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3.6 57 Reviews

Blockbuster Complaints Summary

37 Resolved
20 Unresolved
Our verdict: With a good resolution rate, Blockbuster generally handles customer issues well. However, it’s important to be proactive. Familiarize yourself with their processes and services. Reading through various customer experiences will provide valuable insights into how they handle complex issues.
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5:58 pm EDT
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Blockbuster employee loses dvd, makes me pay for it.

I've been renting from this particular Blockbuster location for at least two years, and I have always been a good customer. I rented movies often, and if I ever had late fees I always paid them off by my next visit to the store. I have never lost a DVD, ever, but I've had problems with this Blockbuster in the past. One time they charged my card for a DVD that they had claimed had not been returned to the store. When I called them to settle the matter, because I KNEW I had returned the DVD, one of the clerks found the DVD on the shelf. Apparently someone had placed it back up for rent but had never checked it back in. Another time I received a call about a case that had been returned without the DVD in it... turned out that someone had taken the DVD out of its case, left it on the counter, and forgotten about it. Most recently the very same thing has happened, only this time they're not able to find the DVD and they're saying it's my fault, that I hadn't turned in the DVD. I KNOW I did because I always check the case right before leaving home, and a friend of mine had double-checked it before dropping it off in the drop box. They still claimed that I'm accountable for the DVD despite my good history with Blockbuster and this store's history with employee carelessness and negligence. At most, the manager was willing to "pay" for half of the DVD which would then bring my balance to $6.00. So, I paid the fee, closed my account, and I will never be doing business with Blockbuster again. On average I spend about 20 dollars a month on movie rentals. Smart business.

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kidrock6
Oshawa, CA
Dec 31, 2009 9:02 am EST

The last time i rented there was 8 months ago and never again.I was a costumer there for over 10 years and speading about 20 to 60 dollars a month. I rented a movie and when i got home i went to take the dvd out of the case and noticed a crack in the middle of the dvd, So i called right away expecting they were going to say bring it back and get another, what they did say was that i did it and to bring it back right away and pay $27.00 for it, so now they loose in the long run because i will never step in another one again.

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snowflake26
Sicklerville, US
Aug 11, 2009 3:59 pm EDT

Man what a coincidence almost the exact same thing happened to me. I returned two movies and a week later receive a phone call telling me I still have one out. I went to the BB and the low life clerk informs me that I put the wrong movie in the box. This so called “wrong” movie is one that I have never rented. I figured the clerks mixed up the discs when they were checking them in. I asked to speak to the manager (next day) and all hell broke loose. I didn’t drop any f-bombs and tried to keep civil with maybe dam or a parting “bite-me” directed at the manager as I was told to leave the store.
I don’t think they have my CC on file but if they do try and charge me, I will dispute it as unauthorized and enforce a block.
I will never ever enter a Block-Buster store again. My friends, family, and numerous other acquaintances now have reserved thoughts about doing business with Block buster. I was a regular customer; renting two or three movies a week; not any more…
May they all rot in hell! Redbox..Netflix…and the internet now have my business.

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ScoutsFather
, US
Jul 25, 2009 6:36 pm EDT

Good for you. I stopped going to Blockbuster five years ago for this very reason. I was also accused of failing to return a movie that I knew I returned. Like you, I probably spent about $20/month or about $240/year on movie rentals (that's just me). Since that point my wife doesn't rent from them, my parents don't rent from them. It's amazing to throw money away when you can look at the customer's great purchasing history and forgive a DVD charge in exchange for years of loyalty. I don't get it either. There should be a fault tolerance for one lost DVD every 200 rentals per customer. More than that, something is going on, so charge for the DVD. Other than that, the loss is minimal compared to the gains in customer loyalty.

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6:30 pm EDT
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Blockbuster fraud

Blockbuster has brought back the late fee. Instead of calling them late fees they call them restocking fees and still advertise no late fees. Sounds like fraud to me.

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Charlied72
Falls Church, US
Oct 25, 2009 3:36 pm EDT

Your wrong a late fee is a daily fee. A restocking fee is a 1.25 for each item kept at least 17 days past the due date of the movie. Nice try maybe you should return your stuff on time.

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8:24 pm EDT
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Blockbuster bad customer service

I rented 3 movies from Blockbuster Video in Rita Ranch, Tucson, AZ.
This was my first time so I had to give my credit card number to open an account...I had a bad feeling and should have walked away. Anyway, I opened the account and rented 3 movies. It was a Monday (I believe June 29, 09) and I had to return the movies the next day, which I did! After a week I get a $23.76 charge on my credit card. When I called I was told that I did not return the movies. I told the manager that I most certainly did return all 3 movies. I was told a credit would be issued. Yeah - a $10.80 credit...so I called again and was told that two of the movies were not returned (I was told to hold on they would check for the movies - guess what they found them)...I again told the manager that ALL 3 movies were returned the next day. Again I was told a credit would be issued. I then went to BB video to close my account and again went over the credit due me and was assured it would be taken care of. Again they issed me $10.80 ...that was $2.16 short of what I was owed! Again I called! The manager told me I was being charged for one of the movies because I kept it 2 extra days. AGAIN I told her that ALL 3 movies were returned the day following the check out. I had to drive back to have them credit me the $2.16 to get this taken care of. Screwing up one movie is bad enough but to screw up the return of all 3 movies!

I will NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THAT BLOCKBUSTER AGAIN!
They are VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!

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Mary Russell
River Oaks, US
Dec 21, 2008 11:50 am EST

I walked into the camp bowie and bryant irving location in Fort Worth, Texas
76116 too return a movie. The Csr was scanning a cart of movies and I walked up and asked her to please check in this movie . She heavily set down scanner and walked to other register to scan in my movie that she slammed on counter and then turned her back, sat it on counter and walked back to what she was doing that I interrupted her at the first time. She never said thank you or anything. I asked what her name was and told Her to have a great day and I hoped that she had a better day. She told me her name was ally but, unsure of proper spelling because she had no name tag on. First I don't understand the switching of registers and display of her attitude when all she had to do was reach out, take my movie and scan it in since she was standing in front of register already scanning in movies, it would have required her not to move at all and there was no one else up front to give it too, And, the only reason I bothered her with it was because I live across town and that location was the only one that had The movie Coal miners daughter. Her actions were completely out of line, this person has no respect for others period. I don't feel like being insulted with any apology, there is no excuse for this. I do expect this employee to be corrected for this matter and compensation for driving across town to spend money at your store just to get a bad attitude for returning your product on time. Please respond within 48 hours as I have spent money at blockbuster since 1987. Thank you

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7:10 pm EDT
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Blockbuster fraud and cheating

I have been a loyal Blockbuster Video customer since 1987 but this past Friday I handed in my Blockbuster Rewards Membership card and told them I do not need to pay for my own extortion. I was told that I could no longer exercise my membership privledges until I surrendered a credit card or debit card number for Blockbuster to put on file. I rented from this company for over 22 years without putting a major credit card on file! Add up the numbers at over 8-10 videos per month plus many pre-viewed movies purchased...probably over $5, 000 paid to this company and they go and lose me over an undocumented policy change? Not one mention of this policy prior to entering their stores! My major reason for not providing them with a credit card is because I was aware of their double-dipping of customers when they return their late videos and pay at the store only to find out that their debit cards were automatically debited/charged for the same fee that was paid in the store by cash! I said no way to this policy. Beware of Blockbuster corporate policies which blackmail you into surrendering your credit card to them. BOYCOTT BLOCKBUSTER NOW!

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Dissed by blockbuster
Wolfeboro, US
Jul 01, 2009 12:56 pm EDT

They promised Blu-Ray DVD 's but did not send them and refused any type of refund.

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wailing19
, US
May 19, 2011 5:29 pm EDT

I had a bad experience at a Blockbuster store, where I went into a store that I found on the Store Locator of blockbuster.com. I went into the store and to my surprise it was CLOSING and according to the clerk had been closing for almost a month. He wasn't sure why they were still listed on the blockbuster.com web site as an active rentable store, but he had no movies to rent and could only offer me the ability to buy his shelves or wall hardware.

