wanted payment now. Eventually, I ended up at the manager and I had very bad attitude. I told him that if I wanted the dang game I would just copy and not steal it (something that can be easily done these days though not legal) he informed me that I should not say stuff like that and I informed him that he should be able to prove to me that the game I returned made it from that box out front into the store ( guess what, he couldn't ). Well, I told them I am not doing anything until after their inventory. Well as the weeks passed, I got the threat letters, calls and whatever they could think of to throw at me. After a month or so, all contact had come to a halt. I went back to the store to inquire about my issue and guess what, no record.. hmm that seems odd don't it? So either they found it, or found the employee that stole it or whatever, but the record was gone. As you can guess, I don't rent there anymore. So, to all those people who work at Block Buster and can say people are lying ect. ect. fine, but wait until it happens to you ANYWHERE and you will be right here thinking they have no right to say I am stupid, whining, crazy or complaining to much. To all those other people who seem to have had perfect lives with nothing happening to them, I am sure you will have you day also. When that happens, I am sure you will think twice about posting here. If you do post, maybe you will get some of the same reactions that you are dishing out. I am not for nor against Block Buster or anyone in particular. I am not complaining, saying anyone is wrong nor right. I am just saying that maybe people do get shafted here and there and that some people should not say anything if there is nothing constructive to say about it. It just annoys me that some people think this world is perfect and no one gets the shaft. Also, for you BLOCK BUSTER employees, managers ect ect. Just maybe, just maybe that there are BLOCK BUSTER stores that make mistakes, maybe you should offer suggestions instead or complaining yourselves. The way you are acting, only supports the complaint in the first place does it not? I worked in a convenience store for 4 years while I went to college and I can tell you that is the worst place to deal with people. They are in a hurry, they are coming home from a bad day, or going to work on a Monday. They are pumping gas in the rain, or waiting for the long line to clear. So when you people, probably most of you sigh because you have to wait 3 or 5 min, or expect the cashier to rush because YOU made yourself late ect etc, realize what you are doing? you are whining just like the people on here you say are whining. If you are not one of those people I commend you, it takes a lot of patience and time to work with the public. I commend the people that do it and the I commend the customers that are understanding. So in the end, people realize there are people out there that take things, steal, and are wrong, both the customer and the business. Take the time to try to work it out and not be the little smirking smart a*s on either side of the counter. In the end, maybe the legitimate problems will be worked out and the thieves will be caught, then everyone will be happy. Just my two cents

I come here to read reports and get a little bit or drama in my life. It is obvious that some people come here to just whine, some come here and legitimately file reports and others just come here to raise heck. Here and there I get the urge to reply and this is one of the times. I have to admit that I frequent Block Buster here and there, I have had late charges (my own) and I have been victimized so to say. Yes, I got the smirks, and yes I got cooperation (didn't like the smirks though). If there was a disputed late charge, they usually were nice (with smirk) and worked it out with me. But I would like to add more to this. To the people who come here and just say people are whining, and get a life ect ect, these people have not obviously been victimized by anyone recently. I can vouch first hand that I have, not by Block Busters but by another video store. Like the people above, I returned a top (outside drop box bad idea) when I went to rent it, they said they never got it back. Like the other people I inquired about an inventory, ect ect and was told I would have to wait a month for it. The odd part is they wanted payment now. Eventually, I ended up at the manager and I had very bad attitude. I told him that if I wanted the dang game I would just copy and not steal it (something that can be easily done these days though not legal) he informed me that I should not say stuff like that and I informed him that he should be able to prove to me that the game I returned made it from that box out front into the store ( guess what, he couldn't ). Well, I told them I am not doing anything until after their inventory. Well as the weeks passed, I got the threat letters, calls and whatever they could think of to throw at me. After a month or so, all contact had come to a halt. I went back to the store to inquire about my issue and guess what, no record.. hmm that seems odd don't it? So either they found it, or found the employee that stole it or whatever, but the record was gone. As you can guess, I don't rent there anymore. So, to all those people who work at Block Buster and can say people are lying ect. ect. fine, but wait until it happens to you ANYWHERE and you will be right here thinking they have no right to say I am stupid, whining, crazy or complaining to much. To all those other people who seem to have had perfect lives with nothing happening to them, I am sure you will have you day also. When that happens, I am sure you will think twice about posting here. If you do post, maybe you will get some of the same reactions that you are dishing out. I am not for nor against Block Buster or anyone in particular. I am not complaining, saying anyone is wrong nor right. I am just saying that maybe people do get shafted here and there and that some people should not say anything if there is nothing constructive to say about it. It just annoys me that some people think this world is perfect and no one gets the shaft. Also, for you BLOCK BUSTER employees, managers ect ect. Just maybe, just maybe that there are BLOCK BUSTER stores that make mistakes, maybe you should offer suggestions instead or complaining yourselves. The way you are acting, only supports the complaint in the first place does it not? I worked in a convenience store for 4 years while I went to college and I can tell you that is the worst place to deal with people. They are in a hurry, they are coming home from a bad day, or going to work on a Monday. They are pumping gas in the rain, or waiting for the long line to clear. So when you people, probably most of you sigh because you have to wait 3 or 5 min, or expect the cashier to rush because YOU made yourself late ect etc, realize what you are doing? you are whining just like the people on here you say are whining. If you are not one of those people I commend you, it takes a lot of patience and time to work with the public. I commend the people that do it and the I commend the customers that are understanding. So in the end, people realize there are people out there that take things, steal, and are wrong, both the customer and the business. Take the time to try to work it out and not be the little smirking smart a*s on either side of the counter. In the end, maybe the legitimate problems will be worked out and the thieves will be caught, then everyone will be happy. Just my two cents

