Michael Arrington (of Techcrunch) just posted about his switch to Blockbuster’s online movie rental service called Total Access away from Netflix. Apparently Blockbuster is now offering the option to rent movies online AND bring them back into a local store to instantly get another movie rental. Basically it combines Blockbuster’s online movie rentals with traditional in-store rentals – you can do either or. This is something Netflix can’t offer.
Many years ago I tried Netflix – but at that time their systems were slow and their distribution was not as efficient as I’m sure it is now. The spread between when i mailed back a movie and received the new movie in the mail was too long – about 4-5 days. I canceled it a few months later and have not used an online video rental service since.
Now that Blockbuster Video introduced Total Access, I think I’m going to give it a try. I like the option of just driving down to the Blockbuster any given night and exchanging the video. This should also solve the “difficult to get a new release” problem that Netflix apparently has.
I’d really love to see one of these services come out with an API. I think widgetizing people’s movie queues or what they just watched (sort of like Last.fm for movies) would be a killer marketing strategy for either Netflix or Blockbuster. I also think people could come up with some cool mashups if they just let their data loose.
Actually, I think I’ll sign up for both Netflix and Blockbuster (using my own my affiliate links below) and compare the two video services in a future post.
Update: My experience with Netflix v. Blockbuster Total Access
Both services have free trial offers:
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I think Blockbuster on-line movie rental stinks. They advertise that if you wish you can turn your movies into a blockbuster store, and when the store scans them, that will release your next movies in your Q to be shipped out. Well, that don’t work, it even don’t work after they receive them in the mail from being shipped out by the stores. It’s days after that, that any movies get shipped out, then when they are shipped it takes days. I had one that they said it was shipped on the 8th of Jan 2007, I did not receive it until Jan 13th. The two movies I turned into the blockbuster store on the 10th of Jan 2007, they still have not shipped out my replacement movies. And yes, I have plenty of movies listed in my Q as available. It was a lot faster during my two week trial period, after that was over, it got very slow, it shipping out my next movies. If it had not been for being able to get another movie when I turned them into the store, I would have quit before the two week had beeen up. Thie has to be the worst movie rental service I have ever had.
What I really think is what is happening is, BLOCKBUSTER is limiting the number of movies we rent on-line by being very slow in the whole process. I read about this on the Internet as well, that if you start returning your movies too fast, blockbuster will start limiting the number of movies you get.
I found the best place to go now is Hollywood in store movie rental. For $19.99 the first month, you get 3 movies at a time, unlimited movie rental. After that fisrt month trial period, it goes to $29.99. They have a very good selection here in Tracy, Ca. There is no way you can beat that, since it cost over $4.00/movie to rent. If you only got one movie a day, that’s 30 movies a month. If you had to rent them, that would be over $120.00/month. This beats blockbuster movie rental by a long shot. Now don’t tell me about some movies you can’t get in the stores, that you can get on-line, because I know that, but it takes weeks and days to get some of those movies, I know, because they show up in my Q as short wait, long wait, not available now, then when they come available, and it’s time for your next movie or movies to be shipped out, for some reason the status has changed on those movies to Long Wait or Short Wait again.
It’s just a big rip off, blockbuster does not go by what they say on their web site. I will not renew with them.
I beg to differ. I just recently signed up with online access (blockbuster video), and I get my videos quick, within 3 days. The fastest I ever received it was two days. Sam said that it took a long time for his videos to arrive, well, he should have checked with his local blockbuster video store and find out where is the warehouse located where the videos are coming from. I live in South NJ, and their warehouse is located in Philadelphia, PA. (just across the bridge) He should have done his research first before deciding whether to sign up with Total Access. With the number of videos I have already received, with the membership I have signed up for, it was well worth it. That is counting the additional free rentals I get from returning the envelopes to my local blockbuster store, and the e coupon I get every month, I would say I am getting more rentals than what I actually paid for. I return the movies immediately after viewing them. I am not sure where Sam’s blockbuster video warehouse will be located since he lives in CA. He should ask about that. I know someone that has been with Netflix forever because they reside in Brooklyn, NY, and the Netflix warehouse is also located in Brooklyn, NY. So they get their videos within two days. They are very happy with that. Remember, the distance for USPS to ship your videos does have an impact on how fast you receive them.