So I filed a BBB complaint. Well Blockbuster replied and said they would fix the web site problem and send me 2 e-coupons for free movie rentals at a different store location. Then they dropped off the face of the earth for 3 months. Well I kept asking the BBB what they could do to help because I hadn't received the coupons. It took the BBB over 30 days to REPLY to my request for help. And their response was to tell me that they had administratively reviewed my complaint and the complaint was closed in favor of the business. No reason, no explanation, no comment about not being sent the coupons. Nothing.

So I filed a complaint with the Council of Better Business Bureaus which oversees activities of the individual BBBs. The CBBB got a response to my complaint after almost a month. They said:

"I apologize for the delay in answering this complaint. This complaint was actually reviewed and a response was sent to the customer. Our explanation upon closure was not expansive and more details are as below.

The customer alleges that the company has provided poor service in that a store the customer attempted to visit was closing, and that the company later failed to follow up on a promise to send 2 e-coupons.

Blockbuster, Inc has been in Chapter 11 and their normal operations have been altered. The trustees for the company sold the majority of the assets to Dish Network effective 4/26/11. The proceeds of the sale of assets were then used to pay the outstanding liabilities of Blockbuster, Inc. The customer was promised gift cards/coupons from Blockbuster, Inc (“old company”) on or about 3/15/11. Technically, this is considered an obligation of Blockbuster, Inc, and not Blockbuster, a division of Dish Network (“the new company”). Therefore, the new company has no legal liability to honor this promise or any coupons.

The customer's original complaint was one of inconvenience due to a store not being open for regular business. While the company did make the promise to provide coupons, there were a result the customer complaining of this initial issue of not being able to rent movies from a store that was being closed down, as a result of the bankruptcy wind up. The customer may not have realized that the company was in bankruptcy, or that many things change or are affected due to bankruptcy laws.

Since the end of April 2011, we have ascertained that Dish Network was the winning bidder of the assets, that the Denver BBB office does not wish to assume the "new company" complaints at this time, that the cut off for honoring coupons/gift cards was 4/7/11, and have concluded that old Blockbuster did give adequate notice on this action. We have established a new BID for the "new company" and have cancelled the Accreditation of the "old company".

Lee, Denver BBB"

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BBVEmp
, US
Jul 01, 2010 12:35 am EDT

The information presented by the poster is completely false. Now in no way am I defend Blockbuster even though I am an employee of the company. Based on what the poster said, there is no way possible for them to be charged for movies on a credit card that they used in the store to make a purchase. If that was possible, then Blockbuster would be hit with all kinds of lawsuits. Think about this scenario, you and friend decide to rent movies for the weekend. You have an account but you're friend doesn't, you both find your selections and proceed to check them out. At the register you realize the you have forgotten your money and your friend covers the charges with their credit or debit card. The weekend passes and you remember that the movies are still at your house and should have been returned days ago, you suddenly get a phone call from your friend saying that Blockbuster has charged them over $30 dollars for late movies and caused them to overdraft their account. Your friend isn't a member of Blockbuster but yet Blockbuster is charging them for movies rented on an Blockbuster account. Do you see all the legal ramifications that would ensue if the company worked like that. The only time a member is asked to update their credit information is when they have a Movie Pass, which is a monthly program that is automatically charged to their credit or debit card, and the card of file is coming close to expiration. The computer system gives 2 prompts that all CSR's follow. The first ask if the card belongs to the primary account holder and the second asks if the customer would like to update the information on file with the new credit card information. If the customer says yes, then it would be changed, if they say no, then we can not change it. That is the only time when a customer card that was swiped would be asked to be placed onto the account. No doubt Blockbuster has its problems, but making up lies about things that could never happen is just frivolous.

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annoyedemployee
, US
Feb 20, 2010 10:03 am EST

Sorry but you get 9-14 days to have a movie out without any fees or charges. People severely take advantage of that. If this is such a major issue I suggest renting from redbox...but wait, you must have a credit card to rent from them and only get TWO days to watch the movie before you are charged the full selling price of the movie. Or maybe you should do online rentals...wait you need a credit card there too. Maybe if people brought their movies back in the GENEROUS alotted time these problem wouldn't exist. Not to mention if for some reason you were too lazy to return your movies after two weeks...your money gets refunded to you less a $1.25 restocking fee. Most other movie stores charge you per day. So have fun paying 99cent per day for your movies you only get for like two days anyways =)

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MAR3
, US
Oct 27, 2009 11:53 am EDT

I can tell you that I have spoken with various managers and employees of the BB chain. And they are very unhappy with the things BB is putting their customers through. They get to hear the complaints, but when they pass them up the line, no action is taken.

BBs selection in the Family Favorites is a wasteland of missing DVDs. These are meant to be the Rewards in the Rewards programs, as in you rent M-W, you get a Family Favorite for free. What you discover is that even though BB SOLD these to customers by auto-charging their credit card, they will NOT replace them.

The coordination between store and Corp HQ is so bad that I've seen missing DVDs (with thte little posterboard still there) in the same place for over a YEAR at a time. And this isn't one or two. I'm talking about hundreds of DVDs already auto-charged and never replaced.

The selection gets crappier and crappier along with the policies. I get the impression that some posters think it's okay for BB to take ANY credit card that you've used with BB in the history of your life, and rack it up with charges, even if it's NOT the card you used to secure the account -- and NOT the card you used to pay for your rental that incurred the policies.

If so, go float your boat in another pond.

Some families have more than one account. One with almost no money in it used for a specific purpose only (like entertainment), and one with a larger buffer, used for household expenses and bills. Just because we decide to use a two-card/account system instead of a single card system does NOT make it ok for BB to MUCK AROUND WITH OUR CREDIT CARD NUMBERS.

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lifeisgreat
, US
Oct 26, 2009 6:41 pm EDT

I disagree with you. A lot has changed since 1987. They're doing it for security purposes. Many people rent movies without returning them. What are they to do? They have to protect themselves too you know.

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Charlied72
Falls Church, US
Oct 25, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

A Credit Card is only required if you
A. Rent more than 3 movies or have 3 or more movies out at a time
B.Movies auto sale to your account continuously
c. If your renting a PS3 x360 or WII game.

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MAR3
, US
Oct 21, 2009 8:07 am EDT

What you missed is that BB will wrongly take your credit card number from your most recent swipe INSTEAD of the one you used to SECURE the account. In what country would this be possible? Oh, yes, only the United States, where Corporations have all of the priviledges of a human being, but none of the accountability.

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mikegp3
Marietta, US
Oct 18, 2009 10:31 am EDT

Fuchi, you speak the truth. This is why customers/employees need to verify the account is up to date because Blockbuster will try to remind the customer about their late rentals. And as for credit cards, just about every online or in-store membership program out there requires a credit card on file to sign up so I don't see why Blockbuster is at fault for doing the same. It's the only way to ensure rentals will come back, and why should one customer expect special treatment when everybody else needs to follow the rules. I myself have received a few restocking fees (returns after the grace period) in the past, but I realize that's my responsibility to return the rentals on time and not Blockbuster's. And not every store may have the same rental policy so ask the clerk/manager if you have any questions when checking out. The website says it can change anytime without notice (just like any other policy out there).

That said, in-store customer service is not the same from store to store which is unfortunate and hard to control. Some stores have better managers than other and they know the right people to acquire/relinquish. I guess I'm lucky the Blockbuster near me has a good staff on board. The manger is very polite and informative and the employees under him are helpful as well. They have, for the most part, been upfront about any changes in the store that might affect me and my renting habits.

I believe the rental policy has changed again so that's something I need to inquire about on my next visit...