I come here to read reports and get a little bit or drama in my life. It is obvious that some people come here to just whine, some come here and legitimately file reports and others just come here to raise heck. Here and there I get the urge to reply and this is one of the times. I have to admit that I frequent Block Buster here and there, I have had late charges (my own) and I have been victimized so to say. Yes, I got the smirks, and yes I got cooperation (didn't like the smirks though). If there was a disputed late charge, they usually were nice (with smirk) and worked it out with me. But I would like to add more to this. To the people who come here and just say people are whining, and get a life ect ect, these people have not obviously been victimized by anyone recently. I can vouch first hand that I have, not by Block Busters but by another video store. Like the people above, I returned a top (outside drop box bad idea) when I went to rent it, they said they never got it back. Like the other people I inquired about an inventory, ect ect and was told I would have to wait a month for it. The odd part is they wanted payment now. Eventually, I ended up at the manager and I had very bad attitude. I told him that if I wanted the dang game I would just copy and not steal it (something that can be easily done these days though not legal) he informed me that I should not say stuff like that and I informed him that he should be able to prove to me that the game I returned made it from that box out front into the store ( guess what, he couldn't ). Well, I told them I am not doing anything until after their inventory. Well as the weeks passed, I got the threat letters, calls and whatever they could think of to throw at me. After a month or so, all contact had come to a halt. I went back to the store to inquire about my issue and guess what, no record.. hmm that seems odd don't it? So either they found it, or found the employee that stole it or whatever, but the record was gone. As you can guess, I don't rent there anymore. So, to all those people who work at Block Buster and can say people are lying ect. ect. fine, but wait until it happens to you ANYWHERE and you will be right here thinking they have no right to say I am stupid, whining, crazy or complaining to much. To all those other people who seem to have had perfect lives with nothing happening to them, I am sure you will have you day also. When that happens, I am sure you will think twice about posting here. If you do post, maybe you will get some of the same reactions that you are dishing out. I am not for nor against Block Buster or anyone in particular. I am not complaining, saying anyone is wrong nor right. I am just saying that maybe people do get shafted here and there and that some people should not say anything if there is nothing constructive to say about it. It just annoys me that some people think this world is perfect and no one gets the shaft. Also, for you BLOCK BUSTER employees, managers ect ect. Just maybe, just maybe that there are BLOCK BUSTER stores that make mistakes, maybe you should offer suggestions instead or complaining yourselves. The way you are acting, only supports the complaint in the first place does it not? I worked in a convenience store for 4 years while I went to college and I can tell you that is the worst place to deal with people. They are in a hurry, they are coming home from a bad day, or going to work on a Monday. They are pumping gas in the rain, or waiting for the long line to clear. So when you people, probably most of you sigh because you have to wait 3 or 5 min, or expect the cashier to rush because YOU made yourself late ect etc, realize what you are doing? you are whining just like the people on here you say are whining. If you are not one of those people I commend you, it takes a lot of patience and time to work with the public. I commend the people that do it and the I commend the customers that are understanding. So in the end, people realize there are people out there that take things, steal, and are wrong, both the customer and the business. Take the time to try to work it out and not be the little smirking smart a*s on either side of the counter. In the end, maybe the legitimate problems will be worked out and the thieves will be caught, then everyone will be happy. Just my two cents

