Blockbuster Vs. Netflix

I've been a long time user of Netflix - since I got my first DVD player back in 1999 - back when Netflix was a pure rental model, not a subscription service. When they switched to their subscription model, I hated the "End of Late Fees" advertising, because, after all, you were constantly paying - late fee, subscription fee, whatever.

Anyway, eventually they got the pricing model(s) right, and I've enjoyed the service they offer for many years. The one thing that was missing was the ability to walk in to a store and exchange a movie on a whim. That's where Blockbuster could have a killer advantage. Recently, I decided to give Blockbuster Total Access a try. I hunted around the net until I found a 4 week trial of the 3 at a time Total Access Program. Here was my experience:

1. Sign up (thumbs up)
VERY easy. Up and running very quickly, first movie on its way within 1 business day.

2. In-store game rental coupon (thumbs up)
Big selling point for me. They give you 1 free in-store game rental per month with the total access 3 at a time account. That's an $8 value. Nice.

3. Selection (thumbs up)
They have both HD-DVD and Blue Ray titles available, and I found everything I was looking for.

that's where the good stuff ends.

I took my new coupon down to my local blockbuster, picked out Metroid Prime 3 for the Wii and tried to get it for free. I was asked if I had a store account, I said I have Total Access and was told the store and the internet program are 2 completely different entities. Huh?

Why in the world would they do that? What does "Total Access" mean???

4. In store Account Sign-up (BIG thumbs down)

If you are not an existing blockbuster store member, they now charge $10/year to use the store...err, excuse me, to join their non-optional rewards program. Uh, I DON'T NEED the store rewards, i get plenty of rewards from Total Access. I had never paid a fee in the past to be a "store member," but they conveniently dropped my account because it hadn't been used for 90 days or more.

I ended up leaving the store, going home, finding my old blockbuster card, and re-enabling my store account for free. What a hassle.

5. Movie Returns Via the Mail (thumbs down)

My first rentals showed up within 2 business days. I quickly watched and returned 2 of them. Then waited. It took 4 days to show up as returned before the next 2 shipped (Netflix is usually a 1 day turnaround for me). Turns out, 4 days was FAST. The next round took 10 days to show up, and even then, I had to mnaully tell the website I had returned my movies. Then I waited.

After nearly 3 weeks of using the trial service, I have received a total of 5 DVDs. That's with a queue of 15 movies and returning within 24 hours of receiving. That's just plain SLOW.

6. Customer Service (neutral)

I wrote to customer service to let them know how bad their service was and how slow things were... here's the response to my e-mail:

"I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. I've reviewed your account and see that you are waiting for three DVDs to be shipped. Here's an explanation of why this happened. If a movie at the top of your priority list is not available at a distribution center near you, the system automatically searches for the movie at other centers. If that movie falls outside of an acceptable shipping window, the system automatically searches for a movie lower in your queue that can get to you quicker. This process looks for "Available" titles 30-40 deep within your queue. We do this so your shipping times will be faster. On occasion, if your top selections are not available at a center near you and you have fewer than 30-40 "Available" movies in queue, a shipment may be skipped.

It appears this is exactly what's happening with your account. Based on the process I mentioned above, I would recommend keeping more than 30-40 "Available" titles in queue at all times. Once you take a few moments to do so, I'm certain you'll see something shipped by the end of the next business day after your queue meets our recommendations. Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with."

Huh???
So, they would rather not ship anything because it would take too long to ship? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I don't want 30 - 40 items in my queue. I had about 10 movies I wanted to see. I don't want to fill my queue with CRAP just so I can get something quickly.

So, I've given up on Blockbuster and moved back to Netflix 2 at a time for $14 per month. Even the Netflix 1 at a time unlimited was better than my Blockbuster Total Access trial.

On paper, Blockbuster could have a killer service. Unfortunately, they are trying to figure out how to nickle and dime you. It feels like they're trying to figure out just how far they can push you with fees and restrictions instead of making it a friendly, all inclusive service.

Take it from me - stick to Netflix - no hidden fees, great selection of HD movies, fast, easy service to use and excellent customer service. Why was I even thinking of leaving in the first place?