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Fuchi
Warner Robins, US
Oct 16, 2009 9:04 pm EDT

im so sick of customers thinking that employees have to hold their hands in every little thing that they do. first off, if you felt uncomfortable putting your debit or credit card on the account, then you shouldn't have signed up. second, blockbuster gives you 2 weeks to return your movie or movies at no extra charge whereas back in the day it would have been a fee for every day it is late. so be lucky you got a credit back from the movies. also, blockbuster's card machine does not even work in that manner, so i have no idea where you got that nonsense. if you knew you were going to be that busy, you should have put a memo or alarm of some sort on your phone or a sticky note on the fridge or something to remind yourself to return the movies (you remember to pay your bills don't you?). The phone calls and letters that you say you did not receive from blockbuster are a COURTESY. They aren't REQUIRED to do anything. they do these reminders so they DON'T have to charge you. So if you dont update your own info on a regular basis then you are still at fault for you not receiving your own COURTESY REMINDERS. TAKE YOUR MOVIES BACK ON TIME AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A CHARGE, [censored]!

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11:25 am EDT
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Blockbuster broke tooth on their bubble gum they sell in their machine

On May 31st I went into Blockbuster Video in San Antonio, Texas on Medical and Fredericksburg Road. I have been going there for years. They have a bubble gum machine with their name on it. I attempted to chew the gum and my tooth broke. The gum ball was hard as rock. Part of my tooth crumbled out. I took this immediately to the manager whose name is Sam. He called in the incident report. Sam stated I will be contacted within 24 hours. I never heard anything so I went to the store. I talked with another manager, John Estes, who said I should be hearing something shortly. On June 4th I called Sam at the store and told him I had not heard anything yet. He stated "Let me give them a call." Today is June 8th and not a word. I feel I am getting the run around and in the mean time I have to get a new cap for my tooth.

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Douchy McNutsack
, BZ
Jul 03, 2009 9:37 pm EDT

Maybe the problem isn't the gum, maybe you got to brush your nasty teeth, ###

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Michaelb
Blue Springs, US
Jun 23, 2009 6:42 am EDT

Its just politics in any company. Be glad that they are doing something, some places do nothing. Keep calling, I am sure in time they will figure something out.

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3:01 pm EDT
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Blockbuster broke wii disc

On Friday May 22, 2009. I bought in some wii disc to be cleaned and resurfaced at the local Blockbuster. The reason was with wii Sports it would sometimes freeze when playing golf. I was told they would resurface and clean it and it would work great after. So, I decided to bring four other games with me to be cleaned. Bought the disc in, Heather the girl working told me she would resurfaced all the disc and they would work great.
After they were done, we bought them home. I put Animal Crossing in and the whole system got an error. The wii will not even read Animal Crossing. That game was played right before we bought it too BlockBuster, we have the wii log file to show it was played. Then wii sports, got the same error. Then, Mario Kart, same. All the games were played before we went, same with the log file to show they were played. Called wii support, thinking maybe a problem with our wii. Games that were not bought in work fine, just the three resurfaced disc. Called Blockbuster, the manger told me he would refund the cost of the resurfacing, nothing else. Called CS at Blockbuster and they will give us a $40 gc for our time.

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2:36 am EDT
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Blockbuster staff in blockbuster store

I rented a game from blockbuster sunderland for my special needs little boy and was annoyed as once again it did not work. I took it back and asked for my £3 back and was met by abuse and was told i was a liar as they claimed i had not rented it from them as it had come from sainsburys superstore (Obviously another one they have bought off customer that was not checked before renting) the game had their sticker with prices etc on front ! I was humiliated and called a liar, thief and practically called satan. Why would i do a scam for sake of £3 ? I am furious and will never use them again other customers be warned

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jjgonzalez
Mission Viejo, US
Dec 12, 2009 12:07 am EST

I'm writing to dispute charges that have been assessed to my credit card from Blockbusters. After trying to rent a movie tonight, I was informed that I had movies that were 20 days late, but I thought that it was fine as per their policy of no late fees or just a re-stoking fee. To my dismay, I was informed that the movies were mine & that they had been charged to my credit card. The employee told me that the policy had been changed and it is on every receipt. She also indicated that I must have been informed of the changes by any employee at the store because they are required to do so. Since, I did not want to delay the line I agree to settling the issue with the manager tomorrow. But, what really revealed the dishonest practices of this company was the fact that during Transformers movie promotion, of four free rental movies, I purchased the movie, I used two of my free rentals. Tonight I found out that they cannot honor my remaining free movies because I did not use them whiting the release time. No one at the store advised me of the time frame, the only thing they were concerned with was to sell me the movie. This is an outrage!
To begin with, if the company wants to convey to the public their policy changes such as the no late fees, they must advertise them the same way they do to lure costumers in, send e-mails, and in addition to train every employee to ensure that all costumers are informed of the changes, post large visible signs at the stores with the changes. I realize that we are going through tough times, but for crying out loud do not bite the hand that feeds you. And if Blockbusters wants to remain competitive in the movie rental business, they better be transparent and honest.

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ssssssssssssssss
sssssssssssss, GB
May 29, 2009 10:46 pm EDT

You sure its your son thats special needs?

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11:43 am EDT
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Blockbuster deceived

blockbuster changed their online agreement without notifying me. When I called to complain they said they would refund my monthy fee back, now they say they can not refund me.
To top if off, they asked me come back as a member with the same plan and pay $11 more a month.

So there scam to to get the older members paying the lower fee out, just to get them to renew with the current higher monthly fee.

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Sisere
, US
Dec 10, 2012 1:57 pm EST

I had notified Blockbuster.com that I wanted to cancel my subscription to DVD's through the mail, they replied by saying that I have to return any DVD's that I have by a certain date, and I did just that. I then find out that they are charging me 21.93 each for two DVD's that I sent back. They even asked me for a review of the movies. I notified American Express about this situation and they wrote to Blockbuster and Blockbuster did not answer them, (they knew they were wrong) so American Express credited my account for a total of 43.00 and change. I always use American Express and I advise you all to do the same. Bye Bye for now.

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chula9696
Arcadia, US
Jan 23, 2013 12:59 pm EST

I just overlooked my credit card statement and realized that blockbuster.com charged me a total of 4 months. 2 charges for $10.86, and 2 in the amount of $21.74.
I have already disputed the charges on my account. Luckily I caught it in time.
Now I have a brother that is autistic and my dad overlooks his account but missed this. And its now 1/23/2017, and hes been getting billed monthly since 2017.
He does not even have access to a PC, and I know myself I have never signed up with them.

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Diane Doering
,
Oct 02, 2008 4:31 pm EDT

Yesterday I noticed a charge on my bankstatement from Blockbuster.com. I've never had any dealings on-line with Blockbuster. The last time I visted one of their stores was June 2017. I have no way of finding out what the charges are for.

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9:48 pm EDT
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Blockbuster illegal hold charges on credit card

Blockbuster has all employees deceptively placing a "hold" on all customers' credit cards who pay CASH for a transaction. Presently, after my hubby rented a game for our special needs son (only reason we still go there after 15 years) on Saturday. He paid CASH. Blockbuster placed a $1.00 hold on our credit card and it is still there and it is now Friday! Blockbuster was not and is not authorized by us or any customer who pays CASH to place any amount of charge on a customer's credit card. I first caught the sales clerk doing this... she rang up the movies/games, scanned my 15 year old Blockbuster card, gave me the total and as I was getting my CASH out, she ran a credit card tape, snatched it off the machine, crumpled it and threw it away. I had to get pretty hot to get her to get it out of the trash and give it to me. It was the ILLEGAL credit card charge! She would not reverse it saying that's what the Manager told her to do. Manager refused. On a subsequent visit I specifically told the clerk NOT to dink my credit card or it would be theft - he did it anyway - after I left. This is theft by deception, and the sales clerks know it, as does Blockbuster. It is criminal.

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Update by SuzyQ
Jul 10, 2009 12:13 am EDT

Curious. The $1.00 secret debit on our credit card only began this year - NEVER happened before though BB has always had one of our credit cards on file.

More Curious. When confronted, even the BB manager could not POINT to anything in writing that would have served as legally required DISCLOSURE.

Most Curious. The clerks continue to grab the credit charge slip and throw it away for the singular PURPOSE OF HIDING IT FROM THE CUSTOMERS.