I come here to read reports and get a little bit or drama in my life. It is obvious that some people come here to just whine, some come here and legitimately file reports and others just come here to raise heck. Here and there I get the urge to reply and this is one of the times. I have to admit that I frequent Block Buster here and there, I have had late charges (my own) and I have been victimized so to say. Yes, I got the smirks, and yes I got cooperation (didn't like the smirks though). If there was a disputed late charge, they usually were nice (with smirk) and worked it out with me. But I would like to add more to this. To the people who come here and just say people are whining, and get a life ect ect, these people have not obviously been victimized by anyone recently. I can vouch first hand that I have, not by Block Busters but by another video store. Like the people above, I returned a top (outside drop box bad idea) when I went to rent it, they said they never got it back. Like the other people I inquired about an inventory, ect ect and was told I would have to wait a month for it. The odd part is they wanted payment now. Eventually, I ended up at the manager and I had very bad attitude. I told him that if I wanted the dang game I would just copy and not steal it (something that can be easily done these days though not legal) he informed me that I should not say stuff like that and I informed him that he should be able to prove to me that the game I returned made it from that box out front into the store ( guess what, he couldn't ). Well, I told them I am not doing anything until after their inventory. Well as the weeks passed, I got the threat letters, calls and whatever they could think of to throw at me. After a month or so, all contact had come to a halt. I went back to the store to inquire about my issue and guess what, no record.. hmm that seems odd don't it? So either they found it, or found the employee that stole it or whatever, but the record was gone. As you can guess, I don't rent there anymore. So, to all those people who work at Block Buster and can say people are lying ect. ect. fine, but wait until it happens to you ANYWHERE and you will be right here thinking they have no right to say I am stupid, whining, crazy or complaining to much. To all those other people who seem to have had perfect lives with nothing happening to them, I am sure you will have you day also. When that happens, I am sure you will think twice about posting here. If you do post, maybe you will get some of the same reactions that you are dishing out. I am not for nor against Block Buster or anyone in particular. I am not complaining, saying anyone is wrong nor right. I am just saying that maybe people do get shafted here and there and that some people should not say anything if there is nothing constructive to say about it. It just annoys me that some people think this world is perfect and no one gets the shaft. Also, for you BLOCK BUSTER employees, managers ect ect. Just maybe, just maybe that there are BLOCK BUSTER stores that make mistakes, maybe you should offer suggestions instead or complaining yourselves. The way you are acting, only supports the complaint in the first place does it not? I worked in a convenience store for 4 years while I went to college and I can tell you that is the worst place to deal with people. They are in a hurry, they are coming home from a bad day, or going to work on a Monday. They are pumping gas in the rain, or waiting for the long line to clear. So when you people, probably most of you sigh because you have to wait 3 or 5 min, or expect the cashier to rush because YOU made yourself late ect etc, realize what you are doing? you are whining just like the people on here you say are whining. If you are not one of those people I commend you, it takes a lot of patience and time to work with the public. I commend the people that do it and the I commend the customers that are understanding. So in the end, people realize there are people out there that take things, steal, and are wrong, both the customer and the business. Take the time to try to work it out and not be the little smirking smart a*s on either side of the counter. In the end, maybe the legitimate problems will be worked out and the thieves will be caught, then everyone will be happy. Just my two cents

Sorry all of you Blockbuster customers are Idiots... Number one to support this... Its unimagineable how many morons called in and asked to rent a movie that was still playing in the theaters... Why are you chargeing me late fees??? Well sir, you returned the movie late... No I didnt. SIR we check the drop box every 15 to 20 mins... It says here it was a day late... I droped it in the drop box around midnight... Sir (at the time) Every tape is due back at midnight no exceptions. but inorder to ensure you dont inccur wrongfull charges, we check the box every night at 15 after midnight... Well there was still people in the store when I dropped it in there. Yes sir we often dont leave untill one or 1:30 am.. Well if the store has employees inside then its not late. Sir your contract and the cover of the tape you rent states when each tape is due. We have even given allowances to ensure you are treated fairly. You failed to return the tape by midnight so you are responsible for the charges. Then various profainities are hurled at me and questions my intelligence and syas I am fatherless. and that he left New York because of such problems.. blah blah blah.. He demands to see the head maager immeadiatly.. its like 11 pm. lol I siad sir thats not possible I can arrange a meeting.. no. I will call corporate.. blah blah... I cancelled his account be cause he was such a jerk... and that about how it goes 60 times a day 365 days a year for the average BB employeee. Because you, the general public has no class, minimal intelligence, and are rude and crueel in general... Not every one but about 50%... So shut up and pay your late fees. they are noones fault but your own.. and when you sit there and Lie and tell them you handed it to a clerk at 3 pm on tuesday. remember... they can pull that up on the surveilance tapes and check it out... and I have done it abunch... Its amazing that everyone who has latefees thinks they returned it in time.... Video store customers are morons.....

How do you account for the cut of time being 10am and there is still a pile of unscanned tapes in the bin. I have actually watched you clowns scan tapes after the cut off time even though they were put in on time. And yes I personaly busted you guys by dropping my tape in the door before the deadline, I then went in the store and spent 1/2 hour in their waiting for you guys to scan the tape. Guess what?? You guys scanned my tape while I stood in the store, and then I went up to the counter when Isaw no more were in the bin. You guys tried to charge me a late fee until I blew up on the manager, and proved I was in your store before the time frame and never left. You are a bunch of f@@king thieves and smirking idiots.

