Blockbuster on-line raising my rates

[LCHIEN]

Blockbuster on-line sent me an e-mail that they are changing my plan.
I am getting 1 DVD out at a time and I get a bonus DVD store rental when I return it to a BB store, also a coupon per month for a store rental, all for $9.99.
So I could get about 5-6 disks a month plus another 5-6 bonuses by returning them at the store. That was a pretty good deal.

Now they want to limit me to 2 bonus disks and no coupon. or raise me to $17/mo for the unlimited bonus disks.

I guess not unreasonable but definately a step down. Not as good a deal as before.

[Knottscott]

It's obviously your call, but anytime you play along with a price increase like this, it just encourages them. If you want to send a message, send a no vote and cancel. As a matter of principle, I'd call and tell them to switch me back or cancel me. You can always rejoin again later or switch to a competitor.

[cgallery]

It's obviously your call, but anytime you play along with a price increase like this, it just encourages them. If you want to send a message, send a no vote and cancel. As a matter of principle, I'd call and tell them to switch me back or cancel me. You can always rejoin again later or switch to a competitor.

I agree.

I'd find the best deal they offer new customers and then call them and tell them you're insulted in the disparity between the new customer/old customer rates.

If they insist that the new customer price is only promotional and for new customers, then tell them the service doesn't seem worth the higher price they are now asking you to pay.

If they don't budge, tell them to cancel you account.

[Alex Franke]

Interesting -- I'm on that same plan and I didn't get an email like that. I guess it's because I've never actually gotten one of the bonus DVDs. It seems to me, though, that if they're going to put the restriction on you, then it should be on everyone with that plan. (Not that I really want that restriction, mind you.)

Does the agreement say anything about "reasonable usage" or anything like that? It might be that they feel your usage is unreasonably high for the type of plan that you have. I've seen a lot of service agreements that allow the service provider to escort you over to a more expensive plan if they think you're abusing the one you're on. These have always annoyed me, too -- they shouldn't say "unlimited" in the first place if they really mean "up to two"...

[MilDoc]

Had a notice from Netflix that my rate was going down.

[Alex Franke]

Had a notice from Netflix that my rate was going down.

That's cool. I had read, though, that the outlook for Netflix was a bit grim after they posted their Q2 results -- primarily because of Blockbuster's competition and storefront infrastructure. I suppose the tide could turn, though, if Netflix starts lowering their rates (if they can afford to do it), and Blockbuster starts shafting its customers.

I wonder how Blockbuster does it. I thought they were a franchise. If so, they must be spending a lot of money on these "bonus DVD" deals. I wonder if they're just trying to muscle Netflix out of business...

[LCHIEN]

...
I wonder how Blockbuster does it. I thought they were a franchise. If so, they must be spending a lot of money on these "bonus DVD" deals. I wonder if they're just trying to muscle Netflix out of business...

I keep going into the store once or twice a week and getting free DVDs and thinking the store must really hate me beacuse I go in there all the time and haven't really dropped a buck in there for several months now when I used to rent three or four a month...

I suppose the economic model is that all the store traffic should generate more sales of (1) impulse DVD and game rentals and (2) impulse snack and non-DVD sales... each bonus DVD generates two trips to the store, one to get and one to return the DVD. One of the reasons I went to on-line was to avoid the double trips to the store; but now I do it even more frequently; the lure of free DVDs is irresistable.

[crokett]

I'd call Blockbuster, tell them you are cancelling and why.

[mschrank]

Had a notice from Netflix that my rate was going down.

Me too.

If they go under in the future, so be it. I think it's only a matter of a short time before most of us will simply download our movies to play on our HDTV's. No more DVD's by mail or store.

[crokett]

I think it's only a matter of a short time before most of us will simply download our movies to play on our HDTV's. No more DVD's by mail or store.

Uhmm.... Pay per view? I do that with my satellite. Same price as a rental and I don't have to go anywhere.

[Alex Franke]

It may even be closer to home in the future. I read in Forbes recently that Seagate wants to get into the content business, pre-loading fully encrypted drives with massive audio and video libraries. Don't quite know how they'd keep them up to date, but I can see how it might give Tivo et al a chance to gewt into that business (if they're not already -- never used Tivo myself .

[mschrank]

Uhmm.... Pay per view? I do that with my satellite. Same price as a rental and I don't have to go anywhere.

Well, yeah...there is that. But I'm a luddite when it comes to TV...I refuse to pay for cable or satellite. I either watch the tiny bit of worthwhile programming available via antenna, or DVD's.