Actual policy is that BB requires a valid credit card to charge in the event an item is not returned. Until that event occurs (i.e. the item is way past the due date), they have NO legal authority to charge a customer's credit card.

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Striker-NJ
Parsippany, US
Feb 27, 2010 8:53 pm EST

I'm a bb member of almost 20 years. I've never had any issues with renting until the past 3 years. From the beginning, i never had a cc on file. I returned videos when they are due, and like everyone, may be late once in a blue moon and pay late fees on my next rental. Ever since about 3 years ago, they started asking me to add a cc on file, i refused and they let me rent anyway. Games as well as videos. Recently about a year ago, they required me to put a cc on file to rent Games. Well i refused and they said theres nothing that can be done. I said well, looks like my business is going elseware for games. I now rent games online. They lost my business renting games. Now just today, a hasty employee there rudely insulted me in front of all the customers. I was renting videos which i have been doing without a credit card, but this time, she said i can't rent to you without a credit card. She said its required by policy. I said i'm a member of 20 years and never had a problem and my records speaks for itself. I've been coming to this particular bb for 5 + years and don't feel comfortable having my cc on file for you to bill anytime you want, of course knowing exactly what you all already know about their policy She said, well then go rent somewhere else, nastly. We'll at this point i was furious called over a manager and he overrided it and let me go without a cc. However when the manager left, she came to me and said, next week don't bother to come back unless you have cc on file.

I"m like WTF. This put a very bad taste in my mouth and this is the main reason they are doing so poorly. 1.) I have no problem with them requiring a credit cards for new customers or members who have a history of lateness, but its one of those storys that stay, why should we all pay for another persons mistake. 2.) Their service is terrible, rude and have gotten down hill over the years. 3.) They will go out of business for sure, just a matter of time if they stay their course.

I'm a firm believer that people talk, and as such one persons feeling toward bb can go a long way with others. I'm sure there are others that know exactly what i'm talking about. If bb wants to survive they have to start listening to their customers, after all without us, they are nothing.

So my recommendation, switch while you can, unless you found a branch that treats you the way you shoudl be treated, fairly and justifyably. In my case, as long as that one 3 headed women is there, I won't be, PERIOD!.

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HealtheWorld1958
Douglas, US
Nov 09, 2009 2:51 pm EST

Well, SUZY-Q I work at Blockbuster the reason for the $1.00 charge on the credit card is to make sure that the credit card that you do use for your account can be billed if you decide to never bring back the video game. As a company, they did not have a choice people were not bringing the games back and the stores lost a lot of money. A business has a right to put a hold on a person's account to ensure the business of Blockbuster will not have to put out unnecessary money for stolen videogames games are pricey today. People should bring everything back on time otherwise they would not be charged for the game. Maybe the libraries don't care but then again the library is a government establishment Blockbuster is not!

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bbv
, US
Nov 07, 2009 5:15 pm EST

HAHA theft by deception. Well its a preauthorization. to check youre not a dead beat who rents out 65 dollar games for 10 bucks and keeps them never to return again. We check to see if your card has money actually on it and not just some front. The dollar is checked, returned and never kept, unless of course you want to keep that expensive game.

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Charlied72
Falls Church, US
Oct 25, 2009 4:12 pm EDT

BBV pre authorizes the credit card(simply we pend a dollar at it to make sure its a valid credit card). It is done ON ALL PS3 X360 and wii rental transactions if you pay cash or not. You need to read the terms of your membership. It's not illegal. THE MONEY GOES BACK IN YOUR ACCOUNT! It's not theft.

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LianeZC
Largo, US
Apr 28, 2009 10:44 pm EDT

The charge to credit card is usually for about $1 and is put back on the card within 3 business days, usually sooner. This is done because games are expensive and a lot of the times they are not returned, costing the store money. The dollar at least ensures that there's a possibility of getting the money for the product back. Granted they should have told you about this policy and that's there's no need for a refund as the money is replaced.

Even though they didn't mention it to you, it's posted in the store under the policies (a big blue sign with all of blockbusters policies listed). And it's clearly stated on the contract you signed (even one from 15 years ago!)

Hope this explains everything!

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Reasonable
Hoboken, US
Apr 16, 2009 11:54 pm EDT

You took the words right out of my mouth, Jason! LMAO +1 for you!

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Blockbuster fraud

I finally discovered that blockbuster.com has been charging my debit card for 4 months in the amount of $21.24. I was told by blockbuster.com they received my information from jc whitney. I ordered parts thru jc whitney and somehow they provided blockbuster.com with my information. Blockbuster said I will have to go thru my bank in order for them to refund my money. This has been a total nightmare! I will never place an order thru the internet again.

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Blockbuster terrible customers service

For anybody that is considering BlockBuster Online... I URGE you not to do it and save yourself headaches and money. They keep changing the rules of service and their shipping time frame is slooooooowww! I recently got tired of receiving scratched up DVDs and decided to start reporting every single scratched up DVD they sent me... oddly enough it would be an average of one out of every three I would receive. After reporting an issue on those scratched DVDs from the queue there was an option to either get the same title shipped or the next on your queue. I would select “send same title” but would often still receive another scratched up copy which translated into time and money wasted since I waited almost 10 days between the process or receiving the same movie twice scratched up and of course unable to watch it in the end. I then tried switching to opting to “send the next title” on queue instead of the same replacement only to get the same results. I have also tried to show the scratched up DVDs to the local rental store when I would exchange them for a FREE movie and of course the supervisors/clerks could careless, they would just say to report it online or call it in as they couldn’t do anything because it wasn’t a rental from the store. Today I once again reported a scratched up DVD and got a nice message when doing so:
“We are sorry that you had difficulty playing this DVD. Due to the unusual number of DVD problems reported on your account, we are unable to send you a replacement disc right away. Please return the disc so we may properly document it on your account and send the next movie in your Queue. We will schedule this disc for cleaning and examination. If you wish to rent - Disc 1 again, please add it to your Queue.”
As you can clearly derive from that ###ic message; according to them I’m somehow OVER using my right to report DVD issues regarding their scratched up discs and therefore I should be penalized for it by not getting a replacement. Now tell me that isn’t GREAT customer service that feels more like a slap on the face. As a paying customer of course I will be reporting their scratched up DVDs as it’s not a free service so I expect the product I’m paying for to be in good working condition. They need to check each disc before shipping them rather than provide terrible customer service. I have tried e-mailing their customer service on different occasions on different issues including slow shipping time frames and their responses are straight out of the FAQs on their site. I tried calling and the wait time is just as discouraging, who has time to be on hold for 10-15 mins only to get a customer service rep that will quote you their policies listed on their site or recite you their FAQs.
To top it all off and it may very well be another topic, they now have a new policy rule for their Total Access campaign. If you exchange an Online-rental at a local store you will not have your next movie on your queue shipped to you until you return that FREE exchange rental back to the store. In other words if you want your next “scratched up” DVD to shipped from your queue quicker you are better off taking your Online-rental straight to the post office. Whoever is the genius marketing chief for this campaign policy change deserves the boot as I’m sure that instead of encouraging Members to remain subscribed customers will soon realize is not a service worth paying for and cancel their subscription just like I will and switch over to their competitors.

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BB customer
Rockville, US
May 13, 2009 5:43 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I'm not completely agree with the complaint - for me shipping is usually pretty fast with very few exceptions and customer service phone call waiting time was always from moderate to short when I called them. But the rest of the article is spot on! Exactly same experience here - that policy change is (if it is the way it appears to be) ###ic. If I complain about scratched disc - more "unusual problems" will be attributed to my account and I would not get replacement faster anyway. If I do not report - other customers will get the same disc and will be dissatisfied too. Great "cost saving" will translate in customers being lost, unless competitors are the same way too.
The truth actually seems to be a bit different. I just called them and all the crap about account is just wrong web site message. They told me that there was recent policy change to send replacement only after they get scratched disc back. So number of bad disc reports by particular customer has nothing to do with it. It is just an attempt to save costs by sending less movies. And I didn't see any notifications about this change.
I've read that now when unemployment is high they (BB) see growing customer base and business is good. This matches my experience of gradual customer squeezing/policy tightening in the last 3 months. Probably they do not look ahead far enough and we will see all policies back and crazy level of ads as soon as they see loosing customers. I consider abandoning them for one more reason - about 50% of movies are marked "long wait" which means in reality that it is impossible to get them - I'm following status change on these and it stays the same for 4 months and counting. And if you try to get "in line" by moving the disc to the beginning of the queue you'll get 2-3 days longer delay before next movie is shipped, but you wouldn't get the desired movie anyway. Could that be that they are trying to appear having competitive selection without actually having it?