There are so many adults here acting like children. It's really pathetic how petty some people are being and how completely irresponsible adults can act. Doesn't anyone take responsibility for his or her actions anymore? I don't work for Blockbuster, but all of these adults whining and complaining are really starting to get on my nerves. First of all, before I go any further let me just paste the Blockbuster membership agreement because most of you people here complaining (who have SIGNED this agreement) seem to have either NEVER read it, or just don't care what it says. This is it, copied directly, word for word, from the Blockbuster website. BLOCKBUSTER Membership Applicant acknowledges that he/she has received and read a copy of these Terms and Conditions for BLOCKBUSTER Membership and agrees that the membership card(s) issued by Blockbuster Inc. ("Blockbuster") will be used only as provided in such Terms and Conditions. Blockbuster reserves the right, at any time and without notice, to amend the Terms and Conditions of Membership. APPLICANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND ACCEPTS FULL RESPONSIBILITY AND GUARANTEES PAYMENT FOR ALL ITEMS RENTED THROUGH THE USE OF THE MEMBERSHIP CARD, WHETHER OR NOT SUCH USE IS AUTHORIZED BY APPLICANT. (Guarantee not applicable in California.) Applicant agrees that Blockbuster and its franchisees may pursue all avenues of collection, including use of collection agencies, and authorizes Blockbuster and its franchisees to prepare and submit credit card charge using any of the charge cards listed above to recover all charges and all other unpaid amounts due to (a) Applicant's failure to timely return all items rented through the membership, (b) damages to returned items (not to exceed the retail price of the item), and (c) other unpaid charges and reasonable legal fees resulting from the failure to return rented items. 1. Member must notify their BLOCKBUSTER store(s) immediately by telephone and in writing if their membership card(s) is lost or stolen. Member is responsible for all use of the card prior to receipt by Blockbuster of written notice of the loss or theft. 2. Failure to notify the issuing store of the loss or theft of your membership card(s) may result in the posting of significant charges to the credit card account, which you identify on the application. 3. Any rented item not returned to the proper BLOCKBUSTER store within 10 days after rental may, at the option of Blockbuster, is converted from a rental to a sale. Member is responsible for the full retail price of the unreturned item plus all rental and extended viewing fees and other related charges arising from the rental prior to the conversion to a sale. 4. Blockbuster, its affiliates and franchisees (if permitted by Blockbuster) may share and use personally identifiable information collected from you during registration and membership sign up, or generated by use of the membership to develop and improve the products, benefits and services they or selected business partners offer to Members. Blockbuster, its affiliates and franchisees (if permitted by Blockbuster) also may share and use certain Member data in the ordinary course of their business, for example, for account maintenance and debt collection. Except as provided for in the Promotional Elections options, or as described in the blockbuster.com Privacy Policy (a) Blockbuster, its affiliates and franchisees (if permitted by Blockbuster) may direct offers, information and other communications to you by email or otherwise and (b) authorized business partners of Blockbuster, its affiliates and franchisees (if permitted by Blockbuster) may direct offers of goods and services to you by means other than email. 5. Member acknowledges that in corporate Blockbuster stores, rentals must be returned by noon the day they are due to avoid extended viewing fees, which shall be assessed on a per rental period basis. Rental periods and extended viewing fee terms may differ for rentals from franchise BLOCKBUSTER stores. Please confirm the terms when you pick up your order at your BLOCKBUSTER store. Member may ask store personnel for further explanation. 6. Member is responsible for returning rental items to the specific BLOCKBUSTER store where they were rented. 7. BLOCKBUSTER Membership is not transferable. You must be 18 years of age for BLOCKBUSTER Membership. OK, is it clear now? You obviously didn't bother to read it when you signed it, so have you read it now? All of you people complaining about extended viewing fees might want to pay particular attention to point number three. Yes, it's right there in plain English. If you fail to return a rental then after 10 days it is converted into a SALE and YES that charge can be great, upwards of $100 if the rental is a new release in particular. You get notices in the mail before this charge ever occurs. It is no one's fault but your OWN if you STILL fail to notify the store or return the rental. You may also want to notice the opening paragraph, which AUTHORIZES Blockbuster to charge your credit card any service and extended viewing fees that may occur. That means, if you return a rental late, YOU WILL BE CHARGED. There is a reason they do it this way. Once you leave the store with THEIR PROPERTY then there is no guarantee that they will ever see you again. So, if you do not return the rental on time you are charged the fees via your card because the store has no way of knowing if you will ever show up again and thusly, no way of knowing if you will ever be able to pay the fees by other means. Once a rental is late, it is LATE. There is NO WAY for them to know if it will ever be seen again. Why should they assume you would ever return it? The mere fact that it's late in the first place means that you have BREACHED the agreement you signed, and so you are untrustworthy. Blockbuster has NO guarantee they will ever see their property again save for the signed agreement and the credit card they have on file, which they can and will use to replace their MISSING property. That also happens to be THEIR LEGAL RIGHT. YOU signed the agreement. If you didn't understand it then you shouldn't have signed it! Stop complaining and take responsibility. Secondly, Blockbuster's definition of late is and always has been quite clear. Rentals are due by NOON the day after they are actually due. For example, a two-day rental is due by noon on the THIRD day. OK, so WHAT exactly is UNCLEAR about that? Are you completely ignorant? WHAT about that concept does NOT make sense? If you return a rental AFTER that noon mark, IT IS LATE. I am trying to