I think Blockbuster Total Access is a very compelling offering. I’m on the one-movie-at-a-time plan. The free in-store movies effectively doubles the number of movies I can get each month.
OK Mary well I beg to differ with you. I have been a BB customer for almost 2 years so I have just slightly more experience with them than your month or so wouldn’t you say?
Everything was fine and I never had a problem UNTIL the Total Acess came along. Now I live less than 2 hours from Philly so why aren’t I getting the fast turn around that you speak of? Aren’t I close enough? In fact I’m also about an hour from Gaithersburg, MD where they have another distribution center. So shouln’t I receive movies even faster than you? And really, should it even matter where I live? BB doesn’t advertise that you get your movies fast BUT you have to live here or there do they?
I used to get my movies within a few days. Now that Total Acess has come along, it is taking about a week, just as Sam and many others on the web are mentioning. Mary, you seem very passionate about BB. Let’s see how you feel in a month or 2 when your movies start taking a week to get back to you.
Also you should do your research before bashing another poster. Sam is not saying the delay is in the mvies getting MAILED. In fact it still only takes 2 or 3 days for my movies to be mailed. The problem he is speaking of is that when returned to a store they are taking days and days to show up as being returned. He’s speakign of the PROCESSING TIME. So if it takes 3 days (usually longer) to show as being returned and then 3 days to get it mailed to you then do the math. That’s a bit longer than 3 days right?
Here’s my recent experience with this wonderful program of yours..
It has now been 4 days since I returned 3 movies to the store. Only 1 movie has been shipped out and that took 3 days for them to ship! Now why would this be when they were all returned at the same time? Also, it is still showing that I have all 3 movies out! How could I have even one of the movies if BB just sent me the next one? Wouldn’t I have to return 1 first?
Not only that but the 3 movies I returned over A WEEK BEFORE this last batch (on 2/4) are still showing on my que!! So I now have 6 movies showing on my que as not being returned. Now how could I still have the first 3 movies if BB sent me out the next 3? I would obviously have to return the first 3 to get the second 3. I mean come on!
The first 3 were on the que for 8 days AFTER I returned them to the store. The second 3, as I said, for 4 days. I had to use the “Report problem – I returned the movies” option online to remove them from my que. That was 2 days ago and they STILL haven’t sent my other 2 movies out! So now I have a que showing 1 shipped movie and there are 2 blank spots just sitting there. (update – since I started typing this they have now added that they are sending out a second movie)
I thought this Total Access would be a great way to get more movies but when it takes so many days for them to even register that they have been received, another day or two to ship and then another few days to receive them, what’s the point? I might as well just mail them back, it actually takes less time.
TO SAM AND OTHERS HAVING PROBLEMS – I THINK I MAY HAVE COME UP WITH A SOLUTION.
I have yet to try this but the logic seems sound and I encourage everyone who reads this that has had similar problems to try it. My plan is this – once I receive my movies in the mail I am going to (1) log on to my que (2) click the ‘Report Problem” link (3) check the option for “I have returned this movie” and (4) click “send my next movie”
I think that this will give me a day or two head start on the process seeing as how they send the next movie within a few days of you reporting this. In fact, because the arrival date is usually a day before you actually receive it, you could in theory report that it has been returned before you even receive it! The only thing I can see to come of this is that they may flag me for reporting so many DVDs being returned. However, since I will actually be returning them what can they really do? :-) I think if enough people start doing this someone will notice ‘wow, there are a lot of people reporting return issues’ and maybe, just maybe, this will move them to do something about the return bugs.
I also live in south Jersey & have recently started having problems and I have never returned a movie to the store. I am 1 at a time unlimited, but it’s going on over a week for the next movie to ship, and I have 28 in the Q, mostly available. I emailed customer service and they are blaming it on a “temporary glitch” and are unable to ship me a DVD at this time to fill the open slot. They also said my service should return to normal soon, but I’m still waiting. Usually the day they received my return the next was sent, now it’s later and later and now nothing at all.
I have been a blockbuster online subscriber for nearly 3 years. I have had good and bad with it.
With the total access plan…. I thought wonderful! I can finally get a movie while waiting the 3 days it takes to get a movie.