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Blockbuster manager's dangerous behavior

On Friday, December 26th at about 11:30 pm, my daughter and I went to Blockbuster Video on Myrtle Avenue to rent a dvd. I haven't rented one from Blockbuster in a long time. We picked out a movie and got on line. I realized that I had forgotten my card, but I had ID on me. I have used ID before to rent movies. I was told that I needed to fill out a form because I haven't rented a video in such a long time. I filled out the form (no problem, so far), and looked for ID in my bag. My bag is filled with receipts from christmas shopping, so I had to dig a little. In any case, the first ID I found was a Legal Resident Alien Card (aka green card). I presented this ID, but I was told it was not acceptable ID. I said that was odd, since the law firms I have worked at, have always accepted this as a valid form of ID. The clerk behind the counter started telling me that ID was no good, and I said "are you sure? It is a government issued ID? Upon which a man, who claimed to be the manager (I surely hope he is not!) was very belligerent and rude, yelled in my face and in general spoke to me with such a lack of respect that it did make me angry. It seemed that he thinks that simply because I wasn't born here, he can abuse me and that I don't know my way around the system, but he could be wrong. Discrimination takes on many forms. Despite all of this, my daughter really wanted the movie, so I looked again and found a New York State ID in my bag, which I handed to the clerk. the so-called "Manager " too the NYS ID and threw it back at me and refused. I told him I am going to make a complaint against him. He laughed and said "go ahead" . The number is right there. So, it seems he is secure in that he has carte blanche to mistreat customers. I went outside and he went outside too, supposedly to close the gate. And I said: What is your name? and tried to look at his nametag. He tried to cover it, but I saw it (It said "Chris") and he pushed me and almost closed the gate on my daughter's foot. You can be sure that if my daughter had gotten hurt, I would press charges and I would sue Blockbuster for irresponsible behavior. I think this manager should apologize to me and should not be a manger with this type of temperment. I did not go to blockbuster video to be belitted, yelled at, and pushed.

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Very angryboutnothing
, DE
Oct 21, 2011 9:59 am EDT

Dont try sounding all professional. Exaggeration

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Very angryboutnothing
, DE
Oct 21, 2011 9:58 am EDT

Your full of ###

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johnapd08
Athens, US
Dec 05, 2010 1:39 am EST

Wow! I believe that if I had been in your presence during that altercation, I would've stood up for you. Chris has no right to treat you that way and yes, a green card is legal identification, but it does need to be presented with your Drivers license as well in most cases, in which you did. So I do not know why he gave you such a hard time. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with them and I hope you don't have to go through that again.

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Blockbuster scam advertisement by blockbuster

I received an email from blockbuster on august that if I register and pay with Paypal they will deposit 25$ into my account. It did not happen. When I contacted them they said it will be deposited 6 to 8 weeks after end of promotions which is 30th September. After 9 weeks from end of promotions I contacted them and they had different responses like we are working on it, or contact paypal, or one of them said the promotion never ends meaning you will never receive the money. Finally I called the customer service and the oversees guy said you are not supposed to get the money and when I asked about the email they said it was and “honest mistake”. A multi billion dollar industry promotes itself by sending fraud emails to previous subscribers and call it “honest mistake”. And when I asked to talk to some supervisor he responded we do not have any supervisor!

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Blockbuster awful video

I would like to report an incident that occurred at a Blockbuster store located at 2394 Lyell Ave, Gates, NY on October 21, 2008 at approximately 12:15pm. For starters I have been a customer of Blockbuster for many years and this is the first instance of discrimination and misleading advertising that I have experienced. I have a Gamepass that doesn't expire until 1/7/09.

On October 21, I went into the store to rent a video game. There was a white couple in front of me that also had a video game and they paid cash and were cashed out. I approached the counter with my video game and immediately Brandon asked for a credit card, not my Blockbuster card. I explained to Brandon that I have a Gamepass on my account, in which case, the game rental is free so no credit card is required. He then went on to say that it's a new policy. I asked why the couple ahead of me was not asked for a credit card and he could not answer me. I asked where the policy is in writing and again he repeated himself by saying it's a new policy. If it's a new policy then it should be enforced across the board not because a person is of a certain color! I looked all around the store and found no such policy! Another employee, Ryan, whom witnessed the entire situation explained to Brandon that he didn't asked the previous customer so why was he asking me and said that Brandon should just give me the game. Brandon said no!

I immediately left the store. I called Customer Service at [protected] on October 22, 2008 and I spoke to a rep by the name of Mary who was very unprofessional when I explained what had occurred. She stated that she would document my concern and forward it to the regional office. I told her that was not good enough and I wanted to speak to a supervisor. She gave me a ref#903565 and said someone would call me in 2-3 business days and hung up on me.

I called the Customer Service number again at [protected] and spoke to a rep by the name of Ann. I gave Ann the Ref# that Mary just provided to me less than 5 minutes prior and asked her if I could speak to a supervisor. She was unable to find anything under the Ref# that Mary gave to me and said that it was not valid. She then honored my request by letting me speak to an Escalation Senior Manager by the name of Yasin. Yasin took my complaint and advised that I would receive a call from the District Sales Manager later today. He said that Brandon should not have asked me for a credit card but instead should have asked for my Blockbuster card and he would have been able to see that the game would have been free. He apologized profusely about the way I was treated and said that he has heard about others being treated this way.

I am very upset and disappointed about the way that I was treated as a customer at this Blockbuster store. Not only do they have misleading practices but they can treat customers any way that want and think they can get away with it. Point blank, I was discriminated against! Why wasn't the white couple asked for a credit card> I provided my credit card to them when I signed up for my Blockbuster account and again when I added the Gamepass. If they are going to enforce a policy it should be in writing and visible for customers!

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Charlied72
Falls Church, US
Oct 25, 2009 3:45 pm EDT

Always got to play the race card. BS. You dont know what your talking about. You need to have a credit card on your account to rent games. Yes you have the game pass but it is also required to be on your blockbuster account. How was the advertising discriminating?

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Michaelb
Blue Springs, US
Jun 23, 2009 6:57 am EDT

You are the reasons people have bad days. When you as a customer complains and freak out and think you are better then everyone, you upset everyone involved. I find it strange you filed a complaint even though in this case you got a free game. I think you are clueless and didn't understand the situation but hopefully next time you'll stay more calm and try to understand things better.

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Cynic
Ypsilanti, US
May 05, 2009 9:26 am EDT

Oh brother, riiiiiiiiight

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blan
Rochester, US
Apr 20, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

shut the f#ck up you whiner! I go to that Blockbuster all the time and no one there is discriminatory. You took somthng the wrong way and threw the race card like a feeble minded ### that you are. Not everyone in the world is racist like you say.

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Blockbuster private information

I experienced a something last night at Blockbusters on Lonsdale avenue that I have quite honestly never experienced before in my life. I have been working in the hospitality business and customer service all my life, and last night I saw the worst.

My Spouse and I decided to rent a couple of movies last night, and also drop off a few movies that we had recently purchased. They have that trade a movie for a $1.00. We arrived at the Blockbuster at about 10 pm, dropped off our old rentals, quickly picked up a new one and made our way to the Counter.