understand how (pardon my bluntness) stupid you actually have to be to NOT comprehend that SIMPLE concept. The return policy is listed on the doors to the store, on posters and signed ALL over the store, including the nice big ones behind the counter, it's printed ON your receipts, ON the rental box itself, and the employees are trained to TELL you the exact time when the rental is due back to the store. WHAT IS UNCLEAR HERE?? Seriously, I feel the frustration of the employees and others defending the store here. It's like talking to a brick wall with some of you people. The people lauding Hollywood video must either work for them or are just ignorant to see that there is NO difference. A membership with Hollywood video offers little that a Blockbuster membership does not. As far as the guy talking about the clear and consistent return policies, I believe I have just dealt with the clarity of Blockbuster's return policies. Hollywood video offers five-day rentals and the rental is due by midnight on the fifth day. Right off the bat, Blockbuster offers 12 hours LONGER to return your rental with five-day rentals. Hollywood offers ONLY five-day rentals, but that is nothing more than a sales tactic. They were conceived to compete with Blockbuster. They're not going to operate EXACTLY the same if they wish to compete. They are a corporation out to make the most money just like everybody else. That is the REASON they offer five-day rentals. They want to make the most money. They do not care any more about their customers than any other company. Hollywood video also charges late fees JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. Why do you people continue to laud Hollywood video as if they don't charge late fees? Blockbuster is NOT the only company that does this, OK? If you return a rental LATE, regardless of WHERE you rent, then you will be charged a fee. END of story. My last point regarding Hollywood video is in reference to the selection. They have a better selection? That is nothing more than an OPINION. They do NOT have a larger collection of titles. They have a larger selection of classical films and foreign films, however that in NO way means they have the best selection. If you prefer those types of films then you might think their selection is better, however there are millions of people who would disagree. Accept the fact that that is only your OPINION and in no way bears any relevance to this discussion or this forum. Thirdly, for the guy who works at Family Video, all I have to say is, so what? The largest privately owned video chain? Again, so what? Family Video has 340 stores in ten states. Blockbuster has over 8,500 stores all over the world. Your post was completely self-serving and had no relevance to the topic. All you did was post an advertisement for Family Video. Please, grow up. The same goes for the person who posted about NetFlix. You basically posted a commercial for the company. Your post had no relevance to the topic and was completely inappropriate. I would also like to point out that there are abundant reports on THIS VERY WEBSITE against Hollywood video AND NetFlix that make the very same allegations that everyone here has made against Blockbuster. Next, as far as the people here talking conspiracy Are you completely insane? There are people posting that they were continuously charged extraneous late fees. What? Are you serious? You make it sound like they charged you EVERY time you returned a rental. That is an outright LIE. I have been a member for years and have never been charged a SINGLE late fee. Incidentally I also return my rentals ON TIME. I know dozens of people who rent at Blockbuster and they haven't had any trouble either. IN FACT, I will go out on a limb and say there are millions of people who rent who can say the same exact thing. I assure you that your experiences (if there is any truth to them) are NOT the norm. They are EXCEPTIONS. You DO understand there are over 8,500 Blockbuster stores? There is no way that each and every one of them will boast the same efficiency or the same quality service. It is a matter of statistical fact that if you have so many locations, there are bound to be some that will not be run the way they should. I REPEAT that there are abundant reports on THIS VERY WEBSITE against Hollywood video AND NetFlix that make the very same allegations that everyone here has made against Blockbuster. Blockbuster is not special and suffers the same pitfalls that ANY large corporation faces. A Blockbuster location is only as good as the CITY in which it is located. If you have a problem with the stupidity of employees, as some people so offensively put it, then you should talk to your local schools. They hire LOCAL teenagers and college students for barely more than MINIMUM wage. What do you expect for minimum wage? They're not going to attract business majors and customer relation's experts when they pay so little. We're not talking about a law firm. Regardless of its size Blockbuster is still JUST A VIDEO STORE. It's a video store folks, plain and simple, nothing more. It's not like they're scouting the local universities or scanning the nation for the top video store talent. It's just a video store! Please, wake up! For every legitimate mistake made by an employee, there are dozens of complaints that are NOT legitimate. I work in retail and sorry but the customer is NOT always right. In fact, the customer is rarely, IF EVER right. You people should be grateful that these kids show up to work everyday for what little they make, and suffer through the petty badgering of those customers who are WRONG day after day. They are on their feet for 6-8 hours at a time depending on their shift. They have to rely on a computer system that CAN on occasion be mistaken. If the computer is wrong, it is NOT the fault of that poor kid behind the counter, OK? He didn't write the program. He just does what he's trained to do and if the computer happens to be wrong, he still suffers the brunt of the customer's frustration. They have to listen to complaints of customers who did not read or did not understand the agreement they signed, answer phones and run a counter at the same time, help customers in the store if necessary, watch a drop box and scan items as they come in, all for minimum wage, no real benefits, and still they have to deal with crap from people like you posting in these forums. Please, grow up. You are pathetic excuses for adults and I can't believe how stubborn, unforgiving, and truly arrogant some of you are. PLEASE GROW UP. Cheers. P.s. Forgive any spelling mistakes.