At first it worked perfectly. I would return my online movies to the store and exchange for another in store rental. My online movies would be scanned in and within a day or 2, I would get another movie shipped out.
In the last 2 months, it has been nothing but hassles. An example: I returned 3 movies to a blockbuster store just this last week. It was March 20th. Well today is March 30th. I still have not had any movies shipped out. And since they don’t ship on the weekends here, I won’t have anything sent out until some time next week.
I can continue and continue with examples like that. But for the sake of space and time, I won’t.
Since the last 3 months, I am averaging 6 or 8 movies a month from the online service. Which is really bad. I usually return the movie/movies the night or the next morning after I receive them. It takes an average of 6 days or longer for them to then MAIL a movie out. Then it takes about 2-3 business days to receive the movie. Sad thing is, I live about 22 minutes from the shipping station. My local blockbuster store is within 8 minutes from the shipping center. These long turnovers are really uncalled for and lame.
They only send things out lately, after I call or email to complain. Otherwise they don’t ship stuff out. I waited last month and it was 13 days after I returned the movies at a blockbuster store. Then I said enough and finally emailed. 15 days after I used the total access plan, did I finally get 1 movie mailed out. The others were on day 18 because it was friday and they waited til monday.
In the past I would give praising reviews of blockbuster’s online program. But in the last 3 months, it is nothing more than a rip off.
Just wanted to point out, I received the whole…. “computer glitch” excuse too. This was back during the first week in feburary. It is march 30th. It should have been fixed long before this. Yet the same person I called today told me this same excuse. So when I read and forwarded the previous emails, I was finally told that, that is what they are being told to tell the customers. That he had no further knowledge of what was going on. But they have had a lot of complaints lately. And they are unable to go further into details.
To me, it sounds like they are trying to delay shipping because they feel people are renting too many movies. I notice that if I take a while to return a movie, I get the next one shipped immediantly. But if I go over 5 or 6 a month, then all of a sudden the service slows down and it takes days and days to get a movie sent out.
Now granted, I sound bitter, but that is because I am tired of being lied to. I just want the service that they promise. Their site says they will mail a movie out the same or next business day after it is scanned in with the total access plan. Yet it is taking upwards of 4-8 days to get a movie shipped out. That is not what they promised when I subscribed to it. It is false advertisement.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. It does sound like they have a delaying system in place for “too many returned movies” to control costs, but the fact that they don’t disclose it IS shady.
The remedy for this may have to be a class-action lawsuit against Blockbuster for consumer fraud. There seems to be plenty of evidence about. Is anyone here interested in participating? You must have a “paper trail,” a written record over some period of time, listing what movie arrived when, the date it was scanned in at the store, when the next movie was shipped, when it arrived, etc.
Comments on this would be welcomed.
I would agree to a lawsuit, it’s b.s. is what it is. They make a mistake, they offer u e-coupons to shut u up. They tell me a movie stating: Available Now means it’s available nationwide. I find that they skip my movies and give me other ones in my list. Jay, u have your first suer for BB.
If you don’t like the service, you should cancel your membership, not post pointless comments. Its plain and simple.
I have to agree with others that something is going on with Blockbuster slowing down shipments. The problem with canceling is that the other games in town, such as Netflix, which I have tried, do the same thing, and blatantly so. So, if both Netflix and Blockbuster are throttling in various ways, Blockbuster is still better because of Total Access…at least you can get free movies exchanged at a local store, in effect doubling whatever amount of movies you get shipped to you each month.
That said, it still is false advertisement. I’ve begun to experience the same problems with delays and the same excuses when I e-mail Blockbuster, and I’ve only been with them 3 months now. I am a heavy user to be sure. I’ve also received the e-coupons for a free movie (sometimes 2) for my “inconvenience”, but it doesn’t shut me up and in fact, I’ve asked them not to give me coupons but instead to fix their problem.
I rent tv shows on dvd very heavily, so the coupons don’t help me much in that respect since the stores carry few shows.
With Total Access I wouldn’t even mind paying a few bucks more each month for their 3-out plan, as it would still be a great value compared to Netflix.