When at the counter, the girl gave asked us for a drivers license and our Blockbuster card. Which we did. She then asked my spouse what her height was. We asked why her height was important to rent a movie, she answered, it’s a new thing brought out by the RCMP, and was then told by the lady, “The RCMP know everything about you anyway” We certainly didn’t want to cause a scene, so we told her “5 feet 5 inches “
Especially when there was a few people behind us waiting for the counter.
Even though it was on the back of the Drivers License, she explained to us that she does not understand cm‘s. ( And I thought we lived in Canada where it was a metric system)
She then asked my spouse in front of all the customers what her weight was. I am sure that there are many woman out there that might be a little sensitive to tell half the store (customers and staff )their weight. My spouse being very sensitive about her weight, told the lady that she did not think it was appropriate to ask in front of everybody what her weight was. I then told the lady, it clearly states her weight at the back of her drivers license that she had been holding in her hand. The Lady told me that her weight on the Drivers license was in Kilo Grams (Kg’s) and she needed it in Lbs. I said, no problem, take the calculator on your desk, enter the kg’s and multiply it by 2.2

The Lady ( really rude) told us in front of everyone that she will stop serving us, as she needs the weight in Lbs. I asked her again to please do the calculation. She then told us that we are personally attacking her, and she walked away from the counter. Needless to say, we where very embarrassed and was then helped by what seemed to be the Manager. I tried explaining to her that it is not only against the law to ask something like that out load, due to our privacy act and it would have been simple to calculate the weight by multiplying it by 2.2 to get the Lbs. I was told that she was just doing her job.

Now, would it not have been a simple transaction to simply ask the customer to right her personal information on a piece of paper, or do the calculation? Do these people actually get trained in customer service. Anyway, I personally will never use block buster again.

What do you think.

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Kishanta
North Vancouver, CA
May 10, 2009 6:37 am EDT

I dunno I think it needs to be seen that a lot of bluckbuster tends to not train properly and the person you spoke to may not have known entierly what to do, I do know for a fact the RCMP does not have all knowledge and for anything close to pawning such as trading in something for money needs to run through the cities rules and in North Vancouver area the RCMP needs to be faxed every day incase of stolen product. I have seen the screens before at blockbuster and to be frank they actually wont let you do anything without the full info, its rather silly in this case I believe it is a blockbuster problem and not the perosn who served you. Remember unless you have worked for the company try not to blow things out of porportion. That store has a lot of issues and many staff there are nice enough, but on a bad day they may rush to get things done and phrase things wrong ect. Also I have a tendency to not believe all complaints as I have worked many retail jobs...sadly many people perceive things differently, what to you was offensive may have been harmless to her. I also need to ask how you really responded to her question? Are you entierly sure you were ok with it? did you get mad and say things you didnt mean or remember?

Sorry I ask this because if the weight thing is such an issue to your wife, that response does not seem to make sense, exspecially if you never really outright siad "I dont feel comfortable are you able to bypass that?" I have heard to many complaints where people say they reacted kindly and then found out they spazzed. Always put yourself in thier shoes if you would feel bad if you were them dont say it, but that also goes for the employee...how much of your complaint is true? I havent seen many customers who go there treat many employees with any amount of respect. Also dont take this offensivly this is merely an inquiry because if thats is entierly true why havent you told a manager?

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Blockbuster bad service

This started long before Oct. 24, but that is the date of my most recent encounter with this issue. My husband who I am separated from rented 7 movies on my blockbuster account. His name was still on the account so he had full right to do so. I received a phone call that the movies were not returned so I notified him of the situation. He said he would return the movies. The credit card Blockbuster had on file was an old account I shared with my mom. So imagine my surprise when I get a call in July from my mom informing me of a $140 charge from Blockbuster! I called my husband and asked if the movies were returned. He said his friend had forgotten and he went to do it that weekend. I do not doubt that he returned the movies. So we waited for the billing cycles of August and September and no refund on the card! So finally in October I went to the store and asked what the hold up was on getting the refund for returning the movies. The guy working told me they were never returned. He searched the cupboard and cabinets but could find no trace of the SEVEN movies, not a single one of them. He gave me the 1800 number to call since he could do nothing else in store. After talking to the person at the customer service phone number she said a regional manager would have to call me. She called the next day but as I was at work both times she called I missed them. Her message said she would try to reach me at a later date. Well it took OVER A WEEK for someone to contact me again! This woman offered to split the difference and refund me $70 to make me happy. What I am unhappy about is the fact that the credit card they had on file had expired in 2017! A new one was issued with an expiration date of 12/2017 but I never had procession of that card as my mom still to this day has it at her home. When I went to the store to ask what expiration date they had on file for that card they said 12/2017! There was NEVER a card issued from that account with that expiration date! I feel like they are at fault for not asking me for a new card to keep on file, and for obviously making up a new expiration date so they could keep charging me. I told them the charges to my account are illegal as I never presented them with that card after it expired. The manager at the store, Mike, did not care and said the only thing he could do is call his boss again. I went to work and received a letter from Mike later saying that after speaking with his boss the best they can do is give me the $70 back. I am going in to the store today to get my $70 credit and to close my Blockbuster account. I will find another video rental store who will not lose 7 movies and fraudulently make up credit card information to keep charging me instead of asking for new credit card information.

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bob35
Los Angeles, US
Jan 28, 2010 1:37 pm EST

signed up for blockbuster online account. got first dvd in 2 days, then. . .second movie came, was returned and SAME move sent for 3d rental. things then slowed down as to wait time for dvds.

closed account yet was billed for it 3 months, had to cancel my bank card because blockbuster could not figure out why i was still being charged for a service i had cancelled

no one could help, the store, online email, or 800 customer service line.

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Brandon
, US
Mar 23, 2009 2:42 pm EDT

Blockbuster is now charging customers that return movies over 10 days the entire sales price of the movie without notification. I received a collection letter from them and was confused because I had no movies in my possession. I called the store thinking it was an error and they explained even though I returned the movies they were still charging me the full price of the movie because I returned them over the 10 day period. If I came to the store to pay then they would give me the movies. I have two concerns over this practice.

1. If I had not called my local blockbuster and received the information I would have just paid the collection office. What then happens to the movies since I no longer have them in my possession? It is not stated in the collection letter what the collection is for besides the address of the Blockbuster Store. The only telephone number listed on the letter is for the collection agency.

2. My second concern is that this was the first notification I received regarding the movies I had already returned a min of 30 days ago. That means I didnt even have movies in my possession that I evidently own. Even though I havent paid they would put this on my credit report i assume so I should have at least been notified to pick up the movies an make the payment sooner than this late date.

I think this is a major disservice to consumers already struggling in a poor economy. I will personally never rent from them again.

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Henry
, US
Mar 01, 2009 10:49 am EST

Renting videos from Blockbuster Video has proven to be a nightmare- specifically the store in Mesa, AZ. The company automatically charges your credit card if they think you are late. They do not even bother to notify you before doing so (if you used your debit card to sign up this could really cause you some problems). And, worst of all, if they lose a video or cannot locate it AFTER you return it, they automatically charge your credit card for the video- this is an unexpected charge of over $100! They do not even bother to look for it before charging you! Outrageously bad customer service.

I would suggest patronizing a friendlier, more competent company.

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Tony Rynearson
Costa Mesa, US
Jun 24, 2010 10:14 am EDT

I used to have an on-line account but I found that a large majority of the DVD movies I received were so scratched that my player couldn't read them. I cancelled my subscription on line at the Blockbuster web site in late May of 2017 and reopened my account with my local store in Costa Mesa, CA and have been a loyal customer ever since. Each account is automatically billed to a different credit card. In January of this year, 2017, when reviewing my credit card statements, I realized that the on-line account was still being charged monthly, even after I cancelled it on-line 3 and a half years earlier. I immediately called Blockbuster and notified them of the error. The representative I spoke with canceled the on-line subscription right then and after speaking with her supervisor, I was told that since Block Buster had no record of the original cancellation, they would only offer me a gift card for a portion of the charges. After about 5 months, and several calls from me, I finally received a gift card for $156.48, . I checked the on-line web site and found the card showed a 0 balance. I called and asked why and was told that the card needed to be activated and it would be so when I made my first purchase at my Blockbuster retailer. I took the card to my local store and tried it and the card was rejected for a 0 balance. I explained the issues to the store attendant, who was very helpfull. She called the number on the card and was told that the card was inactive and needed to be replaced. It would take ANOTHER 6 - 8 weeks. Earlier this week I received a letter from Block Buster Customer Relations rejecting the request for a replacement card stating that I had to fax a copy of the original purchase receipt to [protected]. This is of course impossible since the card was issued directly to me over the phone as a partial reimbursement for the erroneous credit card charges.