I am a blockbuster employee of 6 years and i cant tell u how many times i have CAUGHT people lting to me about late fees. I have went in the back with the customer and watched the security tapes when they said they returned them and u know what they were late. I would fast forward and there they are walking into our store at 9 at night dropping off their tapes when they said they returned them at noon. Instead of admitting they were late they try to tell me i tampered with the tpaes, i switched the times to make it look likethey returned it late oh yeah and i changed the color of the sky so it looked like night also, because thats what we do we pick someone and make ther ife hell. Also i hate those customers that have a a late fee and dont come in for like 6 months and expect it to be gone. Also, read your contract in big bold print it says that u are responsible for any late fees accrued on ur account by any customer that rents on your acout with or without your permission and u are responsible not blockbuster oh yeah and for the illiterate it also says we can chrage late fees off also. Ill sue u because i hae late fees than sue the public library system, car rentals anything that rents anything.

If you read the above statement, you will notice that the person that a court found Blockbuster's late fees to be fraudulent, and that Blockbuster settled to return late fees that people paid. That is not accurate. The reason Blockbuster was sued was because their fees were too high: there was no question about validity. A judge would throw that case out immediatly because you cannot have solid proof in that case. Blockbuster did not want bad publicity, so they settled out of court to sweep it under the table. They did not have to do it, because knowing how much of a legal department has, they could wipe the floor with anyone who came up with a suit. If you read the contract that people have to sign in order to rent: Blockbuster has it's a*s covered. And with recent events, they have even added a clause that states that any member who sues Blockbuster are in breach of contract and can be sued by them. I hate to say it like this, but I can't phrase it any better: People, read what you sign before you sign your name. A signature in this day and age has power. Thank you for your time.

I can not believe the type of comments that employees and want-to-be owners have made to consumers. News flash this just shows what kind of people work for Blockbusters. I too have taken my business elsewhere. You know, to the people that are friendly and treat customers as human beings. Apparently these employees think that because the better-educated people shop at Blockbusters, they can finally put them down by making these rebuttals and insults. It just goes to show how stupid these people really are. I recently read an article posted on February 15, 2003 in the Times-Union of Florida. In it they spoke and wrote about Blockbusters CEO, John Antioco. He visited a store in California. Upon his visit he saw customers not being helped, not being greeted and leaving without purchasing anything. He eventually chased down a customer and asked him why he left without purchasing or renting anything. He was given the same excuse as to why people complain about Blockbuster. He admits that the rental industry isnt what it used to be, that more and more people would assume going to their local Target or Walmart and purchasing new videos or DVDs for just a few bucks more. They wouldnt have to deal with the BS of the employees. I take it that these employees dont remember that a court of law found Blockbusters late fees fraudulent. They settled a class action lawsuit and returned peoples late fees. Lets face it, if only 100 people were complaining about unfounded late fees, we would look the other way. But when thousands are complaining on a daily level, that shows the consumers that there is something seriously wrong. Blockbuster takes its customers for granted. If these die-hard customers were to go somewhere else or just stop coming to Blockbuster and paying these fees, we would have no more Blockbusters. These employees believe they have the consumer right were they want them, wrong, take a look at your profits from each year in the last 5 years. My point exactly. I also heard an employee rant about being able to charge up to $100 per video lost. Wrong. Mr. Antioco stated in this article that, Blockbusters cost per movie effectively fell to between $22 to $25. So I guess this is a new way for Blockbuster to make a profit of over $75 per lost video. You cant do that. Maybe Blockbuster will get wise and realize that if a customer has a late charge of over $50, offer that customer to purchase the video for what you would sell it for new or to pay the late charges. Either way Blockbuster has made a profit. This is the kind of business practice that other companies have and Blockbusters lack. On a personal note, I no longer go to Blockbuster. Why? The same reasons as everyone else. I kept paying late charges when my movies were returned on time. I even got recites that they were returned, just to go in and find that they were removed within minutes under my card, (an old employee scam). The very last time, I had gone to Blockbusters twice a week for over 4 months. I go in one day and am told that I have a 2-month late charge. They tell me that I havent rented in the store since then. Obviously a lie when I had just returned 3 videos. Again this movie was sitting on their shelf. I asked for a pair of scissors and cut my card in half. Just think, if more people do that, instead of playing these employees silly little game of who can be louder in arguing, Blockbuster would soon fail. In short, these employees should get a grip. The consumers arent always right, but when you treat everyone with disrespect and BS scamming, the customer will always prevail.

some owner you are calling the customer retards you suck as an owner and the corprate should take away your store but they wont becuz all yo9u guys care about is money ps Blocbuster sucks Family video rules

I didn't finish all of these responses becuase I grew tired of whinning. It's true. Human error may occur. I to have been told that I didn't return a movie at Blockbuster, but they quickly found it and that was that. I have paid so much in late fees due to returning the movies late. MY FAULT. Once I totally forgot I had a movie out and it was $40 late! They were kind enough to split the difference. I'm glad that you people feel so highly of yourselves. It is just rude to assume that someone is stupid/dumb because they work at blockbuster. Also, when you stop making human error, then you have the right to be so furious about such small errors made by others.