I just don’t understand the problem with the online rental services. Somewhere I read that Netflix tries to get the equivalent of $2 per dvd rented to make a profit. On a 3-Out plan that means they’d start losing money (or make less profit) after the 9th dvd is shipped out, and the throttling starts before that is reached. Considering movies are $3-4 per rental at a store, why they don’t just charge based on around $2 a dvd and call it good I don’t know….then they can forget about throttling and people won’t complain. And it’d still be cheaper than renting from a store all around. The throttling from ALL the services just makes for more ill-will.
Well, thanks to all of these “pointless comments,” I have now learned that I’m not the only one experiencing this apparent scam. I’ve been a BB Total Access member for 6 months now and it was great up until these past few weeks. We’re on the one-at-a-time-unlimited plan and were getting 10-12 titles per month between mailers and in-store exchanges, which was great. But suddenly the flow has reduced to a trickle for no apparent reason. Titles showing as “available” are being skipped over for titles waaaay down the list on my queue (up til now I ALWAYS got something in the top 3 without fail), and instead of being shipped right away they are shipping 5-6 days later (before, it was always next day or no later than 3 days if the weekend overlapped). I realize this is nothing compared to some of the other posts I’ve read, but at least now I know it’s not just me and that something is definitely wrong here. I also noticed that Blockbuster is altering the agreement for new members…seems they’re limiting the amount of in-store exchanges per month, or forcing new customers to pay more for unlimited exchanges. Thankfully (knock on wood) it seems that this is applying only to new (and not previously existing) customers. I understand the business side of of all this (after all, my average per-title fee is less than a buck), but still–at deal’s a deal. Live up to your end of it, Blockbuster!
I am looking for as many ways as possible to complain online about Blockbuster’s bait-and-switch tactics with their Total Access program. I figure it’s Buyer Beware, so we have to help each other beware.
I even emailed Blockbuster to give them a chance to try to make things right, asking how they expected me to stay with them after they had decided BOTH to give me LESS and to charge me MORE within 3 months of each other.
I even mentioned that, to make matters worse, all of the Blockbuster stores around me are closing, thus making the in-store exchanges even more difficult.
For anyone interested, here is the horseshit they fed me on my way out the door back to Netflix:
Thanks for contacting BLOCKBUSTER Online Customer Care.
“I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. We previously sent out an e-mail communication informing you of the recent changes to our subscription plans. Perhaps this e-mail was automatically routed to a SPAM/Junk folder or possibly overlooked.
We’ve reviewed our pricing structure and found that to get a better balance of providing great value for Total Access subscribers while still making it affordable for us, as of December 27, 2007, we have restructured the prices of our Total Access subscription plans.
The vast majority of our Total Access customers will only have a $2 increase in their plans. We believe that even with this price change, we’re offering an excellent value for customers who prefer the convenience of in-store or on-line Total Access, while striking the right balance between providing great value to our subscribers and getting a fair return for the company and our shareholders. Plus, the price adjustment enables us to bring our online subscription plans more in line with our in-store subscription pricing.
You’ll still continue to get the same great benefits and value from Total Access such as free in-store movie exchanges valid on DVD rentals, including HD-DVD, Blu-ray, and even $4.99 game rental discounts with an online envelope.”
In case anyone wants to know how much blockbuster and netflix plans cost, here’s a price comparison chart:
http://www.moviesmailed.com/compare-online-dvd-rental-services/
It Really Comes Down to Just One Thing:
And that’s whether or not you like the convenience of in store returns. BB has made it very easy for in store renters to try out the occasional online rental. Netflix edges them out in most online rental areas (except the throttling of new releases), but can’t compete with the physical locations of BB. I’ve used both and am a current Netflix user, but finding myself at Redbox a couple times per month when I really want to see a movie.
Found another good overview here:
http://www.joefission.com/2008/02/movie-rental-death-match-blockbuster-online-vs-netflix/
I’d love to see an alliance between Netflix and Redbox. I’ve used both BB and Netflix and am a current Netflix user. But BB has recognized their strength and their newest plans cater to folks who are primarily instore renters, and might dabble online. I love Netflix, but often find myself at Redbox for rentals. Netflix with any kind of physical presence could be the nail in the coffin.
ROCKIN’ THEME, BY THE WAY!
:-)