I am fed up with this obvious run-a-round. I have been a loyal Block Buster customer since I moved to this area in 1995. This complete and obvious lack of concern for the customer on the part of Block Buster has me seriously considering transferring my business else ware. For your information I calculated that Block Buster actually owed me $620.00 for the charges to my credit card, not including the interest charged to my balance, if the $19.38 monthly were added up from the date I originally cancelled the subscription. I was willing to accept the $156.48 for at least a partial reimbursement. At this point I am highly considering turning all my records over to the BBB and possibly my attorney. This is not how to run a business. I will drop the issue if at least the gift card I received is honored.

I have never had any problems with my in store account and the Employees at this store are very friendly and helpful. I would very much like to keep this account active but if this issue is not resolved I can not see it happening.

Looking forward to a reply.

Tony Rynearson
Account #3328715
Email luvanrd@sbcglobal.net

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oxygenluv
Texarkana, US
Aug 15, 2014 12:58 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I think there closed down now.

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vperry
Fort Worth, US
Apr 10, 2009 8:12 pm EDT

I had the misfortune to arrive during the 5:00 shift change. The rude girlat the counter made wait, then announced: "I am out of here!" and walked off. After waiting for the manager to wait on me, I was again ignored while all the staff and the manager huddled together. There was no explanation to me what was going on. When I finally called out "Can I get soem service here?" I was glared at with no verbal response. Then the rude staff member who had walked off, returned and told me: "They are having their shift change sir". I becam etired of such poor service and left. I will take my business elsewehre from now on, I will never use this particular store again. I expect to receive better service than this, especially when there is hardly anyone in the store.

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KixStar
Your mom, US
Jun 24, 2010 10:21 am EDT

So it's Blockbuster's fault that you didn't check your credit card statement for 3.5 years?

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SomeoneWhoWorksAndBuys
Ashland, US
Mar 22, 2010 10:47 pm EDT

One of the biggest reasons tht movies are NEVER returned is due to others being responsible for returning them & not doing so. In fact, it's such a big problem, that when I worked there the third question we asked you, if we couldn't find your movies, is if you returned them personally. If not, that was MAJOR red flag that they were probably not returned at all.

Especially 7 movies...there's pretty much no way that they could have lost 7 movies. Maybe one or two, sure. But 7? Yeah, your ex stole them or did something stupid like put them in the garbage instead of the drop box. (It's possible, I've seen it happen!)

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SomeoneWhoWorksAndBuys
Ashland, US
Mar 22, 2010 10:38 pm EDT

"They do not even bother to look for it before charging you! Outrageously bad customer service." - Actually, they do. I don't know if all stores do this, or if it's no longer a practice, but when I worked there, we had something called the "Found on Shelf" search which we did EVERY DAY. An employee goes out & looks for anything that's 7-8 days late. However, there were a few employees that were too lazy to do it, so your's could have been skipped.

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Charlied72
Falls Church, US
Oct 25, 2009 3:48 pm EDT

You can't blame your ignorance on the employee it's your responsibility to keep the store undated. As for the refund if the movies were out for more than a 30 days your up ###'s creek. Blame your ex.

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10:37 am EDT

Blockbuster total rip off

I have used Blockbuster on line service for two years now and in the beginning the service was excellent, however, after two years now the service is the worse, I signed up for three at a time, and now I get one at a time, they had and increase and I said nothing when they just took the money from my account without be notified, I was told by several people after a while they do this so you will quit, and they hope you will rejoin, but you will not get the same plan you started with, at this time you get a coupond for one free movie each month, and the rentals are unlimited, and they no longer have this plan for the $19.99 each month and this way they can weed out this program, I have complained to them, and they always come up with an excuse even suggesting maybe my mailman is watching my movies before I do, I don't know if Netflex is any better, but it might be worth a try.

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3:23 pm EDT

Blockbuster poor service

This company is unreasonable. Their commerical states that if as soon as you return a movie, the next one in your quene list will be shipped. Well, I had a problem with their inventory system because my movies were taking 2-3 business days to ship, hence it was false advertising. These guy suspended my account because I was apparently reporting too many movies were not being shipped as it stated in the commercial. They only refunded about 1/2 of my fee and told me there's nothing I can do about it. First off, if this company can't back up what it advertises then stop saying it in their commercials. 2nd, their lack of communication towards their customers is poor and shady. The only reason why I even had the ability to call these guys is because I googled the number. This service has potential to be good, but these guys need to really get their service in order. I am upset with this company about their lack of communication; poor website and bad treatment of myself as a customer. And if there was a problem with the "lost and theft department, " why wasn't I notified? I think the whole experience was bad business for their part and I implore anyone who's thinking about using this service to try netflix.com before going to this place!

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Bart Stevens
,
Aug 19, 2007 12:00 am EDT

I am a recent subscriber to Blockbuster Online whose plan has recently been involuntarily "rolled over" into a new plan, minus the old E-Coupon feature that made Blockbuster Online such a superior choice to Netflix. It's obvious they are trying to gradually phase out this feature quietly, and doing it by forcing people into new plans that don't have the feature that is so appealing.

Why not just say, "Yah, we know we used this feature to get your business from Competitor X, and we know it's in your original contract, but now, it's not so appealing to us, so we're just gonna take it away because [ insert insulting spin]. Here's a totally useless coupon to compensate you for being screwed. Thanks!"

I don't know if this is right place to complain about this, but it's just so shady that I feel someone should know it's going on, and I think the online video market would benefit greatly from a discussion of the merits of a company that would create and market so heavily a competitive advantage, only to remove it within a year or two in such a devious fashion. Here is the response from Blockbuster Customer Service to my inquiry:

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Bart Stevens and I am a relatively new subscriber to Blockbuster Online. I am writing to request information regarding the continuation of the E-Coupons program as it relates to the new plan changes. For myself and many others, the competitive edge of Blockbuster over NetFlix is the +1 FREE bonus Movie or Game Rental E-Coupon / Month feature, and indeed the ability to rent games was and still is the most distinguishing factor in what are essentially identical services.

When I visited the website several weeks ago, I did notice subscription changes for new customers. I was relieved to see the grandfathering in of this very important feature in my plan, and doubtful that Blockbuster would make such a fatal decision as to force subscription change to existing customers in order to gradually and quietly phase out this feature. Of course, I certainly assumed that the company would not be so deceptive as to try this under a guise of improving customer service.

To date, I cannot find any reference to this feature "rolling over" into the new plan on 8/31. Needless to say, it would be extremely disappointing if it did not. Please confirm that this new plan that I will be forced into retains this feature. Because of my profession, I currently hold memberships with Netflix and Blockbuster. If I lost the E-Coupon feature, this would cause immediate and permanent termination of my subscription, and force me to divert my business to GameFly.

A simple confirmation of the retainment of this feature will be sufficient to continue my relationship with Blockbuster.com. Thank you.

Bart

*****

Hello Bart,

Thanks for contacting BLOCKBUSTER Online Customer Care.