I Knew It!!! You mentioned that customer that returned The Full Metal Jacket tape, and was charged anyway.... I went through a whole series of late fees with Block Busters one time that I did not believe I owed, and off course had to endure the smirks from the employees making out I was a liar... One day I rented Galaxy Quest and made an out of my way point to return it well on time I even pulled up outside with my girlfriend at a Glendale blockbuster and said " Watch this I will return it on time and I will still get a late fee on it" and then dropped it in the box.. About a week went by before I went back in, I picked up a DVD went to the counter waiting for the employee to mention a late fee... The employee stated " You have not returned Galaxy Quest" I hit the friggin roof!!!!!!! The employees went into their traditional smirk routine, and I just let them have it, " What are you fuc@@ng smirking at, did I say something funny?!!!!!!, their smirks went straight to a nice shade of red... I made them tell me how many Galaxy Quests the store owned they said something like 24 I asked how many where in the store, how many where rented it turned out there was something like 5 missing.. I also learnt each disk has a serial number mine was not in the store nor had been rented out. They then stated I would need to speak to the manager, Cut a long story short I went in that store just about every other day and raised hell and demanded they look into finding the DVD I heard every excuse from we cannot find out where it is until the stock check at the end of the month, I told them I was going to be their worst frigging nightmare every frigging week until I get an answer as to where that DVD is. 4 months later I go in there they look up my name and it had been completely wiped from the database and I was told the store had changed managers/owners bull s**t bull s**t, and there is no longer any record of me owing any DVD. I always said one of Block busters employees probably stole it, and I still believe that's what happened to it. And a message to the employee at Blockbuster the reason why so many customers get so pissed is because you idiots scan the tapes late causing late fees, many times I have seen those tapes piled up in the bin minutes before deadlines un-scanned

AS an ex employee of Blockbuster and Hollywood video i can personaly give you all kinds of horror storys. FOR EXAMPLE: The three drone teenagers that work there are thiefs. When boss's arent around they steal candy and let there friends rent free movies. Ive whitnessed a employee make a fake Card with the managers password before. Not cool. Sometimes, when employees are about to quit, when they go out to grab the tapes and dvds from the drop off bin, they simply walk over to there car, pick 4 or 5, and steal them. Whats even scaryer Is the stealth people. This guy steve I know who used to work at blockbuster actually had a scam going. What he would do, is when people used the drop off that slides into the inside, Is If someone were dropping off 4 dvds, he would catch all of them, making sure it was all theres, put it in a rental bag, and leave it there. Then at the end of the night, he would simply leave with them. And if anyone asked, he was taking his free rentals for the week. The moral of the story is BLOCKBUSTER/HOLLYWOOD VIDEO IS NOT TO BLAME! Its there employees who are trash. Its not there fault that people are thiefs. What they should do, is moniter there stuff more closely. Or when they see that a person is being sincear that they returned it, investigate the store. I remember once there was this guy who came in to rent a video, I told him sorry sir, you didnt return Full Metal jacket, he very politly told me that he did, But he will go home and look. HE called up and said he cant find it, but he knows he returned it. But he was more then willing to pay the fee. 3 Months later we found the tape right next to the full metal jacket boxes. it aparently had not been checked in. And on top of that It was behind the wrong tape (but still right next to it) Did we give him his money back? Nope. No one cared. Its the bad employees. Not the buisness. AND If you complain enough, they will listen.

Being a former victim of Blockbuster ie, erronous late fees caused by late scanning, being harrassed because of 'non returned' movies that were actually on the shelf and turned in on time (having to wait a month for inventory to bring it to light), I have found salvation for my entertainment needs. I have been renting all my dvds through Netflix.com. It starts out as twenty bucks for 3 dvds that you keep AS LONG AS YOU DESIRE, it is all postage paid and you can get as many movies as you can view for that twenty bucks a month. I'm on the 8 dvd plan for fourty bucks, its well worth every dime, there is a four to five day turnaround, but you can que up as many as you want and change it around. NO LATE FEES!. I've seen 40 movies in one month, I've seen two in a month as well. The only draw back is that in a two dvd set (one with feature and the other with 'special features') they count and two dvds. (execption is dvd movies that take up two discs such as 'Rose Red') I've been on this service for over a year, and i've had only one error, and since there are no hidden charges, it amounted to mailing back the wrong dvd. No snotty employees. It is all handled by internet and email. If you have a dvd player and like to watch movies, this is a deal. They have over 11,000 titles, chances are if it is on DVD they have it (you can even queue up movies that are still at the theater so you will get it as soon as it is released!) It's free for the first month on move click through ads. I don't usually give 'testominals' on services, but considering the situation ya'll folks have experienced, I think this is the right alley to go with. Ya'lls Pal "Big Al"

I have been reading some of these reports against blockbuster. Along with that, I have read the rebuttals from the employees. It makes me SICK to see the employees yelling at the customers and telling them things like "if you didn't complain so much it would be easier." That is ridiculous. I work at the largest privately owned rental chain in the country, Family Video, and I am horrified by the remarks from you Blockbuster employees. If all of those customers who may have a comment left, then where would you be. Oh that's right, you would be applying at the local Family Video or Hollywood Video. Let me tell you, Blockbuster is a RETAIL company. Do you know what that means? That means that without the customers, you have no business. Why don't you try and be nice, listen to ALL of their complaints and make a sound judgemnet that will make them happy. Have you ever thought, if you wipe a $20 late charge for a customer just once, they will come in and spend MORE than that over time. Hmmmmm, that sounds like good business. I have some advice for all of you unhappy Blockbuster customers. If there is a Family Video nearby, we WILL take care of you. You have my word.

First of all, most of you idiots do owe the late fees and you know it. Don't play dumb. At my store you are given a receipt with the due date AND time AND the employees TELL you. We close our drop box during business hours to cut down on people trying to say their movies aren't late. This forces them to actually return them inside to an employee. And when the rentals ARE late, the employee prints a late receipt and even makes notations of who returned the tape and how and sometimes even the condition it was in (such as melted......yes retards.....they will melt if you leave them in your car during the summer months and YES you can be charged up to $100!!) Customers also have the right to a receipt when they return them. Most customers just tend to throw them thru the open door on the counter. Employees aren't paid to guard the door and return them that way. Customers need to take on the responsiblity or returning their videos!! And as for movies NOT returned or these "unauthorized" charges to your credit card. Read your SIGNED membership agreement. You DID authorize the store to charge your credit card for lost, damaged, or late rentals. Maybe you all should pay more attention to the fine print before signing anything! So if your tired of paying late fees which you insist you don't owe.....GET A FREAKIN RECEIPT!!! When you rent AND when you return. The computer generates this receipt, so if you are given a receipt you know for a fact it has been returned in the computer and all is right with the world. Geez.

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report: Their email: [email protected] Their name: Michael Angelo Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion Rebuttal: The issue with Blockbuster has nothing to do with the existence of late fees. The problem is Blockbuster's vague and ever-changing definition of "late". The company has reached a level of saturation comparable to McDonald's or Subway, and the only outlet for growth is the onerous late fee. In the last two years BB has changed the due-back date/time three different times (midnight, then 5 pm, now noon, plus the one-day, two-day, three-day, and five-day). Is it any wonder that consumers think this chicanery is institutionalized at Blockbuster? Hollywood and Safeway have clear and consistent return policies at better prices with a better selection and courteous employees. Without the late fee Blockbuster would be doomed. And if you're tired of fighting with customers who have the nerve to tell you your policy stinks, think about this: for every one who complains there are ten customers who take it like a champ. You should thank those silent ones, because they're the sheep who are keeping you in business.

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: SwtTnc90

Their relationship to the company: Owner

Rebuttal:
Hey LockBuster Employee,
Please explain to people like me, Why do I get late charges when I have returned the movies early.
I had many times gotton movies like a 2 day rental and 5 day rentals at the same time. and we would watch them all and return them before the due dates.
But yet I have to argue with them that the movies were returned check your shelves. Many times they find out the scanner didn't scan in the movie right. That pisses me off. so now I have to always go in and watch them scan the movie in, so it doesn't happen for the 5th time.

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]

Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
First of all put your skateboard down and turn your cap lock key off and stop shouting..

The reason why customers complain is because you guys charge late fee's when they do not believe they owe it, then they have to put up with your stupid irritating smirking and dumb empty look, you my as well put your hands over your dumb college ears and shout lalalalalalalalala.

May be if you smart a*s's scanned the tapes and DVD's on time they would not have these bogus charges on their accounts.

By the sounds of your remarks your triple charging, the customer rents the tape brings it back on time you guys scan it late that adds a 2nd charge you then throw it back on the shelf and it gets rented right away for a 3rd charge all within a short time frame! tidy little business Blockbuster has.

Lets take a step back and look at the big picture... hmmmm they hire dumb kids in their stores ... customers are getting bogus late charges from lazy kids who are so busy chatting and squeezing their zits they do not scan on time ... the management obviously knows it goes on but says nothing because it keeps the profits up the staff smirk when late charges are questioned and act like the customer is a liar causing the client to put up with the charge rather than the humiliation of looking like someone trying to get out of paying.

All comes down to one thing the crooked management keeps idiots in their store so the Nasdaq stock can stay high on the stock exchange because the bogus late fees are doubling the profits, if the s**t hits the fan they can blame it on the immature staff not doing their job properly.