I appreciate you taking the time to email us your concern and I sincerely apologize for the delay of my reply, Bart. Thank you so much for taking the time to email us your feedback regarding the new plan. Unfortunately, e-coupons are no longer available with the new plans. We recently enhanced our membership plans to provide our subscribers with a wide selection of options. With Total Access Premium, for example, you get more free in-store rentals than ever before. Instead of having to print e-Coupons, we'll scan the barcode on your return mailers at your local store in exchange for a free in-store movie rental. If you love games, we'll even give you a discount if you bring us your online envelope! I sincerely apologize for the frustration this may have caused. As a courtesy, please allow me to give you this additional e-coupon for a free movie rental at your local Blockbuster Store. Please click on the link below to claim and print your coupon:

http://www.blockbuster.com/acctmgmt/coupon.jsp?coupon=7701019750100276548392&name=Bart%20Stevens&startDate=08/19/07&endDate=09/18/07&monthToPrint=August%20Coupons

I hope this information somehow helps. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

Respectfully,

Christy
Customer Care Associate
BLOCKBUSTER Online

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siryakmann14
Covington, US
Mar 10, 2009 6:29 pm EDT

I also have the same problem with BB. Twice they have changed my policy to reflect an advantage for them. I curently pay 24.99 for unlimited use, but have found exteme limits to my use. Now I have to turn in my in store rentals to recieve my online, were as before the minute I turned in my online they would send out the next three in my que. I am terminating my existance with BB. I'm not an ATM for them Thank you.

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Jack W. Goldstein
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Oct 17, 2008 2:19 pm EDT

On or about October 2, 2008, I opened an account with i Tunes and for some reason I have received 2 subscriptions to Company's that I have never dealt with. The only reason I found out is that my Credit Card was debited. I called both company's, one reversed the charges, canceled my account and put the money back in my account the next day.

But, you Blockbusters have refused to cancel my Account or even give me the my own account number and you refuses to refund my money. According to your representative I have to cancel my card in order to stop the recurring charges.

I am on a fixed income and if I cancel my card and have a new one issued it would most likely mess up my Social Security Checks.

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Jim
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Jul 04, 2008 11:03 am EDT

Funny how all the customer service replies contain the word..Unfortunately, ...

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linda schellpeper
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Jan 12, 2008 2:51 pm EST

I cancelled my account last week when I found out that without telling me they rised my plan from 24.99 to 34.99 they said they sent an email to me but they lied.

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chas
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Jan 08, 2008 1:08 pm EST

i cancelled my contract with blockbuster online after 12 months ,i assumed the debits would stop but they didnt,so i continued to pay for a service i assumed was cancelled,i paid of my credit card and tried to cancel it,i assumed the card was cancelled only to find out that the debitts were still coming out of my account,i have tried to contact them 11 times now they do not respond to my emails.has any one had the same problem? not with unreplied emails but with there account still being debitted after they cancelled there account.

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Alex McCoy
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Sep 19, 2007 2:21 pm EDT

I have been using Blockbuster Online for almost a year now. I have recently moved and to my surprise when I got to use my blockbuster at my new home that my plan has been changed from the 2 Online movies and Unlimited in store rentals with 1 e-coupon/month to 2 Online movies and 3 in store rentals(2 of which I've already used cause I was never contacted about the change). When I contacted the Blockbuster Online customer service I was told that it was a corporate decision to change plans and that was all that I could be told. When I asked about the number to the Corporate office HQ the rep could not give it too me. After calling a few other blockbuster numbers I managed to get the HQ number. The woman I talked to said that blockbuster did a study of everyone's rental history and decdided based on customer account usage whether someone would be grandfathered in. Basically people who used their unlimited rentals at a certain rate were not grandfathered in and people who don't really use their unlimited usage did. So basically Blockbuster is forcing people who want to keep unlimited rentals to pay more because of the fact that they actually used the service they payed for. I am outraged at this to the point I am looking into legal action. I don't understand how a company can grandfather in some customers and not others based on the service usage that they had PAID FOR. If anyone has any advice of how to get Blockbuster to fix this problem it would be openly appreciated.

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10:13 am EDT
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Blockbuster mitch is not manager material

I also had a horrible experience with Mitch, the store manager at Blockbuster video. The day of my encounter I had tried calling up to blockbuster to find out if they had a wii fit in stock. I was put on hold 3 seperate times and then never helped any of the times. All together I waited on hold with those 3 phone calls 15 minutes. So I went TO the store and asked to speak to the manager who unfortunately at the time was Mitch. I attempted to explain that I had been rudely treated on the phone and he constantly interrupted me. He then told me that he did not care that I was a customer on the phone, that I was not a priority to him and that he would help me when he felt like it. I told him his mangerial skills were horrible. He replied that again, he didn't care and that I had a poor attitude. He then was very difficult about providing me with HIS managers contact information. I finally got it and left the store. She called me back 2 days later and was very apologetic and promised to have a talk with Mitch regarding his behavior. I'm not sure what happened to customer service but the blockbuster in Hartland apparently does NOT offer it. And obviously this Mitch guy is NOT a people person and should NOT be in the customer service industry. If I were to EVER make a comment to a customer regarding their attitude I would get fired on the spot. Must be nice working for a company where you can say whatever you want to your customers and not suffer any consequences. At least we can all be content that Mitch is a miserable person with a miserable life and should probably be pitied by the rest of us.

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SomeoneWhoWorksAndBuys
Ashland, US
Mar 22, 2010 10:19 pm EDT

I both agree with you and with Mitch, to an extent. Now, you say that he kept interrupting you & was very rude, but from the sound of your post & the fact that you'd ultimately been kept on hold for 45 minutes, I'm going to give Mitch the benefit of the doubt & believe that you went in angry and/or rude yourself. Saying that, he still shouldn't have said anything to you that was rude, though I can understand how he might have gotten flustered if you were already angry when you went in.

Secondly, I can completely understand him ignoring you on the phone in favor of helping customers that are right in front of him, IF he was alone or it was very busy at the time (if not, then there really was no excuse). I've personally always assumed the customer at the register, READY WITH MONEY, is 10x more important than someone on the phone, simply because the person in front of you is a guaranteed sale while the person on the phone is not.

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Fuchi
Warner Robins, US
Oct 16, 2009 9:09 pm EDT

Must be a franchise store, corporate store would not EVEN LET THAT TYPE OF BEHAVIOR BE TOLERATED. Sorry you had to go through that.

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3:21 am EDT
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Blockbuster cheaters

I am outraged. I closed this account cause they increased their price from $19.38 to $21.54. They deducted this new amount from account without even asking if I would to continue receiving videos at this new price. I closed my account with blockbuster on 02/10/2008. On 03/27/2008, they deducted $64.62 for movies they claim that I have not returned. I contacted the 'Blockbuster Online Customer Care' and voiced my concern. To my surprise they returned my e-mail within that day. Here is there response. 'Thanks for contacting BLOCKBUSTER Online Customer Care.

I'm sorry to hear that your account was charged even if you already returned your DVDs. Unfortunately, the DVDs that you've returned were not yet physically received at our return center after your account has been canceled. Once we receive the DVDs that caused the charges, we'll automatically issue you a full refund. If we have already sent you an e-mail notification that the DVDs were received, and the refund has not yet posted or processed, please forward the notice to us and we'll be happy to help. Unfortunately, we do not offer outbound calls. Should you have further inquiries, please call us at [protected] (or [protected]) Monday-Friday from 8:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. CST. We will gladly help you over the phone. Thank you very much for your inquiry.'

Now keep in mind that I closed my account on 2/10/2008 and this according to their records. The customer care rep. did not offer to look it the issue and get back to me, but quick to say when get our videos, we'll give your money back, as if they are holding MY MONEY hostage. I find it hard to believe that it take almost two months to receive and process some videos. Moreover, why the problem after I canceled services with them. Is it possible it got lost in the snail mail?

But I should not be surprised. This the second time they do this to me the first time was with a video game, that mysteriously got lost at the store after I put it in their designated drop box, that was another $60, offense. Cause with BBV your guilty, till video are never returned. So BEWARE OF THE BBV predator he likes to steal your 'unreturned' videos.

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Charlied72
Falls Church, US
Oct 25, 2009 3:57 pm EDT

You get time after your account is closed to send your finial movies back. If you mailed them back they should of received them in 2-5 business days. If you dropped them off at the store your refund will be issued when the stores sends your movies back to the online distribution center.

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